Note: Enjoy some Classic Who call backs in this chapter courtesy of TARDIS Data Core Wiki...if you want to know *anything* Doctor just head on over there and they can help. I've seen some Classic Who, but I'm basically NuWhovian scum, giggle.


Chapter Twelve

"Okay...I try not to be the jealous type, I really do, and in all fairness I think I've been fairly cool and understanding all things considered. But if you two are going to start running off together and coming back all holding hands, and shirt buttons all done up wrong, and...and bow tie all *untied*, I am really going to have to start...I don't know...putting my foot down...or something."

"You're so cute when you're insecure." Amy chuckled at Rory.

"You must think him down right adorable right now." The Doctor teased.

Rory crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look menacing. Amy released her hold on the Doctor's hand and walked over to Rory. The Doctor looked down and noticed that Rory was right, Amy hadn't lined his buttons up right. He worked on correcting the situation and retying the bow. Amy put her arms around Rory's waist, he tried to still look upset.

"Don't pout, Mr. Pond." Amy kissed Rory's cheek. "I love you, you know that."

"Yeah...I know." Rory tried not to smile but failed. He looked at the Doctor and back at Amy. "Everything alright now?"

"Right as rain!" The Doctor exclaimed as he twirled around in place with his usual over abundance of energy.

"Whatever that means." Amy muttered. "That saying never made any sense to me. I mean I know that it means that everything is in good order, but why?"

"Oh! I know why!" The Doctor said as he put the finishing touches on his bow tie. "Took me a long time to hunt that one down. One of the more slippery sayings that I went looking for."

"I'm sorry, what?" Rory asked confused.

"'Right as rain.', I went looking for it. When you have a time machine you can go back and forth until you pin point where an idiom is born in a language. William Lyon Phelps told me the expression must have been invented by an Englishman since all it ever does in London is rain, if it's raining everything is clearly in order in England and therefore if it's raining everything must be all right. Right as rain. He also said we might as well say 'Wrong as sunshine'. Brilliant man but typical American attitude towards Britain's weather. ...he wasn't wrong though."

Amy and Rory just stared at the Doctor as he rambled. When he was done Rory raised his eyebrows as he turned to Amy.

"At least he sounds more like himself." Rory noted. "Which I guess is good."

"Of course it's good," the Doctor eyed Rory questioningly "why wouldn't it be good? Never mind. Don't answer that. I suppose we should tell you what is going on."

"That would be nice. Yes."

Rory listened carefully as the Doctor and Amy took turns explaining to him everything they had seen in the corridor and their theories on the fate of the inhabitants of the ship. Rory didn't ask any questions while they talked. When they were done Rory was silent for moment while he thought about it.

"So...we are going to bring the people who were experimenting on you, despite you begging them not to and warning them this might happen, out of the time distortion and back onto the ship and then basically hope that they don't want to kill us?" Rory summarized.

"Yes." Amy nodded.

"And we all agree that's a good idea?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"And how are we going to do that?"

"By doing something extraordinarily clever!" The Doctor beamed.

"Such as?"

"I don't know, I haven't figured that part out yet." The Doctor admitted in a more subdued tone. "I'm much too hungry to think."

"Hungry?" Rory repeated. "You've *got* to be kidding."

"No, I'm not, honest. Speaking of idioms 'I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse'...actually that sounds really good right about now."

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed in horror.

"What? I'm starving." The Doctor complained pitifully.

"You just ate enough to put an All You Can Eat restaurant out of business, like four hours ago." Rory pointed out.

"I know." The Doctor agreed. "I didn't think this body would be this much work, but I'm absolutely famished. I've trying to ignore for the past hour it but it's just getting worse."

"This isn't normal." Rory reached out put the back of his hand against the Doctor's forehead check his temperature.

"There is no telling what is normal for me," the Doctor said as he dogged Rory's hand "I'm not quite human, I'm not exactly Time Lord, this is just how it i..."

"It's easy enough to fix." Amy interrupted. "Eat first, save mystery people stuck in time second. Sound like a plan?"

The Doctor brightened at Amy's suggestion and ran off up the stairs and disappeared. Rory and Amy waited for a moment. The Doctor reappeared at the top of the stairs with a sheepish look.

"Kitchen is downstairs, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yup." Amy said simply.

"Right." The Doctor said as he corrected his course. He paused at the doorway and looked back at the pair. "Can I get either of you anything? Tea, Jammy Dogger...rack of lamb?"

"Uh...no, thanks, all good." Rory declined.

"I'm fine." Amy added.

"You're sure? It's no trouble."

"We're sure." Amy replied for them both.

The Doctor waited for another second in case they changed their mind and then disappeared down the hall. Amy stared sightlessly at the empty doorway, lost in thought. Rory shifted his weight uncomfortably. He had really hoped that when the pair came back that Amy would have talked the Doctor into taking them home.

"Should we be worried about his eating?" Rory asked seriously.

"One problem at a time, Rory."

"Right. Speaking of which...what happened to you being glad that everyone on board was dead?"

"The Doctor put me back on the right path."

Winding his way through corridors of the TARDIS the Doctor wrapped his arms over his stomach and did his best not to start dry heaving. He had tried to act as though the unusual hunger didn't worry him too much around Amy and Rory for their sakes, but it terrified him. Getting to the kitchen he tore into a package of sugar. Dumping the full pound of sugar into a bowl he added just enough water to make it easy to swallow. Tipping the bowl up he sucked down the sugar water.

Feeling slightly better the Doctor went through the cabinets in search of anything sweet. He quickly learned that the regular sugars in the kitchen were not enough to satisfy his hunger. Against the back wall was a locked cabinet glass display cabinet full of beautiful glass jars filled with all colours of thick liquids. Over the centuries he had been gifted the most spectacular syrups, jellies, and honeys from every corner of Space and Time.

Without even thinking about it the Doctor raced over the cabinet and used the sonic to unlock it. He carelessly gathered them all up in armfuls and brought them to the floor. Surrounded by the diverse glass jars the Doctor sat cross legged on the floor. Frantically opening jars that he had treasured for so long the Doctor drank the thick saccharine treats as quickly as he could manage.

Half an hour later the Doctor was covered in sticky sweet residue but the hunger was finally gone. He looked down at the empty glass jars of his decimated collection with a sudden pang remorse. He was glad Amy wasn't here, if she had touched him the full jars would have glowed just like the books. He hated to think what they would look like now that they had been ripped open and carelessly consumed.

The Doctor reached out slowly and picked up a plain looking jar from the floor. The a now empty glass had held a very rare hibiscus blossom honey from Wales, a gift from his dear friend Goronwy during his Seventh regeneration. In his eating frenzy he couldn't even remember what it tasted like among all the other sweets. Sighing heavily the Doctor put the lid back on the nearly empty jar. He got to his feet and gently placed it back in its place in the display case. He kept his hand on the jar.

"I don't know what's happening, but I'll figure it out. And I won't let Amy and Rory pay for any mistakes I make along the way, I promise. No matter what path that may take me on."