The Time of Change

A Chance

The TARDIS lurches violently, and we both go sprawling to the floor. I fall half on top of him and half on the woven metal. In unison, we grunt in discomfort and the shared surprise that we were caught off-guard like that. I roll onto my back and stare at the caved ceiling, feeling laughter rumble up inside the Doctor beside me. I grin as he takes my hand, stands, and pulls me to my feet. "Nobody said this'd be easy," he chuckles.

I shake my head, smiling at him. "At least nothing's exploding anymore."

"Wouldn't count on that if I were you."

Both of us turn a bright, hot red, and I pinch his upper arm lightly. I turn to look at the Scanner, twisting its knob. Simple static roars to life. There is a huge feeling of exhilaration within me, but whether at the fact that we've landed again or that I have a husband now and it's him, I can't be sure.

"Where are we?" I ask without facing him.

He presses into my side as if he can make more sense of the static than I can. "Well... let's go see, shall we?"

I nod, but half a second later, I hold up a finger, silently telling him to wait. I turn and run into the Wardrobe Room, selecting a gray tank top, sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans. As an afterthought, I quickly return to the bedroom and search around the pile of discarded clothing for my bra. When I find it and put it on, I slip on my boots, pick up my phone, stow it in the pouch of the hoodie, and make my way back into the main room. He is reclined casually in one of the chairs bolted to the floor, and he gestures toward the doors. I stride to them without hesitance.

A darkened street opens up in my line of vision, a tall, cute-looking house looming over us. It sits in a cul-de-sac, which is neatly dotted with dogwood trees in half-bloom. There's a chill to the night air with a slight wind ruffling the leaves and pristine green grass.

I step over the edge of the TARDIS's threshold with an overwhelming sense of nothingness. I know where we are. I know what day it is. I know whose mother is dying.

At the sound of the door creaking shut, I turn to the Doctor with tears stinging my eyes. I ask quietly, "Are we really here?"

He looks at me, sorrowful, and replies, "We are. I just... I wanted to give you something—anything—, and I thought a chance to say goodbye was the best I could do."

Before he can say another word, I hug him tightly, clinging to him like I'm drowning. "Thank you," I whisper. For years, all I have ever wanted was to see her before she died. I was too young to understand what was happening at the time, so when I had awoken to the sound of sirens and the flashing lights, I did not realize what was going on. Being just feet away from my living, breathing mother causes emotion to pulse through my veins with staggering strength.

The Doctor sighs against me, but a moment later he pulls back and looks at me deeply. "Annalise, you know that we can't change what happens tonight."

I blink, shivering.

"It's a fixed point," he tells me, staring directly into my eyes. "This moment in time cannot be altered. Really, it should be time-locked, but something let us through. Because of this, you were in your backyard on the day that we met. You moved to America. You were separated from your family. You became who you are. Because of this one moment, you are here with me right now."

My heart sinks but not cripplingly. I know he wouldn't have brought me here to change this. So many factors rely on this night. I know it can't change. For life to stay as it is, for my past to remain as it is, for paradoxes not to happen, and for me to stay as I am, I must stand here, take a deep breath, and watch my mother die.