"Mom," Jordan said with exasperation. "It's not a phase, I'm completely and one hundred percent serious, been serious about it since I was fourteen."

"Nonsense, mija," Jordan's mother's said, condescending and tinny, over the phone speaker. "You've only told me last year. You couldn't possibly have known that long."

"Maybe I only told you now was because I'm an adult and I know myself," Jordan retorted, rolling their eyes.

"Please, you're practically still a child," their mother dismissed, "this binary gender nonsense is something that will pass."

"No, it won't, mother," Jordan gritted out, "and for the record it's nonbinary."

"Now, Ol-" Jordan's mother started before Jordan cut her off.

"Goodbye, mother," they said finally.

They ended the call with finality, chucking their phone toward the bed blindly.

Burying their head in their hands, they groaned in frustration.

"Every time, every time with that woman," they muttered, "She just can't get it through her thick skull that I'm not her precious daughter anymore. I'm nonbinary."

"I'm nonbinary," they repeated more firmly, straightening up, "I'm nonbinary and I use they/them pronouns, and there's nothing wrong with me."

They sighed, pulling on a curl of brown hair, "Oh, who am I kidding? Mom's never going to accept me. Might as well focus on school."

They shifted and clambered out of bed, grabbing their school bag.

BANG!

They paused in pulling out their school binder.

The crash had come from their living room, and it didn't sound like their cat had tipped over something.

They shoved their bag away and stood up. They walked toward the door, hand hesitating on the doorknob.

They stopped, circling back and grabbing their small canister of mace. Jordan nodded to themself and slowly opened the door.

Peeking left and right, they hesitantly made their way forward.

They checked their guest room first, then the bathroom and when they made sure that there wasn't any danger they made their way to the living room.

Mace held at the ready, they inched forward, ready to spray.

Jordan made their way in, and found nothing except their cat.

Lowering their mace in slight disappointment, they knelt down to scratch their cat's purring form.

"Hey there, Anubis," they murmured. "Were you the one that knocked something over, you little asshole."

Anubis purred in contentment before stretching with a yawn, and lazily batted Jordan's hand away.

Jordan winced slightly when his claws accidentally nicked them, but they examined their hand and saw nothing but a light red scratch.

"Well, fuck you too, Nubs," they shook their head at the cat's antics.

Anubis meowed and stood up with a stretch. He leisurely strutted over to one of the living room walls, and crept behind the couch.

Jordan's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Nubs? What the hell are you doing?" Jordan followed after, "You know you're not supposed to-"

They pushed the sofa away from the wall to pick up their cat, but stopped when they noticed the glowing crack in their wall.

They dropped their mace and distantly heard it clatter away.

"What the fuck caused this?" They breathed in concern and awe.

They reached out to touch it, but physically refrained, lowering their hand.

There was something alluring about the golden glow emitting from the crack, and Jordan wanted to find out what.

"No," they muttered, "No, we're going to call the landlord and get her to fix this. We are not going to become the next victim of a horror film."

Shaking their head, they reached into their pocket for their phone. They pulled it out and called their landlord, Susan, the phone rang the dial tone a few times before the call picked up.

"Susan? Hey, I just wanted to call about-"

"Good evening, Elliott," a silky purr greeted, and pulled the phone away. They checked the number, and their concern grew when the number displayed odd, circular symbols.

Cautiously, they put the phone back, "Who are you?"

"No one to be concerned about," the voice leered at Jordan.

"Okay, if you say so," Jordan hung up quickly and tossed their phone onto the sofa. Their cat purred, rubbing against their leg, and they sighed.

Leaning down to pet Anubis again, they brought their cat up to hold and cuddle. He barely protested and meowed slightly and snuggled up to them.

"That was creepy, Nubs," they muttered into Anubis' black spotted fur. "Whoever that was knew my first name, I only let my friends call me that, and I don't have that many friends."

Jordan sighed, shaking their head and shuddered, "Well at least it wasn't my dead name, that would've been worse."

Walking toward the love seat far away from the crevice in their wall, they sat down and cuddled close to Anubis.

"Sometimes," they mumbled into the cat's fur coat, "it's like you're the only one who gets me."

Anubis meowed and swiped a paw at them. Wincing, they pulled away, letting the cat settle in their lap instead, "Yeah, yeah, fuck you too, kitty-cat."

Jordan yawned, and shimmied out of their shirt. Carefully taking their binder off, they laid it on the side and pulled their shirt back on.

They checked the time, wincing at the late hour and wondering why their mother had to call at two in the morning.

They couldn't blame her though, the nine hour difference was hard on all of them. They felt their eyes start to flutter close.

They woke up abruptly, gasping, as someone doused them with water.

"Finally!" Someone shouted in exasperation and disdain, "You humans and your distrustfulness and need for sleep."

"Now, Black, it was your idea in calling them like that, if you had only-"

"Oh, right, of course," the so-called Black cut in snippily, "and your idea of knocking on their doorstep wouldn't have done the same thing, White."

Jordan rubbed the water away from their eyes, shaking off the excess water. They were in a blank room, no furniture or knick-knacks in sight, and they were sat on the ground.

They watched as White, dressed in unsurprisingly or surprisingly white clothing, concede with a nod of their head.

"Perhaps, however, they would have, most definitely, appreciated someone answering them directly instead of an ambiguous reply."

"Oh, like suddenly showing up and saying that we needed them would've been better," Black retorted, similar styled black robes fluttering with the retort.

As White started to reply, Jordan cut them off, "Where the fuck am I?"

The two figures paused before turning to face Jordan. White had a kind expression while Black had an annoyed expression.

"Are you alright?" White asked, reaching toward them.

Jordan leaned back, "Let me ask again; Where. The fuck. Am. I?"

They stared intently into the other two's eyes, a frustrated gleam in their eyes.

White sighed and Black rolled their eyes, "We are still waiting on one more person. But who knows when she'll be here, she's always late."

"I'm here," a deep, regal voice said in amusement, "I, and I suspect Elliott as well, were waiting for your little domestic spat to be over."

Black spluttered and White sighed again more wearily. Jordan turned around to see a short, black-haired woman walk up toward the three. She was wearing a dark blue summer dress, and her black hair was meticulously put up in a bun. She had matching blue glasses and Converse.

She reached out a hand to Jordan, "Hello, dear Elliott, I'm sorry these two bothered you."

Jordan cautiously took her hand, hauling themself up with her help. They noticed the height difference between them. The woman was a head and a half shorter than them.

"Thanks," they said slowly, "will you be the one to finally tell me where the fuck I am?"

"Of course," she said, lowering her head and blue glasses glinting, "but wouldn't you want to know who we are first?"

"I don't really want to get chummy with my kidnappers," they said flatly.

"Kidnappers?!" Black exploded indignantly, "If you had just taken the call and not have hung up, then we wouldn't have had to take you into the dream realm!"

"Thank you, Black," White cut in, "but to answer your question, we are in your 'dream' so to speak. As Black has rudely explained, we needed your help-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Jordan held up their hand. "Tell me who the fuck you are now, and maybe I'll consider hearing you out."

The woman sighed, "We are-"

"You're just going to explain to them who we are! After how defiant they've been! Why do we have to answer to them?" Black cut in, peeved.

"Peace, Black," the woman held up her hand, calming him. "We have given reason for them to distrust us, especially with your actions today."

Black huffed, crossing their arms and conceding.

"We are, well, I suppose you can call us guardians," she chuckled slightly, and Black and White rolled their eyes.

"Yeah? Guardians for what?" Jordan demanded, "And why do you keep calling me, Elliott? My name's Jordan."

"Your first name is Elliott, is it not?" White asked, "Elliott Jordan, therefore we call you Elliott."

"Not an answer to my question, man," Jordan said, "but I go by Jordan, you don't have permission to call me Elliott."

"See!" Black cried, throwing their hands up, "the rebelliousness of theirs, do we really need them? The Doctor seems to fare well without them so far. This convoluted plan of yours, Idris, seems to be worthless."

"Peace, Black Guardian. You and I know that while the Doctor is surviving, they need a constant in their life. We have all foreseen how beneficial the Doctor is with… Jordan."

The now named Idris hesitated on Jordan's name, but they were grateful that she had called them by the correct name.

"Wait… are you guys talking about Doctor Who? The T.V. show?" Jordan asked, "Oh, god. Are you guys screwing with me, and you're actually Whovians that've kidnapped me?"

Their voice rose higher in pitch as they started to panic, hands starting to shake. White came forward and grabbed their hands, physically stopping them from shaking.

White knelt down in front of them, "Calm. Down. You are no use to yourself or us if you lose yourself to an attack. Breathe, Jordan. Breathe."

Jordan took in a shuddering breath, shoulders trembling. Their back was hunched back and they tightened their grip on White's hands.

They breathed in deeply, clenching their eyes tightly closed. White and the others waited patiently as Jordan pulled themself together.

Slowly, Jordan released White's hands. They took another large breath in, "Okay, okay, I'm good."

"I- I apologize if we had frightened you," Idris said softly, "that was not our intention."

Jordan looked at Idris, a tight smile on their face, "Well, maybe you could make it up to me by explaining what the fuck you want with me?"

Idris nodded her head with a small smile of amusement, "Of course. I suppose you are familiar with the multiverse theory?"

Jordan nodded their head, "I'm pretty sure everyone has at this point."

"Yes, well, we are the guardians of the multiverses. We are seven in total, however, Red suggested that a small group of us would be less overwhelming."

"Too late," Jordan muttered, annoyed at everything. They stepped back from White, who was still in front of them, and crossed their arms.

"Right, seven guardians of the multiverses. Let's say that I believe you. What the fuck do you want with me? And why is Doctor Who, a T.V. show, so important to you?" Jordan asked, eyebrow raised.

Idris winced slightly, "The Doctor is a loose cannon and-"

"And you need someone to keep him in check?" Jordan asked rhetorically. "Well, I'm sorry, but the Doctor can suck it. He's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Seems like he's been doing it for centuries."

"Mmm, I rather like this one," Black said, amused, "I can see why you chose them, Idris."

"Yes, well, thank you for the compliment, Black," Idris said distractedly. "Jordan, the Doctor needs you."

"Well, that seems a little too co-dependant of him," Jordan pointed out. "I doubt he really needs me."

"Jordan," White cut in, tired of the remarks, "please listen to what we have to say. The structure of the multiverses hangs on you."

"Way to put all the pressure on me," Jordan muttered but obediently fell quiet.

Idris shot the White Guardian a thankful look, "Thank you, now Jordan. What we want you to know is that the Doctor is an important part of the universes. He is so embedded in all of them that it's leaked into yours through a T.V. show."

Jordan gave an unimpressed stare, and the White Guardian took over, "The Doctor has proven time and time again how capable he is at keeping the balance of the universes and time."

"Better than Azure at any rate," the Black Guardian muttered. White shot a glare, and Black raised their hands in surrender.

"However, he… forgets sometimes that he is not some god, and he has so much guilt weighing him down."

"And guilt is always an underrated punishment," Jordan whispered in acknowledgement.

"Indeed," the White Guardian nodded, "in doing so, he retreats into himself, and there is no one to pull him out. That is why he takes companions, to remind him that he is fragile, one person, human."

"There have been some," the Black Guardian interjected, "that have succeeded in getting close to him, helping him."

Idris nodded, "The closest being my Wolf."

The Black Guardian tilted his head at her in acknowledgement, "But none have gotten so close as to help him as you."

"Still haven't met him yet, still haven't decided that this is real, and isn't his new regeneration a her now?" Jordan pointed out.

Black chuckled, "Yes, but it entirely depends on the regeneration, for now we'll refer to him as him. And of course it's real."

Jordan rolled their eyes and opened their mouth but Idris picked up where Black left off, "What we're trying to say is that you are a crucial part to the Doctor, his life literally depends on you. The Doctor cannot reside in any other dimension, he only has the one he is currently in."

White took up the next part, and Jordan shifted their gaze to him, "The one he is in is the one you are familiar with in your… T.V. show." His voice was snide as he wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"He has endured so much at the hands of the universe and our brethren. His mind and psyche is riddled with scars."

"Okay," Jordan said slowly, "you're not really appealing him to me, guys, I fully sympathize though. He has my apologies."

Black huffed a laugh, "I concur. If the worlds didn't hang in the balance, I'd do something about him as well. That being said, he needs you, just as you need him."

"Mmm," Jordan made a dubious hum, "Sounds like an unhealthy co-dependancy here, I'm not really for that."

"Perhaps," Idris conceded, "but do not deny that you need him too."

"I've never seen an episode in my life," Jordan deadpanned. "And I don't need anyone. I'm a full-functioning adult. I've lived through most of my life without needing anyone."

"But it's lonely, isn't it?" Black asked, "Your parents don't accept you, your best friend has stopped talking to you for reasons unknown, you're alone in your college dorm with no company besides your cat, you-"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Jordan interrupted loudly, "I'm lonely, but don't you dare bring Nubs into this."

They pointed threateningly at the Black Guardian, who backed off with their hands in the air in surrender.

"But everyone gets lonely," Jordan said, "why would being with the Doctor help?"

"It's a mutually beneficial relationship," Idris explained. "You give him humility, the ability to be humble, be human, and he gives you constancy, always there for you, no matter how angry you or he get."

"But that happens with every companion," Jordan pointed out, "why would I be different? He's had dozens of companions, each one different from the last. Why am I the one that changes him?"

The three shared a look. Black looked bored, White was apprehensive and Idris seemed resigned.

"Well-" White started before Black cut him off, "You don't belong here. When creating this one, we accidently used a time stream from the Doctor's universe and put it into this one by accident."

"I never belong anywhere," Jordan said with a self-deprecating smile before they registered the Black Guardian's words.

"You just wanted to get rid of me, fix me, shove me with the Doctor so that you'd be able to fix your mistake." Jordan accused them with a pointed glare.

"Black," Idris and White hissed at them, and Black seemed annoyed by all of this.

"No," Black said firmly, irritated at having to explain everything, "You may not belong here, in this universe, but you've lived here long enough that nothing has happened thus far, and probably won't, depends on how I feel. To be honest, you don't need to go. As you've seen, the Doctor's fine without you. We're just giving you the chance to be happy, and right our mistake, that too."

Jordan was silent as the Black Guardian spoke, mind reeling at the news. When they were about to speak, the foundation rumbled.

"Oh, dear," Idris said, looking up. "It seems like you're waking up."

She put a comforting hand on Jordan's shoulder, "Think about what we've said tonight, Jordan, the others will appear soon."

"Others?" Jordan asked, but the three guardians were starting to fade away. "What others?"

There was a bright light, and Jordan woke up in their living room. The crack in the wall glowed dully, if Jordan wasn't staring at it they barely would've noticed it.

They rubbed their head, the startings of a headache beginning to form, "Ugh, that was a strange dream."

Anubis meowed, and Jordan turned to look at him. He was standing in front of their T.V. and looking very insistent at it.

They went to Anubis, picking him up and holding him close. The remnants of the dream lingered on their mind, and they absentmindedly petted Anubis' head.

Anubis yowled loudly, struggling out of their arms, and they let him. He dropped down onto the ground and tugged on their pants.

"Fine, fine," Jordan muttered, "what do you want?"

They followed their cat to the front of the T.V. and saw something that wasn't there before. There were a stack of D.V.D.s stacked neatly under the table.

Frowning, they picked it up, seeing the note taped to it. Their eyes widened in surprise as they read the note.

'Think on what we said, Jordan, and maybe watch why the Doctor needs you. Two more will visit you soon.'

~The Guardians of Order, Chaos and Time

Soon didn't come until three months later. Jordan had endured more misgendering from the world, their parents, their classmates.

They thought on what the three had said and proposed, but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth it. The ache in their heart over their old friends and family didn't matter because there were some that didn't misgender them, that seemed to truly think that their gender mattered. They were great.

Azura was a relaxed, but no nonsense woman who was firm but very balanced with herself. Chrys was a tinkering, fun-loving man who always seemed to get their mood up. He was rather mischievous though, pranking many dorms.

He loved to get a kick out of them, said it was good for the soul. Azura usually hit him on the backside of his head whenever he got too wily.

Roux was a very honest and blunt woman, she didn't seem to know how to word anything to seem nicer, always speaking her mind. It was rather refreshing whenever they were on the verge an anxiety attack and needed to stop thinking about the cognitive distortions.

Cole and Ivory never seemed to leave each others' sides. They were always together and constantly argued with each other in a language Jordan couldn't quite place. Ivory seemed to be more organized while Cole seemed to thrive on chaos. Twins on opposite spectrums.

Aurelia seemed to enjoy her biology class, she was constantly asking the professor questions and answering anything else in a lackadaisical manner. But she was fiercely protective of her plants.

Jordan didn't know what to make of these six, they seemed to gravitate around Jordan, and Jordan didn't know how to handle it. Jordan suspected they were the Guardians, but they didn't say anything. They didn't want to lose their first few friends after so long.

They picked up Anubis, petting him much to his protest. He settled in after a while though, and the two of them sat down on the loveseat.

Jordan stared at the barely visible crack still behind their couch. It hadn't done much, it glowed ominously at night, but that seemed to be all it did.

They had called their landlord, but she didn't seem to see anything, and lightly scolded them for calling for no reason.

No one else seemed to be able to see it, and Jordan was concerned and scared about what it might mean for them.

Yawning, they let Anubis jump out of their arms. They stood up and got ready for bed, settling into their bed with another yawn.

Closing their eyes, they fell into a quick sleep.

Opening their eyes, they sat up and groaned. In front of them had a round table draped with a blue and white cloth, the blue fading into the white at the ends.

Jordan was hoping that everything that had happened was a dream, they locked away the D.V.D.s into a drawer and forced themself to forget about it.

They had rarely went outside, only when the other six had cajoled them enough to go out. And they almost managed to forget about the whole thing.

Of course, that was the perfect time to jar their reality, it seemed.

"Well, are you just going to sit there all day or would you like some tea?" someone asked impatiently.

Jordan paused, they knew that voice. They knew that voice, that- that was- Jordan scrambled up, and there Azura and Chrys sat, drinking tea.

Well, Azura was drinking tea, and Chrys was tinkering on a robotic, clapping monkey. Azura was wearing her signature azure pantsuit while Chrys was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

Jordan pointed disbelievingly at the two, "You're- the two of you- how- what-?"

Azura held up her hand and Jordan obediently clapped their mouth shut. She took a sip of tea before setting it down on its dish.

She gestured to the open seat in front of her, "Please, take a seat. How do you take your tea?"

Jordan mechanically sat down, answering, "Two spoons of sugar and a splash of milk. You're-"

Azura poured them their tea, stirring in the sugar and milk. She handed them the teacup and dish, "Careful, don't burn yourself. I do hope you like English Breakfast."

"It's alright, but you-"

Azura cut them off again, "Take a sip of tea."

Jordan looked down suspiciously at the murky brown liquid before looking at Azura's expectant face.

They cautiously took a sip, and then took another sip when they found they immensely enjoyed the taste.

"Good, yeah?" Azura smirked.

Jordan nodded, "Now will you please tell me why you're here?"

"You tell us," Chrys said without looking up from his tinkering. Jordan looked at him, confused. "The others told us you were smart, quick on your feet. Teachers do too, so you tell us why we're here."

Jordan wanted to lash out at him, but they knew that wouldn't faze him. "You're the other two Guardians."

Chrys looked up from the toy, approval in his eyes, "Smart one, indeed. Knowing that, can you guess which ones we are?"

"Which ones you are?" Jordan asked.

"Why, of course," Azura said, as if it was obvious, "Take what you know of the two of us and deduce what our domain and name is. You already know White and Black's, I assume?"

Jordan nodded hesitantly, "Order and Chaos respectively, leaving Idris as Time. Does that mean…?"

"That Cole and Ivory and all the others were the other Guardians?" Azura filled in, "Obviously, now Jordan, dear, impress us."

"Obviously," Jordan muttered mockingly. They appraised the two in front of them, Azura's cool demeanour and Chrys' fantastical tinkering.

Azura was always calm and collected, and she was often the mediator whenever Co- White and Black's arguments got out of hand. She loved doing Tai Chi, arguing that it kept one healthy and balanced in mind and body.

With her shimmering blue-black hair always in a perpetual ponytail, and her hands folded together, she looked like the most well-prepared college student ever.

Chrys was the complete opposite, he was always dreaming about the next toy or fantasizing about the next prank he was about to pull. He never seemed to stay still, fidgeting with a new toy he made or bought.

The streak of white or silver in his hair seemed to be a testament to his rebelliousness, and his carefree, almost selfish, attitude got him into more trouble than he needed.

Jordan nodded their head in decision, "I think I know who you are. Azura, you're Balance, and Chrys, you're fun and Fantasy."

The two exchanged impressed looks, Azura said, "Almost, my dear, but that was impressive indeed. Tell us, what are our real names, then?"

"Well, you guys correlate with colours," Jordan started out, tilting their head in thought, "and Black mentioned an Azure…. So Azura, you're Azure. Chrys, Chrys, Crystal! Azure and Crystal!"

"Well done, dear," Azure praised. "I am Azure, Guardian of Equilibrium and Balance."

"And I," Crystal jumped in, "am Crystal, Guardian of Dreams and Fantasy."

"Do you always have two domains?" Jordan asked, leaning forward.

They nodded, and Crystal explained as he worked on the toy without looking, "White and Black are Order and Light and Chaos and Darkness, respectively. While Idris is Time and Space."

Jordan frowned, "What about the other two?"

"You'll have to find out later, Jordan, as we aren't here to talk about the Council of Guardians. We're here for your answer, will you accept it?" Azure asked expectantly.

Jordan hesitated, "What does it entail? White, Black and Idris didn't really explain. They just said that I'll have the Doctor's constancy."

Azure sighed, muttering under her breath, "They can never do anything together."

Crystal rolled his eyes, "Relax, Zuri, at least they introduced the Doctor."

"Don't call me Zuri," Azure snapped at him, and he held his hands up in surrender before going back to his toy.

She sighed, breathing deeply to relax and Jordan piped up, "They also said that the structure of the multiverses hangs on me, but I don't really know about that. Black seems rather dramatic."

"He is," the two of them replied easily.

"Oh, that idiot," Azure muttered angrily, she looked gently at Jordan, "the structure of the multiverses can survive without your input. It would just be stronger with your help."

"Mmm, that doesn't sound like me. If anything, I destroy more than I can help," Jordan said dubiously.

"Oh, Jordan," Azure sighed sadly. "Did you watch any of the… episodes?" Her voice held a small disdain for them in the pause before reverting back to its neutral.

"I didn't want to, wanted to forget it all happened," Jordan replied with a small twinge of guilt.

"Well, it happened whether you like it or not," Crystal said, "now what's your answer?"

"What's gonna happen to me if I say yes?" Jordan shot back. "Because you never told me, you only avoided the question."

Crystal paused his tinkering, looking up at Jordan for a moment before turning to Azure. The two of them seemed to be having a silent conversation, and Jordan huffed, annoyed.

"Are you saying yes?" Crystal asked.

"Answer the damn question, you two," Jordan demanded. "How am I going to get there? What's going to happen to the me here? What am I supposed to do there?"

"Well, really it all depends on you," Azure said finally. "What is it that you want to happen?"

"Oh that's not an answer," Jordan scowled.

Crystal sighed, putting down his screwdriver, "You'll bounce along his timeline, jumping in and out, you'll never stay in one place for long or meet the same Doctor twice in a row."

"That doesn't sound rather fair," Jordan frowned, "what if the Doctor needs me and I just pop away?"

Azure smiled a small, sad smile, "With how you were created mistakenly, there is no timeline in that universe that will behave accordingly. You technically don't exist there, not the one in front of us. As soon as you are transported to that universe, this one will right itself to how it was supposed to be without you. The best we could do is stick you to the Doctor's and with how convoluted his is, it jumps from place to place, time to time. Your timeline and life is reflected in his, as his is to yours."

Jordan tilted their head in thought, nodding. "But what am I to him? To you seven? What made you choose me, besides the mistake thing? Black said that I didn't need to go, that I was fine here. Why did you actively seek me out?"

The two exchanged another silent conversation, and Jordan anxiously waited for the answer. They mindlessly started to tug on a curl of their hair in anticipation.

"Now, now, don't do that," Azure tutted at them, pulling their hand away from their hair. "It's not good for you."

"Well?"

"You…" Crystal paused, gathering his thoughts. "You… are one of the most selfless, kind and protective person that we have ever encountered in this universe."

"That's not true," Jordan shook their head, "I'm plenty rude and selfish and I can barely defend myself against a fifteen year old."

"Just the other day, you shared your dinner with three homeless people. You noticed that one of your classmates was having a bad day, so you gave them a piece of chocolate and an uplifting note. You found a box of kittens, haphazardly thrown around the ground, gathered them all up, and took them to the veterinarians to get them to be taken care of. Need I list more?"

Azure looked at them with a fixed look, and Crystal was smirking at them in amusement.

Jordan blushed bright red, "A-anyone would've done those things."

Crystal shook his head, "The majority of them wouldn't, their passive nature is too powerful."

"But what about the small percentage like me? Surely they could do a better job," Jordan protested.

"While there are others out there like you, kind, forgiving, etc., you are more than them," Azure explained patiently, "You are special, you were a mistake that grew into a flowering blossom tree that was cut into too many times, yet still you grew. You have this tenacity about yourself that humanity tries to copy."

"Bu- but that's the whole crux of humanity, their ability to survive and adapt," Jordan countered. "Look at what we've invented and created to better adapt. I don't see why that makes me the outlier."

Crystal sighed, placing the monkey down, staring at them. "Tell me this, Jordan, why do you think that you don't deserve this?"

"I-" they hesitated, and Crystal leaned back in his chair.

"We'll let you think about that then," he said, Azure taking a sip of her tea. "And look, it's time to wake up."

They stared at the two in confusion before the monkey Crystal was working on clapped its cymbals with a loud, reverberating ring, and they snapped their eyes open.

Jordan sat up, throwing the blankets off hastily. Their mind was reeling, all the information was too much for them.

They sat, thoughts racing as they tried to calm down.

"Meow," Anubis cried, hitting their knee repeatedly. Jordan quickly scooped him up and hugged him close, burying their face in his fur.

They calmed down slightly as the familiar smell calmed them down. Lifting their head when Anubis seemed to want to be let go, they sniffled slightly and breathed in deep, calming themself.

Anubis meowed once more and Jordan's attention was brought over to him. He had something in his mouth that Jordan couldn't see well in the dark.

They squinted before reaching to turn the desk light on. Blinking to re-orientate themself, they felt as Anubis dropped the thing in their lap.

Jordan picked it up and gasped when they saw that it was the monkey Crystal had been working on in their dream.

There was a note attached to it, and Jordan unfolded it.

'We'll try one more time, after that if you say no we'll leave you alone. The last two will come soon.'

~The Guardians of Fantasy and Balance

Jordan groaned, tossing the monkey away, and fell on the bed with a muffled thud. Feeling Anubis settle heavily on top of them, they fell back into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

The harsh blares of their alarm clock woke Jordan up. They sat up grumpily and checked their phone.

"Shit! I have to get to work!"

Hurrying to get their stuff together, they finished in record time, running out of their apartment and pushing all thoughts of the Doctor and the Guardians out of their mind.

Falling face first onto their bed, Jordan heaved a weary sigh. They toed off their socks, inching up the bed to put their face into a pillow.

They were glad that today had been a good day and they hadn't worn their chest binder.

Finals week was hell on Jordan, they had shut themself in their apartment, not answering to any of the human-Guardians. They only went outside when they had to go to work or buy food.

The Guardians thankfully seemed to understand and the last two, Roux and Aurelia, didn't pop up in any of their dreams yet.

However, Jordan had just finished their last final of the year, and they could almost weep in joy. Sighing, they settled into their position and unwillingly fell asleep.

Opening their eyes, they saw a great, dark ceiling above them. They closed their eyes again, silently wishing that they would fall back into that dreamless state.

"Are you alright, Jordan?" Roux's usually monotonous voice was pitched slightly higher in concern.

"They're trying to go back to sleep, Roux," Aurelia drawled lazily.

"Oh," Roux said, "Jordan, that will not work, as your physical body is asleep, it will only wake once this is over or something from the outside world wakes you up. Since you have woken up here, so you shall stay."

Jordan reluctantly sat up, grumbling, "Well, you can't say I didn't try."

They turned to look around their surroundings for the first time. With White, Black and Idris, the room had been a pure blank slate, nothing there except a vast emptiness and hollow feeling.

With Azure and Crystal, they had been in a modern yet Victorian styled tea room, from the little they glanced around. The designs were simple and elegant, nothing too lavish.

This… this was lavish. The throne room surrounding them, for it could not be described in any other way, was painted in a dark tone. Black columns and pillars held the tall structure.

Heavy draperies hung, ready to close and block out all light. It was tiled in a black and white pattern with inscriptions Jordan couldn't understand on them. Skeletons and bones decorated the walls with tiny gems shining when they caught the light.

However, the atmosphere wasn't as dreary or dead as Jordan would have assumed it would be. It was light and breezy, trees and bushes of every sort bloomed in the corners. Light streaked in through the open window, causing the gems on the wall to sparkle.

Jordan was in awe at the detailed room, rotating around to take it all in. On their last rotation, they caught sight of Roux and Aurelia.

Aurelia was leisurely lounging on a throne, legs swinging on the side of the arm as she looked lazily at them. Her sun-gold hair was hanging in waves around her face, and there was a lazy smirk on her face, as her sundress that matched her hair moved with her legs.

Roux was standing stoically to her left, arms clasped behind her back. Her red hair was pinned up in a tight bun as she stared expectantly at Jordan. She was wearing her light pink, almost white, blouse paired with her bright red pencil skirt, and her foot tapped slightly impatiently.

To the two's right was a giant scale with a heart on one of the dishes and a feather floating above it on the other.

Jordan slowly walked up in front of the two. "Hey, Roux, Aurelia," they nodded nervously.

"Salutations."

"Hey."

The two gave their own greeting respectively, and Jordan relaxed slightly at the familiarity of it all.

"Would you like to postulate our domains and names?" Roux offered, seeming to sense the tension and anticipation in Jordan, "It is alright should you not get the both of them."

Jordan nodded slightly, they had been wondering what the last two's dominions were, theorizing with every free thought, which, admittedly, was not much.

Jordan stared at the two in concentration, eyeing them up and down. Aurelia gave them a half leer, ruined by the waggle in her eyebrows.

Forcing away their blush, they looked at Roux who stared blankly back. They considered her first, she was always protesting every injustice she witnessed, from the jaywalking to misogyny of others. She was always quick-witted, fiery as her hair, and spitting shocking truths at horrified individuals.

Aurelia was a bit more difficult, her blase attitude about everything made it hard to pinpoint any sort of personality on her. But then Jordan was struck by a memory. They were freaking out over a test in one of their classes, and they were in the midst of an anxiety attack when Aurelia shouldered her way in, not taking no for an answer.

She had taken their hands and calmed them down slightly. When they were significantly calmer, she took them up to the roof of their building, and showed them her gigantic rooftop garden.

She had shown them how she had tended to them, how she weeded the garden, watered the flowers and harvested the crop. The garden was mostly barren, save for a few plants that could survive the winter.

Aurelia sat them down and talked about her garden, how she loved to see them thrive with life and how she was always excited to replant them when they had died.

Jordan had asked if she was sad that her plants died, she had only shook her head and said that death was just as much a part of life as life is as part of death. They go hand in hand, and nothing could stop that.

Jordan grinned, knowing exactly who was who. The names were the easiest to figure out, colours co-ordinating with their human names.

"You," they pointed at Roux first, "are the Red Guardian of Truth and Justice."

Roux's eyes widened while Aurelia straightened in her throne. "While you," they pointed at Aurelia this time, "are the Gold Guardian of Life and Death."

The two shared a look, and Jordan allowed themself a smug smile as they crossed their arms in triumph.

"It seems you have gotten better at deducing," the now named Red complimented.

"Or the giant clues you left behind were just so obvious that a ten year old could figure it out," Jordan said lightheartedly.

"Hey, now, don't put yourself down," Aurelia protested, "You were the one to figure it out, don't just take that so flippantly."

"I'm not?" Jordan frowned when it came out more of a question than a statement.

Red's lips twitched at that, "Yes, well, I agree with Gold. There is no need to demean yourself for figuring out this when you did it yourself. You can only solve when the right clues are presented to you, and you had found the right clues. Do not degrade yourself over that."

"I d-" Red fixed them with a look, and they hastily fixed their words, "I'll try."

Red nodded wearily with a sigh, "I suppose that shall do. Now onto other matters, have you come to a decision?"

The two stared expectantly at them, and Jordan bit their lip in thought, "What will happen to Anubis?"

"Do you mean-?" Red started but Gold cut her off, "Your cat will be with his proper home."

"By proper do you mean loving?"

Gold shared a look with Red before turning back to Jordan with a nod, "Yes, of course he will."

Some of the tension left their body, and they relaxed. "What will happen to the people who knew me?"

"Their timelines will be rewritten and shaped to the way it was supposed to be without you," Red answered promptly. "It would be as if you had never existed there at all, though there might be a phantom ache as there is a niggling reminder of you. Though they will never, truly, remember you, only an inkling of what might have been."

Jordan nodded, swallowing, "Okay, okay."

Jordan thought about the Doctor and his long, long life. If what the Guardians were saying was correct, then he had lived an arduous one.

He had suffered losses and won gains, he had saved lives and he had to end lives.

It seemed like the Doctor was invincible, but the Guardians were saying otherwise.

They were saying that Jordan, plain Jordan, boring Jordan, Jordan who got an anxiety attack over talking to a cashier, was the one that helped him.

And it seemed like the Doctor needed more than just his companions. Because he could lose them so easily, their lives were so frail.

The Doctor's only constant was his ship, but if Jordan said yes, they could be his constant too.

Jordan knew their decision.

"Can I say goodbye?" Jordan asked suddenly.

The two looked surprised at them, and Gold squinted confusedly at them, "You do know that they won't ever remember you again, right?"

"Obviously," Jordan retorted, "but I'm willingly giving up my life to this alien in a blue box who saves space and time. I'm willingly leaving the people who have loved and cared for me for years. That would be enough to ruin anyone's psyche. This'll give me some closure."

Gold nodded in understanding, "Does that mean you agree?"

"I- I guess so," Jordan said.

"You cannot guess at this, you must be sure." Red stated firmly, eyes blazing.

"Yeah, er- yes, I'll do it," Jordan repeated more firmly.

"Brilliant," Gold clapped her hands excitedly.

"That is a satisfactory conclusion," Red commented. She checked her watch, "Oh, and it seems to be time for you to wake up now, Jordan."

Jordan nodded, "I just wanted to ask though, what pantheon were you trying to recreate here, Gold? Because it seems like a mix."

Gold laughed, her voice getting more distant, "You'll find out."

That was the last thing Jordan heard before they woke up in their bed.

Their lips twisted in disappointment at that open answer, but they slowly slid out of bed, still tired, to get ready for the day.

As they started changing, something glinting in the light caught their eye. They turned toward the source, their bedside table.

On the table laid a necklace and a note, the pendant of the necklace jad embedded jewels of the colours of all the Guardians.

Its design was familiar, resembling a cross but having a loop instead of the top arm.

An ankh, they thought distantly, and Jordan wondered where they had seen it from.

Their eyes lit up, and they turned to Anubis in shock, right on the cat's forehead was that same symbol.

Shaking their head, they slipped the necklace on, and read the note.

Thank you for agreeing to do this. While there will be times you wonder why you agreed, take this necklace as a reminder. The ankh usually symbolizes life, and the Doctor, your life and many others will forever change. We shall give you a few days to get your farewells in order, and then we shall come for you one last time.

~The Guardians of Justice and Truth and Life and Death

Jordan wasn't ready. It was two days later, and they still weren't ready to say goodbye.

They had too much unfinished business. Their best friend still wasn't talking to them no matter how many messages they texted them. Their parents still didn't accept them for who they are, and they wer .

"Meow," Anubis batted at them urgently.

They were hyperventilating, curled up into themself and rocking back and forth, small streaks of tears rolling down their face.

"Meow!" Anubis cried louder and more insistently. Jordan counted back and forth, muttering numbers to try and calm down.

They grabbed their hair, tugging the curls harder and harder with each passing second. Their chest felt heavy, too heavy. They didn't want it, they needed to breathe, they didn't like this.

They wheezed, trying to breathe in deeply.

Anubis hit them in the face, and they winced at the pain. They grabbed the cat, hugging him close.

"One, t-two, three, four. One, two, three, four, five, s-six, se-seven. One, tw-two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." They counted shakily, breaking apart between every syllable.

Finally stuttering out a ragged breath, they looked around their room.

"Five things I can see…. A-anubis, w-wall, bo-bookshelf, closet, feet. Four things I can touch…. Anubis, b-bed, blanket, pi-pillow."

Jordan's voice got stronger as they grounded themself more, "Three things I can smell… Sweat, Anubis, clothes. Two things I can hear, heartbeat, cat purring."

"And one thing I can taste," Jordan paused, trying to find the words, "...spit."

They took one last shuddering breath, releasing Anubis from their grip. "You're fine, you're fine."

They picked up their phone one more time, dialing it, they put it up to their ear. It immediately went to voicemail.

Sighing in disappointment, they left a voicemail, "Hey, Kennedy, it's me, Jordan, as you probably saw on voice I.D. I know that you're probably tired of me calling and texting, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. You're my best friend, and I don't know what I did to make you stop talking to me, but I still love you. You're practically my brother, and whatever I did I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I ruined our friendship and that we stopped talking and that we've gone our separate ways and for whatever I did. I love you, bye Kennedy."

They ended the call with a melancholy sigh, staring mournfully at the number. They scrolled down to their parents' home phone number.

Jordan glanced at the time again, making sure that their parents were asleep. They dialed the number, and after a few rings the call went to voicemail.

"Hey, mom, dad, it's me," they paused, cringing, "Olivia. I know we've had our differences, but I just wanted to say that I love you guys anyway. I- I- I'm sorry we had our falling out, but I love you guys, but I don't regret it. I'm still your child, just not your daughter. I'm sorry I'm this way, I love you. Bye, Jordan."

That was that, they supposed. There was nothing else to be done. They had called the school to say that they weren't continuing next year. They had already finished their finals, and it was summer holidays. They had quit their jobs and terminated their lease.

There wasn't anything else really tying them here. They were done.

Laying down defeatedly, they hugged a pillow to their chest and closed their eyes.

A n d

T h e y

w e r e

f

a

l

l

i

n

g

Jordan gasped awake.

"What? Where! Where am I?!" they scrambled up into a defensive position.

Looking around cautiously, they noticed that their surroundings never seemed to be one place. First they were in a white room with circles surrounding the walls. A console stood in the middle, in the shape of a hexagon.

Then the circles kept shifting, and the room changed with it, different doors morphed into windows or walls or hallways.

Then the lights dimmed to a dark blue, the circles in the walls remained, but the room seemed bigger, more filled with things, pillars surrounded the middle where the controls stood.

Jordan ran toward the middle of the room, but the scenery shifted mid-run. The room grew even larger, wires hung from every corner. The lights cast a warm, orange atmosphere, and the console in the middle grew taller, a green light contrasting with the orange.

Jordan kept running, and the room changed again. The bluish-green light came back, but the style of the room was more sleek, modern. The console was reminiscent of the ones before, hexagonical.

The room shifted one more time, the blue atmosphere came back, but the console emitted its earlier orange light again.

The room shifted and shifted and shifted, and it seemed like Jordan was never going to make it to the middle of the room, until the room rumbled, shifting and Jordan fell forward, hitting the console and Jordan braced for impact.

Jordan closed their eyes tightly, and someone caught them.

"Whoa there," Idris's voice settled them. She helped them up, and they stood on wobbly legs.

"Welcome," Idris greeted gallavantly, "to the Council of the Guardians."

Jordan looked around, the room was similar to the last place that they had dreamed about with Red and Gold.

The only differences were that there wasn't one throne but a circle of thrones in the middle, correlating with each Guardian, etched in more circular symbols.

The walls were golden fading into the gradient of the Guardians' colours. There wasn't any skeletons or gems anymore, but tapestries of people and time periods.

The room was carpeted with similar pictures to the tapestries on the walls. Idris linked their arm with hers, and dragged them along to the circle of thrones as they took in the room.

She pushed them into the centre of the thrones before taking her spot on her own throne.

"Elliott Jordan," the White and Black Guardians announced, "you are here today to rectify our mistake. Before you undertake this arduous journey, you must understand the risks and pass a series of tests."

Jordan frowned, but stayed silent.

Red spoke next, "There will be injustice in this journey, times where you must face difficult decisions and people. Do you, truthfully, feel capable to fight or help the Doctor and yourself in those regards."

Jordan opened their mouth before Red added, "The truth, lest you wish a painful consequence."

Jordan swallowed nervously, "N-no, I don't, but truthfully no one truly does, but I know that I am capable to trust my instincts and follow them even if it means defying the Doctor to save more people."

Red leaned back with an indecipherable expression on her face, nodding solemnly.

Azure spoke next, "Give me an example of balance in the world."

Jordan thought, eyes roaming around the room. Their eye caught something, and they confidently answered, "The White and Black Guardians."

Azure gave them a surprised look, tilting her head with a smirk and a nod. She leaned back in her throne, and gestured for the next Guardian.

Crystal took up the mantle, "Tell me your greatest dream and fantasy."

Jordan fiddled with their fingers, clenching and unclenching them. They answered with a shaky voice, "I just- I just want to be accepted for who I am, loved for who I am. I dream of someone to love me unconditionally in any way they can."

The Crystal Guardian nodded thoughtfully, and Jordan breathed out a sigh of relief, letting their hands go slack.

"Elliott Jordan, do you understand the consequences of life and death?" Gold asked seriously, in a strange contrast to her usual nonchalant manner.

"I understand that death is inevitable and that life thrives on no matter what I do," Jordan answered.

Gold nodded, and settled back. Idris took the next turn, "Elliott Jordan, tell me of a time and place that is important to you."

"I-I-" they swallowed, the memory still tender in their heart. "The year I turned fourteen, and the year that I finally accepted myself for who I was; nonbinary. That moment was the worst time of my life, but it was so important to me because I finally felt right."

Idris nodded with a small, gentle smile and sat back on her throne.

"Elliott Jordan," the White and Black Guardians spoke in unison, "your actions of your other life shall be weighed against the Feather of Truth. Should your heart be found heavier than the heart than you shall return back to your old world, should your heart be balanced with the feather, than you shall proceed."

Jordan nodded, slightly confused, putting their hand up to their chest, where their heart was beating.

"It's a metaphor, dear," Idris reassured them.

"Oh," they said simply. The scale from when Gold and Red came into the light, and a heart was placed onto the left dish. The floating feather slowly fluttered down onto the right dish.

The scale went up and down, and Jordan anxiously bit their bottom lip. There were a few tense moments as they heard the blood rush in their ears, and the scale didn't seem to want to settle.

Finally the weight settled and it remained balanced against one another. Jordan breathed out a sigh of relief, closing their eyes, causing them not to see Red flick her hands slightly.

"Does that mean I get to go?" Jordan asked anxiously.

"It does," Idris nodded warmly with a smile.

"Congratulations," Gold drawled with a smile, back to her laid-back manner.

"Indeed," Red nodded, "may your journey be fruitful."

Crystal smiled gleefully, "Ooh, I can't wait!"

Azure gave them a solemn nod and small smile.

The White and Black Guardians lifted their hands, prompting the other five to do the same.

They chanted unintelligible jargon and their necklace lifted up into the air. Lights beamed out of it and Jordan was blinded by the light, engulfed.

A n d

T h e y

w e r

e

f

a

l

l

i

n

g

a

g

a

i

n

"What was that, Red?" the White and Black Guardians demanded, worry and anger in their unified voice.

"I-I have no idea," she stuttered, "this has never happened before."

Azure nodded, frowning deeply in thought, "Indeed, the scale is not meant for that. Everything we imbued into the Feather should make it the universal weight. Nothing is supposed to be lighter than the Feather. It was made impossible."

Crystal nodded, "Jordan is an anomaly, from what happened to their birth to how they chose to be with the Doctor, perhaps this is another one of their oddities."

Gold didn't say anything, her face showing her worries and trouble. "Idris," she called, "what- what do you think it is?"

"I think," Idris said slowly, pensive, "that Jordan is much more important than we previously assumed."

The seven Guardians looked toward the scale. Jordan's representation of their heart weighing ominously lighter than the Feather of Truth.

"Mr Halpen, sir. Dr Ryder, new head of Ood Management."

Jordan was drifting….

"How many dead? Come on, facts and figures. I haven't flown all this way to discuss the weather, which by the way is freezing."

They didn't know where they were.

"Red-eye."

They kept falling.

"I would think so sir."

They felt different.

"That ***. What happened to it?"

They fell toward… something… they heard something… someone.

"Oh, ran for the wild sir. Like a dog. One of the guards fired off a shot. It'll be dead by now."

They knew that this was important.

"Oh, fat lot of good, all of you. We're exporting hundreds of thousands of *** to all the civilised planets. If they turn rabid, you know what it'll mean."

They're straining to hear more.

"It's a brain…. *** *** are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotions."

They needed to remember.

"...nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice."

They have to remember.

"Kill the livestock. The classic foot-and-mouth solution from the olden days. Still works."

They wanted the Doctor.

"The circle must be broken…."

Jordan woke up.

Hello, hello, hello!

Back again with a new story! I hope you all enjoyed this. This was an idea that was nagging me for weeks, and I really wanted to try my hand at the jumping timeline cliche of Doctor Who. I don't know if I'll continue this, I'll leave it up as in-progress, but it's entirely up to you guys. If anyone wants me to continue, leave a review! I left most of the Guardians open to interpretation so that's up to your imagination. I know that there are six Guardians, but I wanted to include Idris because I thought it would be neat. Also kudos and cookies 🍪🍪🍪 to those who knew who my inspiration for Idris was! All the mistakes are mine. Please leave a review on what you liked or disliked, and I'll see you next time!

Goodbye, bye, bye!