A/N: Sorry for not updating + replying to reviews. Life is...well...not perfect.

But it's okay, because your reviews and kind words always brighten my day. And they produce chapters like this :D Although, I have to warn you now...this chapter does end in a cliffhanger.

(Please don't kill me for it. It's not that bad. I think.)

Oh, and also...1,000 REVIEWS! THANK YOU!

After dropping River off, the Doctor carried Amy to their bed, and lay her down gently, his vast mind whirring and replaying the events in the chamber.

For the first time in his nine hundred years of life, he was frightened. His anxiety and fear for Amy were clouding his judgement, rendering him useless. He didn't know anything; he couldn't understand anything.

And he couldn't find a way to keep Amy safe, and out of danger. He couldn't protect himself either. There was no protection when fighting the unknown.

Exhausted, the Doctor collapsed on the chair beside the bed and buried his head in his hands, trying to think of an answer to the turmoil surrounding them.

And then he realised he had it. At least, he had the beginning to his answer.

His wife.

Her memories of the events in the chamber would give him some insight. He'd be able to discover why she behaved that way in front of the crack in time, and find out what had happened in her encounter with the Daleks.

Just as he was about to place his fingers to Amy's temples, he paused, realising he was invading her privacy. Did he have the right to scan his wife's mind?

His TARDIS sensed his indecision, and spoke to him softly. There's an old Earth saying Doctor…what's yours is mine…so what's hers is yours.

"Thanks Dear." He murmured, comforted. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly, and the Doctor placed his fingertips on Amy temples.

His eyes snapped shut, and he sifted through her memories to when she woke up in their bedroom chamber and went to investigate the sound of someone calling her name.

And then the memory went black, and the Doctor couldn't see anything. It was as if Amy's memory was blocked from him.

Frowning, he pushed deeper into the tendrils of her mind, searching for the next memory. He found it, and saw his own face looking worriedly down at Amy, after she'd collapsed. He sped through their conversation until he saw himself and River enter the chamber, letting Amy's memory replay in his mind.

He saw, through the eyes of his wife, the Daleks coming around the corner, before his psychic vision darkened again.

And then he caught snippets, like there were blips in her memory, skipping over parts that the Doctor couldn't see. He saw Amy in the hatch and running towards the chamber door to get to him, but the memory was blurred, as if someone had edited it.

Maybe someone had.

The Doctor needed to get closer to examine her mind further. Without taking his hands away from her face, he rose from the chair to sit on the bed. Before he pressed his forehead against hers, he paused again. Accessing her mind like this would create a temporary bond between them, and he was unsure if he wanted to set one. Amy might sense him this time, and wake up, and he didn't want that to happen. Not just yet. He needed more information.

After a psychic nudge from his ship, he rested his forehead against Amy's, and closed his eyes again.

This time, he saw the chamber door opening and Amy stepping through. He expected to see the light from the crack, but the moment Amy stepped into the chamber, her mind went blank, and the Doctor couldn't see again.

He tried to push through the darkness, but his psychic energy was weakening in its presence. He was being forced to withdraw from Amy's mind, to avoid the risk of being completely drained.

Opening his eyes, he let go of his psychic hold on Amy, and returned to his chair, frowning.

And then he felt a small tug in his mind. Frowning, the Doctor touched his forehead, and then quickly withdrew his hand. He was burning hot.

That could only mean one thing.

He touched Amy's forehead too, and felt that she was the same temperature as him.

The temporary bond that he'd just formed with her was becoming permanent.

Panicked, the Doctor tried to break it, but the link was already too strong. He had no idea why their bond was still there, as it was almost impossible for a human to have the capability of holding such a powerful psychic bond. But there it was.

He didn't know whether to feel thrilled or concerned that they were now bonded in a different way.

He touched his forehead again, and felt that his skin was back to its normal temperature. The bond was set.

Instead of researching the cracks in time, which he should be doing, he began to play with their connection, testing the durability. It was very weak, but unbreakable, and it would strengthen over time. He couldn't access her mind without physical contact, but he could sense her emotions from where he was sitting.

He could feel her tranquillity, and then he felt something shift in her mind. She was beginning to wake up.

He knew that she wouldn't remember anything about the cracks in time and her mother, so he plastered on a cheerful smile, waiting for her to awaken.

Moments later, Amy's eyes slowly opened, and she turned her head to look at him. "Doctor?" She whispered groggily, sitting up, but the Doctor pushed her gently back down, ignoring the twinge in his mind from the physical contact.

"Pond, rest." He instructed, lifting up the duvet to tuck her in, but she kicked it away with her feet.

"What happened?" She asked him, ignoring his request. "I can't remember anything."

The Doctor had to force down his unease, knowing Amy would sense it, even though she wasn't aware of the bond between them.

"The Daleks were threatening me, and you fainted." He lied, so convincingly that he almost believed it himself.

"I fainted?" She echoed in disbelief. "I didn't realise I was so weak!"

"You're not weak, you were just exhausted after your collapse." Her husband said softly. "Look, everything's fine and dandy now. The Daleks are gone." He was still lying, of course.

Amy smiled in relief. "Good. You know, I'm glad that adventure's over with. Let's not have another one of those, okay?"

Looking into her honest eyes, the Doctor's hearts churned. "Okay, I promise." He agreed, pushing his unease aside.

"So, everything's back to normal." Amy stated, grinning.

Define normal. The Doctor thought dryly, and the TARDIS sighed in agreement, just as concerned as him.

"Let's go somewhere else." Amy went to sit up again, but the Doctor pushed her back down. This time, he joined her on the bed, positioning his body over hers to trap her with his arms.

"Or we can do this instead. I don't mind." She murmured, grabbing the collar of his tweed jacket and forcing his body onto hers.

Before her lips could reach his, the Doctor sighed and rolled off of her onto his back. He heard Amy groan, and she propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. "What's up with you?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

The Doctor was silent, debating on how to break the news about their bond.

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" Amy continued, and Doctor cursed himself silently for having a wife that was so perceptive.

"There is." He said carefully. "Something that happened a few minutes ago, in fact."

Amy was instantly alert, and she surveyed the bedroom. "What? Did River do something? Is she still here?"

The Doctor smiled faintly. "No, she's gone. I…well…I'm not entirely certain on how it happened, but it seems that you and I…are now bonded."

He didn't expect Amy's reaction at all. "Of course we are. We got married a few weeks ago, remember?" She replied, rolling her eyes.

"Not like that." The Doctor replied quietly. "I mean…we're psychically bonded."

Now Amy understood, and her eyes widened. "Like…" She trailed off, and touched the Doctor's forehead gently with her fingertip.

The Doctor shivered as he felt their bond react to their skin contact. "Yes. We're linked through our minds."

"How did this happen? Will I be able to read your mind now?" She wondered, tapping his forehead lightly.

"I don't know how it happened." He lied, unable to explain to her the truth without revealing information that she didn't remember.

Amy nodded, believing him, and the Doctor continued. "And no, not quite. You'll have to learn how to use it, and I will too, of course. It could take years to speak to each other telepathically." He replied, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her hand away.

Releasing her hand, he sat up to lean over her, and gently pushed her onto her back. He touched her forehead with his index finger, and whispered, "Close your eyes."

Amy obeyed, and the Doctor began to trace a pathway with his fingertip towards her temple, enjoying her hum of pleasure.

Slowly, he edged forward and pressed his forehead to hers, and Amy's eyes flew open. "I can see myself!" She whispered, amazed. "But how—"

"At first, you'll get fleeting images from my mind, and you'll be able to sense how I'm feeling. And it works both ways." The Doctor explained, pulling back to look at her.

Amy raised her hands, and tenderly cupped his face, her fingertips resting on his temples. "What does this mean for us?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know." The Doctor said thoughtfully, frowning slightly. "Only one Time Lord has bonded with a human before, and it was rumoured that they were joint souls."

"Soul mates." Amy said softly.

The Doctor nodded, and sat up. Amy lowered her hands, and was disappointed when she couldn't feel the Doctor's mind in hers. "I can't feel you anymore." She told him.

"You can, I'm still there." The Doctor touched her temple again, and Amy trembled. "You can feel my emotions, but we have to have physical contact to use our bond for everything else. Our minds will have to strengthen to carry this…psychic capacity, I suppose you could call it."

Amy's eyes twinkled mischievously, and she sat up to place her hands on his face again. The Doctor elicited a sigh of pleasure, and she smirked. "Physical?" She echoed, and the Doctor shivered as he felt her desire seep through the bond between them. "How physical?"

Her feelings ignited his own, and he pushed her back down onto the bed. "I think I can demonstrate." He murmured, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

~I~

The psychic bond between them turned out to be a blessing in disguise. They'd never felt closer to each other.

It was also useful in another way: the Doctor used it as a distraction to keep Amy in the TARDIS for a few days. He made excuses to stop them from leaving the comfort of his ship, such as 'the bond can be broken by strong crosswinds' or 'someone might kidnap us and force our minds apart'. Amy believed him, much to his surprise, but he was relieved. Keeping Amy inside kept her away from danger.

But eventually Amy, being Amy, yearned to leave the TARDIS and continue their honeymoon. The Doctor couldn't placate her, so he whisked her off to the Tuyir Galaxy, one of the darkest, yet most romantic places in the Universe. There was hardly any light, which comforted him. He thought it was best to keep Amy away from bright, white light, for fear of her being exposed to a crack in time.

Even though they were safe, he refused to let her leave his sight, and he ensured that he held her hand everywhere, keeping her in his grasp. He constantly kept looking over his shoulder, looking for any signs of suspicious behaviour.

They then visited one of the Rix Moons in the galaxy, and the Doctor nearly hurt someone when he noticed that they were watching Amy strangely. It turned out that they were only staring because they'd never seen red hair before.

Amy kept an eye on him after that, unbeknownst to the Doctor, and she noticed his weird behaviour. She realised that he kept calling her Amelia, and that he became more protective of her when they travelled somewhere, clutching her hand tightly and always looking around.

She eventually called him out on it, when they were on their way to a formal Purian Party that the Doctor had been invited to. They were walking hand in hand towards the Purian castle, and when Amy saw the Doctor glancing behind them, she spoke up.

"Is there any reason for why you're being so protective of me?" She demanded, frowning at him.

"I'm always protective of you." The Doctor replied stubbornly, avoiding her gaze.

"Yeah, but not like this. It's like you're afraid that something's going to happen to me." She remarked, and the Doctor panicked.

"No! De…definitely not. W-what makes you say that? You're wrong!" He stammered, troubled that she'd noticed his behaviour.

"I was joking!" She said quickly, feeling his panic through their bond, and she frowned in confusion. "Why aren't you?"

Maybe the bond wasn't a blessing; it just made lying harder.

The Doctor forced himself to laugh, and he straightened his shoulders, trying to rid himself of his paranoia.

Amy felt his emotions return to normal, and the Doctor felt her relief. He couldn't mirror it though, so he tightened his grip on her hand as they walked inside. Amy shot him a questioning look, but the Doctor refused to meet her gaze again.

Knowing it was useless trying to talk to him again about his behaviour, Amy kept her mouth shut, and allowed the Doctor to continue being over-protective.

She actually quite liked it, even though it was annoying.

~I~

Minutes later, she decided that she didn't like it, when the Doctor refused to let her walk around the party freely, even though she promised that she'd stay in the same room.

The Doctor sensed her frustration and annoyance, and dragged her over to the corner of the room, where two of his old acquaintances were. He introduced Amy to them, and the four chatted for a while, before Amy excused herself. At least, she tried to.

"I'm going to get a drink." She whispered to the Doctor, releasing his hand. Before she could back away, the Doctor latched onto her hand again.

"I'll come with you." He replied, stepping with her, and Amy frowned.

"No, stay here." She said firmly, trying to pull her hand out of his grasp, but her husband held on.

"No, I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not." Amy hissed, not caring that the Doctor's friends were watching them strangely. "Do I look that clingy?"

"You shouldn't be left alone." The Doctor muttered, his eyes boring into hers.

"I'm walking over to a table and picking up a drink. How can you protect me from that?" Amy demanded, still trying to pull her hand away.

"The drinks could be poisoned, you could drown—"

"Now you're just being silly." Amy growled, and the Doctor could feel through their bond how angry she was. "Stay here."

Doctor sighed, knowing he was near defeat, but still determined to keep trying.

Amy sensed this, and glowered at him. "I mean it. Stay."

The Doctor's scowl mirrored hers. "I'm not a dog." He replied angrily, and Amy's glare intensified.

"But I'd be your dog any day." He added quickly, releasing her hand.

Glad that she'd gotten her way, she smirked and kissed the Doctor's cheek, before heading over to the drinks table on the other side of the room. Once there, she scanned the contents on the table critically, and her eyes fell on a strange looking fountain, that oozed a thick, purple substance. According to the label next to it, it was the drink of the night.

A man was filling up his glass with the liquid, and he looked up to smile at her. He looked human, but Amy had travelled for a long enough time to know that he wasn't. His tanned skin was patterned with pale white lines, as if someone had scratched at his skin, and his eyes were a clear, cerulean blue: too blue for human standards.

Amy smiled back at him, and pointed to the fountain. "Is that edible?"

"Quite." The man replied, his smile widening. "Maybe not for humans though. There are some Earth delicacies to your right, if you'd rather try them."

Amy turned her head, and saw a couple of beer bottles and some cartons of orange juice. "Cool, thanks!" She reached out for one of the beer bottles, but the man moved them out of her reach.

"Actually, I wouldn't drink those. The use-by date was three years ago." The man remarked, pushing a carton of orange juice towards her.

"Okay then, thanks." Amy shrugged, picking up the orange juice. "So, what's your name?"

"My name is Antonium."

Amy offered him her hand, and he shook it politely. "Nice to meet you Antonium, I'm Amy."

Antonium released her hand, and tilted his head to the side. "So Amy, a beautiful creature like you can't be here alone."

"Don't even think about smooth-talking me mister." Amy scolded him playfully. "I'm here with a date, who also happens to be my husband."

"And he left you alone?" Antonium questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh no. The opposite, in fact. He's too overprotective." Amy replied, pouring some orange juice into a glass. "I had to forcibly pry him away so I could walk over here and get a drink by myself."

"Where is he?" Antonium asked, scanning the crowds of aliens around them.

Amy pointed at the Doctor, though regretted it instantly. The Doctor was still with his old friends, and he was teaching them his signature move: the drunken giraffe. The aliens were mimicking him, and their dancing was even worse than the Doctor's, much to Amy's embarrassment.

"Oh dear." She muttered, shaking her head.

Antonium had to purse his lips together to withhold a smirk. "That's your husband?"

"Afraid so." Amy sighed, sipping her orange juice. "As you can see, he's a bit of a mad one."

"A bit?" Antonium echoed, and Amy laughed. "Well, I'm glad. I might get along with him then."

"Oh, you'll like him even if he wasn't dancing so badly. Time Lords are liked by everyone, right?" Amy commented, smiling. She expected Antonium to agree, but much to her surprise, his hand clenched around his glass, and it shattered.

"Time Lord!" Antonium hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Or maybe not." Amy muttered, biting her lip. "Um…"

"The Doctor. That's the Doctor." Antonium stated angrily, glaring venomously at him.

Amy didn't know what to say. She was completely speechless, knowing that whatever she said would upset Antonium further, and increase his anger towards the Doctor. And she'd rather die than unintentionally cause her husband any harm.

"That monster killed my father!" Antonium cried, working himself up into a rage.

"The Doctor would never kill anyone." Amy replied evenly, attempting to calm him down.

"He shot my father in cold blood, right in front of me!" Antonium roared. "He burst into my home, and gunned my father down, in front of my mother, in front of my brothers, in front of my baby sister…"

Before Amy could say or do anything, Antonium reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a gun. "It's about time I became acquainted with him."

Panic shot through Amy's body, and she quickly glanced in the Doctor's direction, hoping that he would see her and sense her panic. But he wasn't there.

It was time for Plan B. She lashed out, and hit Antonium's arm as hard as she could, sending his gun crashing to the floor. "Don't you dare touch him!" She hissed, snatching up his weapon and pointing it at his chest.

Antonium regarded her with sad, anxious eyes, and Amy blinked, surprised. She expected him to fight her, but he did nothing.

"Oh Amy, I can't hurt you, and I won't hurt you." He whispered, and Amy blinked again. "I'm sorry."

Before she could react, Antonium touched her forehead, and suddenly she found herself standing outside the castle.

She heard screaming from the inside, and she raced towards the castle gates. "Doctor!" She cried, stumbling through the entrance and racing up towards the doors. "Doctor!"

Just as she was about to push open the doors, she felt a twinge in her mind, and she dropped the gun to press her fingers to her temples to focus on it. She could sense the Doctor's shock, his remorse, but most important of all, she felt his fear.

Scooping up the gun, she shoved open the doors and burst into the party hall.

The scene she ran into was just what she'd feared. The party guests were all standing around the edge of the hall, and Antonium and the Doctor were the only ones in the centre.

Antonium had another gun, and he was aiming it at the Doctor, who had his hands in the air.

But Amy had a gun of her own, and she marched towards them, her gun raised as well. "Don't you dare!" She cried, her finger hovering over the trigger.

In her mind, she felt the Doctor's fear intensify, and she knew that he wanted her to back off and get to safety. But she would never leave him.

The Doctor's eyes suddenly widened, but before he could yell, someone grabbed Amy from behind, and locked her in a chokehold. Her gun clattered to the floor, and the Doctor surged forward to help her, but Antonium blocked him. "Don't move." He growled, and the Doctor froze.

Antonium turned to the person holding Amy, and glared dangerously at them. "Brother, let go of her at once!" He commanded furiously, before acting out a couple of gestures with his free hand.

His brother seemed to understand what Antonium was acting out, though no one else seemed to, and he released Amy.

The moment Amy was free; she dove down for her gun and pointed it at Antonium again.

His brother made a threatening move towards her, but Antonium screamed, "Don't touch her!"

The Doctor took a step towards Amy, only for Antonium's brother to charge and grab him instead.

"Let go of him!" Amy cried, now pointing her weapon at the brother.

He growled, and Antonium stepped beside him, and both of them stared Amy down defiantly.

Amy could still feel the Doctor's fear for her safety, but she met his gaze, and nodded slightly, as if to tell him that everything was going to be okay. The Doctor frowned in confusion, just as Amy withdrew another gun. "You really should be careful where you keep your toys." She remarked to Antonium's brother. "I got this while you were trying to strangle me."

"Amy, don't!" The Doctor cried, wincing when Antonium's brother tightened the chokehold he had around his neck.

"Lower your weapon Amy." Antonium said gently.

"Lower yours!" She hissed back.

It was stalemate for a moment, while each one waited for the other to react. Amy kept her guns trained on the brothers, Antonium's gun was still aimed at the Doctor, who was going nowhere with the grasp Antonium's brother had on him.

And then suddenly, the air was filled with screams, and everyone was thrown to the floor.

This time, I will absolutely reply to all of your reviews + give you a preview. I feel mean leaving the chapter hanging like that. But I also feel bad because I can't give my anonymous reviewers previews, like Niro. Get an account already! :D