The Big Bang
"Rory?" the Professor gasped as Rory ran into the Pandorica room. She watched as he stood before the box with the Doctor's sonic and flashed it on. Slowly the box started to open again and the Doctor looked over, amazed.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," the Professor called, though relieved as anything that the Doctor was free, the yoke had started to rise and the restraints had clicked open.
"You gave me this," Rory held up the sonic.
The Doctor frowned and pulled his own sonic out of his pocket, "No, I didn't."
"You did. Look at it."
The Doctor stepped out and held his against Rory's, they sparked.
"Temporal energy," the Professor stated, watching, "Same screwdriver at different points in its own time stream."
"Which means it was me who gave it to you," the Doctor nodded, "Me from the future. I've got a future, that's nice," he moved to glance at the Professor when he spotted something behind Rory, "That's not."
Rory turned around to look at the petrified remains of the enemies who had been standing there, the Daleks, the Romans, among others, "Yeah. What are they?"
"History has collapsed. Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just like after-images. Echoes, fossils in time. The footprints of the never-were."
"Er, what does that mean?"
"Total event collapse. The Universe literally never happened."
"So, how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?"
"Nothing," the Doctor sighed, "Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out."
"Doctor…" the Professor called and he looked at her, she rolled her eyes and held up her shackles, "A little help?"
"Oh!" he jumped and ran over to her, "Right, yes, sorry…" he flashed the sonic over the locks and helped pull the restraints off her, checking her wrists to make sure she was alright before pulling her up and into his arms, hugging her tightly.
"Amy…" she pulled back and looked at Rory, "Where's Amy?"
~8~
The Doctor knelt down beside a body on the ground outside Stonehenge, pulling the blanket off to see it was Amy.
"I killed her," Rory mourned.
"Oh, Rory!" the Doctor breathed.
"What am I?"
"You're a Nestene duplicate," the Professor told him, moving to kneel by Amy, lightly brushing a hand over her forehead, scanning her.
"A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity," the Doctor added.
"But I'm Rory now," he argued, "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory!"
"That's software talking."
"Can you help her? Is there anything you can do?"
The Doctor looked at the Professor, 'Not quite dead yet,' she confirmed.
He nodded, 'We just have to restore her then.'
'Yes but,' her gaze flickered to Rory, 'We need to make SURE that the software isn't still talking first.'
The Doctor stood up, turning around to look back the way they'd come, "Yeah, probably, if we had the time."
"The time?" Rory frowned, not having heard their silent communications.
"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky. Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your girlfriend isn't more important than the whole Universe."
Rory whipped the Doctor around and punched him square across the face, knocking him to the ground, "She is to me!"
The Doctor popped back up, laughing, "Welcome back, Rory Williams! Sorry, had to be sure," he put an arm around Rory's shoulder, "Gotta say, completely understand," he sent a wink at the Professor before rubbing his jaw, "Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there."
"When this is all over Rory I expect a sparring match," the Professor told him, "And possibly even a duel with short swords too."
"No," the Doctor turned and crouched before her, wagging a finger at her, "None of that, I'm not having you stabbed by a plastic Roman centurion."
"You don't think I could take him?"
He blinked a moment, recalling just who he was talking to. She was so different from her last incarnation, in dress and manner, that he almost forgot she truly was a fighter and more than capable of holding her own.
"Still," the Professor continued, smiling at him as she reached out to cup his cheek, "Your concern for me is very sweet," and gave him a little kiss.
"Right," he nodded, pulling away and looking down at Amy, "We need to get her downstairs," he glanced at Rory, "And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning!"
~8~
The Doctor and Professor placed Amy in the Pandorica, "So you've got a plan, then?" Rory asked.
"Bit of a plan, yeah," the Doctor nodded absently, placing his hands on Amy's face to leave her a message.
"Memories are more powerful than you think," the Professor turned to Rory, stepping out of the Pandorica to let the Doctor work, "And Amy is not an ordinary girl thanks to the time crack in her wall. The Universe had been pouring through her dreams every night before we closed it. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got more than they bargained for. Like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul."
Rory smiled at that and glanced at the Doctor, "What are you doing?"
"I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening," the Doctor replied before stepping back and sonicing the Pandorica closed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"
"Saving her. This is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive."
"But she's already dead."
"Mostly dead," the Professor corrected, "Just a hint of life still in her. The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. All it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."
"Where's it going to get that?"
The Doctor looked at his watch, "In about 2,000 years."
"1,894 years to be exact," the Professor remarked as she walked over to the Vortex Manipulator she'd glimpsed in River's bag and took it out, strapping it around her wrist despite the Doctor's pout. She wasn't about to let him run rampant through time with a Vortex Manipulator, just letting him have free reign over the TARDIS was bad enough at times.
"She's going to be in that box for 2,000 years?" Rory exclaimed.
"1,894."
"But that doesn't matter because we're taking a shortcut," the Doctor added.
"River's Vortex Manipulator," the Professor held up her wrist.
"Rubbish way to time travel, but the Universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."
"So the future's still there, then?" Rory asked, hopeful, "Our world?"
"A version of it," the Professor nodded, "Not quite the one you know."
"Earth alone in the sky," the Doctor sighed, "Let's go and have a look," he took the Professor's hand in his, holding out her arm to Rory, "You put your hand there. Don't worry, should be safe."
Rory shook his head, "That's not what I'm worried about."
"She'll be fine," the Professor assured him, "Nothing can get into this box."
"He got in there," he jerked his head at the Doctor.
"Well, there's only one of me," the Doctor countered, "I counted."
"And thank God for that," the Professor joked, "I don't think the Universe could handle two of you."
"Oi!" the Doctor mock glared at her.
"Which is just as well for me," she continued, ignoring him as she smiled playfully at him, "I'd rather be able to give my full attention and love to just one of you. Only to you."
He blinked and smiled at that, taking the hand he'd been holding out to Rory and kissing it.
"This box needs a guard," Rory cut into their flirting, reminding them of the matter at hand, "I killed the last one."
"No," the Doctor shook his head, turning to him, "Rory, no. Don't even think about it."
"She'll be all alone."
"She won't feel it."
"You bet she won't!"
"1,894 years, Rory," the Professor reminded him.
"You two had to wait almost 900 years to be together," he said quietly, "Why should this be any different for me?"
"You won't even sleep, you'd be conscious every second."
"It would drive you mad," the Doctor added.
"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory asked them, "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."
The Doctor sighed, "Rory..."
"Answer me!"
"Yes," the Professor nodded, "Obviously."
"Then how could I leave her?"
"Why do you have to be so...human?" the Doctor asked with a small smile, though completely understanding the man's desire to protect his love.
"Because right now, I'm not," he turned and walked back to the Pandorica.
The Professor looked at the Doctor and started pressing buttons on the Manipulator, setting it, as he turned to give Rory a few last words, "Listen to me. This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but not immortal. We have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of..."
The Professor hit the last button and they disappeared, reappearing in the national museum at night, nearly 2,000 years in the future.
"...trouble," he finished, before turning to the Professor, "I was mid-sentence!"
"Doctor…" she nodded to the side.
He looked over to see a restored Dalek trundling towards them, "Oh…" and then Amy and Amelia, standing to the other side, "Two of you? Complicated!"
"Exterminate!" the Dalek cried, "Weapons systems restoring."
The two Time Lords ran over to the gingers and grabbed their hands, the Doctor taking Amy, the Professor grabbing Amelia, and pulling them off.
"Come along, Ponds!" the Doctor shouted.
"Exterminate!"
They ran back behind the Pandorica, the Doctor nearly toppling into an alcove display of North Africa behind it. He almost knocked over one of the mannequins, catching the fez that fell off its head.
"What are we doing?" Amy asked.
"Running into a dead end," he replied, "Where either the Professor or I will have a brilliant plan that basically involves not being in one."
"What's going on?" someone else called.
The Doctor ran to the edge of the Pandorica and leaned around the side, the Professor doing the same on the other side, to see a night watchman enter the room.
"Get out of here," the Doctor shouted, "Go! Just run!"
The Dalek swiveled to look at the watchman, "Drop the device."
"It's not a weapon," the Professor called, eyeing the man's torch, "Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste!"
"Scans indicate intruder unarmed."
"Do you think?" the watchman dropped his torch and his hand opened to reveal a gun which he fired at the Dalek's eyestalk.
"Vision impaired! Vision..." the Dalek powered down, energy diverting to fix its weakness.
The watchman stepped out from the shadows to reveal Rory just as the group ran from behind the Pandorica.
"Amy?" Rory gasped.
"Rory!" Amy ran for him and jumped into his arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened..."
"Oh, shut up," she smiled and kissed him.
"Yeah, shut up, 'cos we've got to go," the Doctor came up between them as the Professor led Amelia forward by the hand, "Come on!"
"I waited," Rory told Amy, "2,000 years, I waited for you."
"No, still shut up," she cut him off and pulled him into another long kiss.
"And break!" the Doctor tried, "And breathe! Well, somebody didn't get out much for 2,000 years."
"1,894!" the Professor grumbled, her attention fixed on the Dalek, eyeing it.
"I'm thirsty," Amelia tugged on the Professor's sleeve, "Can I get a drink?"
The Doctor smirked a bit at the Professor, "Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it?" he took off his fez and put it on Amelia's head but she shoved it back at him.
"The light..." the Professor realized, "The light from the Pandorica! It must have hit the Dalek," and then she spotted its laser move, "Out!" she ushered them out of the room, "Out, move!"
Rory quickly closed the door to the Pandorica room as they ran out, the Doctor sonicing the lock.
"So, 1,894 years," the Professor looked at Rory, "How did you do?"
"Kept out of trouble," he shrugged.
"Oh?" the Doctor asked, realizing he still had the fez in his hands and put it on his head, "How?"
"Unsuccessfully."
The Professor smiled, "That tends to happen when you spend enough time with the Doctor."
The Doctor pointed at her like he was about to say something but just turned and picked up a mop to block the door.
"The mop!" Rory shouted, "That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic."
"Ah! Well, no time to lose then," he turned to the Professor and grabbed her arm, activating the Manipulator and disappearing with her.
They reappeared in the past, standing before Rory who was sitting on the ground with Amy in his lap, the Doctor in his red fez with the mop, "Rory!"
"Listen, she's not dead," the Professor told him.
"Well, she is dead, but it's not the end of the world."
"It is the end of the world."
"Actually, it's the end of the Universe," he corrected, tapping her nose lightly, before realizing he was still holding the mop.
"Oh, no," she shook her head, realizing what he was going to do.
"Hang on!" he hit the Manipulator again and they reappeared back in the museum, "Oops, sorry!" he quickly put the mop back in the door.
"How can they do that?" Amelia asked Amy, "Are they magic?"
The Doctor tapped the Manipulator and they were off without the mop, back before Rory, who just looked stunned and scared, "You need to get me out of the Pandorica," he pulled out the sonic.
"You're not in the Pandorica," Rory shook his head.
"Yes, he is," the Professor sighed.
"Well, I'm not now," the Doctor countered, turning to her.
"But you were back then."
"Well, back now from his point of view."
"Which is back then from our point of view."
He laughed and looked at Rory who seemed very, very confused, "Time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head."
She shook her head and took the sonic, turning back to Rory, "It's easy to open from the outside...just point and press," she tossed him the sonic and hit the Manipulator, making them disappear again.
"Right, let's go then," the Doctor said as they appeared before the trio and headed up the stairs, only to stop, "Wait! Now I don't have the sonic, I just gave it Rory 2,000 years ago," he took the Professor's wrist, ignoring her groan and hit the button.
"When you're done," he added, seeing Rory again, still sitting there, "Leave my screwdriver in her top pocket."
"Good luck," the Professor smiled wearily as the Doctor hit the Manipulator again. She pulled her arm out of his grip as soon as they were back, "I am not a taxi service!"
He smirked, "Now you know how I feel with River," he remarked before turning Amy, "Right then," he reached into her pocket and pulled out the sonic, "Off we go!"
"No wait," the Professor turned to Amelia, "How did you know to come here?"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pamphlet to the museum and a sticky note, both with messages on them.
"Ah, my handwriting," the Doctor recognized on the pamphlet.
"And mine," the Professor nodded at the note.
"Ok!" he grinned, rushing to a desk and grabbing a pamphlet and pen as well as a note and turned to look at the Professor.
She sighed and held out her wrist, somewhat defeated. He cheered as he activated it.
They appeared before Amelia's doorway, at night, the Doctor jotting on the pamphlet and slipping it through the letterbox. The Professor hit the Manipulator and they appeared in the museum earlier that day. While the Doctor snatched a drink from Amelia's hand while she looked at the Pandorica, she took advantage of the girl's distraction and stuck her note on it.
And then they were back in the relative future, the Doctor handing Amelia her drink back, still cold, "There you go, drink up!"
"What is that?" Amy asked, "How are you doing that?"
"Vortex Manipulator..." the Professor sighed, holding up her wrist.
"Cheap and nasty time travel," the Doctor agreed, "Very bad for you. We're trying to give it up."
"WE?" the Professor looked at him.
"Alright, I'M," he sighed, "Better?" she nodded and they turned to head up the stairs.
"Where are we going?" Amy asked as she followed them.
"The roof," the Professor stated.
Just then, another Doctor appeared at the top of the landing, his jacket smoking, looking rather beat up. He fell down the stairs and rolled to a stop, the Doctor and Professor rushing over to him, sonicing and scanning him.
"Doctor, it's you," Rory breathed, "How can it be you?"
"Doctor, is that you?" Amy frowned.
"Yeah, it's me," he nodded.
"From the future," the Professor added.
The Future Doctor opened his eyes and grabbed the Doctor's coat, pulling him down to whisper in his ear before falling back to the ground, unmoving. He looked at the Professor, relaying what he'd been told to her.
"Are you..." Amy swallowed hard, "I mean, is he...is he dead?"
"What?" the Doctor shook his head and stood, pulling the Professor up as well, "Dead? Yes, yes. Of course he's dead," he climbed over the body as the Professor walked around it and they continued up the stairs, "Right, I've got 12 minutes, that's good."
"12 minutes to live? How is that good?"
"You can do loads in 12 minutes...suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof!"
"We can't leave you here, dead!" Rory shook his head.
"Are you in charge now?" the Professor rounded on him, in no mood to waste time, "So, tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"
Rory and Amy turned around to see Amelia was gone, her drink lying on the floor, "Where did she go?" Amy asked, running back down the stairs.
"Amelia?" Rory called.
"There is no Amelia," the Professor stated, "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."
"How can I be here, if she's not?" Amy frowned.
"You're an anomaly," the Doctor explained, "We all are. We're all hanging on at the eye of the storm, but the eye is closing, and if we don't do something, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!"
They turned and headed off.
"Move it!" the Professor shouted as Amy and Rory lagged by the landing, "Come on!"
She glanced back to see them jogging after them.
~8~
The Doctor climbed out of the stairwell and onto the roof, helping the Professor out, Amy and Rory following after.
"What, it's morning already?" Amy looked around, startled, "How did that happen?"
"History is shrinking," the Professor shrugged as they walked across the roof.
"Is anybody listening to us?" the Doctor scoffed.
"The Universe is collapsing."
"We don't have much time left," he agreed, sonicing a satellite dish.
"What are you doing?" Rory asked, eying them.
"Looking for the TARDIS," the Professor replied, helping him wiggle the device off its post.
"But the TARDIS exploded."
"Ok, then," the Doctor corrected, "We're looking for an exploding TARDIS."
The Professor shifted a bit as she pulled the dish from its mounting.
"I don't understand," Amy shook her head, "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the Universe with it. Why would it do that? How?"
The Professor moved and jumped on a raised section of the roof, aiming the dish carefully as the Doctor watched, "Here's a better question Amy," the Professor muttered, "Total event collapse means that every star in the Universe never happened. Not one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars that ever were, are gone, then what is that?" she nodded at a large ball of fire in the sky.
"Like we said," the Doctor sighed, "We're looking for an exploding TARDIS."
"But that's the sun," Rory shook his head.
"Is it? Here's the noise that sun is making right now," he soniced the dish, amplifying the sound so they could hear the wheezing of the TARDIS, "That's the TARDIS burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."
"Doctor, there's something else. There's a voice."
The Doctor frowned and adjusted the volume.
"I can't hear anything," Amy remarked.
"Trust the plastic."
"I'm sorry, my loves," River Song said, those four words repeating over and over.
"That's River!" Amy gasped, "How can she be up there?"
"It must be like a recording or something," Rory frowned.
"No, it's not a recording," the Professor set down the dish, "The emergency protocols..." she began tapping on the Manipulator, "The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time loop to save her. She is right at the heart of the explosion," and slammed her hand down on it.
~8~
River connected a wire at the console, causing it to spark before pulling a crank and turning to run towards the door, only to stop short, seeing the Professor standing there.
"Cab for River Song?" she smirked.
River just laughed and ran over to her, linking arms with the girl as she hit the Manipulator out.
They reappeared on the roof, the Doctor quickly pulling the Professor into his arms as she had disappeared before he could even reach out to her. And then he pulled back and held out his hand, wanting something. She sighed, rolling her eyes and handing over the Manipulator.
"Not just me is it?" he asked her with a small smirk, strapping the Manipulator to his wrist.
"Amy!" River smiled, seeing the couple standing there, "And the plastic centurion?"
"It's ok, he's on our side," the Doctor reassured her, his arm winding around the Professor's waist.
"Really? I dated a Nestene duplicate once...swappable head, it did keep things fresh. Right then, I have questions. But number one is this...what in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" she turned to look at the Doctor.
"It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."
River looked at Amy a moment before the ginger girl grabbed the fez off the Doctor's head and tossed it into the sky.
River pulled out her gun to shoot it when another streak of light beat her to it, she turned to the Professor who simply blew on the end of her blaster as the Doctor pouted.
"I win," she smirked at River.
"You've got centuries of practice over me," River remarked, "Cheater."
"Exterminate!" a shout went up behind them. They spun around to see the Dalek levitating up the side of the building.
"Run, run, move, move!" the Doctor shouted, ushering them back to the stairwell.
"Go!" the Professor grabbed the dish and held it up like a shield, blocking the Dalek's attack as they climbed back down.
~8~
The Doctor soniced the seal of the hatch to the roof as the Professor and River had their weapons aimed up, just in case.
"Doctor, come on," River called.
"Shh," the Doctor listened, "It's moving away, finding another way in," he climbed down the ladder.
"It needs to restore its power before it can attack again," the Professor sighed, putting her blaster away for now.
"Now, that means we've got exactly…" he checked his watch, "Four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity," he turned and continued down the stairs.
"How do you know?" River asked.
"Because that's when it's due to kill me."
"Kill you? What do you mean, kill you?"
"Oh, shut up, never mind. How can that Dalek even exist?" he pushed open a door and they stepped out into a hallway, "It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"
"The Professor said the light from the Pandorica..." Rory began.
"It's not a light," the Professor corrected, "It's a restoration field…"
"But never mind," the Doctor shook his head, "Call it a light. That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"
"Ok, tell us," Amy turned to them.
"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse," the Professor explained.
"A time explosion," the Doctor added, "It blasted every atom in every moment of the Universe. Except..."
"Except inside the Pandorica," Amy realized.
"The perfect prison," he nodded.
"Inside it, perfectly preserved, are a few billion atoms of the Universe as it was," the Professor agreed, "In theory, you could extrapolate the whole Universe from a single one of them."
"Like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."
"No, too fast, I'm not getting it," Rory shook his head.
"The box contains a memory of the Universe and the light transmits the memory," the Professor turned to him.
"And that's how we're going to do it," the Doctor nodded, turning to head off again.
"Do what?" Amy asked.
"Relight the fire. Reboot the Universe. Come on!"
"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous," River shook her head as she jogged to catch up to the two Time Lords, "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?"
"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Professor countered, "Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"
"Well, that would be lovely, but we can't, because it's completely impossible."
"Ah, no, you see, it's not," the Doctor grinned, "It's ALMOST completely impossible. One spark is all we need."
"For what?"
"Big Bang Two! Now listen..." he turned around, only to be shot in the chest by a Dalek laser, falling to the floor as the creature in question trundled down the hall towards them.
"Doctor!" the Professor shouted, moving to kneel at his side, River on his other side, her gun out and aimed at the Dalek to protect them.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!"
Rory pulled Amy to the side, out of the way as he peeked around the corner his gun-hand ready, "Get back. River, Professor, get back now!"
"Exterminate!"
Rory and River fired at the Dalek and it was drained of its energy again.
"Doctor," the Professor breathed, taking his hand, "I'm here," she reached out and ran a hand through his hair as his eyes fluttered open. She leaned down and kissed him quickly, resting her head against his, "I'll see you soon," she whispered as she moved his hand over his wrist.
He pushed the Manipulator and disappeared.
"Where did he go?" River gasped, "Damn it, he could be anywhere."
"He went downstairs," the Professor stood up slowly, "12 minutes ago."
"Why?"
"River, he died," Amy breathed, watching as the Professor pulled out her blaster and checked it.
"Systems restoring!" the Dalek cried, "You will be exterminated!"
"I think you three should head out," the Professor told them calmly, her back still to the Dalek, tense.
"We can't leave you!" Amy shook her head.
"We've got to move," Rory agreed.
The Professor looked up at River, "You go. I'll be right with you."
River looked her in the eye, as though trying to read her expression, before nodding and rushing out, pulling Amy and Rory with her.
"You will be exterminated!"
"Really?" she asked, still eerily calm, setting the levels of her blaster up higher, nearly reaching sonic cannon levels, "I don't think so. Because, you see, your systems are still restoring which means your shield density is compromised. One Alpha level burst through your eyestalk will kill you...dead."
"Records indicate you will show mercy. You are an associate of the Doctor's."
She smirked to herself, it seemed the Pandorica had only partially restored the Dalek's memory and data banks as well, "I'm not just an associate," she turned around, "I'm his wife, his Bonded. I am the Professor."
The Daleks started rolling back, "Mercy!"
"Daleks show no mercy," she replied, aiming her gun, "And neither will I."
~8~
Amy and Rory stopped short on the stairs where they'd left the Doctor's body, River quickly going over to Rory's jacket lying there, but the body was gone.
"How could he have moved?" Rory shook his head, "He was dead! Doctor? Doctor!"
"But he was dead!" Amy agreed.
"Who told you that?" River looked up at them.
"He did."
"Rule one," the Professor said, walking in, "The Doctor lies."
"Where's the Dalek?"
"I killed it," she told them darkly, putting her blaster back in its holster, continuing on.
River, Amy, and Rory followed the Professor as she walked purposefully down the halls, back towards the Pandorica room.
"Doctor!" Amy gasped, seeing the Doctor sitting inside it, hunched over, unconscious. They ran over, the Professor getting there first and scanning him just to be sure he was alright.
"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory frowned.
"We were a diversion," the Professor remarked, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt him stir beneath her hand, "As long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."
"What was he doing?" River asked.
"What's happening?" Rory gasped as the room got brighter, he looked out the window to see the 'sun' getting bigger.
"Reality's collapsing," the Professor stated.
"It's speeding up," River agreed, "Look at this room."
Amy turned to see the displays were empty, "Where did everything go?"
"History is being erased. Time is running out," she looked at the Professor, "What was he doing?"
"Preparing for the Big Bang Two," the Professor replied as he blinked blearily, his head leaning into her hand on instinct, nuzzling it.
"The Big Bang?" Rory frowned, "That's the beginning of the Universe, right?"
"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back?" Amy asked, "Is that what you mean?"
"Oh!" River gasped.
"Now you've got it," the Professor nodded.
"What?" Amy looked between them.
River turned around, allowing the Professor to focus on the Doctor as she explained, "The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..."
"Then what?"
"Then let there be light. The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like they said."
"That would work? That would bring everything back?"
"A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history," the Professor nodded.
"Oh, that's brilliant," River breathed, after all this time, the Doctor and Professor never failed to amaze her with their genius, "It might even work!"
"He's wired the Vortex Manipulator to the rest of the box."
"Why?" Amy frowned.
River blinked, "So he can take it with him. He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."
"Like hell he is," the Professor said, reaching in and pulling the Manipulator off him, "He can't fly to save his life…"
"Hey…" he whined weakly.
"Hush," she gave him a peck and put the Manipulator on her own wrist, "Remember that promise?" she asked him, "You don't leave me, I don't leave you. We do this together."
The Doctor could only smile a bit and let his head fall onto her shoulder as she leaned in to finish the wiring.
~8~
Amy and Rory stood nearby the Pandorica, watching as River helped the Professor finish up, the sky now a brilliant orange outside.
"Are you ok?" Rory asked her.
"Are you?"
"No."
"Well, shut up then!"
Rory pulled her into a hug as River stepped out of the Pandorica and over to them, "Amy...they want to talk to you."
"So, what happens here?" Amy asked her, "Big Bang Two? What happens to us?"
"We all wake up where we ought to be. None of this ever happens and we don't remember it."
"River...tell me they come back too," she didn't want to believe she'd be losing her two best friends. For that was what they had become over the months of traveling, her best friends.
"They'll be the heart of the explosion."
"So?"
"So all the cracks in time will close, but they'll be on the wrong side...trapped in the never-space, the Void, between the worlds. All memory of them will be purged from the Universe. They will never have been born. Now, please. They want to talk to you before they go."
"Not to you?"
"They don't really know me yet," she blinked back tears, her voice cracking, "Now they never will."
Amy nodded and walked slowly towards the Pandorica, seeing the Professor watching her, having heard their conversation. She was sitting on the floor in between the Doctor's legs as he let his fingers just play with her hair, his strength slowly returning.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Amy Pond," the Doctor greeted, still a bit weak, "The girl who waited. All night in your garden. Was it worth it?"
"Shut up. Of course it was."
"You asked us why we were taking you with us and we said 'No reason.' We were lying."
"It's not important."
"It's the most important thing left in the Universe," the Professor countered, "It's why we're doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house. And just you."
"And Aunt Sharon."
"Where were your mum and dad? Where was everybody who lived in that big house?"
"I lost my mum and dad."
"How? What happened to them? Where did they go?"
"I..." she blinked, alarmed, "I don't..."
"It's ok," the Doctor calmed her, "Don't panic. It's not your fault."
"I don't even remember…"
"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now," the Professor told her.
"Amy Pond, all alone," the Doctor sighed, "The girl who didn't make sense. How could we resist?"
"How could I just forget?" she shook her head.
"Nothing is ever forgotten, not really," the Professor reminded her, "But you have to try."
The ground started to shake.
"It's speeding up!" River shouted.
Amy reached over and placed the Doctor's sonic in his pocket from where it had fallen on the ground.
"There's going to be a very big bang," the Doctor told her, "Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."
"How can I remember them if they never existed?" she asked.
"Because you're special."
"That crack in your wall," the Professor added, "All that time, the Universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back...you can bring them back, too."
"You just remember and they'll be there."
"YOU won't," she backed away slowly.
"You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friends any more," he laughed, seeing her getting tearful, "Amy Pond...crying over us, eh?"
"Guess what?" the Professor smiled.
"What?" she asked.
"Gotcha."
The Pandorica closed and started to glow, the power building up around it before it launched into the sky. The Doctor grabbed his communicator while the Professor worked on piloting the box, flinching a bit as he sent the message, 'Geronimo,' to the others and sat back. A moment later he felt someone squeeze his hand and looked down. The Professor looked at him and held tight, him squeezing back, as they hit the TARDIS with a bang.
~8~
They woke with a start, on the floor of the TARDIS, both sitting up quickly, though the Professor moved to a kneel as the Doctor just looked around.
"Oh!" he started to smile, "Ok. We escaped, then. Brilliant!" he smiled at her, "Love it when we do that," he patted his legs, "Legs, yes," and tugged his bow tie, "Bow tie, cool," and then placed a hand on his head, "I can buy a fez."
"And I can blast it off the top of your head William Tell style if you do," she threatened, when they heard something.
"The beach!" came the Doctor's distinctive voice, "The beach is the best."
"Automatic sand!" and the Professor's.
"Automatic sand?" Amy asked, "What does that mean?"
"It's automated, totally."
They peeked around to see themselves working around the console as Amy stood by the railing, dressed for the beach.
"Oh…" the Doctor breathed, realizing they hadn't quite escaped.
"Cleans up the lolly sticks..." the Past Doctor added.
"No, hang on! That's last week when we went to Space Florida," he turned to the Professor, offering her a small smile, "I almost had a dual heart attack that trip," she eyed him and he just gave her a little peck, "You in a bikini..." he whispered, kissing her forehead, "Thank God you left the blaster in our beach bag."
"We're rewinding," the Professor reminded him gently, not wanting to disrupt the moment, but also knowing that their time was, as River had once said, running out, "Our time stream...unraveling, erasing. Closing…" they looked back at the monitor, seeing a crack in time closing, "Hello, Universe, goodbye, us."
"Amy…" the Doctor sighed and Past Amy turned around, "Amy?"
~8~
They were standing outside Craig's flat, watching as Amy crossed the street in front of them, "Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window," the Doctor nodded.
"Amy!" the Professor shouted, recalling when the Doctor had gotten her attention in the TARDIS. Amy looked up but didn't seem to see them.
"We need to tell you something!" the Doctor called.
"She can hear us!" the Professor grinned.
"But if she can hear us…"
They looked back to see a crack in the road closing.
~8~
They were in a forest next, able to hear the Doctor talking to the clerics in the woods of the Byzantium.
"Good luck everyone," the Past Doctor called as he took the Professor's hand, "Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, later!" he tapped her on the head, "River, going to need your computer…"
They watched as their past selves walked off, Amy sighing, "Yeah, later."
They glanced at each other and walked over, the Doctor taking her hands in his as the Professor sat beside her, putting her arm around her.
"Amy," the Professor spoke quietly, "You need to start trusting us, it's never been more important."
"But you don't always tell me the truth."
"If we always told you the truth, we wouldn't need you to trust us," the Doctor countered.
"The crack in my wall, how can it be here?"
"We don't know yet, but we're working it out."
"Now, listen Amy," the Professor continued, "Remember what we told you when you were seven?"
"What did you tell me?" she frowned, as did the Doctor.
He looked at the Professor a moment, staring into her eyes as she revealed her idea to him. He nodded and looked back at Amy, "No, no...that's not the point. You have to remember."
"Remember what? Doctor? Professor?"
~8~
They were standing in Amy's house now, at night.
"Amelia's house," he muttered, checking his watch, "When she was seven. The night she waited."
They headed outside and spotted Amelia curled up, asleep on her suitcase.
"The girl who waited," the Professor smiled lightly, understanding all too much how it was waiting for the Doctor.
"Come here, you," the Doctor moved over, scooping her up to carry her inside, the Professor grabbing the suitcase and taking the lead, opening the doors for him.
They made it to Amelia's room without incident, the child barely stirring at all as they laid her in bed and tucked her in.
The Doctor sighed and plopped down into the chair next to her bed, the Professor choosing to sit on the side of the bed beside Amelia.
"It's funny," the Professor sighed, "We thought if you could hear us, we could hang on somehow."
"Silly us," the Doctor agreed, "Silly old Doctor and Professor."
"When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad...and you won't even remember us."
"Well, you'll remember us a little. We'll be a story in your head."
"But that's ok. We're all stories in the end."
"Just make it a good one, eh? 'Cos it was, you know."
"It was the best."
"A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away from the only love he ever wanted," he smiled softly at the Professor, before glancing at the girl on the bed, "Did I ever tell you that I stole it?"
"He loves to claim that be borrowed it," the Professor rolled her eyes jokingly, "That he was always going to take it back."
"Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you."
"Big and little at the same time."
"Brand new and ancient."
"And the bluest blue ever."
"And the times we had, eh?"
"Would've had..."
"Never had," he sighed.
"In your dreams, they'll still be there."
He smiled, "The Doctor, the Professor, and Amy Pond. And the days that never came."
She reached out and stroked the girl's hair, "The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here any more."
The Doctor stood up, "I think we should skip the rest of the rewind."
"You do hate repeats," she nodded, leaning over to kiss Amy's head, "Live well."
"Love Rory," the Doctor added, kissing her head too.
"Bye bye, Pond," they whispered, casting one more look at Amelia, before heading towards the crack, hand-in-hand.
~8~
The wedding had been beautiful, despite Amy's lingering feeling that she was forgetting something monumental. The feeling had only grown worse as the day went on but it wasn't until she was sitting beside Rory, looking down at an old, blue diary that looked ridiculously like a police telephone box that it really hit her and she'd begun demanding to know why she'd been given such a gift.
"Well, you know the old saying," Rory shrugged, "The old...wedding...thing. Huh?" Amy looked up, stunned, "Amy?"
Her father stood to give his speech, "Ready now. Sorry about that. Last minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year..."
Amy shook her head, looking around the room at a man in a red bow tie, a woman in a white skirt, a man with blue braces, a woman with a fashionable jean jacket draped on the back of her chair, and a tear fell from her eye.
"...at the age of six and announced that the new head teacher wasn't real because she looked like a cartoon…"
"Shut up, dad!" Amy snapped, standing up.
"Amy?" Rory frowned.
"Amelia?" her father gasped.
"Sorry, but shut up, please!" Amy pleaded, "There're two people missing...two very important people. So, SO important."
"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked.
"Sorry. Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had these imaginary friends..."
Her mother sighed, "Oh no, not this again."
"The Raggedy Doctor and Tattery Professor. My Raggedy Doctor and Tattery Professor. But they weren't imaginary. They were real!"
"The psychiatrists we sent her to!"
"I remember you!" she shouted at the ceiling, a wide smile on her face, "I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy man, tattery girl, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!"
In the silence that followed the glasses stated to tinkle against each other as the ground began to shake, the chandelier swaying.
"I found you," Amy continued, "I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story...the brand new, ancient blue box. Oh, clever. Very clever."
The wind picked up and a wheezing noise began.
"Amy, what is it?" Rory looked around.
"Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue."
And then, right in the middle of the floor, a blue police phone box appeared.
"It's the Doctor and Professor!" Rory gasped as Amy literally climbed over the table to get to it, "How did we forget them? I was plastic. She was the stripper at my stag. He had a fez! Long story…"
Amy ran to the door, knocking on it, "Ok, Doctor, Professor. Did I surprise you this time?"
The TARDIS door opened and the Doctor stepped out, wearing a black suit and top hat, with a white tie and tails, a white scarf hanging loosely around his shoulders.
"Er, yeah," he smiled, "Completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing…" he stepped out and realized something, "Oi! Professor! We're late enough!"
"Coming," the Professor stepped out, dressed in a pair of dress pants, a light green blouse with slightly flowing sleeves that truly brought out the green flecks of her hazel eyes, her hair held back by a green clip. She looked around at the stunned guests and laughed, "Hello, everyone."
"We're Amy's imaginary friends," the Doctor added, "But we came anyway," he moved over to the head table, shaking Amy's father's hand while the Professor did the same to her very stunned mother.
"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride," Amy strode towards the Doctor.
"Then I absolutely, definitely may kiss the groom?" the Professor quipped.
Amy stopped and looked at the Professor before laughing and moving to hug her.
"Excellent," the Doctor nodded, grinning, "From now on, we shall be leaving the...kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond!" he shook Rory's hand as the man walked over.
"No, I'm not Mr. Pond," Rory shook his head, "That's not how it works."
The Professor walked over to him, "Yeah, it is," and gave him a hug as well.
He looked over her shoulder at the Doctor who nodded, before sighing with a smile and pulling away, "Yeah, it is."
"Right then, everyone," the Doctor grinned, "I'll move our box. You're going to need the space…" he made to dash over to the TARDIS when the Professor tugged him back.
"No, I will move her. Knowing you, you'll end up in the arctic tundra in 500,600."
"That only happened once!" he defended, before starting to grin, "But I suppose that's fine, I only came for the dancing anyway," and winked at her.
She blushed a bit, knowing how he loved to watch her dance and the times where he could dance with her, before getting in the TARDIS to move her.
~8~
The Doctor was proving just exactly why he didn't often dance WITH the Professor as he created his own moves to 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love.' Amy was nearly dying of laughter across from him at the sight, "You're terrible. That is embarrassing!"
"Does that answer your question?" the Professor asked Rory as they watched from the sidelines.
He could only nod, so that was why she only danced a waltz with him.
~8~
"That's it!" the Doctor cheered as he taught another crazy dance to the children, the Professor actually joining in, "That's good!"
"Keep it loose," she instructed, unable to stop smiling at the sight of him interacting with the children.
He spun around, putting his hands in the air and wiggling them to the sides.
~8~
Amy and Rory slow danced to 'You Give Me Something,' as the Doctor and Professor dancing with each other a few feet away, the Doctor's arms around her waist as she leaned against him, both of them just swaying to the music.
"So," the Professor looked up at him, "YOU are the most feared warrior in the Universe now?"
He laughed softly at that, "I suppose I've picked up a few things from you."
She shook her head, "I shall have to step up my game so to speak, can't lose my title now."
He just leaned forward and rested his head against the side of hers, humming along with the song before softly singing to her in her ear.
"You were wrong though," she whispered after a moment.
He pulled back, a small frown on his face, "About what?"
She just looked up at him, a soft look in her eyes, "I wouldn't win," he stared, confused, "You said I'd win against the thing in the Pandorica. But you were wrong, I wouldn't."
"Why's that?" he gave her a playful nudge, "You are smarter, faster, stronger than me."
"Because I wouldn't fight," she told him, looking at him with such emotion in her eyes that he felt himself go breathless, "I would concede before it began, I'd never hurt you," she smiled a bit, "Keep you from doing something stupid, of course, but I'd never fight you."
"Neither would I," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her deeply, "I love you Kata," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled, nuzzling the side of his face, "I love you too Theta," she replied, just as softly. They pulled back and smiled at each other, laughing just a bit in joy when the Professor glanced over at Amy and Rory, "1,894 years," she remarked, "He's got us beat even combined."
He laughed, "The boy who waited. Good on you, mate," and turned to lead her out of the room. They walked down the halls and out the back door, making their way back towards where the TARDIS was parked just out in a small garden.
The Doctor walked up to the blue box and had just put the key in the lock when someone spoke behind them.
"Did you dance?" River asked as they turned to her, "It's probably the only time they play a waltz anymore…you two always dance at weddings, don't you?"
"You tell us," the Professor smiled.
"Spoilers."
The Doctor handed her back the diary she had given to Amy to spark her memories, "The writing's all back, but we didn't peek."
The Professor cleared her throat and he sighed, rolling his eyes playfully, "The Professor made sure I didn't peek, happy?"
She smiled up at him, "With you?" she gave him a gentle kiss, "Very."
He couldn't help but beam at that.
The Professor turned and handed back the Manipulator, "Thank you," River said quietly, smiling softly as she just watched them standing before her, the Doctor's arms wrapped around the Professor's waist, holding her back against his chest.
The Doctor eyed her a moment as well, "Are you married, River?"
"Are you asking?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
He blinked, "No, hang on. Did you think I was asking you to marry me, o-or asking if you were married?" the Professor giggled at his flustered state.
"Yes."
"No, but was that 'yes' or 'yes?'"
"Yes."
The Professor shook her head, eyeing the woman, "River...who are you?" the 'to us' was left unsaid. She was already 99 percent sure she knew who River was…but until it was confirmed, she wouldn't say.
"You're going to find out very soon now," she told them, her smile fading, "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes," and then she hit the Manipulator and disappeared.
The Doctor sighed and unlocked the door to the TARDIS, holding it open for the Professor. They stepped in and looked around, glancing at each other a moment before grinning and running to the console, just starting to set the controls when the doors opened and Amy walked in.
"Oi!" she shouted, "Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet."
"Amy!" Rory shouted, following her in and shutting the door.
"Shut up...it's my wedding."
"OUR wedding."
"You snog him and I snog Rory," the Professor reminded her, earning a laugh from Amy, glad that they had both gotten past Amy's infatuation with the Doctor.
"Sorry, you two...shouldn't have slipped away," the Doctor conceded, "Bit busy, you know?"
"You just saved the whole of space and time," Rory remarked, "Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."
"Space and time isn't safe just yet," the Professor sighed, "The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up."
A phone began to ring.
"Why?" the Doctor asked, "And why now? The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and we have to..."
"Hello?" the Professor answered the phone, seeing the Doctor was too far gone in his rant to notice. He stopped and looked over at her as she smiled back at him, "Oh! Hello. Sorry, this is a very bad line. No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. We were at the prayer meeting. No, I understand that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express in space..." she smirked at him and glanced at Amy and Rory, "Hold on a mo," she pressed the phone to her shoulder, "Got a bit of a thing to see to…this will have to be goodbye."
"Yeah, I think it's goodbye," Amy smiled and looked at Rory, "Do you think it's goodbye?"
"Definitely goodbye," he grinned.
Amy ran to the door and looked out, "Goodbye!" she waved, "Goodbye!" and closed them, walking back over.
"Don't worry about a thing, your Majesty," the Doctor took the phone from the Professor with a smile, "We're on our way."
The Professor pulled a lever and they were off!
A/N: Did you guys enjoy the Professor being the one to kill the Dalek? I'd been writing her using her blaster so often that I'd completely forgotten that it also could act as a Sonic Cannon...I assume using it on such a setting would probably drain the battery quite a bit, so she wouldn't use it often, but I could see her wanting to just destroy the Dalek :)
And just two quick little notes. First, it is official, we'll be getting either a chapter or one shot with a Dream Lady! I've actually got a bit of it outlined, but I'm not sure when I'll be finished with it. I'm trying to keep the Dream Lady from crossing the line between Dark and Evil and she keeps pushing it towards Evil with the things the Professor's darkness wants to do to our dear Companions.
Second, I'm considering trying to make a image/cover for the stories using the Image Manager, what do you think? Would you be interested in having some covers?