'Cause it needed to be written. And for those of you following my other story, I might be a bit late on updating. There's kind of a hurricane going on right now... yeah. Apologies in advance.
Amelia's eyes widened as she heard the churning, groaning sound of ancient gears and pistons grinding together. Her feet were numb and her fingers stiff with cold, and her back hurt so much from sitting in the same position all night, but he was back. That man, that Raggedy Man, he was back!
He stepped out of that magic blue box and looked down at her with a smile, such a kind smile, yet so sad.
"Hello Amelia," he said quietly, kneeling down so he was her height.
"You said five minutes," she accused, although she had a small smile on her face.
"I came back, though," he responded, then frowned. "Have you been out here all night?"
"I was waiting for you," she countered, finishing with a wide yawn. "M'not tired, though." He laughed.
"Of course you aren't, Amy." He lifted her up onto her feet, then picked up her small suitcase full of items.
"Amy?" He blinked.
"Sorry, I meant Amelia," he said quickly. They started back inside. Everybody was still asleep, and they quietly made their way up the stairs and into Amelia's room. He put her suitcase underneath her bed, where it had been before, and then gently tucked Amelia into bed.
"Are you going to stay?" she asked. "There's more fish fingers and custard in the fridge." He laughed, although it was a sad, strained laugh that didn't quite mask the hurt in his eyes.
"No, Amelia," he said softly. "I can't stay, not today, not now." She pouted, her excitement dwindling. "But I can tell you a story, if you want me to."
Her eyes lit up again.
"Okay!" she said happily, shifting so she was more comfortable underneath her warm quilts. He laughed again, and this time it wasn't quite as strained.
"Well, let's see. A... An old friend of mine always wanted me to tell this one. Once upon a time-"
"Is this going to be like a fairytale?" she asked. "With a happy ending and everything? Because Aunt Sharon always told me those, and they always ended the same way." He closed his eyes briefly.
"No, Amelia," he said softly. "It is a fairytale, but much different than the ones you know."
She nodded, appeased for the moment. He started talking again.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl," he began. "She lived in a big house, with a big family, and all the people in the village adored her."
"Was she a princess?" Amelia asked. The Doctor paused.
"No," he said after a moment. "She was a queen. But she got bored in her house, despite having so very much to explore. She wanted to fly, to see new things. And when she was a little girl, she thought she would get that chance. A man came and told her he could show her the stars, but while the girl was packing, he left."
"That's mean," Amelia muttered. If she saw the Doctor flinch, she didn't say anything.
"She didn't see him again for years and years, and eventually she thought it was a dream. Well, everyone thought she thought it was a dream, but she secretly held onto it. She was patient, Amelia, and patience always pays off. She grew up with her two best friends, and eventually she was going to get married."
"But marriage is icky!" Amelia exclaimed. "Boys are icky." The Doctor laughed.
"Oh, Pond, no wonder you never liked your aunt's fairytales," he murmured. "Anyhow, on the night before she was going to get married, the man came back, the same man who said he would take her to the stars."
He gave a wistful sigh.
"And together, they saw the stars. That little girl grew up into a strong woman. She fought pirates on the ocean, and married a man who waited two thousand years for her. Now that, Pond, is true love. She gave hope to the greatest artist who ever lived, and saved a whale, in space!"
He gently brushed Amelia's hair out of her face, seeing she had fallen asleep, exhausted after the long night.
"The woman traveled with her friend and her husband," the Doctor continued. "And they saw many more things. But then her husband was trapped in the past by an angel, and she was heartbroken, devastated. So she did the only thing she could possibly do. Despite her friend begging and pleading with her, she let herself get trapped as well, because she would always choose her husband. Always.
"This is the story of Amelia Pond," he whispered, stubbornly forcing back the tears. "And this is how it ends."
Outside, as he was leaving, an impatient hand tugged at his coat. He turned to see two small children, a black girl with braided hair and a shorter boy with wide blue eyes. The boy looked rather timid, but the girl had a rather insistent look, as though she was used to getting her way.
"Excuse me," the girl said. "Have you seen Amelia?"
"She was supposed to come and play with us today!" the boy protested. The Doctor, feeling his hearts break just a little bit more, crouched down so he was eye level with them.
"She was up late last night," he said. "She's tired because of that, so right now she's sleeping. But I bet if you come back in a bit, she'll be awake and have plenty of stories to regale you with."
Mels and Rory nodded before walking in the opposite direction.
The Doctor returned to the TARDIS.
And somewhere, years and years and years away, knowing that the Doctor had gotten her message, Amy Williams smiled.