A/N: After the aftermath of last chapter, I know I left you all hanging, but thanks for hanging in there. Haha - see what I did there? I amuse myself! Anyhow, apologies for the wait. You should all be used to this by now. I'm struggling to write what will be a very difficult, last ten chapters to this story. Sigh.

In other news, I am moving out next year! A long way away from my family actually, which is amazing yet terrifying at the same time. Now that is a story in itself! Haha.

Enjoy this chapter guys; the last chapter before the storm hits. And that's all the spoilers I'm giving, so stop with the PM's begging me for information. Not gonna happen, as much as I love you all! ;D

The Doctor was frozen in place. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the crack in time, his mind whirring with the devastating events that had only occurred moments ago.

Two of the his closest friends were dead.

Dead, because of him.

Dead, because of Amy.

No.

The Doctor couldn't think like that. He vehemently refused to think like that. He couldn't bear the guilt on his already shattered conscience, burdened enough by his wife's connection to the cracks in time.

Although he was fine physically, he felt like he was drowning. Drowning in the depths of guilt that swarmed his mind. Amy's best friend, a man that she used to call her brother, had been wiped away from her memory, all because of him.

Rory Williams was gone. He'd been the only person in Amy's life that had always been there for her. The only one who'd always pieced her back together. He'd been her strength, her support, and he'd been her only family.

The Doctor couldn't deny that Rory had been the best person in Amy's life. Not even he could fulfil the role that Rory had played, and he was her husband. He had faults; he'd left Amy more than once, and disappointed her throughout her life, but his biggest fault was failing to save Rory.

Now Amy would never remember him, and the Doctor couldn't help but hate himself, knowing that he'd taken away the best part of his wife's life. Now all she had was him, and their unborn child.

There was nothing else left to be taken away. Amy's family, her friends, and even her old home were gone. Leadworth was well on its way to being wiped off of the map.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The end was approaching. The end of them. And he didn't think he could run anymore.

Again, he had to reprimand himself. He wouldn't think like that. He had to save Amy. He had to save their child. He would do anything, and everything, to protect his family.

Suddenly, he felt his psychic link with Amy tremor, and he opened it, realising that she was beginning to wake up.

He had to be there when she woke up, to stop her from going outside, and potentially remembering what had just happened. He had to act like nothing had happened, so he took off, charging out of the house at a swift pace.

He had to stop himself from bursting through the doors, not wanting to alarm Amy, so he tried to mask his emotion as he slipped quietly inside the TARDIS.

The bed that he'd left her on the bed was vacant, and he looked around the console room, panicked by her absence.

And then he saw her appear at the top of the console room stairs, scowling down at him. "Where have you been mister?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

The Doctor almost couldn't believe that this was the same person. She'd been wailing and screaming minutes ago, and now she was her normal self, if her blazing hazel gaze was anything to go by. His fiery wife was back.

"Exploring. You were asleep, so I left you by the TARDIS doors in case you woke up and wanted to join me." The Doctor said smoothly, the lies forming easily. "I assume you didn't feel like it then?"

Amy's brow furrowed. "Your second wife wouldn't let me out." She muttered, and the Doctor had never felt so much gratitude towards his TARDIS.

Thank you dear.

Anytime.

"Should I be jealous? I mean, I tried using my sonic on the doors, but nope, she wouldn't budge. Wants you all to herself. " Amy was still ranting, but the Doctor wanted her to let it out of her system, so he stayed quiet. "Although, maybe it was for the best. I really am too tired to go gallivanting across the galaxy. How long was I asleep for? Can't have been long, I'm still exhausted."

After the day that she had – but didn't remember – the Doctor wasn't surprised. He was shattered too. In both senses of the word. "Not long. I'm tired too. Bed?"

"Bed." Amy echoed, her face softening as the Doctor made his way up to her, his arms outstretched. She immediately burrowed into his embrace, slipping her arms around his waist and holding tightly onto him.

"Did you have a good time exploring?" She whispered, nuzzling her face against his neck, and sighing in contentment when she felt the Doctor wrap his arms securely around her.

"Not really. It felt…empty…without you." He murmured back, running his hands up and down the expanse of her back. "Never again."

"Never." Amy agreed, tilting her head to kiss the edge of his jaw.

~I~

Once the Doctor had flown the TARDIS away from Leadworth and once they were in their bedroom, they both changed into their TARDIS print pyjamas and climbed into bed. Usually Amy slept on her side, and the Doctor slept behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and moulding to the shape of her body. But today, they both lay facing each other, their bodies pressed together and their limbs entangled.

Amy fell asleep almost instantly, but the Doctor stayed awake. He'd been the one that had initiated their new sleeping position, needing to see and feel her as much as possible. Still not satisfied, he moved his head forward until his forehead was touching hers.

Being in her warm embrace comforted him, and he almost forgot about their horrific day. Almost.

He felt his body shudder, and then stopped himself when he felt Amy's body twitch, reacting to his movement, even though she was asleep. It never failed to amaze him how they were connected in so many ways.

Closing his eyes, the Doctor tightened his hold on her, and drifted off to sleep.

~I~

White light was everywhere, blinding him, crippling him. All he could hear were Amy's screams, and he began to move in the direction of her voice.

"Amy? Amy, I'm here!" He cried frantically, reaching out for her, though he knew that she wasn't near him.

"Doctor! Take…take—"

Suddenly the light faded away, allowing the Doctor to see Amy standing a way away from him, clutching a baby close to her chest. As he ran towards her, he saw her ashen, tear-stained face, and then immediately saw the reason for why she was so upset.

Tendrils of light were starting to wrap around her legs, and they were slowly progressing up her body. "Take our baby!" She cried, holding the newborn away from her as the Doctor neared her.

"Amy, no!"

"It's too late." She sobbed, shaking her head furiously. "You were too late. It's over."

The Doctor reached her then, and immediately, he took the baby from her, clutching their child closer to his chest. "No…Amy!" Supporting their child with one arm, he reached out for Amy with the other, but she took a step away from him.

"This is all your fault!" She cried, her eyes now gleaming with hatred. "Our child will grow up without a mother, because of you!"

"No—Amy! Please! It's not too late—"

But she was already fading away. "Your fault…your fault!"

"Amy!"

He reached out for her again, but he his hand grasped nothingness. She was gone.

"No! Amy! I didn't—I'm sorry!"

"Doctor?"

"Amy? Amy!"

"Doctor, I'm here! Wake up!"

With a start, the Doctor bolted upright, panting. He could feel sweat beading along his hairline, and he realised that his hands were gripping the duvet, so tightly that his knuckles were white. Amy was kneeling beside him on the bed, frowning in concern.

"That was some dream you were having." She stated, cupping his face gently with her hands. "You kept writhing in the bed, and crying my name…do I want to know what you were dreaming about?"

A dream. It had only been a dream.

"No." The Doctor whispered, wiping at his face with his pyjama sleeve. "I can't talk about it."

He could feel Amy's concern, and realised that their emotional link had been restored, which meant she could feel his desperation, and panic. No wonder she looked so worried.

"I've never seen you so…" Amy trailed off to bite her lip, searching for the right word. "…broken."

The Doctor took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. It didn't work, and Amy's frown deepened. Her hands left his face and trailed to his chest, where she felt his heartbeats racing. "What can I do to help you?" She asked him, her tone desperate. Seeing him like that affected her too.

The only comfort the Doctor had was Amy, and he needed her. Losing himself in his wife was the only thing that was keeping him from losing it completely.

Amy knew instantly what he needed, and her hands returned to his face, coaxing his head towards hers. She expected him to be tender, so she was surprised when his lips crashed to hers, kissing her deeply, pouring all of his pain into the kiss.

The weight of his desire for her ignited hers too, and they tumbled back into bed.

~I~

The Doctor felt cold when he awoke later on, as Amy was no longer beside him. Willing himself not to think the worst, he slipped out of bed and allowed his TARDIS to guide him to his wife.

She led him to the kitchen, and he paused in the doorway when he saw Amy standing at the counter, her back to him. She was humming to herself, which was a good sign.

Although the Doctor couldn't see what she was doing, he knew that she was content, so he remained silent, watching her work.

It was only when the TARDIS engines hummed that Amy glanced behind her. "Oh hello you!" She greeted her husband, waving her hand that was holding a knife.

The Doctor finally cracked a smile. "Should I be worried?" He asked her, nodding at the knife that his wife was brandishing.

"Whoops. Nope, no worry needed." Amy lowered the knife onto the counter, before skipping over to her husband. "You okay this morning?"

The Doctor didn't have an answer to that question, but he managed to nod his head.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up." Amy said sorrowfully, resting her hands on his shoulders. "But I was struck by creativity this morning."

"That's a first for you, isn't it?" The Doctor quipped, relieved to have been given an opportunity to change the subject, and he had to duck out of the way when Amy tried to swat him.

"Watch it you, I can always go and get the knife." She said playfully, heading back over to the counter while the Doctor sat down at the kitchen table. "Anyway, guess what I made this morning?"

"Fish finger and custard soup?" The Doctor guessed hopefully, patting his stomach.

"No, but I'm making that for you later. Guess again."

"I give up."

"That's a first for you, isn't it?" Amy remarked, repeating his earlier words, and the Doctor poked his tongue out at her.

"Fine then spoilsport, I'll show you. Tada!"

Amy stepped to the side of the counter, allowing the Doctor to see a row of red apples, all with carved faces. Memories of their past suddenly hit him, when they'd first met, where a seven year old Amelia Pond had given him an apple. That apple had been a pivotal moment to their early relationship, but they'd never discussed it since, causing the Doctor to wonder why Amy was suddenly making replicas of the apple years later.

"Aren't they cute?" Amy said cheerfully, grinning. "And look, the one on the end looks exactly like the one I gave to you when I was seven."

And then the Doctor realised. Her mother had been the one who had made those apples for her, and now Amy was doing it. Her maternal instincts were kicking in now that she was pregnant, and the apples showed that she yearned for her own mother, even without intentionally realising it. If she had remembered that she used to have a mother, and a father, and Rory, she'd be dead.

"Yes, it does." The Doctor said eventually, frowning slightly at the row of apples.

"I thought that we could give one to each of our friends, or post them. It could be a way of announcing our pregnancy news." Amy commented, picking up one of the apples to polish it with her pyjama sleeve.

"Like who?" The Doctor asked distractedly, still looking intently at the apples.

"Jack, Vincent, Liz10, Winston, Sarah Jane, maybe River and...um...that's weird. I can't think of anyone else."

"Alonzo?"

"Who?"

That caught the Doctor's attention.

"Who's Alonzo? Have we met an Alonzo?"

The Doctor's mask was smoothly back in place. "Old friend of mine. Haven't spoken to him in a while. Last time I saw him, he was dying of-"

And then he had to break off, wondering about Jack.

Jack was a time traveller, so he could remember Alonzo, but Alonzo was part of his timeline, which had been rewritten. He hadn't just cost Amy her family and friends; he'd killed Jack's soulmate too.

Rising abruptly, the Doctor mumbled an excuse about having to check the atmospheric cables, before bolting from the room. He had to ring Jack, just to know that he was still okay, so he headed towards the console room, and picked up the phone to dial his number.

"Hello my old friend!" Jack's cheerful voice boomed from the other side of the line, immediately after the first ring. "How are you? Still old?"

"Thanks for that." The Doctor said dryly, though he was relieved that Jack seemed to be his cheery self. Of course he would be - he didn't realise his boyfriend had been removed from existence.

"You're welcome. You really are ancient, you know. But that's okay, because I will be too, soon. We can have Zimmer frame fights!"

"Funny." The Doctor paused, and began to twirl the cord of the phone around his finger. "Hey …Jack? You're okay, right?"

"Wonderful, thanks. Lost a ton of money gambling last night, but oh well. Can't complain!" Jack told him, chuckling. "How are you and Amy? And how's baby Pond?"

Despite his mood, the Doctor couldn't help but beam at Jack's term for his unborn child. "We're all magnificent. Do you want to come over?" It was his belief that if Jack stayed on the TARDIS with Amy and him, then the void of their missing friends and family would be filled.

"Ooh Doctor, cheating on the wife already? I know I'm single, but I don't date older men." Jack joked in response, before he sobered up. "Of course I'll come over. I just have a few things to do first, okay?"

The Doctor's mood began to brighten. "Okay, but ring first, would you? Can't afford to have a heart attack."

"No way. That ruins the surprise, and I know how much you love those…see you later monkey boy!"

Hanging up, the Doctor was still smiling, until a photograph taped to the TARDIS console column caught his eye.

Impossible.

It was a photograph taken at his wedding. Amy had her leg hitched around his waist, and so did Jack. The Doctor looked bewildered, while they were both laughing.

On either side of them, were Rory, Hannah and Alonzo, who all looked as shocked as the Doctor, excluding Rory, who was grinning.

They shouldn't have been in the photo. They'd been removed from time, but yet, here they were. Planted firmly in history. Still planted in the Doctor's history.

As impossible as the photo was, the Doctor couldn't help but feel a small glimmer of hope, knowing that maybe, just maybe; his friends hadn't been completely removed from existence.

"Doctor?"

At the sound of his wife's voice, the Doctor yanked the photo down and stuffed it into the pocket of his pyjama top, knowing full well about the danger Amy would be in if she saw the content of the photograph.

"Yes Amy?"

"Catch!"

Turning around, the Doctor saw Amy standing at the top of the console room stairs, and she tossed one of the apples she'd carved down to him. When the Doctor caught it, he saw that it was the apple that was alike to the one she'd given to him when she was seven.

"Thought it might cheer you up." Amy told him quietly, walking down the stairs towards him. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend Alonzo."

And just like that, the guilt was back.

"That's okay." The Doctor managed to say, holding his arms out so that Amy could snuggle into his embrace.

Amy tilted her head to look at him, and she began to frown. "Then why are you still so sad?"

"I'm not sad." The Doctor lied, meeting her gaze evenly. "It's just one of those days, where the Universe sort of…hits me at once. Everything that's ever happened, the friends and family that I've lost, it all comes back to me."

"It's okay, I'm here." Amy murmured, tightening her grip on him.

But for how much longer?

"And our baby's here." Taking one of his hands, she placed it over the small curve of her pregnancy bump.

Just feeling his baby's double heartbeat comforted the Doctor, and he smiled at Amy, who beamed in response, glad to see that he was beginning to cheer up. "I love you." She whispered, before kissing him softly. The Doctor sighed against her lips, and crushed her closer to him.

"Want me to make you some of that disgusting fish finger and custard soup now?" Amy asked after she broke their kiss, pulling back to grin at him.

"Absolutely." The Doctor replied, still smiling as Amy walked away from him, back towards the kitchen.

~I~

However, the positive mood that the Doctor was currently feeling was instantly shattered when he heard Amy scream his name minutes later, and he flew up the stairs, his hearts pounding furiously in his chest.

He followed the sound of her shrieks, which led him to their en-suite bathroom. He was so worried that when he threw open the door, it crashed against the wall with a resounding bang, denting the wood and the wall. The TARDIS grumbled in displeasure, but the Doctor couldn't care less, horrified by the sight of his wife slumped over the toilet.

"Never again." He heard Amy groan, and he hurried over to her, sinking down onto the tile beside her.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor demanded, worried that she wouldn't look up at him.

"Pregnancy sickness." Amy mumbled, wearily turning her head to look at him, and the Doctor's hearts churned at seeing her look so miserable, and ill. "I thought it was too late in the pregnancy to be—"

But she never finished her sentence, because she began to heave.

"Oh Jupiter." The Doctor whispered as he began to rub her back, a gesture he'd seen on a television programme once. "It's okay Amy, just get it all up."

Amy couldn't speak, so she settled for swatting him. When the retching ceased, she raised her head, and the Doctor wiped her face with some tissue.

"Is this normal?" She asked him tiredly, her face ashen.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, which panicked Amy. "Tell me it's normal!" She hissed, grabbing the collar of his pyjama top.

"I'll get a baby manual." The Doctor replied quickly, un-attaching her hands from his collar. "There's probably one around here somewhere."

"I bloody hope so. But then, you do have a track record with manuals, as you like to throw them into Supernovas." Amy said blearily, rubbing her eyes.

The Doctor couldn't argue with that, but he was certain that there was a baby book in the library, so he settled for kissing Amy in reply, ignoring her attempts to cover her mouth and push him away. He'd eaten worse than what her breath smelled like, so it didn't bother him, and then he hurried off to find the baby book.

The baby book turned out not to be in the library, and then the Doctor remembered he'd thrown it into his umbrella wardrobe, along with the books that he'd deemed useless to him. After he retrieved it, he ran back to the bathroom.

Amy was still being sick, so he sat down next to her again, holding the baby book in one hand and holding her hair back with the other.

"According to this, you can get morning sickness at any time up to twelve weeks, and in some cases, the sickness can last the duration of the pregnancy." He quoted, skimming over the page about pregnancy symptoms.

Amy groaned, and weakly raised her head to look at him. "There must be medicine somewhere in the Universe that can cure pregnancy sickness."

"No, there isn't. I'm sorry." The Doctor said regretfully, lowering the book to wrap his arms around her. "I could try to make some, but it would take decades."

Amy sighed, and slumped against him, defeated. "You know, it's your fault I feel sick. I couldn't stomach the custard." She admitted, closing her eyes.

"Speaking of which, did you finish making the soup?" He asked her, though when Amy opened her eyes and glared at him, he knew it was the wrong question to ask. "Doesn't matter." He added quickly.

"It's in the bin." Amy told him, moving her body so that she could lay her head in the Doctor's lap.

Chuckling, the Doctor began to run his fingers through her hair, and Amy sighed in contentment, closing her eyes.

But the tranquil atmosphere was instantly broken when they both heard the phone start to ring. They ignored it at first, but the phone continued to ring.

Finally, Amy gave in, and she sat up. "Can you go and answer it? It's hurting my ears."

"Of course." The Doctor rose to his feet, and started for the door, when Amy began to heave again. He turned back to help her, but she waved him away, choking out, "Phone!"

Knowing that he had to answer it and knowing that he had to get back to Amy as quickly as possible, he ran into their bedroom and took out the phone from under the bed.

"Whatever it is, it can wait!" He barked into the phone. "My wife's clogging up the TARDIS pipes!"

"Charming." River's drawl came from the other end of the line, shocking the Doctor. But he was relieved that she was calling him, she was the only other person aside from himself that was trying to uncover the mystery about the cracks in time.

"River, I'm so glad to hear from you." He sighed into the phone, making sure his voice was lowered so that there was no possibility of Amy hearing their conversation.

"That's a first. Well, from this you anyway."

The Doctor ignored her. "The crack in time came back, and it absorbed Amy's best friends." He told her quietly, his eyes on the closed bathroom door.

"Is Amy okay?" River demanded, alarmed, shocking the Doctor again.

"She's fine. Can't remember a thing." He assured her. "Well, she's being sick at the moment, so maybe she's not fine."

"I'm glad you two finally realised." River stated, and the Doctor heard her chuckle. "Took you a while, but you got there."

"Excuse me?"

"Amy's pregnancy. I knew immediately after our little trip to the moon base, with the chamber."

"You knew, and you didn't tell us!" The Doctor hissed. "Why did you keep that from us?"

"We were dealing with a crack in time, if I'd told you, you'd have panicked even more." River replied, and the Doctor sighed, knowing that she was right.

"You're right – this time. Look River, there must have been a reason you called. You said you might have something about the cracks in time and about Amy's strange reactions. Please tell me you found something."

There was a small pause on the other side of the line. "I did actually, but you're not going to like it." River said eventually, sounding wary.

"Just tell me." The Doctor commanded anxiously.

"I can't, it's better if I show you." River told him. "Fly the TARDIS here immediately."

"And where's 'here' exactly?"

"January the 2nd, 1890. I'm at Vincent Van Gogh's home."

For the third time in the conversation, the Doctor was left bewildered. "What?" He demanded, no longer caring about the volume of his voice. "What are you doing there?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Hurry."

There was a small click, and the Doctor knew she'd hung up.

And then he sprang into action. Running back to the bathroom, he threw open the door again, denting the wall for the second time, and exclaimed, "Hey Pond, how would you feel about making a house call to Vincent Van Gogh, right now?"

Something tells me that the Doctor will soon regret taking Amy to see Vincent and River.

Next chapter is Chapter 60 – can you believe that? And it's a BIG one, trust me! And I'm not talking about length ;D

Hayley x

p.s Well done Niro for finally getting an account! I am very proud xD