For Hannah, who left me a lovely review and a few plot bunnies of her own.
Thank you so very, very much, all of you who have been reading and reviewing! Your feedback has been wonderfully encouraging, and I'm glad you all are enjoying these; I'm certainly enjoying providing them.
Disclaimer: BBC owns Doctor Who. I haven't got much claim here.
They made a point to enjoy whatever alone time they had.
Between alien attacks on foreign planets and whatever else the universe had to throw at them, they didn't get much of it.
On Lunari Mureon II they're chased by a herd of animals that look like a hybrid between wolves and tigers. The Doctor is explaining as they run that these animals are really very fascinating and that he's seen them in one of the great zoos on Centauri Delta-they were much gentler there, the manner of these left much to be desired but oh, that was just how things worked out in the wild he supposed-and he manages to remember they didn't swim just after he and Amy dove off of a small cliff to the indigo waters below.
He and Amy come up to the surface again spitting out water that Amy notes tastes very odd and the Doctor is staring upwards at the sky, watching as the strange twin moons grow brighter above them and the sky grows darker. Amy loves the skies on other planets; the constellations and stars are never the same, and it amazes her. She makes up names for the different formations she sees, even after being corrected by the Doctor more than once.
It doesn't dawn on either of them to think of what might be lurking in the deep alien sea around them until something glowing is heading for the surface. Amy looks at the Doctor with wide eyes and tries not to panic as the light is getting closer to their legs. The shore isn't far off, but chances are whatever is beneath them can swim faster than they can. He starts a train of thought going over what this could be, names off a few superpredators they may be running into and Amy is about to smack him and start swimming for the shore as fast as she can when suddenly he snaps his fingers and looks delighted.
"Ah! They're Marina Luminatas!" He declares, and Amy soon finds out what this means.
.
The large glow is a swarm of enormous, bioluminescent, jellyfish.
They're as wide across as loveseat sofas, and their capped bodies glow softly with natural hues of white, yellow, orange, pink, and violet. Amy looks mortally terrified, but the Doctor is unpeturbed. In fact he looks like this is Christmas day as the large creatures float up towards them. They're everywhere! Amy sweeps her body closer to the Doctor's in the water, holding onto his shoulders as he's looking around at all the 'Marina Luminatas' surrounding them.
"Amy! Ohhh look at all of them! This must be the start of the summer here!" Amy's less enthused.
"Y-Yeah, right, summer-Doctor I really think we need to be swimming off now..." he whirls around to face her, his eyes wide with excitement, Amy's wide with terror.
"Swim off? Oh Pond you've got it all wrong!" He reaches out to the Luminata closest to them and gently lifts one of the tentacles trailing along beneath it to the surface. It's lavender in color and looks like any jellyfish's stingers, only much larger and with softly twinkling nerves dotting the length of it. Amy's face contorts in absolute shock and she shoves herself off of him in the water, gasping loudly. He only laughs.
"Alien planet, Pond." he states matter-of-factly. "These gorgeous blobs won't hurt you at all-well, unless you get stuck in those tentacles of theirs; they can catch you up like a spiderweb! And in that case you'd just drown; nothing to do at all with stinging or any of that nonsense those things on Earth do...No, these fellas are like giant ocean lanterns! They come out at the beginning of the summer here to mate and binge on the tasty little microorganisms that grow in the warm water. Most of the people from neighboring planets come here during the summers for vacationing!" he glances around at the cliffs around them and the beach a little ways off. "From the looks of it we've beat the rush." He sounds impressed and a bit surprised. Amy's relaxing now, now that she's found out that these enormous mega-jellyfish aren't going to kill her in what would probably be one of the most painful ways possible.
She and the Doctor actually swim around with the bizarre-but lovely-things for a bit, after swimming to shore and leaving their excess clothing behind. They swim in their knickers, (and the Doctor in his bowtie, which he refuses to take off to Amy's great amusement) and it's one of the most amazing and enjoyable swims Amy's ever had. They swim underwater and find that it's completely lit up and that the water is clear to see in. They swim through the underwater forest of Luminata tentacles and it's like swimming in space as the trailing appendages twinkle around them in the otherwise dark water. They play a strange game that's like tag and hide-and-seek through the glittering strands, swimming around among the herd of Luminata, every so often tagging one another and then coming to the surface together to breathe and laugh.
After a few rounds of this tag, Amy tries to surprise-attack the Doctor by bursting out from a cluster of tentacles at him. He's ready for her, though, and instead of tagging him with both hands, she shoots herself right into his open arms, and he wraps her up in an embrace and as she struggles to get free they float up to the surface bursting with laughter. Amy shoves him off and sends a spray of water at his face, and his hair hangs over his eyes in a curtain. She laughs and laughs and he comes back at her with a splash of his own-and by now, they're splashing one another and slipping through the mass of ocean animals and laughing happily while they spit and smack and find any ways they can to send currents and jets of water at each other. It doesn't matter that she's a grown woman (on Earth, at least), it doesn't matter that he's over 900 years old, it doesn't matter that they're on an alien planet and swimming in an ocean full of glowing, giant jellyfish in their underwear; they're enjoying themselves, and they're alone together.
When their limbs begin to get tired, they manage to crawl atop one of the Luminata's caps, and lay on their backs side-by-side as the creature drifts along, unperturbed by it's passengers. Amy and the Doctor gaze up at the cerulean-colored moons that take up most of the sky above them, shining brightly on the ocean as they float, and the stars shining in the dark around the moons. After a few minutes of peaceful quiet, Amy feels the Doctor's fingers lace with hers. She scoots herself closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and pulling his hand onto her stomach, wrapping her hand around it. She sighs, and he turns his head to look at her for a long moment, just gazing at her silently. She looks peaceful and happy, a smile on her face as she lays there with him. He smiles in return and settles next to her, pulling his hand from her and sliding his arm under her, taking her hands with his opposite hand.
"Oh Pond." he murmurs.
"Oh Doctor." She murmurs back, her smile widening. And that's all that needs to be said.
.
.
On Ma'abaraxa, Amy declares they are vacationing. She calls this planet the 'Space Tahiti', because it looks so much like the tropics of Earth that she's always wanted to visit. They end up being invited to a wedding-the Doctor knew the groom's parents, apparently-and the ceremony is one that Amy absolutely adores. They stand out on the white sands of the island they're on, not far away from the clear, blue ocean beyond. Palm trees brush one another in the breeze, the water is only gently lapping the shore, the sky is cloudless and the sun is warm and bright. She and the Doctor are given white robes to dress like the others attending the ceremony, and they stand together, watching the whole thing with silent smiles.
The bride is lovely in her simple white dress; a tan-skinned blonde woman who is probably a few years older than Amy, and is named Corua. The groom, named Tamal, is about the same age as Corua, dressed in loose-fitting and simple white clothing, similar to the other men in the crowd. His hair is a rich brown, and his skin is as tan as his bride's. They wear bright blue flowers in their hair, and as they stand facing one another, their hands in one another's hands, they gaze at one another with a deep, sweet love. They stand watching, and without either of them looking away or uttering a word, Amy and the Doctor's hands find one another and their fingers intertwine.
The ceremony is simple. The two exchange vows that are personal and unique to them; promises made to one another of loyalty and love and protection, all while their hands are clasped. With one hand, they each take the blue flower from the other's hair, and still holding hands, they walk to the shoreline, and put the blossoms adrift in the water. When the two blooms are carried out (after a few moments of the water coming in and out) the crowd standing further away bursts into cheering, clapping and hooting and whistling, happy laughter and tears. The bride and groom share a kiss while the water sweeps around their feet, and Tamal carries a blushing and teary-eyed Corua back to the crowd, where the two of them are adorned with necklaces, wreathes, crowns of the same blue flowers as before. They look like the happiest people in the world, and when the Doctor glances at Amy, he finds she has one hand to her mouth, her eyes full of tears, but she is positively beaming for the just-married couple. His thumb rubs the back of her hand gently, affectionately, and she smiles up at him in a way he will never forget. She looks back at Corua and Tamal and tells him,
"I think I'd like to get married this way."
.
They are invited to stay at the large wedding compound for all of Tamal and Corua's guests. Amy is on cloud nine; they have their own private little bungalow and everything. She teases the Doctor about the single bed and they laugh together while peeking around their little arrangement. After a bit it begins to get dark, and Amy goes to bathe before they head off to the party that night for the newlyweds. Her bath is quiet, calming, time to think; and settling into the warm water, she thinks of blue oceans, palm trees, warm sun, and it's comforting...but it fades. Her mind drifts to the marriage ceremony, to the looks of love on the wedded couple's face, and then to the Doctor's hand in hers, his thumb stroking her hand, and the look in his eyes when she looked at him on that beach. Amy smiles, and remembers what she said to him, wishing things could be that simple.
She's starting to drift off and gets up, drying herself off and pulling on a fresh set of knickers and a bathrobe to comb her hair in. However, when she comes out of the bathroom, the Doctor isn't there. She stops, rubbing at her damp hair with a towel and looking around curiously, wondering aloud where that idiot had got off to. She shrugs, though, knowing somewhere inside that if he was in any sort of trouble, she'd feel it.
Amy's in a thin, cool, and comfortable white sundress when she sets about fixing her hair. She combs it and combs it out until it's tamed and falling in waves-and as she looks around the room, the urge strikes her suddenly, and she starts to braid little white flowers they'd found in a vase (as a decoration, she was told) into her hair. She's grinning and humming and wondering what her Raggedy Doctor who thinks bowties and fezzes are cool will think of this fashion statement.
It's around the time that she's braiding the last of the little blossoms in that she starts hearing music. It's not from any radio or machine, this is live music that someone is playing outside. She gives her reflection a confused look and then gets up, heading for a large window that it seems to be coming from.
There's no actual windowpane; just a curtain covering the opening to look outside. Amy pushes it aside-and since the place is off the ground on stilts, she has to look down a bit-and there, out on the grass in the light of the torches burning outside their little cabin, is the Doctor; guitar in hands and a large grin on his face. He looks up at her with that wide smile, strumming at the instrument and starting up a sweet little tune that makes her grin and lean over the windowsill on her arms to watch him.
Afterwards, she figures she should have seen this coming.
He starts to sing, and she has to cover her mouth with the back of her hand to stop herself from giggling, but really, it's very sweet.
"Amelia Pond
I've grown awfully fond
Of you
And oh, you know it's true
My girl with a name from a fairy tale
Even though you compared me to a star whale
I'd compare you to an angel
Though you're nowhere near as weepy
But that's fine by me
'Cos that means you're not creepy
Come along, Pond
We'll travel far
Away
We'll see a new star
Each and every day
Keep you with me always
'Cos I want you to stay
You and me, we do a lot of running
And even after all that
It's still just really stunning
How well you can keep up-
Hate it when you get too far ahead,
You know I'd be happy
To just carry you along instead
Come along, Pond
We'll travel far
Away
We'll see a new star
Each and every day
Keep you with me always
'Cos I want you to stay
Oh, you think I look like a fool
Even though you know my bowtie is cool
But I'd still do anything for you
Turn back all the clocks
Since there's nowhere else I wish you'd be
Than with me and my sexy blue box
Amelia Pond I've grown awfully fond
Of you
Oh, you know it's true
Nothing I wouldn't do
To keep you from being blue
'Cos when you're blue, I'm bluer blue
And the TARDIS is the only blue we-"
Amy decides to stop this while it's still adorable and not so blue. Her laughter bounces around the courtyard and the Doctor stops his singing and his strumming now, beaming up at her like a child seeking affection. when he looks again, though, she's swung herself over the windowsill and is sitting with her feet dangling over the grass.
"Hey, Doctor, c'mere." She beckons, grinning. He set the guitar on the grass and walks towards her, about to tell her to move off the window like that, but when he's close enough she launches herself from the window and down to fall with a light 'whump!' into his arms. He stumbles back and makes a surprised and disgruntled noise as he catches her.
"Amy!" comes his surprised voice, "Really! Leaping out of windows-and here I was trying to make a grand gesture!" She laughs and kisses him lightly, but lets it linger for a moment before pulling away.
"What brought on the musical mood, hm?" She asks, her arms wrapping around his neck.
"Well...you said before you'd like to get married like Corua and Tamal did." her expression is blank.
"Right."
"Well Pond, depending on what you answer in a moment, you can." Still the blank look, but there's realization dawning on her now.
"Wait a-"
"You see, on Ma'abraxa, the way to ask someone to marry you is with a romantic song. If they like it then you're all set. Very musical culture, the Erati." Amy stared up at him in surprise for a long moment.
"A romantic song, hm?"
"Precisely. And if they approve then you're all set."
"Well then, Doctor, when you ask like that..." He almost looks stricken for a brief second, but she kisses him, a real, long kiss this time, and she can feel his arms tightening around her. "It was the most beautiful love song I have ever heard." She declares softly, grinning at him. "So now what?" For a minute he looks like he's in shock, thinking of a million things to say and not deciding to say any of them, until he finally forces himself to speak
"Well I'm glad you liked it Pond." She just laughs and bumps their foreheads together, and he laughs and holds them there. "Shall we get married, Fiancee Pond?"
"I'd be happy to, Fiancee Doctor." She replies, grinning.
.
.
And they do get married.
It's rarely spoken of again between the two of them, but they indulge for the night. They slip away from the party and get a holy man to officiate as they perform their ceremony on the beach, and they decide that staying at least for another night (and another day, Amy's pressing for) wouldn't be so bad. Their blue flowers glow with strangely luminant pollen, and they do not have a crowd waiting to greet them with cheers. They stand together, the holy man off to their side, and they gaze at one another with smiles and little laughs that they'll always remember but will seldom bring up again. He takes her hands and they make up vows on the spot.
"Amelia Pond, with flowers in your hair and a fairytale name to match."
"My Raggedy Doctor, with a silly bow tie and floppy hair."
"I won't make you wait again."
"I'll wait anyways." He grins.
"I'll always protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I'll remember that you're always coming for me when I'm in trouble." She's grinning at him now too. His smile softens, and his hands tighten around hers.
"I promise to always be your Doctor, Amelia Pond." Her expression is amazed for a moment, and as she smiles, her eyes shut tightly and tears prick at the edges of them.
"I promise to always be your Amelia Pond, Doctor."
They barely register to move and set their flowers off to float, they're so absorbed in one another in that moment. They move, finally, and when they set one another's flowers in the water, the tide immediately carries them out. Amy watches them swirl off out into the open ocean and asks,
"Why do they float them away like that?" the Doctor, at her side, watches the blooms float as well, and answers,
"To the Erati, it symbolizes setting off into the future together. The couple is carried into a new life, the flowers are carried out to sea. It's good luck, the faster the flowers are carried away. The further they make it, the longer the couple has a future together.
The Doctor and Amy kiss, they hold tight to one another, and they turn away from the ocean, deciding to leave to fate how long their flowers stay afloat.
.
.
Later, she isn't sure how long it's been, Amy is folding clothing next to Rory in their room, and she realizes she's humming something old and familiar. She smiles, but doesn't sing the words.
A/N: That song was originally going to be shorter. And a lot less...actually to begin with I was thinking of glossing over it altogether. I got a tad carried away, but imagining the Doctor singing to anyone is nothing short of hilarious (and adorable to boot) so I got to about verse two and couldn't stop anymore.
Again, I love all of you who've been reading and reviewing and favoriting these stories! Thank you all so much; you've been wonderful to me.