Beta'd by the great mcibb
"Hello, you've reached the voice mail of Amelia Pond. I'm unavailable to take your call at the moment, so please leave a message …" Rory hung up before it could finish.
Hearing Amy's voice like that, all stiff and professional, was alien. And he could say that because he'd been on alien planets before, and spoke to alien beings, and really he just knew.
She hadn't come home from work the day before, which he supposed wasn't terribly unusual if the shoot went long. London was a bit away, after all. But she wouldn't answer her phone, and hadn't for the two days she'd essentially been missing.
Rory knew he could call the police, file a report, and hope for the best. But he also knew that there were two people who wouldn't dilly dally, who really cared if Amy was missing. Who, like him, would go to the end of the Universe to find her.
And really, for all he knew, that's exactly where she was.
So he pulled out his cell phone, took a breath, and dialed.
It rang three times.
"Hello?"
"Rose, it's Rory. Amy's missing."
"We'll be there as soon as we can. Just give me the date." Rose replied.
"July 12th," He said, then as an afterthought, "2010. 1:17pm"
"Right, hold tight." Rose replied.
Once Rose hung up, Rory went down the hall to change out of his scrubs. He heard the TARDIS materialize as he finished fastening his jeans, and quickly pulled on an oxford before returning to the living room of his and Amy's flat to greet their friends.
"I didn't know who else to call," He admitted as the doors to the TARDIS opened. The Doctor stepped out first, looking as worried as Rory felt, Rose right behind him with a serious expression. "She left for a shoot three days ago. Heard from her when she arrived in the city, haven't since. When she wouldn't answer her phone the first day, I called the agency, they patched me through to some … assistant, or something. They said she hadn't shown up to the shoot yet. She sounded vapid and likely wouldn't tell Amy someone was looking for her so I've been trying her cell every chance I got since. She's just gone, vanished."
"We'll find her, Rory." The Doctor said, putting a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
"After you called I got on the phone with some friends of ours in London," Rose told him, getting out her phone, doing something on the screen. "Gave them the details we knew about Amy's work, her name, a description. They're free lancers who do a lot of work for Jack when he needs 'em, but don't want to be tied down in Cardiff. They sent me pictures," She said, handing Rory the device.
Amy. Pictures of Amy walking down a London street, a coffee cup from her favorite place in one hand, phone in the other, and she was alone. Until she wasn't.
In the pictures that followed, Amy's former psychiatrist was there, coming up behind her, talking to her. Amy seemed angry in the first few, then seemed thoughtful in a few more. The next couple, Miss Smith was reaching for Amy, and then they were gone.
"I tried to track her in the Universe before we showed up." The Doctor said apologetically. "I couldn't find anything."
"So she's, what? Gone? Dead? What?" Rory asked, looking between the alien and his wife, trying very hard to stay calm and losing control quickly.
Keys clanged against the door, and a very Scottish voice cursed before it sounded as though one of those keys fit in the door. They turned, and Rory waited with baited breath as the heavy oak was pushed open and his wife stood on the other side.
Amy looked at him wide eyed, holding the door awkwardly with the keys still in hand, a coffee cup and white paper bag in the other. She then shifted her gaze to the Doctor and Rose, then to the TARDIS.
"Oh thank God, was getting bored of the daily humdrum. Can't believe we actually thought we wanted to live the normal life for a bit. Just let me pop to the loo, get changed, and we can go see some planets." She said eagerly as she crossed the threshold, closing the door with a grin that fell when no one returned. "Alright, what's happened? Why do you lot all look like that?" She asked, glancing about them.
Rory moved, grabbing her tightly, holding her snug. "What the hell happened to you?" He said into her ginger hair.
~DWDWDW~
"Umm, nothing? I went to work, Stupid Face." Amy said affectionately, leaning back and brushing at his cheeks. She'd never known Rory to be this worked up or worried about her.
"You were with Her." The Doctor said suspiciously, both he and Rose looking at her as if they didn't trust her.
Which stung, considering the progress she thought she had made with Rose.
She and Rory had spent a month with them, or at least the equivalent of one, seeing all kinds of wonderful times and places on what her Raggedy Man affectionately called "the honeymoon tour." It was the most relaxing time she'd ever spent with him since first stepping foot on the TARDIS, and the lack of running or danger had allowed the four of them to do things together. And that whole time, she quietly thanked and apologized to Rose by not saying anything mean, as well as doing little things to help out or simply get to know her. When they departed, she thought she was on better footing with the Bad Wolf, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"What are you on about?" She asked as she let go of Rory.
He showed her the phone in his hand. The phone that was not his.
She saw the picture of her Psychiatrist reaching for her, saw the way she tried to pull away from Miss Smith.
And her head hurt.
Things didn't add up. She was sure she remembered bumping into an old woman on the street at that spot, apologizing even as her phone fell from her hand and skidded across the sidewalk before falling into a man hole. But at the same time she remembered darkness. Pain. Needles, maybe? She remembered Miss Smith, but not like that.
"I got away from her." Amy said. "Shouted real loud and called for help. She took off pretty quick." She told the Doctor and Rose as the scene played out in her head. Of the people on a busy London sidewalk looking at her while Miss Smith panicked and darted down the alley. "Made me drop my phone." She added, remembering that detail about it falling down a manhole. "Forgot to get a new one."
That was the right memory. Why did she think otherwise? An old woman? Really?
The Doctor stepped toward her, pulled his sonic out of his jacket, and waved it around her. Amy frowned glancing to Rose, partly relieved that the suspicion was gone, but now it was replaced with concern. Well, concern was at least better. Concern meant animosity was gone.
The Doctor pulled the sonic back and stared at it, a little crease forming on the bridge of his nose. He then stepped forward, leaned in really close, and sniffed.
"What the bloody hell ya doing?" She asked.
"You smell normal," he replied as he leaned back. "Proper human hormones and everything."
Amy's heart dropped in her stomach. "Proper human hormones, you say?"
"Yes." He said, though he didn't seem happy about it either.
"Awesome," She said. "Well, as I said. Let pop to the loo and change, we'll go see some planets." She gave Rory a kiss on the cheek before darting past him and down the hall.
A quick glance over her shoulder, and Amy saw the three conversing, looking relieved, or a bit relieved, and not watching her at all.
She went into the loo.
Setting the coffee cup and paper bag on the counter, she looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She then opened the bag, pulled out the box inside, and tried to work up the nerve to open it.
She had to. If she went off through time and space and was … well, what might happen? She had to be absolutely positive.
Amy opened the box, pulled out the stick, and did as she was supposed to do.
She waited, heart hammering with fear and excitement as she chewed her thumb. After counting quietly to sixty in her head, she looked down at the stick resting on the counter.
And her heart broke.
Negative.
That was the second one, the other taken in her hotel room the day before when she wanted to be sure before telling Rory what she thought would be good news.
Maybe she had read the first one wrong?
Opening the cabinet under the sink, she went for her tampon box, finding the discreetly open wrapper she'd left the other one in. Pulling it out, she stared at the "positive, 2-3 weeks" that was on the digital screen.
Tears tickled her eyes as she understood what it must have meant: She lost the baby. It would only be a matter of time before she got her period.
No. No she was never pregnant in the first place, right? Yeah it was just an odd glitch of the digital test. They were new, after all, couldn't be too reliable yet. Must have had a bad one, or it malfunctioned, nothing to worry about. Best two out of three, and they said negative. She hadn't felt sick, she hadn't had cravings; it was just a missed period that made her want to check. And time travel. Month for them, a week and a half post wedding for everyone around them. She just counted wrong.
She darted for the bedroom, changed into a simple summer dress and leggings, then darted out.
"Right, so, where we going?" Amy asked.
"Not Victorian London." Rose sighed. "I'd like to stay in the jeans and t-shirt, yeah?" She said, tugging on her black leather jacket.
"Probably shouldn't attempt that again, anyway. Not for a bit, at least." The Doctor conceded. "How about … random?"
"Random sounds good." Amy declared.
The Doctor smirked, snapped his fingers, and then linked his hand with Rose's as they both headed inside.
As she moved to the TARDIS, Rory stopped her.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked her, looking equally worried and relieved.
"She never stood a chance." Amy assured him.
Rory cupped her face, studying her. "You look like you've been crying." He noted.
Amy grinned, though she knew it was barely believable. "Guess I just didn't realize how much you would all worry about me." She said, though it was a lie thin enough to see through.
Rory looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, then his shoulders dropped. He smiled, relief winning out, and he kissed her.
"We should go. Would seem terribly impolite not to after I called them here for nothing."
Amy didn't need to force the smile now, and she bumped her husband's shoulder before Rory grabbed his jacket and they entered the TARDIS.
~DWDWDW~
"You don't believe her." Rose stated through the bond as they moved to go inside.
"No. Something is off, definitely off. She's too normal, too well balanced. We showed her pictures of her encountering a woman she knows now cannot be trusted and she had no bio-chemical reaction." The Doctor replied as they moved up the ramp and went about their synchronized movements of getting the TARDIS ready for their next trip. "The signals read suspiciously similar to those the clone Martha had all that time ago. Remember that? Except Amy doesn't smell like Martha did. And no amount of bathing could change that."
"So what do you think is wrong?" Rose asked.
"Not sure," The Doctor said, looking at Amy and Rory as they came on board. "I'll run background scans whenever we're on the TARDIS, see if I can understand what's happening. Until then, we act like everything's fine." He said as he moved to the randomizer and put his hand on the dematerialization switch. "Alright, Ponds, are you ready to be transported anywhere through space and time?"
Rory looked over his shoulder and grabbed the rail. "Now I am." He said.
"Alright." The Doctor said as Amy nodded. He threw the switch. "Geronimo!"
A/N: This story seems cursed. My laptop broke, which is why this is really late.
Thank you to the readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers.
Eagle Hawke, PanoramaGirl, TheKitchenMistress, Darkelvoriplorellion Tyler, WaitingformyDoctorintheTardis, Dreamcatcher56, annabethfan15, Chasing-Impossibilities-4ever, debygobel, Loca8892, Bad Wolf Jen, pyro-pixiechik, x.-KTA-.x
Thank you all for leaving word.
I wanted to make sure you guys had the resolution to the cliffhanger in case I'm another week without a laptop. You can thank my hubby for letting me use his laptop to post it. So I hope to be back soon. Using a phone for everything is he absolute worse.