Disclaimer: As always; I own nothing. I'm just glad to have material to work with.


They had been heading in to bed when Rory had pulled Amy into a kiss outside their bedroom, in one of the corridors of the TARDIS. She was expecting just a kiss before bed, since she wasn't tired at all-actually she was planning on heading down to the kitchen for a late-night snack when he turned in-but he held her there longer than she was thinking, and she didn't really want to push him off to say 'Rory go to bed I'm hungry'.

There was another interruption, however, that saved her from having to do so. The two heard a noise of surprise from just off to their left, and pulled apart, Amy looking past Rory as he turned his head to see the Doctor standing down the hall. For a split-second Amy saw a shadow pass over his expression, but if it had really been there he'd masked it just as quickly as it had come, looking at them in embarrassed surprise.

"Oh don't let me interrupt, you lot. Just...ah...well it can wait, get on, get on, I'll be off-" And he was rather stiffly turning on his heel and slipping back around the corner he'd turned to hustle off down the other hall. Amy stared off after him, still wondering what she'd seen on his face, and why she was convinced there had been something that wasn't just 'oh awkward shock' in his eyes while he looked at them. Rory shrugged, though, and opened the door to their room, motioning for her to go ahead. Amy shook her head, putting up her hands.

"Nah, I'm gonna head to the kitchen for a bite." She said, smiling and kissing his cheek. "Go on to bed, right? I'll be up in a bit." She ruffled his hair a little and he gave her a sort of 'oh all right then' nod.

"Right. You know you shouldn't eat just before bed tho-" Amy had already skipped off down the hall before he could finish, and he sighed, shaking his head and shutting the door behind himself.

.

.

If she had been heading for the kitchen then Amy was on the wrong path for it.
She didn't look bothered by this, though, and continued on, her face clouded with thought as she made her way down a long hallway, eyes on the lights up ahead.

She knew what she'd seen in his eyes. She'd seen it before, she knew that look. It broke something inside of her to see him like that, it made her want to wrap her arms around him and tell him all the reasons why he shouldn't look at her that way-

But then would not have been the time. In fact, she hadn't quite found the time for it at all yet. She was hoping, however, that now was perfect.

.

Amy was correct in her choice of destination, though; the noises from the console room were a dead giveaway. Her bare feet made very little noise as she crossed to the console and it's lit-up platform, glancing underneath to see the Doctor fiddling around with wiring around the main column, looking more than just a bit distracted. He looked annoyed, and after something sparked brightly, he tossed the tool he'd been using across the floor, watching it skitter away and bang against the far wall before running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Spending some time with the old girl?" Amy's voice came from the staircase leading down. She was standing just in his sight, placing a hand affectionately on the edge of the platform above them before taking another step down and looking at him directly, one hand on her hip and the other on the stair-railing as she leaned against it. She chanced a grin at him, but he didn't return it.

"What are you doing down here, Amelia?" Amelia. She frowned.

"So I can't be down here now, then? That it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you were going to bed. It's late anyhow." The Doctor had turned away from her and back to the wiring. Oh no, she was not done with him just yet.

"Well, I'm not tired." She said defiantly. He glanced sideways at her for a moment before looking back at what he was doing.

"Go to bed, Pond."

"What, are you cross with me?" She pressed, folding her arms over her chest and stepping off the bottom step now. He sighed, one hand holding a few wires over his head, the other resting on the column in front of him. He closed his eyes, still not facing her.

"I am not cross, Amelia."

"You're calling me Amelia. You're cross."

"Amy..."

"Oh no, that's not fixing it. Why are you cross with me, Doctor?" She was making a show of walking towards him, jutting one foot at a time in front of her, slowly stepping over to stand near the column.

"I am not cross. You," He finally looked at her, his face stern, "Need to go to bed. Go...go..." he searched for something to finish with. "Go back up to Rory." Her eyes searched his face as he tried to start tinkering with wiring again, and she pursed her lips a bit, her brow knitting.

"You're jealous!" She said suddenly, as if in epiphany. His eyes widened for a very brief moment, but he shook it off, acting a bit too nonchalant to be convincing.

"Of course not, Pond. Go on-"

"You are! That's why you're acting cross." his mouth went to a thin line over his face, and he moved away from her to look at something else.

"I am not jealous. Go to bed, I have things to do."

"Oh, right, 'things'-yes Doctor, keep making sparks down here and playing pretend electrician with the TARDIS-" she continued to press, a little grin tugging at the corners of her lips as she pursued him around the column. He was getting frustrated, even if she couldn't see his face.

Why was she pressing at this? She was married, she needed to be upstairs with her...husband...who she had every right to kiss whenever and wherever she pleased, so he didn't need to be so bristled about them in the hallway-but he WAS-and now she was pushing his buttons like she always did, that tone of voice that told him she was ready to keep pushing him until he gave her the reaction she was waiting for. He hated it and loved it about her; Amy was relentless, she was infuriating, she was so lovely when she got that mischievous little grin on her face-

No, no. This was dangerous territory.

The Doctor rounded on her suddenly, his face showing his irritation quite clearly.

"Amy, go to bed. I'm not arguing with you right now." She looked a bit surprised at his sudden snap, but still took another step towards him.

"Well then just tell me you're jealous, because you are." She said, jiggling her head a bit in that way she did when she was proving a point, making her hair shake over her shoulders. He was still holding more wires, but this time raised a hand and wagged his screwdriver in her direction.

"I will do no such thing; you are imagining things Amelia Pond, and you need to go to bed."

"Then make me."

.

She was standing in front of him now, her legs in a stance that said she was not moving unless he physically made her, her arms crossed over the chest of the large sky blue nightshirt she was wearing. Her chin jutted out slightly, her eyes narrowed petulantly. His brow furrowed, and he narrowed his own eyes at her now, suddenly stepping to close the distance between them, but she stood her ground.

"Amelia, I am not having this conversation with you. Stop acting like a child and go."

"It's all your fault, you know!" She snapped suddenly. "It's your own fault; you made me think you were just a dream this time, you told me to love Rory in my sleep-" He stepped back suddenly, his face showing his obvious shock.

"Yeaaah, I remember that!" She barked. "I remember what you said; I thought it was a dream all those years-I thought 'Oh a man in a dream told me to love Rory; it must be destiny or something'! Do you have ANY idea what that's like, hearing something like that in your dreams? So I did that-I told myself to love him!"

She'd stepped forward after he'd stepped back.
"My whole life I thought about that; but you were imaginary to me, you were a strange man from dreams. And then I got married, like I was supposed to have-but it was missing everything and when I looked out and then saw that damn journal, I remembered it-I remembered ALL of it, do you hear me?" She was nearly shouting now. "All of it!" She smacked him in the chest.

"And I remembered you and then you popped out of nowhere, like you'd just been waiting for me to remember, like it was just...NOTHING! You bloody stupid IDIOT!"

She smacked him again, remembering the anger she'd felt when she thought of what could have been had he just let her glimpse him again before her wedding; had he popped up again somewhere.

"It's all your stupid fault!" She was raising another hand to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist this time. She looked up into his face, and saw that storm she'd seen raging in him before.

"Do you really think I wanted to just watch you and be content with that? Do you think I just sat by and twiddled my thumbs waiting for you to remember?" His voice was low, and she was mesmerized.

.

He was beautiful and frightening like this; he was a force to be reckoned with-but she loved to see him so angry and passionate even in his fury. He was so passionate about everything; with her Doctor, every emotion was intense and given his all-and he would fight with her and argue with her when she was being childish, he would snap at her and wasn't afraid to disagree with her. She loved that about him...she loved-

"You weren't supposed to be in this TARDIS anyhow. No human really is-and I made a mistake bringing you into this life! Messing with your timestream, bringing you into constant danger-you DIED, if you'll recall! You died-and it was my fault for putting you in that danger. Do you have any idea how much I hated myself for that? Because I LET you get into this trouble! You should have a normal life, you should be married and living with your husband and leading a normal, human, life!" He raged at her, and she'd backed up a few more steps now, staring into his face.

When she said nothing, he took a step back, and turned his back to her, letting out a loud, frustrated noise. He threw up his hands, balling them into fists and began to turn towards her before jerking his head away again and running a hand through his hair again.

"You are infuriating-Impossible! And I shouldn't have even brought you-I shouldn't have taken you away at all, I should have just left you-"

"But you COULDN'T, could you!" She snapped at him angrily, jabbing a finger at him accusingly. "You couldn't, because you want me here!" She was standing behind him before he turned to face her again.

"Yes, Amelia, yes!" He roared. "I wanted you here-but I shouldn't! You're a human, you're not-you're married now, and I just let you hop in AGAIN! I let you just breeze into the TARDIS AGAIN!"

"Don't you DARE blame me for this!" She gasped at him. "Don't you DARE! I wanted to be here as much as you wanted me to be here! Don't you say you should have left me on Earth, Doctor, you damn liar-"

She was so beautiful when she was angry. Her crimson hair seemed to take on a life of its own, seeming to flicker and glow around her face as if each strand were burning. Her dark eyes flashed in the light of the console platform's neon lights, and her mouth was slightly open as she gritted her teeth. She was one of the only ones who would ever argue with him like this; she was the fire that stood up to his whirlwind. It was worth the arguments, he always thought afterwards, to see her this way.

Amy glared at him, but she knew it would pass. This anger, whatever rage she felt; it always did. She could never stay angry with him. He was her Doctor, he was ridiculous and stupid and so maddening-but she could not ever stay angry with him; and she had certainly tried to in the past.

"How could you even-Of COURSE I wanted you here-damn it all-You shouldn't be doing this, I shouldn't be saying this, you're bloody married and you are INFURIATING and I should not be letting you make me so-"

"SO WHAT?" She shrieked, leaning her face in towards his as a would-be threatening gesture.

He kissed her. Grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her roughly, one hand moving to her cheek, he silenced her and silenced whatever other words he might have said. She was stunned at first-another shout, another rant, maybe him walking away or something-but this was an unexpected surprise.

.

The argument seemed to somehow continue; Amy's hands grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and tugged him hard against her, opening her mouth to his and kissing him in return with everything she had. His hands moved to run through her hair to take fistfuls of the ginger locks at the back of her head. She made a noise into his mouth that was somewhere between a surprised exclamation and a moan as he did this, her hands sliding beneath the jacket and raking at his back through the cloth of the button-down shirt he wore.

The Doctor growled against her lips as she did this, and they moved together backwards towards the column behind Amy. When her back hit it, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she grasped at his shoulders under his coat. One of his hands went under her backside to hold her up, lifting her just a bit so her head was just a mite higher than his. They broke apart and their breathing was ragged, Amy's hair falling as a messy, now-slightly-matted curtain around them, his own hair falling into his eyes. She dug her nails into his skin a bit, leaning in to kiss him again briefly. His eyes were open just enough to watch her lips as she spoke, her forehead meeting his, her eyelashes mingling with his.

"So," She breathed, "Should we call this a draw?" He grinned.

"Not even close, Pond." And she smirked against his mouth as he brought them together again.

.

.

Had the TARDIS not somehow cleaned herself, there might have been a strange, spread-out trail of clothing leading from the console room, up and out, down one hallway and then another, stopping at a door that would have looked unassuming if not for the seal of the Time Lords etched into it.
A jacket here, one shoe and then a few feet away another, up the steps of the console and up to the exit from the room; a sock and then another strewn across one hallway; a pair of trousers were rounding the bend of another corridor, and following them was a set of braces that one end had snapped off of-the majority of them was hanging from a doorknob to another room, and a snapped clasp looked to have been torn off and skirted across the hallway a little ways. A sky blue nightshirt was tossed on top of a pinstriped button-down outside of that odd door, and a red bow tie was left untied and on top of the two shirts. A few buttons looked like they'd popped off of the button-down shirt, but otherwise the garments had all looked intact.

The inside of the room beyond that door was dark and would have been quiet if not for the heavy breathing and light laughter coming from out of the darkness. Neither of them knew how long it had been since they'd battled their way up here from the console room, but they were too engrossed in their little war to care.

Amy fell back against the blankets, laughing softly, her hands reaching up to pull the Doctor down to her and to a playful kiss.
Her torso was slightly damp with sweat as his hands ran over her abdomen and over her sides, feeling her legs lock around his hips as they'd done before. His back was damp as well, she could feel, and with a giggle, she moved her arms forcefully to bring him down to lie next to her. His arms pulled her in close, and she laughed quietly as he blew at some hair hanging between their faces, his breath tickling her skin as her arms wrapped around his neck loosely.

It was quiet for a long moment after that; they caught their breaths after who knew how long of feeling like they could barely breathe-from both excitement and from sheer amazement at how this situation had turned out.

It was unspoken between them, but as Amy touched her forehead to his, she smiled, closing her eyes-and it told him all he needed to know about why he should never feel jealous, why he should never even imagine he'd lost her. He smiled after watching her face bloom into that contented expression, and then shutting his eyes, they matched until Amy's smile twitched into something a bit less serious.

"You should bring up that time we got caught by those native people on Mickey-whatever tomorrow." She suggested, bumping her nose to his affectionately.

"Mixianon. And why would I do that? Last time we were telling the story we started..." Realization dawned on him and he opened his eyes to see Amy was biting her lip to hold in laughter, her eyes alight with amusement. The last time he'd been telling that story, Amy had started to argue with him about who had REALLY gotten them out of that situation-they both knew it was because of how much their chieftain's wife liked her hair, Amy would argue, and he would disagree, saying that no, he'd talked them out of just cooking them and taking it even still-and they usually carried on for some time about it.
"I might just do that. It's been a while since we talked about that one, after all..."

"Maybe I'll let you win tomorrow." She teased, her fingers toying with strands of hair at the base of his scalp.

"Oi, let me win?" He asked, sounding affronted.

"Of course. I mean we both know who won tonight." She smirked at him, flipping him onto his back and moving to prop herself up over him, straddling his waist. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, do we?" She grinned, lowering her head and sweeping her hair over one shoulder to kiss him.

"Yes. We do." She said decisively, pulling back again.

The Doctor's arm reached out and retrieved Amy's bra from where it was tossed to hang on the edge of a small stand next to his bed. There was very little light, so he felt around for it for a second before finding it and dangling it where she could see it, showing that one of the straps was broken now.

"No, I think we can call this my victory." Amy's brow went up and she slid off of him and the bed, shuffling around for something. He watched her, looking amused as she was searching until she produced his boxers, tugging at the waistline to show him the elastic had snapped and that there was a rip in them from her nails. She grinned an impish little grin at him and tilted her head a bit to the side.

"I think this was alllll mine." She purred, drawing out the words for good effect, and slid onto the bed again to kiss him, letting her lips linger against his as one hand reached up to cup her cheek, sliding from it and up through her hair slowly. They broke away and, unwilling to let her leave just yet, the Doctor gave her another light kiss.

"Tomorrow." Amy assured him, smiling and copying his little peck. "Tomorrow, tomorrow." Her voice whispered, and he grinned back at her.

"I expect more of a fight from you tomorrow, Pond." He teased, and she swatted his arm lightly, her smile widening at the sound of his soft laughter. She loved hearing him laugh; it was comforting and usually made her laugh along.

She was pulling her nightshirt back on and opening the door to leave when his arms were around her waist again from behind her, his mouth on her neck.

"Go to bed, Doctor." She murmured, turning to face him, grinning. He sighed, smiling.

"Go to bed, Pond." And she did.

Watching the door shut behind her, he just wished she didn't have so far to go.


A/N: One of the things I love so much about these two is the fact that they bicker like they do sometimes. Amy picks at the Doctor, he teases her, she argues with him. They seem so content to just push one another from time to time, like they know they're never going to be able to just stay mad; it isn't like the other is just going to take it too seriously and just leave.
They're comfortable around one another, they make each other happy, and to me that's sweeter than any kiss or proclamation of love.