DISCLAIMER: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and their writers. I am getting no financial reward from this, I am merely borrowing the premise and characters for my own enjoyment and yours too hopefully.

Chapter Fourteen: Fermentation

"Alright Amy," the Doctor began as he threw the TARDIS controls into park, he seemed to be really excited which made Amy bubble with excitement too.. "This is going to be great."

Amy laughed. "You say that about every place that we visit."

"Well I've got to make up for throwing you onto that ship,"

"You hardly threw me," Amy assured. "And besides, it was fun— sorta."

"Sorta is not what we want."

Amy shook her head. "So where are we?"

"You like drinking don't you?"

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "But who doesn't."

"Well we are on Begii Nott where the finest bottles of wine in the entire universe are created."

"Ooo that sounds exciting."

"Certainly is," the Doctor agreed. "And we're going to get the grand tour."

"But Doctor," Amy began almost warily. "Don't you think we should be searching."

"Searching for what?"

"The silence," Amy answered, watching as a cloud seemed to fall on his face. "You said that the TARDIS was drawn to my time for a reason, and that you needed to figure out what it was. Don't you think that we should be doing that?"

"Working on it," the Doctor promised.

"Doesn't look like it."

"Well I can't go travelling all over the universe looking for some silence without knowing what the silence is,"

"So what are we doing?"

"We're doing what we've always been doing only we'll be keeping our eyes and ears out."

"For the silence,"

The Doctor nodded. "For the silence, whatever it is."

...

With the worry of the silence behind them, the Doctor and Amy exited the TARDIS only to be greeted with a new worry. They had landed right in the middle of the bottle storage, and instead of seeing workers monitoring the chemical process within the glass bottles, they found nothing and no sign of life. Worse than that, when they took a closer look at the bottles themselves they saw that there was a person suspended in each one.

"Good lord," Amy muttered as she placed her hand upon one of the large glass bottles. "What's happened to them?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted as he scanned one with his sonic. "They're alive."

"I don't see how."

"Do you see that device in their nose?"

Amy looked closer through the pale yellow liquid and saw what the Doctor meant.

"That's a breathing device, they're being kept alive in a sort of suspended animation."

"But why?" asked Amy. "What for?"

"I don't understand it," the Doctor muttered. "It just doesn't make sense. The Begii Notts don't do this. They outlawed it over four-hundred millenniums ago."

"What?" asked Amy curiously. "What did they outlaw?"

"The fermentation of humans."

...

At first Amy was absolutely shocked by what the Doctor was saying, but then he went on to explain that back in the days before humanity even took it's first steps out of Africa, the people of Begii Nott who were similar in design to the people of Earth, added a person to their wine making process. "It was added an extra body to the taste if you pardon the horrible pun," the Doctor explained. "Eventually they became enlightened and realized that they didn't need to sacrifice one of their own anymore."

"Then what are those people doing in there?" Amy asked. "And how can we get them out."

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "But I'm working on it."

"You always say that,"

"Yeah and have I ever not come through?" the Doctor snapped.

Amy shook her head. "No,"

"Then trust me."

"But you lie," Amy stated.

The Doctor stepped closer to look at her. "What?"

"I said that you lie," Amy whispered. "You lied to us when you said that you had died."

"That was once, and you understand why I had to do that..."

"But River said that you lie, and she knows you better than I do yeah?"

The Doctor sighed. "Amy you need to stop worrying about River."

"Have you ever stopped to wonder if it's River who kills you?" Amy exclaimed, watching the Doctor's face carefully. "I know that she doesn't seem like the type to kill you, and I still think that she's your wife and all but..."

"Amy—"

"Doctor you said that she was put in prison for killing a good man, a hero to many... what if you're that man."

"Technically speaking,"

"You're a bloke," Amy interrupted. "You're a male Time Lord and correct me if I'm wrong but you're a hero to many."

"I'm also an enemy to many," the Doctor pointed out wearily.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean much when you do so much good," Amy continued. "You're very old, and very kind but you lie..."

The Doctor sighed. "Amy, I am a very complicated person and I promise you this right now, in the Future I'll try not lie to you if you promise not to lie to me."

"I've never lied to you."

"Well, you forgot to mention that you were getting married."

"Alright," she conceded. "I get your point..."

"Excellent," the Doctor began as he gave Amy a small hug. "Now, let's see what we can't do to get these people out of here."

The Doctor and Amy wandered in and around the giant bottles, trying to figure out how to help the imprisoned people escape, but as the Doctor looked at the readings coming from his sonic screwdriver he realized that there was no way he could get them out without killing them. When he related this to Amy, she shook her head.

"There has to be a way," she assured. "There's always a way."

"I know and normally there is but,"

Alarms suddenly began blaring and the Doctor looked to Amy.

"Seems as though we've outworn our welcome."

The Doctor took Amy's hand and together they began to run. When the natives of Bengii Nott began to close in on them, they zig-zagged their way to the exit where they found themselves trapped. The Doctor placed himself between Amy and the people carrying guns.

"Alright," he began as he raised his hands in submission. "No need to shoot. We're not hostile."

"You are intruders," the leader remarked coldly.

"Yeah, sorry bout that. I tend to land where I don't belong,"

"The prisoner will be silent."

"I can never be silent," the Doctor stated defiantly.

"Doctor," Amy warned as she held onto his arm. "Play nice."

"Right, the Doctor agreed. "Now, tell me the plan."

"Kallin Nue will decide your fate," the leader stated, motioning for the Doctor and Amy to follow them. They did as they were told and the Doctor turned to Amy.

"One of these days that's actually going to work..."

Amy smiled patronizingly at the Doctor. "Course it is."

The Doctor and Amy were led through a labyrinth of halls before they came to a massive office. Sitting behind the large desk was a small, young woman. When she looked up, her eyes widened in delight. "Oh so you have come after all!" she exclaimed as she stood up. "The Doctor and his mighty Amy."

"Sorry?" Amy asked as the woman shook her hand. "How do we know you?"

"We've been here before," the Doctor stated.

"No," Amy contradicted. "We really haven't."

"But you have," the woman assured.

"Just not yet," the Doctor added.

Amy looked to the Doctor. "So you're saying that her past is our future?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep."

"Like River?"

Again the Doctor nodded before turning to the woman. "Sorry," he began, apologizing in advance for the bluntness of his question. "But I don't suppose that you could tell us how we first met?"

"Doctor, isn't that like a spoiler warning."

"I'd like to know what went on in the past to stop me from stopping this back then," he explained to Amy.

"It's quite simple really," the woman explained. "I'm Sarah Ellis Jackson and I was five when we first met. You and your magnificent blue box appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of our factory. My Grandfather was going to have you arrested but you made him a promise that you would leave. My Grandfather agreed to that, at my insistence and as you left you gave him a warning."

"What was the warning?" asked Amy.

"The Doctor said, 'Seventeen years I give you to change your ways. I will be back and if things aren't different I'll make them so.' Well of course my Grandfather didn't believe a word but I did."

"I see that nothing's changed," the Doctor remarked.

"No," Sarah said sadly. "But everything will change now. My Grandfather has died and left me the entire business."

"So you intend to let these people go yeah?"

"Of course Amy," Sarah assured. "I know that Begii Nott can once again be the best wine making business in all the quadrant without the use of fermenting humans to give it a little extra..."

"Body?" the Doctor asked wryly.

"I was going to use kick," Sarah admitted. "A much better word."

The Doctor smiled. "Yes I suppose it is... come on now Sarah Ellis, let's set these people free."

And free the people were set. Hundreds of people were released from their liquid prison and while a few were quite angry at their incarceration, most were just happy and thankful to be free. Those who were angry were taken into councilling and the rest were allowed to return to their homes and their families.

"Take care Doctor," Sarah thanked as she walked the Doctor and Amy to the TARDIS. "And thank you."

"Thank you Sarah Ellis," the Doctor stated. "You've done well."

"Yes and I know that you will too," Sarah agreed.

"I'll be seeing you soon," the Doctor said with a smile.

Sarah laughed. "Yes. I suppose that you will."

...

"So, why are we travelling back in time seventeen years?" asked Amy once they were in the TARDIS and the Doctor had the machine whirring to life.

"We have to maintain the time line," the Doctor answered.

"Sorta like when I put the message in the window yeah?"

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "Just like that. Now, let's do what we've meant to do before going somewhere new and exciting."

Author's Note: I know that this wasn't the update that you were expecting or hoping for and frankly it wasn't for me either. I liked writing this chapter and while I really wanted to write about a Rory-less "The Impossible Astronaut" I'm starting to think that that is going to be impossible. One; because the first part of the series opener was just too damn confusing I'm going to have to wait until Saturday to figure out just what the Doctor is doing. Two; based on the spoilers out there Rory is much more important than meets the eye.

So what does that mean for this fic? Depending on how "Day of the Moon" ends I may or may not wait until the entire series is over, or I might go with my gut and start writing anyways. Either way, I will be updating in the meantime with little Amy & the Doctor adventures though they will probably be a week apart.

Hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review!