The Curse of the Black Spot: Sail Away

An hour or so later, as Amy, Angel, and Rory slept on the floor of the magazine, Avery stepped into the room to see Toby awake and sitting against the back wall, his cough keeping him up, having managed to hold it back long enough for the others to fall asleep, "I'm sorry about your mother," he moved to sit by his son, "You miss her a lot."

"Three years," Toby muttered, not looking at him, "No word from you."

"Toby..."

"You promised her. You promised you'd come home. And she believed you would, right up until the day she died. What made you do it?" he shook his head at his father, tears in his eyes, "What made you...turn pirate?"

Avery sighed, unable to answer, "Get some sleep now," he got up and left as Toby laid down, turning on his side so his back was to him as he walked out of the room.

Moments later, Amy frowned in her sleep, hearing a woman's voice, "It's fine. You're doing fine. Just stay calm..."

She opened her eyes to see Angel before her, her face scrunched as she slept, but then she saw it! The same woman with the eye patch from the orphanage was staring at her through an opening in the wall behind Angel, just over the Time Lady's shoulder. She slid the panel shut and Amy sat up with a gasp.

"Amy?" Angel blinked blearily, waking up as well to see Amy staring at the wall, "What's wrong?"

Amy could only shake her head, staring at the wall, not sure if she was imagining it or not.

~8~

The Doctor stood on the deck, staring up at the night's sky, a bit lost in thought, looking at the stars which always seemed to remind him of Angel, how brightly the burned, how constant they were, how shining...when Avery joined him, "It's not one star, it's two," he pointed up at one of the brighter stars, "The dog star. Sirius. Binary system," he smiled, like a binary vascular system, two hearts, like Angel.

"I use it to navigate the ocean," Avery shrugged.

"I've travelled far like you," the Doctor studied him a moment, "Space can be very lonely. The greatest adventure is having someone share it with you," he knew that for a fact, it was so much better with Angel there...and Amy and Rory and other companions.

"If we get out of this, I'll take him back to England. He can't stay with me. I'm not the father he needs."

"Who are you? Henry Avery? Respected naval officer, wife and child at home. How did you end up here? Wandering the oceans with a band of rogues?"

"I've set my course now. Nothing I can do to alter it."

The Doctor glanced up, "People stared at it for centuries and never knew. Things can suddenly change. When you're least expecting," he turned and walked back into the ship, leaving Avery to his thoughts, and entered the captain's cabin slowly, staring at the windows as he placed a hat on the table beside him.

"Doctor…" Amy called as Angel walked beside her with her arm around her in comfort, leading the ginger to the cabin.

"Ah, Angel!" he cheered, rushing over to her and taking her arm, gently leading her to the middle of the room, standing her before the windows, him behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them lightly when he felt her tense, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "What do you see?"

Angel swallowed, actually uncomfortable with how close he was to her, if he'd remembered or if she had a sign that he felt something for her she'd be better able to deal with the proximity, but like this...knowing he likely felt nothing at the moment...upset her, "There's something out there," she breathed, stepping away from him and towards the windows, reaching out a hand to touch the edge of it, touching the wood between the broken window panes, "Like there's something staring at me," she frowned, "A storm's coming," she remarked, a moment before thunder rumbled across the sky.

"Man the sails!" the Doctor shouted, running out of the room.

~8~

It was raining heavily on deck as Avery hung from a rope, Amy, Angel, and Rory (who had tried to talk Angel into waiting below deck) running over to the middle of the ship, "To the rigging, you dogs!" Avery shouted, gesturing at Amy and Angel, "Let go the sails!" he jumped down, "Avanti!"

Angel moved to run off after Amy when Rory stopped her, "I've got it," his eyes flickered down to her stomach before running off as Angel turned to help the captain.

"Put the bunt into the slack of the clews!"

Amy pulled on a pulley, "I swear he's making half this stuff up!"

"Well we're gonna need some kind of phrase book!" Rory shouted, nearly falling backwards as the Doctor took the wheel of the ship...not exactly the best plan ever.

"Toby!" Avery cried, seeing his son making his way over on deck, "Find my coat! My compass is inside it boy!" Toby nodded and made his way over to a chest in the center of the ship, "Heave ho, you bilge rats!"

"Rats was all I could hear!" Rory tried to yell above the sound of the rain.

Toby opened the chest and grabbed his father's coat, moving to bring it over...

When the crown fell out of it.

They all stopped, watching it roll and fall down flat at the edge of the ship. Toby looked at his father, betrayed, when an arm reached out of the crown and the Siren flew into the air, singing and landed before Toby, her hand held out.

"Don't let her take you!" Avery shouted, scrambling to get to Toby but the boy was entranced and walked towards her, "No!" he ran for it, lunged...but was too late, Toby burst into ashes, "No!"

Angel dropped the ropes she'd been holding, startled that she hadn't sensed that about to happen, when she saw Amy struggling to hold Rory back on a higher deck and rushed to help her. The Doctor leapt forward and tossed the crown into the ocean, the Siren fading away, breathing a sigh of relief that at least Rory was safe for the time being.

"Let go!" Rory struggled.

"Rory stop!" Amy grabbed his arms as he flailed to escape them.

"I'm sorry," Avery wept, falling to his knees, the true weight of everything hitting him, everything he'd done, "I'm sorry…"

"You couldn't give up the gold could you?!" the Doctor shouted at him, "That's why you turned pirate! Your commission, your wife, your son!" Avery looked away, "Just how much is that treasure worth to you man?!"

He was angry, he always got angry when children were hurt. Because he couldn't have any. Not anymore, not with Gallifrey gone. Time Lords could only reproduce within their species, so really...there was only Angel. If he wanted to have a child, which he did, terribly, he would have to be with her and he refused to use her in that way. If he was with someone like that, if a child was conceived, he wanted it to be out of love and not desperation for a family. Angel didn't deserve that.

He closed his eyes a moment, his hearts zinging painfully in his chest at his thoughts. Something about it...about picturing Angel and him, having a baby...he could actually picture it. He could see it in his mind, imagine it, a child that blended them perfectly, and showing it off, surrounding it with family. Him and her, sitting with all the companions, passing around a baby, him watching it with hawk eyes for the slightest sign of discontent till Angel lightly took his hand and kissed his knuckles to reassure him and...

His eyes snapped open at his imaginings, swallowing hard as his hearts raced instead. What was that?!

"Doctor!" Angel shouted, pulling his attention over as she ran to the edge of the upper deck, "He may have been displaced!"

"What?" he looked up at her.

"We thought Rose was disintegrated once, remember?" she called down to him, "But she'd just been transported, transmatted! There's a chance that's what happened here!"

Unfortunately, without her there to help Amy, Rory broke away and ran to the side of the ship just as a sail broke its hold and swung around, knocking him overboard.

"Rory!" Amy screamed, running to the side and looking over, "Rory! I can't see him!" the Doctor ran to the railing as Angel rushed to Amy's side, "I'm going in!"

"No!" Angel grabbed Amy's coat and pulled it back on her as she tried to take it off.

"Drowning!" the Doctor called up to them, "He's drowning! You go in after him you'll drown too. There's only one thing that can save him now."

"What are you talking about?" Amy shook her head as Angel led her down to the lower deck where the Doctor and Avery were.

"The Siren. The Siren, she wants him. We have to release her!" he ran to a barrel of water.

"Doctor no!" Amy cried as the Doctor soniced the lid of the water and lifted it up, "No!"

The Siren flew up into the air as the Doctor turned to her, gesturing to the ocean, "He's drowning. Go find him!" the Siren turned and dove into the water as he put the lid back down.

"What did you do?!"

"If we leave him in the water he'll drown!" Angel told her.

"If we let her have him, she'll destroy him!"

"That thing isn't just a ravenous hunter," the Doctor argued, "It's intelligent. We can reason with it and maybe, just maybe, they're still alive somewhere. We have to follow."

"Are you mad?" Avery asked.

"If we ever want to see them again we have to let the Siren take us," he pulled out a nail from his jacket, the same one Avery had nearly fallen on, "We'll prick our fingers. The three of us," he continued, turning to Angel, "Angel you get below deck and..."

But Angel reached out and took the nail from him, "Rory is MY companion!" she reminded him.

He winced, he should have known Angel would want to go but...he didn't want to prick her finger, much like he hadn't wanted to inject her with the nano-recorder either. It would hurt! But this time...it would draw blood and his stomach twisted to think of Angel bleeding, even more so to imagine her bursting into ashes beside him in the vague hope that it really was a transmat as she'd guessed, not that he doubted her, not ever.

"He's my brother, Doctor," Angel added, quiet, though he could hear her over the rain easily, he was right next to her, "You can't ask me to stay here and leave him."

He nodded, "Of course," he murmured, though he wasn't happy at all about this. He swallowed hard, and closed her hand around the nail, not taking it back. He'd rather she hurt him by pricking his hand than for him to hurt her ever. He glanced at Amy and Avery, "All agreed?"

"Aye," Avery nodded after a moment.

"Aye," Amy added.

"Aye then," he held out his hand, Angel pricking them all and then herself as the Siren appeared. They all held their hands out to her and disappeared in a white light...

~8~

Angel blinked blearily as she found herself lying, on her side, her back to the Doctor, on the floor of a spaceship. She pushed herself up to see the Doctor doing the same, Amy and Avery on their backs, "Where are we?" Amy asked.

The Doctor pushed himself up more, "We haven't moved. We're in exactly the same place as before," he stood up and looked through a large window to see that they were staring at the ship during the storm.

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery breathed.

"Not really," Angel shook her head, getting up too, "It's just a spaceship trapped in a temporal rift."

"How can two ships be in the same place?" Amy looked at her.

"Not the same," the Doctor explained, "Two planes, two worlds. Two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different Universes nested inside each other now and again they collide and you can step from one to the other."

"Ok…I think I understand…"

"Good 'cos it's not like that at all, but if that helps…"

"Thanks," Amy rolled her eyes.

"All the reflections have suddenly become gateways…" he picked up a piece of metal and chucked it at the window, sending it straight through and onto the deck, "Ever look in a mirror and feel like you're seeing a whole other world?

"Reinette," Angel nodded and he pointed at her, despite Amy and Avery having no idea what they were talking about.

"Well this time it's not France, it's just..." he trailed off a moment, frowning when he saw her absently rubbing her pricked finger and reached out, taking her hand and lifting it to look at, seeing it was mostly a scratch now but still red and raw and painful...and actually very small but he didn't exactly notice that part of it, just that it looked like it hurt, or at least stung.

Angel eyed him curiously as he just stared at her hand...and then she gasped, feeling a warmth spread through it. She looked down, her eyes wide as she saw a soft wisp of orange energy seep into her scratch, mending it...and stared at the Doctor in disbelief. It wasn't all that long ago (a little more than 2 years really), that he had looked past her bruises and other injuries without a thought of doing what he'd just done.

"Why did you do that?" she breathed, her hearts racing, he still hadn't let go of her hand, the hand he'd just healed.

"You were hurt," he said simply.

She blinked, "But it's a waste of regeneration energy."

~oOo~

It wouldn't have stopped the Master from hurting Angel in every other possible way just to spite him, just to get to him and anger him, make him vulnerable, use her as bait in a trap. He wouldn't put it past the man, especially not when Angel had a bruise on her head as proof that the Master had no qualms with hurting her already.

He pulled away, looking gently at her, before lifting his hand to lightly trace the bruise, wincing himself as Angel flinched at how tender it was. He began to stroke it gently with his thumb, a slight orange energy pouring out of it, healing the bruise. It was probably something he shouldn't do, use his regeneration energy like that. Time Lords could heal each other with their regeneration energy, but it was only meant to be used in the most dire of circumstances as it was a precious energy and one not to be wasted.

But it was never a waste if it meant Angel wasn't hurt any longer.

He'd give all his regeneration energy to see her perfect and healthy and fine for the rest of eternity.

~oOo~

He frowned at that, "It's not a waste if it's worth it," he murmured, looking into her eyes, "And you're worth that and more."

Angel searched his eyes, so SO confused. She'd just seen him kissing River Song not too long ago and now he was being so sweet to her and healing her hand and complimenting her. She didn't know what to make of it. It was like every single day he was a different man. One day he'd be grinning at her and doing what she wanted, the next back to his normal self and just focusing on an adventure, and the next asking the Ponds if they wanted to pop in and take River on an adventure (which Rory and Amy had both always declined to do for some reason). He was all over the place and his thoughts were no better. One minute they were flustered ones about her, others a platonic feeling behind a less-than-platonic compliment, and others still as though she weren't even there.

He was...more...than he had been when he'd first regenerated. He noticed her more, complimented her more, seemed to focus on her more, yes...but she didn't know why, HE didn't even know why. She'd rather him do that because he loved her or was falling in love with her and not because he was trying to work out why he was so focused on her by focusing on her more, as though SHE held the answers. Every time she thought he might feel more for her than he seemed to, he'd brush it aside or stop treating her however he was treating her, like he didn't want to feel that. And that hurt. But then, only moments later, he'd be back to being fond to her again!

He was so confusing!

"Do you really have to flirt now?" Amy asked, cutting into their moment. She felt terrible to do it, she knew how badly Angel deserved a moment like this with the Doctor, moments that gave the Time Lady (and them) hope that the Doctor was remembering her, or at the very least falling back in love with her, but...she was really very worried for her husband. Rory had been drowning!

"What?!" the Doctor half-leapt away from Angel at that, "We weren't...we weren't flirting!" he defended, but Amy just gave him a look as if to say 'oh really?' and he blushed, "We were just...just...just...talking, healing! Flirting is for couples, we're not a couple, we're just friends, mates," he winced at that word, his hearts twisting even more painfully than they had before, "Friends," he amended, going with that word instead.

He really needed to stop using 'mate' so much if he kept wincing all the time.

A beeping noise sounded behind them, pulling all their attention away, and they turned to head after it, "The signal?" Amy guessed.

"Yes," the Doctor took the lead, needing to distract himself from the awkwardness of before.

"The distress call."

"Uh huh."

"There was a second ship here all this time."

Angel paused, hearing the singing, "Is that the Siren?"

The Doctor hit a button on the door before them and it opened to reveal a dead alien in a spacesuit. They jumped back, the captain grabbing his gun when the Doctor lowered it, "Dead," he looked at it closely, some sort of cross between a rat and a beaver head with a fin in the back of it, decomposed. He led them past the alien, Angel shying as far away from it as she could, pressing a hand to her nose and mouth to try and block the smell that was making her gag a bit and feel slightly ill, and into a main control room, the flight deck, where another alien was in the seat, dead as well. The windows showed the captain's cabin. The Doctor moved to examine the alien, crouching down to peer closely at it as Amy, Angel, and Avery looked through the window.

"You were right," Amy remarked, "There was something staring at us the whole time. How long has this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the captain to have run out of grog," Avery sighed.

"I don't understand, if this is the captain," she looked at the Doctor pulling out his sonic, "Then what's the Siren?"

"Same as us," the Doctor soniced it, "A stowaway."

"I'm not so sure about that..." Angel murmured.

"She killed it," Amy determined.

"Or that."

The Doctor looked at the sonic, "Human bacteria."

"What?" Amy frowned.

"A virus. From our planet. Airborne Travelling through the portal," he put the sonic away, "That's what killed it, didn't get it's jobbbssss…" he leaned over and put his hand in a slime on the console, pulling back and looking at it, disgusted, "Look…"

"What is it?"

"Sneeze! Alien boogies!" he flicked his hand to get some of the slime off before wiping the rest on Amy's jacket as he walked past the unamused ginger, beaming when he caught a bit of a smile on Angel's face.

~8~

The Doctor whipped out the sonic and scanned a very white, sterile room where dozens of people were lying on tables, their shoes and shirts off, with tubes around their throats, arms, and abdomens, monitoring them, "Legraw!" Avery pointed at one, "He's one of my men."

"He's breathing," Angel looked at the man.

"My entire crew is here!" Avery looked around as the Doctor picked up a black block thing and examined it, "Toby!" he ran to his son's side.

"Rory!" Amy spotted him and ran to him.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor rushed over and kissed it while Angel stood in the middle of the room, a small frown on her face as she looked around.

"We have to get him out of here," Avery remarked.

The Doctor ran over to him, "Wait!" and scanned Toby with the sonic, "He's fever's gone," he moved to scan Rory.

"He looks so well," Amy commented as Angel walked over to her as well.

"I think the Siren's been keeping them alive," Angel breathed.

The Doctor read the scan, "His brain is still active but all its cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse," he pulled out the block to reveal a yellow spot on it, "It's a tissue sample. Why get samples of people you're about to kill?"

"I told you," Angel looked at him, "I don't think she's trying to kill anyone."

He frowned, "Then what does she need them for?"

Angel could only shrug, she couldn't see everything.

"Well I'm not waiting to find out," Amy muttered, "Help me get him up?" she asked and the Doctor moved to help un-strap him when Angel tensed and grabbed their arms, pulling them to the side of the room as the Siren's song reached them.

"Avery!" the Doctor hissed, "She's coming!" Avery ran over and joined them, hiding behind a panel. They watched as the Siren entered the room and walked over to the now-awake Rory. She placed a hand over his chest and sang to him, quieting him down to sleep, "Anesthetic," the Doctor realized.

"What?" Avery frowned.

"The music, the song, so she anesthetizes people and puts their bodies in stasis."

And then the Siren moved over to Toby.

"Avery…no!" Angel hissed but Avery didn't listen, he stepped forward and fired at the Siren, making her turn red and angry. She hissed and screeched at him as she stalked towards him.

The Doctor ran out the back of the panel around another table with another crewmember on it and sneezed. The Siren turned to him, creating a fire between her hands and headed after him instead.

"Fire…" his eyes widened, "That's new. Uh…" he ran a hand though his hair, "What does fire do?" he backed away, "Burn, yes. Destroy, what else? Uh, sterilize!" he started to stutter as he pulled out a hanky, "I-I-I-I-I-I I-I sneezed! I'm all germy!" he blew his nose and threw it to the floor where the Siren burned it.

"Amy, stop!" Angel yelled as Amy ran to Rory's side.

"Don't interfere!" the Doctor agreed as the Siren turned and advanced on Amy now, "Don't touch him! Anesthetic, tissue sample, screens, sterile working conditions…uh, ignore all my previous theories!"

"Yeah, well, we stopped paying attention a while back!" Amy informed him, still working to get Rory out.

Angel reached out and pulled Amy back, away from Rory, "She's not trying to kill him Amy, she's trying to heal them...she's a doctor."

Amy dropped her hands and allowed Angel to pull her back as the Siren returned to her calm, green glow.

The Doctor looked around, "This is an automated sick bay! It's teleporting everyone onboard…the crew are dead and so the sick bay's had nothing to do," he stepped over to them, "It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her. A virtual doctor able to sterilize a whole room."

"Able to burn your face off," Amy countered.

"She's just an interface seeped through the join between the planes, broadcast in our world," the Doctor waved her off, "Protein circuitry means she can change her form and become a human doctor for humans," he grinned at the hologram, "Oh, sister, you are good!"

Amy moved to take Rory's collar off and the Siren turned red and hissed at her. Angel quickly pulled her back and the Siren returned green.

"She won't let us take them," Avery realized as he walked to Toby.

"She wasn't meant to handle humans," Angel said slowly as she stared at the Siren, "I'm not sure she knows how to heal them."

"I'm his wife for God sake, why can't I touch him?" Amy looked between her and the Doctor.

"Tell her Amy," the Doctor stepped up and Amy looked at him, confused, "Show her your ring," he reached for Amy's hand and held it up by Rory's, "She may be virtual but she's intelligent. You can't do anything without her consent," he turned to the Siren, showing her the matching rings, "Come on, sophisticated girl like you that must be somewhere in your core program."

The Siren looked at the rings.

"Look, he's very ill, ok?" Amy turned to her as well, "I just want to look after him," the Siren looked at her, "Why won't you let me near my husband?"

The Siren seemed to realize something and tilted her head, holding out her hand and a golden ring appeared around it.

"Consent form," the Doctor whispered to Amy, "Sign it, put your hand in the light. Rory's sick you have to take full responsibility."

Amy put her hand in the light and a moment later the Siren disappeared. She turned to the Doctor before rushing around to his side to help get Rory out. She hit a button and Rory jerked up, gasping for air.

"He can't breathe," Angel cried, "Turn it on!"

Amy hit the button and Rory relaxed, "What do we do? I can't just leave him here."

"He'll die if you take him out," Avery called.

Amy put a hand on Rory's hair, stroking it as she whispered to him, "Rory...Rory wake up."

Rory slowly woke and looked around, "Where am I?"

"In a hospital," Angel told him gently, shifting a bit, she really, really didn't like hospitals of any kind. The only medical room she could stand to be in was the TARDIS med-bay.

"If you leave you might die," the Doctor added.

Amy glared at him a moment before looking back at Rory, "But if you don't...you'll have to stay forever."

"You're saying that if I don't get up now…" Rory began.

"You can never leave."

"The Siren will keep you safe," the Doctor told him.

"And if I come with you…" Rory looked at him.

"Drowning on the point of death."

Rory paused, thinking for a moment before looking at Amy, "I'm a nurse."

"What?" she frowned.

"I can teach you how to save me."

"Wait, hold on…"

"I was drowning, you just have to resuscitate me."

"Just…"

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR, the kiss of life."

"Rory this isn't a film ok!" Amy blinked back her tears, 'What if I do it wrong?"

"You won't," Angel reached out and put a hand on Amy's shoulder.

Amy looked at her, seeing a knowing look in the girl's eyes before looking at Rory again, "Ok, what if you don't come back to life? What if…"

"I trust you," Rory told her softly, taking her hand without moving much, squeezing it.

"What about them?" she nodded at the Doctor and Angel, "Hmm? I mean, why do I have to be the one? Why do I have to save you?"

"'Cos I know you'll never give up."

Amy nodded, knowing the Doctor, despite being called that, given all he didn't tell them, might not have passed any exams to really be qualified to be one and Angel, bless her, she probably had no idea how the Vortex would be used to try and replace CPR for a human, if it even could. She'd seen it heal physical wounds, but...could it revive someone? Angel had told them stories of her brother Jack, of what had happened to him, but how that had been the Vortex in control of her, would she be able to do that while SHE still had control? She couldn't risk it.

Rory smiled and started to explain the process to her as the Doctor walked over to Avery, Angel taking his place beside Amy, offering support.

"We have to send the ship back into space," the Doctor told the man, "Can you imagine if the Siren got ashore? She would have to process every injured human."

"What about Toby?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. Typhoid Fever, once he returns it's only a matter of time…"

"What if I stay with him? Here? The Siren will look after him," the Doctor considered it, "I can't go back to England. What home does he have now if not with me?"

He nodded, proud the man had finally realized the treasure he had in front of him, "You think you can sail this thing?"

"Just point me to the atom accelerator."

The Doctor laughed and patted him on the shoulder, walking back to Amy, Angel, and Rory, "I know you can do this," Rory told his wife, "Of course if you muck it up I'm going to be very cross…and dead."

Angel put a hand on Amy's shoulder, squeezing it, "You won't muck it up Amy."

Amy swallowed hard and looked at Rory, stroking his face once more, "I'll see you in a minute."

Rory nodded and prepared himself. The three of them then started ripping the straps and pads off him. Rory gasped, unable to breathe, and they hauled him to the TARDIS, laying him on the floor. Amy dropped to her knees beside him, doing 5 compressions and a breath.

Nothing.

The Doctor nodded encouragingly at her. 5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

Angel put a hand on Amy's back, rubbing it as Amy worked, "Come on Rory!" she whispered.

"Not here," the Doctor agreed, "Not this way, not today!"

5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

"He trusted me," Amy started to cry, "He trusted me to save him!"

"You still can," Angel told her, "You can do it. Rory's not the only one who believes in you."

Amy started again, "Come on!" the Doctor added.

5 compressions, 1 breath.

Nothing.

"No!" Amy cried.

5 compressions, 1 breath...

Nothing.

"Please, please, please, please, please, wake up!" Amy started to beg as she worked, "Please, please…"

5 compressions, 1 breath...

...nothing.

Amy started to cry as the Doctor fell back on his heels. She pushed herself up and looked at Rory but he didn't move. Amy turned to Angel, falling into the girl's arms and sobbed as the Doctor looked away.

Angel just smiled, "You did it Amy."

Amy pulled back and looked at her sharply...when Rory started choking on water and coughing. He rolled on his side as Amy and the Doctor looked on, stunned, Angel just smiling away, she said Amy could do it!

Rory gasped for air and the Doctor jumped up in delight as Amy helped her husband sit up, "Amy…" Rory breathed as she smiled, "Amy you did it! You did it!" he hugged her tightly as she hugged him back, crying into his shoulder as Angel sat back and smiled at them both, tears of relief in her eyes.

~8~

Avery and Toby sat at the controls of the ship, Toby with the medical tube around his neck but awake. They shared a smile, looking out at Sirius as the other crewmembers walked in.

~8~

Angel, Amy, and Rory were walking up the stairs, Rory in a blue bathrobe, ready for some sleep, even Angel was exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the last few hours, "I thought I was an excellent pirate," Amy commented as Angel laughed.

"I thought you were an excellent nurse," Rory remarked.

"Easy tiger," she laughed before turning to the Doctor who was still at the console, "Good night Doctor."

"Good night Amelia," he stood at the monitor, tense.

"You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me," Amy eyed him, suspicious.

"I always worry about you."

"We both do," Angel told her.

Amy glanced at Angel and then back at the Doctor, "Mutual."

"Go to bed, Pond!" the Doctor looked at her.

Angel rolled her eyes at him before putting an arm around Amy's shoulders, knowing the terror of losing...nearly losing...someone you love and offering extra support as they walked up the stairs with Rory.

The Doctor looked back at the scanner.

Amelia Pond
Full body scan in progress
Pregnancy…

He sighed, it was still flashing positive/negative. He looked back at the stairs, "Oh Amelia…" he rubbed his head, his hand falling to his mouth as he stared at it a moment longer, before flicking the monitor off and heading off to bed as well.

~8~

He was kissing her, he was kissing her deeply, both of them flush against each other, pressed against the door to his room, having stumbled in with him clumsily trying to shut it with his foot. Her black hair was soft, so soft he couldn't help but run his fingers through it, something she seemed to delight in doing in return...making him let out a low moan at the sensation of her fingers running through his own hair. It felt so good, so...intimate...truly a sensation he could only imagine her being able to inspire in him. His one arm wound around her waist, wedging itself between her back and the wall, uncomfortable yes, but it allowed him to pull her closer, to pull himself closer to her and that was all he wanted, to be as close to her as he could be.

She wound her arms around his neck and he could feel her move onto her toes to press herself more firmly into his kiss, never before had he been more thankful for their respiratory bypass systems that let them kiss like this, so long, without needing to break for air. Though there was one thing he needed to break for, clarity.

He never had that around her, clarity, his thoughts were always consumed by her, by her eyes, her smile, her body, her hearts, her soul...everything. His mind thought of her constantly, his hearts beat for her, his soul yearned for her. It had been calling out to her for years now, wanting to claim her as his so completely and in a way no one else would ever be able to. And that was what he wanted, badly, what he'd wanted for so long, what he'd fought and restrained himself against rushing into. But he needed her now, and now...they were both ready. Now he had the chance to make her his forever and in every single way.

He pulled his lips away from hers, panting as he reached a hand up to cup her cheek, lightly stroking it with a finger, staring into her liquid silver eyes, so captivating how those little speckles of gold seemed to shine in the false moonlight, "Are you sure?" he had to ask, just once.

He could only manage to ask her one more time...he wouldn't be able to stop himself in a moment.

She just smiled at him, pushing herself up to give him a peck, laughing as his head tried to follow her down, wanting to reclaim her lips, "More than anything," she told him, sounding so...happy...

His hearts swelled at hearing that, at hearing that tone in her voice, at knowing HE had done it, that HE had made her that happy, at knowing that HE was the only one who could make her so.

She looked up at him, his breath catching in his throat, she was so...beautiful. Her hair was a mess from his weaving fingers, her clothes wrinkled from his wandering hands, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining, and there may or may not have been tiny nibble marks on her neck from his eagerness, her lips were just lightly swollen from his fevered kisses and her chest was heaving from how she couldn't catch her breath, and she had never looked more lovely to him.

"I love you," she told him in a whisper, all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes.

He beamed at that, "My Angel..."

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and he scrambled from where he'd fallen asleep on his side, clutching a pillow to his chest as he laid in bed, moving in frantic motions till he was sitting up, panting. The sheets were tangled around him, a fine layer of sweat covered his entire body yet he was shaking as though chilled, clutching the pillow more firmly to him as he looked around, completely thrown.

He panted, trying to catch his breath before he winced and pressed a hand to his forehead, his head throbbing.

What had THAT been?!

The dream played itself over in his mind, making him flush at the mere memory of it, of imagining him and Angel in such a position. He had, admittedly, had small, tiny fantasies about the Time Lady on and off but this...this was so far beyond...he didn't know what to think. He really didn't because...this wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of something like that.

Ever since he'd regenerated, he hadn't really dreamed much, he hadn't really ever been able to fall asleep or stay asleep to think of it. But, he'd noticed, ever since they'd dealt with the Silence, that...his dreams had become more vivid...and all of them centered around Angel. He'd like to think it was just a result of her threatening to leave, that it was his mind playing tricks on him, trying to make her seem more important to him...as though she weren't already the most important person in his life...but...it had happened even before that moment.

Really, it had started in Area 51.

He and Angel, due to not being able to communicate with Canton, had both agreed to think of the aliens, the Silence, as much as they could, to refresh the information so to speak. They'd both tried to keep the aliens in mind, to not forget them, to make themselves remember them if they did forget. It was...odd...an odd feeling to try and remember something you'd forgotten and...for some reason, it had been harder for him to keep the Silence in mind. He had to put more effort into remembering them.

He didn't understand what it could be, perhaps it had been a result of the year with Angel while the Ponds were away and then the three extra months in Area 51 that had just...made Angel a more prominent thought in his mind. It had really been just them for quite a while, it was understandable that, with her being so often in his thoughts, she would make her way to his dreams as well.

But most of them were...not like this one. Most were of them doing something else, like...dancing or talking or having fun in the pool or sitting in the library...not...he swallowed...not THAT. He let out a shuddering breath, feeling his hearts start to race, his body flushing at the reminder of the dream.

He hugged the pillow closer to him, oddly enough the only way he was able to fall asleep and have some chance of staying asleep lately was to hold a pillow to him, and buried his nose in it, inhaling deeply as he tried to calm himself. He took quite a few deep breaths before lying back down on his back, turning over a moment later to his side and staring at the back wall. He blinked a few times before closing his eyes, just...wanting to get back to sleep instead of dealing with trying to think about what the dream could mean, it was just a dream, just...a figment of his imagination...a rather...pleasant figment. He winced and shook his head, banishing the thought, he should not be thinking of Angel that way, that was wrong.

Slowly as he fell back asleep, one thought kept niggling in his mind...why was it wrong?

A/N: So I worked something out! Every so often I check an author who had plagiarized my Lunar Cycle's story to make sure it's not still happening and, at times, I check reviews to see if anyone picked up something I didn't. What do I find? Tons of guest reviews that say pretty much the same thing, praising the story, and it seems like it might be the same person who left the repetitive anti-Angel ones here hating on mine lol :) They even use the same names at points. Even more ironic they appear to love Doctor/OC pairings, whereas they claim to only ship Doctor/River in the 'bashes' for this story lol :) I laughed SO hard because they were hating on mine when the one they love so much originally stole from me :) lol, I don't even think they're aware of that either :)

But as for this chapter...ahhhh! The Doctor healed Angel with his regeneration energy! He's come a pretty long way from the start of his 11th self eh? ;) And it seems the Silence, or at least his efforts to remember them, are having an affect on him. But he's still denying quite a bit isn't he, still thinks it's just fantasies -sigh- Oh Doctor you are just too oblivious! But since he won't come in contact with the Silence for a very long while, he probably won't be putting much effort into it in the future :( So we still don't know when he'll remember :( He's rather good at distracting himself and convincing himself he's just imagining things isn't he? Grrr, Doctor! -shakes fist- lol, but I hope you liked that little end scene there ;) But here's a question...is he really remembering? Or is it really a fantasy? Or is it both? ;) I sort of like the both idea but with a bit more fantasy to it ;) And with the Silence being forgotten till the end of the series (lol, see what I did there?) I think that'll open up many more true fantasy moments ;)

Here's a tiny little thing to look at/think about...what's up with the pillow? ;)

And wow! We just might make it to the next sneak peek in the next chapter, and then we'll be only 100 away from the Series 7 teaser(!) and nearly halfway to the 'when will he remember' answer! ^-^ You guys are amazing :) ...and I just realized we're about 2/3 through the saga! Wow time flies! lol :)

Some notes on reviews...

I really liked that Star Wars reference too because it sort of puts into perspective why Angel lets River get away with as much as she does, she can see exactly what she might become if she lets her anger/hate rule her and she's just trying not to let that happen and hang onto the good in her :) Oh there'll be quite a few twists for Clara ;) I think Angel's almost at the point where she's just...so used to him not noticing her that she doesn't notice when he actually does :( Especially being so far along with her pregnancy and knowing that (to her) there's still a chance she could lose the baby at any moment and it would hurt that much more as she's had it longer, she's focusing more on that too :) She's definitely a strong person in quite a few senses of the word, I think she just needs to see that again ;) And no worries, you go on as long as you'd like :)

Idris might hang around a bit, but it might not be in a way you expect ;) But omg, I could imagine Jack flirting with Idris and her just going along with it :)

That's a great song, I think it definitely fits as a theme :)

It's not so much Angel's responsible for a plague, but more the people blamed her/thought she brought the plague. I agree though, I wouldn't put it past River to be the cause and pin it on Angel :) We'll have to see if Angel will have a Ganger or not. I think she'd be aware of the fact that the Ganger would have to deal with the pregnancy and all her own suffering and she might not want the Ganger to have to endure that and avoid making one. It'll depend, but we'll have to see };) They might have, but then again, they might not have had anything to do with it, River might not even have anything to do with it. I can say though that we'll find out fairly soon after the Doctor remembers exactly why he forgot ;) There's a twist I have planned for River/Amy/Rory that might just make them quite a bit less close than they are in the show so it's a very real possibility that they might distance themselves from her if she had something to do with the amnesia or the baby being lost :) I didn't get that either, she flat out says she's a psychopath, tries to kill the Doctor, threatens a restaurant full of people, and they just turn a blind eye to it. That won't be happening here ;)

I'm sorry you have to go to a party you're not excited for :( I hope you do manage to have a little bit of fun though and I'm sure you'll look amazing in your formal wear :)

I sort of see Idris as an owl, just staring wide eyed at things and tilting her head a lot :) No idea why lol :)

I'm glad you like the story so far! ^-^ I definitely tried to keep the characters as true to the show and their own backgrounds as possible and keep Angel from being too powerful or doing too much, saving every single person and so on, there are people she can't save just like there are people she can :) Oh I can't wait till Idris either :)

I can say that Angel will be a bit more active in upcoming chapters, especially with Idris, the TARDIS alive and walking and talking (and hugging) is, I think, just what she needs at this point :) She'll have a much bigger role in those chapters and we'll learn quite a bit more about her and some things the TARDIS did regarding her :) Lol, I have no idea why anyone would read a story they don't like, I know I'd much rather spend my time writing than going to work, but sadly I need a paycheck lol :)

I've definitely got a twist in mind for how River knows his name. But...will it be something like in the Wedding? Will he really tell her his name? Not saying }:)

Angel might just be in AGMGTW, along with Rory and the Doctor and Vastra/Jenny/Strax, etc ;) But yup, if we hit 1000 I will flat out say what episode the Doctor remembers in :) And congrats! I'm glad you're all caught up, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)

Si le français est plus facile pour vous, je peux probablement obtenir des traductions étroits avec Google Translate. Mais j'apprécie l'effort et je suis si heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire :) ...I'm not sure if that translated correctly, I used Google Translate, but what I was trying to say was 'If French is easier for you, I can probably get close translations with Google Translate. But I appreciate the effort and I'm so glad you enjoy the story :)' I think that can go for everyone too, if another language is easier to review in, please feel free to leave one in that language and I'll try to respond back in the same one if I can find it on Google Translate. If I can't seem to get what might be a close translation, I'll put a note in asking for what the message was in English, but so far Google Translate has worked pretty good for me so whatever is easier for you :) If you'd like I can try to respond back in French in the future, using Google Translate, just let me know :) For this review though (since I'm not sure how accurate or understandable the first translation was) I'm just going to answer in English :) It's not a stupid question at all, I don't think there's a such thing as that :) I can say that the Whitepoint Star isn't involved in his amnesia though, nope :) I can say that someone very soon will be pointing out quite a few things to the Doctor about his reactions and gaps, but it might not be Angel, we'll have to wait and see who it is :) And that's awesome, I love seeing people's opinions on things no worries :)

I can say that River at almost every point in her life will dislike Angel :( And there'll be reasons behind it, which actually just sort of grow and become more twisted and added to the older she gets :) She'll dislike Angel for a number of things :( There's quite a few twists for Melody, but in a way, she almost can't be saved as River has already grown up to have that background and history. But we'll have to see what other twists there are :)

Oh I think the companions will have very mixed reactions and things to say when they find out lol :) I can't say exactly if they'll know before or after he remembers, only because I have a few twists to come for that :)

Lol, I think a lot of people wish I could kill River right now :) But nope, she's got to make it to the Library :)

I'm glad you're enjoying the stories :) I can say Rory will definitely scold his daughter yup ;) I wish fanfics could be turned into movies too. Lol, I always sort of see them play out like one in my head as I write/read mine :)

That's a great video! Thanks for the suggestion :) I'm planning to update my video page on my tumblr this weekend and I'll be sure to add it! :)

I haven't made it through much of Twilight, I just couldn't really get into it. So all I know is from wikipedia pages and when my roommates would want to watch the DVD or something. From what I know if it though, I disagree with the thought that DW is like Twilight. Mostly because it seemed like there really wasn't an obvious answer of who would be picked in Twilight, hence all those team things, but with DW you sort of knew Amy would end up with Rory and the fact that one side was actually NOT immortal while the other was so there's another difference :) And I think it's pretty much something every couple in love does, get married, have a baby, so really that can't be counted for either show/story because it's what everyone does, it would be the same :) A big difference is that Amy didn't really get to raise her baby like (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) Twilight did, she didn't feed her baby or teach it to walk or talk or anything, she lost all that time and had no idea her friend was her daughter and it wasn't like she was there with Mels 24/7 raising her so it's really like she didn't have a baby at all :( I can't quite see the triangle thing either because (again, based on summaries), the baby in Twilight the guy had no choice in loving, and had to wait for the baby to grow up. With the Doctor he meets her only as an adult and has no idea she's the child of his companions. I don't really see a connection to Twilight with DW and I'm sure Twilight might have more similarities to other books/shows that were already out there before it was published than DW has to Twilight :)

Lol, that's cool, I love random questions :) I took Latin in High School :)

I can't say when the fluff will return }:) It might be before he remembers, if he realizes he's falling(/has fallen) in love with Angel again, or it might be after he remembers :)

I want to dress up, I have an old black, medieval dress from Halloween in High School that still fits me, but my sister has promptly told me she'll disappear in the crowd and pretend like she doesn't know me if I do lol. And our parents are severely protective of us so we're only allowed to go (despite us both being over 21) if we stick together, which I wouldn't feel comfortable not doing anyway. She's my little sister, I have to stick by her and make sure she's ok and has a great time :) So no costume for me :( Maybe next year though :) I'm thinking I'll wear my DW shirt though ;)

Oh I imagine things will be very awkward and tense for the Pond family ;)

There are quite a few reasons River dislikes Angel besides being in love with the Doctor herself yup :) We'll find out quite a few of them as we go :) I can say that River will dislike Angel from nearly every point in her timeline, even as a young child yup, we'll see a reason for that though :) I can't say whether she has a choice or not in shooting Angel, but she does have quite a few reasons (whether they're good ones or not) to dislike Angel enough to want to kill her :( I can't say if River has a hand in what happens to the baby either, we'll have to wait and see for that }:) But as for Darillium, there'll be a twist that puts a new spin on that to explain the trip :) Angel won't kill River because, for one, she has to make it to the Library at the end of her timeline to save them in Series 4 so she sort of has to live, and she's also (even if Angel doesn't know yet) her companion (her brother)'s daughter, so in a twisted way River is like family to Angel...though not really. And I can't quite see Angel killing anyone in cold blood :)

I definitely tried to use this episode to look a bit more at Angel and her thoughts/feelings on things, along with the Doctor's, just to make up for how much I wasn't a fan of it either :)

No problem at all! The flashback was from Hearts to Hearts, Chapter 33 :)

I don't think she'll be holding Melody when River reveals her identity, in the show the baby-Ganger had disappeared by then :( But I think the baby would be crying more for the noise the TARDIS makes lol, I think, that early in her timeline River wouldn't really know what's going on, so maybe no dislike for Angel at that point at least :)