Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
Chapter 24: The Church
"River, you and I know what this means. We are Ground Zero of an explosion that will engulf all reality. Billions on billions will suffer and die." -The Doctor
It was silent all the way down the stairs, but the further they got from Pete, the better Amy felt. The headache subsides from a sharp pain into a gentle pressure. Her inside still felt all mixed up but she could breathe and she wasn't about to empty her stomach.
When they got to the bottom of the stairs she wiggled in the Doctor's arms, "Put me down."
He paused, "You sure?"
"Yes, I'm okay." He lowered her down, and Amy gripped his shoulder, trying to balance as she climbed to her feet. She took a few tentative steps before she took her hand off his shoulder and walked on her own.
They walked on, the Doctor storming and glaring at everything and anyone that got to close. Amy struggled to keep up and managed to trip a couple of times. Finally she sighed and grabbed the Doctor's shoulder, "Slow down."
He slowed, "Sorry," He grumbled.
Amy huffed, "Are you alright, then?"
He scoffed, "You almost die and you ask if I'm alright."
"Well are you?!"
"I'm fine." He waved her off as they walked, "Rose wasn't the first. You remember Adam?"
"That's not fair!" Amy reprimanded him with a frown, "Rose is nothing like Adam. She didn't know she was doing anything wrong."
"Amy." He paused turning to look at her, and she was shocked to see his were watering much more than usual, "His dead was fixed. Do you know what that means?"
'I think i know a think or two about fixed deaths,' Amy thought bitterly as she stared at the Doctor.
"Yes," She said coldly, "It means that you can't stop it. Not matter what, it's going to happen anyways."
"Not always." He started to walk again and Amy ran to catch up, "Sometimes time can't fix it."
"What happens then?" Amy asked gently. The Doctor looked beyond worried, scanning the sky. Then back towards Rose's apartment. Amy followed his gaze then smacked him arm, "We can't just kill Rose's dad!"
"I know that!" He snapped. "I just wish..." He trailed off, his face going blank.
"That's whats killing me right?" Amy asked, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to know. All it would be was further confirmation that she was dying. But she wanted to move the subject away from Rose. The Doctor let out a low breath and Amy continued, "The fixed point not happening. You said time was stretched around me and if it stretched any further..."
He hesitated a bit before nodding quickly, "You're already out of time. Add that to a death that never happened and time is trying to correct itself, starting with you."
"Why me?" Amy frowned, "Shouldn't it just fix the problem, make the death happen a different way?" She froze, "Wait should we have left Rose back there? Is she in danger?"
"She'll be fine." He glared, before shaking his head, "It's trying to lessen the strain in the timeline with the most efficient and fastest solution."
"And it's doing that by killing me?"
"It's one way to make it so you're not here." The Doctor pointed out, "The quickest and easiest way."
Amy paused, "So if I die, does that mean Pete get's to live."
"No."The Doctor said quickly, "No...his death is still fixed. Nothing you do can change that. So don't think..."
Amy gave him a small smile, "I wasn't thinking about killing myself to save her dad, but it's nice that you thought that. I'm not exactly the poster child for altruism."
"Good," He helped her up on the curb, "Right now, Time is trying to lessen the strain, so that the whole timeline doesn't snap. That would be very bad. But once your...well then it'll try to fix the problem, or just..."
"Just...?" Amy raised an eyebrow.
He didn't respond right away, which made her stomach drop out. "It hasn't happened yet, so let's not worry and hope that it doesn't."
"Hope..." Amy nodded, "Yeah I can do that...speaking of, how long do I have?"
He took a deep breath and contemplated. "Best case scenario? Three Days."
"And worst case?"
He tilted his head, "Hard to say. Depends on how bad the situation is. Give me time to figure it out."
"Doctor, I could be dead by then!" Amy snapped.
He growled, "Well what do you want me to do, Amy!" He hissed, "I'm not a magician."
"Fine, then!" Amy glared and they continued to walk in silence, before huffing, 'Well it's worse when I'm around Pete."
"Well you would, he's the source."
He stopped and looked at her sadly, like he was already planning her funeral. She smacked him, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not gonna die!"
"Of course not." He grinned, helping her when she stumbled. She felt a bit dizzy, but otherwise was almost completely back to normal.
She looked at the Doctor again, studying his face for a reaction, "You told Rose it wasn't her fault I was dying."
He clenched his jaw, "I did.'
"But it was."
"Yes. It was."
"But, why?" Amy stared at him. He had been really angry with her, she'd thought he'd say anything to hurt her.
He didn't answer her, opting instead to stare straight ahead as he walked.
Amy paused, watching his continue to walk with a soft smile. All that time joking and playing around. Amy knew the Doctor cared for Rose in a way so completely different from the way he cared about her. He was her best friend. But Rose...
He loved her.
Honest to God loved her. Like how she loved Rory. The 'grow old and have kids together' kind of love. The kind of love that she had never seen him have with anyone before, not even River.
And the kind of love he couldn't ever have.
"I didn't tell her..." The Doctor turned to look at her, wetting his lips. Amy stared up at him expectantly. Was he going to admit it? Admit how he felt for that shop girl? "I didn't tell her because if we don't fix it and you die...then it won't matter whose fault it was."
"What do you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows.
He looked away for a moment, then back up, "Amy, I have no idea how to fix this."
The rest of the trip was silent, and even though Amy was teeming with questions she knew the Doctor didn't want to talk about Rose right now. So for once, she stayed silent.
It was rare for him to admit he didn't know something. Her Doctor would, on occasion, admit to it. But only as a last resort really. It didn't make her feel optimistic, If the Doctor was worried then she was borderline panic.
She spotted the TARDIS and moved a little quicker. Maybe if she got inside this dizziness would stop, and she had the strangest feeling. Like something was watching them. She ran ahead of the Doctor a bit and pulled out her key, unlocking it. She swung open the door.
And stopped short.
"Oh that's can't be good." Amy wailed, looking at the inside of the box. "Doctor!" He ran up beside and looked inside.
"What!" He yelled walking into the box, which was now just a box. The TARDIS had turned into an actual police box. That was new. He felt the inside of his ship with a panicked and surprised look on his face. Then he stopped, "Rose!" He cried running back out of the TARDIS.
Amy groaned, running it was. Back towards the source of her illness.
They didn't run back to the flat like Amy was expecting, but another direction. Amy didn't know where he was leading her, but she knew it was the right direction as the nausea had returned.
"D-Doctor!" She called out between breaths. He hooking his arm around her to keep her steady and they kept moving.
"Come on Amy, we're almost there!" They rounded a corner and Amy saw a church. Crowds of people were outside, and they could see a women in a large meringue wedding dress. Rose was standing among the guests, looking upset.
And Pete was with her.
At the sight of the man Amy's legs failed her She collapsed with a cry, and the Doctor picked her up in his arms without hesitation, still running. Thank God for superior Time Lord biology.
"Rose!" The Doctor yelled, "Get in the church!" Amy felt her vision go blurry as they ran. Was it worse this time? She couldn't tell.
She was jerked down abruptly as the Doctor ducked and Rose screamed. What was going on? She felt so useless like this. The Doctor quickly scrambled to his feet, careful not to drop Amy.
"Oh, my God. Is she okay?" Amy felt Rose grab her arm.
"Not if we don't get in the church!" The Doctor yelled, before turning to the crowd, "Get in the church! Inside!
She could hear people running around screaming. Were they under attack? Judging by the unearthly screech Amy would have to guess, yes.
"Stay in there!" The Doctor cried once more. A horrifying pain filled shriek echoed in the air and Amy realized with horror that this one was human. "In!" The Doctor carried her inside the church and the doors slammed shut behind them.
Quickly he walked over to a pew and laid her down on it. Amy groaned, rolling onto her back and the Doctor propped up her head using a couple Bible's. Not comfortable, but it would do.
"Wh-What's happening?" Amy asked, trying to breathe. The pain was unbearable. Now that she wasn't being jerked around her vision cleared slightly. Enough to see the Doctor standing over her, looking distressed.
He took a shuddering breathe, "Things have gone from bad, to very bad." Amy nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it only came out as a grimace.
"How long do I have now?" She tried to joke, but he just have her a dark look.
The Doctor turned back to the group, "They can't get in. Old windows and doors okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" Outside whatever was attacking them screeched. The Doctor twisted around suddenly, "Go and check the other doors! Move!" He runs against one of the other doors, with Jackie running after him.
Amy watched him leave with Jackie with a smirk. She did not envy him right now. And she was dying, so that's saying something.
Rose wandered silently over to Amy, looking down at her. "Hey."
"Hey," Amy croaked back.
Rose looked near tears, "This is all my fault isn't it?"
Amy felt like she should reassure her, but her Scottish snark decided to respond instead. "Yup."
"You're sick because of me," Her voice quivered, "I never thought..."
"Hey!" Amy tried to push herself upright, but couldn't, so she leaned back on her elbows, "You didn't know. It's not like the Doctor warned you about fixed points or anything."
"He just kept saying that time could be rewritten and..." Rose bit her lip, and wiped the tears away, "I just wanted to save him."
Amy smiled at her. Sometimes she forgot Rose was still kind of a kid. She was only Nineteen.
"I know." Amy leaned back on the Bible pillow, her neck getting sore, "You know the Doctor wasn't gonna leave you behind, right?"
"Yeah I know." Rose sighed, before standing up, "I should probably go see what I can do to help."
Amy nodded and then she ran off. Great. Now she was dying on a pew, and she still had no idea what was going on. One thing she was certain was that the Doctor's worst case scenario had happened. She was dying faster and the timeline was breaking. She didn't know what those creatures were outside, but their screeches and cries and bangs against the glass echoed around the church.
Amy heard the sound of tires screeching against pavement and she turned her heard so she was looking out the window. She watched with fascination as a car whipped around the corner, the driver throwing his hands over his face, and disappeared.
It was the same car that was supposed to hit Pete.
Oh, God. She looked over at the Doctor who was watching her with sad eyes. He knew. He knew the same thing she did.
There was a way out of this. One way.
But nobody was going to like it.
The reaper, as Rose had finally told her they were called, clambered against the stained-glass windows, which seemed to keep it out. Rose had been sitting with her, crying silently for the last hour or so.
She hadn't gotten any worse, which she didn't take for a good sign. The pain in her head was still there, and the stabbing feeling in her chest. The Doctor had said time was trying to erase her the old-fashioned way. Did it have to take so bloody long?
Then the pain intensified and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She didn't want to worry Rose. Looking over she noticed that Pete had sat down next to her. Amy cursed silently and clenched her jaw as everything intensified.
Pete fidgeted for a few seconds then spoke, "This mate of yours, the Doctor...what do you mean, this is your fault?"
"Dunno..." Rose sniffed, "Just...Everything."
"I gave you my cars keys." Pete said suddenly. Amy tried to pretend she wasn't eavesdropping, but she was right beside them, so it was a little pointless. Maybe he thought she was sleeping, or dead or something.
God, she was morbid today.
"You don't give your keys to a complete stranger," Pete continued. "It's...it's like I trusted you. Moment I met you, I just did. A wound in time...You called me Dad. I can see it...my eyes...Jackie's attitude...you sounds like her when you shout."
Amy snorted at that, and Rose smacked her arm. Pete reached out and touched her face tentatively, then dropped his hand, but Rose grabbed it and placed it back on her face.
"You are!" Pete realized, "You are...you're my Rose. You're my Rose grown up."
Amy shook her head, "Unbelievable." She muttered to thin air. She wasn't sure where all the bitter sarcasm was coming from. Maybe a coping mechanism?
She turned her head away from the Father/Daughter moment Rose and Pete were having. Loud bangs hit the door where the Reapers were trying to smash in. After a few moments, the duo walked away, presumably to talk in more private.
She grumbled and pulled herself to a seated position, despite the pain in her chest. Se gasped and pressed into her ribs. She pulled her hand away, half expecting blood, but there wasn't any.
But then there was. A sudden drop of blood landed on her hand. Amy frowned, feeling her forehead, wondering if her headache had manifested into a wound. She lowered her hand down her face, until she found the source of the blood.
Her nose was bleeding. Badly.
Great, Amy thought, I'm gonna bleed out through my nose. She yanked off her jacket, not wanting to ruin it before she ripped off the long sleeves of her shirt, balling it into a bunch and pressing it to her face.
A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the long wait I was on a camping trip for a while without internet. I spent most of the week editing the next couple of chapters and re-reading the rest of this story to make sure of continuity and such. I'm probably more excited for Captain Jack then you guys are!
I know this is one of my short chapters, but it was really just throwing information at you and a filler chapter.
So I leave for a week and there's no new news for Doctor Who. Just hints and such, Moffat said he'd he surprised if Capaldi didn't keep his Scottish accent which makes me very happy. I always wished that Tennant went with his Scottish accent. He also mentioned that it was 'Open' for Jenny the Doctor's daughter to return, which I think would be very cool. I think Moffat needs to bring back some RTD characters. Personally I'd love to see the Martha/Mickey team come back. Smith and Jones!
And still no sign of the 50th anniversary trailer. I already know the basics, but hearing about it and seeing it are very different. But I can understand why they're waiting. If there's one thing the Doctor Who fandom is good at, it's making 100 million fan theories based on very few images. I feel like Moffat and the BBC understand the Fandom better than we know ourselves. The less time we have, the less of a chance we'll have to accidentally guess what happens, and less of a chance for the press to spill spoilers, like the way they spilled the beans on John Hurt being the Doctor.
Speaking of John hurt, There's a rumour that his name will be 'The Renegade', which I love. I really hope that sticks. I can't keep calling him the 9th Doctor, cause it's confusing people.
Anyway, all your reviews make my day. Sorry to all of you I didn't get back to, but I was on a camping trip without internet. Remember that if you leave anonymous reviews I can't respond. So if you're asking me a question, you can't do it anonymously.
Thank you all so much, until next time,
-Ash