Gosh, it HAS been a while. I apologise for that; settling into a new life is rather hectic, haha. And I have another good reason; I always try to write big chapters like this one in one go, and only recently have I found the time to sit down and type furiously.

I apologise if this chapter is written poorly; it's been quite a while since I've written anything. So please be gentle in your reviews? *winces* Although I still expect the death-by-sonic-screwdriver threats that I know some of you will post for not updating for so long, haha!

Now that Amy and the Doctor had celebrated their pregnancy enough, the Doctor decided that they needed to tell their friends about it. Jack and Alonzo knew already, of course, and knowing Jack, he'd already told Rory and Hannah. However, that didn't perturb the Doctor, and he flew the TARDIS to Leadworth whilst Amy was napping on their new bed.

Once the Doctor had landed the TARDIS in the small village, he pulled the scanner towards him, double checking that'd he parked in the right place. His parking skills weren't exactly efficient, but he was pleased to see that he'd parked well, for once. Instead of parking outside of Rory and Hannah's house, he'd parked his ship in the graveyard beside the Leadworth church. He thought Amy would like to visit her Aunt's grave before they visited their friends.

But the picture presented in the scanner didn't look right. And the Doctor didn't know why.

Frowning, he pushed the scanner away and headed to the TARDIS doors, throwing them open to examine his surroundings.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

The Doctor licked his finger and held it up in the air. Everything seemed to be fine. The temperature wasn't abnormal and the village was still dull…but something had happened; he could feel it. Leadworth was different. It was too…silent. He couldn't even hear birds chirping, or insects scuttling through the grass.

"I swear your sense of direction is getting worse." He heard Amy remark from behind him, and he spun around to face her.

"What do you mean?" He asked her cautiously.

Amy chuckled as she stepped forward to join him in the doorway. "We're in the graveyard. Unless Rory and Hannah now live under a gravestone, we're in the wrong place. Losing your sense of direction is a sign of old age, you know."

"Very funny." The Doctor muttered, rolling his eyes. "There's a reason for why we're here. I thought you'd want to visit your Aunt."

Amy's smile faded, and she frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Doctor, I don't have an Aunt."

"I know you don't. Not anymore." The Doctor said quickly, not wanting to upset her. "Maybe I worded it wrong. I meant that I thought you'd want to pay your respects to your Aunt's grave while we're here. I'm certain you'll want to tell Sharon about your pregnancy."

Amy was quiet for a moment, and the Doctor mistook her silence for anger. "Sorry if this was a bad idea." He added hastily. "I never meant to—"

But he broke off when a tear slid down Amy's cheek. He reached out to wipe it away, and Amy blinked, as if she was just realising that she was upset. "Must be cold out here." She muttered, as another tear fell. "Stupid cold air. Anyway, who the hell is Sharon?"

The Doctor froze, horrified.

This couldn't be happening again. He couldn't take it if more of Amy's history had been erased.

"I don't have an Aunt called Sharon. I don't even have an Aunt!" And then Amy laughed, shocking her husband further. "You must be confused. See? Old age."

The Doctor forced himself to laugh, but it was a strangled sound, a cross between a sob and scream, and he turned away from her, hiding his true emotion.

He seemed to forget that Amy could feel it. "Hey, what's wrong?" She whispered, and he felt her press against his back, slipping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his tweed jacket.

The Doctor placed his hands over hers, and closed his eyes, opening up their connection to sever the link between their emotions. It wouldn't stay unlinked for long, but it would give him enough time to recover and put on a façade, good enough for her to believe it.

"Nothing's wrong." He said cheerily, forcing a smile and turning around to face her. "You're right. Old age. I just remembered why we're here."

"Oh?" Amy raised one eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Nasty bacteria growing on some of the gravestones. It's called…AuntSharonosa." The Doctor told her, inventing the name quickly. "I'll be back in a minute. Stay here while I go and remove it, the bacteria is toxic to pregnant women."

Without giving Amy a chance to reply, the Doctor bolted from the TARDIS, heading into the graveyard. He knew exactly where Sharon's grave was located, having buried her with the help of Rory, and he ran towards it, his fear and desperation making him sprint faster than ever before.

Fortunately, Amy wouldn't be able to see him from where the TARDIS was parked, and he hurried towards her Aunt's grave.

At least, he thought it was her grave. It was hard to tell; the gravestone was blank. The inscription had vanished.

With trembling hands, the Doctor withdrew his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it at the ground situated under the gravestone. If his sonic made a bleeping sound, Sharon's body was still there.

He waited patiently, expecting his sonic to identify Amy's aunt, bur as the seconds went by, he knew it was useless. She was gone.

And then the gravestone beside hers caught his eye. It was blank too.

Stunned, the Doctor whirled around, gazing at the other gravestones. Every single one of them was blank.

The light from the cracks in time had absorbed everyone, erasing them from memory, and from existence.

Suddenly it struck him why the village was so silent. If a crack in time had formed here, then it hadn't just absorbed the remains of old villagers, it had absorbed live people too.

Maybe the crack was still here. Maybe it was still absorbing.

And he'd left Amy by herself.

"Amy!" He cried, racing back towards the TARDIS, his hearts pounding furiously in his chest. "Amy!"

Once he caught sight of her, he could have collapsed in relief. Stumbling towards her, he gathered her into his arms, clasping her to him. "Oh Amy." He sighed, burying his face in her hair.

Amy pulled back to look at him questioningly. To his anguish, she was still crying. "What's up with you?"

Without giving him a chance to answer, she continued. "This stupid wind keeps making my eyes water. Did you sort out the bacteria thing so that we can leave?"

"Of course." The Doctor lied, pulling her back into the safety of the TARDIS. "Sadly, it's done some damage, but it'll be okay. Soon."

Amy nodded, believing him, and she walked towards the console room stairs. "Good. I'm going to go and wash my face, and when I return, I expect to be at Rory and Hannah's house, okay?"

The Doctor quickly agreed, and she grinned at him before ascending up the staircase. The moment she disappeared from sight, his shoulders sagged, and he collapsed onto the console chair.

~I~

When Amy returned to the console room, the Doctor's façade was barely intact, but he held it together as he flew the TARDIS to Rory and Hannah's house.

Rory and Hannah had heard the TARDIS approaching, and they were waiting in their garden for them when Amy and the Doctor left their ship. Amy was too distracted with greeting her best friends to notice the Doctor scanning their surroundings nervously, looking for the cracks in time.

"About time you showed your face around here!" He heard Rory remark to him, and he reluctantly turned his gaze towards him. "Wondered how long it would take you to fly here and give us the good news."

"What good news?" Amy asked innocently, though she knew what he was talking about. The Doctor had told her that Jack had been the one to tell him that she was pregnant.

"No need to pretend Amy. Hannah and I both know that you're pregnant." Rory said, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her. "Jack told us after the mansion trip."

"That man has such a big mouth." Amy commented, laughing as she hugged her friend back. "And that wasn't an innuendo."

Laughing, the two of them began to make their way into the house. Hannah went to follow after them, but she paused when she noticed the Doctor scanning the house with his sonic screwdriver.

"Doctor, is there something wrong?" Hannah asked him, concerned.

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I don't know yet." He said eventually, his brow furrowing. "But you're going to need to leave. Now."

"Excuse me?"

"You and Rory are going to stay on the TARDIS for a bit." He told her, pocketing his sonic. "There's some nasty bacteria growing in Leadworth, and I don't want you both in harm's way."

"Is it here now?" Hannah asked, looking around fearfully. "What does it look like?"

The Doctor ignored her second question. "It's not here now. But it will be. Trust me Hannah. The quicker we leave, the safer we'll all be."

Hannah studied him for a moment, before nodding. "We should go now then. I'll go upstairs and started packing some clothes for Rory and I."

The Doctor knew that there was no need for her to do that, after all, the TARDIS always supplied whatever was essential, but with her out of the way momentarily, he could focus solely on lying to Amy and Rory to get them into the TARDIS. Hannah had believed his lie, but if she was with Rory and Amy, and they doubted him, then she would too. And he didn't have time to convince her again, because Amy would be the hardest to convince. She knew him too well, and that scared him. But he'd lied to her for so long that he hoped he'd be able to evacuate everyone safely without a hitch.

So he hurried into the house after Hannah, and she headed upstairs whilst he ran into the living room, throwing the door open in his haste. Both Amy and Rory jumped as the door crashed into the wall, and they looked at him in alarm.

"We're leaving. Now." The Doctor commanded, heading over to where Amy was sitting and pulling her to her feet.

"What? Why?" Amy demanded, her eyes narrowing. "We just got here!"

The Doctor ignored her. "You too Rory. Let's go!" He barked, pointing to the door. "We don't have much time!"

As he expected, neither Amy nor Rory moved. "What the fuck is going on?" His wife snapped, her hands on her hips.

Amy never swore, unless she was really furious. But the Doctor didn't have time to fear her wrath now; he feared for her safety much more. "That bacteria. It's back. And it will kill all of us if we don't move, now!"

Rory's faced paled, and he immediately hurried towards the door.

"Rory, stay where you are!" Amy yelled, glaring at her best friend, and he halted.

Then she turned her livid gaze on her husband. "You said that the bacteria had been taken care of!" She hissed, prodding her finger into his chest. "Are you lying to us? Tell me what's really going on!"

Plan A wasn't working, he should have known that Amy would never listen to him while he was acting so controlling.

So it was time for Plan B: unleashing the desperate, loving father-to-be.

"Amy, please." He whispered pleadingly, his hands reaching up to cradle her face. "Please, trust me. We need to go. Rory and Hannah aren't safe here."

He watched as Amy's eyes softened, and he could see that she was swaying, but not swaying enough. So he closed his agonised eyes, and rested his forehead against hers. "I can't lose you Amy. And I can't lose our baby. Not over something like this. Please…" He trailed off, and waited.

Finally, he felt Amy fist her hands in his tweed jacket, clinging onto him, but she remained silent.

He opened his eyes slowly, and saw that she was crying silently again. His hearts churning, he pulled her into his arms, and buried his face in her soft, auburn hair. "Amy, please. We need to leave." He paused to draw in a ragged breath, and clutched her tighter. "Please my love…"

The Earth team of endearment had slipped out of his mouth before, startling both him and Amy, though she later admitted that she'd loved hearing him call her that.

She reacted to the word now, and he felt her draw back to gaze up at him, fierce determination blazing in her hazel eyes. She didn't need to say anything; the Doctor already knew that she believed him, and together, they ran after Rory out of the house, holding onto each other tightly.

It was only when they were outside, running across the lawn, that the Doctor remembered Hannah. He stopped suddenly, nearly causing Amy to fall over, and released her from his arms. "Take Rory into the TARDIS." He told her, backing away from her. "I'll be back in a minute."

Amy immediately panicked, and she lurched forward to grab him, but the Doctor caught her wrists in his hands. "No!" She hissed, her eyes still brimming with tears. "You can't worry me like this and then go back into the house!"

Before the Doctor could reassure her, a loud, ear-splitting sound filled the countryside tranquillity, and all three of them sank to the ground, clutching their heads in their hands.

A-Amy…get in the TARDIS. Crawl if you have to, just go!

Amy's eyes met his as he opened their link, and she nodded, her face lined with determination again.

But before she could move, the noise ended abruptly, and the ground began to rumble under their feet.

The Doctor managed to clamber to his feet, and he immediately helped Amy up. He knew that a crack in time was about to form, but he didn't know where.

"Go!" He bellowed, pushing Amy towards the TARDIS. "Both of you! Into the TARDIS! Now!"

But Rory shook his head fiercely. "Hannah's in there Doctor, I can't—"

"That's an order Williams!" The Doctor snapped. "Now listen to me!"

"Rory, please!" Amy cried, latching onto him and attempting to haul him towards the TARDIS. "The Doctor will get Hannah! Come on!"

The Doctor didn't wait to hear Rory's reply, and he began sprinting towards the house, determined to find Hannah in time. He should never have left her alone. He should have kept her in sight.

He was almost at the door when he heard Amy begin to scream. Whirling around, he saw her crumple to the floor, her hands clutching her head as she continued to wail.

He'd seen her react like that before; the last time she had seen the crack in time.

Now Hannah wasn't his priority.

"Amy!" He cried, sprinting towards his broken wife, his hearts beating furiously in his chest. He willed himself to calm down, but he was near to losing it, and he knew it.

Once he'd reached her, he fell to his knees beside her, and cupped her face in his hands to tilt her face towards his. The desperation and sheer panic in her eyes worried him instantly, especially when she reached up to grasp onto his jacket again. She looked like she was drowning.

She wouldn't be able to hear him. She was lost in her mind.

Opening their link again, the Doctor attempted to connect with her, but her mind was an endless pit, and he could feel himself spiralling with her. He had to withdraw from her mind, for fear of losing himself too.

"Amy! Can you hear me?" He cried, shaking her frantically.

Her breathing was laboured, and her eyes were wide. She stared at him unseeingly, and he knew that she wasn't there with him.

"Hannah…" She began to gasp, her hands pulling at his jacket. "The Daleks…they're in her room…they want….they want—"

And then her eyes rolled to the back of the head, and she collapsed.

The Doctor reacted instantly, and he picked her limp body up in his arms and ran over to the TARDIS. He managed to click his fingers, and the door swung open, letting him inside. His ship had already left a bed beside the doors, and he laid his wife on it.

"Look after her." He whispered to the TARDIS as he stepped out, and he locked the doors with his sonic screwdriver. "Don't let her out."

It was only then that he realised Rory was nowhere in sight. Of course he had gone after his wife. "No!" He cried, sprinting back towards the house. "Rory! Hannah!"

He knew it was dangerous, and reckless, going back into the house. But he couldn't let his friends die. Not after everything they'd been through.

He screamed their names again as he ran up the stairs, heading straight towards their bedroom.

The door was closed, but he could see the white light from the crack in time seeping through the small gaps in the doorframe.

He was too late.

But he wouldn't give up.

Withdrawing his sonic screwdriver, he blasted the door away.

The sight he saw struck him with grief, and he felt himself staggering backwards. Hannah and Rory were standing in the bedroom, both of them bathed in white light, and they were holding onto each other tightly. Both of them looked terrified, and both had tears streaming down their faces. Already, their bodies had started to fade away.

"I'm sorry!" The Doctor cried hoarsely, reaching out for them. He couldn't move towards them any further; the light would take him too.

Rory's eyes suddenly met his, and the intensity in his gaze scared the Doctor. "Save Amy." He whispered, his voice sounding far away, and the Doctor knew he was losing them.

"I will. I'll protect her with everything—"

He had to break off then, to swallow back the sobs that were threatening to erupt. "Rory, Hannah, I—"

"Save her!" Rory repeated fiercely, his face fading away into nothingness.

And then they were gone.

The rumbling stopped, and the light faded, leaving a long crack in the bedroom wall.

And just like that, the finale plot is speedily picking up. Mwahaha :D

Hayley x