Disclaimer: I do not own 'Doctor Who' or any of the characters in it. All rights belong to the BBC, though I would love to own it myself. Sigh.
A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Turns out I have no time for writing when I'm applying to University, having driving lessons and going to people's 18ths.
Anyhow, I hope life is treating you all well! :)
The Doctor woke up first, and he shook Amy gently to wake her up as well. Her eyes snapped open, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were in their cottage.
"Thank God we're back. I couldn't take much more of that freezing temperature." Amy commented, shivering as she thought about what had happened in the TARDIS.
The Doctor sighed and rose to his feet, helping her up as well. "Me either. Clearly the cold star is the danger in that World. But what about the danger in this World?"
"I have no idea." Amy groaned, stretching her back. "I don't even know which one is real." At the Doctor's silence, she continued. "What do you think?"
"I don't know." The Doctor muttered, beginning to pace up and down.
"Okay…" Amy said slowly. "Let me rephrase the question. Which reality do you want to be real?"
"The other one, where we're nice and safe in the TARDIS."
"We're not safe there!" Amy disagreed. "We're safer here."
The Doctor shot her a doubtful glance. "You look like you're about to give birth at any moment. How does that make us safe here, especially when there's a danger to face?"
"Because Rory's helping us deliver our baby!" Amy reminded him. "And you can look out for the danger. See? Safe!"
"Don't mention his name to me!" Her husband growled, and Rory's name was the last straw.
Frustrated with both situations and Amy's ex fiancée, he decided that the only way to vent his anger was to kick the coffee table, sending Amy's vase of flowers crashing to the floor. The glass shattered, and Amy gasped.
"Clean that up right now!" She bellowed, sending the Doctor scurrying to the front door, calling out apologies over his shoulder as he rushed outside to get a broom. He should have known better than to anger his pregnant wife.
Amy waited by the front door, and she glared at him as she watched him collect a broom from their shed. The Doctor turned around to head back to the house, and he winced at the furious expression on Amy's face.
As he walked towards her, something struck him. He paused in the middle of the lawn and gazed at the countryside that was all around his cottage. "Amy, there's something that I don't quite understand." He said quietly.
Amy rolled her eyes. "Tell me what it is and then get back in here to clean up your mess!"
The Doctor resisted the urge to salute her. "I don't understand why we chose Leadworth to settle down in when we have the whole universe to choose from."
Amy frowned in confusion. "It's upper Leadworth actually. And what's wrong with it?"
The Doctor stared at her incredulously. "What's right with it? This place is so dull!"
Amy blinked in surprise, before anger returned to her expression. "Well, if that's the way you feel about our life, then bugger off!" She snapped, taking a step back to slam their front door shut, leaving the Doctor outside.
The Doctor groaned. "Amy! Let me back in!" He cried, racing up to the door. "This is stupid!"
"You're stupid for insulting the village we chose to raise our child!" She yelled back from the other side of the door.
"I'm sorry! Lea—Upper Leadworth is a great place to live really!" He shouted, banging on the door.
Amy didn't reply, so the Doctor's knocks became more persistent. "Amy? Are you still there? Amy?"
After a few minutes, the Doctor knew his knocking was futile. He knew exactly what she was like when he offended her. Amy certainly knew how to hold grudges.
"We just had to choose a cottage with a wooden front door." The Doctor muttered to himself, knowing that his sonic screwdriver didn't work on wood.
The only way he could get back into the cottage was if he scaled the stonewall using the trellis to reach their open bedroom window.
"Come on, you can do this." He whispered to himself. "You are monkey boy after all!"
Taking a deep breath, he gripped the trellis tightly with his hands and placed one foot on it. "Three…two…one!" He took the other foot off the ground, grinning with delight when the trellis remained securely on the wall. He heaved himself up, and began to climb towards the bedroom window.
Amy meanwhile was beginning to feel guilty for leaving the Doctor outside. She knew she needed him with her just in case her contractions started, so she unlocked the front door and stepped outside.
The sight she saw nearly sent her into labour. "What are you doing up there?" She shrieked, making the Doctor jump.
Amy let out a little scream when the Doctor began to wobble precariously on the trellis, but he managed to regain his balance. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting back into the house!" He yelled down to her.
"Get down here right now!" She commanded, her voice high-pitched with upset.
The Doctor recognised her distress, and he began to climb quickly down to the ground. Once he was a couple of feet above the floor, he let go of the trellis and fell backwards, sprawling out onto the grass.
"You are such an idiot!" Amy told him, unable to keep the affection out of her voice as she sank down onto her knees beside him. "Don't scare me like that again!"
The Doctor gave her a lazy smile as he sat up. "It wasn't intentional. I just really wanted to get inside. Can't you understand that?"
"Of course I understand it, you big dope!" Amy cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "But I was so frightened of you falling down."
"You can't get rid of me." The Doctor replied playfully, stroking the back of her head. "You have me for life."
Amy pulled back to cup his face with her hands. "That's why we got married." She smiled, leaning forward to kiss him.
"Never mind all of this romance!" Someone laughed, and the Doctor and Amy didn't even have to break their kiss to know that it was the Dream Lord. "You have a World to choose. I just hope you don't figure out which one is real before it gets interesting!"
Knowing exactly what was coming next, the Doctor lay back on the grass and Amy curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. The familiar chirping sound filled the air, and their eyes snapped shut.
~I~
"Okay, so the Dream Lord can play with our minds, but can he turn the bloody heating on?" Amy muttered, her breath fanning out into the air. Shivering, she clutched her poncho tighter around her and climbed awkwardly to her feet.
The Doctor had awoken first again, and he was walking up and down. "We need to decide which World is real, now!" He told her firmly, tapping the TARDIS console to emphasise his point. "We're going to die here if we don't, and I really don't want to know what the danger is in the other World."
"Doctor, I don't know which one is real!" Amy cried. "I feel it in both places."
"I feel it here. Not in the countryside. Definitely not there."
"Why not?" Amy demanded. "It feels real to me!"
The Doctor stopped his pacing and whirled around to face her. "Amy, tell me about your dreams." He said suddenly.
Amy's face paled, and the icy temperature wasn't to blame for her white face. "Why?" She whispered.
"Because I think that your dreams and thoughts may have something to do with this situation." He told her quietly, gazing at her intensely to watch her reaction.
"Why mine?
"Well, I definitely have never thought about having—"
"This is no fun! No fun at all!" The Dream Lord barked all of a sudden, appearing next to the Doctor. "I don't like boring chit-chat, I prefer a bit of action. So I'm sending you back to the countryside. Isn't that great? Ooh, maybe we can milk a cow together!"
~I~
"What was the point of that?" Amy grumbled from her position on the grass, opening her eyes.
"I think that's the point!" The Doctor remarked, pointing at something in the distance. Squinting, Amy sat up and gazed at the direction he was pointing at.
Her eyes widened at the sight of all of the locals in Leadworth, including Rory, Jeff and her old neighbours, walking towards their cottage, the same, dazed expression on their faces.
"I didn't know we were having a party today." Amy commented, and the Doctor helped her up.
"We're not having a party." He replied grimly. "I believe that all of our friends have been taken over by aliens, but I'm not going anywhere near them to find out if I'm right or not!"
Amy nodded. "Good point. So should we get into the TARDIS?"
"Already tried that. The Dream Lord has put it on deadlock. We're stuck here."
"Of course." Amy muttered dryly. "No wonder he wanted us to be back here. This must be so entertaining for him!"
"The ultimate viewing pleasure." The Doctor sighed, taking her hand and tugging her into the house. "We need to barricade all of the doors and windows, now!"
Amy couldn't do much in her condition, but she managed to find lots of wood and metal for the Doctor to nail to the windows, and she helped him push a few pieces of furniture against the doors, despite his protests that she shouldn't be moving heavy objects.
After ensuring that the downstairs was secure, they moved onto the upstairs, barricading all of the windows. The Doctor told Amy that they had to stay in the room with the least amount of windows, which to his displeasure, was their baby's room.
And when they walked into the room, Amy knew exactly why he was so reluctant to bring her into the room.
The Doctor had forbidden her from entering that room ever since they'd found out that she was pregnant, and Amy had obeyed his wishes. And she was glad that she had, because when she saw what he had done with the room, she felt herself tearing up. It was definitely worth the wait of seeing it.
"Oh Doctor, this is so beautiful!" She sobbed, gazing around at their space-themed baby room. The room had TARDIS wallpaper, something the TARDIS had given the Doctor herself, and the floor was fitted with a plush blue carpet. Even the baby's cot was the same colour as the TARDIS, and the mobile playing above the bed was fabricated of planets and stars.
"I thought the space theme would be best, because…well…look at us!" The Doctor chuckled, enjoying Amy's reaction to the room. "It was going to be a surprise, but due to our recent situation, you had to see it before it was finished."
"I love it!" Amy whispered, admiring the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.
"I also thought it would be better decorated this way, because we don't know our baby's gender." The Doctor added softly.
"I love you." Amy murmured, smiling through her tears as she turned around to face her husband. "I don't think I've ever said it enough, but I do."
The Doctor grinned crookedly at her. "I love you too."
Forgetting the danger outside momentarily, Amy grabbed the lapels of his tweed jacket and kissed him.
She pulled away first, and grinned at him. "So, how would you rate that kiss out of ten?" She asked him teasingly, continuing the joke that had lasted throughout their relationship.
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Hmm…a nine."
"Not a ten because I'm pregnant?" Amy hissed, releasing his jacket to place her hands on her hips.
"No, a nine because we're surrounded by aliens who want to kill us. Not exactly the best situation."
Amy's anger faded, and she threw back her head and laughed.
The Doctor had never seen her so happy at nine-months pregnant, so he cupped her face with his hands to kiss her, slipping his tongue into her open mouth.
Amy's hands flew to his hair, and she kissed him back hungrily, forgetting about the situation they were in.
Suddenly, they heard the window open, and they both sprang apart, the Doctor pushing Amy behind him protectively.
But it was only the Dream Lord, and he climbed into the room. "Just look at this window. Completely see-through! Just like you then Doctor. But then, I've always been able to see through you, and your lovely companion."
Amy stepped out from behind the Doctor. "Have you met the Doctor before? Have you met me before?" When the Dream Lord didn't reply, she turned to the Doctor. "Has he Doctor?"
"Now don't get jealous, he's been around our boy. And you should know that Amy." The Dream Lord told her devilishly.
"How dare you!" Amy fumed, stepping forward to slap him, but the Doctor held her back.
"Amy Pond, the Kissogram from Leadworth." The Dream Lord taunted her. "But we all know that it's the nice way of saying that you really are a—"
"You can shut up right now!" Amy hissed.
The Dream Lord looked offended. "If that's the way you feel, then I'll go. Oh, but it looks like you're going too. Tweet tweet!"
~I~
When Amy and the Doctor awoke in the TARDIS, the Dream Lord was standing over them, grinning nastily at Amy. "Hey Amy, let's go and jump off the TARDIS and wake up in that nice village hmm? Maybe we can plan a christening for your child?"
"Leave her alone!" The Doctor hissed, rising to his feet to tower over him.
"I love it when you do that. The tall, dark hero." The Dream Lord replied, his voice sinister. "No wonder Amy chose you over that bumbling idiot from Leadworth. And he calls himself a nurse! Don't make me laugh. But then…you call yourself a Doctor. And look how many people you've killed."
Now it was Amy's turn to get defensive, and she stood up to confront the Dream Lord as well. "Leave him alone!"
The Dream Lord turned his attention back to her, and he smiled at her. "Sorry Amy, I got carried away. So, we can either stay here and freeze to death or go back to the perfect family life with the Doctor?"
Amy remained silent.
"Oh Amy. Too shy to admit what you really want?" The Dream Lord teased, circling her. "Don't worry, I know where your heart really lies, don't I?"
And with a snap of his fingers, the Dream Lord disappeared.
"Doctor, the other World is real." Amy said determinedly, shivering in her poncho. "I know it."
"It only feels real to you because you want it more than this life!" The Doctor told her sadly, drawing his poncho tighter around himself.
"I never said that!" Amy snapped, frowning at him. "I love travelling with you."
"But you want a family. You want marriage. Those are things that I can't give to you."
"Doctor, listen to me." Amy instructed, shuffling towards him. "You're only saying that because you think that the other World is a dream. Being married, having a child together, that's real! It's happened to us."
"Amy, I don't think you understand!" The Doctor said tiredly. "That man is the Dream Lord, and he's giving us two Worlds. My dream is to travel the universe with you for the rest of eternity, and from what I've seen, your dream is to settle down with me. And your dream is more impossible than mine!"
"How can mine be more impossible?" Amy replied angrily, her frown becoming a glare. "Doctor, we've had sex for goodness sake!"
The Doctor would have thrown his arms out to the side if the poncho didn't restrict him. "What does that have to do with anything?" He cried, frustrated.
"Everyone knows the story Doctor. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby's carriage!"
"You are talking absolute nonsense!" The Doctor hissed, shaking his head in disbelief. "The Amy I know wouldn't want a family. Hell, you ran away with me in the first place to escape your wedding day!"
"Because the only reason I was going to marry Rory was to replace the hole that you left in my life!" Amy cried. "When you came back for me, I saw no reason to stay in Leadworth."
"Oh dear you two. Lover's tiff." The Dream Lord commented, reappearing in the console room. "There was an old doctor from Galifrey who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his lover, and then—oh no. Time's up."
Amy and the Doctor exchanged anxious glances, the past few minutes forgotten as they realised that it was approaching crunch time. They had to make a decision.
"Have fun in the village!" The Dream Lord said cheerfully as they closed their eyes. "Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."
~I~
"Okay, we have about thirty minutes before we freeze to death and about thirty minutes before we get killed by our friends." The Doctor was muttering to himself as Amy awoke, wincing from sudden pain in her abdomen. "What are the chances of figuring out which World is real? Slim to none."
"Doctor?" Amy whimpered, clutching her stomach and glancing down at the floor.
"Just a second Amy. Now, if we just—
"Doctor, my water just broke!" Amy cried, staring down in horror at the sight of her waters spreading out into the carpet.
"No, no, no! Not now!" The Doctor panicked, dropping down onto his knees beside her. "We don't have anything here!"
"Why does Rory have to become an alien when we need him!" Amy groaned, gritting her teeth to stop herself from screaming.
The Doctor would have replied angrily to that, but he decided that his annoyance aver Amy's constant remarks about her ex-fiancée weren't appropriate right now.
He used his frustration instead to create a makeshift bed for Amy using their baby's blankets and pillows. Once he'd finished, he heaved a panting Amy onto the materials and propped her up against the wall with cushions.
"I'm so scared!" Amy sobbed, clutching the Doctor's hands. "This can't be happening now!"
The Doctor kissed her sweaty forehead and pushed her hair out of her face. "Amy, everything is going to be okay." He assured her, though he was panicking even more than she was. "Nothing is going to happen."
"I'm giving birth when there are about one hundred aliens trying to kill us!" Amy shrieked, her grip on the Doctor's hands tightening as she had another contraction. "I can't do this!"
"You can!" The Doctor told her firmly. "You're going to give birth to a healthy baby, and I'll get rid of the aliens—"
"No!" Amy cried. "I need you. Don't leave me!"
The Doctor couldn't agree to that, so to avoid answering her, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her damp hair.
Amy's contractions continued, and her screams and cries of pain were agony to the Doctor.
"I need drugs!" Amy screamed, her face wet with tears and sweat. "I can't take the pain Doctor. I can't!"
The Doctor made a decision, though he was yet to know that his decision would change his life, and hers too. "I'll go and get you the tablets from downstairs, the ones you were supposed to take earlier." He told her, rising to his feet.
Amy's face crumpled. "But…but…"
"But nothing. I'll be fine!" He replied reassuringly, backing away to the door and showing her his sonic screwdriver. "See? I have this! My good friend the—aaaaah!"
Amy screamed along with him when one of the alien's heads broke through the bedroom door, spraying the Doctor with something from its mouth.
He collapsed, groaning, and Amy crawled over to him, her contractions forgotten. "Doctor?" She sobbed, grabbing his face with her hands.
His face was beginning to sweat, and Amy cried harder when she saw how delirious he was becoming. "What did that thing do to you?" She cried, staring at the door, but the alien had vanished.
The Doctor gave her a faint smile. "It killed me." He replied softly, slumping in her arms.
"Regenerate!" Amy commanded tearfully, giving his body a shake.
The Doctor gazed up at her vulnerably. "I can't." He whispered. "It's too late."
Amy began to shake her head adamantly. "No…no! I can't…Doctor…"
"This may be the dream." The Doctor reminded her weakly. "Maybe…you and…I…"
Suddenly his body went slack, and his head rolled back, causing Amy to scream again. She could only watch in stunned horror at the sight of his body disintegrating, until he was just a pile of ash in her hands.
Duh-duh-DUH.
Teehee. That was fun to write.
I'll get Matt Smith to hug everyone that reviews this chapter! ;)
Just kidding. Matt belongs to Daisy Lowe. Sigh.
Hayley x