AN: hello! Haha, loved your response to the cliffie, glad you're all enjoying it

Now, warning, some of you might not like what happens at the end of this. But it's not permanent ok? You just have to bear with me, so no hates, please? I will report them if they're too horrific.

Ah, don't want to threaten you, but ahem, I've had some nasty experiences with it, so…

Anyway, this chap's quote:

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were."

Italics in the fic are separate- outside typical 'reality' as it were, hopefully you'll get the gist.

Ok, so Dannon died in the barn (of course he'll meet Rosaline in heaven) which was burnt by the witch hunter. The Doctor just pulled out Amy, but she wasn't breathing and her pulse was slowing, and he told her, while unconscious, that he loved her….

What now?

Enjoy!

Amy was lost again, but this time there was nothing to fight against.

She felt like she was…drowning. She didn't know where she was, could barely remember who she was. There was nothing and she was nothing and she was beginning to stop caring…

Then suddenly, a voice pierced into her darkness, and it was so brightly alive, and so close to her heart, it seemed to shine. At first all she caught was ragged fragments, "Wake up….never listen…mad…can't go back…

Can't lose…"

Amy strained to hear the words, wading back through the darkness, trying to remember who was speaking, who this person was- his voice…

It made her feel more alive…excited…like everything in the universe was waiting for her.

Doctor!

And as she came back up through the last layers of shadow, she heard a full sentence, "Because I think I'm starting to fall in love with you."

X

Amy's eyelids flickered and the Doctor froze, staring down at her in tense worry. They flickered again, and then, slowly, cracked open.

She blinked, and stared blearily into his face with something approaching wonder. The Doctor was pretty sure his expression matched hers, and then his face broke into a smile and he held her to him, laughing and holding her close and promising himself silently that he would never regret anything so long as she lived.

Amy, a little disorientated- allowed herself to be held, feeling the echoes of fear and that cold, desolate abyss. She thought of the Doctor's words, and wondered if he'd really said them, or if it had just been in her head.

Finally, he gently lay her down, before scooping her back up in his arms as he stood up. Amy laughed, though she found her voice rough and sore and punched him weakly on the shoulder.

"I can walk y'know."

A part of her sort of wanted him to keep holding her, but her pride wouldn't allow it, so Amy stared pointedly at the Doctor until, chuckling, her set her down on the ground.

Amy could sort of feel her feet, but as her weight settled onto her unprepared legs she felt them buckle.

"Woah," The Doctor laughed anxiously as he caught her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Amy put her arm around his shoulder, and he took her hand, supporting her.

He looked quickly at her, and suddenly smiled into her eyes, relief washing over his features. Then he made a subtle gesture with his head to the Witch Hunter and his troops, who'd been standing a little way back.

"I just have to deal with them."

Amy nodded. "Ok."

Together they shuffled over, Amy concentrating on swinging her legs forward with each step. She was starting to get some feeling back, but she still felt dizzy with weakness, and was unsure as to what had actually happened to her…

The Witch Hunter watched the Doctor warily as he approached. The Doctor looked at him, then said, shortly. "Follow me. With your men."

He managed to get Amy over to the wooden platform, carefully sitting her down. Amy felt another wave of dizziness pass over her and sat gratefully, unaware of much.

The townspeople, going about their day to day work, paused to look at the gathering of troops, and the stranger on the platform. The Doctor grinned at them and beckoned them over, and soon there was a motley assortment of farmers, workers and soldiers around the platform- they murmured among themselves whilst the Doctor waited for them to gather, and then he clapped his hands.

Silence fell, and the Doctor backed into the middle of the platform, surveying the crowd. For the first time Amy noticed the mess of blood, tears and ash on his face- but somehow it made him seem more arresting, commanding. Like a general from some great war.

"I've gathered you here to tell you the truth." The Doctor began. There was a skeptical rumbling, especially from the back of the crowd, but they fell quiet after a moment.

The Doctor surveyed them, grinning, then moved across the platform, offering a hand to the Witch Hunter, who clambered, clumsily, onto the stage.

He patted him on the back then looked at the townspeople, still smiling his whimsical smile. "This man just murdered one of your people. An innocent man, with no trial."

There was a gasp and angry muttering, and the Witch Hunter turned to look at the Doctor, his face paling. Amy frowned, not really understanding, her senses still slightly muddled.

The Doctor stepped away from the Witch Hunter, letting him stand before the crowd alone, and gestured to the charcoaled remains of the storage shed. There were a few shouts and cries of surprise as the people caught sight of it. "He burnt him alive. I'm afraid I don't know his last name, but the man's name was Dannon. Barely a boy, black hair, blue eyes…"

A man at the back gave a cry of despair, and few young men started to shake their heads. The Doctor looked straight at the man, who was without question Dannon's father. The Time Lord's eyes were old and sad and sorry, and full of pain.

"That boy was trying to protect my friend from this villain's insanity. She wasn't even conscious, and yet this man," The Doctor gestured emphatically to the Witch Hunter, who was trying to make himself seem as small as possible.

"This man tried to burn them. In the end, I saved my friend, but I couldn't save Dannon. He was trapped beneath the wreckage- had given his life to save an innocent woman, just like his sister, who's dead too."

Dannon's father fell to his knees, and the farmers and peasants around him started to press forwards, stricken by grief and anger.

The Doctor held up his hands, and, incredibly, the crowd fell still, as if he had some kind of power over them. Amy, squinting up into the setting sun, illuminating her Doctor's bloodied face in golden light, didn't find the notion all that unbelievable.

He came back to the centre of the platform, in one sweeping gesture taking in the pole, the Witch Hunter, the barn and his guard. "This is madness! It is cruel, and unnecessary and the worst of humanity. And it stops today." The Doctor's voice fell quiet, and he searched every face in the crowd, meeting the eyes of every man, and the one, elderly woman.

Finally he turned his eyes to the Witch Hunter, who cringed a little. His eyes were hard and his voice softly powerful, "This stops today."

The Doctor walked across his 'stage', gesturing to the men gathered before him, the town and the fields beyond. "You're better than this! You're not murderers, and you're not idiots. You're not without morals, or belief. And this- this murder- it stops today. There's only one thing you should burn."

The Doctor paused, and the men held onto his words. He jumped off the platform, helping Amy up and gesturing behind him to it and the pole. He stood in the crowd, looking around at those men, watching him with awe struck faces. Waiting for him to finish.

"Burn your regrets."

With that he left, walking away from the townspeople, who came in on the corrupt 'Witch Hunter' and his guard in a rush. Only one followed the Doctor and the girl. A little boy, barely ten years old. He paused on the track as the Doctor and Amy turned into the field leading to the forest, and the TARDIS.

"Wait! Mister….who…who are you?"

The Time Lord smiled. "I'm the Doctor."

X

"Will I live?" Amy asked sarcastically as the Doctor scanned her for the fifth time with his screwdriver.

She was lying on a bed, impatient, having taken the most ludicrous amount of alien medication from the Doctor- and now felt absolutely fine, though she was starting to think those words she'd heard were her imagination, because he certainly wasn't acting like he 'loved' her.

The Doctor didn't take the bait. Instead his gaze was dark as he checked the readings on his screwdriver and then looked at her gravely. "This time. But you nearly died."

He sat on the edge of the bed and this time when Amy sat up, he let her. He clasped his hands in his lap, staring at the wall.

"You nearly died, and I can't let that happen. I'm responsible for you. I owe it to- to Rory to get you back." There was a surprising edge of bitterness in his voice, and he didn't look at Amy as he allowed realization to sink in.

Amy frowned, beginning to shake her head. "Y-You're sending me home?" Her voice broke on the last word and she moved closer, trying to look into the Doctor's eyes. He glanced away.

"Yes."

Amy shook her head, feeling random tears spring to her eyes, and childish panic start to rise in her. "But..but…why? What did I do?"

The Doctor shook his head, closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face. His voice was muted with frustration.

"You didn't do anything. But…weren't you listening? Amy, you nearly died. And I'm never," A shaken, desperate determination entered his voice. "Never letting that happen again. You're going home."

Amy shook her head again, feeling her sadness melt into anger. She spoke quietly, with a deadly calm. "What if I don't want to go?"

The Doctor got up abruptly, still not looking at her, and walked to the door, he paused there before looking back, and his face was hard and dispassionate.

"You don't have a choice."

X

The Doctor landed the TARDIS, gently, in Amy's bedroom. He was trying very hard to ignore the accusing glare she was aiming at him with sniper like accuracy from across the console, and he was trying harder to shut down the deep pits of grief threatening to flood the mask he was barely holding together.

Amy folded her arms, not even looking at the door. "What about the crack? Not being able to come back till you'd fixed things...?"

The Doctor sighed, a little shakily. "The crack's gone. Well, not gone, but delayed. Exactly a year. I'll come back then, and we'll see what happens. What you choose." His voice went very quiet as he tried to hide his concern on that particular subject.

Amy frowned in confusion. "If you're coming back, then why…"

The Doctor shook his head, moving around and taking her by the shoulders. "You have to get some perspective. You're supposed to be getting married! You need to spend some time not on the brink of death, and you're not going to get that with me."

Amy's frown increased, and she shrugged him off but stepped closer.

"I'm not still getting married to Rory."

The Doctor felt a flash of hope lift both his hearts in an instant, and crushed it down violently just as fast. His voice was cold when he spoke, and he hated himself for it.

"Yes you are. This can never work Amy. I'm not a 'one night guy', and I can't let you stay here, nearly dying every second I'm with you. Try it. Live like a human and stop trying to be a Time Lord. Because this is important," He paused, walking up to her, desperately trying to get her to listen to him, just this once.

She kept her eyes on the floor, her hair falling around her face a little. The Doctor noticed with horror that her eyes were shining with tears. He felt a sickening, cold stab of pain pierce his stomach, and tried to continue.

"If….If I make a-mistake. If I miss it, you could wait your whole life and I might never come. Or if something happens, to me," Her eyes were on his in a second at that, suspicious and worried.

"Just, don't let yourself be alone, not for me. I'm really not worth it." There was a certain resigned conviction in his last words, and a wry, self mocking smile curving his lips.

Amy stepped closer to him, so she was right against him, her warmth radiating onto his skin. Her eyes were fierce and stubborn. "I think you are."

The Doctor shook his head and moved away from her.

"I'm not."

Amy stared at him for a second longer, then turned and marched out, leaving the door open. There was a series of bangs and crashes, and, concerned in spite of himself, the Doctor ran to the door, peering into her room.

"Amy? Are you-" The Scot shoved a huge, heavy cardboard box into his arms, throwing a torrent of words at him as she did.

"I'll try. I'll do it, 'cos you told me to. 'Cos I trust you. But I tell you what Doctor, me marrying Rory isn't going to help anything. I'll try to live on, because I never know when you'll be back- and I know you will come back. But it'll do more harm than good, because I love you. And there's the proof."

With that, Amy Pond shoved the Doctor and the box into the TARDIS, slamming the door.

Quickly she sat on her bed, facing away as she listened to the TARDIS and her Doctor leave her again- arms crossed like an angry child. And then, when the noise had faded, even from her mind, she fell sideways onto her pillows and cried her heart out.

Ok, don't hate me please!

It's just…the Doctor would want her to get some perspective, as he did in 5x06, and with her nearly dying like that- he needs to know she's safe…

Any guesses on what's in the box? Any comments, ideas about my various hidden plotlines, or guesses on what's to come? Feel free to review/pm me.

And don't worry- this isn't the end. Of course not- those two could conquer the universe to be together- they can't stay apart for long, which is what these next chaps prove….

Thanks for reading and hopefully enjoying,

Back to 5 review rule,

Kat