The sun is shinning brightly outside and for a moment I wonder why that should surprise me. I cock my head to one side, try to capture the elusive reasoning behind my sudden confusion. I can hear my mother downstairs and a thrill of passion sends my heart into overdrive. I have never loved a sound so much in my life.
The smell of cooking food wafts through the house and I smile. I am about to marry Rory Williams - my own piece of eternal bliss. I blink away a sudden bout of tears and clear my throat. Wedding jitters, nothing more, I decide as I swipe at the moisture.
Thirty minutes later I have just finished applying my makeup and rose red fingernail polish. I want to look perfect for this, my perfect day. I smile so wide I fear it might break away and take on a life of its own. A giggle bursts out of my mouth and I clamp a hand over it, wincing at the feel the smearing lipstick. Oops.
I had never been good at controlling myself and never seen reason to, but now I wish I had given it a try once in a while. That might make it easier to control the roller coaster of emotions that ebbs and flows into my world from that too elusive place in behind my thoughts.
I am walking from the bathroom to my bedroom when I hear some conversation downstairs and it makes my blood run cold.
"-and I told her to invite the doctor friend of hers -."
All I can hear now is the heartbeat pumping, a rythmically pulsing buzz that drowns out the rest of the words. The Doctor. Those two words stay with me and lodge inside my mind. I try to shake my head, push them aside and tell myself that this wedding is doing crazy things to me. I cant move an inch. I am captivated by a lost thought.
Broken bits of memory come flooding over, images and sounds. My imaginary friend - The Raggedy Doctor. Instantly my body relaxes and I find myself giggling again, but with more force than is necessary. It was all just nonsense. Me freaking out over an imaginary friend I had long forgotten about - I lie convincingly because I don't want to admit the truth.
I continue on to my room and put on the white wedding dress waiting for me. It is beautiful and feels wonderful as it hugs my body tight. I run my hands over the material and close my eyes. Exploding stars shift behind my lids, I see a cloud of space...I'm in space, floating free with the safe anchor of The Doctor holding my ankle. I snap my eyes open again and try to pretend I saw nothing. Imaginary.
APTDAPTDAPTDAPTD
The wedding is over. I am now Mrs. Amelia Pond. Rory will get used to the idea of taking my name soon enough, I know he can be a bit of a traditionalist sometimes. My father is taking his time on my right while my mother shakes her head and mutters about him being the 'death of her'. I laugh with the rest of those within hearing distance.
Blond curls seen out of the corner of my eye. I whip my head around and watch as a strange woman walks away, her visage coming and going from sight as she walks past a row of windows. I am standing with no memory of moving. Rory is frowning now, concerned over me and I want to reassure him but the world feels like it has tilted and I'm hanging on by a thread.
"You're crying." Rory says.
I can feel the damp on my lashes, I touch my hand to my face and try to think clearly.
"But why?" I ask him. "Why am I crying."
"Because you're happy. Happy, happy..."
The rest of his words are drown in my sorrow."
"No." I say, the word a death blow. "I am sad. Very, very sad."
There is a blue book with old, tattered pages that tell a tale of Never-beens.
He is moving, talking, reassuring, but I hear none of it. Instead, my gaze is drawn to a young cousin...No. His red bowtie.
Bowties are cool.
A resounding echo that itches in the back of my mind. My wide eyes continue to search for something missing. A great uncle...No. Suspenders.
I am on my feet again and interrupting my poor, dear old dad.
"Someone is missing. Someone, so important." I continue to talk as words I don't fully understand come pouring out of my mouth. The others listen, some tittering with laughter as I mention my imaginary friend. "But he wasn't imaginary." I finish. "He was real."
I call out to him then, infuriated that he would dare miss my wedding and scared that it might not be enough. I wait. The others watch.
A vibration starts at my feet and travels up until the whole room is shaking and then a familiar sound assaults my ears. The TARDIS. I am bursting with re-newed memories, no longer broken and lost behind my eyes. I can see them all fresh and brand new.
The blue box appears.
The others are talking, some shocked and others - like Rory Williams - remembering aloud the exploits of My Doctor. I lift up my pretty white dress and walk forward. I don't care if there's a table of pricey cake or a hurricane in my way, I'm going to meet him.
"Did I surprise you this time, Doctor?" I knock on the wood and the rap feels so right.
Then he is there and laughing at me and smiling down at me and all I can do is breathe in his smell. The Doctor - My Doctor. My Raggedy Doctor.
"You most definitely may kiss the bride." The words are out of my mouth before I can think.
The sun is shinning, the universe is alive again. Big Bang 2, a success. The whirl of events that lead up to this moment mean nothing as I walk forward with every intention of embracing my time travelling, wonder-man.
THE END.
