Hello peoples! I can't believe all of the support this story has been getting! It makes me so very happy! Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I've got another cliffie for you, so prepare yourselves!

Also, I don't know much about the Judoon, because I haven't actually seen the episode where they are most prominent, so please forgive me if I've gotten a few things wrong.

Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy the update and I look forward to hearing from you all!

Rory woke up slowly, feeling quite groggy and unsure as to how he had ended up on a soft, comfortable cloud.

No, wait, that wasn't a cloud.

That was a bed.

How had he ended up in a bed?

It took him several minutes to piece together the blurred fragments of memory, but slowly he started to remember what had happened.

Oh... he had been shot.

He prayed he hadn't died again. He was getting sick of that.

He slowly opened his eyes, testing whether or not they were functional. He was successful, so attempted to look around. His eyes wandered from the ceiling to the right of where he lay, where he could see a nightstand, where a small, green-shaded lamp sat, alongside an alarm clark, a miniature TARDIS, which Amy had painstakingly made many years ago, and a picture of himself and Amy on their wedding day.

Oh, good, he was in his own bed in the TARDIS. Very good sign.

Now a little more testing.

He blinked a little, lifted his head and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was surprised to find that instead of feeling nauseous or dizzy like he was expecting, he felt fully refreshed, like all he'd done was gone to bed for a short nap.

He was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing before (a black, blue and white plaid, long-sleeved button up shirt, a black vest and jeans) and had been laid down on the side of the bed with a blanket caringly placed over him.

He got out of the bed, stretching a bit, walked over to the door, and opened it. His ears were immediately filled with the sounds of a moving TARDIS, alerting him that they were in-flight.

He walked down the hallway, eager to learn what all had transpired since he blacked out. He walked down the steps into the main room, where River and Amy appeared to be deep in discussion, while River manned (or womanned) the TARDIS console, keeping them in flight while they talked.

Amy sat in one of the seats round the console, arms crossed over her chest and one leg resting on the other, watching River work. "That's a stupid plan."

River laughed. "From your perspective, it probably seems that way."

"I don't want to get arrested," Amy said. "There's absolutely no way to get them out sneakily?"

"The Shadow Prolamation has highly advanced security systems. They're going to know we're there as soon as we've landed. So why bother trying to avoid them?"

"Is that really the best plan you two could come up with?" Rory complained as he descended the stairs.

Amy looked up, a bright and relieved smile spreading over her face as she stood and crossed the distance between them, locking him in a tight hug. She then pulled away. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Rory assured her, then led her over to one of the seats where they both settled. "I am a little confused, though. What hap-"

"You were shot by a stun gun," River explained promptly. "Perfectly harmless. Amy and I carried you inside."

"And I suppose the Doctor and James are-"

"Captured," River stated. "Giving us time to get away. Always having to be the hero." She said this as though she were irritated, but she could not hide a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She was having fun.

"So the plan is to..."

"Walk right through the front door. As long as the laws haven't changed recently, we can get the Doctor and James out through completely legal channels."

"Won't that take too long?" Rory asked.

"Maybe on earth, but not with the Judoon. They're very strict when it comes to their rules and laws. They'll be more than happy to let the Doctor and James go as soon as possible when I prove they're holding them unlawfully."

"They are?"

"Well, technically, yes and no. Shadow Proclamation laws can be a little complicated at times. There are certain conditions that would allow them to hold the Doctor and James for an extended period of time, but neither of them have comitted a crime recently. They're allowed to leave whenever they want, but of course the Doctor doesn't know that."

"Oh," Rory said in surprise. "So, for once, we actually can just walk in?"

River smiled smugly. "That's right," she said confidently, then pulled a lever, bringing the TARDIS to a halt. "And look at that! Here we are now."

Amy and Rory stood up and started for the door, then stopped when River made no inclination to move.

"Aren't you coming?" Amy asked.

River shook her head. "I can't."

"What? Why not?" Rory asked, quite worried now.

River simply shrugged. "I'm a fugitive. I can't very well just waltz into the Shadow Proclamation now can I? You two can, though."

"But we don't know anything about Shadow Proclamation laws!" Rory protested.

"I know you don't. But I do, so I'll keep in contact," she said, picking up an earpiece where it had been placed on the TARDIS console, the same earpiece the Doctor had used to communicate with Amy not long ago when he'd been thrown from the TARDIS. "Here," she said, handing it to Rory. "Just say what I say and you'll be fine."

Rory nodded nervously, placing it in his ear, feeling more than a little anxious now. He understood why River had to stay behind, but he would have felt much more comfortable if she were going to go with them.

Amy, who was much harder to worry or dissuade, nodded and turned around to the door, ready to face whatever lay ahead. She opened the door and stepped out, Rory following on her heels, shutting the door behind him.

Just as River had anticipated, several Judoon officers were waiting for them, guns poised.

Amy looked around, alarmed but not particularly afraid, unlike Rory, who was doing his best not to visibly shake. Looking at the Judoon, he began to wonder if rhinos on earth were actually aliens.

"Identify yourselves," one of the Judoon said, its voice harsh and deep.

"Hello," Amy said, swallowing, now a little more nervous. "I'm Amy Pond and this is my husband, Rory."

Rory waved meekly, but didn't say anything. Amy seemed to be managing just fine on her own.

"We're here for the Doctor and... and the other Doctor," she said, realizing that the Doctor probably had identified James as one of his past lives. She wasn't sure what reason the Doctor would want to do that for, but he always knew what he was doing, so she didn't question it.

"You are companions of the Doctor?" the Judoon questioned.

"Yes."

"This is the the Doctor's ship?" the Judoon asked, looking past her at the TARDIS.

"Yes," Amy answered, glancing behind her to make sure the door was closed.

"This vehicle is now confiscated," the Judoon said with an almost mechanical tone, lacking any emotion in the statement, "The humans are to be taken to detainment areas."

"U-um, that's illegal," Rory muttered nervously, then heard River speak in his ear.

"Under section C, paragraph 12, you cannot detain us without reason and documentation stating the legality of our detainment."

Rory hesitated at first, fearful of angering the large rhino-like aliens, but as they advanced on them, ready to take them into custody, Rory finally stammered through the sentence as fast as he could, "Um, um, um, under section uh... section C, paragraph ehm- 12, you can't detain us without reason and documents stating the... the legality of our um... detainment."

At these words, the Judoon halted.

Rory looked at them each nervously, eyes wide, but stood tall and nodded as though he believed firmly in everything he'd just repeated.

The Judoon looked at the largest of them, the leader, who growled and returned his weapon to its holster on his back. He didn't seem very pleased that Rory knew so much about their laws and regulations. "You will follow me."

Amy and Rory nodded.

The large Judoon turned to his officers, ordering, "Take the Time Lord technology to sector 2."

The other Judoon nodded curtly, then set off to complete their task.

Amy and Rory began following the large Judoon down a white hall, glancing back at the TARDIS, which was being carted away by the rhino-like aliens, River still hidden within.

They followed him down several long hallways, having to speed up their pace in order to keep up with the Judoon's long, determined strides. Finally, after they rounded a corner, the Judoon stopped and opened a door, ushering the two inside.

They came into a large white room, lit with a faint blue light. At the end of the room to the right was a staircase leading into a darker upper level. To the left was a beautiful glass desk where it appeared to have several holographic computer screens hovering above and within it. To the right in the corner was a quiet, intricate fountain, peacefully spilling water into the little pool beneath.

Amy and Rory looked around in awe as the Judoon guard turned and left them alone, shutting the door behind them. In the midst of their observations, it took them a moment to notice as an alarmingly familiar man walked steadily down the steps of the staircase, the spurs on his boots clinking with each step. The man came down to the bottom and crossed the room, opening a hidden cabinet and proceeding to make himself a cup of tea.

Rory and Amy stared at him, stunned into silence, as they watched him.

After he'd finished making his tea, stirring it with a small spoon and taking a sip, he turned his head and looked at the two. "Oh. Hello," he greeted, glanced down at his cup, then lifted it towards them. "Care for some tea?"

Told you it was a cliffie. It's about to get a bit timey-wimey, folks, so hold onto your hats!