Among the Stars | DOCTOR WHO | DISCONTINUED

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙nineteen .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙

The Doctor sat quietly next to Pandora, both of them leaning against the TARDIS door, the hum of the ship comforting in the silence. Martha and Jack had long since gone to bed, leaving the two of them alone to talk. The stars streaked by outside, but in that moment, everything felt still. Pandora's mind was still reeling from the flood of memories that had surfaced earlier—memories she hadn't known were locked away, memories that had been hidden for so long.

Pandora's fingers absently traced the locket at her neck, her eyes distant as she relived the fragments of her past, the pieces she had just unlocked.

The Doctor turned to her, his expression softening as he noticed the distant look in her eyes. He knew she was struggling, knew she was trying to make sense of everything that had come to light. His voice was gentle, but firm, like a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "What do you remember, Pandora? What else is coming back to you?"

She blinked, the weight of the question pulling her from her thoughts. Her gaze drifted back to the stars outside, but it was as though she was seeing something else entirely, something buried deep within her.

"I remember..." Her voice faltered as the memories rushed back, "Explosions. The ground shaking beneath my feet." She closed her eyes for a moment, the memory flooding back in vivid detail. "I was on Gallifrey, standing in the middle of a field—red grass everywhere, and the sound of explosions in the distance. The air was thick with smoke, and I was just a child, too young to understand what was happening."

The Doctor listened intently, his eyes locked on her as she spoke, knowing that these were difficult memories for her to process.

Pandora's voice grew softer, a tremor in it as she continued, "My mother... she was with me. She pulled me away from the explosions, running through the forest. I remember her face, the way she looked at me—like she was scared, but determined." Her fingers tightened around the locket, as if holding onto the last thread of her past. "She told me my father was in the city, fighting. And she said she had to go back..."

The Doctor reached out, his hand resting on hers, offering her a small comfort as the memory seemed to break through. She turned to him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "My mother... she sent me away, didn't she? To protect me."

The Doctor nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yes, Pandora. She sent you away to keep you safe."

Pandora took a deep breath, forcing the memory to come into sharper focus. "We made it to a clearing. There was a ship there, a white cylinder, bigger than any ship I'd ever seen. I remember... I remember what it was now." Her voice cracked slightly. "It was a TARDIS. My mother took me inside, and she made me promise I would never take off the necklace she gave me. She said the Timelord part of me—everything that I was—would be inside the locket. I wouldn't remember any of it... until it was time."

The Doctor's expression softened, his voice barely a whisper. "Pandora, your mother did everything she could to protect you. She knew the war was coming, and she knew you couldn't be a part of it. So she did what any mother would do—she made sure you were safe."

Pandora's mind raced. The memory of her mother's words echoed in her head. When the war is over, your father and I will come for you, and we will open the locket. Then, you will remember everything.

"She didn't want me to remember. She wanted to protect me from all of it. From the war, from... from everything that happened to Gallifrey." Pandora's eyes welled with tears, though she blinked them back quickly. "She said I was to live on Earth. That's why she sent me away. She knew I would be safe there, but I was just a child. I didn't understand. I didn't know what was happening."

The Doctor leaned in, his voice quiet but insistent. "You were a child. Your mother did what she thought was best for you, even if it meant sacrificing everything. And she gave you a piece of herself—your Timelord heritage—so you could survive the war."

Pandora's fingers clenched around the locket again, the metal warm against her skin, as if it recognized the truth of her words. "And then she hit the button, didn't she? The one that would remove the Timelord part of me, put it in the locket... and that was the last time I saw her." Her voice broke. "The TARDIS took off, and I was alone. She didn't even get to say goodbye."

The Doctor's gaze was gentle but firm. "You're not alone anymore, Pandora. You've got Jack. You've got Martha. And you've got me. We'll help you find the answers you need, piece by piece."

Pandora let the words sink in, the weight of her memories pressing down on her chest. "But what about the war? What happened to my parents? Why didn't they come for me like they promised?"

The Doctor sighed, looking out at the stars. "The Time War, Pandora, it took everything. Your parents, the people you knew, the whole of Gallifrey—it was all destroyed. But what your mother did, the locket... she kept you safe from it all. She gave you a chance, Pandora. A chance to live."

Pandora stared at the stars outside the TARDIS, her mind swirling with a mix of grief and confusion. "I don't know if I can handle all of this, Doctor. I don't know if I can be what they wanted me to be."

The Doctor turned to her, his expression serious but understanding. "You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. You're Pandora Thatcher. That's enough."

Pandora looked up at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Thanks, Doctor."

The Doctor gave her a small smile in return. "It's what I'm here for, Pan. To help you find your way."

And in that moment, as the TARDIS floated silently through the vastness of space, Pandora realized that perhaps, for the first time in her life, she wasn't running anymore. She was going to face the truth of who she was, and what her past meant. She was ready to move forward.