A/N: Hey everyone :] This chapter would have been up sooner but I've been working 24/7 so I haven't had the time to get online. But here it is...the second to last chapter. I want to cry just writing that.

Finally, all of your questions will be answered, whether they're about the cracks in time...or River's identity. Yes, you heard me right. We find out who she is this chapter. So look out for it, and of course, let me know what you think.

The Doctor had predicted that the journey to 2010 would only take ten minutes, but he had to recalculate when he saw River's fast piloting, realising that it would only take seven and a half minutes instead.

Focusing on the flight kept him from thinking about his injuries. His skin was already beginning to burn, the time energy bursting to be released to heal him. Being in the TARDIS helped though, her psychic waves soothing him and easing him of some discomfort. The medicine he'd taken to prolong his regeneration also seemed to be helping. His bloody injuries had stopped bleeding, at least, and the gashes on his arms were beginning to heal.

He'd tried to make conversation with Rory and Hannah, but they were in a state of shock. Both of them were sitting together on one of the console room chairs, gripping onto each other tightly, and they were both gazing at the Doctor with the same horrified gaze. River had informed them of everything that had happened, and she'd warned them not to try to apologise or talk about the events in the chamber to the Doctor. Therefore, they had nothing to say, so they sat in silence.

The silence though, was beginning to agitate the Doctor, and he shifted in his chair, wincing when the bandage he'd applied to his side rubbed against his stab wound.

Fortunately for him, he noticed River pull down the green lever on the console, and knew that she was about to land the TARDIS. Relieved, he pulled himself to his feet, took one last swig from the medicine bottle that he'd been drinking to numb his pain, and then pocketed it in his ruined tweed jacket. "Found the Pandorica's location?" He asked River, stretching his aching muscles.

"Yes, but it's no longer in the chamber. It's inside of a museum, just under a mile away from it's original location." River told him as she examined the scanner. ""It's just gone past midnight on the 25th of June, so technically, it's the 26th."

"Do you want us to come?" Rory asked quietly, speaking for the first time.

River glanced at the Doctor, knowing that it wasn't her decision to make, and he nodded. "Of course, Roranicus." The Doctor said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

Rory finally cracked a smile at the Roman pun on his name, which relieved the Doctor.

"Let's go." River instructed, and Rory and Hannah stayed back to let the Doctor stumble after her, choosing to take up the rear.

"Any reason as to why we're in the reception of the museum?" The Doctor asked River as they exited the TARDIS, bemused.

"I couldn't get an exact reading of the Pandorica's position, so I thought I'd park here so we can find it on the museum map." River replied, pointing at the wall in front of them. "I'm not an amateur, you know."

"Must have taught you well then." The Doctor muttered, and he didn't miss River's small smile at his remark.

She chose not to answer though, and turned her attention to the map. She spotted the location of the Pandorica immediately, even though it wasn't listed under it's name. "Mysterious box, discovered at Stonehenge." She read aloud. "Ground floor, just to the right of us."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" The Doctor commanded, anxious to get to Amy as quickly as possible. He had no idea if she was awake already, or if Jack was still with her. They might not even be there, and that scared him.

Taking out her gun, River led the way into the room on the right, the Doctor disabling the lock and the alarm on the door as they entered. They followed the path through the museum chamber, and when Rory spotted rock samples from Stonehenge, they knew they were close.

And when they rounded the corner, there stood the Pandorica.

The empty Pandorica.

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat, and he froze, horrified.

No...No!

Then suddenly, he heard a glorious sound: Jack's laughter.

Stunned, he turned to face his friend, who stepped out from behind one of the columns by the far wall. "About time you showed up." Jack remarked, and once he was out of the shadows, the Doctor noticed that he was dressed in Security uniform. "It's been a while!"

As relaxed as Jack was, it did nothing to soothe the Doctor's anxiety. "Where's Amy?" He demanded, but immediately felt guilty when Jack's elated smile wavered.

"Nice to see you too, Doctor." He muttered, and the Doctor allowed himself a small smile of resignation. Jack had, after all, sacrificed two thousand years of his life for the Doctor, and it wasn't fair to act so dismissive towards him.

"I'm sorry Jack. But Amy-"

"-I know." Jack said, holding up his hand as he cut him off. "You don't need to explain. She's in the toilets behind me, before you ask. She's had a baby sitting on her bladder for two thousand years. Need I say more?"

The Doctor blinked back at him incredulously, but when River, Rory and Hannah began to laugh, he couldn't help but elicit a chuckle, allowing himself to relish the relief and joy of his friends.

However, he soon had to clutch at his side, the pain of his wound intensifying at the swift movement of his rib cage. His laughter dying out triggered the others to halt theirs too, and immediately they surrounded him, offering reassuring words and begging him to rest.

"You're acting like Mother Hens." The Doctor said crossly, waving his free hand impatiently. "I'm fine. I'm not dying yet."

"Yet!" Jack echoed, pained. "I thought...I thought for some reason, that you'd turn up...and be okay." At the Doctor's confused frown, he hastened to continue. "I mean, look at you. If you can-"

He was interrupted by the sound of a door flinging open behind them. "Jack?" Amy's voice called from the other side of the Pandorica, and the Doctor wasn't the only one who grinned, hearing the fervour in her voice. If the strength in her voice was anything to go by, she was fine. "Don't mean to worry you, but..." She trailed off, and the Doctor could almost picture the frown on her face. "Hang on, where the Hell are you?"

Jack met the Doctor's gaze, and he gave him a small nod, silently telling him to respond to her.

"He's with me." The Doctor replied loudly, so that Amy would hear him.

No one missed the sharp intake of breath from the other side of the Pandorica, or the whisper that followed.

"Doctor?"

Suddenly they heard her hurried footsteps, and then she appeared in front of them, her hazel eyes wide in disbelief. The Doctor just had time to check that she was unharmed and back to normal self before she launched herself at him.

Judging from the force of her embrace and the strong heartbeat emitting from her protruding bump, both she and their daughter were healed completely.

Forgetting the pain he was in, the Doctor swept her into his arms, crushing her to him and burying his face in her auburn hair.

"About time you showed up, you bloody idiot." Amy murmured, nuzzling her face against his neck, allowing her tears to trickle onto his skin. She didn't even give him a chance to react before she pulled back, gazing into his stormy, timeless eyes.

"Oh Amy..." The Doctor replied brokenly, at a loss at where to start. He needed to say so much to her, but he didn't have the time. They didn't have the time.

"Don't apologise." Amy whispered, lifting a trembling hand to his cheek, softly caressing the skin underneath his black eye. "Are you okay?"

"Been better." The Doctor muttered, and Amy didn't miss the way his eyes flickered downwards.

Following his gaze, Amy saw his blood smeared on her white clothing, and saw it pulsating out of his open stab wound. Her face immediately drained of colour, and she clutched him to her again, one hand fisted in his ruined tweed jacket, and the other pressed over his wound, trying to stop the blood flow. "What can I do?" She asked him despairingly.

But the Doctor didn't have an answer for her. He met River's gaze, knowing that she'd know what he needed to do, and she immediately approached them, her hands encircling Amy's wrists and ripping her away from the Doctor.

Amy instantly began to fight against her, unwilling to leave the Doctor in the state he was in, and Jack had to help River restrain her.

"What are you doing?" Amy cried, not being able to do anything but watch the Doctor as he staggered into the Pandorica and slumped down on the seat, suddenly out of breath.

"He's dying Amy." River said quietly, and Amy found herself crumpling in her friend's arms.

"Doctor, you can't die." She whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking. "You can't leave us! Doctor, you can't!"

The Doctor could only gaze back at her, knowing that if he spoke, he'd crack, just like her. Instead, he used the last ounce of his strength to open their psychic connection.

Amy, this prison is the only way I can stay alive. I'm dying, and I don't want to regenerate. Not yet. You need to le-

-No! Amy screamed, and the Doctor physically flinched. Don't you dare tell me to leave! Don't! I'm staying here, with you!

The Doctor was about to respond to her, when suddenly, he felt her mind go hazy, and the psychic connection between them began to waver.

He'd felt like this in her mind before, after one of their experiences with the crack in time. The Doctor had already worked out that something else was connected to her mind, but he'd hoped that the connection would be destroyed in the Pandorica.

But it remained. And Amy was still in danger.

"Amy, do you recognise these Romans?" He snapped, his panic threatening to send him over the edge. It was working.

Amy looked taken aback at the dramatic change to their conversation, and she glanced hesitantly over at his Roman friends. "Of course I do, they're the ones from the chamber." She answered immediately, and no one could miss the venom in her tone.

She had no idea that her best friends were standing beside her. Her memory was still being manipulated.

It was only a matter of time before her mind was wiped completely, and Amelia Jessica Pond would be no more.

Anguished, the Doctor beckoned Amy over with his hand, and although she was confused, she approached him anyway, River and Jack flanking her.

"Tell me what's wrong." Amy whispered, sensing his terror, but the Doctor shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say, before he touched her forehead gently, immediately sending her into a slumber. Jack caught her unconscious form, and the Doctor met Hannah's gaze.

"Jack, lay Amy down on the bench over there, and Hannah, keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't wake up." He commanded. They were both quick to follow his instructions, and Jack joined him once he'd left Amy's side.

"Want to tell us why you just did that?" He demanded. "What's going on now?"

"Amy's dying." The Doctor said bluntly, and Rory inhaled sharply. River and Jack though, remained silent. "Her mind's cracked. Someone else has access to her mind."

While Jack and Rory looked stunned at his admission, River blanched, and the Doctor didn't miss her ashen face. "River, what do you know?" He demanded anxiously.

"Antonium said something...before he died." River whispered numbly. "It was after you were imprisoned, and Amy...well...she lost it. She started clawing her skin, and mumbling to herself." She broke off to close her eyes, unable to look at the Doctor's grief-stricken face any longer. "Antonium said that she was going insane...and Amy...she said that 'they were in here'." She paused again to draw in a shaky breath, and finally found the strength to open her eyes. "I thought she might have been talking about the chamber...but..."

The Doctor held up his hand, and River stopped, grateful for the interruption. "It's got to be the Daleks." He whispered. "They've been planning this, right from the start. Probably when I crash-landed in her garden when she was seven. I think the TARDIS was lured there." He broke off to laugh bitterly. "The crack in her wall...they must have used it to form the connection in her mind. They kept an eye on her, for years, waiting for me to return. Forming a trap for me using my future companion...and now she's my wife, and mother to my unborn child. They must be so pleased with themselves."

Defeated now, the Doctor bowed his head. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I can never fault my companions...of course my enemies knew that. And now I find out that my relationship with Amy is a lie! A lie, formed to defeat me. Well, they've succeeded!"

Neither Jack or Rory could form a reply to the Doctor, both of them at a loss as to what to say.

River however, raised her head, and glared at the Doctor fiercely. "Doctor, what you and Amy have isn't a lie!" She cried, and even the Doctor looked bewildered by her outburst. "Yes, you two have been forced together, but the unconditional love you have for each other...you don't know the future, but I do! Even after all of this, you're together. Happy. Stupidly happy. Now stop wallowing! We'll save you both."

"But what can I do?" The Doctor asked her desperately. "How can I fix this? There's a crack in her mind...and it wants-"

But he broke off when he suddenly recalled a solution. It was so painstakingly obvious that he cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"The cracks in time...they've never wanted Amy. They only used them to keep an eye on her." He whispered. "They're going to keep appearing, until they've got...me."

Now River was lost as well, and the Doctor found all three of his friends staring back at him, all with the same confused expression.

"I don't know where you're going with this." Jack said warily. "But I'm scared, I know that."

"Think about it! The light wipes you from existence! That's what the Daleks want!"

He expected at least one of them to realise where he was going with his theory, but his friends still looked bewildered.

"The Daleks knew that I'd find some way out of the Pandorica. I always escape from a trap." The Doctor told them earnestly. "Why aren't they here? They knew I'd end up at this solution eventually. There's only one way I can go now."

Finally, it dawned on River, and her face whitened. "No Doctor...no." She breathed, beginning to shake her head rhythmically. "I won't let you...no!"

"Can someone please explain what's going on!" Jack snapped, River's panic igniting his frustration. "Because I still don't understand!"

The Doctor gazed at River solemnly, leaving it up to her to explain.

"He's going to go into the light." She whispered, stricken. "And let himself be removed from existence. That way, the cracks in time disappear, the connection in Amy's mind is removed, and everyone returns to their normal lives, on the day this all began...today."

"But this was the day that Amy and I were supposed to get married!" Rory hissed.

"Yep." The Doctor said distractedly, scanning their surroundings for any signs of a crack in time forming near them. "You could also call it D-Day. For me anyway."

"I refuse to let you do this!" Jack exclaimed, glaring at him. "No way. Over my dead body."

"That point's moot." The Doctor said tiredly, and to everyone's surprise, he rolled his eyes. "Don't you see? Can't you see?"

His friend's mystified expressions answered his question, and he sighed. "You've clearly missed the problem in the Dalek's plan. Think about it...really...think!"

This time, it was Jack who realised, and his lips slowly curved into a smirk. "That's one hell of a risk, but I don't doubt Amy's love for you." He muttered cryptically, and both River and Rory frowned.

"What is it?" River demanded. "Tell us!"

"The Daleks never expected Amy to fall pregnant with my child, given my lack of romance with my previous companions." The Doctor told them. "So they never expected Amy to form a psychic connection of her own, with me. When I disappear into the light, I'll be vanquished from all of your memories, but Amy's connection with me will remain."

"If something can be remembered, it can come back." River murmured, and the way she said it made the Doctor think that she was quoting someone. Maybe she was.

The Doctor shot her a tired grin. "Exactly. Amy can bring me back. My life with her will simply be a story in her mind, but if there's one person I trust explicitly, it's my Amelia. She can bring me home."

"But what about your injuries?" Rory enquired, asking the most sensible question as his eyes flickered guiltily to the stab wound that he'd inflicted.

"The light will remove all traces of injury. I won't exist, after all." The Doctor replied wryly. "Listen, when a crack in time appears here - and trust me, it will - I want you all to leave me here. Leave the TARDIS too. Just run. Take Amy, and get out of here. You'll soon wake up on this day, and all of this will be over."

"What about Hannah? Amy's parents? Alonzo?" Rory demanded. "Hannah's my wife! And if we remain in 2010, I'll never have met her!"

"Rory, do you trust me?" The Doctor asked him suddenly, and although Rory was surprised, he answered immediately.

"Of course. With my life."

"Then know that Amy will bring Hannah home too. You love and trust her just as much as we all do. Have faith." The Doctor said kindly.

Rory, and even Jack began to look reassured, but River couldn't begin to feel some relief. Not yet.

The Doctor could sense her doubt, and he quickly sent Rory and Jack away to join Hannah and Amy, leaving them alone to talk.

"Doctor, this is a big gamble." River murmured, her eyes downcast. "I don't think I can let you do it."

"River, trust me." The Doctor whispered, and River raised her head to meet his sincere gaze.

"A bit of a role reversal, normally I'm the one that requires your trust." She said quietly. "Doctor...what if this doesn't work? We can't lose you...I can't lose you."

Smiling tenderly at her, the Doctor offered her his hand, and she grasped it gratefully, needing some of his courage, for once. "This is my fault, you know." She admitted softly, and the Doctor frowned. Before he could question her, River continued. "You told me that I'd killed the greatest man I'd ever known. And it's true. I'm killing you. I'm the one that led you and Amy to Vincent. I'm the reason why all of this happened."

The Doctor remained silent for a moment, before he grinned, startling her. "Oh River, this would have happened, whether you'd been here or not." He said lightly, trying to ease her of her guilt. "If you hadn't helped me, we'd all be dead. I don't doubt that. You've helped save us, River Song."

Suddenly, he flipped her wrist over, smiling affectionately as he caught sight of the small tattoo etched on her skin.

With a gasp, River quickly covered it with her free hand, and the Doctor chuckled, amused. "River, I've seen it before." He told her gently. "I know I wasn't supposed to see it, but I have. And now I know who you are. Think I can't spot a Galifreyan adoption stamp when I see one?"

River's face instantly crumpled, and the Doctor was stunned to see his adopted daughter, who was normally so strong, and so powerful, break down in front of him. "I love you." She whispered, raising his hand and pressing it to her cheek. "I love you so much...Dad."

"Just goes to show...blood is never thicker than water." The Doctor whispered, and River laughed through her tears. "So, will you let me leave now?"

Gazing into his timeless eyes, she nodded slowly. "Of course. I know you'll come back." She murmured, smiling slightly. "Do you want me to go and wake Amy? I know you'll want to say goodbye to her."

"Please." The Doctor whispered, and River released his hand, giving him a heart-felt smile over her shoulder as she walked away from him.

~I~

The Doctor could do nothing but watch as River and his friends roused Amy from her sleep, still confined to the Pandorica. When she awoke, the Doctor knew immediately that she knew that something was wrong, from everyone's drawn expressions. She met his gaze from across the chamber, and then bolted towards him, not allowing her pregnancy to slow her down.

"Doctor, what's going on?" She demanded the moment she reached him, and at the Doctor's sad smile, her brow furrowed. "Why does everyone look so worried?" She continued, her voice quieter now.

Although the Pandorica was keeping him alive, the Doctor couldn't say goodbye to Amy with so much distance between them. So he struggled to his feet, and left his prison, knowing he had enough time to see her off without dying, or regenerating.

"I'm about to do something that our friends think is a huge risk." The Doctor told her honestly, unable to tell her more than that without endangering her mind. He rested his hands gently on her shoulders, and Amy pressed closer to him, her arms sliding around his neck.

"What are you going to do?" She whispered fearfully, and the Doctor smiled slightly.

"I can't tell you that." He whispered, his hands moving to the soft curve of her belly, his smile growing when he felt his daughter react to his touch.

Amy's hazel eyes filled with tears. "But...you can't...you need to tell me! I'm your wife!"

"Amy, if I told you that the truth would kill you, would you stop asking questions?" He asked her tiredly, his arms encircling her waist to draw her body closer to his.

Amy blinked in confusion, but she nodded her head adamantly.

"Good. So stop asking questions." The Doctor murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead, revelling in her embrace for one last time.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Amy asked him quietly, brushing his fringe away from his forehead so she could gaze earnestly into his eyes. "In fact, you don't need to say anything. I know. I can feel it." Sliding her hands down to his chest, she placed her hands over his beating hearts.

The Doctor immediately placed his hands over hers, and pulled them away from his chest so that he could lace their fingers together. "You're going to be leaving in a moment. River, Jack and my Roman friends will look after you."

Amy blinked again, to dispel the tears that were threatening to spill. "But what about you?"

"I'm...needed here." The Doctor said softly. "But I'll be with you soon, my love. I don't doubt that."

Now the tears that Amy had managed to withhold were falling freely, and the Doctor immediately began to kiss them away as they slid down her cheeks. "I'll...I'll stay with you."

She felt the Doctor smile against her skin. "You can't." He whispered, leaning back to gaze at her. "Goodbye Amy."

"No!" She cried, fisting her hands in his tweed jacket, unable to let him go. "I can't leave you!"

"But you need to." The Doctor said softly, his mouth curving up into a loving smile. "I need you to leave...so you can bring me home."

Amy let out a sob of frustration, and she began to shake her head, not allowing her husband's reassuring tone to soothe her - or change her mind. "I don't...I don't understand." She finally whispered.

"You'll know everything. Soon." The Doctor told her quietly, bringing his hands up to cup her face.

As he leaned in to kiss her, Amy's eyes fluttered closed, and she wove her hands into his hair, determined to keep him within her embrace.

But all too soon, the Doctor broke the kiss, and rested his forehead against hers. "Gotcha." He whispered.

"Come along Pond." They heard Jack murmur, and he suddenly appeared at their side.

Amy's instincts were still telling her to lash out and refuse to leave, but something in the Doctor's eyes was silently begging her to leave him. She understood his plea, but not the cause. She wasn't happy to be leaving him, but she trusted and loved him enough to follow his wishes.

So with a heavy heart, she allowed Jack to guide her out of the chamber, River and the Romans following after them.

~I~

The moment they were outside of the museum, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble, and Jack immediately scooped Amy into his arms and began to sprint away from the building.

"Is that...is the museum going to collapse?" Amy asked wildly, her eyes widening in horror. "But...the Doctor...we can't leave him!"

Jack didn't respond, and Amy began to struggle in his arms. "Doctor!" She screamed, unable to tear her gaze away from the trembling building.

Suddenly, a large crack began to form in the brickwork of the museum, and Amy cried out again.

"Almost over." She heard River murmur.

Before she could question her friend's remark, Jack halted suddenly, and lowered her to the ground drowsily.

"So it begins." He muttered tiredly, sinking to the ground. "See you all on the other side...I hope."

Amy could only watch helplessly as River and the Romans joined Jack on the ground, and suddenly, she found herself being pulled under, collapsing on the ground beside them.

Just the epilogue to go now :) And then...well. That's a surprise ;) All will be revealed in my A/N next chapter!

Hayley xo