✿ 🌷 ❀ ( Fourteen ) ❀ 🌷 ✿

❛ 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙏𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘽𝙐𝙎 ❜

🌻 ⑅* 🐚 ⑅* 🌻 ⑅* 🐚 ⑅* 🌻
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Author's Note

I've been listening to Imagine Dragons' new single "Natural" on repeat, and I love it! 😍 I've added it to this book's playlist. ❤️

Anyway. . .that is all.

Enjoy the chapter! 😘 It was a fun one to write! 😉

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It was done.

Filming for series five of Doctor Who was actually finished. And it had been for around two weeks already.

It just flew by so fast.

After finishing up filming for 'The Pandorica Opens' and 'The Big Bang' (the ending of which was being kept very under wraps, considering Emma and Richard's appearance), time while filming 'The Lodgers' with guest star James Corden during the second half of February and 'Amy and Lexi's Choice' with guest star Toby Jones during the first half of March seemed to fly by so quickly.

As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun.

And they really were.

Even though Karen wasn't in the episode that much, Kassidy and Matt still had a blast filming with James for the majority of 'The Lodgers'. That man was so nice to work alongside. Just another new friend that they were able to make during this weird and awesome journey. And then getting to go back and forth with Toby for 'Amy and Lexi's Choice' was so much fun. The character of the Dream Lord that Toby got to portray was so... dark and mysterious. His acting was really fun play off of.

But now... now the promotional work for series five was finally underway.

And going around the UK in a giant tour bus with the Doctor's, Lexi's and Amy's (a.k.a. Matt's, Kassidy's and Karen's) faces painted on the side was rather surreal.

"I'm telling you, Kas." Karen laughed as she, Kassidy and Matt plopped down in their seats as they and the rest of the Doctor Who team readied to leave Inverness, all of them having just got done with a full day of press and a screening of series five episode one in Karen and Kassidy's hometown. "Mum was more excited to see Matt at the theatre than she was to see us."

"Hey, no argument here." Kassidy held her hands up with a laugh before tucking her legs up under herself, settling into her seat on the couch of the tour bus, said bus beginning to move down the road. "S'what we get for having a Whovian as a mother."

"You know, I really liked your Mum." Matt smiled as he slipped off his long coat, laying it over the arm of the couch as he settled into his seat at the opposite end from Kassidy. "She reminded me a lot of you two. I can see now where you get your Scottishness from."

"Oh, believe us." Karen rolled her eyes, reaching into her bag and pulling out a book she had been reading before settling into the seat row a bit diagonally across from where Matt and Kassidy were on the couch. "She really, really liked you. I mean, we didn't get much of a chance to talk to her given how packed the day was. But, we could tell she really enjoyed it."

"Did you enjoy it?" Matt asked, glancing at Kassidy.

"Are you kidding me?" Kassidy let out a huff of laughter, pointing at herself. "You're talking to someone who's watched Doctor Who for as long as... well, as far back as she, or I, can remember."

"It's true." Karen chimed in, not looking in their direction as she opened up to the page she had bookmarked.

"Just out of curiosity," Matt started, tilting his head as he looked over to where Kassidy sat at the other end of the couch. "who was your first Doctor?"

"Tom Baker." Kassidy answered immediately as she reached down to where she had her bag underneath the couch. "Although, Willam Hartnell does hold a special place in my heart. I mean, he did start the whole thing."

Matt nodded slowly as he watched Kassidy pull her laptop out of her bag. "You started with Four, then."

"I did." She nodded, opening up her laptop before typing in her access password. "I love that long, colorful scarf he had. I've always wanted to get one for myself, I just... haven't."

"Mm." Matt hummed in response, watching as Kassidy moved her finger around on the mousepad while pulling out earbuds from an outside pocket on her bag. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to be on this bus for close to seven hours, so I'm going to watch a bit of Doctor Who." Kassidy explained, smiling slightly as she glanced Matt's way. "Care to join me, Doctor?"

"Ha!" Matt laughed, taking one of the ear buds Kassidy held out to him. "What episode were you thinking of starting with?"

"I didn't actually have one in mind." She answered as she scooted over to be right beside him, resting her laptop half on her lap and half on his lap. "Why don't you pick one? I've got series one through four downloaded right on here."

"Alright." He shrugged, squinting as he took over control of the mousepad. "Let's see what we've got..." He muttered before stopping at series four episode six 'The Doctor's Daughter'. "Ah, I do rather like this one."

Being ever-so discreet, Karen peeked over the top edge of her book and hid her grin as she watched Kassidy cuddle up to Matt before looping her arm through his while leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Is she like... trying to send him signals?" The PA, Zanna, whispered from her spot in the seat row in front of Karen. "'Cause if it were me, I would definitely be getting the message."

Karen snickered, hiding her face behind her book as she glanced to the side to see Zanna peeking at her from the gap between the seat row and window. "Oh, God, I hope so."

Zanna giggled as she stuck her hand through, her and Karen sharing a discreet fist bump before they went back to doing the things that were keeping them occupied for the long ride ahead.

***

It was only about three and a half hours later. A few people were taking naps. A few people were typing on their computers. Karen was a little over halfway done with her book. And Matt, who actually seemed to have gotten more sucked into the Doctor Who episodes playing on Kassidy's laptop than he thought he would, was nearly almost done watching series four episode nine 'Forest of the Dead'. And he was actually at the big climactic scene between David and Alex. Well, the Tenth Doctor and River Song.

Anyway...

–––––––––
The Tenth Doctor was chained to some sort of metal structure, his face set with a permanent frown as he looked to River.

"All the time you've known me, you knew I was coming here." River spoke to him softly. "The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean... You and a few more very special people turned up on my doorstep." She said. "You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers, even after I had done something that surely garnered your complete and utter disapproval. Still, what a night that was... The Towers sang. And your very special someone cried. Neither of you would tell me why. Suppose you knew it was time... My time. Time to come to the Library. You even gave me your screwdriver. That should've been a clue." She told him as he tried to reach for her diary and screwdriver, but couldn't since it was just out of his reach. "There's nothing you can do."

"You can let me do this!" He exclaimed angrily.

River shook her head. "If you die here, it'll mean I never met you."

"Time can be rewritten!" He tried to tell her.

"Not those times." She immediately replied, fighting off tears. "Because if you die here, that means you'll never meet the person who's going to change your life for the better." A bittersweet smile crossed her features. "She's going to give you happiness again. Trust me, I've seen it... None of that can be rewritten. Don't you even dare try." She said, not being able to keep her tears back anymore. "But it's okay... It's all okay. It isn't over for you. You'll see me again. Oh, you've got so much to come..."

"River..." The Doctor began. "There's so much more you're not telling me... Who am I going to meet?"

She only gave him a sad smile in response.

"Spoilers."
–––––––––

Matt watched River put two plugs together as the automatic-counter reached zero, killing her and saving everyone else.

With that, Matt watched the rest of the episode play out. Watching Donna be reunited with the Doctor. Watching the Doctor leave the sonic screwdriver and River's diary behind before suddenly running back and grabbing the screwdriver to save her.

And as the credits started to roll, Matt only then noticed the weight on his shoulder had become heavier. He glanced to the side, a small smile coming to his face at the sight of Kassidy having fallen asleep slumped against him.

So as not to disturb her, Matt carefully took the earbud from Kassidy's ear while taking the other one from his, then carefully placed her laptop on the small table that was in front of the couch before leaning back in his seat with Kassidy still slumped against him fast asleep.

Matt's mind then began wandering back to the scene between the Tenth Doctor and River, making him think about the kinds of things River had said to that Doctor. Things that... well, were intriguing.

"Because if you die here, that means you'll never meet the person who's going to change your life for the better." River's dialogue ran through his head. "She's going to give you happiness again."

Moffat had written that two part episode.

"Those were Moffat's words." Matt thought to himself. "What sort of seed was he trying to plant back then...?"

These were the type of questions that began racing through Matt's head. How were those words going to play into the show's future? What could those statements be alluding to?

"Wait a minute..." Matt's inner dialogue continued in his mind as he thought over River's words again. "Because if you die here, that means you'll never meet the person who's going to change your life for the better. She's going to give you happiness again."

If Matt was correct in his thinking, and thought about it like that and put emphasis on certain words, it really foreshadowed something quite significant. You know, if that was something Steven had been going for. Moff did like to be dramatic in his writing. However... A certain line that Matt had spoken to Kassidy during a scene they had done together in the TARDIS for the end of 'The Big Bang' came rushing back to him.

"Do you believe in going against every fiber of your being and doing something just because you really want to?" The Doctor's dialogue ran through Matt's head. And the rest of the dialogue between him and Kassidy that followed after that... well, it certainly cemented... something. It really alluded to the fact that... well, the character of Lexi Pond wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Maybe...

"Oh!" Matt suddenly sprung from his seat on the couch, having a eureka moment and accidentally waking Kassidy and sending her to the floor in the process given that she had been slumped against him asleep.

Having looked up to see what the commotion was, Karen and Zanna held their hands to their mouths, both of them trying not to laugh at the sight of Kassidy laying facedown on the floor and Matt looking like a deer in the headlights.

Kassidy slowly lifted her head, all her senses waking up from the nap she had been enjoying.

"Kas..." Matt said cautiously, all thoughts of his eureka moment forgotten as he slowly backed away from the agitated woman on the floor before him.

Having looked up from their respective tasks/hobbies, everyone (save for the bus driver) watched as Kassidy gave Matt the stink eye.

Not taking her eyes off him, Kassidy snatched up a throw pillow that had fallen to the floor with her and gripped it right before launching it at Matt's face, causing everyone to burst out laughing as they watched Matt stumble back as he caught it.

"In my defense," Matt said, cautiously peeking out from behind the throw pillow, now holding it in front of his face. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Well, I do mean to do this." Kassidy said, smirking as she grabbed the other throw pillow off the couch before launching that one at his face as well and making everyone on the bus laugh even more as they watched as Matt wasn't able to catch it this time and therefore let it hit him square in the face.

"Children." Karen muttered, rolling her eyes playfully as she lifted her book back up in front her face to read, but kept a small happy smile on her face while everyone settled down again and went back to what they had been doing.

"Remind me never to wake you up." Matt remarked as he set the throw pillows back on the couch before he himself sat back down.

Kassidy let out a giggle as she climbed back onto the couch. "Smart move, Smithy."

With that, Kassidy grinned at Matt as she grabbed one of the throw pillows before laying her head on it as she curled up on the opposite end of the couch from him to continue her nap that had been interrupted.

And as Kassidy began to drift off, Matt couldn't help but just shake his head with a small smile before grabbing Kassidy's laptop so he could continue watching his predecessor's tenure as the Doctor.

***

It wasn't until around an hour later, as the credits of 'Midnight' rolled across the screen of Kassidy's laptop, that Matt caught himself looking over in Kassidy's direction to see her curled up into a ball at the other end of the couch.

He took in the sight of her sleeping figure. The way her hand was up near her face as she clutched the throw pillow she had her head laid on. The way she nuzzled her face into the pillow. Or even the way she smiled slightly as her nose twitched just the tiniest bit, like she was dreaming about something that made her happy. She just looked so peaceful...

Not that she wasn't normally calm. I mean, in the year Matt had known and worked with Kassidy, he had gathered that she could be a generally laid-back person. You know, genuinely pleasant to be around, but would give you her honest opinion if you asked for it. However, it just seemed while she was sleeping, that Kassidy was in a world all her own. Somewhere that was completely hers and no one else's. A place that was impenetrable to everyone but herself.

Just then, Matt suddenly remembered something Arthur had said to him almost three months prior. Words that had been spoken and immediately dismissed in an instance where Matt had not been at his best.

"...for the love of God, mate, please tell me you're not feeling like this just now." Arthur's words rang through Matt's head, piercing through him and hitting him in a way that felt unlike... anything he had felt in quite a long time. Something which kind of scared him.

But it was a good sort of scared.

Matt then focused back in on Kassidy's face, her peaceful expression taking over her entire being and making her asleep self look as if she was feeling completely and utterly serene.

"You know, staring at her while she's sleeping is a little creepy. This isn't Twilight." Karen's voice suddenly spoke up from beside Matt, said man whipping his head to the side to see her standing there, having just gone to the restroom.

Hm... Matt hadn't even noticed she'd left.

Karen smirked at him before just continuing on back to where she had been sitting.

Matt then looked back to Kassidy's sleeping figure, watching her lips part slightly as she breathed in and out. Her soft lips that would either taste like peppermint or tea with honey when they had to kiss.

Annoying phrase, had to. Why couldn't he just kiss her because he wanted to?

"Do you really want to go down that road?" Matt thought to himself. "Is that even a question?"

Matt outwardly sighed before getting to his feet and covering Kassidy up with his long coat, smiling slightly as he watched her snuggle into it with the warmth it brought her.

Giving her one last look, Matt then turned and went and plopped himself down next to Karen, said woman looking at him expectantly.

Matt gave her a small smile, taking a deep breath before he looked her straight in the eye and spoke four words that had Karen doing an internal happy dance.

"I need your help."

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❝ You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. ❞

~ C. S. Lewis

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– Maddy Xx