The Doctor was wandering through the TARDIS corridors, humming quietly to himself when he heard it. The faint sound of crying. He never had been able to ignore that sound.

After pausing for a moment to listen carefully, the Doctor noticed the sound was coming from the library. Straightening his bow tie, the Time Lord walked into the room lined with shelves of books and a large pool in the middle.

There was a small lounge area at the end of the room where a fire burned with blue flames in a large stone hearth, surrounded by old armchairs and sofas but hidden from sight by the various shelves of books.

That area seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Hello?" He called out, slowly beginning to walk through the different piles and stacks of every book in the universe. He was quite proud of his extensive collection, he had to admit. "Who's in here?"

His question was answered when he came across his ginger companion wearing her nightie and dressing gown, huddled up on one of the old sofas. His hearts immediately filled with concern and he stepped forward, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Amelia? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked, his voice soft as he crouched at his best friend's feet and gently took her hands. Her eyes seemed bloodshot when she looked up at him and had deep, purple bags under them, hinting that she hadn't slept in a while. Glancing at his watch, the Doctor noticed that to her body clock it would be about four in the morning, so why on Earth would she be awake? And, even more concerning, why was she crying?

"D-Doctor.. I'm fine.. I just need some time alone.." Amy whispered, though her voice sounded shaken with.. Fear? Sadness? He hoped it was neither.

"Why? What's happened?" The Doctor asked quietly, not moving an inch.

"Nothing. Nothing's happened, I.. I can't talk about it."

"It can't be nothing if it's an it." He reasoned with a small smile. "You know you can talk to me."

"Doctor, please, just leave me alone!"

And that was when he noticed the bruise. It was light, only just forming on the skin of her cheek.. Or perhaps she'd had it a while and had just covered it up with make-up.

"Who did this?" The Doctor asked, searching her eyes.

Amy fell silent and immediately averting her gaze, seemingly finding a book on the shelf behind him extremely interesting.

"Amelia.." He prompted, only now beginning to notice the other physical changes on his companion's body. There were light scratch marks visible on her arms which interrupted the porcelain skin with a sharp contrast, though he could only see a few centimetres of them before they were covered by the sleeves of her shirt. Why hadn't he noticed them before? There were dark bruises on her neck and left collarbone, though they were old and yellowing. He observed how her fingers seemed a little bonier than normal as he cradled them in his hands, her cheekbones also more prominent. Amy had always been skinny, but now she was becoming thin and gaunt.

The Doctor was pulled from his racing thoughts by the sound of a quiet, scared voice.

"I have to go.. I shouldn't be talking to you."

"Don't be silly, of course you should. Everyone should always talk to their imaginary friend late at night, it's a well known fact." The Doctor stated matter-of-factly, earning a small smile from his companion.

"Who did this to you?" He asked quietly after a pause, dreading her answer. He could already guess, but he wanted Amy to tell him he was wrong. Because surely it wouldn't be..

"Rory."

He looked up at her, eyes seeking hers as if searching for the answers to the millions of questions stinging his mind like angry bees.

"He didn't mean to. It was an accident. Honestly, he was trying to help.." She continued quickly, though her Scottish lilt had become thicker in her words, which the Doctor had learnt often signalled that she was trying not to cry.

"Oh, Amelia.. Why didn't you tell me?" How could anyone do something like this, let alone a man who was supposed to be her loving husband? His friend?

"I can handle it, I'm not a baby."

The Doctor was relieved to hear that even with all Amy must have been put through, she still had her fiery personality.

"But.. I could've helped heal these, at least," He gestured to the bruises and cuts, through paused when she immediately pulled her hands from his gentle grasp and pulled her shirt sleeves down. There was something else she was hiding.. "Amy-"

"I have to go. I'm tired, I-I'm sorry. Goodnight, Doctor." Came her brisk reply, interrupting his unspoken question.

Amy was on her feet and practically running from the room before he could find the words to stop her, to persuade her to stay in the safety of his company. Anger swirled in the pit of the Doctor's stomach, his eyes still glued to the spot she had been sat in a few seconds ago. How dare someone hurt his Amelia.

He had to do something.

A/N Second fic, hope you all like it! As always, thanks for reading and any rates and reviews are greatly appreciated! Not sure whether I should continue this one. We'll see how it goes :)