Chapter One: Amy

Amy pushed her hair out of her face for the third time in as many minutes, squinting as the wind stung her eyes. It wasn't raining so much as misting, but the fierce winds were turning the tiny drops into little needles, pricking her skin. She hunched in her jacket, trying to shield more of her face from the blast, and that was when she missed her footing. She felt her ankle turn and the next thing she knew she was hitting the ground. It all happened so fast she didn't even have time to yelp or put out her hands. She wound up landing on one shoulder, adding a dull throb there to the sharp pain shooting through her ankle. For a moment she lay where she was, struggling not to cry as she remembered what had brought her here.

The day had started out like most others. She and Rory woke in their room on the TARDIS, took their time getting out of bed and dressing before venturing out to the console room to find the Doctor fiddling with something. They'd dragged him away from his typewriter-cum-computer to have some breakfast. (The Doctor had, much to Amy's relief, regained his taste for bacon; breakfast simply wasn't breakfast without it in her opinion.) After they'd eaten, they'd returned to the console room to decide where they might go today. Sometimes they drew lots from the Doctor's top-hat, sometimes he had a destination in mind, and sometimes Amy swore he simply let the TARDIS choose. Today he'd had a destination in mind and his resolute expression told her no amount of complaining or cajoling would change his mind. So, at nearly mid-day TARDIS time, they landed on a planet with the designation 1675G. The Doctor mentioned its name once, but Amy found it unpronounceable. The TARDIS sensors had shown that it was chilly outside, so Amy and Rory had collected jackets before they followed the Doctor out of the blue box to see what this world held.

Amy had hoped for something exotic – a strange alien landscape with blue grass and purple skies – but what they found looked very much like the north of England. It felt like it too. The air was damp, with a chill in it that was quickly penetrating the leggings Amy had donned under her skirt. The Doctor had seemed unfazed by the weather, not even taking a jacket, and led them briskly away from the TARDIS, eager to explore. Amy and Rory had followed more slowly. Rory was carting a picnic basket with their lunch and Amy was wishing she'd chosen a different pair of boots.

They'd stopped for lunch on top of a hill. Rory had set the basket down and pulled out a checked blanket for them to sit on. Amy and the Doctor had watched, amused, as he attempted to get it spread out without it blowing away in the steady breeze. Finally she'd taken pity on him and moved to help. The Doctor had followed suit and with the two of them at opposite ends, they'd managed to tame the blanket. Rory had settled the basket in its center and started to unload their meal. First he lifted out a plate piled high with sandwiches. Next came a tray of deviled eggs, then a tin of biscuits. Last, he brought out three thermoses and passed them around. Amy took the one he offered her, staring at the spread. She dropped onto the blanket, shaking her head.

"Were you expecting company?" she asked, reaching over to un-wrap the sandwich platter. Rory paused in uncovering the eggs to look at her, his face flushing a little.

"I didn't know how long we'd be here and I wanted to make sure we had enough," he said, glancing at the Doctor. The Time Lord had unscrewed the top of his thermos and was pouring out a cup of tea. He took a sip and smiled in satisfaction.

"Mmm, Earl Grey. Love Earl Grey," he said. "Now, what have we here?" He leaned over to investigate the sandwiches. Amy shook her head again before selecting a sandwich of her own. When she poured out a cup of tea from her thermos, she found that it was her favorite Darjeeling. She looked up at Rory in appreciation and found him asking the Doctor something about the planet they were visiting. The Doctor smiled, rubbing his hands together, and she bit back a sigh as her gratitude faded. Now he's done it, she thought. She knew that look. They were about to get a lecture.

Amy only half-listened as the Doctor explained that the planet they were on was one of many Earth-like planets in the galaxy. This particular one was close to being a twin to Earth, despite being millions of light-years away. The people here were very similar to humans and in many ways the planet's history paralleled Earth's. Amy snorted at that, earning herself a sharp look from the Doctor. She reached for a sandwich to hide her smirk. He had the whole of time and space to choose from and where did he take them? To a planet virtually identical to their own. She bit back another snort and shook her head. The man did not make sense.

When they'd finished their picnic, Rory had repacked the basket. There were still plenty of sandwiches left and Amy knew her thermos was still half-full. She wondered how long the Doctor intended to wander. Perhaps they'd be eating more sandwiches at tea-time.

"Doctor," she asked, panting a little as they moved down the hill, "where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular,"the Doctor replied. "I just thought it'd be nice to stretch our legs a bit."

"They didn't get stretched enough on Starbase 115?" Rory asked, huffing as he shifted the basket from one hand to the other. "You know, when we were running for our lives?"

"That was different," the Doctor answered.

"True," Amy said. "We've no need to be running now." She came to a stop and Rory bumped in to her.

"What are you doing?" he wheezed.

"Slowing down," she replied. "Nothing's chasing us today. We don't need to be in such a rush."

"Right." Rory bobbed his head in agreement, slowing his steps to match her pace. The Doctor continued to stride ahead but Amy wasn't concerned as he was still in sight. Now that she wasn't rushing, she could take in more of the scenery they were passing. She realized for the first time that the grass on this planet seemed to be a darker shade of green than on Earth. The blue of the sky was different too, almost turquoise at times. She'd just crouched to look at a sparkling rock, wondering if it was similar to quartz, when she heard the Doctor call to them. She looked up to see him about twenty-five yards ahead of them. He waved and she lifted her hand to return it. Suddenly he lurched, his wave turning into a desperate attempt to regain his balance. For an instant he seemed to hang where he was, and then he dropped from sight.

"Doctor!" Rory charged forward, the picnic basket banging against his leg, and Amy dashed after him. Despite his burden, Rory managed to stay ahead of her. When he stopped suddenly she nearly crashed into him. He put out his arm to catch her and she realized they were at the edge of crater.

"The Doctor…" she began and Rory pointed into the crater.

"Careful," he warned when she leaned forward. "The edge is crumbling." She moved carefully, looking down into the crater. It looked as if someone had taken a gigantic ice-cream scoop and dug out half the hill they were standing upon. The bottom appeared to be full of gravel and there, amongst the rocks, lay the Doctor. Amy felt her breath catch at the sight of him.

"Rory…"

"I know," he said grimly.

"We… we have to get down there."

"We will," Rory replied. "But we have to find a way to do it safely. We can't help him if we wind up falling too."

It took a few minutes before Rory spotted a way. Amy had paced at the top of the hill, pausing every few steps to peer down at the Doctor. She could feel her anxiety increasing. How badly was he hurt? Why couldn't Rory hurry? She was ready to snap at him when he finally told her he'd found a route they could take. She followed him as he led the way, moving around the edge of the scoop until they reached a slope that appeared traversable. Rory slid the handle the picnic basket up over his forearm and started down the hill, turning sideways to slow his descent. Amy let him get a few feet down before she moved after him.

It seemed an eternity before they finally reached the bottom of the slope. Rory got there first and stopped to wait for her. She waved him ahead impatiently. He turned and jogged the dozen or so yards to the Doctor as she finished her descent. She ran to join them the moment she was on level ground once more.

The Doctor was pale and still on the ground. A large knot was clearly visible on one temple, and Amy could see that something was wrong with his shoulder. Rory was moving his hands carefully down his sides, frowning in concentration.

"Well?" Amy asked.

"He's unconscious," Rory answered. "If he were human I'd say his right clavicle was broken. I don't know what they call it in Time Lords but something up there's broken. And he's twisted his ankle. Looks like a sprain rather than a break." With a sigh, Rory sat back on his haunches.

"So what do we do?" Amy demanded.

"Well, we probably shouldn't move him. I don't see any signs of a spinal injury but… he's not human, Amy. I'm not sure what I should be looking for."

"There must be something we can do," she protested.

"There are supplies, back on the TARDIS," Rory said, getting to his feet and turning to face her. "One of us could go get them while the other stays here with him."

And that, Amy thought, pushing herself up awkwardly with one arm, is how you've come to be sprawled out here in the rain. She grunted as she maneuvered into a sitting position, trying to ignore the spikes of pain from her ankle and the throbs of protest from her side. Rory was a nurse; it made sense for him to stay with the Doctor. He could monitor his condition while she made the trek back to the TARDIS to fetch the supplies. Rory had described the route to the medical bay from the console room and told her where to find a case of supplies as well as a portable stretcher. She would collect the case and stretcher, swap out her boots for a sturdier pair, and hurry back to the crater. It had seemed a simple enough task two hours ago. Even after the sun had set, she hadn't been deterred. The moonlight had been more than enough for her to see by. Now, with the mist turning to rain and her ankle in agony, the task seemed impossible.

"C'mon, Pond," she chided herself. "Rory and the Doctor are counting on you." She got her good foot beneath her and somehow managed to rise. For a moment she stood on one foot, struggling to get her bearings. Finally she took a tentative step forward. To her dismay, her ankle wouldn't hold her. She toppled to the ground once more, crying out in pain as her wrist bent beneath her.

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