***10 DAYS TO GO!!!***
Hey hey! The Day Of The Doctor is approaching quickly and to celebrate, I'll be posting the last chapters of Break Me, the epilogue being posted on the special day ^^ OMG I soooo can't wait!!!
Update on my life for the interested: Very busy with midterms and everything. So much homework! :O But it's all good :P I'm adopting a cat next week! I mean, it isn't 100% sure, but it's like 99.9999999% so yeah ^^ It's a ginger cat and I'm sooo excited! :D Nothing else to say to I hope you enjoy and have a nice day! :P
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CHAPTER 21
APRIL 22ND
With a horrible feeling, I woke up to see the date in the kitchen. It was the 20th of April 2011. Just two days left… I had spent the last few months preparing for that day and now that it was so close, it felt so unreal. As if I dreamed that last night with the Doctor.
The Doctor sent me back to Amy and Rory, but long before the past me had moved in with them. They don’t know that one day, a younger me will be found in a park by Rory and told the truth about my life. It has only been a few months since Amy and Rory got married now.
“AJ, you’ve got mail,” Amy called from the living room.
Curious because I never got mail since technically, I didn’t exist anymore, I joined her to see she was holding two TARDIS blue envelops in her hands – one for her and Rory and one for me that had the number 2 on it.
“It’s an invitation,” I said after reading the postcard on the inside. And I automatically knew exactly in what I was invited too.
I left the bus with Rory and Amy in the middle of the desert as it seemed. When the bus drove away, there was the Doctor, sitting on some old time car, wearing a cowboy hat.
He acted cool for only a second before running towards us for hugs. Then out of nowhere, his hat came flying off his head, a huge hole had burned through it. We turned to see River Song smiling mischievously, holding a gun in one hand. The gang was complete.
As we walked with a picnic basket towards the lac Silencio, the Doctor gave me a questioning look and almost as if I could read his mind, I mouthed to him my answer.
''They don’t know anything.’’
He nodded and we continued our way.
Once at the lac, he sat down and had our little picnic. I was finding hard to fake laughter and smiles when I couldn’t stop looking at my watch, terrified of what will happen when it’ll show 5h02 pm.
''AJ, are you alright? You haven’t even touched our plate,'' Rory asked curiously.
''I’m fine, dad. Just not that hungry,'' I faked a reassuring smile.
And the chatter and fun continued for them while I couldn’t help, but keep my eyes on the Doctor. How could he look so happy and so calm knowing that he was going to die in only an hour? I searched his eyes for any sign of fear, but I saw none. Instead, I caught a glimpse of something. Something I’m not sure I really saw in the black part of his right eye. It was there for just a fraction of a second, but I couldn’t help but think about it until the hour was over.
That’s when I saw something happening in the water.
An astronaut, or at least someone wearing an astronaut suite, broke the surface of the lac and walked onto the shore. That’s when the Doctor stood up.
Automatically, I went to grab his hand as to stop him for going to the astronaut, but he looked down, gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and I let go. And I regretted letter go as soon as I did.
The Doctor walked down to face the strange thing and the glass of the helmet went up. It was River.
My head hurts, I thought to myself as I stood in line with the other soldiers of my rank, an eye patch blocking the vision from my right eye. I remembered vaguely River shooting around someone I knew to be called the Doctor, but I also vaguely remembered River actually shooting him dead. The harder I tried to remember, the more the memory was slipping away from me. I repeated in my head who I was a thousand times: I am Ariella Jacobs, I am 25 or 26 years old, I don’t know how my parents are, I am in the army, my sister is River Song, I remember not very well something about a lot of aliens and the Doctor is someone I knew, because everything I thought of him dying, it hurt and I didn’t know why. Oh and also it was always the 22nd of April 2011 at 5h02 pm.
Orders were given and I found myself walking through halls with the Silence – ugly looking aliens from who knows where – standing still in these glass cages. They were creepy, but they were no harm. I walked around for many hours, repeating over and over again who I was when suddenly all I knew is the time, my name and that I’m in the army. The rest had disappeared from my mind.
On my communication device, I received orders to the main room of the pyramid. Then I remembered where I was. I did as I was told and got in line with the rest. There, a woman with big blond curly hair was having an argument with a man with brown hair wearing a tweed blazer and a bow tie. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn’t really place him. Then he caught sight of me and looked… sad? There was also another woman with dark hair and lipstick tied to a chair in the middle of the room. The blond woman looked over at the dark haired one.
''It was such a basic mistake, wasn’t it, madam Kovarian? Take a child, raise her into a perfect psychopath, introduce her to the Doctor. Who else was my sister of all people going to fall in love with?''
''It’s not funny, River. Reality is fatally compromised, tell me you understand that,'' the man replied, his eyes flickering in my direction.
''Diner?'' River asked.
''I don’t have the time. Nobody has the time, because as long as I’m alive, time is dying, because of you, River Song,'' he said angrily.
''Because I refuse to kill the man my own flesh and blood can’t live without.''
''Oh what a considerate sister, come here a give me a hug,'' he said as he approached her quickly, but before he could touch her, I was giving orders to hold him back so my fellow soldier and I grabbed him from behind.
''Don’t be a fool, sweetie. I know what happens if we touch.''
He seemed to have calmed down and accepted that he wasn’t going to touch her, so my colleague and I let him go for just a moment. And that moment was a moment too much because he rushed back to her and grabbed her arm. River struggled to get him off of her, that’s when someone called out that time was moving again. After a little fight, we managed to pull him off of her. We got orders to put him in handcuffs and he continued to argue that they had to touch for reality to not die. I didn’t have a clue what he was saying, but it seemed very important.
The conversation between them goes on and on, suddenly captain Williams came bursting through the door.
''They’re out, all of them!''
Knowing he was referring to the Silence, the doors were locked down and we took out our guns and aimed the door.
Because of my concentration, I could not hear what was being said behind me, but suddenly the eye patch on one of the technicians seemed to have gone haywire and electrocuting her. In seconds, she was on the floor and announced dead. Then my own started sending a terrible pain in my whole body. I screamed and fell to the floor.
''AJ, no!'' the Doctor yelled and ran towards me, ripping my eye patch off of my face and holding me up.
Somehow, the name AJ rang a bell in my head, but like the Doctor’s face, I couldn’t place it. All I knew is that he had just saved my life. Then everyone else’s eye patch started to electrocute them and I hurried to help whoever I could, starting by the Doctor.
Once everyone had their eye patch off, River and some red head girl talked about showing the Doctor something. Then said person grabbed my hand and pulled me with them.
We made up to some sort of big radar. I could hear guns and screaming on the level below us and frankly, I was scared. But once we were there, the Doctor didn’t let go of my hand and for some reason, it was comforting.
''It’s a timey-wimey distress bicker. Who build this?''
''I’m in charge of the TARDIS, I understand the physics,'' River replied.
''But that’s all you got? A distress bicker?'' he said angrily.
''I’ve been sending out a message, a distress call, outside the bubble of our time, the universe is still turning and I sent a message everywhere, to the future and the past, to the beginning and the end of everything. The Doctor is dying, please please help.'' she explained.
''River, this is ridiculous, that would mean nothing to anyone, it’s insane. Worst, it’s stupid! You embarrass me'' he said coldly and I could see the hurt in River’s eyes.
The red head and captain Williams who had stayed behind for a moment reached us and announced that we didn’t have much time left. River then explained to the Doctor that there have been millions of replies saying that they would help and the Doctor has touched so many lives and done so much good across the universe.
''Did you really think that when your time came, you really had to do more than just ask?''
Then there was so more arguing and suddenly it turns towards me.
''AJ, you can live without me, please, tell her you can live without me!'' he said and I was completely lost.
''But… I don’t even know you…'' I replied.
''You forgot…'' he said sadly. I was no use to him in his argument not knowing who he was.
The tension came to all high when the Doctor and River continued to yell at each other. I couldn’t say a thing, I didn’t have my place there and yet, the Doctor held on to my hand, keeping me next to him. I was feeling very uncomfortable in this, I just wanted to leave.
Suddenly, the Doctor turned his back to us and took a moment to think. He then turned back to us and asked for a piece of cloth before taking off his own bowtie. He turned towards me and told me to wrap a length of it around my hand.
''Why?'' I asked.
''Because I’m marrying you,'' he replied.
''What?!'' I shouted in disbelief. This man was mad.
''Listen, Ariella, I don’t have time to explain, but if you did remember me, you would marry me without hesitation. And not because I’m handsome or rich or something like that, but because you love me. So wrap my bow tie around your hand now.''
Dumbfounded, I did as he said. There was no way for me to know if I was about to marry someone I had no feelings for truly, but there was little time to get further explanations and it seemed very important I did. So I threw myself into a random wedding.
''Captain Williams, say I consent and gladly give,'' he said over to my superior.
''To what?''
''Just say it!''
''I consent and gladly give,'' he said, looking puzzled.
''I need you to say it too,'' he said, looking over to Amy. ''Mother of the bride,'' he added.
''I consent and gladly give.''
She was my mother? Things were getting all too complicated, we looked about the same age!
The Doctor turned to me, looking dead serious.
''I’m about to whisper in your ear and what I’m about to say remember it very very carefully and tell no one what I said,'' he ordered and I nodded as he approached his lips to my ear and said very very quietly, ''Look into my eyes.''
He backed away and looked into my eyes as I did the same. Then I saw it. Or rather him. A miniature version of himself was dancing in his right eye waving to me with a cowboy hat. Somehow I just knew that would save the day, to listen to the Doctor, because he had a plan.
''I just told you my name,'' he lied, looking over to the others.
So Doctor wasn’t his name?
He looks over to River.
''River, please. The world is dying and it’s my fault. Let me die in peace now.''
''I can’t…'' she replied. ''Married or not, Ariella, the one who remembers, will be crushed and she will suffer.''
''Yes, I will,'' I lied, improvising. ''I remember now and the Doctor cannot live. River, it will hurt me, but I can’t let a world die, because of my broken heart,'' I said, trusting the Doctor.
''AJ…'' she started.
''Please, River. Please, my sister. Let him die in peace,'' I begged, trying to add a few tears.
That’s when she gave up. She approached us, reaching her hand towards the Doctor’s. But he didn’t take it right away. First, he looked back over to me, his eyes stared deeply into mine and I somehow knew the me who remembers would be in heaven right then. He leaned in close and he whispered just loud enough for my ears to hear.
''I love you, Ariella Jacobs. I always have and always will.''
And then he kissed me. Strong and passionate, light and sweet, loving and gentle. I kissed him back. I kissed my husband back.
He pulled away and grabbed River’s hand and everything went black.