Dusk ⋆ Doctor Who¹

19. The Doctor's Rage And Aurora's Fear

AMY IS THE FIRST TO SPEAK. "That's... that's... that's like the crack from my bedroom wall from when I was a little girl."

They rush to it, eyes wide.

"Two parts of space and time that should never have touched," Aurora lets out.

The crack makes the whole place shake, everyone standing on stumbling feet.

"Okay, enough. We're moving out," Octavian says.

"Agreed," River nods. "Doctor?"

He stands up and scans the crack. "Yeah, fine."

"What are you doing?" Aurora panics.

"Right with you."

She purses her lips, holding the console for dear life. "We're not leaving without you."

"Oh yes, you are. Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Miss Barnes, Doctor Song, now!"

"Doctor!" Aurora shrieks when Amy tugs her away.

"Come on!"

They run through the forest for a little while, before walking, scanning the place for potential Angels.

Aurora's head feels dizzy, numb. She stumbles on her feet, feeling hot and cold at the same time.

River turns to her when she notices she's not following her. "Ari? Ari, what's wrong?"

Aurora stops dead in her tracks, swaying dangerously. Everything around her is blurry, and making her nauseous.

"Ro?" Amy presses, coming up next to her, taking her arms in her hands.

"Four."

She stumbles and sits down on a mossy tree trunk. But it's still too much for her, so she lies down, her heart in her throat, groaning.

"Med scanner, now."

"Doctor Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving."

She wraps something around Aurora's arm to check her vitals. "We wait for the Doctor."

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels. Until that is achieved —"

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. To do so, you have to keep Aurora safe, otherwise you'll have a very, very powerful enemy. And trust me, it's not easy. Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And, Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah."

His voice is a small comfort in her dizzy world.

"I hate you."

"You don't. Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

She barely sees him jump, her eyes unfocused. He comes next to her, crouching on the ground, examining her.

"How did you get past them?" Aurora asks with a small voice.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe."

"What was it?" Amy wonders.

"The end of the universe. Let's have a look, then." He snatches the device reading her vitals.

Aurora takes in a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing. "So, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing, my dear," River says. "You're fine."