"But if its aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right for you to stop it?"

"Still part of history," Poppy says rather bluntly. The heat was making her moodier.

"But we're history to him," Donna then starts talking to The Doctor again "You saved me in 2008. You saved us all. Why is that different?"

"Some things are fixed; some things are in flux. Pompeii is fixed,"

"How do you know which is which?" Poppy asks, genuinely curious. The Doctor stops and faces them both.

"Because that's how I see the universe. Every waking second, I can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of a Time Lord, And I'm the only one left,"

"How many people died?"

"Stop it,"

"Doctor, how many people died?" Donna knew Poppy could make a rough estimate. But she wanted The Doctor to say it.

"Twenty thousand,"

"Is that what you can see, Doctor? All twenty thousand? And you think that's all right, do you?" Something roars and Poppy turns around in shock, her hair swinging.

"They know we're here. Come on,"

----------&----------

"It's the heart of Vesuvius. We're right inside the mountain,"

"It explains why I'm absolutely boiling," Poppy sighs

"There's tons of them," Donna comments on the number of aliens in the 'room'

"What's that thing?" The Doctor uses a monocular to look at some distant construct.

"Oh, you better hurry up and think of something. Rocky fall's on its way,"

"That's how they arrived. Or what's left of it. Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?"

"Look, I know I'm wearing contacts. But I still can't for the life of me see what you're looking at,"

"But why do they need a volcano?" Donna asks

"Maybe it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something," Poppy guesses

"Oh, it's worse than that,"

"Heathens defile us. They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods," Poppy's eyes widen at Lucius standing at the edge across from them

The Doctor pulls Poppy along as him and Donna argue yet again.

"Crush them! Burn them!"

A Pyrovile appears up in front of them, The Doctor sprays it with his water pistol before grabbing Poppy's hand again and running to the circuit they saw earlier.

"There is nowhere to run, Doctor, Watcher and daughter of London!"

"Now then, Lucius. My lords Pyrovillian, don't get yourselves in a lather!" The Doctor turns to Poppy - proud of his pun, she just rolls her eyes as Donna sighs "In a lava? No? No. But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish! Once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?!"

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself. An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilisation!"

"But if you've crashed, and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home?!"

"She's right!" Poppy shouts up "Staying here makes no sense!"

"The Heaven of Pyrovillia is gone!"

"What do you mean, gone? Where's it gone?"

Poppy zones out as she thinks back to what Mrs Foster said. The Adipose's planet was gone as well. Poppy shakes her head, probably a coincidence. 'Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence. Rule number...' Her brain stops. Who said that to her? How did she know it?

"Poppy!" she turns to the voice; The Doctor was inside what Poppy assumed to be an escape pod. She runs in before he sonics the doors shut.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna asks. A sudden wave of heat hits them and Poppy tucks a strand of sweaty hair back.

"Little bit hot,"

Poppy zones out again, her head racing with different thoughts. The main one being how bloody hot it was.

"But, that's the choice, Donna. It's Pompeii or the world,"

"Oh, my God," poppy mutters when the reality of the situation sinks in.

"If Pompeii is destroyed then it's not just history, it's me. I make it happen,"

"Doctor, the Pyrovile are made of rocks. Maybe they can't be blown up," Poppy steps between The Doctor and Donna.

"Vesuvius explodes with the force of twenty-four nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us," He starts pressing buttons and controlling things

"Never mind us," Poppy gets a look of shock and admiration from The Doctor.

"Push this lever and it's over. Twenty thousand people, "He puts his hand on the stone lever. Poppy gently places her hand on his, Donna doing the same to her. She smiles slightly at The Doctor before they all push down.

They get pushed and shoved around, The Doctor and Donna always reaching for Poppy on instinct.

----------&----------

The Doctor walks out, his companions following

"It was an escape pod,"

They start running as an avalanche of ash rolls down the mountain towards them.

They run through the streets as Donna urges them not to go to the beach. Poppy watches in horror, she'd kept the tears in until now.

"Come on," The Doctor took Donna's hand and Poppy clung on to her arm.

Running back into the villa/mansion. Poppy notices the family huddled together on the floor

"Gods save us, Doctor!" He ignores them and goes inside the TARDIS

"No! Doctor, you can't. Doctor!"

"Doctor! What?! You moron! You can't leave them!" Donna and Poppy scream at the TARDIS but the engines start and they run in.

"You can't just leave them!" Poppy looks out of the TARDIS at the family before closing the door and agreeing with Donna.

"Don't you think I've done enough? History's back in place and everyone dies,"

"You've got to go back. Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back!" He just keeps trying to fly the TARDIS.

"It's not fair..." Poppy mutters, she let the tears freely fall.

"No, it's not,"

"But your own planet. It burned,"

"That's just it. Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them, then I would. But I can't. I can never go back. I can't. I just can't, I can't,"

"You can save some of them!" Poppy points to the TARDIS doors "even if it's just one! You can save them!"

"Just someone. Please. Not the whole town," Donna sounds much calmer compared to Poppy's anger.

"Just save someone," Poppy begs "please god, just someone,"

----------&----------

All 7 of them watch as Pompeii is covered in ash

"It's never forgotten, Caecilius," The Doctor comforts

"Oh, time will pass, men'll move on, and stories will fade. But one day, Pompeii will be found again. In thousands of years," Poppy promises

"And everyone will remember you," The Doctor finishes

"What about you, Evelina? Can you see anything?" Donna asks as The Doctor and Poppy walk over

"The visions have gone,"

"The explosion was so powerful it cracked open a rift in time, just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative. But not anymore. You're free,"

"But tell me. Who are you, Doctor? With your words, and your temple containing such size within?" Metella asks

"The great god Vulcan must be enraged. It's so volcanic. It's like some sort of volcano. All those people..." Caeclius walks forward, before Doctor, Donna and Poppy walk back inside.

"Thank you," Donna says as The Doctor starts up the TARDIS

"Yeah. You were right. Sometimes I need someone. Welcome aboard Donna Noble,"

"Yeah,"

"So," he turns to Poppy "you staying?"

"Yeah," The Doctor smiles "But!" she holds her finger up "I need to go home for a day or two,"

"Why?" Donna asks

"He said I could be back in time to teach the next day. And I need to grab some things," she then tuned back to The Doctor "also checking if he's lying,"