Wanderer of Time: Silence Begins (doctor who)

Chapter 34: Effects of the Possibilities

Warning: slightly graphic event

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"Why didn't you tell us?" Rose asked Wanda the moment they stepped back into the TARDIS, ready to leave.

They had just walked off once Rose had stayed with her dying father. She held onto Pete's hand, sitting there with him until his last breath. After that, both the Doctor and Wanda walked up to Rose and led her back to the ship gently. The girl was so upset having to watch her father die once more. She had cried all the way back to the TARDIS. She then promptly turned to Wanda, looking rather angry.

"You could have stopped this from happening," Rose cried. "You could have told us what was going to happen. Then he wouldn't have to die. I could have had a dad."

"No. Pete was never meant to live beyond that point," Wanda said sadly, feeling great remorse for the day. "His death was meant to be."

"And how do you know that?" the Doctor asked, crossing his arms and looking angry as well. "You said after everything was over you would explain it to us. Well, it's after, so start explaining."

"It's more than just what I saw from the show," Wanda began explaining to them. "I can actually see what is to come. I mean, really see. I can dwell onto these possibilities of your timeline." She nodded at the Doctor. "I can see every outcome of any choice or action made within your timestream. An infinite amount on many occasions while some are just one or two."

"How?" the Doctor questioned, staring at her curiously. "How is it you see these 'possibilities'?"

"I don't know exactly. I just can," Wanda told him.

"How does it work?" Rose asked, bewildered by what Wanda was saying. "Can you just . . . see everything?"

"Mostly, but not quite everything. Just whenever I think upon an action to take myself or what others might do," Wanda explained. "But it only goes up to a certain point . . . in some cases." She paused for a moment, thinking on some points when she had not been able to see beyond even the certain points. Then in other cases, thinking upon how she had been able to see far beyond into things to which she was certain did not follow even the Doctor's timeline. She shook her slightly, still as perplexed as ever by the strange occurrences of her abilities. "Anyway, I'm able to shift through all these outcomes and consequences. Some outcomes are good, and some are . . . not so good."

"Did you see what would have happened today?" the Doctor asked her, wondering what gave her such power over time. No one should be able to see clear into individual timelines. Not even a Time Lord held that ability. Yes, Time Lords could see into the past, present, and future. But it was more of a broad picture than at a specific moment. Only fixed points in time could be seen that precisely.

"Yes," Wanda said. "I couldn't tell you because . . . things would have turned out very badly. For all of us."

"Even my dad living?" Rose asked, looking hurt that Wanda had seen something that said her father had to die. What exactly could have been that bad that she had to grow up without a father? "What could have told you that he had to die?"

Wanda hesitated for a moment. She wondered briefly if she would be able to explain what exactly she saw within the possibility of Rose Tyler. But she doubted the girl would ever believe her through mere words. Wanda needed to show Rose if the girl was ever going to understand fully. But . . . could Wanda do it? She never tried to go into anyone else's mind besides the Doctor's. Not only that, but could the girl handle seeing what was to come of her father being alive? It might be too much for her.

"I could show you, but . . . it's . . . not pretty," Wanda stated carefully, hoping the girl might not wish to see it.

"Show me," Rose said, walking up closer to Wanda. She stared determinedly in front of the Time Lady, ready to see whatever the outcome could have been.