AN: Hello! Thanks for all the reviews and luck with my exams, really appreciated that
This chap's quote:
Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely
THERE ARE SOME SLIGHTLY ADULT, SUGGESTIVE THEMES IN THIS CHAPTER- IT'S RATED T, BUT THIS IS AN EXTRA WARNING IN CASE.
Also- I'm sure Gloucester's a lovely place- I've never been there, but I want to- this is in no way meant to slate the city- more to illustrate the fact of poverty in many British cities and what it drives people to.
So the Doctor's returning to Amy, who gave him her engagement ring as proof she loved him. He said he'd give her two years- he still wants to give her some time to face reality- but how long has he been gone…?
And what's happened to her in that time?
Enjoy!
Amy checked the time. It was 12.01 am. She sighed as the date on her watch flicked over. 25th of December, 2010. In one more day, he'd have been gone 6 months. She tried not to think about that.
Instead, she wrapped her coat tighter around her body, shivering in the cold as her booted feet crunched through the snow. Her coat was thigh length, a sort of pink and chocolate gingham tweed with wooden toggles. Everything she wore these days reminded her of him. Though she had to admit- this particular coat, a mix of his jacket and the one she'd worn when waiting for him at the age of seven with a girly side- had been a bit of an impulse buy. As winter closed in, she rarely took it off.
The Scot covered her face as she walked past her house, hoping her ex-fiancée was getting drunk, like he normally was, and didn't notice which direction she was heading in as she picked up her pace, her footprints ever so slightly more shallow and further apart in the snow.
Amy wondered if this counted as Christmas eve still, though it was technically Christmas morning. She'd always loved Christmas- she'd prayed to Santa, been the first to wake on the day. One time she'd even climbed the Christmas tree, to replace the angel with one of her Doctor dolls. She smiled and blushed at the memory as she turned a corner, glad he didn't know about that.
The smile fell off her face as she thought about him, and the same old sick ache radiated through her chest. She paused, closing her eyes. He was coming back. He'd come back and be safe and healthy, the same as ever, and he'd take her travelling with him. Of course he would. He was just running a bit late, just like he always did.
A warm tear slid down her cheek, and her breath steamed into the cold night air. Her slender fingers curled into fists as she stood in the dark town. He'd come back before- he'd do it again. Of course he would…
Amy's eyes snapped open as something cold kissed her nose, and she looked up at the scattering of snow, spiraling down through the night. She took a deep breath and kept walking.
Once the Scot was about two blocks away from her house, she took out her mobile and called the taxi company. She arranged to be picked up, then leaned against a low wall and waited, watching the snow fall.
She was going to Gloucester, of course. These were her working hours- 1am til 5am, sometimes 6. Rory always tried to stop her, but he was, unwittingly, one of the reasons she was doing it.
They'd needed extra cash- she'd not married Rory, but her despondency for two weeks after had put a drain on her tiny allowance. Rory, seeing how he could never make her love anyone else, had fallen into despair without her, and lost himself to drink. The hospital found out and suspended him from work, and he and Amy were left to share her house- he'd already sold his flat.
Amy's aunt took care of them to the best of her ability, worrying about Amy's lack of health and the increasing pile of bottles stacked in the corner of Rory's room. But then she'd had an accident- and they'd discovered for whatever reason, she wasn't on the list for the NHS- nor did she have any insurance to cover random accidents.
Rory and Amy had scraped together what funds they had left to get her aunt into hospital, but she was still there, having fallen into a coma, and they'd been running out of cash fast. Rory started going to a therapy group, trying to get over his alcoholism, and Amy investigated job opportunities.
There was nothing in Leadworth, and not much in Gloucester for a girl with no qualifications whatsoever, and work experience as a kissogram. On her third week in Gloucester, Amy was walking back from another unsuccessful application, when she'd been stopped by a man- about six foot tall, broad, with graying black hair and sharp blue-grey eyes.
He'd offered her a way to earn up to 100 pounds a week, starting the next day, and she'd accepted.
Slowly, she'd begun to get things sorted, working every night, sleeping in the afternoon, and sorting out the budget. Rory was recovering quickly and together, they were getting back into normality.
Then Rory found out exactly what her job entailed…
The taxi pulled up, and, checking up and down the empty street, dusted with snow, Amy got into the cab, trying not to think about where she was going.
X
Now out of his mind with worry, and praying she wasn't going there again, Rory shrugged on his body warmer, jumping the stairs two at a time to check Amy's bedroom, again.
He threw the door open, at the same time a certain Time Lord threw open the door to his spaceship, and simultaneously they cried.
"Amy!"
Both men paused, tilting their heads at each other across Amy's bed, and spoke again, in synchronization.
"Amy?"
The Doctor shook his head, closing the door of the TARDIS behind him and looking at Rory as if he was trying to figure him out, glancing around the empty bedroom- the made up bed.
"Where's Amy?"
Rory raised his hands, "I don't-" He paused as the Doctor grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?"
The Doctor looked at him, grinning a little. "You didn't get married."
Rory's shoulders sagged, this was a conversation he really didn't want to have with the Doctor.
"No. She called it off. But look, I'm busy-"
"I know." The Doctor interrupted, "You're wearing your body warmer thing, which means she's been gone- how long? And if you're not married, why are you at her house?"
Rory blinked, trying to keep up. "I sold the flat before the wedding, I'm just here till I can find somewhere else. And about 45 minutes, I think."
The Doctor frowned. "I've been gone six months, you've not been able to find anywhere for six months?"
Rory glared. "She needed someone to stay with her."
The Doctor's frown deepened, "She's got her aunt."
Rory shook his head, "Yeah- no, she fell down the stairs, got hurt pretty bad and went into a coma, she's still in hospital-"
Rory was going to say more, but the Doctor interrupted, "Good, that explains it, so where do you think she is?"
The Doctor walked out of the room before the human had a chance to reply, leaving Rory staring at his ex-fiancé's bedroom, and the blue spaceship parked in the corner.
He raised his eyes heavenwards, "Here we go again." Then he turned, leaving Amy's room to follow the Doctor, shutting the door behind him.
X
"Please, Bill. It's Christmas for Christ's sake!"
A heavy, meaty hand hit Amy hard on the side of the face, forcing her head to the side. She hissed a little in pain before turning back to her employer, biting her lip, staring him down.
"It's to you, bitch."
Amy tried not to roll her eyes, stifling the fear bubbling up inside her and putting it in a box at the back of her mind to think about later.
"Christmas day. Please. Just one day off. Please."
Bill Kinter glared at her, his blue eyes trying to pierce into her mind. Amy didn't flinch. Giving up, the man flung his arm at the shabby door.
"Do you know how many customers are waiting out there? Do you have any idea how much money you're supposed to be making me tonight?"
Amy crossed her arms, trying not to think of the sweaty mix of old and young men waiting in a queue for company on Christmas morning.
"No. Actually, I'd have no idea- since I never see that money!"
This time Bill's fist met the side of Amy's face. Her hand flew to her burning cheek, and she touched her lip, where a little blood dripped from where her teeth had caught it.
The six foot man came closer to her, his hands grabbing her shoulders, pushing the Scot back against the wall hard. She restrained a flinch, staring at him hard, not saying a word.
Leaning in close, Bill got so into Amy's face that his stinking breath washed over her face, up her nostrils, into her mouth.
One of his hands drifted down, over her body, going under her top- feeling around. Amy managed not to shudder, but only barely.
"You go up those stairs now, and you do your job, and you keep working until 5am when your shift finishes- and you don't ever try this with me again, or I'll teach you how to work."
He jerked his hips into hers, to emphasize his point, then let her go.
A little unsteady, Amy leant against the wall, watching her employer nervously. He leered at her, "You're lucky we even let you in with all those freaky scars."
Part of Amy wanted to nod and run and maybe cry a little bit. But she never let that part win. Instead she rolled her eyes and flung open the door, revealing her queue of customers. She looked back at Bill, acting as if she hadn't a care in the world.
"You know, I seriously don't think it's out of pity you keep me, Billy boy."
Then she swung up the stairs, letting Bill go puce as he stared and tried not to run after her in front of paying customers. Halfway up the stairs, Amy heard the door slam shut with a resounding bang. She smiled a little to herself, turned left at the top of the stairs, and went into her 'office'.
Only then did she allow herself to sit down on her bed and cry, first thing on Christmas morning.
X
"Why would she be in Gloucester?" The Doctor asked as he strode quickly along the pavement, his eyes flashing across his surroundings.
Rory had to jog a little to catch up. He pulled a face, not sure telling the Time Lord was a good idea. "It's her….job."
The Doctor frowned, looking at the human. "What's wrong with her having a job? And what kind of job involves working at 1am on Christmas day?"
Rory bit his lip and clenched his fists. "It's not exactly a….'proper' job. It's awful. I tried to stop her when I found out, but she wouldn't. We were so desperate for money…"
The Doctor paused in the dark street, tilting his head. "How desperate?"
Rory couldn't meet the Time Lord's eyes. Instead he glanced at the pavement, littered with fags and paper. It wasn't exactly a great part of Gloucester.
He felt the Time Lord's hands grab his shoulders, as he knew they would.
"Rory, how desperate? What has she done?"
Rory shrugged off the Time Lord's grasp, "I'll show you."
He pushed past the other man and walked away along the pavement, hands in fists, eyes staring straight ahead.
A few metres away the human paused, looking back down the half lit street, the snow still lightly falling around him.
"Doctor."
The Doctor looked up, meeting Rory's eyes where he stood about two or three metres away.
Rory shoved his hands in his pockets, and his voice was full of pain, "After this, take her with you, and-and don't bring her back. Not for good."
Rory watched the Doctor, and the Time Lord felt his heart and mind twist with a knot of pity and grief and love and anger and admiration. He smiled a little and nodded.
"Ok."
Rory stared at the alien for a few seconds longer, and then looked away, marching up the street in the snow, leading the way to their love.
X
Amy pulled on a pink silk dressing gown, brushed her hair, squirted a little perfume on and touched up her foundation. She sat on the bed, adjusting her fishnet hold-ups, and heard someone knock on her door.
Amy closed her eyes. "Show time". She whispered.
She changed her voice a little, making it higher and more bubbly, and called. "Give me a minute."
She turned to straighten the sheets on the queen sized bed which dominated the tiny, grotty room, flipped down the mirror, and moved her makeup into the drawers.
She went back to the bed and was just adjusting a pillow when she felt rough hands grab her hips and push her forwards onto the bed. Amy squealed a little and rolled over, eyes wide in surprise.
The only thing she saw was the carving knife, raised high in the air above her, and then she screamed.
X
The Doctor looked up. "That was Amy."
Rory gave him a look. "Yeah…this is where she works."
Another, louder scream echoed into the night. The Doctor looked at the Rory. "Yeah, and that was Amy."
He ran to the building and let himself in with his screwdriver, pushing past the queue of men in the hall. Not quite sure what to make of him, they just stared, but when he went to go up the stairs about 5 pairs of hands reached out to grab the Time Lord as a cacophony of shouts echoed through the tiny, grotty building.
"Oi!"
"You gotta queue!"
"Don't let him up to the girls!"
"I've been 'ere longer than 'im!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes, flipping out his psychic paper, but as it turned out, it wasn't necessary. Because just then, a tall man with a stubble of grey hair over his head and fierce green eyes, tattoos up his arms and studs in his ears, eyebrows, nose and lips came down the stairs, with a knife to Amy's throat.
The Doctor tried to resist rolling his eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh. What a stereotype. I mean, would it hurt not to cover your face in metal?
Amy caught sight at the man at the bottom of the stairs, and her mouth fell open, eyes widening and spilling a few tears as she realized he was really there- he'd come back for her.
"Doctor!" She cried, unable to help herself, smiling in spite of the fact she was half naked, being held with a knife to her throat.
The bruiser grunted and glared at the Doctor, pressing the knife into Amy's throat, spilling a little of her blood. The Doctor moved forward instantly, but the man warded him back, holding Amy in front of him.
Amy looked at the Doctor and mouthed something.
The Doctor shook his head, mouthing back, "What?"
"Stay back! Stay back or I'll slit 'er throa'!"
No one seemed to be paying much attention to the thug. Instead the bottom of the stairs was chaos where the queue of blokes were stumbling over each other to get out. Rory and the Doctor's eyes were fixated on Amy, and she was staring at the Doctor. For a moment all four remained still.
Suddenly, impatient, Amy stamped on the thug's instep, and as he howled in pain, she jumped forwards, down the stairs, yelling, "Catch me!"
The Doctor already had his arms out, stumbling back as he staggered under Amy's weight. He gave her a quick hug, then pointed his screwdriver at the cheap naked light bulb.
It blew, and he grabbed Amy and Rory and dragged them out into the snowy night, leaving Bill Kinter to deal with the would-be kidnapper.
Hmmm- Kinter's a sick jerk, let him have fun with the bruiser. What do you think?
Poor Amy, and Rory- I didn't want to slate him. He knows she's only happy with the Doctor, and is ready to sacrifice his own happiness for her, as the Doctor has.
Please review with any comments, I really appreciate them. 5 reviews for update tomorrow evening, which is ASAP for me,
Hope you enjoyed it!
Kat
