The Fall of Arcadia (Book ONE)

Chapter 13- Part one.

Sherlock869 has already had a dedication, but they're still getting shout out as they've been one of my biggest fans! Softball1225 is getting it though, but thanks to everyone!

Alice:

I was wandering the TARDIS corridors, wondering when I would separate from Alice and become trapped inside the small little watch my brother had forced me inside. But it hadn't happened yet, not in the two days that I had returned from Midnight.

Midnight. It still hurt to think of the Doctor, blankly staring up at me, his soft, warm, infinite brown eyes not recognising my dark emerald. But he was safe now, we both were.

I found myself gravitating towards the observatory deck, somewhere I knew well from the trips I had taken with my Doc back before Gallifrey was lost to the War. Being Dimensionally Transendental, the TARDIS couldn't have a big telescope and a skylight like most observatories, but it had better.

Holographic projectors that could show you any star system that you wanted, from the Horse Head Nebula, to the Medusa Cascade, forever burning at the heart of the Universe. I knew a secret of the projector though, the Doc had saved in photos of Gallifrey, our home, before the Time War and we lost everyone we loved.

For me, Gallifrey had only been lost for 10 years, but for my Doctor it had been over 100. 100 years of thinking me dead, and knowing his wife and children were. I turned on the picture of the Academy, one with me and him sat side by side in the amphitheatre, examining a small book he had stolen from Rassilons private library. I still had no idea how he managed that.

The picture had been taken by my brother, Koschei Dark. The Master, his chosen name. When we had been shown the untempered schism at the young, young age of 8, I had been shown everything, all of time looked into me, and me into it, allowing me to see the different paths everyone can take. But Kos... Kos went mad. The drums that allowed me to see, blinkered his vision, only showing him his possible futures and the darkness he couldn't avoid.

I hadn't ever seen a redeeming path for him, and I don't think I ever will. But I will never give up hope on my mad, insane and brilliant brother until the day my hearts stop beating.

I sat down on the floor next to our young forms, looking at the way I was staring intently at the book, but my Doctor was staring at me like I was the most interesting thing on the planet. Which to him, I probably was.

I skipped to the next photo, choking back a sob as I saw mama and pa on graduation day, standing proudly with me as I finished head of my class. Kos was stood to the back, a dark, jealous expression on his face as he finished 3rd.

The next photo was of the Leavers Ball, the day before The Choosing, where you chose the path you would take for the rest of your lives. Mine had already been chosen though, by Omega himself. High Prophetess of the Council.

The Doctor, still Theta Sigma then, had asked me to go with him and I had excitedly said yes, ecstatic that I would be spending the evening with the man I was falling for. I'd spent the day with Mama, the last day I ever did spend with her, getting ready and putting on her Leavers gown. A dark purple with silver stars sewn into the hem.

The picture was another taken by Koschei, of us dancing as the heads of our class and the most popular. My head was resting on his shoulder, his arms around my waist. I couldn't hold the tears this time, letting them fall freely.

"I was wondering when you'd find me." I called out as I heard the door quietly click shut.

"I knew where you were, Alice, I just thought you'd like some time to yourself. How you feeling?" The Doctor asked, sitting down next to me on the floor, still in pajamas.