Chapter 10: To Dream a Dream

"River, I want to show you one of my memories."

Amy reached out a hand and after a brief hesitation River grasped it.

There was a blinding flash of whiteness, and then River cautiously opened her eyes. She and Amy were in a long hallway. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all stark white. The only breaks in the whiteness were the glass windows evenly spaced along the wall each next to a white door that could barely be seen as a break in the smooth wall. As River followed the taller woman down the hall she glanced through the windows. Each looked into a small white room. Some of the rooms were empty, some contained beds or examination tables with what looked vaguely like medical equipment, and some contained metal chairs with restraints. River shivered involuntarily and sped up to walk next to Amy.

As they neared a door at the very end of the hall River noticed that this was the only door without a window next to it. Amy opened the door to reveal a cavernous room. River turned in a circle taking in the whole room. In one corner a partition divided a section from view. The wall opposite the door was one huge window, but the only thing on the other side was darkness. The rest of the room was lined with cabinets. She opened her mouth to ask where they were but swallowed the question when she hears the door opens again. It's Amy – another Amy.

She says, "hello," a little weakly but the new Amy doesn't reply.

Her Amy says, "She can't hear you. No one here can. We're just observing what has already happened.

River nods and starts following memory Amy only to stop in her tracks when she hears a thin but sweet voice singing.

Tick-tock goes the clock

She cradled and she rocked her

Tick-tock goes the clock

Till River finds the Doctor

Tick-tock goes the clock

And what then shall we see?

Tick-tock until the day

That thou shall return to me

She's running now, running towards the partition. That song has been in her head her entire life, but the woman isn't singing the right words. She skids around the partition with eyes only for the singer. She's a painfully thin, blond woman with messy hair piled into a bun. There are deep shadows under her eyes, and her skin is so pale River can easily see the blue veins running underneath it. Her blue eyes are bloodshot and slightly unfocused. River turns to see the rest of the partitioned area and gasps.

"Amy, it's me!"

The blond woman is singing to River Song who is lying unmoving on a small bed. Tubes connect her to several machines. River's unruly hair is fanned out on her pillow and the blond woman strokes it absently while continuing her song.

The Amy from the memory clears her throat to get the blond woman's attention. The woman stops singing and turns with a look of hopeless resignation on her face only to start when she sees her.

"You, you, you aren't her." She stutters.

"Hello Lucy Saxon. I'm Amy Pond, and I'm a friend of the Doctor's."

River whirls to face her Amy. "Is that woman supposed to be my mother then, and why am I in that bed? How far into my future are we?"

Amy smiles a bit sadly. "This isn't your future. This is your past, about two hours ago actually. Just listen."

Lucy regains control of her tongue and asks, "Have you come to punish her?" She gestures towards River. "It's not her fault. Truly it isn't. Punish me instead. I didn't protect her. I was so angry and tired, and I just let them . . ." She's crying now, huge racking sobs shaking her small frame.

Amy leans forwards and says quietly, "I haven't come to punish her or you. I've come to save her. How long has she been in a coma?"

Lucy gulps back sobs and manages to say, "About a year. I'm not completely sure. It's hard to keep track of time here."

River can't keep silent any longer. "What do you mean two hours ago? That would mean I'm in a coma now, but I'm not. I'm in your garden with you."

"Please, River, just listen. I'll answer any question I can in a few minutes."

Lucy turns to Amy. "How can you save her? Are you going to take us away from here?"

Amy says, "I'm going to bring her back from inside her head."

"No! You can't. You don't know what she is capable of. I wasn't even trying to get in her head and she pulled me in once. Plus the station runs automated sweeps every fifteen minutes. They're going to detect you soon, and you'll be in horrible danger. She'll wake up, and the station will send a message to Them."

"She, Lucy?"

"Madame Kovarian."

There's another blinding flash of light, and Amy and River are back in Amy's garden. River starts pacing.

"Explain. Explain everything right now!"

Amy takes a deep breath and starts.

"Your body is in a coma and has been for about a year. Your mind has created its own internal world that you think is reality. I'd been looking for you for a very long time, and when I found you I entered your mind to bring you back. When I said, 'I'm rather good at getting in people's heads.' I meant it, but what I didn't say was I'm a bit less good at getting out of them. Rory was easy. Even with all the extra memories packed in there it was a straightforward process to get in and out. Your mind on the other hand is much more," she paused and made a spastic hand gesture so reminiscent of the Doctor that River's heart ached. "Squiggly."

"I got in your head easily enough, but once I was here your mind overwhelmed mine. I thought I was back in Leadworth with Rory after the Doctor's death. Little things were wrong, but every time I got close to figuring out what was going on your mind would force its version of reality on me. It took Rory's death for me to remember where I was and why I was here. His death was a trigger for me when it happened in my life outside your head, and it worked here the same way."

"So I'm in a coma somewhere, and this world," she gestures expansively, "is all in my head. And somehow Madame Kovarian is involved. How can I trust you?"

"You don't need to River. This is your mind. Search it. Something happened to you that was so painful you created another universe in your own head to escape it. You have to remember that pain yourself. I can only tell you to look and hold your hand while you do."