Greetings fellow Doctor Who fans!
This is a story I wrote a few years ago, and I've been thinking for a while about re-editing it to improve the story line and spelling etc, and I have finally got round to doing so!
It's based during series 5, after Rory dies and Amy loses her memory of him in episode 9, it goes AU from there with a future deserted London shrouded in darkness and mysterious creatures roaming the streets spilling blood as they go...
The first 5 chapters are up and re-edited already and I hope to update the story regularly with new chapters. I always like to know what readers think of the story so reviews are much appreciated :)
Chapter 1
"So Amy, where to next?" Asked the Doctor in his usual enthusiastic voice, bouncing around the controls of the TARDIS as if doing some strange dance, flicking random switches and hitting various buttons. He assured Amy that he knew exactly how to use the time machine, but sometimes she had a feeling it was a lot of guess work and a lot of luck.
She smiled but at first said nothing, thinking about where they could go. She loved travelling with the Doctor, the decision making she wasn't so keen on, the Universe was so large and time was so vast, where could she start?
"I know," said the Doctor before Amy could think of a suitable location. "How about a treat?"
"A treat?" Amy grinned; the Doctor was always full of surprises. "What sort of treat?"
"You'll see," the Doctor matched Amy's grin as he almost skipped around the TARDIS, turning and twisting leavers, whacking more buttons, until suddenly the TARDIS burst into life, almost throwing them across the room.
Amy always enjoyed her journeys with the Doctor, she wanted them to last forever and didn't want to go back to her usual boring life, but for some reason she couldn't join in with the Doctor's enthusiasm and excitement like she always did as the TARDIS rocketed them through space. Something was amiss, something had changed, but Amy couldn't put her finger on what the change was, or even when the change had happened. It was almost as if something had disappeared from her life, and she missed it, but she didn't even know what it was. Was it possible to miss something you never even had?
In fact, it was more than that, Amy felt like there was a black pit, an abyss, inside her, deep down in her chest. She kept on putting her mind off it, but when she thought about it, she was overcome with a great sadness, as if she had lost someone very special. But there was no one she could think of who might have caused the black abyss to appear in her chest.
The Doctor didn't seem to think that anything had gone missing though, he was just like he always was, but Amy wondered if it was possible that he also felt something was wrong but was hiding it? She considered saying something, about this emptiness that had suddenly appeared inside her an the feeling that something was amiss, however she always convinced herself not to. She trusted the Doctor with her life, but for some reason she felt like she couldn't share these thoughts and feelings with him. How could she even begin to explain to him how she felt? Would he understand, or just think she was mad?
Amy's mixed feelings and confused thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when a large jolt sent the unexpected Amy skidding across the floor.
"Sorry," said the Doctor, trying to sound guilty, but he was laughing as well. He had been expecting the jolt and had only stumbled back a little, clinging onto a handrail beside the stairs. Amy joined in with the laughter as she always did as she managed to retain her balance, but this time she didn't find it very funny.
As quickly as the TARDIS had burst into a whirl of life it ground to a halt.
"Ah ha, we're here!" Cried the Doctor, leaping to the doors. He paused for a few moments as if to increase the amount of excitement and suspense that was already in the room before he announced where they were. Amy felt the anticipation build up inside her just like the old times, she held her breath.
"London, Earth!"
"London?" Amy repeated, not meaning to sound as disappointed as she felt, "Earth?"
"Yes, what's wrong with that?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, we could have gone anywhere. We could have gone to one of Jupiter's moons, we could have gone to a planet in the shape of a banana, we could have gone to a restaurant at the other side of the Universe." Amy said, "but instead we go back to Earth, to England, to London."
"Ah yes, but you haven't asked me what the date is," the Doctor pointed out, not losing any of his enthusiasm.
"OK then, Doctor what year is it on the outside of this magical blue box?" Amy asked with fake excitement.
"2040!"
"Right...that's less than thirty years into my future, you are aware of that?" I'll get to 2040 in my own time, Amy thought to herself, but decided saying that was a little too harsh. The Doctor was still a man full of surprises, she reminded herself, wherever and whenever they went together they still ended up having fun, so what did it matter? She allowed the excitement to build up inside her again as she thought of the adventures they could have outside the TARDIS door.
"Yes, but you don't know what it's like in London 2040." Said the Doctor happily; and Amy had a feeling that a history lesson was coming along, or rather, a future lesson. "For the last ten years on Earth over ninety per-cent of all shopping goods were bought on the Internet, including clothes. Shops were dying out; there was no need for them any more. Then the year 2040 came along, and a massive change has occurred, some of the greatest fashion designers of all time have appeared in just six months! They appealed to people not to go on the Internet to buy clothes, go back to the real shopping experience. Clothing and shopping in general suddenly changed, and for the best. It's nothing like the old shops you're used to, each one is an experience in itself, you could walk into one and find yourself in a rain forest, or an eighties disco! And some of the best of these clothes shops are in the heart of good old London!"
"So, you're taking me shopping?" Amy was slightly confused, but she was no longer complaining.
"Yes, but it's better than just that. Take one shop for example - they built a waterfall within the shop, a cascade of foaming liquid constantly tumbling from the ceiling, while you look for a new T-shirt. Imagine! And there's a shop that just sells bow ties! Three floors of bow ties!" The Doctor took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down from all the excitement. "Besides," he continued with a shrug, "you said the other day you wanted some more clothes, so this is my treat for you."
"I did?" Amy couldn't remember saying that, it seemed her memory kept on escaping her these days, but she shrugged. "Well even if I didn't it sounds like the best treat I've had in a long time." Her mood finally lifted and she started to feel like her old self again, she grinned. "May I just ask one thing?" She said as the Doctor placed a hand on the TARDIS door handle.
"Go ahead, there isn't much I don't know."
"Why are you giving me a treat?"
The Doctor's smile flickered for a few moments, but then he simply shrugged again. "Can't I do something nice for my dear friend Amelia Pond who has a fantastic name?"
"Not without looking suspicious you can't, treats are usually because someone has done something good or someone is making up for something." Amy looked at the Doctor carefully, "so, why do I suddenly deserve a treat?"
The Doctor hesitated for a few moments, but then his smile returned, "Tell you what, you're right. This is to make up for me being twelve years late…and then another two years late, but we won't go into the details."
Amy nodded at this, it made sense, but for some reason she didn't believe the Doctor, weren't the past several adventures meant to make up for that? Wasn't merely travelling with him a big enough treat that made it worth the wait? But before she could ask him any more questions, the Doctor had already opened the TARDIS door and walked briskly out into the open. With the thought of a whole new world in front of her, Amy's suspicions disappeared from her mind, this was her treat and she was going to enjoy herself. She loved stepping out of the TARDIS and entering a completely different world, even if it was just a future London.
Amy took a deep breath and followed the Doctor into a world of…
Rain, cold rain. A lot of cold rain, in fact that was understatement, but Amy was finding it hard to find words to describe the sheet of freezing needles that were tumbling down from the sky and landing on her unsuspecting head. The whole world seemed to have been plunged into water and darkness. For a moment she wondered if this was the waterfall shop, but highly doubted it. Amy could barely see anything but the dim walls of old looking buildings towering over her and the Doctor, who was standing ahead of her staring up at the black sky.
"Ah," he said, "it seems we may have caught the weather at a bad time."
"That's one way of putting it," Amy almost had to shout over the rain so she could hear herself. "I thought this was meant to be wonderful London with some of the best shops that have existed for years?"
"I didn't say that it would be the best weather in years, this is global warming for you. Don't worry, it'll clear up soon." The Doctor's clothes were soaked through already but it hadn't dampened his mood.
"I wasn't talking about the weather," said Amy, shivering in the bitter cold. "I meant from what I can see this doesn't look like the great futuristic London I was hoping for."
"Hmm you have a point, this does look more like the back streets of London than a shopping centre to me." Said the Doctor. "I have a habit of doing that..."
"Oh great!" Amy couldn't help but say sarcastically.
Through the rain, the Doctor's eyes narrowed. "But something's not quite right..."
"Yes, mainly because we're not meant to be here," Amy had a feeling her treat wasn't going to be all it summed up to be. She tried to keep her spirits up though, once the rain stopped and they got out of the back streets things would improve.
"No there's something else." The Doctor gazed around at the old brick houses. "These back streets of London are always crowded with people, not always very pleasant people, but people none the less. But here there's no one, it's deserted."
"Well this isn't the Victorian times any more, the streets aren't full of the poor any more, things have probably changed," Amy pointed out. "And they'd want to keep out of the rain."
"Hmm maybe, but I'm not sure," the Doctor said slowly, deep in thought. But suddenly he seemed to cheer up again. "Come on, let's go and see if we can find someone and work out where we are." With that he strolled off into the darkness of the City, Amy almost running to catch up with him.
In the distance, a hooded figure watched the Doctor and Amy come out of their blue box by the dim light of a lamp hanging precariously from an old house that may have once been a shop. They didn't notice the silent figure, they thought they were completely alone. But no one is ever truly alone.
The stranger was motionless, most of his features hidden from sight, but he gave a dark smile as Amy and the Doctor strolled through the rain and down the street. He waited until they were out of sight before disappearing himself into the night.