Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

When Not Many Live

The Doctor watched as Jessie left the console room, and he turned to Donna. "What happened to her?" he asked.

Donna blinked. "What?"

"She's not normally like this," he told her, leaning against the console and folding his arms. "So, something must have happened. And what made the Sibylline Sisterhood so interested in you in the first place that they were ready to kill - no, sorry, 'sacrifice' - her?"

Donna swallowed. "I told Evelina," she whispered.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"I told Evelina about the volcano," Donna replied, shaking her head. "I didn't think all this would happen, I swear, I didn't!"

"You told a seer," the Doctor said slowly, "who saw something entirely different, about a future where everyone dies? And what in your mind thought that was a good idea? She told you that wouldn't have a good ending!"

"And she tried to stop me," Donna admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I just wasn't thinking, all right?"

"But it's not just that, is it?" the Doctor asked. "There was something else, something you said to her."

"I may have snapped at her," Donna muttered. "But I was angry, and I was upset that there didn't seem to be a way to save anyone!"

"Donna, she was panicking and assuming the worst when she was strapped to that altar," the Doctor told her, stalking forward angrily. "My wife does not have the brightest past, and she's suffered from it. She was an Agent of SHIELD, still is, and she's seen bad stuff before, but she's never seen Pompeii, and she was the first to put her hands on the lever. Donna, do not blame her for something that is not our fault, or else, you're going home." Donna looked at him in surprise, and the Doctor fixed her with a glare. "Most of the time, nobody lives," he told her. "It is very rare when everybody lives. If a snap like this happens because of you, if you throw anything in her face to make her this upset again, you will be going home. Is that understood?"

Donna swallowed. "Yeah," she managed to say, nodding. "Yeah, I got it."

"Rooms are down the hall," he told her, nodding. "TARDIS can help you find the way."

Before Donna could say another word, he turned tail and headed down the opposite hallway.

***

Jessie closed the door to the Doctor's room and closed her eyes, leaning against the door for a second, her entire body shaking as she tried to deal with the thought of all those people, dying just because they pushed a lever.

And she'd been the first one to grab it.

She moved to the mirror, using it as a guide to wrench the combs out of her hair, leaving a tangled mess behind. She heard the door silently open and close behind her, but she kept at her task, not turning around.

"The saying 'pull all your hair out' comes to mind," the Doctor commented as he walked up behind her, prying her white fingers away from the clip she was holding too tightly.

She blew out a breath, closing her eyes and leaning against her husband's chest as his arms went around her. "Might," she admitted. "I don't like these kinds of trips, when nobody ever lives."

"But Caecilius, Metella, Evelina, and Quintus are," the Doctor pointed out, turning the clip over in his hands before setting it down on the dresser. "Once in a while, somebody does live."

"I wish there were more of those," she whispered.

"I'll avoid fixed points in time," the Doctor decided. "How about that?"

Jessie laughed at that. "Good idea," she told him before sitting down on the bed.

He sat down next to her. "What did Donna say to you?" he asked quietly.

Jessie froze, staring down at her feet, swallowing a little. He was silent before turning her towards him slightly, placing his fingertips on her temples. She let her eyes close and guided him through her mind, letting him see when Donna had told Evelina about the volcano, and the warnings she'd had thrown in her face. The Doctor let out a growl and removed his hands, standing up to pace. "And after we specifically told her time after time again not to try anything," he muttered.

Jessie swallowed. "When I was tied to the altar," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, "it reminded me so much of - "

"You don't need to say it," he told her, standing in front of her and crouching down so they were eye level.

She swallowed again. "It just . . . it . . . "

He hugged her tightly, and she buried her face in his shoulder, dark images from her past whirling away through her mind. His fingers met her temples yet again, and those images were suddenly gone. Suddenly, she was seeing fun times with the SHIELD team, meeting Jabe and the Face of Boe, meeting Jack for the first time, and many more images that gradually began to lift her spirits. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at the Doctor, who smiled at her. "Don't think about it," he advised quietly.

"Probably a good idea," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead before gently pushing her back so she was lying on the bed, lying down next to her. "I warned Donna," he told her. "She won't do it again."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you."

Jessie smiled, turning to face him. "You know, I like this version of you better than the one before the Family."

He grimaced. "I was an idiot, wasn't I?"

"And I'm never going to let you live it down," she admonished with a smirk before looking at the toga she was still wearing. "This was easier to get on," she hinted.

He raised an eyebrow, and she began to smirk wider at the dark look in his eyes. "Getting it off is a problem?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Could use some help," she replied casually.

There wasn't that much talking from that point on.

***

Yeah, not very long, but this is the product of study hall when I have studying to do. Plus . . . that period is just so long. What's the point of study hall when you have it at the very beginning of the day?! It stinks! At least I can go to the library. But my seat was stolen today, so maybe that's why I nearly fell asleep in every single class . . . plus my entire body is still sore from gym class. Tomorrow is going to stink.

So . . . there's my rant on today. Sorry about that. "The Long Game" for Apocalypse Rising will be coming next, then "Planet of the Ood" for here!