Wanderer of Time: Silence Begins (doctor who)

Chapter 32: Troubling Possibilities

When Wanda appeared behind Rose and Nine in 1987, both who peeked around a corner to stare at their past selves, the Time Lady knew what was wrong immediately. This was the day Rose Tyler saved her father. But at the same time, unleashed the Reapers, creatures whose job was to remove paradoxes and fix time, upon the world. Creatures who will kill anyone and everyone in their path until whatever was done wrong was fixed. And all because of the terrible choice Rose makes, being seen by her past self and the past Doctor. But at the same time, it might just be a good choice as well.

Wanda knew she did not have much time. It was almost the moment to which Rose would rush out, be seen by the past Rose and Doctor, and save Pete Tyler. Wanda needed to act now and fast. She slammed her eyes shut and dove straight into a possibility. Images rushed by showing her the actions of the day. But that was not what she needed to see. She searched through the timeline, pulling out a consequence of what would be if Rose did save Pete permanently. Wanda wanted to give Rose's wish a chance. She knew how much the girl loved her father. She wanted to make Rose happy and give her the family she wanted so dearly, letting her grow up with her father and mother, both together. And, in the end, to be able to live as one big happy family.

But that was just it . . . they would not be one big happy family. Jackie and Pete would constantly be fighting. Their relationship strained through constant worriment over money and other factors of life. Jackie would end up drowning her troubles in alcohol. Pete would hardly be around at all, ending up running off with other women and gambling. Rose would grow up in a broken home. She would never know a stable life. She would end up going off on her own, trying to find love somewhere else. She would end up drinking like her mother, and delving into other harmful substances. She would waste away her life: never finishing school, never getting a job, living on the streets once Jackie kicked her out when finding the girl's bad habits under the bed. Rose Tyler would be nothing more than a homeless addict. She would not be the Rose Tyler Wanda knows and loves today. The girl would be someone else entirely. And all because her father lived.

Wanda pulled out of the possibility with a small gasp, leaning against the wall with a powerful headache. She could not believe what she had seen. It . . . it really frightened her to think that was how instantly things could be changed. How one person being alive or dead could make all the difference. Wanda never ran into a situation where the possibility told her that someone had to die. It always either showed her whether they could be saved by her or not. Never that their death held such an impact on how the future would turn out. She knew Pete and Jackie were both wonderful people who really did love each other. But at the same time their love would drive them mad and into what Wanda had seen.

She could not let Rose save her father. No matter how much it pained Wanda to say or even think that. She never wanted death but . . . it was impossible for her to let Rose become the person she saw within the possibility. If Rose became that, then the Doctor would never let her on board. Then Bad Wolf would never exist. And if Bad Wolf never exists . . . Gallifrey and the Doctor . . .

Wanda closed her eyes again, quickly searching through another possibility. She needed to see whether or not she should stop this from happening at all today. She saw herself telling the Doctor, stopping Rose from saving Pete and creating a paradox by being seen by the past versions of Rose and the Doctor. This would keep the girl from such heartache from this day. But this would lead to many bad turn of events as well. The Doctor would see Rose as selfish. He would grow infuriated to hear that the girl planned on saving her father. He would march Rose straight home and just leave her there. Never coming back. Not once. And once again, this would lead to Bad Wolf not existing. Wanda needed to let today's events happen. Because, even though the Doctor would be mad in what Rose did, he would have to stick around long enough to see how sorry the girl was, and cool down from his temper to realize he still wanted Rose around as a companion.