A/N: I'm so happy right now. I got AAB in my results which means I got into the University I wanted to go to, and my photo was in the newspaper about it! Haha!
Anyhow, enough about my life! I'm just in such a good mood right now :D About the story:
WARNING. This chapter and the next one kind of...verge on 'M' content, more so in the next chapter. There's a reason for that, trust me. Don't worry, this story will stay at a 'T'. If my younger sisters didn't find the content offensive, then neither should my younger readers! :D
As always, thank you to my anonymous reviewers. I'm so glad I didn't disable anonymous reviews. Niro, thank you for always reviewing; I love reading your feedback. And thanks to Starryeyed, Ett18, Arik and Ellie too, and Alyssa! (And sorry, I already have a name in mind for the baby! :[ )
Approximately one week had passed since the Purian Party, and things were returning to normal in the TARDIS. The Doctor had stopped being over-protective, much to Amy's relief, and the two were continuing their honeymoon.
Today they were spending the day in the TARDIS, so that the Doctor could do some maintenance work. Knowing he'd be preoccupied for a while, Amy chose to catch up on some much-deserved sleep, and she went into their bedroom for a nap.
A couple of hours later, the Doctor was sitting on his swing beneath the console room floor, rewiring some atmospheric cables, when he got the fright of his life.
"Jack!" He yelped when his friend suddenly appeared in front of him, nearly causing him to fall off of his swing. "What the…how did you—"
"How did I appear magically in front of you?" Jack interrupted, grinning. "Using a vortex manipulator of course, silly. I had a chat with the TARDIS before your wedding, and she gave me permission to zap in here whenever I feel like it."
"Oh did she now? I'll be having words with her later." The Doctor muttered, leaning his head back to glare up at the TARDIS console. "What are you doing here Jack? I told you that we'd come and visit you after our honeymoon was over."
"Maybe I wanted to join you on your honeymoon." Jack said suggestively, and the Doctor kicked him. "Kidding monkey boy! No, I actually came here because I thought you'd be interested in exploring a creepy mansion with me."
"Okay, you've got my attention." The Doctor said, removing his goggles and tossing them aside.
"Well, some humans have gone missing there, and there's definitely something extra-terrestrial going on, so I thought this would be right up your street. You love being nosy."
"Thanks." The Doctor said dryly, rolling his eyes. "But you're right. It's very far up my street."
"Great!" Jack exclaimed, slapping the Doctor on his back. "Let's go and get Alonzo!"
"Why didn't he come with you?" The Doctor asked him as they walked up the stairs to the console. "He has a vortex manipulator as well, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, but he didn't want to leave Rory and Hannah."
The Doctor shot him a questioning look, and Jack smiled. "We're staying with them at the moment. We get on really well."
"All six of us can explore together then! We'll be like the three musketeers…plus an extra three!" The Doctor remarked, beaming.
"Cool. But before we go exploring, can I get some rest?" Jack asked, stifling a yawn. "Trying to locate this bloomin' TARDIS really drained me."
"Of course. Here, I'll give you and Alonzo a bedroom, and Rory and Hannah too." The Doctor squatted on the floor next to the console, and reached underneath it to pull out a tangle of wires.
"How on Earth are you going to undo all of those knots?" Jack asked him in bewilderment.
The Doctor was affronted by his question. "They're supposed to be knotted. It makes lots of sparks that way."
"I don't think they're supposed to sp—"
"Working. Hush." The Doctor instructed, inspecting the tangle of wires. He found the wire he wanted moments later, and licked it.
"You disgust me." Jack commented, but the Doctor ignored him, too focused on connecting the wire into another plug in the console.
"Done!" He announced, rising to his feet. "The TARDIS will take you to your new bedroom. Amy's asleep, so be quiet."
Jack disappeared up the console room stairs, and the Doctor returned to his maintenance work, focusing on the console devices this time.
Minutes later, he heard Jack shriek.
Looking up, he saw Jack walking back to the console room, with a bleary-eyed Amy following him. "I thought I told you be quiet!" He chastised him.
"It's your fault I screamed!" Jack told him angrily. "Why have you given Alonzo and I bunk beds?"
"Bunk beds are cool!" The Doctor exclaimed, beaming. "A bed…with a ladder! You can't beat that!"
Groaning, Jack slapped his hand to his forehead, and Amy glared at her husband. "Don't even think about giving us bunk beds too!" She hissed, her hands on her hips.
"Great idea Pond!" The Doctor enthused, giving her a thumbs-up sign. "I want top bunk!"
"Over my dead body. You are not giving us bunk beds!" Amy growled as the Doctor took out the tangle of wires again.
"Too late." He replied, grinning.
"Doctor, what can't you do in bunk beds?" Amy asked him bluntly, but to no one's surprise, the Doctor didn't understand what she was implying.
"No idea, but I do know that you can get bunk beds with a slide. Ooh, that would be fun. Let's have bunk beds with slides!" The Doctor said cheerfully, adding another knot to the tangle. "I think Rory and Hannah will like having bunk beds. Better than the bed in the Honeymoon Suite with the heart cushions. Bleurgh."
"Let me be more specific. What can't couples do in bunk beds?" Amy demanded, looking at the Doctor pointedly.
"I don't understand." He replied, confused. "Well, that doesn't happen very often."
"Okay then, I'll narrow it down some more. What did we do last night, and this morning?"
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh."
"Put our bed back. Now!" Amy hissed, before whirling around and storming out of the console room.
"Yes dear!" The Doctor called meekly, yanking out a wire from the tangle and throwing it over his shoulder.
Jack watched Amy walk away, a curious expression on his face. "What's up with her?"
"She's having one of her mood swings." The Doctor replied distractedly. "Just be grateful that you weren't here last week. You don't want to know what I had to do to get her to forgive me after I raised my voice at her."
"Ooh, do tell." Jack said, smirking, and the Doctor rolled his eyes at him as he pushed the wires back underneath the console.
"Using the words of my wife, over my dead body!"
~I~
Once all of their friends were in the TARDIS, Alonzo and Jack headed to their bedroom, and Rory and Hannah went off to find Amy, leaving the Doctor to finish the maintenance work.
It didn't take him long to finish, and he joined Rory, Hannah and Amy in the kitchen afterwards. He was pleased to see that Amy was smiling, and he stood beside her as she chatted away.
But the Doctor soon grew bored of their chatter about Leadworth, and he started fidgeting.
Hannah and Rory watched him with raised eyebrows, and Amy sighed. "What's up with you?" She asked him, frowning.
"I'm bored." The Doctor said glumly, and Rory chuckled.
"Sorry that we're not more interesting company." He remarked, and the Doctor shook his head.
"It's not you, I just want to go and explore that house now. Do we really have to wait for Jack and Alonzo? They'll be ages!" He whined, and his tone made Hannah laugh.
Amy however wasn't amused. "Go and find something to do then."
So the Doctor did. He tested out the bunk beds, so entertained by the slide that he contemplated reinstalling the bunks in his bedroom before realising that Amy would probably kill him if he did, and then he ended up in the swimming pool. The TARDIS had seen his enjoyment from the slide, and she had placed one in the swimming pool, much to his delight.
After changing into his swimming trunks and allowing Bubble and Squeak to pull him into the pool, the Doctor tested out the slide. It was perfect, aside from the fact that the Heartreeps kept trying to fling themselves onto it.
He began swimming laps, and Bubble and Squeak started to swim alongside him. "You want to race, do you?" He asked them as he came up for air. "Okay then…go!"
He set off, and was dismayed when the Heartreeps overtook him easily. He stopped halfway, and splashed water at them. "Not fair! I lack aquatic genes!" He exclaimed, and the Heartreeps chirped, almost as if they were amused.
He heard footsteps padding across the pool floor then, and he turned around in the water, only to see the person he'd least expected to join him, especially because she seemed annoyed with him.
"Hey." Amy said quietly as she approached the edge of the pool.
The Doctor couldn't reply, transfixed by the sight of her in her emerald bikini. The colour of it contrasted strikingly with her auburn hair and her ivory skin, and the style accentuated her curves, leaving him completely mesmerised.
Amy laughed softly, and slowly lowered herself into the pool. Bubble and Squeak immediately swam over to her, and she showered them with affection while the Doctor tried to snap himself out of his trance.
"Hi." He managed finally, swimming over to join her. "I didn't think you'd want to join me."
Amy looked at him quizzically, and he smiled sheepishly back at her. Her face lit up in realisation. "Because I was in a bad mood? Oh Doctor, don't be silly." She said fondly, inching forward to twine her arms around his neck. "I haven't been feeling well, and I've been taking that out on you. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologise." The Doctor replied gently, guiding them over to the shallow end of the pool so that they could stand. "Just warn me the next time that you don't feel well. You can actually be quite scary when you're angry."
"Oh really?" Amy remarked, grinning. "I should be ill more often."
The Doctor grimaced at that, and her smile faded.
"I'm sorry." She whispered again, and the Doctor placed his hands on her cheeks to tilt her head up.
"There's a rule now, no apologising in the swimming pool." He told her playfully, before kissing her tenderly.
Amy smiled against his lips, and then she raised her hand and touched his temple. The Doctor pulled away immediately, his eyes wide as he felt their link open, and then tremor. "Amy…" He trailed off when she pressed her forehead to his, intensifying the connection between them.
His eyes closed, and he sighed in contentment. "Amy, if we stay like this, I won't be able to stop myself from—"
Amy's lips on his interrupted him, and the Doctor groaned as he felt her lust seep through their link. But as much as he loved exploring their new intimacy, they wouldn't be able to do anything when their friends were travelling with them.
"Amy." He murmured against her lips. "Our friends…"
Amy withdrew from him momentarily to smirk at him. "Don't care." She whispered.
The Doctor surrendered then, and his hands gripped her shoulders, bringing her body closer to his. He pressed his lips to hers, and Amy's mouth instantly opened, feeling the weight of his desire. Her hands began to drift down his chest, and the Doctor shivered. His hands left her shoulders, and trailed down the expanse of her back, until he found the clasp of her bikini.
Just before he could undo it, they were interrupted by Jack's laughter, and they both turned to look at him in annoyance.
"Seriously guys, why couldn't you do that in your bedroom?" He asked them, laughing, and the Doctor sighed.
"Why couldn't you stay in your bedroom?" He retorted, releasing Amy and heading towards the pool steps.
"Touché. Is there room for me in there?"
"Absolutely not." The Doctor replied, shoving him as he walked past. "Look, now that you're up, we can go to that house."
Jack turned and followed him out of the poolroom. "You know, those shorts are clinging to you in all the right places." He said teasingly.
The Doctor would have thrown something at him if he could, but he didn't have anything, so he settled for shoving him again.
Alonzo passed them on his way into the poolroom, and he saw Amy standing in the pool, her hands over her face.
"Sorry if Jack upset you." He said, walking to the edge of the pool. "Are you okay?"
Amy lowered her hands, and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, it's not him."
She started to walk up the pool steps, but she stopped halfway, her face pale. Alonzo offered her his hand, and he helped her out of the pool. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked in concern. "If you're not up to exploring this mansion, then—"
"I'm fine." Amy assured him, releasing his hand. "Chlorine just makes me feel a bit light-headed, that's all."
Alonzo nodded, but he didn't look convinced. Amy smiled at him again, and walked away towards the direction of the wardrobe. Once she was inside, her smile instantly disappeared, and she sank to the floor, clutching her head.
This wasn't the first time that she'd felt faint. She hadn't been feeling like herself for the last week, and she didn't understand why. She'd been sick, she kept feeling dizzy, and her mood swings were even worse than usual. The Doctor had warned her that she might experience some symptoms from her mind adjusting to their psychic link, but she never expected to feel so different.
Of course, there were advantages too. She craved the Doctor's touch constantly, and she loved her new intimacy with him. Being able to see into his mind while they made love was phenomenal. There was no other way to describe it.
A knock on the door broke her reverie, and she pulled herself to her feet, unwilling for anyone to see her on the floor. "Yes?" She called, reaching for a towel and beginning to dry herself off.
"It's me." The Doctor replied. "Can I come in?"
Amy laughed quietly. "Of course you can. We're married, you don't need to ask for my permission to enter the same room as me."
"Old habits die hard." The Doctor remarked as he opened the door and stepped in. "I've always had to ask that question whenever I had female companions onboard. You wouldn't believe how many times I've been yelled at for stepping in here without knocking."
"Well, you won't need to ask that question anymore, because there will never be another female companion onboard." Amy replied firmly, and her husband nodded quickly.
"Of course. Wouldn't dream of inviting a female to stay with us." The Doctor said hastily. "Does that mean I have to kick Hannah out of the TARDIS?"
Amy chuckled, and ruffled his damp hair. "No. She's allowed. Are they waiting for us in the console room?"
The Doctor nodded as he removed his swimming trunks and reached for a fresh set of clothes. "Yep. I don't want to leave them in there for long though. You know what Jack's like. I spent a lot of time fixing up my second wife today, so I won't leave him around her console for too long." He paused as he took out his red bowtie, before continuing. "So, are you excited about this trip?"
He didn't get a reply, and he looked over at his wife, who was staring into space. When she felt him watching her, she shook herself out of her stupor. "Sorry, what did you say?"
The Doctor regarded her curiously as he buttoned up his shirt. "Doesn't matter. Are you okay Pond?"
"I'm fine." She replied, turning her back on him to face the wardrobe. "I just want to get to the mansion as soon as possible."
"That's the spirit!" The Doctor said cheerfully, pulling on his tweed jacket. "I'll see you in the console room; don't be too long!" Grinning, he kissed the top of her head as he waltzed past her out of the wardrobe.
Once the door had shut behind him, Amy walked into the adjoining bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. "Snap out of it Pond." She muttered to herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. "What is wrong with you?"
~I~
Ten minutes later, she joined the others in the console room. Jack began to tease her the moment he saw her, because according to him, she wasn't dressed 'like normal'. Instead, she'd decided to dress more conservatively, swapping her usual mini skirt for a pair of jeans and a red tartan shirt. Her damp hair was scraped back into a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing any make-up.
"Shut up." She said tiredly, bored of Jack's teasing, and she sank down onto one of the console chairs. She ignored the concerned looks Jack and Alonzo shared, and turned her gaze to her husband, watching him pilot the TARDIS.
As she watched him, her surroundings began to blur together, and suddenly the only thing she could focus on was the Doctor. She blinked, and her vision instantly cleared.
Frowning, she touched her forehead, and felt the link between her and the Doctor react.
The Doctor must have felt her in his mind, because he looked up from the console and grinned at her.
She smiled back at him, and the Doctor's smile grew when he felt her love for him through their bond. She'd managed to conceal the way she was feeling by focusing solely on him.
The Doctor tapped his temple once, allowing Amy to feel the love he had for her too, before he turned his attention back to the console.
Amy lowered her hand, comforted for the moment, and looked around the console room to survey her friends. Rory and Hannah were talking amongst themselves, completely oblivious to everyone, but Jack and Alonzo were staring at her. She smiled reassuringly at them, and Alonzo turned his head to whisper in Jack's ear.
"Maybe Amy shouldn't come with us."
Both Amy and the Doctor heard his whisper, and they looked at him. "Why shouldn't I?" Amy demanded, rising to her feet.
"I don't think they understand the side effects from our psychic link." The Doctor told her, his eyes narrowing at his friends. "Amy's fine."
Jack and Alonzo looked unsure, and Amy sighed. "Really, I'm fine." She confirmed. "Stop making such a fuss."
Before Jack and Alonzo could say anything, they all felt the TARDIS land.
The Doctor met Amy's eyes, and he grinned. He lived for adventures like this. "Come along Pond!" He exclaimed, leaving the console and bounding down the stairs.
Amy touched her forehead again, and let the Doctor's enthusiasm wash over her. "Coming!" She called excitedly, running after him.
Jack and Alonzo looked at each other again as they followed them out of the TARDIS, and Rory and Hannah trailed after them.
When everyone had stepped out of the TARDIS, all six of them looked up at the creepy mansion in front of them. "You know, for a mansion in the 42nd century, it doesn't look much different from that creepy one in Leadworth." Rory commented.
"This is the one from Leadworth." Jack replied. "When we first decided to visit you, we were 2000 years out, and we landed here. This place has alien written all over it."
"So it's alien in our time?" Hannah asked, and Alonzo shook his head.
"Oh no. It's harmless in your time, but there's definitely something in there now."
"Instead of standing around and chatting about it, let's go and explore!" The Doctor exclaimed, pointing his sonic screwdriver at the metal gates.
"Why didn't you park inside of the gates?" Alonzo asked him. "Wouldn't that have been easier?"
"Look, I tried, but my coordinates were a little off." The Doctor confessed sheepishly. "But how hard can it be to open up an iron gate?"
~I~
Six minutes later, the Doctor was still trying to open the gate. Finally he gave up, and he tossed his sonic screwdriver over his shoulder. "Rubbish." He said crossly. "In future I'm only going to use that for screwing in screws!"
Rolling her eyes, Amy picked it up from the grass and gave it back to him, knowing he didn't mean what he was saying. The Doctor placed it back in his tweed jacket, and stepped back from the gate. "Maybe we should return to the TARDIS and I'll park us—"
"No need." Jack said, pointing at a hole in the wall surrounding the mansion. "We can squeeze through there."
"Or we could climb over the gate?" The Doctor suggested.
Everyone ignored him, and followed Jack to the gap in the brick. The Doctor reluctantly followed them, and then pushed past them all to go through first. "Ladies first, but men just before." He muttered, emerging from the opening.
"You heard him ladies." He heard Jack say, before he joined him. "So Doc, are you getting the same, creepy alien vibe I got when I arrived here?"
"Absolutely." The Doctor replied, withdrawing his screwdriver and pointing it at the mansion to scan it. "I can smell human flesh, which is never a good sign."
"Lovely." Jack grimaced as they walked towards the mansion. "Do you know what's in there?"
"Nope, but I know that whatever's in there isn't actually home right now." The Doctor commented, examining the readings on his screwdriver.
"That's a relief." They heard Rory remark as he joined them. "I don't fancy becoming a four-headed alien's next meal."
"Oh don't worry. Quatrifilicas are only interested in eating fried human fingers." The Doctor told him. "They nearly tricked me into eating some once, I just thought they were decorative chips."
"You're strange." Rory said, and the Doctor beamed, taking that as a compliment.
The three reached the entrance to the mansion then, and looked behind them to see their partners running towards them. "Thanks for waiting." Hannah said sarcastically as they joined them.
"Sorry, you know what I'm like." The Doctor replied, shrugging. "Have to…" But he trailed off when he felt Amy latch onto his arm. He looked at her questioningly, and she smiled back at him.
"Okay…" He said slowly, not minding in the slightest. "Let's go in!"
Only one of the main doors was unlocked, and the doorway was hardly wide enough to fit two people through at a time. But that didn't matter to Amy, and she squeezed in beside the Doctor, reluctant to release him.
The entrance hall was pitch black, but the Doctor could just about make out the chandelier on the ceiling. He aimed his sonic at it, and the lights came on, illuminating the room.
"Now it's not so creepy." Amy murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.
The Doctor spotted a cable for the light generator, and pointed his sonic at it. "And now the rest of the mansion is lit." He announced, as the others joined them in the hall. "Judging by the amount of dust, the electricity hasn't been used in a while, so whatever's here can't survive the light."
"That will be a useful signal. If the lights go out, we'll know we have alien company. I think that we should split up." Jack said, and the Doctor nodded in agreement.
"I don't like that idea." Rory whispered, looking around nervously.
"It's too big to scale this mansion together. We'll cover more ground in a shorter amount of time if we split up." Jack told him. "Alonzo and I will check the cellars, you and Hannah can search this floor, and the Doctor and Amy can look around upstairs. We'll meet back here in an hour."
The Doctor frowned, disliking another person taking charge, but before he could say anything, Amy was dragging him towards the grand staircase.
"Why the hurry Pond?" He asked her as they ascended.
Amy turned her head to smile at him, and the Doctor froze on the staircase when he saw the colour of her eyes. Her irises were gold.
He blinked in surprise, and her eyes were hazel again.
Putting it down to the lighting, the Doctor shook his head and continued up the staircase. "So, which room do you want to explore first?"
"Don't mind." She replied quietly, still smiling. "You choose."
"In that case, let's go to the master suite." The Doctor said. "There'll be more space to explore then."
Amy's smile became a smirk. Exploring was the last thing on her mind.
Me thinks Amy isn't acting like herself ;) And I don't think it's just the pregnancy causing her behaviour either! Find out more next chapter ;)
Let me know your thoughts! You'll get a preview if you do; and it's a preview I think everyone will like ;) If Romance and flirtation is your thing of course ;D
Hayley x