The Almost People: Devastation
The Doctor blinked, turning the sonic on once more, flicking it at Amy on a higher power, before looking at it, wincing as he accidently flashed himself in the eyes in the process. He shifted a setting and tried to sonic the ginger girl again, before bashing it against his hand and trying one more time...only to give up, "I…I don't understand. You're Flesh!"
"Doctor I'm not Flesh!" Amy shouted, Rory rushing to hug her, seeing that whatever the Doctor had thought would happen hadn't.
"Amy's not the Ganger," Angel added quietly from behind him, a crack in her voice.
The Doctor spun around to face her, "But she has to be! She's seen that woman, I ran the scans, it's the only explanation!"
"The sonic didn't work," Angel swallowed hard, looking for all the world as though she were trying not to cry, "Because AMY isn't the Ganger," she looked meaningfully at him, a heartsbroken expression on her face.
His mouth dropped open a moment, realizing what she was implying, and he lifted the sonic with a hesitant hand, scanning her but not sonicing her yet. He looked at the readings and then at her, stunned, "I…I don't…"
"I didn't know," she began, her voice breaking, "I really didn't," she sniffled, "I thought it was Amy too but...the Flesh...it wasn't Amy, it was ME."
She hadn't realized, she truly hadn't, she'd thought Amy was the Ganger, just like the Doctor had but when she'd touched the Flesh...they all thought her reaction was to the pain it was in, to the horror of what the humans did to it, but really that was only a small portion of it. She'd empathized with it, connected with it instantly, and well she should have...because SHE was Flesh herself. She felt more than the Doctor had, had been able to hear it and understand it because she WAS it.
It was why she had stared at Amy afterwards, she'd thought it was the ginger, but really it was her. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but she'd seen it, she'd learned so much touching the Flesh, more than she had bargained for. It had shown her the truth of what she was, of what Amy wasn't. And it had hit her, near the end, when the adventure had calmed down, it had hit her what happened to her, she hadn't been able to believe that it was true, that she wasn't really there.
Because she knew what that meant, she knew why.
"But the woman..." the Doctor shook his head, staring at her in horror, how had he not realized?! How had he not seen that it wasn't Amy who was Flesh but someone so much closer to his hearts?
Angel took a breath, trying to speak without breaking down but...it was hard, it was so hard, she'd only just worked it out herself and now she had to talk about it, "The crack in Amy's wall," she whispered, it being the only answer she could come up with, "You said it yourself, it changed how she thought, how she sees the world, how her mind works...she's been picking up the signal to me."
Amy had been picking it up, right from the start...but she hadn't realized it. She'd truly hadn't known that Amy was also seeing the woman with the eye patch until she'd mentioned it in the evac. tower. But SHE had seen it, all this time. When she and Amy had been in the orphanage, she'd stopped, she'd seen the panel on the door of the little girl's room, she'd been staring at it, and then Amy had too. When they'd been on Avery's ship, she'd been dreaming of the woman looking at her and talking to her, her face scrunched up, and had woken, not because Amy had jolted awake, but because the woman had closed the panel. And even just now, in the factory tunnels, she'd seen the woman in the wall before they'd run into Rory, had been about to speak to Amy about it, to tell her what she was seeing...only to learn in the evac. tower that Amy had already been seeing it. She'd been tracing the exact shape of the panel in the exact place it had appeared on the wall of the tower but it seemed no one had noticed.
She hadn't know, she really hadn't. She'd thought that she was seeing what Amy was, some sort of next level of her abilities, like she'd grown strong enough to not just see the future but actually see the present as well, that she was seeing what Amy was. But now she knew it was the reverse, Amy was seeing what SHE was. The crack in her wall had made her more sensitive and susceptible to a signal like that but only when she had been nearby.
"What scans were you talking about Doctor?" Rory asked as he and Amy stepped closer, the man had clearly thought something was wrong with Amy, had been scanning her, but he hadn't said what it was or why.
But the Doctor couldn't answer, only stare at Angel with wide eyes, still unable to believe he'd missed that! How had he let himself get so focused on Amy when ANGEL had been the one who needed help?
So Angel answered instead, "He thought Amy was pregnant," she looked at Rory meaningfully, knowing he'd understand what the scans had picked up, "But I was always too close," she turned to the Doctor, "I was always nearby or touching her," and she had been, Amy had taken her hand the first time, she'd tried to comfort Amy after the Siren, Amy had been touching her to show her how to play darts, "I was too close."
The scan...she wasn't certain what the scan had really picked up or how it worked. There were so many possibilities for the results it was getting. If it was scanning Amy, then it was seeing that the girl wasn't pregnant, but since SHE was too close, the scan was also getting her and she WAS pregnant. But even then...even if the scan had picked up more of her instead...a version of her was pregnant, but the Ganger her wasn't real, it wouldn't register as really pregnant either, it would confuse the scans as much as her being too close to Amy had confused them now.
And she could see it, even now, in the Doctor's mind...he STILL wasn't seeing it. His mind wasn't making the connection of what she'd just said. The scans were to detect if Amy was pregnant, but she wasn't.
Amy wasn't pregnant.
And if the scans kept coming up as positive/negative...and AMY wasn't pregnant, and SHE was too close...it should be obvious. But she could see it, he was overwhelmed, he was still struggling to understand how he hadn't realized, he wasn't seeing it, he wasn't seeing the truth before him. He still wasn't seeing that SHE was pregnant.
It should be obvious now, so much should be obvious, so much made sense to her now. Why she hadn't been made into a Ganger as well with the Doctor's, because she already was one, why she had connected so strongly to the Flesh, because she was it, even why...even why her visions and sensations were off.
She'd noticed her visions and feelings were fewer, even her power with the Vortex was off. She hadn't been able to bring up the Vortex as easily as before, even with Jen, even just now...it had taken more effort than it should have. Which she understood, Flesh and Vortex probably didn't mix well. The Flesh wasn't meant to hold the power of the Vortex, but it was something inside her, like her visions. And even then...it was her mind, her actual original mind that was in this body.
It was why she could still hear and feel the Doctor despite being a Ganger. His Ganger had been a copy of him, not his original self, not his original mind. This was her real and actual mind that was there, that was able to connect to his. It was her mind that was seeing visions and her own internal strength that was making the Vortex...but her Flesh body was having trouble letting the Vortex out. She hadn't had to use much of it in past adventures, since America, she hadn't realized it...till just now, till using so much of it to help Jen...it had hurt. To let that power out, it had physically hurt, especially her hands, she hadn't been able to stop rubbing them, staring at them, because that was where the power was coming out of...and the Flesh was reacting against it.
"But…" he shook his head, feeling like he was unable to breathe, his hearts were pounding, and he just...he couldn't focus on anything, "How?"
She closed her eyes tightly, she'd worked it out as well, the Flesh had reminded her.
The Silence. The White House. The Bathroom.
With everything she and the Doctor were doing to remember the Silence...she remembered them, remembered encountering them in America, but there were other times, times she wasn't with the Doctor, that she had...forgotten. But she remembered more and more of it the more she thought on the aliens. And she remembered now. She remembered entering the toilet, she remembered the Silent standing there, speaking to it, she remembered turning to the door to go...and then stopping, wondering why she was leaving?
And then...it went black.
She'd woken up on the floor of the toilet, a lovely woman named Joy shaking her awake, and had thought that she'd just...had a dizzy spell, had fainted or something, because of the pregnancy, and had wanted to leave, had wanted to get back to the Doctor. She'd rushed out of there, wanted to get back to him, and felt...wrong. Her stomach had felt wrong, she'd barely felt the baby move within her, but she had such a STRONG sense that the baby was ok, that it was alive and ok that it had kept her from being concerned. But she realized now, it was her subconscious, the part of her that was still real, that could still feel the real baby inside her, inside the other her.
And that killed her because...the baby wasn't really in HER. It was in the other her. The copy made...it had only copied HER, not the baby, copied her appearance and let her mind control it, but hadn't copied every single detail about her. It was like a doll, frozen in time, or an action figure. She knew little boys would play with their action figures and sometimes melt a part of it, that part would always be melted, even though the original was whole. She looked pregnant, but she was a frozen image of herself.
"The Silence," she whispered, though they could all hear her, "There was one it the bathroom in the White House."
"Ever since then?" the Doctor stared at her as she nodded, looking at him with tears in her eyes, "But why did they take you?" it didn't make sense...
No, actually it did, it really did. Not only was Angel the Last Time Lady, which made her one of the most valuable treasures in the Universe, whole worlds would fight each other to the death for a single cell of a Time Lord or a drop of blood. She was also the one person who knew everything about time travel and TARDISes, more than even him. If the Silence were trying to build a TARDIS, they would need Angel's knowledge. There was also the fact that she was psychic, which would be an incredible asset for anyone to have. She had the Vortex inside her, could wield it to a point. And she was...
"They don't want me," Angel breathed, the tears falling from her eyes now, her walls breaking down as everything finally hit her, "No one ever wants me," she let out a sob, unable to hold it in anymore, everything finally taking its toll on her, the Doctor's regeneration, his amnesia, the pregnancy, River, her kidnapping, "No one wants me…not my Mate, not my family on Gallifrey, not even my enemies want me…" she sunk to her knees, one hand gripping the railing behind her, in tears, it was too much, it was all too much.
"Your Mate?" he swallowed, it was just...he didn't understand, Amy had said he was her Mate, that he had Mated to Angel, but...he didn't have any recollection of it at all, he'd remember something like that, that wasn't something you forgot, it was too...sacred, too important, too life changing, it wasn't ever just forgotten! So...why couldn't he bring himself to deny it now? He looked at Angel, his hearts breaking to see her so hurt, "You mean me," she looked up at him, seeming startled, shocked that he seemed to know that he was her Mate, according to Amy, "They took you to get to me, as bait for some sort of trap and..."
He trailed off when he saw Angel shaking her head sadly, "No, they don't want you either. That's the LAST thing they want."
"What?" that made no sense. If they didn't want her, which he couldn't understand why anyone would ever NOT want someone as amazing as Angel, then they had to want him! They had to know he'd come after her, walk willingly into any sort of trap, give himself up, if it would mean she was released and safe again.
"They don't want you...and they don't want me..."
It was too late. It was too late now. If only she'd been more clever, had worked it out earlier, she'd have had time, been able to leave, been able to get other help. But there was no time left anymore. Because she hadn't worked it out till just now. She saw it in his mind, Amy had let slip about the Mating...and now...now it was time for her to tell him another thing that had been kept from him, something so much more important than her.
She didn't care anymore, she didn't care if he denied the Mating, if he couldn't remember who she was to him, if he didn't believe her that the baby was his. She didn't care, this was so far beyond anything she had dealt with, beyond anything she knew she could handle on her own, she didn't know what to do and she didn't have time to work it out any longer. So she didn't care if he learned the truth now, he could deny it all he wanted, she just wanted him to help her, which she knew he would, he was the Doctor.
She just...she needed help.
"Then what do they want?" he shook his head.
Angel took a breath, holding it, closing her eyes tightly as she bit her lip, before showing him exactly what they wanted by placing her hand on her stomach.
Her swelling stomach.
Her ROUND stomach.
Her pregnant stomach.
The Doctor's eyes widened at that, the jacket, her layered cardigan was falling open, her flowing dress not hiding it any longer as she put her hands on her stomach, pressing the fabric to it, and he could see it now. All he could do was...stare...
First in shock…
And then in anger.
His fists clenched, "Who?" he demanded, a fury unlike any he'd ever known swept though him and he had no idea why. He felt anger, a true and deep anger, rising in his very soul, his hearts pounding, fury coursing through his blood, his mind racing, as he started to shake, feeling truly furious and angry...
"Who what?" Angel shook her head, so confused as she looked up at him.
"Who touched you?" he demanded, a growl to his voice as his fists started to shake, his knuckles turning white, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to murder someone.
Angel could only blink, after what she'd just shown him, he still wasn't seeing it, "What do you mean?"
There was only ONE way this could have happened! Even if she'd been with another man...though she felt ill at just the thought of betraying him like that...a child couldn't come! And if, somehow, it had been the Master's...another thought that made her hearts twist painfully...it would have been born AGES ago! She had been with him the entire time they'd faced the Master the last! She hadn't been alone with the Master at all, only on the Valiant and even then...nothing. There was only ONE Time Lord left, only one man that could possibly father this child. Was his mind so against being her Mate? Was the memory so deeply buried? What did it mean that even now, even knowing all he did, that he STILL didn't see it?
"I want to know who touched my Mate!" he snapped, nearly snarled at the anger bursting through him. And then he realized...that felt right, calling her his Mate. That felt like the most natural thing in the Universe, the most familiar word when it came to her, the most...right. She was his, she was his Mate, and someone had…
"You!" Angel shouted through her tears, not wanting him to ever, ever, ever believe that she would have ever done what his mind was thinking, "You did. When we finished the Mating process just after Sarah Jane's wedding. YOU are my Mate, I would never let anyone else…"
The Doctor blinked, suddenly feeling like he'd been punched in the gut at her words, at the hurt in Angel's voice, at the fact that the baby was HIS. All the air felt like it was leaving his lungs...before stars exploded behind his eyes and then…memories assaulted him, actually driving him to his knees in pain of their intensity…
~oOo~
"I need this, I need this to be my last memory, me and you, dancing in the snow, me singing to you, with you in my arms. Us together."
Angel nodded, laying her head on his shoulder, holding him close as they danced.
"...I just want you for my own," he began to sing to her, "More than you could ever know, make my wish come true," he nuzzled his nose against her temple, "All I want for Christmas is...you," he swallowed hard, "All I want for Christmas, is you."
~oOo~
"I want you to bond to the TARDIS too."
"But…the ONLY time two people bond to the same TARDIS is when…" is when they take a Mate.
"My name is Theta."
"I think we should start working on establishing a mental bond."
He pulled her towards him, peppering her face with kisses, making her laugh her beautiful laugh before truly giving her a proper kiss, pulling away quite a few moments later to just hug her tightly, his hearts swelling at the fact that her first words to him through their bond was that she loved him as well.
She wasn't here. Angel wasn't there. He couldn't feel her at all. God it hurt...it hurt so badly...he felt like he couldn't breathe…
"But that's impossible!" he shouted, emotional bonds were supposed to take years to form.
"I suppose it's a good thing we didn't finish the Mating process then. When I…you won't…and…"
"…we never finished the Mating process. So…I was thinking, to make your birthday extra special…that maybe…we should...if you wanted…maybe…"
"Finish it?"
"Yeah."
"I think I can't imagine a better gift."
~oOo~
He…he was probably one of the only people who wasn't scared of my abilities…
"You…don't think I'm odd?"
"I think you're fantastic."
~oOo~
He dashed off to the door where Margaret was waiting and let her out, "Come on psychic!"
"Oi, watch it thief!" she countered with a laugh, running after him.
"You make me that happy," he whispered, pushing as strand of hair behind her ears, "Psychic."
"Thief," she laughed at what had seemed to become their playful nicknames for each other.
"My psychic," he kissed the side of her head.
"My thief," she joked back as John grinned widely before dropping onto a plush chair, pulling her, laughing, down onto his lap as he wound his arms around her, holding her close, gazing up at her in the gentle awe that always seemed to be on his face.
~oOo~
He…he treated me like I was special...
He looked at her, his gaze softening, "I like to think you're more than just a simple companion."
"You? Useless? Never ever."
"You get one trip, then back home. I'd rather it be just Angel and I."
'You're wonderful, you know,' he whispered to her in her mind.
"You've gotten much better at all this. You're…just blossoming," he stroked her cheek.
~oOo~
Staring back at him, face pale, dark bruises under her dark eyes from want of sleep, lips cracked dry, gaunt and worn, was a Time Lady…
"The Angel."
"It's beautiful."
"Off you go then! Your first date."
"I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Rose gestured between him and Angel.
"I'm sure he would, Rose. I'm absolutely certain. That's why…" he suddenly reached out and grabbed Angel, pulling her to him as he spun her around perfectly, dipping her sharply, earning a laugh of delight from her that made him beam.
"It's not a date!" he shouted at Margaret, "At least not with you."
He reached forward and gently pulled her into his arms, carefully leaning down and kissing her, the Vortex flowing out of her eyes and into his as they did so.
"…when I saw you crying, all I wanted to do was make you feel better, cheer you up. And when I realized it was Rose that made you sad I…I was gonna leave her on Earth, so she couldn't hurt you anymore. I care about you, so much. And it's not just this version of me, I did before. I just…I couldn't express it, I was too hurt, too scarred, too broken from the War. But I'm better now, YOU made me better, you healed me and fit me back together and mended pieces I didn't even know had been broken and…"
"That means we're standing under mistletoe," he pulled her into his arms, giving her a quick peck.
"You never have to hide anything from me. Ever"
"I want you to see how amazing I think you are, how fantastic, how brilliant. And I know you won't believe me without seeing it in my head and in my hearts first."
"You go with your companion and I'll go with mine," he didn't like the idea of being separated from her.
He looked around, spotting Rose's blonde hair first, the small smile on his face blooming into a full blown beam as he saw Angel standing there beside her, face returned. She looked over and her face just lit up at seeing him. He ran to her, scooping her into his arms as he spun her around, hugging her tightly.
"Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils and Angels and Demons, that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this Universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing...just one thing...I believe in HER!"
"New lips. Gotta get used to them."
"I can help you there…" he leaned forward and kissed her again, shifting to sit beside her on the edge of the bed, kissing her deeply, the two of them just taking time to revel in the fact that they had survived, they were together, they were alive.
"I'm always thinking of you Nella. Every moment of every hour of every day. And I'll never ever stop."
Angel stepped out of Trish's home, knowing he was back, and ran over to him. He held his arms out and scooped her up into them as they hugged each other, him spinning around as he held her. He put her down a moment later, only to pull her into a deep kiss, so relieved they were both alright.
"Yeah, well, you can hug me later. You too, Frank, if you want. But you Angel, I expect a kiss."
"I rather liked the idea of giving you two hearts instead of just this humble one."
Slowly he leaned towards her and kissed her gently, "I think I could spend the rest of my life doing that."
"How can you think that we're not real? When we kiss, is that not real?" he pressed her hand to his heart, "How fast my heart beats when you're around…is that not real?"
"I love her Jack, more than anything, and I want to be with her for the rest of my lives. That's what Mating is, we bind ourselves to another person mentally, emotionally, and physically. We can never be with another, nor would I want to."
"But two can play at that game," and with that, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, making her squirm against him. He lowered her arms, trailing his hands down them till he found the sonic, grabbing it, and stepping back, "Ha ha!" he cried, victorious, holding up the sonic.
The thought of a child of his existing, not related to Angel…it made his hearts hurt.
"I meant the…the detox, though the kiss was rather spectacular too…"
He knew in his heart of hearts, there would be no moving on from the woman. She was…she was just his everything. He'd rather live to the end of eternity without her than love anyone else.
"Angel's dying. She's going to die. And I'd rather die with her than live without her, not for anyone."
She wanted it to be as normal as possible. And he was not one to deny her anything.
He was not one for walking away from an adventure, but…he could give up this one trip for her.
He hugged her back tightly, his hearts breaking knowing that he would have only a limited amount of time with her before some other man would take his place.
~oOo~
He was a great man, the best...
"Maybe I imprinted more than just that bit of your personality then. You're fantastic as well."
"It's just…hard…to believe someone actually thinks I'm special. Especially someone as wonderful as you."
"Settling for the most remarkable man in the world? Of course I realized, that's why I stayed put."
"I haven't the faintest. But you will, 'cos you…are fantastic."
"It's true though. He's absolutely fantastic on a good day…"
~oOo~
"Fantastic," he beamed, walking over to her and putting his arm around her shoulders, tugging her just a bit away from Mickey...
"I don't want to leave you here alone with Toby," he didn't like not being there to protect her.
He wasn't sure what to feel, relieved she was alright, or terrified that she was surrounded by Daleks.
"Angela please, I need to know you're safe if we're attacked."
"Easy! But…first things first," he turned to Angel, a solemn look in his eyes, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her, taking her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs as he rested his fingertips to her temples. He closed his eyes a moment, resting his forehead to hers...before she collapsed into his arms, unconscious, him catching her before she could fall. He gently laid her down on the floor, brushing his knuckles against her cheek, moving his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ears, just...taking a moment to gaze at her before determination set in and he jumped up, rushing to a terminal…
~oOo~
So kind and curious and mad...
"We can help..."
"We're at the edge of knowledge itself…come on!" he took Angel's hand and the two walked briskly off.
He pressed a button and a flame shot into the sky, igniting it. He smiled, watching it go before pulling Angel to him, holding her hand as they watched.
~oOo~
He slipped a bracelet on and tossed one to Margaret, watching her put it on before turning to Angel and holding out his arm, "Shall we?"
He was lying on his coat, his arm wrapped around Angel's waist as she laid beside him…
"You got any feelings about all this?" he asked her, absently stroking her arm.
"Oh, I cried," he nodded, wrapping an arm around Angel as they lay on the bed.
Jenkins drove the jeep as Angel sat between them, him with his arm firmly around her shoulders.
~oOo~
God the things we used to get into…
"And it is gonna be...fantastic," Rose smiled at the use of his old catchphrase. He just reached out and took Angel's hand, looking up at the stars.
He dropped onto the sofa beside Angel, absently taking her hand left hand in his own left as he draped his right arm around her shoulders, "Y'know, Angela and I've been to Belgium…"
He inhaled deeply, taking Angel's hand as they crossed the room and headed through a door, walking down a staircase to see the surface of the planet, a huge city filled with book shelves.
"Enjoy your trip," the Hostess nodded.
"Oh, we can't wait!" he took Angel's hand, "Allons-y!"
~oOo~
He leaned his head against the inside of the doors, helpless, the battle cries of the Daleks echoing, ringing in his ears, dragging hated memories to the surface…and then something pressed up against him. He felt warm arms wrap around him and a head rest against his back, just squeezing him in comfort, offering their strength, but more importantly offering him understanding, offering someone to share his pain in. He turned around in her arms and hugged Angel to him as the cries of the Daleks continued...
She reached out, placing her hand on his cheek, stroking it gently, "Come back to me," she searched his eyes, seeing a sparkle starting to appear, "Please..." and slowly, he reached out and put his hand over hers, holding it there a moment as his eyes fell shut. He took a breath, his hand starting to grip hers before his eyes opened, the darkness gone for now.
"But if you could choose, if you decide who lives and who dies...that would make you a monster."
"But that won't ever happen. I won't let it," he smiled and kissed her head.
"I suppose, in the end…they break my heart."
"And I shall always be here to piece it together again," Angel told him softly, kissing him gently...
~oOo~
He would just gob on and on about technology or science or history, damn if I could ever keep up with him, but it didn't matter 'cos, just the sound of his voice…
"I like it when you talk…you say very interesting things."
"This gob doesn't stop for anything…well, it stops for Angel. That woman can kiss…"
According to her even when he gobbed on about tech in a manner she couldn't follow, she just loved the sound of his voice, it soothed her.
~oOo~
There was something about her that drew him in, like a moth to a flame, and he wasn't about to resist.
"It's gotta be the teleports. They're ripping holes in time and space just using them to go back…I'm sorry," he pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so sorry."
"She's got a connection with the TARDIS I can't even begin to understand. She should be worse than me…but she's not. I think her hearts are too big to see you as anything but her brother. She's remarkable."
"No one's ever meant to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But…not Angel…she just wanted to help, to protect, to guard. The guardian angel of the Universe she is."
"Shouldn't have…I shouldn't have…it hurts! Please…please make it stop!" his eyes filled with tears as he scooped her into his arms, sitting on the chair and cradling her as she sobbed.
This was his fault. If it not for him…she wouldn't be in such pain…there was no medicine he could give her, nothing he could do to help. All he could do was hold her, wait, and pray she could ever forgive him.
"Some new man gets to be with her and I'm stuck watching from the sidelines."
He didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave her…he didn't want someone else to take her from him…
~oOo~
And, he used to hold my hand when we walked…
"Talk too much. That's me," he beamed at her before taking her hand and walking off with her.
They headed off towards the Powell Estates, Angel and him hand in hand…
"Then we shall bid you goodnight," John said, putting his hat on and taking Angela's hand, leading her off with Joan back towards the school.
He and Angel walked through the snow hand in hand as Donna walked beside them.
He just lay on the floor, panting, grabbing Angel's hand in his own.
~oOo~
Vaguely, he wondered who that sweetie person was, one of the crew? River couldn't have been talking to him. She wasn't Angel. Only Angel could call him by a pet name. Sweetie, it wasn't HIM. HE was thief. Angel's thief. Like she was his psychic
"You've seen me before, then?" he leaned away from her touch till River dropped her hand. No one, in his mind, but Angel had the right to be that familiar with him.
"It doesn't matter at all who River MIGHT be. Not to me. YOU are my Mate Angel, YOU. And I'm not ever going to find another one. And I don't need to be a precog to know that."
~oOo~
Give me little kisses on the back of it…
"Of course," he kissed her hand, "Anything."
"We promised to take care of each other," he reminded her lightly, kissing the back of her hand, "You've taken such good care of me, it's my turn."
He grinned and kissed the back of her hand, "We live in hope."
~oOo~
"I order you to leave her!" he demanded angrily, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Because NOW, Detective Inspector Bishop!" he shouted, furious beyond anything he had ever felt, "There is no power in this Universe that can stop me!
"Then she will be EXTERMINATED!" the first Dalek shouted, pointing its laser at Angel.
"Do that and you won't like what happens next," he called standing in the doorway.
"Get back!" he nearly snarled, the darkness rearing to life at the sight of his Mate writhing in pain.
"Daleks!" he stormed forward, beyond pissed at how close Angel had come to nearly being hit by the laser in a move to save Solomon…
"I will do anything to protect you," there was a threat in his voice that told her he really would…
"I'll do it, Staal. If it saves the Earth, if it saves Angel, I'll do it."
"Angel…Angel!" he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, his eyes now full of fury, rage, danger, and darkness as he stood to his height and turned to face the humans, "You've taken my Mate!"
~oOo~
And he was just so understanding, he felt so much for others even though he felt so sad inside…
"Her and the Isolus..." he muttered, unconsciously reaching out to take Angel's hand as she stood beside him, "Two lonely kids who need each other."
"He needs you. That's very us," he agreed, as he put his arm around Angel's shoulders.
"You're just like Angel, you've no desire for revenge. That's what makes you remarkable. And that's how you create history."
~oOo~
"Can we just GO!" Angel snapped suddenly. They looked at her, stunned at her reaction but she just rubbed her head, "Sorry…this headache's killing me."
"Just a chill. I'm a bit cold is all. I'm fine," he rubbed her arm absently, trying to warm her as well.
Donna pointed back at Angel as she leaned against a fence coughing. His eyes widened at the sight, she shouldn't have been that affected by the smoke…
The results were exactly the same as the ones the Master had run on her when she'd first collapsed on the Valiant. Her body was failing in exactly the same way it was during the Year-That-Never-Was. She was dying...again…
He swallowed hard, his hand stroking her hair, "She's dying."
"I did good then?"
"Yeah," he nodded, turning her to hold her close, "You did good."
"You're not allowed to go anywhere. Not before me," he just closed his eyes, holding her close.
"I'm cold," she breathed and he could see her shivering despite the hot water, "I'm just...so cold. That's not good, is it?"
"You need a good death," Angel said quietly, despite hating death, she knew it was a natural part of life, and she knew, it was...necessary, "Without death, we'd never appreciate life," she murmured, "Dying makes us cherish everything," his smile faded.
"Breathe, slowly…" he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, trying to calm her, "That's it, one deep breath at a time, with me," he inhaled deeply, holding her gaze as she slowly did the same, "I'm here. I'm alright. See?" he smiled at her as she slowly started to get her breath back and felt his hearts restart.
She tried to hide it and for the most part she could, but he could see her. She'd been exhausted, she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't eating…
"...I brought her here to help her relax 'cos she's dying, and this whole situation, all of it, it's not helping her any. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."
His eyes filled with tears knowing where her mind was headed. She wanted to be surrounded by friends if she passed on…Rose was the only one they wouldn't have been able to get to, now she was back.
He quickly ran to her side, scanning her with the sonic. He blinked, staring at the sonic in horror, "You're liver's shut down completely, your kidneys are close. And your lungs are…"
"You can't come," he told her, stroking the side of her face, "Your body…it's just so weak Angel and I…"
"Angel…" he breathed, his eyes wide in a mixture of relief at seeing her still alive and terror at seeing her once again consumed in the Vortex.
~oOo~
He…he used to call me his angel…
He smiled, "You really are an angel aren't you?"
"That is so human. Where angels fear to tread…mind you, not my Angel, she's brilliant."
He kissed her lightly, "You," he looked at her pointedly, "Are an angel."
~oOo~
"You've stolen Rose's body. And shoved my Mate into a holding cell!"
"We're Mates."
"And not the friendly sort eh?"
"I wouldn't pick anyone less than absolutely amazingly brilliant to be my Mate."
"I want my Mate restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician…"
"The Doctor will not. You threatened my Mate, you're lucky to still be alive right now."
"Good," he said before putting an arm around Angel, "'Cos I've already got a Mate."
His Mate had been abducted, his friend was unconscious and here was this stupid woman trying to sell him HAPPY?
"Most definitely this page. I should think my wife looks nothing like that!" he laughed at the Slitheen.
"I'm John Smith. I'm John Smith. And you're Angela, my wife. That's all I want to be John Smith, with his life...and his job...and his wife. Why can't I be John Smith? Why can't we be the Smiths?"
He was lying curled up on the bottom of his cage…feeling the utter torment his Mate was in.
"I'm the Doctor and this is my Mate, the Angel. We're Time Lords. We're from the planet Gallifrey ... "
"I know! No, I've got a Mate, you would just be…a mate!"
"I call my Mate psychic, she's really not though, sort of is. She's like you, she can see through time."
"My Mate," he put his arm around Angel and pulled her close, "Right here."
"You have a gun. My Mate is in the room. I don't like people with guns and my Mate in the same room."
"Take me not Angel. You can do anything to me, torture me, kill me, I don't care, just get my Mate out!"
"Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen, Mate of the Angel. The one and the only."
"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is my Mate Angel! Happy Easter!"
"You're my Mate. It's my job to know important life changing events like the day you were born."
"Ok," he stepped over, gently pushing the Torchwood men back, "Enough men touching my Mate thank you."
"Right, yes, ok, you got us. So I'm the Doctor, this is my Mate Angel, and you are?"
~oOo~
His guardian angel…
"You truly are a guardian angel you know. You just want to protect everyone."
"YOU are my angel, my guardian angel."
"You truly are my angel you know. My guardian angel, guiding my way."
~oOo~
"I have grown tired with the Universe, Doctor. You and your Mate have taught me to look at it anew."
"The Doctor, his Mate, and his companion. That's a pattern isn't it, right?"
"Who is this little physician and his Mate?"
"John Smith, admitted yesterday by his girlfriend, Angela Jones, with severe abdominal pains…"
"Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or Mate? Your friend, or your lover? Your choice."
"Are you asking me out on a date? How would your Mate feel about that?"
"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor. And your Mate!"
"We're not even the same species, there's probably laws against it. And anyway, he's already got a Mate, and that's Angel."
"It's sort of like she's his wife…but more than that. They're just…so connected. They're everything to each other."
"So very full of fire, is he not, even when his Mate has perished?"
"You and your Mate will be deleted."
"All those bright companions and your shining Mate! But not anymore?"
"…and of your Mate. She is a legend of her own now. The woman of Earth and air, an angel among mortals, the shining light that burns in the heart of time."
"No, I just said you were a doctor and his wife, that's all."
~oOo~
His guiding light…
She was always there for him, his light in the darkness, his angel. But she wasn't there now…she wasn't there to guide them all out of the darkness with her warmth and her hearts.
~oOo~
He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, "Well, we're the Lord and Lady of Time."
"This Angel…she must mean an awful lot to you."
"She's my life."
He put his arm around Angel's waist, "Got a soothsayer of my own, she's never been wrong yet."
~oOo~
He was the first man I'd ever loved and will probably be the last man I ever love…
"Ok, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the GREAT looking ones who do that?"
"I thought those sorts disappeared in TARDISes?"
"Next time use the sonic. I don't care what happened to me, I don't want you hurt because of it, ok? Just take the time to think, I know you'll save me. I trust you."
"If what I feel for you and what you feel for me is in anyway based on them. She loves him more than anything in the world."
"At least I'm free. This time I'm not a prisoner. I'm with people I love."
Malcolm grabbed him into a large hug, "Oh! Oh, I love you. I love you, I love you."
"Me too," Angel added squeezing his hand.
~oOo~
Cassandra frowned suddenly, "Oh, so sad, he loves you though."
"You're completely mad," Cassandra replied, "I can see why Angel loves you."
-My Doctor, I have seen many things through your eyes, in your mind, but nothing burns more brightly in you than the love you have for your Angel. And I can tell, she loves you as well.-
He reached out his other hand, lightly tracing her face, "I love you."
She reached up and pulled him towards her, resting her forehead against his own, 'I love you too.'
"If they get back in touch...if you talk to Angel...just tell her...tell her I…oh, she knows."
'Yes I do,' she whispered, 'I love you too.'
"Because I love you. On Gallifrey it was an arraigned marriage, we were cordial, but that was as far as it went…but I love YOU."
"I grow more in love with her as time goes on."
"I'm glad I regenerated, because this one is braver than the last one. This one could tell you how he felt. How much he loved you."
Angel tried to smile as she touched the glass and the hand started to move, "I think it likes me."
He smiled softly at her, "Well I love you."
He loved Angel with both his hearts and she did him, but they both liked having others around…
"I've done plenty of that. Travelling on my own. I love it, not as much as I love travelling with Angel."
~oOo~
But…he's gone now…
"But your heart grows cold. I do foretell, you'll forget all about your beloved…Angel."
"Oh, big mistake 'cos that name keeps me fighting!"
~oOo~
"I was sad. I was sad 'cos I was alone, but I'm not anymore am I? Neither of us are."
"I thought I'd lost you. Everything is gone. I can't lose you too."
He didn't ever want to lose her, not again, "We'll take care of each other. Keep each other safe."
"You've got me now and, like you said before to Van Statten, two Time Lords are better than one."
"Oh honestly Doctor. But that was US. WE did that. You're not alone anymore. Remember?"
"I will never leave you."
He knelt before the screen, reaching out to touch it, a sad, intense look on his face. "I'm on my way."
"You cannot help me this time Doctor. Please…go…"
"No. Not without you."
'Just hold on. I'm coming for you.'
"We don't have a choice. They won't leave us and I won't leave you."
"They won't get us. Neither of us, I won't let them take you from me."
"Whatever we do. We do together. We go together, or we stay together, always."
"It happened again and she died that time Jack, she died. I won't ever let that happen to her again."
"I just…I don't…I don't want to leave you alone."
"I'll find a way to stop this. I promise you, I will. I won't lose you."
"I'm not leaving you. I'm going to spend the rest of my time with you, not locked away in the TARDIS."
"I always worry about you," he kissed her forehead …
"But I did some things that went wrong. And Angel…I nearly lost her because of it…"
"You will never lose me."
~oOo~
He's gone and…I don't think he'll ever come back…
"Doctor!" Angel shouted, pushing herself up to check on him.
He frowned at her, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye, "There's something else, I'm forgetting something…something important."
~oOo~
"YOU are my Mate. My ONLY Mate. EVER. I don't want another one. I won't, no matter what. Because I LOVE you and only you, forever."
~oOo~
"My name is Nella."
~oOo~
The Doctor gasped, gripping his head as he panted, before looking up at Angel, tears in his wide eyes, 'Nella…' she heard his voice, HIS voice, whisper in her mind before she nearly collapsed in on herself in tears of relief…
He scrambled over to where she was kneeling, not caring how undignified or foolish he looked, only seeing that his Mate was crying and hurt, "Oh God…" he breathed, taking her face in his hands, frantically stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, his eyes darting back and forth as he took in her face, her face that was so pained, how could he?! How could he have forgotten her? His Angel, his Nella, his Mate?!
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!"
Angel winced at the words his last self had said so often, before she took a breath, and forced herself to look up at him a moment and it was there, in his eyes, he knew. She could see it...he remembered. She let out a sob and scrunched her eyes shut once more, too many emotions hitting her at once. She shook her head, almost in disbelief that it had finally happened, burying her face in her hands and he pulled her to him, murmuring 'I'm Sorry's in her ear as he held her, his chin on her head, rocking her back and forth, his hearts breaking with every sob that racked her body.
And then he blinked, something hitting him, and pulled away to look at her, "Sarah Jane's wedding…" he swallowed hard, "But that...that was almost..." he stared at her in horror, working it out.
"Three years," she nodded.
"Oh my God," he looked down at her stomach, knowing it wouldn't appear as though she were nearly fully gestated as the Flesh was a copy made months ago, nearly...nearly 8 months ago and he saw her thinking how she had been 3 months into her last trimester by the time they reached America. It didn't look it...but she was very nearly ready to give birth.
She grabbed his hand and he looked at her, "Wake me up," she whispered, but he shook his head slowly, "Please," she begged, "I don't want them to take the baby away from me," she could barely speak, could barely get the words out she was gasping in her fear, pressing the sonic into his hand, shifting the setting back to the one that would deactivate the signal to her, 'Please Theta.'
He let out a shuddering breath at hearing her voice in his mind, hearing her speak his name, something he hadn't heard in SO long, whatever it was that had blocked his memories seemed to have been able to block his mind from hearing her and feeling her as well. He closed his eyes tightly, hearing the pleading note, the desperation in her voice, the fear, and nodded, he had never been able to deny her anything.
He looked at her, cupping her face with his free hand, "I'm coming for you," he swore, "We're coming, I swear it. No matter what. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, I will find you, I will get you back."
Angel nodded, squeezing his wrist and he rested his head on her forehead a moment, steeling himself for what he needed to do, before he pulled back and stood up. He took three agonizing steps away from her and looked down at her, tears in his eyes, eyes that were so full of grief, sorrow, and anger. He held out the sonic with a shaking hand.
"Nothing will stop me," he whispered to her, a dark promise in his voice, an edge to his words, "No power in this Universe will stop me."
Angel nodded, "I know," she tried to offer him a smile, but couldn't she was shaking so terribly, so she closed her eyes instead, waiting.
The Doctor swallowed hard, his hands shaking even more as he struggled to do it. He clenched his jaw and flicked on the sonic...
And Angel melted before his very eyes.
~8~
Angel woke with a gasp, dressed in a white hospital gown, to find herself inside what looked like a MRI machine, completely white, which she knew was only an advanced sort of harness to connect her to her Flesh avatar.
A window slid open above her and the woman with the eye patch smiled down at her, "Oh, you've woken up," she sighed, knowing it was too dangerous to try and send out another Ganger of her, the signal had been deactivated purposefully, the Doctor knew what had happened, they had to prepare, especially because... "It won't be long now till you're ready to pop, will it? Such a joy" she smirked, "Little one's on its way…"
Angel gave her a hard look before turning her attention to her very large stomach, larger than her Ganger's had been, putting a protective hand over it and closing her eyes.
~8~
The Doctor stood there, in the TARDIS, rigid, staring down at the pile of Flesh before him, the liquid that represented his Mate and child. His arm slowly dropped, his hands curling into fists, his shoulders tensing as his eyes narrowed at the white goop.
A dark and dangerous aura seemed emit from him, one that made the Ponds shift and look at each other in concern, actually step back in caution of it, able to feel it even from there because they realized something...
The Doctor, Angel's Mate, the Oncoming Storm, was back.
And the Silence...they had no idea what they had done or what was coming for them, did they?
A/N: Oh. My. God. The Doctor remembers... O.O Run...just run!
Lol, I really hope you didn't see this chapter coming ;)
I know you all probably think this chapter is really short...since it's basically just 5 minutes of the episode with TONS of flashbacks...but I really, really wanted the fluff back and to show all those moments he'd forgotten hitting him, all those simple little moments that made their relationship what it was...think of it as a homage to Thella :) There were SO many scenes I wanted to add, but in a way I wanted it to be mostly the little things because it really shaped the relationship they had :) The Doctor didn't remember her last chapter, the memory-flashes there were of him thinking of the things that didn't make sense, like...how Liz 10 could even know about Mating and all the feelings he had that he didn't understand, NOT actually him remembering, that was here ;)
Just imagine what's coming next now that the FLUFF OFFICIALLY WILL RETURN! Woo! But, well, I mentioned in a prior note that I'd be doing the prequel to AGMGTW firsts...so we may need to wait a moment for that }:) And, I mentioned somewhere before, I can promise, this WON'T be an Angel just forgives and forgets thing, she's forgiving by nature, she MAY possibly forgive him depending on whether it was his fault he forgot (we still have to find out what happened }:)) but she and the Doctor will still have A LOT to work on, fluff will return, but there will still be plenty of tension and issues to resolve :)
And, to try and answer a question or two now that I think might come up...yes, I did say I had done 2 stories where Amy had been taken in the bathroom and not before they got to America like Moffat had mentioned, I said I didn't do that here. And I didn't. AMY wasn't the one taken in the bathroom ;) And yes...I DID say Jack would meet the Ponds before Demons Run ;) Yes, River is still Melody Pond, she's still Amy's daughter, but...Amy ISN'T pregnant here...so...we'll have to wait and see how that works ;)
And since the Doctor has remembered...that means the HOTS challenge will be coming to a close :( BUT! If there's anyone out there who is currently in the process of writing a submission, feel free to keep going. I'll accept submissions like that, where you had an idea in mind but just couldn't get to it, till the end of this story. But officially, the challenge is over. I don't want anyone to just delete an unfinished submission though, you can still send me a link for it even though we now know how he remembers :) And any submissions that are still in progress, like multi-chapter ones, feel free to continue them as well. But officially it's closed ;)
So, since it's officially closed, I want to take a second to thank all of you who submitted a story (and who may submit a story you weren't able to finish before now) because you are amazing. I loved them all SO much and I really enjoyed seeing all the different ways you played the idea of the Doctor remembering and Angel's reaction to it. I thought they were all so creative and I smiled reading all of them, even the sad ones, because I was so touched you enjoyed the stories so much to take up the challenge. I really do love you guys :)
Some notes on reviews...
To start...I hope the chapter answered quite a few questions that were brought up in the reviews, so I'm going to mainly focus on the ones that I feel weren't answered in the chapter. If I don't answer a review and you feel the question wasn't answered in the chapter, please drop a review with the question again and I will answer it in the next chapter for sure :)
That's true, it might not be the Valeyard :) Imagine if he could regenerate too though, then it might be him with a slightly different personality :) I'm really curious about JH, it's a good thing we only have about 2 months left to find out :)
I can't say if Madame K is responsible or not...only because we'll be getting to Demons Run in only a few short days :) But the Doctor is definitely coming after them, oh yes }:) It'll definitely be...dark and stormy ;)
That sounds very cool for your OC and how the Doctor meets them, sort of like with River but I get the feeling he'll be around the OC more than he was with River which should be interesting for a relationship :) I think titles can be very similar, like my one story Hearts to Hearts, there are probably hundreds of stories that are 'Heart to Heart' or something, even in DW, but the stories themselves are different. And if it's a future story, it hasn't been written yet, so I would say to not be discouraged as titles can be similar, even ideas can be similar (like...making an OC an old friend of the Doctor, I'm sure there's LOADS of them), it's how the idea is written and when it appears and how it appears and in what context and all the twists put to it that make something similar become unique and different :)
Oh I wish I could read other stories, I really do :( It's probably for the best for now that my time is so limited with work and school that I seem to just be able to make it through my own stories and editing them. I think, in the future, when I'm finally able to say I'm done introducing new Time Ladies (though I'm really not sure when that will be) I'll take a break and actuall read some stories :)
The long memory flash was more him remembering his time after he'd forgotten Angel, all the little things that didn't make sense, like people he'd never met calling Angel his Mate and all the little sensations he got around Angel that he wasn't sure why he was feeling, sort of like the suspicious moments piling up and him starting to realize them :)
Lol, I hope you enjoyed the Moffat that was pulled ;)
I'm not sure what I'll be for Halloween, only because I have work that day :( But I do have a dress in my closet that, if I take it in a little (it's a tunic style dress) I could pin a little something on it and be a member the USS Enterprise ;)
Nope, in the last chapter the Doctor didn't actually remember Angel was his Mate, more he started to realize something suspicious was going on with the odd things other people said and how he acted around Angel on instinct :)
Demons Run will be coming up too soon for me to say, we'll have to wait and see if the other companions make an appearance there too }:)
Lol, I can't say when Angel forgets, but I can say...as confusing as it might sound...that Angel will forget him forever but not all that long at all :)
You got your wish ;) The Doctor remembered! Yay! :) Oh River will be getting what's coming to her very soon ;) I can say, at the very least, Jack will be brought in very, very, very soon, since he'll be there for Demons Run ;) But as for Donna or even the others, we'll have to wait and see :)
Sort of touched on it in this chapter, Angel's bump didn't get any bigger so it wasn't as visible as it should have been. I think Angel just didn't think as much on pregnancy as she would have if her mother and sister hadn't lost their babies when they had, like...she didn't pay attention to it because she was so scared of pregnancy that she didn't know her stomach was supposed to get bigger. She could have thought the baby was just small, or that was as big as she'd get (if she was a child, her mother's stomach would have seemed bigger to a little girl and I doubt she was around her sister while the woman was pregnant due to them living in different areas). So she just...didn't see that it was still pretty small, or at least as small as it was in Utah :)
Lol, what a day to take a peek! :) You got a doozy of a chapter :) I can say Amy is NOT pregnant...but as for how River appears...we'll have to wait to see :)
And a Happy 22nd Birthday to Paul (mentioned by anonymous on tumblr) :) I hope you have an amazing day! :)
And also a Happy Birthday to NarwhalRampage too! I hope you have a fantastic day as well! ^-^