A/N: I don't own Doctor Who. This is an AU of the seventh series of the rebooted era to feature Amelia and Rory Pond/Williams. It will follow canon but there will be changes because different characters means different outcomes, obviously.
"Doctor?" Rory asked slowly.
"Yes, Rory?" His Time Lord friend hummed, not really paying attention. Rory's eyes were drawn to the red spectacles perched on his nose.
"...Are those Amy's glasses?"
They were walking down a snowy alleyway looking for clues on the case Vastra had called them for a few days ago. Amy had stayed behind to help the others with who-knows-what while the Doctor eagerly jumped into what Victorian England had to offer, dragging Rory along.
The Doctor remained silent.
"Oh my god, you stole her glasses." Rory accused. The Doctor quickly clamped a hand over his mouth as if Amy could somehow hear them.
"Quiet!" The Doctor hissed. Rory rolled his eyes at the incredulity of the situation.
"Are you serious? Rory deadpanned. "Amy's not even here! There's no way she could hear us."
The Doctor relaxed. "Right, yes, you have a good point." He clapped Rory on the shoulders and continued walking down the alleyway. Rory jogged to catch up.
"That doesn't mean she won't kill you when she finds out." Rory pointed out, raising his index finger to illustrate his point. The Doctor whirled around to face him. If Rory hadn't known the Doctor as well as he did now, he would've jumped in surprise at the random turn.
"Also a good point," He said worriedly, wringing his hands. He looked further down the alleyway before turning to face Rory again, a triumphant grin etched on his face. "Well, down ahead is a dead end, which means that there's nothing to find there- which means we can get back and put the glasses away before Amy even notices. Great plan, let's go."
He pulled Rory along with him as they walked past a bar, rambling about how quick they could get back to Paternoster Row.
"Did you two make this snowman?" Rory turned around to see a small barmaid staring at a Snowman. He frowned. That wasn't there before.
"No." The Doctor shrugged. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he turned to Rory excitedly. "Do you think Amy would build a Snowman with me?"
"Well, who did?" The barmaid cut in before Rory could answer the Doctor. "'Cos it wasn't there a second ago."
Rory crashed straight into the Doctor's back.
"It just appeared...from nowhere."
The Doctor slowly turned around and walked over to the barmaid, who was studying him quizzically. Rory watched from a distance as the Doctor walked around the snowman, picking up pieces and letting them fall from his hand.
"That's interesting." The Doctor said, looking excitedly between the barmaid and Rory. "Maybe it's snow that fell before. Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen." Rory raised an eyebrow and the Doctor shrugged. "It's not that odd considering!"
"Odd? Snow that can remember? That's not odd, that's silly!" The barmaid scoffed.
"What's wrong with silly?" The Doctor asked affronted. The barmaid was studying the snowman, unimpressed.
"Nothing. Still talking to you, ain't I?" She grinned cheekily. The Doctor grinned back at her.
"What's your name?"
"Clara." The barmaid known as Clara introduced herself.
"Nice name, Clara. You should definitely keep it." He advised, winking at Rory. A small smile graced Rory's lips. "I'm the Doctor and this is-"
"Snowman." The woman gasped. Rory furrowed his eyebrows.
"Eh?" The Doctor looked at her strangely. Clara pointed at something behind Rory and he turned, almost jumping at the snowman that was staring back at him. He moved backwards slowly.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Rory hissed.
"Erm-well- by my calculations, the snow emits a low level telepathic field. It seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories and because it's unusual, somehow it carries a previous shape and-"
The Doctor was cut off by the appearance of another snowman. Rory was standing by the Doctor's side now. The Doctor leaned into his side.
"Rory, were you thinking about it?" He hissed into his ear. Rory nodded. He could see the Doctor roll his eyes in his periphery vision. "Oh good job! Were you thinking about it, Clara?"
"Yes." Clara replied just as another snowman appeared.
"Doctor..." Rory hissed, growing increasingly anxious.
"Well, stop. Both of you, stop thinking about the snowmen!"
"How?" Rory asked.
"How do you think?!"
"I don't know!"
The closest snowman leaned in and breathed ice cold snowflakes at them. Rory felt a hand grab his shoulder before he was pulled down. Great, an angry Frosty the snowman was trying to freeze them to death.
"Clara, listen to me." The Doctor said urgently, his hand leaving Rory's shoulder. He could hear the concerned murmurs from inside the bar but he didn't turn around. "The snow's feeding off your thoughts."
"I don't understand." Clara said. She sounded scared. Rory couldn't blame her, he was scared too. Scared of a snowman.
Oh, Amy was going to have a field day.
"You're caught in their telepathic field. They're mirroring you. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear." More snowmen appeared as if to prove the Doctor's point. "Imagine them melting. The both of you. Picture it. Picture them melting!"
Rory shut his eyes and thought of Amy. His Scottish wife and her crazy colourful personality. He thought of the Doctor as he whizzed around the TARDIS, pulling levers and pressing buttons. He thought of River, his daughter travelling through Time and Space having fun. He jumped when something splashed all over him and he was suddenly very wet.
"Well, very good. Very, very good. Ha!" The Doctor exclaimed, pulling Rory to his feet. Rory finally opened his eyes and saw Clara sitting on the floor, dazed.
"You okay?" The Doctor asked him, running his hands down and smoothing his clothes before clapping his shoulders proudly. Rory nodded. He suddenly remembered something and his eyes widened in worry.
"Amy. She went out with Vastra and Jenny."
"Which is why we have to get back to Paternoster Row very quickly." The Doctor whispered.
"Is that going to happen again?" Clara asked and Rory turned to face her. She was still sitting on the floor. He turned towards the bar window. As soon as he did, the curious bystanders all shifted and looked away from them.
"Well, if it does, you know what to do about it." The Doctor said quickly, grabbing Rory and pulling him along.
"Oi, where are you two going? I thought we were just getting acquainted." Clara called out. Rory sighed nervously. Oh god, she was flirting. He turned around and her gaze suddenly turned serious. "I don't understand how the snowman built itself."
"Clara who?" The Doctor asked. Clara's face softened and she grinned. The Doctor obviously had his intended effect.
"Doctor who?" She countered.
"Ooh, dangerous question." The Doctor grinned at him.
"What's wrong with dangerous?" She asked innocently. Rory smiled. She was good. He caught the Doctor's eye and he smiled as well.
"Watch out for the snow, Clara," The Doctor said seriously. "And be careful. Forget about us, you're probably not going to see us again."
"What about the snow?" Clara called after them worriedly. "Shouldn't we be warning people?"
"You do what you can, we'll do what we can." The Doctor called back as they walked back to the carriage. Strax tipped his hat in greeting. Rory still found it a little unsettling to look at the Sontaran that had died in front of him. "Merry Christmas!"
Rory turned around to see Clara stamp her foot and walk away.
"So, where did Amelia run off to?"
Amy watched in marvel as Jenny jumped off the balcony.
"Well, Doctor Simeon, you're out very late tonight." Jenny said, sashaying into Simeon's path.
"Almost makes you wonder what you've been up to." Vastra said conspiratorially, walking up behind their target. Amy jumped down and joined Jenny's side, studying the cold looking man. She had to give to herself, that was an amazing landing. "But then, I have often wondered about the activities of Doctor Simeon and his exceptionally secretive Institute."
"Well, I am honoured this evening." Simeon spoke at last. Even his voice was cold. Amy instantly disliked him. "The veiled detective and her fatuous accomplice."
Jenny gave the man a sarcastic curtsey. "At your service."
The man all but glared at her. His eyes drifted over to Amy and she stiffened under the scrutinising glare.
"Ah, a new arrival?" He mused. Amy hated how he studied her as if he was royalty. "Not exactly the kind of person I imagined lingering behind you. She looks like a kicked puppy."
"Excuse you?" Amy glared at him. "You're one to talk, letting yourself get cornered like this. I'm not surprised, really. Ugly mug like yours."
The man stiffened and turned to Vastra.
"You realise Doctor Doyle is almost certainly basing his fantastical tales on your own exploits?" He asked her. So old Conan was using Vastra as his muse. The lying cheat. "With a few choice alterations, of course. I doubt the readers of The Strand magazine would accept that the great detective is, in reality," He lifted Vastra's veil and, Amy had to give it to him, he seemed remarkably unfazed. "a woman."
"And her suspiciously intimate companion with her ginger temptress of a pet."
Amy crossed her arms.
"I resent your implication of impropriety. We are married!" Vasta gasped. Amy snickered.
"More than can be said for you, eh, dear?" Jenny mocked. "Amy's right. Ugly mug like yours, it's not even surprising!"
"Now then. This snow is interesting, don't you think?" Vastra asked, getting straight down to business. "The ice crystals seem to have a low level telepathic field. Almost as if it can detect and respond to the thoughts and memories of the people around it. Memory snow. Snow that learns."
"How fascinating." Simeon responded bluntly.
"I hope it's listening to the right people." Vastra snarled. "It could be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands, don't you think?"
"I think winter is coming." Simeon replied. Amy raised an eyebrow. A Game of Thrones fan years before it was even developed. "Such a winter as this world has never known. The last winter of humankind." He looked straight at her and she gulped. He turned back to Vastra. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"
"I am intrigued."
"Because there's not a single thing you can do to stop it." He spat at her, pushing past them to walk up the flight of steps.
"Perhaps I can't, but I know a man who can." Vastra hissed.
"I look forward to meeting him." Simeon shot back without breaking stride, walking up the flight of steps and leaving. Amy turned to Jenny and Vastra, who were leaning into each other.
"Well, we're in trouble now."
"Goodbye Strax!" The Doctor cried out cheerily as the carriage pulled away. Rory watched the retreating vehicle and his eyes fell upon his wife as she ran up to them.
"Thank god we're done for the day," Amy sighed in relief. "This dress is killing me."
"I'm sure you could've managed Pond." The Doctor rolled his eyes at her.
"Well, I did. Even managed to jump off a balcony in this thing." She grinned, linking her arm with Rory's. "But now I'm ready for jeans and a t-shirt."
"I'm not surprised." Rory shrugged. "You were always flexible."
"Easy, tiger." Amy smiled flirtatiously.
"Aww, stop it, you two!" The Doctor groaned. Amy laughed at him. They all stopped and looked around to make sure they were alone. When they had confirmed it- and the Doctor had stopped his annoying whistling- they pulled the ladder down and quickly climbed up.
"Rory, would you mind pulling the ladder up?" The Doctor asked as he and Amy sauntered off, not even bothering to wait for a response. Rory sighed and complied, pulling the ladder up before jogging up the winding staircase to catch up with his friends.
"It still unsettles me that we're on a cloud." Rory heard Amy sigh. "Why couldn't we just stay in Paternoster Row?"
"Oi, watch it, clouds are fun!" The Doctor reprimanded, bouncing up and down briefly to prove his point. Amy threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Fine, but when you fall to your death, don't blame me for trying to be careful!"
"Which is so unlike you, by the way." Rory pointed out, ducking when Amy reached to slap him. The Doctor snapped his fingers and they all stepped into the TARDIS. As soon as they did, Rory crashed into the seat, Amy sitting down next to him. The gentle orange hue of the ship greeted them.
"Right, evidence! Collate, go on!" He pointed at himself. "I found out that the snow is self replicating and learns."
"Er, I was there too-" Rory tried.
"Yeah, you're a bit late, Vastra figured that out ages ago." Amy said snidely. The Doctor deflated at the barb. "We also followed this guy, a Doctor Simeon? Really creepy, kept talking about a destructive winter?"
The Doctor snapped his fingers at her. "That could be important, good work Pond. However, I have to deduct marks for jumping off a balcony in a dress."
"I landed on my feet!" Amy defended herself.
"Hang on, Doctor Simeon?" Rory looked at her in confusion.
"Yeah. Is it important?" Amy asked.
"Strax was watching a Doctor Simeon, wasn't he Doctor?"
"Yes, he was Rory," The Doctor nodded. "A Doctor Walter Simeon, head of the GI Institute. He's been under the Paternoster Gang's radar for a while now."
Before the conversation could continue, there was a tentative knock on the door, so quiet that Rory almost missed it. The Doctor pointed at them, warning them to stay as he walked to the door and opened it slowly.
"Hello?" He called out. There was a brief pause before he stepped out of the TARDIS. "Hello?" He looked at them in confusion. "Hello?"
The Doctor suddenly left their eyesight. Amy and Rory watched with bated breath. Rory caught the brief flash of brown hair before it quickly flickered from his view. He shared a confused glance with Amy.
A second later the Doctor walked in with a very familiar shawl.
"Clara?" Rory asked in surprise.
"Yup, I sniffed it. Has her scent." Rory and Amy raised identical eyebrows.
"Do you make that a hobby?" Amy asked teasingly.
"Shut up Pond!" The Doctor blushed. Rory watched as Amy's smile morphed into a frown. She quickly ran up to him and fished something out of his pockets. The Doctor and Rory froze at the red object in Amy's hands.
"What the hell are you doing with my glasses?!"
A/N: This story has very much been in production for a while now. These two chapters are just trailer ones because I want to finish Alone in Uncharted Territory before I upload this regularly (or semi-regularly). Why does this story exist? Because I don't think it's been done before and I like being different!
Until next time!