A/N: Thanks again to everyone for reading/ following/ etc. :D I'd also like to say a special thank you to those who have left reviews. I love reading what you guys think and it really motivates me! xoxo

The Doctor continued on with his traveling, and he felt elated to be back at it. There was so very much to see and explore and so many beings who needed his help. The Doctor not traveling was like the Doctor going without his beloved bowtie. It just wasn't right.

So when he stepped outside of the TARDIS doors for the first time after that horrendous accident, an infectious grin spread over his face. He took in the dazzling sight of purple bushes and orange grass. A flying car whizzed overhead, and a pack of glass skyscrapers set across a large meadow reached for the heavens. Walking over the crunchy grass, the Doctor threw his hands up and spun around.

"Hello! I'm back!" he announced even though he stood alone in that field.

True to form, he wandered around gleefully taking in the sights, sniffing things, and occasionally licking objects until something extremely very not good caught his eye. And with that, he spent the next hours breathlessly running down streets and amidst buildings with a group of good-natured and concerned aliens, except for that grumpy one. Soon, evil was defeated.

Well, at least on that particular planet.

The Doctor strolled through the meadow after saluting and waving goodbye to his allies. With a happy sigh and a content smile, he made his way back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor was back traveling and it couldn't be more glorious.

Except for one thing.

His mad, magnificent Pond wasn't by his side. He reminded himself to just give her time and to continue on his own path.

He wasn't really alone anyway. Amy was always on the other side of those doors no matter where he went. But it wasn't the same. He didn't have his girl with him to share in all the experiences, good or bad. He couldn't return to the TARDIS where the two of them unprompted, would burst out laughing over something silly they saw. She wasn't there to curl up next to him when he bemoaned the brutality of some aliens. But he continued on. He wouldn't be the Doctor otherwise, and he would never run away from the promise he made with himself.

So after each of his adventures, he would return straight to Amy, kiss her forehead, and ask how her day had been. Sometimes he came home to her in tears, but that happened less and less. As soon as he stepped foot inside the TARDIS, he completely devoted himself to her, helping in any way he could. He always kept a sharp eye out for any changes in her behavior that would suggest he should cease traveling for awhile, but he never saw anything. Nevertheless, the Doctor refrained from telling her about his adventures. She never asked and he never brought it up. He missed her coming along of course, but he wouldn't give her any indication of how he felt. She needed time and space to herself, and he could easily give her that.

So several months later when Amy approached him with the subject, he couldn't restrain his joy.

He sat on his swing, wearing those ridiculous safety glasses as he tinkered with wiring and cables. Amy drifted down the stairs and walked toward him as he continued to work.

"Let's go," Amy quietly spoke.

The Doctor released his hold on some cables and looked at her. A wry grin began to creep over his face.

"Where?" he asked.

"Wherever you like," Amy said with a giggle.

The Doctor expressed his elation at hearing his own words repeated back at him in the only way he knew how. Exuberantly.

He ripped the glasses off his head, ran over to her, hoisted her up in the air, and proceeded to twirl around.

"Doctor!" she screeched, laughing all the while. She tucked her head against his shoulder, smiling and squealing into his tweed jacket.

He set her down but continued to hold her.

"Sorry Amy! I'm just so… ahh!" he bubbled as he gestured wildly.

He then sobered a bit when a thought crossed his mind.

"Right now?" he asked in eager anticipation.

Amy laughed. "Yeah, right now," she confirmed with a sweet smile.

The Doctor's childlike grin returned, and he abruptly kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand and racing up the stairs.

Only when he reached the console did he let her go, since he needed both hands to excitedly hit buttons and flip switches. He scurried around the console to pilot the TARDIS in record time. Amy ran and grabbed a hold of the console's edge to ready herself for the coming rough landing. When it came, she grinned over at him with a twinkle in her eye.

The Doctor did his best to compose himself before walking over to join her. He held out his hand and gave her another broad grin.

"Come along Pond."

Amy returned his excited grin and grasped his hand. As they ran to the doors, the Doctor couldn't have felt happier.

She's back.

Everyone, except for Rick and Hershel, gathered together again in the side cell to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Amy sat with Beth who held the sleeping baby with one arm while picking away at some food. The clack of crutches sounded from the hallway beyond the side cell, and they directed their attention to the outer gate to see Hershel standing there. Carl scrambled to his feet with keys in hand to let him in.

"How'd it go?" Carol asked. A concerned frown tugged at her lips.

Hershel just shook his head as he took a seat at one of the tables. Carl locked the door and rejoined the others.

Once Hershel sat, he said, "I tried to tell him that Lori was sorry for the things she had done. She told me she was going to tell Rick that someday. I don't know if he really believed it though."

Hershel paused a bit. Amy could tell everyone was deep in thought, and she figured some were reflecting on what they had seen of Rick and Lori's relationship. Amy herself finally found out about the tumultuous nature of their relationship a couple of weeks before this tragedy.

"He doesn't want to stay here. Doesn't feel its safe," Hershel broke the silence.

Amy's concern rose upon hearing that. That thought had crossed her mind too.

"We're not safe anywhere," Daryl replied.

Hershel nodded in agreement.

"I told him he has gotten us so far. He just needs to take care of himself right now," Hershel concluded.

This didn't make Amy feel any better, and she got the impression they weren't going anywhere despite Rick's concerns. But she reminded herself that Rick indeed was not in his right mind. If the others felt the prison was their safest option that was good enough. With Rick away and unstable, Amy still could not help but feel vulnerable. She knew she didn't need to feel that way though. There were so many strong people in their group.

The baby started to fuss then, breaking Amy from her thoughts. Beth set down her fork to bounce the baby, but she continued to cry.

"She had some formula not too long ago," Beth thought out loud as her brow furrowed in mild confusion. "Unless…" Beth lowered her head toward the baby and made a sniffing noise. "Yep, she needs a diaper change," she concluded.

"Here," Amy said as she reached for the baby. "You finish eating. I'll take care of her."

Beth handed the baby over to Amy. "I'll be right over," she said as she began to gobble down her food.

Amy smiled at Beth's enthusiasm for the little baby. Situating the infant in her arms, Amy grinned down at her.

"Hi there, little one," Amy cooed.

The little one, however, did not reciprocate the sentiment and cried all the louder.

"Alright, alright. We're going," Amy murmured. She rose to her feet and Carol joined her.

"I'll give you a hand," Carol said.

The two women retreated to Carol's cell. Amy rocked the baby in her arms as she watched Carol grab a nappy and a worn blanket.

"I've been using this old blanket to lay her on," Carol explained as she smoothed it over the lower bunk.

Carol scooted over to the bed's end, and Amy knelt down to set the baby upon the blanket. The baby continued to scream and squirm, but Amy set to work undoing the safety pins. Carol leaned over and stroked the baby's head in an effort to comfort her. Amy slid the soiled nappy out from underneath the baby and replaced it with a clean one. She carefully clipped the safety pins in place before rising to set aside the dirty nappy. Carol took the baby in her arms and she soon quieted.

Both women heard the sound of jogging feet and looked up to see Beth rushing inside.

"How is she?" Beth asked quickly.

"Better now," Carol replied with a smile. After a pause she continued on, "I'm thinking we should rotate nights looking after her. That way none of us will get completely exhausted. I'm still feeling pretty good so I can take her again tonight."

"I can take her tomorrow night," Beth offered.

"You feel comfortable with that?" Carol asked.

"I do."

"That'll be great." Carol smiled again.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me." She picked up the dirty nappy and made her way to the cell door. "I'm going to finish the laundry," she said over her shoulder as she exited.

After another quick jog through the courtyard, Amy reached the lines and plucked the clothes off them. While she folded up the clothes, her thoughts turned to the added responsibility of taking care of this child. All their lives had changed overnight, both for good and for bad. It was a strange situation; they were all now responsible to collectively raise a child during the worst possible time.

It was devastating to think that this sweet girl would not be raised by her real mother. That she would never even get to meet her. Something swelled in Amy's heart then to do her best to help the others provide the next best thing for this child.

The next shirt on the line she reached for belonged to T-Dog. Amy's breath hitched in her chest seeing it. She took a couple deep breaths trying to hold it together before gently folding the shirt and tucking it underneath the others in the basket. She would have to stash it away in the side cell when no one was around.

Amy soon gathered the rest of the clothing and made her way back inside with the full basket. On the main floor, a few of the group silently gathered around and collected their few articles of clothing. Amy ascended the stairs to drop off her stuff and Daryl's rag on his makeshift bed.

Back downstairs, Amy made a quick detour to the side cell seeing no one was inside. Wanting to get this over with, Amy quickly stashed T-Dog's shirt in a box on a shelf. She exited the cell with a sick feeling in her gut, but she still had one more stop to make.

Amy peeked inside Hershel's cell to see him sitting on the lower bunk.

"I've got a shirt and pair of pants here for you," Amy said with a smile while handing it over.

"How's your arm?" he asked while accepting the clothing.

"Fine," she answered.

"Good. Do you have time to get that changed?" Hershel asked while motioning to the bandage.

"Yeah," she said. Knowing the drill, Amy retrieved Hershel's black medical bag and took a seat beside him.

As Hershel gently unwound the tape and pried away the bandage, Amy thought about Rick.

"Has anyone else besides you and Glenn talked to Rick?" she asked.

"I don't think so. He's not taking too kindly to having company," Hershel said while examining Amy's wound.

Amy also looked briefly down at the pink wound. It already looked better.

"Where's he at?"

Hershel looked concerned then. "I don't know if that's a…"

"I know," she reassured. "I still want to try."

Hershel sighed quietly before reaching for some fresh gauze.

"I was in the side cell not too long ago and heard him walk through the hallway. Try the catwalk." After a pause he squeezed her hand and added, "It's sweet of you to try."

Amy sent him a sad smile in return.

Hershel soon taped up the bandage and informed her it was healing nicely.

Amy thanked him before leaving with the laundry basket and returning it to the cell block.

Amy's heart rate quickened as she unlocked the door leading out to the hallway. Locking the door back up, she pocketed the keys and wound through the hallways to the stairs.

She felt for Rick, she really did, but she had never really connected with him before. He usually acted so aloof around her and hearing that he had been unstable lately did nothing to calm her nerves. But something tugged at her heart, so she continued up the stairs.

Whatever she felt about Rick, she pushed aside. None of that mattered now. Her questions of his character would have to wait for another day. All she saw in her mind was a man who had deeply suffered from a traumatic event. Having faced a similar situation herself, she felt compassion for him and was determined to help.

Amy edged the door to the fenced-in catwalk open and looked out onto it. The orange glow of evening settled around them. There, she saw Rick for the first time since the courtyard. He stood staring far off into the distance and grasping the fence in front of him with one hand. Amy stepped out and quietly clicked the door shut behind her. Slowly, she approached him.

Stopping at a respectable distance, Amy joined him in staring past the fence. After a moment she hesitantly dared to take a look at him, but he did not respond. Rick paid no attention to Amy's presence, and his eyes held a harsh glint. She easily saw how much tension he carried. His back looked stiff, and his knuckles turned white from his grip on the fence.

Amy quickly looked away, knowing that staring at him would not help any.

He didn't need this. What he needed was to push the group's worries away and deal with his own stuff. Instead, he stood there with his grief buried inside a brick wall. While Amy realized there was no relaxing in this kind of situation, she wished he'd do something, anything, so long as it wasn't done in violence. Everything about him was so rigid, as if he let down his guard even a little bit, everything would come crashing down. Amy wondered if the only emotion the group would see from him had already happened in the courtyard.

As she worked up the courage to speak to him, her heart thudded in her ears.

Softly she spoke, "I know what it's like."

Amy didn't think it possible given what she had already seen, but Rick grew tenser. His eyes darkened a shade before angling his shoulders away from her.

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Rick growled under his breath. His jaw clenched tight and he continued to look forward.

Amy remembered Hershel's caution and seriously thought she was out of line to be speaking to him, but she forced herself to answer.

"I lost my husband."

Rick blinked before shifting his gaze to his feet, and Amy grabbed this opening to continue.

"I know there's nothing that can be said and how nothing makes sense right now. Just know that you're not alone in this."

Rick did not move, but the harsh edges of his face softened a little. He still refused to look at her though, and Amy took that as her cue to leave.

"Well, that's all I guess." Amy finished. She looked to him again hoping for some sort of response but got none. Turning to take her leave, his voice stopped her.

"How?" he asked in a thick voice.

Amy looked to him, a question in her eyes.

"How did you lose him?" he clarified.

Amy gave him a tortured smile even though he didn't look at her.

"You wouldn't believe it."

He let out a short, harsh laugh. "Right. That again," he said bitingly.

Amy sighed and dropped her gaze.

For the first time he looked briefly at her.

"Sorry. That was horrible," he said as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Don't worry about it," she said automatically.

Amy looked up at him, and for the first time she thought she saw a glimmer of how vulnerable he truly was.

"I… I have to get back," Rick whispered as he strode past her.

As he walked away, something rose up inside of her. She would not let this go. She felt a responsibility to eventually share her experiences with him and to pay forward the help the Doctor had given her. Amy personally knew how a little kindness could have a powerful impact during a tragedy.

That is if she hadn't inadvertently made Rick more upset with her.

Once the door shut behind him, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Her hands shook a bit now that she stood alone. Amy remained outside for awhile and watched the evening sky while gathering her thoughts. With another sigh, she made her way back to the side cell.

Inside, Amy found Carol and Beth busy at work preparing dinner. Beth flitted around with a crying baby in one arm and juggling plates with the other.

"Shh, shh. It's okay sweetie." Stopping, Beth cooed to the girl, but she continued to cry. Beth sighed and closed her eyes.

Amy stepped forward to her. "Here, let me take her. Give you a little break."

"Thanks," Beth replied softly.

Amy took the baby and leaned her against her chest while patting her back.

"She's due to eat again," Beth said while setting out more plates.

"I'll take care of it," Amy said.

Amy continued rubbing the infant's back as she returned to the cell block. The baby's shrill cries reverberated throughout the lofty area. Amy hugged her tighter and murmured to her as she entered Carol's cell. Setting the still crying baby in her basket, Amy hurried to mix up the formula and pour it into a bottle.

Grabbing an old towel and placing it over her shoulder, Amy picked the baby back up and situated the bottle in front of her. The baby immediately settled and greedily began to suckle.

A faint smile tugged at Amy's lips at how content she looked.

"There you go, sweet thing," she murmured to her.

Movement sounded in the cell block, and Amy too, headed back to the side cell knowing dinner was ready.

Amy took a seat as the others began to filter in. She looked down at the baby in her arms, and for the first time since she was born she took a real good look at her. She took in everything. From her chubby clamped up fists, wrinkled face, puffy eyelids, red blotches, and her tiny tuff of hair atop her head, Amy loved it all. While none of that sounded particularly appealing on its own, babies always had a way of looking perfect. All those little newborn traits reminded Amy of Melody, and that left a pang in her heart.

The bottle soon emptied, and Amy gently tugged it away as the baby continued to mouth it.

"All done, all done," Amy whispered to her. Another small smile played at Amy's lips.

Amy grabbed the old rag on her shoulder and carefully wiped the baby's mouth clean after she gurgled a bit.

Save for the clack of dinnerware and the occasional murmured conversation, it remained very quiet in the cell. The content baby soon closed her eyes and fell asleep, and Amy savored the contact and warmth the baby provided against her body.

Everything felt so peaceful. While Rick's absence remained a source of worry, Amy felt at ease. At least for the moment, but that was good enough for her. Trustworthy people surrounded her and she wasn't in imminent danger. That was a stark contrast from her time with Melody.

Thinking of Melody, Amy felt her resolve begin to waver.

Not only was Amy held captive at Demon's Run for several months and Melody was separated from Amy after birth, but the Doctor still could not prevent ultimately losing the baby. She remembered how she had rebuffed his comfort afterward. He lost Melody and she blamed him for it. Amy was robbed of the only opportunity of raising her daughter, or any more children of hers for that matter, in a normal manner. Back then, she knew Melody would be just fine. She knew who she would become, the one and only River Song. So it wasn't a fear for her life. As Amy held the baby in her arms, she had a glimpse of what she had missed out on. That cut deep and painfully through her heart.

Her eyes blurred with tears which soon spilled over.

"Hey, are you alright?" someone whispered.

Amy blinked quickly and looked up again. She saw a concerned Carol looking over.

Amy quickly brushed away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"Oh sorry, yeah," Amy said. She quickly busied herself with spooning some food onto her plate and picking away at it.

Carol frowned with concern but did not say anything further before returning to eating.

Amy alternated between looking at the baby and finishing up her small dinner.

After Amy took her last bite, Carol scooted closer to her.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Carol questioned under breath as she studied Amy's face.

Amy nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah, it's nothing."

Amy then saw Beth also glancing her way. Feeling uncomfortable with the attention, Amy looked down once more at the baby. "She's just so precious."

Carol hummed in agreement but continued to scrutinize Amy.

"Thanks for helping earlier. I can watch her now if you'd like," Carol finally said.

Amy smiled and handed the baby over. Rising to put away her plate, Amy crept away.

Amy disappeared to the privacy of her cell for a couple hours after dinner to mend some clothes. Feeling a little better, she headed downstairs to Carol's cell to check in once more before bed.

Instead, she found Beth sitting on the bed cradling and feeding the baby in her arms. A lump formed in Amy's throat as all the emotions from dinner bubbled up in her. Amy flushed slightly and blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. Beth looked up at Amy and her lips pinched in concern for her older friend.

"You okay?" Beth asked.

"Yeah," Amy breathed, her voice wavering.

Beth smiled sympathetically at her before glancing down at the baby. Amy took a seat beside her, and the two of them silently watched the newborn.

While quieter, this day had proven to be nearly as difficult as the last. The shock and sadness of what had happened still physically hurt them. The only thing that made sense to the girls was sitting there and watching the baby. They enjoyed observing her stare all around with big eyes, gurgle, and smile. That baby girl effectively lifted their spirits, and was exactly what they needed right then.

After sitting in complete silence for a long while, Amy reached over and rubbed Beth's back in a comforting manner before standing to leave. Beth looked up and gave her a little smile before Amy left.