Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or "Wanderer of Time"
Book 1: Chapter 1
The Tardis library was a large, confusing maze of books and shelves with many hidden sections and off-shoot rooms, but Sexy had done some rearranging by the time those who'd gone with Wanda to the kitchen had arrived. She had enlarged the (usually) small sitting area just past the entrance, adding more sofas, armchairs, and even a few giant bean bags that made the Time Lady giddy. She bounced over to one close to the recliner River had claimed, dropping her armful of snacks on the large coffee table in the center of the seating arrangement and snatching her husband's hand along the way to drag him with her. He stopped her briefly to grab two unopened packets of custard creams and jammie dodgers before letting his Wanderer push him down into her chosen spot and then making herself comfortable on his lap. Someone had lit the fireplace, giving the area a warm, cozy atmosphere that softened her grin as she settled into the Doctor's gentle embrace.
Martha brought over a fuzzy throw to hand to the pair, giving the Doctor a cold stare as he thanked her before smiling at Wanda and walking off to pass out more blankets. Soon enough everyone was seated with their food and blankets and it almost seemed like a normal night of relaxing and hanging out on the Tardis if you ignored the fact that most everyone were still strangers. They had arranged themselves in a circle around the coffee table in the middle of the room, mostly facing away from the fireplace in the corner. (A/N: the seating order is Eleven, Wanda, River, Clara, Jack, Rose, Donna, Martha, Rory, and Amy)
Now that everyone had settled, the quiet conversations that had popped up between companions petered out. There was a strained apprehension in the air as they all turned their attention onto the innocuous set of books lying innocently on the table amongst the leftover snacks. No one wanted to break the silence as they all either stared intently towards the books or glanced around anxiously. Finally, Jack and Donna spoke up almost simultaneously.
"Sooo, who's gonna start?"
"Would one of you dumbos just start already!"
The two looked at each other in surprise, the ex-conman giving her a charming smirk that made the fiery red-head blush despite herself. She quickly turned her head away, fixing an impatient glare at the Time Lords to get them to take charge. "Right, um…" The Doctor trailed off before suggesting Jack read first seeing as he was so eager. Jack immediately rebuffed him which led the two into an escalating playful argument that had the rest of the room holding back their amusement, especially seeing the pair completely ignore the danger signs coming from Wanda's reddening face and rapid eye twitch. She put a stop to it with a swift punch to the Doctor's arm before snuggling back into his chest with crossed arms and an adorable pout. "Shut up! Both of you! Rory, you read."
"What, why me?" The Englishman groaned. Wanda replied, "Because you were the first face I saw when I arrived."
Rory softened a little at that but was still set to argue before Amy pushed him off of their sofa towards the books. "Go already, stupid head!"
He lifted his hands in defeat before going to pick up the book titled Book One. He cleared his throat as he opened it to the first page but was interrupted before he could read out the name of the chapter.
"Wait, wait," Clara interjected. "Everyone good to go, no one needs the restroom?" The others had a mixture of expressions on their faces from amusement, irritation, puzzlement, and approval. "Sorry, force of habit! I work with kids." She explained earning hums of understanding and a few nods of acknowledgement. Still no one spoke up to answer her query, so with another glance around, Rory picked the book back up from where it had fallen on his lap and started reading aloud.
Chapter 1: Worlds Collide
The stars were beautiful. They were always beautiful. Twinkling like a thousand crystals across the night sky. All creatures throughout the universe would look to these stars, gaze at them. Sometimes they would look at them in wonder or amazement. Other times they look towards them in curiosity or adventure. Some would even look to these stars with envy or desire. The stars were the one thing all creatures would look to. Something all wished to reach and grasp within their hands.
Everyone smiled fondly at this introduction. They had all dreamed of reaching the stars and now they were traveling among them.
One such creature lay under these stars, lying on lush green grass under a clear star-filled sky. A young girl, who looked to be in her twenties, lay out on this lush green carpet of the earth. She was a rather lanky girl with long legs stretched out and her long arms folded under her head. Her chestnut hair spread out in waves around her head, bright hazel eyes stared up in admiration.
"Wanda" The Doctor sighed out lovingly, squeezing his fiancee for a moment and pressing a kiss onto the crown of her head.
Moving her arm, she reached up to the sky stretching her fingers out, almost as though wanting to touch the stars. She gave a soft smile, placing her arms back under her head while sighing with content. Blissfully enjoying the cool night.
"Wanda! Time for dinner!"
The girl, Wanda, glanced sideways towards her mother.
"Oh, oh! Does this mean we get to know more about your home in the other universe?" Rose chimed in which definitely drew the excited interest of the others.
Her mother waved to her, smiling brightly before walking back into their small, cottage-like house. Wanda gave a light smile as well. She stood up and brushed off the backside of her jeans, denim jacket, and straightened her purple shirt before walking back towards her house.
Wanda .
Wanda froze for a second, and then quickly shook her head. There was that voice again. Or one of the many voices anyway.
The Doctor frowned in thought. Ever since he found out the truth about the Wanderer he'd always considered her "past life" a make-believe scenario that Alpha had implanted in her head but this, this seemed to prove him wrong. This, whatever it is, seemed too real. And if the story began here rather than whenever she first appeared in his timeline-
She knew her imagination had just been overactive lately. She has been watching too much of her favorite show. Maybe she should cut back and watch something else for a while.
Jack coyly commented at that, "But then how would you get your daily fix of the Doctor."
Said man blushed as the innuendo registered. River and Amy felt teasing grins creep up on their faces, having a feeling they would get along just fine with the 51st century man.
Wanda flirtatiously bantered back, "Don't worry about me, I'd just start watching Torchwood. It's a show all about you Captain Smexy." She then sobered a little before continuing knowing that this was very early Jack, before he'd ever met any of the other Wandas, "Just a warning though Jack. You might want to watch what you say about earlier mes, Young me is very innocent and well, young."
Jack grimaced at that, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his previous comment in light of this new information.
Walking inside, she turned to see both her mother and father sitting at the dinner table already, laughing away at some joke her father had made. They turned to her as she entered the room, beaming to her.
"Hey, sweetheart, how was your day?" her father asked. Wanda sat down smiling at him.
"Fine, how was your day, father?" she asked while sitting down. "And your day, mother?" Wanda glanced down to her plate to see a wonderfully made chicken dinner, just the way she loved it. She quickly picked up her fork and dug in.
"You don't call your parents mum and dad?" Clara asked, slightly confused. The First Wanda she'd met a few hours ago had definitely been shy and polite with a youthful air to her that the older Wanda she'd met didn't have, but still she hadn't pegged Wanda as one to be so formal with family. Wanda just shook her head in response which made Clara sit back with a low hum.
"Oh, I had a lovely day working on my carvings again," her father spoke brightly.
"I worked on my garden some more," her mother also spoke.
This time it was Amy who interrupted her husband, "That's strange. Whenever you talk about your world and your parents, that's pretty much all you ever say."
Wanda frowned at that, feeling a headache coming on as she tried to think back for more details despite knowing that she was always forced to forget when she tried. "I-I remember other things too. And besides it's been 98 years since then, of course I've forgotten a lot. Plus, what they said wasn't strange at all, after all those were their hobbies."
Amy was going to keep pressing the point but backed off when she caught the warning look in the Doctor's eye. The Time Lord couldn't help feeling saddened at the conversation. Regardless of his confusion on whether or not Wanda's old home was an illusion, he knew that this reading would reveal the devastating truth about her past. And he could never be ready for her to know, to watch her cry at remembering. He just wanted to see her smiling and happy. That's why he hadn't scolded anyone for interrupting yet. He knew this reading was necessary to save his future wife but the longer this could take, the more time he could keep her content in his arms, safe from her emotional torment.
"Oh! Are the tulips coming in well," Wanda said with a mouth full of food.
Her mother gave her a small smile. "Don't talk with your mouth full, honey."
Wanda quickly swallowed and wiped her mouth. "Oh, right, sorry."
"The tulips are coming along fine. They should be ready for the picking soon."
"And the tiger lillies?" Her mother gave a happy nod. Wanda cheered in delight. She could not wait until her mother's flowers came up. Especially the tulips and tiger lillies, they were her favorites. Wanda smiled brightly at them both. "Will Tina be coming back home soon?"
The Doctor squeezed the Time Lady in his arms, reminded of Tina's true fate and knowing it could have easily been her.
"She called in the other day," her father replied. "She should be coming home next week from another one of her travels." Wanda cheered once more, excited to see her older sister again. She quickly ate up the rest of her meal. Getting up from her table, she quickly began to clean up and wash the dishes for her parents.
"More of your show recorded tonight. Will you be watching it?" her father asked. Wanda smiled brightly again.
"Oh, that must be more of Doctor Who," she said happily.
"Doctor… Who?" Donna chortled, finding the name funny.
"Yeah, that's the name of the show I watched back home about the Doctor's adventures." Wanda replied seriously, not understanding why she was laughing at the name.
Martha chimed in, "I guess it makes sense a bit, it's not like he ever tells anyone his name."
"Dangerous question." River comments offhandedly drawing a hum of agreement from Wanda. This little aside brings looks of confusion to the companions in contrast to the Doctor's face which appeared frozen between censure and smugness which hid his own puzzlement that could only be seen in his eyes.
"But those will just be repeats now. I finished season seven last week. It'll be a while before the next season comes on."
Rory couldn't help interrupting himself when he read that. "Wait, I thought you said you watched all of the Doctor's life on your show. He's over 900 years old and all those adventures you saw were shown in just seven seasons? That just doesn't fit right."
"Oh, I guess that would seem confusing for those who don't know." Wanda said before further explaining, "His adventures were split into two serials. The first was referred to as Classic Who and ran for 26 seasons. It covered his first through seventh bodies. Then, there was a break where the Time War took place which it didn't show. They didn't show much of the Eighth Doctor either. Anyways, after the war, that's when the second series picks back up with the Ninth Doctor right as he meets Rose. We called that series NuWho and it goes through the Doctor's adventures with all of you here. By the time I arrived here, the current companion was Clara but there were only a few episodes with her before the season ended."
There were some Ohhh's from those who'd been the most interested in learning more about her past life and the show. With the matter of his confusion now settled, Rory picked up where he left off.
"You could always make the next season come earlier, dear," her father said.
There was an outbreak of confused looks between everyone, even Wanda who had forgotten about the details of this conversation, but no one said anything besides Rose who let out a quiet "Huh?"
Wanda paused, half way through washing her dish. Blinking rapidly, she turned to her father wondering if she had heard him right. "What did you say father?"
"I said, that's too bad, honey. How long will it be until the new season?"
She blinked at him, and then smiled. "Not until next fall."
"That was weird, right? I mean, we all agree that that was proper weird." Clara said, moving her eyes between everyone in the room.
River replied "Yes, yes it was" in a tone that made it sound like she was trying to unravel a mystery.
She turned back around, continuing her task from before. She heard both of them getting up from the table and leaving the room. She frowned as she pondered what she had heard her father say. Comments like that had been happening quite often lately. Ever since . . . the voices started. Not just from her family, but from her friends and people living within the village as well. They were small comments. Many of which Wanda could dismiss. However, some made her wonder . . .
This only raised everyone's suspicions and it showed in the curious side glances being shared with increasing frequency.
She was startled out of her thoughts by the phone ringing. Hurriedly, she wiped off her hands and ran over to the phone. Picking it up, she heard the squeal of her friend Shelly on the line.
"Have you seen tonight's episode, Wanda? It's our favorite," Shelly said brightly over the phone. Wanda smiled happily; glad to hear from her friend. She had even just been thinking about calling Shelly herself. Shelly and she have been together since they were young, and the greatest bond between them is their shared love of Doctor Who. They loved everything about it. The same characters
Many of the companions felt rather hurt at the thought of Wanda picking favorites among them. Amy especially couldn't help feeling offended considering that was her Wanderer possibly choosing others over her. Rose was the one to speak this time, saying almost tearfully, "Is that how you still think? We're not characters in a show anymore, we're your friends! I thought we were best mates, like sisters. Is that how you see us?"
"No no no! We are friends, all of us. It's not about liking one of you more than someone else or replacing you. The Doctor and I love each of you for who you are individually and we need all of you in our lives. Each and every single one of you are beautiful, brilliant stars." Wanda insisted.
The Doctor decided to give his own reassurance, despite Rose directing the comment more towards Wanda, knowing that many of his companions in this room shared similar sentiments about himself as well. "You are all our friends, part of this family like Wanda says. We need people sometimes, to help us, to guide us, and to stop us at times. My friends have always been the best of me, my guiding lights."
Both impassioned speeches lightened everyone's spirits and brought Rose, Martha, Donna, and Amy to shed a few happy tears. Amy and River, as the two closest, leaned over to hug the pair of Time Lords. Rose smiled at the pair in apology, feeling heartened at her friends' reassurance.
Donna had been incredibly affected at the Time Lords' words, recognizing much of what they both said as things she herself had told them or as being things they had already told her and she hadn't understood nor believed their words. But finally she did understand, and she did believe it. "And you are my– our– best friends. It's not just about showing us the universe, it's the two of you! You show us a better life and it's scary, and terrible, and sad, but it is wonderful."
The whole room took a moment to regroup themselves after yet another emotional aside they'd witnessed. That had clearly been a moment more appropriate for a more private setting rather than in front of all of them, regardless of how much they agreed with Donna.
Rory let out a snort as he had read ahead slightly and found it a little comical how much things had been blown out of proportion unnecessarily. The noise drew everyone's attention as they turned their curious eyes onto him only to grow sheepish as he continued the reading.
(which were really all the characters), the same episodes, and everything else were all held in the same light by them. Wanda remembered her mother used to joke with them, saying they were twins.
"Oh, Partners in Crime then?" Wanda said happily while jumping up to sit on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth in the air.
The Doctor let out a quiet "Ahh" in understanding but didn't elaborate for the rest of the room. He did poke a ticklish spot on Wanda's side upon hearing her small giggle.
"Yes! It was the best!"
Wanda nodded some. "It always is." They laughed together.
"Well, aren't you going to watch it?"
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Oh, maybe later. I already know that episode by heart." Wanda could hear Shelly giggling.
"You know all the episodes by heart; you've only watched them about a million times."
"Well maybe not million . . . but close enough." They both laughed once again.
"I guess that would explain why you know so much all the time, I mean besides the possibilities." Martha said before continuing her train of thought, "Like, I knew you'd seen a lot of our adventures on your show but even then I never understood how you seemed to remember everything.
No one had a chance to agree before Wanda had refuted the thought. "Not everything," She said in a quiet, haunted tone thinking back to the many, many times she had let people die because she had forgotten or decided not to look into the possibilities.
Wanda just sighed softly, thinking on the show itself. She had always loved that show, ever since her younger years when she first started to watch it. The story, the adventures, the characters: she had fallen in love with them all. She could not help but smile remembering the episode her and Shelly loved. It was always so funny, even after seeing it a hundred times.
"I just thought you would enjoy watching it again before you left," her friend said happily. Wanda blinked rapidly, not sure if she had heard her friend right.
River raised an eyebrow at Shelly's words and interrupted to ask her dad, not that he knew yet that he was her dad from what she had gathered, to repeat those last few lines. He did, and River sat back again with crossed arms, humming in thought. She tried to look her Wanderer in the eye to get an idea of what was going on but couldn't as the Time Lady was staring down at her Mary-Janes, trying to piece together what was going on. Instead of Wanda, River caught the Doctor's warning glare giving very clear signs for her to back off. Normally, she wouldn't give a damn about what the silly Time Lord wanted, especially when it had to do with her sister, but something in that look made her back down just like her mother had not long ago.
"Huh? I'm . . . I'm not going anywhere, Shelly. Where did you get an idea like that?" she questioned quietly.
"Of course you're not going anywhere silly! What makes you think you are?" Her friend started laughing loudly. Wanda frowned heavily. Shelly had been acting very strange for quite some time now. Even stranger than the others around Wanda's life. Shelly's comments have been even more bizarre from the rest and always mentioning something about Wanda leaving. She was really starting to worry. She could no longer pass it off as lightly as she has been.
Wanda .
There it was again, the Doctors voice ringing within her head. It has never been the same voice either, always a different one from a different incarnation. She was not sure when it had started, but the Doctor's voice had been popping up more and more lately. Always calling her name or . . . calling out Wanderer. She quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of these voices. She was becoming afraid, not sure what exactly was happening to her.
Wanda really couldn't remember a lot of what they had read so far or all the strange signs of what was to come, all she remembered about leaving her world was following the weird light she had spotted and then waking up in that grave in Wales. But now that she had been reminded of hearing the Doctor's voice in her head, she felt strange, looking back it seemed less like a voice and almost like an inescapable calling. It felt like destiny, being brought to this universe, like there was never another option but for her to be here. Wanda blinked, dismissing those thoughts to the back of her mind in order to not be a drag.
I love you Theta. She said telepathically. And I'm glad to be here.
Her husband gave her that boyish grin she loved to see and a sweet peck on the nose to make her giggle. I love you too Wanda. He replied before tugging her to lean back against him like before. He rubbed against her belly like Eleven always did with her and it came to her that he didn't know where she was in her timeline, whether or not she was pregnant or at what stage of pregnancy. This younger version of her Theta had never seen her this heavily pregnant either. It made her want to take off her necklace immediately but she held herself back. At this point in their lives, the only companions who knew about her babe were Rose, Jack, and River. It would probably be better if she waited for a good opportunity to tell everyone and then she could take off the perception filter.
She wanted to confide in someone, but the fear of what they would tell her or do to her kept her at bay from actually speaking up about the occurrences. So, she refused to tell anyone. Even Shelly.
"Are you still having those dreams, Wanda?" Shelly asked. Without thinking, she pinched her right thumb between the index finger and thumb of her opposite hand. Nervous on the discussion of this certain subject. Wanda nodded slowly. Realizing Shelly could not see her, she answered 'yes.' "Are you still unseen by them? The Doctor and his companions I mean?"
The Doctor had been nuzzling the crook of Wanda's neck, basking in the Time Lord bond and their shared love. He had been humming contently just loud enough to reach the Time Lady's ears but abruptly stopped in a very pronounced pause at hearing about Wanda's dreams before picking his humming back up again.
"Always. I'm always invisible," Wanda said quietly. She smiled softly. "But that's ok. It's better to be just an observer than a nuisance."
There was an outpouring of indistinct noises as everyone immediately tried to refute past Wanda and reassure her that she could never be a nuisance. Wanda beamed happily at the love she could feel from everyone towards her despite disagreeing somewhat as she knew that despite her intentions she did get in the way at times or was a drag, especially past hers.
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Wanda. The Doctor is going to love you!" Wanda laughed lightly at first along with Shelly, and then it hit what exactly Shelly had said.
At this point, the companions had pretty much given up on getting answers to what was going on with Wanda and why it seems as though her jumping through the Doctor's life wasn't as much of an accident as they had been led to believe.
"Wait . . . 'is'?"
"Your dreams are going to change, becoming very real, very soon." Shelly spoke in a very serious tone this time, not sounding at all like the Shelly Wanda knew. Wanda's grip on the phone tightened. She could feel her heart speeding up in fear. Closing her eyes tightly, she wished that she could just get off the phone. Afraid of what else Shelly might say.
"She knew! How could she have known?" Wanda whispered. She had been talking quietly to herself but everyone heard her even if no one answered. In her head, Wanda was still wondering how she had forgotten this to begin with.
"Oh! Mom's home! I have to go now, Wanda. I'll talk to you later. We're still up for tomorrow right?"
"Um, yeah sure. See you later, Shelly." Wanda held onto the phone for a few moments, listening to the dead line before hanging up slowly. Jumping down from the counter, she walked up stairs. Glancing over, she saw her parents' bedroom light was still on. Knocking, she opened the door to see them both reading on the bed, lying close together with her mother's head on her father's chest. Both with a smile of contentment on their face. Wanda smiled warmly at them. She had always admired the affection her mother and father held for each other. Such love and devotion to which Wanda wished someday she might find someone for her as well. Perhaps, they may have the same wonderful relationship that her parents had.
The Doctor pressed a kiss behind Wanda's ear, and sighed a soft Wanderer into her mind that all of his love and affection for his future wife. Wanda shivered at the sensation, wanting to drag her Theta into a wanton snog that would definitely not be appropriate in front of all their friends. She took in a shaky breath to calm her growing lust. The Doctor hid his smirk in her hair, knowing the effect he had on her.
Her mother blinked, realizing Wanda had been standing in the doorway.
"What is it, honey?" she called out softly to her daughter.
"I just wanted to say goodnight . . . I love you both," Wanda spoke softly.
"We love you too, sweetheart," her father said gently. Wanda closed the door behind her.
Going into her room, she gave a soft sigh of peace as she sat on her bed. She was ready to get this abnormal day over with. From her window, Wanda could see the small village below, settled comfortably within a valley. The lights twinkled like the stars above. Wanda could not help but give a small smile to the place she has grown to love over the years. Everyone within the village was always so friendly and always there for each other. They all treated each other as one large family. This village has definitely been a much better place to live than the one where she and her parents had lived before.
Clara smiled cheerfully at her friend, "Your village sounds nice, I would love to visit sometime!"
The Doctor had been feeling down at the reminder of Wanda's past, although confused at the fact that she seemed to remember some of it, but he snapped to attention at Clara's idea. "No!" He said sternly, disliking the casual way this future companion was picking at old wounds of Wanda's.
The Time Lady in question was startled at how harsh her husband had been with their impossible girl and at seeing the hurt look on her face, swiftly slapped his hand away from her middle. "You, stop being so rude. Sorry, Clara. What he should have said was that it's impossible for us to ever visit home, the walls between universes are closed." Clara smiled at the blonde's comforting words.
Wanda had always been content with her life, where she was in life, and those surrounding. However . . . lately she had this feeling that perhaps . . . something was missing. Something very important. Something . . . calling to her.
Wanda . . . it's time to wake up.
She gasped, hearing Eleven's voice echoing within her head. Gripping her head, she started shaking.
"No, you're not real. This isn't real," she muttered.
Wanda .
Jack spoke up to break the tension and tease the Time Lady. "I don't know, I think he's pretty real." He said drawing a quick laugh from Wanda and even a small chuckle from the Doctor.
"Shut up!" She stood quickly from her bed, some of her pillows falling to the floor. She breathed heavily, trying to get her thoughts in order. The voices have gone on long enough. She needed to tell someone. She did not care if they thought she might be mad, she just needed it to stop. Maybe the doctor from the village could help her? If they could stop the voices then maybe . . . she could go on continuing to live a normal life.
Light flashed from the corner of her vision. Wanda turned to the window to see where it had come from. The night was just as dark and silent. She walked closer to the window, folding her arms tightly around herself. Suddenly, she saw it. A bright light flashed off in the woods across from the house. Wanda's hands tightened their grip on her jacket. It was a beautiful white light which lit up the night.
Rose's face brightened as she let out a loud "Ahh!" in understanding. "That's the light, the one that always shows up when you wander somewhere." A few of the other companions nodded to show their agreement but didn't say anything.
It lit up Wanda's face, making the green flecks within her eyes sparkle. The light disappeared just as soon as it arrived. The night took hold once again, sending Wanda into the darkness once more.
Before she knew what she was doing, she spun around and ran out of her room. Bounding down the stairs, she threw open the front door to the night. The air sent a chill down her spine as she ran to the last place she saw the light. She had to find it. She just knew it had something to do with all the occurrences going on in her life. If she can find this light, perhaps then she may discover what has been happening to her lately. Entering the woods, she glanced around trying to see where exactly she had seen this light. The night lit up once again. Wanda quickly looked over to see it was coming from a clearing.
Slowly, she started forward, suddenly questioning why exactly she decided on doing this. How was this good idea? Could this light possibly hold any answers at all? Or was it something else entirely? She walked closer and closer to the light while it sat filling up the clearing with its brilliance. Her heart raced with each step towards the light.
Martha spoke up feeling like this situation was almost humorous, "You know we usually tell people not to go towards the light."
Her comment drew a frown of disapproval from Donna as her father had died not long ago and it almost sounded like the young doctor was making fun of that common saying which she herself had said when begging her dad to live. Still, she chose not to say anything considering that Martha hadn't gotten a chance to get to know her yet and might take it wrong.
Getting even closer, she felt something strange occur within her. Her heart drummed so loudly within her chest now, an echo of it ringing in her ears.
"Your two hearts?" River asked, already knowing the answer but still wanting confirmation from the Time Lords.
She was suddenly terrified by the light, wanting nothing to do with it. But she found herself unable to pull away. Her body just kept walking towards it, drawn to it. A trembling hand reached up, her fingertips caressing the light. She gasped as she felt warmth take over her body, a light filling up her vision, and then . . .
"Our plot is up ahead."
Rory had been sitting back, rather relaxed as he read aloud with his wife resting her head against his shoulder but he jolted forward at that last sentence, recognizing those words. This was when he had met First Wanda and vice versa.
Wanda moaned softly. She ached all over, feeling as though her whole body were one giant bruise. She tried moving, but everything hurt too much. Even trying to open her eyes hurt. So she just lay where she was, trying to get her bearings. She could feel herself lying on cold, wet, muddy ground. Breathing in the air, she felt as though it smelled off. Something felt wrong with it. In fact, something felt incorrect with the ground she lay upon.
The Doctor knew that this was the moment she had arrived in his timeline, even though he hadn't reached that point yet, but it still hurt his hearts to hear about how hurt and lost she had been back then.
Though why exactly did the air and ground feel so wrong? No answers would come to mind. She could hear voices talking from a distance, as well as their footsteps coming closer to where she lay. The one voice she heard had been from a female.
The companions besides the Ponds and River began looking around at each other, wondering who Wanda had met first, forgetting what she had said when she'd ordered Rory to read.
"Plot?"
This time she could hear a male's voice; their footsteps coming even closer. Wanda started to feel more like herself. She could actually move her body ever so slightly. Though still no luck in opening her eyes.
"Yes, you know, from the ones we've been calling about," spoke the female. The footsteps were right up next to Wanda now. She could tell they were actually coming from above her. Had she fallen into a hole? "It's a family plot, see." Suddenly, she heard a scream in shock.
"Oh my god," cried the male.
"You were in a grave?!" Jack exclaimed humorously bursting into laughter at the thought of his tiny Tinkerbell falling into a grave even though he knew from the earlier description that the Wanda in the story appeared very different from the one he knew.
"Wow! Where'd she come from?" shouted a young boy's voice. Wanda held still as she heard quick scraping and scrabbling, dirt shifting as someone jumped down next to her.
"Oh my god, is that a dead body? Is she a dead body? I mean the bodies have been disappearing, but I never considered some might be moved to different graves," the woman spoke in alarm. Wanda felt nimble fingers pulling back her hair and checking her pulse along her neck.
"No, no. Not a body, she's still alive," said the male. "Hello? Hello, can you hear me?" Wanda finally felt she had the abilities over her eyes. She fluttered them open to see . . . Rory Williams?
Rory grew nervous at having everyone's curious eyes scrutinizing him now that he'd made his debut.
She blinked rapidly and did a double take. No . . . it could not possibly be him. There was just no possible way. Perhaps it was just some other bloke . . . who happened to have the same light brown hair, same green eyes, same plaid shirt with brown vest, and same everything else. Heck, he even had the same voice. This had to be one hell of a coincidence.
Donna turned to Wanda, saying gently "You must have been so confused"
Wanda smiled back kindly "It wasn't that bad, I mostly thought I was dreaming. It wasn't until later that I caught on and even then it wasn't so much confusion as just fear. I was always scared when I was young." Her husband gave her a squeeze, loving the chance to see how much she had grown but also saddened at the loss of innocence that had embodied First Wanda.
"Where am I?" she finally managed to ask. She glanced up to see a middle aged woman and young boy staring down at her, their mouths gapping. Ambrose? Elliot? No . . . it . . . just another coincidence. But these people had exactly the same clothes, hair, and features as the characters from the show. What was going on? She glanced back to the Rory double, knowing this had to be an illusion of some kind.
"You're in my family's plot. What exactly are you doing in my family's plot? Have you been the one stealing the bodies?" the woman said angrily from above. The Rory look-alike looked up to the Ambrose double.
"She seriously thought you were grave-robbing!" Amy shouted in outrage, not having been there for this part of the adventure but she really shouldn't have expected more from Ambrose. Rory calmed his wife down before she could get further with her furious tirade before he continued with the story.
"Mrs. Northover, please. This girl is injured and clearly is just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said the Rory look-alike.
"How long are you going to call me a look-alike?" Rory interrupted himself to ask.
Wanda replied, "I don't know old man, I think it's a pretty accurate nickname. You were a look-alike for longer than you've been alive."
Her response drew looks of confusion from almost everyone to which Wanda and Rory both said "Spoilers", Wanda cheerfully and Rory in exasperation.
He turned back to Wanda, giving her a kind smile. "Are you alright? Did you fall into this hole?" Wanda blinked at him in confusion, not quite sure what to make of the situation currently unfolding.
"Um, I'm not sure. The last thing I remember was walking through the woods," she spoke quietly. She did not mention the light she had seen, not wanting these strangers to question her sanity. The man pulled out a small medical torch, waving it back and forth over Wanda's eyes.
This caught Martha's attention, asking Rory if he's a medical professional to which he answers that he's a nurse. The two share looks of delight at finding a common ground when Martha reveals that she is a doctor in training.
"Can you see everything all right? No impairment at all?" Wanda shook her head no. "How is your head? Does it hurt in any way?"
"No, my body is just a little sore is all."
Gently, the Rory clone sat her up. He felt her head around, asking if anywhere hurt. Answering no to all of his questions, he scooted away slightly. "Well, you don't have a concussion from what I can see. From everything I can tell you're perfectly fine." He gave her a light smile. Wanda gave a small one back.
"Well, that's all dandy, but that doesn't explain why she is in our family's plot? Who are you anyway? I've never seen you around here before," the Ambrose look-alike asked harshly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be in your family's grave," Wanda spoke quietly.
"That doesn't answer my quest—"
Only Wanda could hear the angry growl that rumbled out of the Doctor's chest. Quite a few of the other companions were also growing mad at this Ambrose person even if they understood that the circumstances were suspicious.
"Mrs. Northover, please," called out the Rory double. The Ambrose double quickly shut her mouth. He turned to Wanda softly. "What's your name?"
Wanda just stared blankly at him. Not sure whether or not she should be telling random strangers her name. Never before has she ever had to deal with a situation like this. She has only ever been around people that she knew, or been within the confines of her village. Heck, her family has never even left the village for a vacation. Now, suddenly, she was surrounded by strange people who held the appearance so stunningly similar towards the actors of her favorite show, and finding herself in a strange place as well. She could not think of what to do in this predicament she found herself in.
Clara couldn't imagine how out of place Wanda had felt then. She tried to picture herself on the set of her favorite show but it's not a set, talking to the actors while in character but they're not acting. Surrounded by strangers in a possibly dangerous place and having no clue what was going on. Clara thought back to the young Wanda she had met not long ago and how happy she had seemed and realized that beneath all the shyness, she truly was very strong.
"Can you tell me your name?" the Rory double asked again. He seemed so kind and caring, just like the real Rory she loved from the show. She could not help but feel she could trust him.
"Wanda," she finally answered. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the Rory look-alike gasped in shock. He leaned back in enormous surprise, staring wide eyed at Wanda.
"Wanda?" he asked in amazement.
"That's the end of the chapter." Rory said, turning the page to make sure. He felt relieved that his turn was over, his voice was on the verge of sounding scratchy from speaking for so long.
Rory handed the book to Martha so she could start her turn but was halted by Wanda who speedwalked out of the library to the closest toilet which Sexy had moved right across from the entrance. Her frantic actions garnered the concern of everyone, with River turning to glare at the idiot Time Lord still with them, positive that he had upset her. "What did you do?"
"Me?!" He asked in surprise, "I didn't do anything."
River didn't get a chance to keep interrogating him because Jack injected himself into the conversation, suggesting that she might have gone to the restroom thinking that she could possibly be pregnant which would explain the slight strangeness to her walk if she was hiding a waddle.
River dropped the issue at that with one last glare at the Doctor before pointedly turning to converse with her parents. The others followed her example and started up another awkward round of small talk with their seat neighbors. They might have still not known each other well yet but as he looked around the room at all of his friends getting along, the Doctor knew that by the end of this they would all be close friends.
Wanda had indeed rushed out because of Ember pressing on her bladder and before returning she made a quick detour back to the kitchen. She was craving mushy peas and set about making herself a sandwich with canned sardines and slathered in the mushy peas. She took her plate and a liter of apple juice back with her to the library to continue.
Seeing the food in her hand as she returned calmed everyone's worries although they all had a double take when they saw the weird sandwich filling. Amy was the one who pointed it out as Wanda settled back down onto her Theta's lap. The Time Lady played with her necklace nervously thinking that this might be the right time to tell everyone the good news, looking at her husband in askance who looked ecstatic as he realized what she was thinking.
With his nod of reassurance and a mental whisper that the decision was in her hands, Wanda took a fortifying breath before saying, "I'm pregnant." Her voice shook slightly at so many people finding out, even if they were her dear loved ones, but her joy about her little one was written clearly across her face.
Those who had already known smiled brightly, amused at the dumbfounded looks on everyone else. Their voices overlapped each other's as some sputtered in confusion, others asking questions about the baby or her pregnancy, and some (AKA Rory) just congratulated the parents to be before retreating into the background.
"Yes I'm pregnant. It's a girl. Her name is Ember. I already had a baby shower but we can have another party with everyone here." Wanda said rapidly, answering the most common questions. However she had purposefully omitted how far along she was as she waited for them to settle down before explaining the perception filter in her wedding ring. Finally when everyone had understood, Martha asked again for everyone, "Okay, so how far along are you?"
Wanda had a playful, cheeky grin on her face already anticipating the reactions but chose to move first so that she could see the Doctor's face without craning her neck. Now in position, she took off the necklace carrying her ring while answering "Eight months and two weeks."
The Doctor registered a warm wave of love and devotion that overwhelmed his senses at feeling his child. He immediately began fawning over Wanda, kissing her all over her face, petting and rubbing her now much bigger belly lovingly, hugging her more tightly as though to keep her in his arms forever. Wanda was so distracted by the abrupt display of affection despite having experienced something similar with the older Doctor that she missed the shocked looks she had been waiting for.
Donna cleared her throat when it was clear that the Time Lords were not going to stop and it seemed that they had forgotten they had an audience with how heated they were getting.
Jack let out a dramatic sigh of disappointment when the pair broke apart that turned into a laugh at seeing the Doctor ignore Donna and turn his attention to nuzzling Wanderer's neck. Wanda blushed bright red when she saw their companions with averted eyes and tried to focus on them even as the Doctor made it difficult for her.
The group gave another round of congratulations that made Wanda beam before they all turned to Martha, waiting for her to begin the reading once again and Wanda tucked into her sandwich while she listened.