"Three Cheers For Five Years"
I swear that you don't have to go.
I thought we could wait for the fireworks,
I thought we could wait for the snow,
To wash over Georgia and kill the hurt.
Rory and Amy piled into the TARDIS with the Doctor in tow. Amy was shouting and singing, a bit tipsy from the champagne at the wedding but still 100% Amy. She plopped down in a seat near the center of the blue box that was bigger on the inside and turned to face her new husband.
"Mr. Pond," she addressed him, smirking. "You've just gotten married. Now what in the universe are you going to do?"
"I'm going for a ride in the TARDIS!" Rory shouted, the champagne clearly hitting his delicate system more than it had with Amy. She burst into loud laughter and the Doctor ran over to her, holding a finger to her lips and shushing her.
"Oh, what is it now, you big funsucker?" She said sternly, rolling her eyes and trying to contain her laughter.
"I know that you two are 'drunk off of love,' as the kids say, but this is a serious matter," he told the couple who were fighting off fits of giggles.
"And what, Dear Doctor, is this serious matter?" Amy stood up and ran her finger gently down the side of the Doctor's face. She was still struggling with keeping calm and not laughing, but the Doctor frowned and continued.
"Don't you understand?" He asked, looking from one Pond to the other. "Now that you're married, I can't have you both staying in the TARDIS with me."
Amy's face lost all signs of amusement as she looked at Rory incredulously. He was looking back at her, just as stunned.
"What do you mean?" Amy asked quietly, which was odd, because Amy was never quiet. The Doctor sighed sadly.
"I'm afraid that this is your last time in the TARDIS."
I thought I could live in your arms,
And spend every moment I had with you.
Stay up all night with the stars,
Confess all the faith that I had in you.
"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, walking over to stand beside Amy. The Doctor shook his head and his hair bounced all around.
"I can't have you here with me, not both of you. You're a married couple now," he said, gesturing to the two. "I'll get far too attached to you, and that's never a good thing. No, never. And what if you have a little baby, hmm? I'll just spend time getting attached to it, too. And then, where would we be? Saying goodbye would be far harder then," he said, staring at Rory and Amy. They both nodded, realizing that he was speaking the truth. It was harder on Amy, because this was what she'd been waiting on for so many years. She'd waited for the Raggedy Doctor, and now here he was, telling her that she couldn't stay. But, somehow, she understood.
"So, Doctor," Amy said, her lips playing into a smile. "Any ideas about our last trip in the TARDIS?"
"Well, I've got a few," he grinned slowly back. "What do you guys think about Medieval France?" Rory coughed and spoke up.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," he said. "After, you know, what happened in Venice…"
"Ah, how right you are," the Doctor laughed. "Alright, how do you feel about New York City during the Roaring 20's? That's a good one, I've been planning it all along-" Amy cut him off.
"It was dangerous, wasn't it?" She asked. "I don't think that's a very good plan, either."
"Hmm, well…" the Doctor was stroking his chin when Amy jumped up.
"The swimming pool!" She shouted. "I want- no, I demand- that we see the swimming pool!"
Too late, I'm sure and lonely.
Another night, another dream wasted on you.
Just be here now, against me.
You know the words, so sing along for me, baby.
"What pool?" Rory turned to Amy, eyebrows raised. "What are you talking about?"
"When I first met the Doctor, he told me he'd been swimming inside the TARDIS, inside a library," she said. She rounded on the Doctor. "I want to see my pool."
"Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere more, eh, exciting?" He asked. He'd genuinely been rooting for the New York City trip.
"Doctor," Amy warned, "I want my swimming pool."
Rory simply shrugged and looked at the Doctor. He threw up his hands, giving up to Amy.
"Very well," he said. He walked over to a compartment on the opposite side of the TARDIS and reached his lanky arms inside. He returned a few minutes later and handed a swimming suit to both Amy and Rory.
"Put these on," he motioned to the suits and pointed at one of the hallways leading off in the dark. Amy squealed and clutched her bathing suit. "You're about to see something that nobody else has seen."
For Heaven's sake, I know you're sorry.
But you won't stop crying.
This anniversary may never be the same.
Inside, I hope you know I'm dying,
With my heart beside me,
In shattered pieces that may never be replaced.
And if I died right now, you'd never be the same.
Amy was the last one to finish changing, and she strutted out of her changing room as if the all the world was watching. The Doctor had provided her with a cherry red polka dot bikini that showed off her pale skin and ginger-ness. She'd added some sunglasses to complete the look, and she lowered them promiscuously as she reached the boys. The Doctor grinned, loving his fiery little companion. Rory grabbed her by the waist and brought his lips to hers. She smiled and pulled back, licking her lips.
"Ready for a swim, boys?"
Rory clasped his fingers with hers and beamed. She locked arms with the Doctor and followed him as he set off down one of the opposite hallways. They passed lots of closed doors and a few doors with padlocks on the outside. Some doors buzzed, some hummed, and some glowed. Amy was tempted to reach out and touch each one, but she knew that the Doctor would scold her. She contented herself with counting the doors. There were eleven on each side, and the twelfth on the left was the one that they entered.
"If you remember correctly, Amy Pond," the Doctor said, "the swimming pool isn't just a normal swimming pool. It's a hidden swimming pool, tucked away inside a library."
He swung the door open, and the smell of old books hit the trio in the face. Rory coughed, but Amy grinned. She did remember, but she'd waited to see if the Doctor had been lying. Now that she knew he'd been tellingtruth, she couldn't stop herself. She broke away from the other two and ran forward, through countless aisles of ancient volumes. She ran in a straight line, knowing that what she was seeking would be in the center of the library. Her hands trailed along the dusty rows as she slowed to a stop.
Her eyes grew wide as she crept to the edge of the pool. She looked down into it, not sure how long the crystal clear water went down. It seemed to stretch on for a mile, and, as Amy backed away from the clay edge, it seemed that the pool was just about as big around. It was a curious thing, finding a pool in the middle of a library.
'It's lucky I can swim," Amy thought as she continued to back up. She felt her back lightly press against a row of books as she turned around and saw Rory and the Doctor getting closer. She took off at a run and leaped, shouting, into the air. She broke the surface of the deep and endless water, feeling the cool liquid rush over her entire body as she drifted down.
I thought with a month of apart,
Together would find us an opening.
And moonlight would provide the spark,
And that I would stumble across the key.
Amy splashed to the surface just as Rory and the Doctor hit the water. She squealed again with happiness as she dove beneath the water, opening her eyes to watch the boys. Neither of them was very graceful, as they were both rolling around underwater and trying to float upwards.
The Doctor surfaced first, and he turned to Amy, grinning. She swam over to him and threw her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Doctor," she said. He hugged her back and then playfully ducked under the water. She swirled around, watching Rory swim closer. He laughed when he reached her.
"This is incredible," he sighed, looking around at the shelves of books and then down at the glistening water. The Doctor was swimming over to them like a fish, and Amy shouted, splashing him.
"First one to the other side is the winner" She called, diving down and kicking off from the clay interior of the pool. She felt the boys following behind her, but she stayed in the lead. She felt a tug on her ankle, but kept swimming, not wanting to give the boys the satisfaction of falling for their prank. She felt the tug once more, a bit harder. She stopped completely and turned around, ready to tell the boys off. They were still far behind, however, and not within touching distance of her. Unsteady, she ducked underwater and bent over to inspect her ankle. Before she could look, something pulled her so hard than she was yanked down, down, down to the bottom of the pool. She tried to shout, but water rushed into her lungs and she clawed at her throat. The last thing she saw was a crack of light opening at the bottom of the pool.
She was pulled inside it, but she didn't know this. She was already dead.
Or break down the door to your heart.
Forever could see us, not you and me.
And you'd help me out of the dark,
And I'd give my heart as an offering.
Amy Pond woke up in a white room with two television screens and a mirror. She was lying on a white bed, and she was still in her polka dot bathing suit. She tried to call out, but she found that she couldn't talk. Her hands moved towards her throat, but they stopped abruptly; she was strapped down. She looked at her legs, and they were strapped to the bed, as well.
She rested her head back on the hard foam of the bed and closed her eyes. It was then that she realized something peculiar about the room. Her eyes flew open, and her bony shoulders strained against the restraints that were holding them back.
The Amy in the mirror wasn't wearing a bathing suit. Instead, she was wearing a plain black dress that reached to just above her knees. Her whole body had shrunk, and her eyes had tired lines around them. She wasn't lying on a bed, either, but standing up and watching the Amy on the bed.
The real Amy opened her mouth to scream, but she still couldn't make a sound. The other Amy moved to step out of the mirror, but she was really just walking closer to the real Amy.
"Amy Pond, it's a pleasure to meet you," she smiled crookedly. The real Amy's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight of her own body, aged and wrinkled around the delicate lips.
"I'm Amy Pond."
Too late, I'm sure and lonely,
Another night, another dream wasted on you.
Just be here now, against me,
You know the words, so sing along for me, baby.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," the Amy from the future said slowly, "but we don't have much time."
"Dead?" The Amy from the present mouthed worriedly. Future Amy shook her head.
"Only temporarily," she said reassuringly. Present Amy was anything but reassured, but Future Amy continued.
"You've got a very important decision to make, Amy," she nodded. When Present Amy raised her eyebrows, she continued. "Your life is at a crossroad, and you have to make a choice. I'm going to show you two different videos, but I must play them at once, because we really are running out of time." She walked over to the two screens and pressed one palm to each of them. No sound came out, but a video began rolling on each one.
The screen on the left clearly depicted Amy's life with Rory. She watched herself grow old, and she watched herself carry a child. She watched as the baby was born, a healthy little ginger boy. She saw Rory grow into an old man, and herself, an old woman.
Her eyes kept flickering to the other screen, though. It showed her life with the Doctor. She observed the TARDIS flying through space and landing in a million different lands and times. She watched herself grow old while the Doctor stayed the same. She saw them battle a thousand different enemies together, always making it out unscathed.
Both videos stopped abruptly, and Future Amy turned to Past Amy, who had tears welling in her eyes.
"Time is up, Amelia Pond," Future Amy said. "You must choose one path, and only one path."
The white ceiling opened up, and Amy watched the water crash loudly into the room.
"Do not try to cheat this, Amy Pond," Future Amy called over the noise as Past Amy's bonds were broken. "We will know."
Amy closed her eyes and let the water carry her, feeling her body drift up and up and up, until she broke the surface and was back in the library.
For Heaven's sake, I know you're sorry.
But you won't stop crying.
This anniversary may never be the same.
Inside, I hope you know I'm dying,
With my heart beside me,
In shattered pieces that may never be replaced.
And if I died right now, you'd never be the same.
"Amy!" Rory called frantically, jumping in as his wife surfaced. He was standing on the edge of the pool with the Doctor, both searching the depths of the water for Amy. The Doctor's eyes darted to Amy's floating body, and he immediately dove in.
With Rory's help, he pulled Amy over to the side of the pool. They lifted her up and tossed her gently onto the clay rim. They climbed out after her and crowded around her.
"She's not breathing," Rory muttered, panicking. The Doctor bent over her glistening body and placed both of his hands on her chest. He pushed down once, and water came sputtering out of Amy's mouth. She rolled over and coughed, her throat burning. She fell back, exhausted, into Rory's arms. She looked up at the Doctor.
"You saved my life," she whispered, blinking in surprise. She then remembered what had happened under the water and shook her head. "But, we need to talk."
And I will always remember you,
As you are right now to me.
And I will always remember you now,
Remember you now.
Amy had seen something in the screen of her life with Rory that she hadn't recognized at the time. However, as she was looking up at Rory and the Doctor on the edge of the pool, she realized exactly what she'd seen. Regret. Her future life with Rory had been built around forgetting and would crumble with regret. She would never be able to ignore the fact that she had thrown away everything she'd waited for. She looked up at Rory with sad eyes, as she told him that she couldn't go home with him.
"I'm sorry," she murmured honestly, reaching up to stroke his forehead. "But I spent nearly all my life waiting for the Raggedy Doctor." Her eyes flicked to the Doctor, who was watching silently, and then back to Rory.
"Now that he's here, I can't leave him behind."
Shocked, Rory watched his wife silently slide off her wedding ring. When she tried to hand it to him, he shook his head.
"Keep it," he said. He stood up and closed his eyes. "I'm going back home, Amy. I'm hurt that you're not going with me, but you've always been good at living your life, and I trust that you'll be safe." He turned to walk away, but something pulled him back.
"Promise that you'll take care of her," Rory said, looking at the ground. The Doctor stood and faced him.
"I promise," he said solemnly. Rory nodded and left the pool, left the library, left the TARDIS behind him.
"Well, Pond," the Doctor said, turning back to the soaking wet Amelia on the ground. He reached out his arms and pulled her up. "Your life has changed dramatically in one night. How, exactly, do you feel?"
Amy paused, her mind going over the events of the night. "Relieved," she settled on. The Doctor nodded, accepting her answer. He held her arm as they walked away from the pool.
"One more question, Pond," he stopped, turning towards her. "How did you know that I'd let you stay with me, that I even wanted you to stay with me?"
"Oh, that's easy, Doctor," she laughed. "You need me. And you know that. We're both so broken and steadfastly stubborn that we deserve each other."
It was the Doctor's turn to laugh as he gripped her arm and steered her towards the door of the library, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of her head and knowing that she'd spoken the truth.
I can't forget you.
I know you want me to want you, I want to.
But I can't forget you.
So when this is over, don't blow your composure, baby.
I can't forget you.