A/N: And now it's on to 11.

Disclaimer: Hahaha ha ha HA... *whispers* You don't know how much I wish.

A Present for the Doctor

Chapter 3

He held his head in his hands. Damn Sexy, she was being a right pain in the arse. She wouldn't land. Damn her. Damn damn damn... tea would be very nice right now. Rose would know that, she would've brought tea out hours ago. Tea and jammy dodgers. Would Amy ever learn? Maybe, he couldn't tell.

Fluffy brushed up against his hip, purring incessantly, begging for pets.

"Hello old girl." She growled, "Alright, no "old" girls here except for the TARDIS." She stuck her head in his pocket, "Watcha doing in there?" She sneezed and tugged her head out as quick as she could. The Doctor laughed, scooping her up in his hands. He held her out in front of him, so her back paws rested on his legs, so she looked like she was standing, "Thanks." She wriggled, trying to escape his grasp. He sighed, and set her down gently. She butted against his leg once, then again, before leaping onto his shoulder and then onto the console.

"Fluffy, fluffy no. No, don't do that!" He winced, "FLUFFY!" New rule: no pets in the console room, well except maybe fish, but when was he likely to get a fish? Never. Well, unless he suddenly got a strong liking for slimy, wriggly, colorful things with scales that had to be in water the entire time.

"Fluffy, get down here this instant!" The Doctor leapt at the console to catch a grasp on the slippery little cat, but only managed to impale himself on knobs and switches, "Oh fish fingers and custard." He muttered, slowly clambering off of the controls. Fluffy had managed to start climbing her way up the glowing time rotor, "FLUFFY! IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN HERE, RIGHT NOW, I WONT GIVE YOU FISH ANYMORE." She scrambled down faster than he'd ever seen her move before and dashed out of the room.

"Doctor? Are you alright?" Amy's shock of red bed head made its way in.

"Yeah, perfectly fine."

"Who were you yelling at, then?" She rubbed her eyes. His pale eyebrows shot up.

"Uh... my cat." Amy stared at him, mulling over the information,

"You don't have a cat, you idiot."

"Amy, I do have a cat. She's small and black and white and likes to climb things and sleep on my bed, unfortunately." He rambled, "Her name is Fluffy." Amy snorted,

"Who named it that?" The Doctor let out an indignant harrumph,

"I did." He mumbled. Peals of laughter spilled out of Amy's mouth.

"What's going on?" A sleepy voice cut through. Rory trudged in, his flannel shirt rumpled and untucked, his eyes half shut. Fluffy pranced behind him.

"See! I told you I had a cat! Isn't that right, Fluffy? Amy didn't believe me when I told her, but you do exist and-"

"Doctor." Amy interrupted. His eyes snapped up to look at her,

"Yes?"

"We have eyes."

"Right."

"Anybody want to tell me what's going on?" Rory mumbled. He had traveled remarkably far in his lethargic state, and was now standing next to Amy.

"Ah, Rory! I have a cat. That's her right there. Yes. Her name's Fluffy. A... friend gave her to me a good while back, six maybe seven years ago. Fluffy has been my good friend ever since. She was - no! Don't do that Fluffy!" Fluffy had managed to pull herself up Rory's leg and up onto his shoulder, "Ah, oh well. Anyway, she managed to hop onto the console and well... you can guess what happened. Then Amy came in and asked what had-"

"We know what happens then, Doctor." Amy muttered, crossing her arms.

"Who's this "friend"?" Rory asked, eyeing the feline perched on his should like a parrot. The Doctor gulped,

"Well, I guess you would've heard about her sometime or another..." He mumbled, "Her name was Rose. She-" He took a deep breath in, "She's gone now, but... She was the stuff of legends." Amy shot him an odd look. Rory nodded, and plucked the cat from his shoulder when the claws latched into him,

"Right, well I'm going to bed. It was nice to meet your... cat." He placed Fluffy on all fours and stumbled back out of the console room... in the opposite direction of his room. Well, he would learn. The Doctor knelt on the glass floor and tapped it gently.

"Come here, girl." He called softly and Fluffy came. He scratched her under her chin and the motor boat purr reached every nook and cranny of the room. He glanced up, Amy was still there.

"What happened to her?"

"To who?"

"You know who I'm talking about Doctor."

"I lost her. She got stuck in a parallel universe. She can't come back and I can't reach her." He met her eyes for a brief second, "Though I wish I could." Amy knelt down beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck,

"I'm sorry."

"It was bound to happen at one time or another. So many warnings... and I didn't pay any attention to them..." He sighed, "Goodnight, Pond." He scooped up his smallest companion and waltzed out of the room.

"Goodnight." Amy called after him, sitting down on the glass floor, palms splayed and legs straight out in front of her.

~oOo~

The Doctor slipped under the covers and Fluffy curled up under his chin. This was their routine. It was comfortable. Soon they both drifted off to sleep.

~oOo~

"Goodbye old friend." The Doctor whispered as he scattered the ashes into spaces, "I'll miss you."