Amy Pond loved travelling with the Doctor. She lived for the adventure – it fueled her curiosity, it sparked an excitement that she could never find on Earth. Certainly not in Leadworth. But she did have to admit that adventuring was exhausting.
The Doctor never seemed to have a problem with this, she noticed. He was constantly bouncing off the walls, rambling on, dragging his companions right along with him. So she had to remind him, occasionally, that she and Rory needed a break. A few peaceful days, bits in between the running.
Rory liked to relax in the library on peaceful days, and most of the time, Amy would join him. Some days, though, she dragged him through the never-ending corridors of the TARDIS, eager to discover new and exciting rooms in the ship. She still hadn't found the swimming pool.
Today was one of those days. Amy and Rory stumbled upon a few new rooms in the TARDIS – an anti-gravity room, a garden with a concerning number of banana trees, a few small sitting rooms with books stacked on side tables and comfortable couches. When they'd had their fill of exploring for the day, they made their way to the galley for tea.
"Where's the Doctor?" Rory asked aloud as he poured steaming liquid into their mugs.
"He likes to do repairs, when we stay in," Amy said. "And he probably hasn't eaten all day. We should bring him something."
"Honestly," Rory grumbled. "He's like a child."
"He's nine hundred, Rory."
"You know what I mean."
The couple made their way toward the console room, Amy with a cup of tea for their alien friend and Rory with a package of Jammy Dodgers. Sure enough, the Doctor lay on his swing beneath the console, his hands dug deep in a mess of wires. He looked up at the sound of their footsteps.
"Hello, Ponds!"
"Hello, Doctor," Amy said. "We brought tea and biscuits."
"Jammy Dodgers?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful!"
"And I'm not bringing them down there, so you'd better come up here to get them."
"That's probably best. The TARDIS hates when I get crumbs stuck all over the place."
The Doctor hopped off his swing and bounded up the stairs, gratefully accepting the tea and biscuits from Amy and Rory. He plopped down on the jump seat and kicked his feet up onto the edge of the console.
"And I'm sure the TARDIS loves when you do that," Rory said sarcastically, leaning on the railing just behind him. Amy moved to stand next to her husband, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was distracted when a screen started to flicker. She and Rory both looked up at the screen that hung from the TARDIS rotor as an image sparked onto the screen.
"Doctor, look," Rory said, gesturing toward the screen, moving to pull it closer to him. "There's a video, it's just started playing."
Sure enough, the face of a beautiful woman filled the screen. There was no sound, but it was clear enough what she was shouting. Doctor. Long blonde hair framed her face. She had large brown eyes and a wide mouth. She looked scared.
"There's a girl, Doctor, she's calling for you," Rory said as the Doctor stood up.
"Do you know her?" Amy asked, almost suspiciously. Honestly, she didn't think the Doctor had any friends, really. Besides herself, Rory, and River.
The Doctor made his way over to them, swinging the screen around to look at it. When he glanced up, the curiosity on his face morphed into something that Amy couldn't quite identify. His jaw slackened slightly, his jaw dropping a bit in surprise, and he looked like he wanted to say something but the words were caught in his throat. It was only when he cleared his throat and sniffed, pushing the screen away from him and walking away, when she caught on.
"You do know her," she said. "She needs help, Doctor, she's calling for you."
"It's nothing, Pond. Just an echo – a message sent to the wrong, time, that's all." The Doctor's voice was low, and he absentmindedly flicked a few switches on the console, refusing to meet her eyes. He looked up again, glancing at the screen, and Amy finally pinpointed what she saw in his eyes. Longing – he was longing for her, this mysterious blonde woman.
"But you know her," Rory stated, looking up at the clip that played on a loop. "She's trying to talk to you. She's calling your name."
"I did. Know her. Talk to her. She found me, already," the Doctor said, suddenly unable to tear his eyes away from the video. "Lifetimes ago."
"Who is she?" Amy asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the Time Lord. The Doctor blinked at her and a falsely cheerful smile crossed his face.
"Really, Ponds, don't worry about it. She's fine. She's wonderful – brilliant." His voice cracked just barely on the last word, but Amy still noticed.
"Doctor – " Rory started, but the Doctor braced himself decidedly, taking one last glance at the beautiful woman before pressing a button that turned off the screen.
"I've got more repairs to finish," he said, with a tone of finality. "Thank you for the tea."
It was a dismissal, clear as day. Amy and Rory blinked at him, confused for a moment.
"Right," Rory said. "Well – we'll see you tomorrow, I suppose. In the morning."
The Doctor nodded, turning his attention to the console. Rory pulled gently on Amy's arm, guiding her up the stairs into the corridor. Amy looked back at the Doctor, watching him swing the screen around the console so he could sit on the jump seat and look at it. With the press of a button, he pulled the video up again. She heard him speak, with quiet fondness, his hand rested on the edge of the picture.
"Rose Tyler," he said. He smiled, just slightly. "Defender of the Earth."