Okay, so I wrote the first chapter and then realized one huge mistake that I made in it. There aren't mountains in Florida, at least not in the part Ponce de Leon would have been in. Highest elevation would be a hill, but most of the state is relatively flat. The saddest thing about it is that I was born in Florida and most definitely knew that. Guess I've been living in Tennessee too long :)

Anyway, found a last minute way to fix it, hope it makes sense.

Once again I don't own Doctor Who, and so on and so forth...

Enjoy, reviews appreciated :)


"This is just great. Exactly what I wanted to be doing, trekking up a mountain with a loudmouthed bowtie-mocking Conquistador. Fantastic," the Doctor muttered. He and Amy were hiking a path that wound up the side of the mountain, following the high-pitched noise of the sonic screwdriver, which was acting as a sort tracking device. The Doctor had explained that it was able to pick up on the familiar energy pulse coming from the meteor remains.

"Well you really shouldn't have made fun of his helmet, even if it is too big for his head," Amy reprimanded. "Honestly, this wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't somehow landed us in 1513."

"I'm starting to think the TARDIS thought she'd be funny and shifted a little in flight," the Doctor said, looking back at Ponce de Leon with a sour expression. The explorer was following them a few yards behind, but his progress was slightly encumbered by the amount of heavy armor that he wore. It couldn't have been very comfortable, especially considering the warm weather.

"You know, I thought there weren't mountains in Florida," Amy mused, studying her rocky surroundings. It struck her that this incline and another one adjacent to it were the only ones in sight, which didn't make sense in a state known for being flat.

"There aren't. When the meteor hit, it created the valley that you see down there. These two mountains are no more than piles of earth pushed up by the impact."

"That must have been one heck of a meteor," Amy remarked.

"Indeed. In the future these 'mountains' will level out a bit and be explained away as unusually large Indian burial mounds."

Noon came and went, and still the little group made its way up the mountain path. The Doctor seemed barely affected by it; he jumped nimbly over the rocks that became stumbling blocks for the others, his breath came easily to him, and not one bead of sweat shone on his forehead. Amy, on the other hand, was wishing for once in her life that she could be an alien as well. Her throat was dry from lack of water, and her breathing was labored. Once neck and neck with the Doctor, she had fallen back a little and ended up in step with Ponce de Leon, who seemed perfectly pleased with this.

"I've never met a senorita quite like you, Amy Pond. Such strange attire, and hair that looks like it's on fire, of all things. And then there's the way you talk to people," the Spaniard remarked, flashing a grin that revealed yellowing teeth. "Not that I mind it, no. I like women with a little pluck."

"Watch it, buster," Amy snapped. She was tired, thirsty, and pretty sure her feet had fallen off half a mile back. The last thing she needed was some Spanish Casanova hitting on her.

But Ponce de Leon wasn't giving up. A few minutes later when they stopped for a well-deserved rest and drink of water, the man decided to occupy the other end of the rock that Amy had taken up residence on. Amy scooted a little farther down, only to find to her annoyance that he merely inched closer every time she moved.

"Your eyes are astonishing, you know. Like unblemished emeralds," the explorer murmured in her ear, fingering a strand of her soft hair.

Amy was milliseconds away from walloping that smug little face of his, but her plans were abandoned when the Doctor forcibly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from him. The Spaniard had to catch himself to keep from falling; he had been all but leaning on her.

"Come along, Pond. There's this rather fascinating bush thing I'd like to show you, just over there," the Doctor announced, steering her away by her shoulders. He glanced back at Ponce de Leon for only a second, but there was enough in that short glance to tell the Conquistador to back off. He knew good and well when he was in enemy territory.

"Got to watch these Spaniards, Amelia. Can't stop chasing after girls for two seconds, even when they're on an entirely foreign continent. It's in their blood, I suppose. If he keeps this up though I'll have no choice but to tell his wife, and believe me, that's something he fears far more than a chance encounter with hostile natives."

In no time at all Doctor was impatient to start off again, so despite their discomforts, the soldiers and Amy continued the climb. Having found her second wind and wanting to stay as far away from Ponce de Leon as possible, Amy went ahead of the group. She began to invent visions of what the Fountain of Youth might look like to pass the time. In her mind's eye she saw what a romanticist artist might paint: a silver waterfall gushing from the side of the mountain into a sparkling pool inlaid with gold and precious stones, with beautiful, colorful flowers bursting with life all around it. It was this image that kept her going, and without noticing she ended up much further ahead of the search party than she had intended.

Eventually, however, when the gold-plated fountain still failed to make an appearance, Amy's excitement waned. With it went her perseverance. She stumbled, leaning against the cliff face for support, and looked down the side of the mountain. The Doctor, the explorer, and the soldiers looked tiny from her vantage point. It would be a while before they reached her. She pulled herself along the cliffside until she found a ledge to sit on and wait.

Unfortunately, the only supply of water was currently in the possession of the soldiers, and Amy was thirsty again. The sun was beating down relentlessly, not helping the situation at all. Amy sighed and pulled off her boots in order to let her sore feet breathe and closed her eyes against the glare, wishing with every fiber of her being for water.

As if in answer to her prayer, her ears caught the faint sound of trickling water, and her eyes snapped open. She slipped back into her shoes and followed the sound to a little stream that looked as if it had been a mighty brook once, a long time ago. It wasn't the clearest liquid Amy had ever seen, but her throat was so dry that she didn't care. Without thinking she sunk to the ground, cupped her hands around the precious water, and gulped it down greedily, not caring when whatever didn't make it into her mouth spilled down her front.

"Amy! What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Two hands grabbed her roughly under the arms and hoisted her up, spinning her around. She found herself facing a rather horrified Doctor.

"Oi, What are you on about?" Amy demanded, wiping away the drips of water from her chin with the back of her hand.

"You drank the water, didn't you." The Doctor's voice was grave.

"I'm sorry, I was thirsty. Your little Spanish buddies down there are kinda hogging the water supply, in case you didn't notice. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? No big deal? Amy, do you not realize what this is?"

"I'm not stupid, Doctor. I know what water is."

"It's not just water, Amelia." The Doctor squatted down and directed his screwdriver at the stream, clicking it a few times before bringing it up to inspect it. "This is what we've been looking for. The one and only Fountain of Youth."

"Shut up." Amy looked down at the seemingly unassuming trickle of water in surprise. This was definitely not the sparkling silver spring she had been expecting. "This wee little thing?"

"Sorry if it's a disappointment but there are worse matters at hand. Like the fact that you drank from it."

"I don't really see what the problem is. The Fountain of Youth's supposed to make you younger. But I'm already young, so shouldn't it not have an effect on me?"

"Oh Amy, think about it. This is Time Lord energy we're talking about. It doesn't ever just not do anything." The Doctor stood up and pointed the screwdriver at Amy, the bright green light shining into her eyes and making her squint. He peered at the end of the device, tapping it against his hand a few times. "Now that is extremely very not good at all."

"What? Doctor, tell me. What's wrong?" Amy didn't feel like there was anything wrong with her. In fact she felt better than she had in years. Her throat was no longer dry, the heat wasn't quite as unbearable, and the pain in her feet had dulled.

"From the moment that tainted water entered your system, your body clock started slowing down. Unless I'm wrong, and I'm never wrong, it's already come to a complete stop by now."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Amy Pond, that from this point on, twenty-one is as old as you'll ever be. Being normal ends here."