A/N: Hello boys & girls! It's 'New Chapter Time'!
The Doctor didn't know what Amy would be like after they flew away from Leadworth, so he was relieved when he saw her smiling.
"Hey Doctor, seeing as we never did get to go shopping, can we go now?" She asked him eagerly, her eyes bright with excitement.
Grinning, the Doctor began to type in the destination code for London into the TADIS console. "Of course you can. I think we'll avoid alien shopping planets for a while, and go to London instead."
"That's perfect!" Amy exclaimed, bounding over to the Doctor and kissing his cheek. "How long will it take to get there?"
"No time at all." The Doctor replied, taking her hand and pulling her out of the TARDIS. "We're already here!"
"Perfect." Amy repeated, gazing around their surroundings in awe. The Doctor had conveniently parked the TARDIS in Oxford Street, and he'd chosen a day when the sun was shining, improving Amy's mood.
"So, where to first Pond?" The Doctor asked cheerfully as they began to stroll through the street, swinging their entwined hands as they walked. "There are a couple of intergalactic shops around here, disguised by perception filters. I need to buy another yenik glass as I misplaced my last one. And when I say misplaced, I mean that I threw it against a wall and—"
"—Actually, you need to get lost for a couple of hours." Amy remarked, interrupting him, and the Doctor stopped walking.
"What?" He demanded, aghast.
"I need to buy a wedding dress!" Amy told him, rolling her eyes. "And it's unlucky for the groom to see his bride's dress before the wedding, so you can't stay with me."
"So you're telling me that I've got to find something to do in this boring capital while you shop for a dress?" The Doctor asked, puzzled by the wedding tradition.
"Yep!" Amy chirped, smirking at her fiancée's bewilderment. "Knowing you, it won't be too hard. You'll find an alien crawling through the sewage system or something. That'll keep you entertained while I go dress shopping."
"I suppose." The Doctor muttered grumpily, and Amy laughed.
"Don't go all grouchy on me mister." She murmured teasingly, grabbing the lapels of his tweed jacket and kissing him tenderly.
When she pulled back, the Doctor was still scowling, and Amy grinned. "What can I do to get rid of that frown?" She asked him playfully, tracing the contour of his lips with her finger.
The Doctor's scowl became a smirk. "Mouth to mouth works pretty well."
"Oh really?" Amy hummed, as his lips met hers. Fisting her hands in his jacket, she rose onto her tiptoes, making them the same height, and the Doctor's arm wound around her waist, bringing their bodies closer together.
"Better?" Amy murmured, breaking the kiss momentarily. The Doctor shook his head, and Amy released her hold on his jacket to cup his face in her hands and guide his face back to hers.
Of course, kissing in the middle of London brought the couple a lot of catcalls from people as they walked past, but they weren't prepared to release each other just yet. After their incident with the crack in time, they'd both worried that they were going to lose each other, the Doctor more so than Amy.
This kiss was more meaningful than a normal kiss between two lovers. They could feel each other's desperation, and unwillingness to let the other one go.
Before either of them could suggest that they return to the TARDIS and go shopping later, an idea that they'd both thought of, a loud cry of someone yelling the Doctor's name broke the couple apart.
"What the hell?" Amy hissed, just as a brunette threw herself at the Doctor, yanking her away from him.
"Oh Doctor! It's you! It's really you!" The woman cried, hugging him tightly.
The Doctor knew instantly who it was. Before he could embrace his old friend back, Amy had shoved her away from him.
"Who the hell are you?" She yelled, placing her hands on her hips.
The woman turned away from the Doctor to face the furious redhead. "I'm Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane Smith." She said proudly, and Amy's eyes narrowed. She knew all about her, how she'd been in love with the Doctor and how Rose had felt threatened by her when the two had met.
Amy didn't feel threatened. Not at all. All she felt was anger, because Sarah Jane still had her hands on the Doctor. She coughed loudly, and stared pointedly at her hands, and Sarah Jane released him.
"You know, when someone introduces themselves, it's protocol to introduce yourself back." Sarah Jane said quickly, and the Doctor covered his mouth with his hand to conceal a smile. His old companion hadn't changed a bit.
Amy glared back at Sarah Jane, and the Doctor's smile faded, picking up on the animosity between them. "Um, Sarah Jane, this is Amy, Amy Pond." He said, introducing the pair.
"Another redhead? Some things never change." Sarah Jane commented, amused, and Amy lifted her left hand, flaunting her engagement ring.
The Doctor winced as he prepared to watch Sarah Jane's reaction to the ring. He had history with her, and he knew that Sarah Jane used to be in love with him. Seeing that he was engaged to a companion of his would be hard for her to see.
To his surprise, Sarah Jane's expression didn't change. "Nice ring." She said calmly. "Who's the lucky man?"
Amy blinked. "Are you seriously asking me that?" She asked, shocked.
Sarah Jane frowned in confusion. "Yes, of course. I mean, it clearly can't be the Doctor. I'm sure you know by now that he never settles down, and…"
But she trailed off when she saw the Doctor smile sheepishly. "You proposed? To a human companion!" Sarah Jane cried, stunned.
"Oi!" Amy hissed, taking offence, and the Doctor placed his hand gently on Sarah Jane's arm.
"Well, I take what I said back. A lot has changed." Sarah Jane said quickly, placing her hand over the Doctor's, much to Amy's fury. "New face, new outfit, new companion…who will soon be your new wife, by the looks of it."
"We should talk." The Doctor said softly, removing his hand from her arm. "Come into the TARDIS, it's changed a lot since the last time you saw it."
Sarah Jane nodded, and the two began to walk towards the Doctor's ship.
"Doctor?" Amy called, stunned that they were walking away without saying anything to her.
"You can go dress shopping now Amy!" The Doctor called back, without turning around to look at her.
"I need money then!" She yelled crossly, and the Doctor spun around to walk back to her.
"Ah yes, sorry." He said, withdrawing his wallet and giving it to her.
Amy took it out of his hand silently, and the Doctor knew that she was angry. "Hey," He whispered, tilting her head up with his hand. "Just because I'm going off with Sarah Jane doesn't mean anything is going to happen. I just want to talk to her."
Amy sighed in reluctance, but knew she couldn't do anything about it. "Fine." She muttered, looking over his shoulder to glare at Sarah Jane. "But I don't like her."
"Don't be jealous Amy, she's not as magnificent as you." The Doctor said quietly, kissing her forehead. "Gotcha."
Amy finally smiled. "Gotcha." She whispered back, just as the Doctor left her and went back to join Sarah Jane.
Turning her back on them, she started walking down Oxford Street, trying to push the image of a different Doctor and Sarah Jane out of her head.
~I~
"Wow, I guess that I can add 'TARDIS' onto the list of new things." Sarah Jane breathed, staring around the console room in awe.
The Doctor beamed, thrilled by her reaction. "Better than the original models, right?"
"You can say that again." Sarah Jane murmured, before turning her gaze to him. "Are your new companions better than the originals too?"
The Doctor grimaced, knowing what she was implying. "Sarah Jane…I…I'm…"
"You're what, Doctor?" Sarah Jane asked him, sinking down on one of the console chairs. "You shouldn't be sorry, if that's what you're trying to say. You and I…we would never have worked."
The Doctor quickly nodded, his relief evident on his face. "Definitely. I'm glad you agree. Now—"
"—But what makes you and Amy work?" Sarah Jane questioned, interrupting him, and the Doctor sank down on the console chair beside her, expecting that their conversation would soon focus on his fiancée.
He didn't say anything, and Sarah Jane pressed on. "I mean, you're over nine hundred years old. Why settle down now? Why settle down with a companion, of all people?"
The Doctor shook his head slowly, but didn't try to reply, as Sarah Jane was still talking. "I mean, you're going to marry a human! You'll outlive her Doctor, unless she's your soulmate. But even then, how can you be sure that Amy's the one for you?"
Sarah Jane paused, before gently saying, "I thought Rose was your soulmate."
The Doctor rose abruptly to his feet and stood by the console, his back to her. "Rose was the love of Ten's life. Amy is the soulmate of Eleven…my soulmate." He told her firmly, gazing down at the console.
"And what about twelve's soulmate?"
The Doctor sighed, knowing she'd ask that, and then he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Doctor, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be with Amy." Sarah Jane said gently, and the Doctor turned to face her, his eyebrows raised. "From what I've seen, she's perfect for you. You've finally found someone who won't put up with any…how shall I say it…crap, and I know that she loves you. Just by seeing you two walk out of the TARDIS hand in hand, I could see the love you have for each other."
"So why do you sound like you're against our relationship?" The Doctor asked her, brushing her hand away.
"Because you might break her heart."
Already the Doctor was shaking his head and walking away from her.
"Listen to me!" Sarah Jane commanded, and the Doctor stopped, but didn't turn to look at her. "I know that you will break her heart, because once you were in love with me, just like you're in love with Amy."
The Doctor froze, stunned by her words.
~I~
After browsing through a couple of shops and buying a new wardrobe for herself, Amy decided it was about time she started buying more essential things…like her wedding dress.
Just as she was about to cross the street and enter the wedding boutique, she spotted a familiar man in a blue trench coat.
"Oi! Jack!" She bellowed, and he spun around, beaming when he saw Amy running up to him.
"Amy Pond!" He exclaimed, swooping her off of her feet to twirl her around. "You're still looking as gorgeous as ever!"
"Down boy!" Amy said teasingly, as Jack lowered her to her feet.
Jack winked at her, before looking over her shoulder. "So, where's that man of yours?" And then he paused, and shot her an anxious glance. "You two haven't…he hasn't…"
"Oh, God no!" Amy interrupted him, raising her left hand to show him in her engagement ring.
"Shut up." Jack breathed, staring at the ring in awe. It was impossible for him to believe that the Doctor was finally settling down. He knew him too well.
"The Doctor and I are getting married!" Amy told him, beaming.
But then maybe Jack didn't know the Doctor as well as he thought. "Oh my God!" He cried, embracing her again. "I'm so happy for you both!"
Amy laughed and hugged him back. "Thank you Jack. You'll definitely come, right?"
"Oh, I'll do more than come." Jack grinned, jostling her, and Amy rolled her eyes at his innuendo.
But Jack also meant something else in his words, though he wouldn't reveal to Amy what he meant just yet. Not until the Doctor was there with them.
"So, what are you doing in London?" Amy asked him.
"Shopping for Alonzo." Jack told her, sighing dramatically. "It was his birthday last week, and I kind of…forgot about it."
"You bad boy!" Amy teased, and Jack sighed again.
"I know. But I can shop for him later…let's go and get you a wedding dress!"
And before Amy could protest, Jack had snatched her hand and dragged her into the wedding boutique.
~I~
The Doctor hadn't said anything since Sarah Jane had last spoken, and she sighed. "I know it's hard to hear Doctor, but it's true. If you were in love with me, and with Rose, and now with Amy, what makes you think that you won't fall in love with somebody else?"
The Doctor whirled around to face her, allowing her to see the hurt in his eyes. "Sarah Jane, how could you even say that?" He whispered. "Yes, I loved you, but I wasn't in love with you. Not as much as I was with Rose."
Sarah Jane sighed again, but the Doctor held up his hand, silencing her. "Rose was my first, real love after I lost my wife in the time war. When I lost Rose…it was so hard, and I never really recovered from losing her. I had companions after her, but they couldn't fill the void Rose left in my heart."
Sarah Jane was about to speak, when she something change in the Doctor's expression. He'd looked so pained, and then suddenly, it was as if he'd never been sad. His eyes were suddenly bright, and he was beaming.
"And then I met Amy." The Doctor murmured. "Falling in love with her…it was easy. Effortless. I tried to leave her, like I left you, to avoid getting hurt again, but I couldn't stay away."
Now Sarah Jane was quiet, realising that the Doctor's feelings for Amy were strong, even stronger than the ones he'd had for Rose.
"Amy's my life, and my soulmate. Nothing that happens in the future is going to change that." The Doctor said firmly. "I'm bound to her for the rest of my life, even if I regenerate."
"When did you realise that you were in love with Amy?" Sarah Jane asked him quietly.
The Doctor chuckled. "When I accidentally called my ship 'TARDIS' instead of 'dear'." He told her, amused by the memory of that incident. His ship should have been angry with him for replacing her in his heart, but she loved Amy, so she was fine with being second best.
"Wow. That's such an alien response." Sarah Jane remarked quietly, and the Doctor frowned.
"What did you expect me to say?" He asked her, spreading his arms out. "I'm not human. I don't understand or try to comprehend human's feelings and behaviour…except Amy's. When she first started travelling with me, I didn't understand her at all. I didn't even realise that she used to flirt with me; I just thought she was friendly."
"A bit of a flirt then, is she?" Sarah Jane asked him, grinning. She was amused by the fact that the Doctor had fallen for a feisty, flirtatious young woman. She'd always imagined he'd marry someone a bit more intellectual…someone like herself.
"She's young, she can flirt if she wants to." The Doctor said, grinning back.
"So what made you decide to marry her then, if she's that young?" Sarah Jane asked him curiously.
"I've known Amy since she was a little girl, and trust me, she is not the little girl she used to be." The Doctor told her, still grinning.
"Okay, don't say anything else about that." Sarah Jane said hastily, not wanting to know too many intimate details about her old love and his fiancée. "So, what was the exact moment that you decided that you wanted to marry her? I'm curious. I mean, you never struck me as the 'settling-down' type."
"Thanks." The Doctor said dryly, sitting down again. "Well, it's a bit of a strange story, really. Amy was curling her hair one day, and she turned her head to look at me, and she was laughing at something that I'd said. And then something just sort of…clicked."
"What? Did you begin feeling differently towards her? Did she look different in your eyes?"
"No. She looked rather comical actually." The Doctor recalled, smiling at the memory. "Half of her hair was pinned and half of it was curled. But just by glancing at her, I realised that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. And then just as I decided that I was going to propose to her soon, she threw a pillow and me and told me to stop looking at her weirdly."
"How do you know that she's serious about settling down?" Sarah Jane asked him. The Doctor gave her a strange look, and she held her hands up. "Look, I'm only looking out for you. Your heart…I mean, hearts, can be broken too."
"Trust me, she's serious." The Doctor remarked, sitting back down on his chair. "She's dreamed of being with me her whole life. Even now, she has dreams about having children with me, and travelling the Universe as one big family." He stopped talking to imagine a group of redhead children running around the console room, wearing bowties.
"Have you thought about it?" Sarah Jane asked, breaking his train of thought.
"Thought about what? I do think about a lot of things Sarah Jane, you'll have to be more specific." The Doctor replied, amused.
"Have you thought about having children?"
The Doctor's smile faded. "Honestly? I never had, not when we first got together. It's only recently that I've thought about it, and I've decided that I want the whole package. I lost my family in the time war, and I've had nine hundred years to grieve. It's time for me to start again."
A smile spread across Sarah Jane's face, thrilled for her old friend. "Well then, I wish you both nothing but happiness." She told him, taking his hand and squeezing it.
"Come to the wedding." The Doctor whispered, squeezing her hand back before releasing it.
"Oh yes, I'm sure Amy would love that." His former companion said dryly.
The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Amy will be fine with it."
"Won't that be awkward?" Sarah Jane questioned, worried. She'd already witnessed part of Amy's temper, and she'd hate to be the person who upset the Doctor's fiancée on their wedding day.
"Ha!" The Doctor snorted. "If you think that's awkward, you should know that Amy's ex-fiancée is giving her away."
Sarah Jane's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"And his new wife is Amy's maid of honour."
Sarah Jane started laughing, and the Doctor soon joined in. Their wedding situation sounded rather ridiculous, and impossible, even to him.
Suddenly the TARDIS doors swung open, and in waltzed Amy, loaded with shopping bags. The Doctor soon stopped laughing when he saw Jack follow in after her, wheeling in a rail of clothes, which were zipped in cases.
"Jack?" The Doctor exclaimed, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
"Helping the beautiful bride choose a wedding dress." Jack replied cheerfully, shutting the TARDIS doors behind him. "You're going to die when you see Amy in it."
"Oh, hush you." Amy chided, swatting him playfully, but she was smiling.
"Besides, I'm the vicar, so I'm going to be staying with you two until the wedding day." Jack continued, after poking his tongue out at Amy.
"What?" The Doctor yelled, rising from his chair, and Jack grinned.
"Duh. Who do you think was conducting the ceremony?"
"An actual vicar!"
"That's boring." Jack sighed. "Look, Amy was telling me on the way here that you two haven't even set a date. Someone needs to get this show on the road, and that person is me."
The Doctor was too speechless to reply, and Jack took his silence as an agreement. "Just call me Holy Jack from now on!" He remarked, throwing his arms around the Doctor.
And then Jack finally saw Sarah Jane. "Hello you!" He exclaimed, releasing the Doctor and kissing her on the cheek. "How've you been?"
As the two of them caught up, the Doctor approached Amy, eyeing all of her shopping bags warily. "Blimey Pond, what did you buy?"
"Just a few things." Amy replied airily.
"A few?"
"Okay…a lot." She said quickly. "But you have lots of money and a big wardrobe so it doesn't matter, right?"
"All of those bags are just clothes?" The Doctor asked in amazement. He went to take a look in one of the bags, but Amy darted away from him.
"No looking mister, I have my wedding bits in here!" She exclaimed, rushing over to the console stairs. "Jack, grab the rail!"
Breaking away from his conversation with Sarah Jane, Jack pushed the rail over to the stairs. In one, swift movement, he lifted up the rail and began to ascend.
Jack could sense his friends' astonishment. "When you can live forever, you have all of the time in the universe to work out." He commented to the three of them, before disappearing around the corner with Amy.
Sarah Jane stood up then, and turned to the Doctor. "Something tells me this TARDIS is going to get very crowded, so I think I should leave now while I still can." She commented, smiling, and the Doctor returned her smile.
"Wise decision. Listen, thank you for talking with me." The Doctor embraced his friend, but he wasn't sure if he was really thankful for what she'd said to him.
"You're welcome." Sarah Jane murmured, drawing back. "Come and pick me up for the wedding!"
"You can count on it." The Doctor replied warmly, as Sarah Jane walked out of the TARDIS, shutting the doors quietly behind her.
Suddenly, he felt something hit him in the chest, and he looked down to see a bag at his feet.
"I bought you a present!" He heard his fiancée call cheerfully, and he looked up to see her standing at the top of the console stairs, grinning down at him.
The Doctor quickly picked up the bag, excited. The moment he saw the contents of the bag, his face lit up. "Bowties!" He cried happily, pulling out the packet of thirty, all in different colours. There were even tie-dye versions.
"Like them?" Amy asked him, though of course she already knew that he did.
"Like them? I love them!" The Doctor beamed, racing up the stairs to thank her properly.
The moment his lips were about to touch hers, Jack appeared. "Oops. Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"
"Yes." Both Amy and the Doctor remarked at the same time, their eyes locked on each other.
"Right, I think I'll just go and swim a few laps in the swimming pool then." They heard Jack comment, but they ignored him.
Taking Amy's hands, the Doctor began to pull her towards the direction of their bedroom, and Jack sighed.
"Okay, make that a few hundred laps." He said, just as their bedroom door slammed shut.
Sorry if you think that I made Sarah-Jane sound horrible. I didn't mean to write her that way…it just sort of…happened. I wanted to include her character in this story at some point because Elisabeth Sladen was a huge part of the Doctor Who fandom and she is missed dearly. Don't worry, I will probably not include her character again, because Amy wouldn't be very happy with that, haha!
Every Reviewer will be given a preview of the next chapter :D
Hayley x
p.s All I can say about River Song's real identity is 'Oh My Gosh'. I kind of saw it coming, but then, I think Moffat's got some more tricks up his sleeve. There's a lot more going on from what we've seen so far onscreen, je pense.