Amy's Choice: Waking Up
"Doctor you've got to wake up!"
The Doctor jumped awake, on the TARDIS floor, with Amy and Rory on beside him. Amy clutched her blanket closer as the chill had gotten worse, "Ah, it's colder."
"The three of us have to agree, now, which is the dream," the Doctor sat up, an urgent note in his voice.
He kept hearing Angel, he kept seeing her, everywhere, the Dream Lord had to be lying! He had to have taken Angel somewhere, that was the only thing he could think of that would explain why he kept hearing and seeing her...well, that was a lie, really. There were times where...he got these...things. Feelings mostly, a flash of...something he couldn't quite remember or even really work out, it happened so suddenly. But...at the most random times he found himself thinking of Angel or hearing her voice in his head saying something. He had been getting that feeling more and more this time though, but...it was different. The flashes of Angel in his head were different than hearing and seeing her in both worlds. The flashes always went by too quickly for him to make out or even realize what they were, but he'd seen her, he'd heard her, for longer than a brief moment.
The only explanation was that the Dream Lord had her too. Perhaps Angel had found a way to try and escape or was trying to break through from her world to theirs. He wouldn't put it past her, she was rather brilliant. Or maybe it was the Dream Lord's way of taunting him, of trying to make him angry, by showing him that he had control over where Angel was, that he could make/allow her to appear only when he wanted. If it was a ploy to make him angry...
It was working.
He could feel it in him, the anger rising and rising and rising and Angel...she wasn't there to calm him, to reassure him. She always did that, always had some way to make him feel better no matter what he was feeling. But she wasn't there and he was starting to get furious with the Dream Lord not just for lying but for using Angel like that. He just wanted her back, wanted her beside him, where she was meant to be. Yes, the last of the Time Lords together, standing strong. He always felt off without her around, felt this...pressure in his chest, a twisting in his stomach, a pounding in his head, whenever she was too far away from him. And with it always came a desperate need to get back to her.
In a way, it alarmed him that it was such a powerful feeling, but in another, it was understandable. They, and the TARDIS, were all they had left of their planet and people. Naturally he'd be more worried about her than normal. And right now it was becoming rather hard to concentrate on the cold when he didn't know what sort of conditions Angel might have been forced into. He knew Angel could protect herself, she had the Vortex inside her, but it would scarcely help if the Dream Lord had no body.
"It's this, here," Rory said, hoping this was the wrong word. Because, in the other one, Angel was out there somewhere, safe with Jack, whereas here...she might be trapped somewhere in the TARDIS away from them and blocked from the scanners. In Leadworth, she wasn't surrounded by the elderly.
"He could be right," Amy sighed, though she sounded slightly solemn at that, of either world, this was the one she wanted badly to be the real one, "The science is all wrong here, burning ice?"
"No, no, no ice can burn, sofas can read, it's a big Universe," the Doctor countered, "We have to agree which battle to lose. All of us, now," he looked at them but they were silent, "Now. Now! Come on, come on, which is it? Which is it?"
"Which world do you think is real?" Amy held up her hands in surrender, he was starting to sound snippy.
"This one," he stated, if it was this one, he knew Angel had to be somewhere in the TARDIS, the scanners were probably just down because of the Dream Lord's interference, but that would mean she was there! And if she was in the TARDIS, she was protected.
"No, the other one!" Rory argued.
"Yeah, but are we disagreeing, or competing?"
"Disagreeing."
The Doctor scoffed.
"There is no competition," Rory frowned at him.
He was actually...certain about that. Which was surprising. He was certain that there was no competition. He might have, only a short while ago, been worried that the outcome he was picturing would be different, the outcome that the worlds represented him and the Doctor and that Amy's steadfast hope that the TARDIS world was real meant that she wanted a life with the Doctor instead of him. He would have been afraid of that, maybe even a trip or two ago.
But not now.
Back then he hadn't been able to believe that Amy would want him, not compared to the Doctor. But Angel's words when he first came aboard officially had really struck something in him. Angel wanted him to be her companion. She wanted him to stay and saw something special in him. He'd learned from Amy about what Angel had done in past adventures, how she'd helped a Star Whale, stopped a bomb, stayed with Amy and protected all those Clerics, Angel was amazing! And for someone like her to think HE was amazing too...it had to mean something. He might not see it at the moment, but, he hoped that whatever it was that was special about him would be something Amy could see too.
He was a remarkable man according to Angel, and he was going to believe it. She was psychic. So he would try to believe in himself more, even if that meant believing Amy would pick him over the Doctor. Angel had picked him over every other person on Earth, maybe, just maybe, Amy would pick him over the last Time Lord.
"Competing over what?" Amy asked, confused.
The Doctor and Rory just stared at her. She huffed and got up, rolling her eyes at them.
The Doctor glanced at his watch, "Nine minutes till impact," he muttered, standing.
"What temperature is it?" Amy looked at him as she worked on doing something to the blankets.
"Outside? Brrrr. How many noughts have you got? Inside? I don't know but I can't feel my feet and...other parts."
"I think all my parts are basically fine," Rory stated, getting up as well.
"Stop competing!"
"I'm just making a statement," Rory held up his hands, before spotting a mobile lying on the console, "Can't we call for help?" he held it up.
"Yeah, the Universe is really small," the Doctor took the phone, absently flipping Martha's mobile open to see if there was even power, but no, even that was dead. And really what would he have done? He'd soniced the phone a while ago so he'd be able to call Martha, but what then? Well, he supposed she might contact Jack and Jack could pop in with a Vortex Manipulator and try to help. But the only one he could think that might be able to get the TARDIS up and running again despite what the Dream Lord had done was Angel. He winced...he rather imagined Jack would punch him in the face for Angel being a captive of the Dream Lord, "Bound to be someone nearby!" he tapped Rory on the head with it before tossing it back on the console.
"Put these on, both of you," Amy threw a blanket with a slit in the top of it at the Doctor before slipping the other one over Rory's head.
"Oh, a poncho," Rory rolled his eyes, "The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen."
Amy put hers on, "Here we go! My boys...my poncho boys," she walked over and stood between them, "If we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band."
But all the false cheer faded away as they stared at the frozen star, looming ever closer on the monitor.
"We're not going to die," Rory determined.
"No, we're not," the Doctor nodded, glancing at his watch again, "But our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble," he paced, "If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world," and perhaps maybe one of them would be able to spot Angel too. He'd noticed Amy and Rory didn't seem able to see the girl, but maybe if he was in one world, awake, Angel was in the other where he was asleep, that...actually made quite a bit of sense, "But the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why? Why?" he couldn't fathom any reason besides trying to keep them separated from Angel, but why? Why just her, why not separate all of them into 4 worlds? It didn't make sense, "What's the logic?"
The Dream Lord appeared, pacing alongside him, in a poncho quite similar to the Doctor's, "Good idea, idiot, let's divide you three up, so I can have a few words with dear little Amelia Pond. Maybe I'll keep her, and you can have Rory to yourself for all eternity, it would be a vast improvement to the current situation, well, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality."
The birdsong started, "Can you hear that?" Rory asked.
"What?" Amy's eyes widened, fearful, realizing what was happening as the boys started to sway, "No."
"Amy, don't be scared, we'll be back," the Doctor promised before he and Rory slumped to the ground, asleep.
"Rory, Doctor, don't leave me."
"Amy, we're going to have so much...fun aren't we?" the Dream Lord grinned darkly.
"No, please, not alone," Amy backed away from him.
~8~
Rory gasped awake to find himself on the stairs of the cottage, Amy still sleeping. There was a crash of glass in the sitting room and Rory lifted Amy under the shoulders, dragging her upstairs, apologizing every time she bumped the stairs, not willing to risk even trying to see what was going on. He could work that much out at least, the elderly were breaking in. He managed to drag her down the hall and into the center of their cheery yellow nursery, gender neutral as Amy wanted to be surprised...one of the few reasons she didn't talk much to Angel during their time back in Leadworth.
She was afraid Angel might accidentally let it slip which gender the baby was, or so she claimed. Angel had been very good about not even telling him when he practically begged her to know. The Time Lady had even gone so far as to not tell the Doctor either, knowing it would most certainly slip out of his mouth more easily than hers, so he didn't understand why Amy was so insistent in not talking to Angel at times. It was like...the Doctor appeared and she went running to greet him, not so much Angel though. But then, when HE ran to greet Angel and got a wonderful hug in return, Amy would be glaring daggers at the girl, which only he saw looking at her over Angel's shoulder.
He set Amy down, apologizing once more before closing the door. He looked over at the crib, set up and completely stuffed with toys and a windup mobile. He looked out the window to see the elderly working together to get in, some trying to break into the TARDIS. He turned and propped a chair under the doorknob for extra security and sat down nervously.
~8~
"Just a little longer Doctor..."
The Doctor blinked blearily, hearing Angel whispering to him.
"I promise, just a little longer..."
He shook his head, pushing himself up and listened at the door, hearing the elderly waiting on the other side, the aliens in them screeching. He pulled out the sonic, "Ok, where is it?" he mumbled, testing the sonic against the door before pulling it open and shooting out the light above the elderly with it, running off in the confusion.
He ran outside, cutting through a yard and onto a street, looking around to try and get his bearings. He was always so terrible with directions, it was one thing he often relied on Angel for and let her take control of, she was so oriented and knew just where to go. He had no idea. He hadn't really paid much attention to Leadworth when he'd been there. He turned to the side when he heard a shout to see an elderly man attacking a younger man in an old VW bus.
"Oh, help, somebody!" the man was yelling.
"You couldn't live near the shops, could you?" the Doctor huffed, not wanting to waste any more time that he really didn't have, but knowing that he couldn't just leave the man alone to that fate. He sighed, racing to the bus and pushing the elderly man away, climbing into the driver's seat as the younger man hopped in after him, "It's ok, it's only me."
He started up the bus and drove through the village, swerving a bit as he went, not quite used to actually driving a car, it had been quite a while since he'd driven a small car and not a large craft like the fire engine or the Titanic, lord knew Sarah Jane had complained about his driving often enough with old Bessie. His thoughts were cut off though when he spotted two young women surrounded by elderly.
The man slid the back door open as he called from the front, "Get in, get in, get in. Quickly, quickly, over here. Quickly, come on, jump in. Quick get in now, quickly. Hurry up," the women climbed into the car as it moved, the man closing the door behind them, "Are we in?" he looked over, only to groan spotting a young family cowering just at the corner ahead and pulled over to get them, there were children there, he never did well when children were upset, neither did Angel, "Come on, let's go, quickly, all four, that's it everyone in!" and he drove off.
~8~
The TARDIS drifted closer to the freezing star, ice and frost forming all over the inside of it. Amy sat in a lonely vigil over the Doctor and Rory, ice on her as well when the Dream Lord appeared beside her, "It's rather pathetic you know," the man began, "You, sitting there, wasting your life waiting for the man who will never be what you want him to be. He always leaves you, doesn't he? Alone in the dark. Never apologizes..."
"He doesn't have to," she stood and walked away to face him, defiant.
"As though he even would," the man let out a dark chuckle, "Let me tell you a little secret Amelia Pond," he leaned in, whispering, "He never ever will. And now he's left you to me," he grinned, leaning back again, "Spooky old, most certainly not-to-be-trusted me," he eyed her in a way that made her shift uncomfortably, like he was sizing her up, judging her, "Anything could happen to you."
"What do you want?!" she huffed, "Why have you taken Angel?"
"Oh," he laughed, "Worried about her eh? That's new. That's a bit rich coming from you. The girl who never gave her a second thought in, how long was it Amelia? 14 years? 14 years where your precious Doctor was with Angel."
Amy's eyes narrowed, "It was 5 minutes for them."
"Rule 1 Amelia, the Doctor lies," the man stated, smirking when he saw her shift, saw the uncertainty appear in her eyes, knowing she wasn't sure whether to trust his words that it had really been 14 years for the Time Lords, or trust the Doctor, that it was only 5 minutes, "Angel is the one who tells the truth."
Amy looked at him for that again, she'd noticed that the man seemed to have some sort of obsession or at least a fondness for Angel, he kept saying things like that, "You know something about her, something the Doctor doesn't."
"Oh the Doctor knows, he's just…forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"That's for me to know and him to find out," the man sighed, actually seeming weary for a moment, "He needs to find out. He needs to work it out. I can't tell him what it is."
"What what is?" Amy shook her head, "Who are you? The Doctor knows you, but he's not telling me who you are. And he always does. Takes him awhile sometimes, but he tells me. So you're something different."
"Oh," he started laughing and clapping mockingly at her, "Is that who you think you are? The one he trusts? The one who's special to him?"
"Actually, yes."
He stood up, "The one girl in the Universe to whom the Doctor tells everything?"
"Yes," Amy started to smirk as she nodded.
He scoffed, "Sorry but you lost that contest before it even began," he shook his head at her, seeming nearly disgusted with her arrogance, "You don't even know his name," he disappeared and reappeared squatting at the Doctor's feet, "Now, which one of these men would you really choose? Look at them. You ran away with a handsome hero the night before your wedding to the boy who's more than he appears," he glanced at Amy, "Look how that worked out for you, you nearly lost both. And you will lose them both if you don't make a choice. Now," his gaze hardened, "I won't have you hurt her either Amelia Pond, I will NOT stand for it!" he stood, "So you either make the right choice and give up the wrong one, or you will never ever leave this place. I will make sure of that. I will make sure you are here, alone, forever, with just...me," he smirked.
"Stop it," Amy whispered, tears in her eyes at what he was saying. She knew it was true, she knew she'd likely ruined any sort of relationship she could have had with either man. She'd been a companion to the Doctor, and then tried to kiss him, made it sufficiently awkward, made him upset and eager to resort to asking Rory along just to keep her away from him. And Rory, poor Rory, when he'd found out she'd seen it in his face, he'd been crushed at what she'd done to him.
Angel was right, she was truly lucky to have a man like Rory love her so completely and there she was, an inch away from losing the most incredible friendship she might ever have and a man who would lover her honestly and truly and faithfully for the rest of her life.
"But maybe it's better than loving and losing the Doctor," the Dream Lord sighed, cutting into her thoughts as he looked down almost sadly, "Angel knows that better than anyone," he whispered, so low Amy wasn't even sure she'd heard him right. He took a breath and shook his head, turning his attention to her again, "Pick a world and this nightmare will all be over," he stood between the two men, "They'll listen to you. It comes down to you Amelia, the only one left undecided. It's you they're waiting for. They've already made their decisions, Amy's men," he scoffed, "But you know they're not really your men are they. You know, deep down, that the Doctor belongs to someone else," he sighed, "It's a pity he doesn't know though," he appeared behind her, "But no matter, this is still all about you. Amy's choice."
He disappeared, leaving her alone with the two men. She bent over, straightening Rory's poncho before glancing the Doctor and taking her seat once more.
~8~
The Doctor stopped the car just in front of the local church, ushering everyone into it, "Everybody, out, out, out! Into the church, that's right. It's old, it's strong..."
~oOo~
More creatures appeared, diving towards the church doors, but he managed to shut them only moments before they reached them. The creatures screamed as they hit the door, trying to get in.
Everyone started to panic, talking amongst themselves as he looked around at the shadows of the creatures by the windows.
"They can't get in," Angel called, confirming his thoughts, "Old windows and doors. The older something is, the stronger it is. Like you."
He would have smiled at the compliment but his mind was otherwise occupied and so he just nodded, "What else?" a creature wailed outside, "Go and check the other doors! Move!"
~oOo~
"Don't answer the door," he added before he closed the door and drove out of the village, back towards Amy and Rory's cottage, hoping he was going the right way. He glanced up into the rearview mirror to see the Dream Lord sitting there, wearing a racecar driver's outfit.
"It's make your mind up time in both worlds," he warned.
"Bye," the Doctor snapped, "I need to find my friends."
"Friends?" the man snorted, "Is that the right word for the people you acquire? Friends are people you stay in touch with. Your friends never see you again once they've grown up. The old man prefers the company of the young, does he not?" he shook his head, "And all that does is keep Angel from her family," he tsked the Doctor, "Shame on you, though, fair dos," he shrugged, "They'll murder you within five minutes of seeing you."
"They wouldn't hurt me," the Doctor frowned, not sure why the Dream Lord was saying that, he'd mentioned something about 'Angel's family' being cross with him earlier, but he was fairly certain now that she hadn't seen any of them in quite a while.
"Don't bet your lives on it mate," the Dream Lord scoffed, "Five minutes with you and Angel in a room together and they'll be out for your blood. Just five minutes is all they'd need to see what you can't, to see what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong," the Doctor insisted, though a feeling of dread was creeping into him.
"So you think," the man merely smirked before disappearing.
~8~
The Doctor slowed to a stop just outside the cottage, the elderly attacking the house from all sides. He quickly scanned around, trying to find a way in, "Ok..." he breathed, getting out and using the van to hide himself.
~8~
Rory sat on the floor, cradling Amy's head in his lap, when she slowly blinked awake, "How did I get up here?" she asked, rubbing her head.
"I carried you," he told her, "I'm afraid you may experience some bruising."
"Where's the Doctor?"
"I don't know. I want to do something for you," he turned around and grabbed a small black bag, opening it and taking out a pair of scissors, making quick work of cutting off his ponytail.
Amy gasped, "I was starting to like it."
There was a sudden squeaking sound by the window that had them tensing and jerking to look in that direction, only to relax a moment later when they saw that it was only the Doctor climbing in the window, "It's alright," he fell out onto the floor, "I had to stop off at the butcher's."
"What are we going to do?" Rory got right to it.
"I don't know. I thought the freezing TARDIS was real but now I'm not so sure."
Amy gasped, hunching forward, "I think the baby's starting."
"Honestly?" Rory looked at her.
"Would I make it up at a time like this?!"
"Well, you do have a history of..." she shot him a glare, "Being very lovely," Amy cried out in pain, "Why are they so desperate to kill us?"
The Doctor stood, "They're scared. Fear generates savagery."
Rory looked over, alarmed, when some sort of statue from their garden was hurled through the window. He quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed over, needing to make sure that on other objects were going to be thrown at them...only for Poggit to appear, breathing the green mist at him. He fell back with a groan, Amy rushing to his side as the Doctor knocked Poggit off the roof with a lamp. He whirled around to see Amy kneeling at Rory's side.
"Rory!" she gasped.
"No!" he shook his head, "I'm not ready," he began to dissolve.
"Stay."
"Look after our baby," he breathed as he dissolved to ash, looking into Amy's eyes as it happened, conveying all the love he felt for her in that one last look.
"No," Amy whispered, "No. Come back," she looked up at the Doctor, "Save him. You save everyone. You always do. It's what you do."
"Not always," he admitted, "Angel…she…"
"She's not here!" Amy snapped, "She should have been here, she should have warned us..."
"That's not all she's good for Amy," he countered, glaring a bit at how she was actually blaming Angel when the girl was likely being held captive by the Dream Lord, "And she can't see everything. She..." he swallowed hard, cutting himself off, not sure why he was getting so defensive and angry, he needed to calm down, Amy had just lost Rory, "I'm sorry."
"Then what is the point of you?" she touched the pile of ash before standing up with the help of her bureau. The Doctor moved to help her but couldn't bring himself to touch her, "This is the dream. Definitely, this one. Now, if we die here, we wake up, yeah?"
"Unless we just die," he warned.
"Either way, this is my only chance of seeing him again. This is the dream."
"How do you know?"
"Because if this is real life, I don't want it. I don't want it."
She had made her decision, or really, it hadn't even been one. She knew, she realized now, where her heart had always been, why she'd always felt angry when other girls spoke to Rory, why she loved how much he loved her, why she got painful little zings when she saw him hug Angel or smile or laugh with the girl...it was because...she didn't show him, she didn't say it often enough, she didn't express how much she loved him and that might drive him away to other girls. She should have realized that she did love him, so much, but she just...got so caught up in the Doctor, Rory had been right, it blotted everything else out.
Never again, no. She was going to find Rory and she was going to give his stupid face such a big kiss that it would be permanently left in that adorable and stupid grin!
~8~
The Doctor and Amy left the house but the elderly did nothing to attack them.
"Why aren't they attacking?" she had to ask.
"Either because this is just a dream, or because they know what we're about to do," they walked towards the van and Amy stopped, facing the Doctor, "Be very sure. This could be the real world."
"It can't be. Rory isn't here. I didn't know. I didn't, I didn't, I honestly didn't, till right now. I just want him."
"Ok," he gave her the keys and held her hand tightly, "Ok."
Amy walked around to the driver's side, getting in and starting the car. The Doctor walked to the other side, glancing over...to see Angel standing there in a small field across from the cottage, tears in her eyes. Without a word he got into the vehicle, looking up again but Angel was gone and the Dream Lord was there instead, watching them.
"I love Rory, and I never told him, but now he's gone," Amy breathed as she turned to drive the car forwards, veering to the left and driving the car straight at the house...
~8~
A thick layer of ice covered almost everything in the TARDIS, including the three of them. The Doctor opened his eyes to see Amy slowly open hers, reaching out her hand to Rory and holding his tightly as he too woke up.
"So..." the Dream Lord appeared with a sigh, "You chose this world. Well done. You got it right. And with only seconds left. Bravo," he rolled his eyes, "But as Angel would say, fair's fair. I gave you my word, I ought to keep it. Let's warm you up," he restored the power, pulling a lever on the TARDIS, "I hope you've enjoyed your little fictions. It all came out of your imagination, so I'll leave you to ponder on that Doctor," he turned to the Time Lord, now on his knees, "Pay careful attention to everything and try, just this once, do try not to be a complete moron and miss everything that's been placed in front of you. Farewell," and he disappeared.
The Doctor closed his eyes breathing deeply when he heard it...
"Please Doctor…" Angel pleaded softly, "Please, come back."
He opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet, working the controls, the TARDIS, oddly enough, allowing him to use them without sparking. Whether it was because the Dream Lord had left or because the box knew what he was about to do, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't complaining.
Amy and Rory pushed themselves up to a kneel, facing each other, "Something happened," Rory began, "I...what happened to me? I..." Amy just pulled him into a tight hug, "Oh. Oh, right. This is good. I am liking this. Was it something I said?" Amy released him and simply looked at him, "Can you tell what it was so I can use it in emergencies? And maybe birthdays?"
They both turned though at the sound of the TARDIS starting up again, "What are we doing now?" Amy called.
"Me, I'm going to blow up the TARDIS," the Doctor replied.
~oOo~
"Venting the Thermal Buffer," Angel murmured, doing just that, "Flooring the Helmic Regulator, and frying the Zeiton Crystals."
Five's eyes widened as he tried to leap towards her to stop her, only for him to hold him back, "You'll blow up the TARDIS!"
"It's the only way out," he told Five.
"Who told you that?"
Angel just looked up with a smile, grabbing a lever, "I did."
She pulled it and the room filled with a white light…
Fading slowly to reveal the three of them still standing there, alive and well.
"Supernova and black hole at the exact same instant," Five breathed, staring at Angel in awe, "That's genius."
"Explosion cancels out implosion," he nodded, "And yes, yes she is."
"Matter stays constant."
"Brilliant!" he winked at Angel.
"Far too brilliant," Five eyed her, suspicious, "I've never met anyone else who could fly the TARDIS like that."
"Trust me," he laughed, "We've never met anyone like her before."
Angel blushed.
~oOo~
"What?!" Rory gaped.
"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was? Ok, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and I could have done without the limerick, and those awful misdirecting comments about Angel, but he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality," he laughed.
"What are you doing?!" Amy demanded.
"Doctor!" Rory shook his head, "The Dream Lord conceded. This isn't the dream!"
"Yes, it is!" he shouted.
Amy turned to Rory, "Stop him."
"Star burning cold?" the Doctor grumbled, "Do me a favor! The Dream Lord has no power over the real world. He was offering us a choice between two dreams."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know who he is!"
And with that, he pulled lever and the TARDIS exploded.
~8~
The Doctor was standing, leaning against the console, looking at something in Angel's hand as she quietly explained something to him when Amy and Rory walked down the steps, confused, until...
"Angel!" Rory shouted, bounding over to the Time Lady and hugging her tightly, "Are you ok?" he asked, pulling away, worried that something terrible might have happened in whatever world the Dream Lord had put her in.
"I'm fine Rory," Angel smiled at him, touched by his concern.
"Well I suppose that answer's my question," the Doctor grumbled, "Any other questions then?"
"What's that?" Amy pointed at something in Angel's hand.
"Specks of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava," the Doctor explained as Angel held out the six tiny, glistening specks in her palm, "Must have been hanging around for ages."
"I found them in the time rotor," Angel added.
"They heated up and induced a dream state for all of us," the Doctor said as Angel went to the door and blew them out to space.
"But Angel wasn't there," Amy shook her head.
"Psychic," the Doctor joked as Angel walked back.
"Thief," Angel countered.
"Her abilities allowed her to realize what it was within the first few seconds."
"Basically I woke up," Angel explained to them what she'd just finished telling the Doctor of what happened for her, she HAD been having a rather terrible dream, not that that was very out of the ordinary given everything that was happening, but she'd just bolted awake, her hand on her stomach and rushed out of her room, a bad feeling settling in her, "I came to find the three of you passed out…" she lightly whacked Rory on the arm, "Don't ever do that again," she warned him as he rubbed his shoulder in jest, a small smile making its way onto his face at her concern for him, "And started trying to find what had happened. The TARDIS ran a scan, found the pollen, and I got them out. Just had to wait for the effects to wear off."
"You were trying to wake us the whole time weren't you?"
She nodded, "You were the only one who seemed to hear me though. Your eyes would flutter a bit like you were almost waking up but not quite there yet."
He nodded, well that explained why he'd heard and seen her in the dreams. He was relieved though that she hadn't been in either world the Dream Lord had created, or a third. He could only imagine what would have been in store for her there. Probably something terrible.
"So that was the Dream Lord then, those little specks?" Rory asked.
"No, no," the Doctor looked at them, "No. Sorry, wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was me. Well, my subconscious at least. Psychic pollen, it's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you. Gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm 907. It had a lot to go on."
"But why didn't it feed on us, too?" Amy frowned, "Or Angel? She's like 800."
"Darkness in you pair?" he laughed, "It would've starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care."
"Yeah, but Angel?" Rory asked, curious as well.
"Have you met her?" the Doctor looked at her with a soft, fond smile that had Rory frowning...it was...the same smile the Dream Lord had when he spoke of Angel, "She's just…the light. A guiding light…" he trailed off a bit, looking at her curiously before shaking his head.
Rory nodded in agreement, he couldn't fathom Angel having a dark side either, she was just...such a kind person.
Amy, however, eyed the Doctor a moment, those words…they were the same words she'd heard Angel say her love used to call her…but no…no, that guy died, passed on during that War. The Doctor couldn't be him. He was very much alive. She shook her head as well, chalking it up as a coincidence of words, she probably would have described Angel the same way if she had to, "But those things he said about you. You don't think any of that's true?"
"Um, Amy," Angel cut in, seeing the Doctor tense uncomfortably, she knew exactly what the ginger girl was talking about, she'd been able to see the dreams happening in the Doctor's mind, what was said, done, "I think Rory has a question for you," she stepped over and turned her lightly to face her fiancé, "And, I've got a feeling it'll be a life changing one."
"Yeah," Rory nodded, "Actually, yeah. 'Cos what I don't get is you blew up the TARDIS, that stopped that dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?"
"We crashed the camper van," Amy told him.
"Oh, right, I don't remember that bit."
"No, you weren't there, you were already..."
"Already what?"
"Dead. You died in that dream. Mrs. Poggit got you."
"Ok. But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just die?"
"I didn't."
Rory's eyes widened in realization, "Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh," he smiled, taking her hand.
"Yeah, 'Oh.'"
Rory leaned in and kissed Amy gently and after a pause Amy kissed him back while Angel and the Doctor watched, Angel smiling widely, it seemed like Amy had finally realized just how important Rory was.
"So..." the Doctor clapped, ruining the moment in his typical bad timing, "Well, then, where now? Or should I just pop down to the swimming pool for a few lengths?"
"I don't know," Rory smiled, "Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy this time. Amy's choice."
The Doctor clapped his hands again and started to work the controls with Angel. Amy and Rory moving to the doors to look outside and make sure they weren't near a cold star anymore, just to be safe. The Doctor looked down to see the Dream Lord staring back at him in the reflective surface of the console before he looked up and at Angel, something nagging him, "Angel," he called her over.
"Yeah?" she asked, making her way to him as she worked the controls as well.
"The Dream Lord…he said you were bonded to the TARDIS," he told her quietly, "And I checked," he gestured at the monitor, "You are."
She tensed a moment, not quite sure how to handle this question, she was terrified, really and truly terrified to bring up the Mating to him. Every time he denied her it was a knife in the hearts, and she just...she didn't want it to hurt anymore, she didn't want him to keep doing that, so...she couldn't let herself be in a position where it happened, not till she could work out what had even happened and how to fix it. Two people would bond to the same TARDIS because they were Mates, in almost every single instance, but there were one or two very small exceptions, like there seemed to be for every rule. And, given that they were the last two of their people and the only ones who could bond to a TARDIS, well...she swallowed, steeling herself.
"You you remember the regeneration before last?" she began delicately, almost wanting to judge by his reaction if she should mention the Mating or not, "When you lost your hand?"
He nodded, shrugging absently, like it was no big deal, "Yeah."
Her expression fell just a bit at that, at seeing the glimpse in his mind of it being just an 'average day at the office' so to speak, nothing remotely special about it. She sighed, "You asked me to bond to the TARDIS to make her stronger, in case that happened again..."
"Oh," he nodded with a small frown, "Sorry, I...I forgot about that…" he looked down, in thought, he'd been noticing, some of the things the Dream Lord mentioned had sparked something in him, something he hadn't really given much thought to, "Sometimes, when I think back, there are snippets that are…fuzzy, I can't quite make out…probably just me getting on, head too full of other stuff but..." he trailed off a bit before clapping with a grin, "Oh well, can't be too important if I forgot it eh?"
How she managed to keep the small smile she'd forced onto her face from crumbling completely she had no idea especially as her hearts were breaking at the same time, "No," she agreed, her voice cracking just a bit, though he didn't notice, "No, I suppose not," she blinked quickly, feeling tears coming to her eyes but refusing to cry, not this time, no, "So I suppose Rory is my companion then?" she asked, needing something, needing 1 good thing in the bad.
"I guess he is," he laughed.
Angel nodded, "I think I might go get some sleep. You lot may have had a few hours of rest but I nearly went mad trying to wake you all."
"Course," he nodded, "I'll send Amy or Rory when we pick the next adventure."
He hadn't even looked up as she walked out into the halls. She quickly went down the halls and shoved her way into her room, collapsing back against the door and falling to the floor, closing her eyes tightly, trying to will the tears away, not wanting to cry any longer no matter how much it hurt.
'Can't be too important…' he'd said.
She took a breath, opening her eyes to look at her ceiling, lightly starting to rub her stomach, "Don't worry…" she whispered to the son or daughter growing inside her, likely not even bigger than her thumbnail or something at that point, she didn't really know, "We'll figure something out. I promise…it'll be alright…" she swallowed hard, trying to be strong for it, "It has to be."
And it had to be, because she didn't think she'd be able to make it if it wasn't.
~8~
Rory yawned as he entered the console room to see Angel at work on the controls, fixing them as he often found her doing, "Hello," he smiled in greeting, really unable to stop smiling since they'd woken up ages ago, or what felt like ages ago. For having been asleep they all felt like they'd been awake and running through two different adventures. He'd been about to go to sleep, but just wanted to check on Angel first. He knew how the adventure had affected him and Amy and the Doctor, but Angel hadn't been there and he just wanted to make sure she was alright and hadn't been too worried about them. He'd turned around from checking to see if the star was outside to see that Angel had disappeared. It worried him.
"Hi Rory," she greeted, a smile of her own on her face.
He frowned, "What's wrong?" he blinked, it was that smile, it was a sad smile. It was one he saw on quite a few faces where something was wrong but you didn't want to worry others.
"Nothing," she looked back down at the controls she was soldering.
Rory walked over to her, gently putting a hand on hers to stop her, "Come on Angel," he nudged her a bit, "I'm your companion, you can tell me."
She looked up at him, realizing...she really could. It was just...she'd been, well, felt, alone for so long that...she was almost surprised Rory had noticed her, that he'd wanted to try and help her. She smiled at that, try and tell her her companion wasn't amazing now!
"It really isn't anything important," she shrugged.
"You're my Pilot," he countered, "You're important to me."
She blinked, touched by that, by the conviction in his voice, the genuine quality, the honesty in his eyes, she really was important to him wasn't she? Well, it made sense, he was important to her too, "I just...had a bad dream is all."
"Because of the pollen?"
"Not entirely," she sighed, "It made it seem a bit more real, but, I've had this dream before too. And, being psychic..."
"You're worried it's a vision and not just a recurring nightmare?" he guessed.
"How'd you know?" she joked, nudging him playfully, "Are you psychic too?"
"No, no," he laughed, before looking at her seriously, seeing that, for al her joking, whatever her nightmare had been about really had shaken her, "What was it about?"
"It was just...some old friends," she tried to be vague, really not wanting to get into too much detail and have to think of her dream again, "My..." she swallowed hard, "My older brother Jack."
Rory was silent a moment, as though sensing her reluctance to really go in detail about it, "So call him," he handed her a phone that was actually attached to the console this time, like a landline, "I know when I have a nightmare about someone, calling them and seeing that they're ok helps a lot."
Angel looked at the phone, almost worried, but...she took it, trusting him. She stepped closer, Rory backing away so she could reach the keypad for it, dialing a number and holding the phone to her ear.
"Yello," a man with a distinct American accent called.
"Jack?" Angel whispered, blinking quickly, feeling her breath leave her at the sound of her 'brother's' voice, feeling tears in her eyes for an entirely different reason than earlier.
"Angel!" he cheered, "To what do I owe this pleasure."
But Angel was quiet, her eyes closed as Rory watched her intently, concerned.
"Ang?" Jack called again, softer, "Angel, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she spoke quickly, "Um..." she took a breath, trying to keep from crying entirely, this was about her brother this time, about her family, "I just...had a bad dream and...I had to call you."
"I'm fine Ang," Jack reassured her, "Whatever the dream was, it was just a dream."
She nodded to herself despite him not being able to see her, "Jack?"
"Yeah Ang?"
"...who am I?" she asked, her voice cracking, "To you? Who am I to you?"
Jack was silent a moment, as though confused as to why she was asking him that, "You're Angel, a Time Lady, Mate of the Doctor, who also happens to go by Angie Harkness, my little sister."
She closed her eyes, letting out a breath, "Thank you Jack," she breathed.
"Angel what brought that on?"
"I just um," she swallowed, feeling a little better though still upset as she remembered the dream, "I dreamt that you forgot me," she looked down, "That all of you, Torchwood, Martha, Mickey, Donna, Sarah Jane, just...everyone, didn't remember me. At all," she added that last part quietly.
It had been a terrible nightmare, one that kept seeming more and more real each time she had it. Her visiting them, and none of them knowing who she was, at all. Not like the Doctor remembering her but not who she was to him, but just...completely unknowing of her. Like she'd never even met them.
Jack laughed, startling her a moment, "Like that could EVER happen Ang! You're way too important to ever be forgotten."
She had to smile at how ironic that was that the person most important in her life HAD forgotten her in a way.
"You know what," Jack continued, "Why don't you come visit? Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, maybe swing by with the Doctor and shake things up."
She smiled at that, "We might yeah," she nodded, she missed him so much! "With our latest companions," she smiled at Rory who smiled back, seeing her cheering up a little.
"Ooh, companions, plural," Jack said and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice, "The more the merrier Ang."
"Thanks Jack," she nodded.
"No problem at all Angie, you call whenever you need me and I'll find a way to get to you."
"I know."
"Good. I'll see you soon then?"
"Yeah, soon."
"Brilliant! See ya round Angie!"
"Bye Jack," she laughed, slowly hanging up the phone.
"Bit better?" Rory asked, having only been able to hear her side of the conversation, but able to gleam enough to work out what was wrong.
Angel just shook her head and turned, jumping up as she hugged him tightly, Rory's arms immediately winding around her as he hugged her back, smiling, pleased she was happy again.
"Thank you so much Rory," she whispered.
"You're very welcome Angel," he nodded, closing his eyes as he just held her, the two of them just...hugging, content and happy that they were there for each other.
A/N: Doctor...you kill me :'( And frustrate me :( But did you like the slightly lighter note I ended on? Yay Rory/Angel bonding moment :) Originally it ended at the 'wanting things to be alright' line, but I really wanted that last scene to be somewhere in there :)
But here's a question...is Angel's dream just a dream? Or a vision of the future? }:)
I hope you enjoyed this Angel-lite episode, there's definitely a reason for it being this way though which we'll find out within a week :) Sort of a semi-simple reason why Angel wasn't anywhere, but I thought you all deserved a break from the massive twists and complex scenarios, a nice simple reason for once lol :) Psychic cancels out psychic, she was just immune enough to its effects to wake herself up before it took hold of her :) But even if she had been affected, I do agree completely with the reviews that she'd likely be in a happy world and not in danger, perhaps with a one-on-one conversation with the Dream Lord/the Doctor's subconscious about what's happened :)
On another note, the Quotev user who plagiarized me responded to another post that they are 'not going to give up on the story' and will post it again when it's completed. I don't understand that, to be honest, it's not their story, they didn't really change anything and to say they won't give up on it makes me feel like (to me) they've been outed as a plagiarizer and are admitting they're going to continue to plagiarise. Which is upsetting :( But I do hope that, if they do repost it, that it will be entirely original and not copy/pasted or even paraphrased. -sigh- :( I'll be keeping my eye on it.
On a different, but better note. One review had brought up a story by Web of Obsidian and I just want to say I checked out the story and it seems very original. The author contacted me about a particular scene in Cold Blood that was inspired by mine in Linked Through Time and we've talked, a small line of credit about the inspiration will be added, but beyond that, her story seems quite original and free of plagiarism :)
And...we have another submission for the HOTS challenge! Yay!
You Forgot, by WhereThere'sTeaAndBooks, (the fanfiction website) s/9531325/1/You-Forgot
There's also a link for it on my tumblr page 'Challenges' :)
Some notes on reviews...
We'll have to see if the Vortex might affect the baby, but I think it also depends on if there will be a baby in the future too }:) I could see it going either way, protecting the baby for Angel, or being too powerful and, well, :( But we'll have to see :)
I'm glad you like the Dream Lord liking Rory, I definitely wanted to add a little twist like that :) The Dream Lord did drop an awful lot of hints didn't he? Unfortunately, the Doctor seems to think they were just more maliciousness on the Dream Lord's part to confuse and anger him :( Poo. Oh Doctor you're so thick at times lol :)
You never know, the Doctor might develop a crush on Angel, I can say that there's a bit of jealous Doctor to come in Hungry Earth ;)
Thanks, I'm definitely not going to give up on my stories...I think I'd have a mob of angry readers hunting me down if I left this story and never answered what happened :) And that's cool about the story, I think readers will respect that it's your own interpretation of what might happen and it's good to see different perspectives :) I'll definitely keep the stories going, I think I'm slowly but surely reaching the point where, if plagiarism happens, I'm hurt/upset/mad it happened, but then it slowly morphs into determination to, first, not let them get away with it, and second, to prove to them that despite them doing that I will not stop and I will keep going and offer up my original ideas :) I can say I'm definitely at the point where, for an hour or two I can't look at FF because it happens, but then I get right back into it because of the readers, as long as even one person reads my stories, I'll keep going :)
Lol, having another version of him remembering is also good because...it means he DOES remember Angel! Woo! I had tried to be vague in the past when questions were raised about whether he has the memories somewhere or if they were gone completely, and this sort of helps hint that the memories are still there! Now Angel just has to figure out a way to get them back :) Lol, I loved the zombie apocalypse likeness, it made me smile :) I'm not saying that his memories being somewhere inside his head means he'll remember, but I'm not saying he won't either :)
It's not bad to kind of want that :) It could open up a world of other possibilities, struggles, and challenges to overcome not just for Angel but the Doctor too :)
Lol, sorry to get your hopes up :) Yup, the Doctor is now officially aware something is up with his memories, but our thick old Time Lord seems to have plenty of excuses to explain it :( -sigh- Oh Doctor, lol :) And you're welcome :) I'm always up for doing birthday shout outs if people are ok with it being shouted out :)
No heartfelt talk though, nope :( She's just too clever to be fooled by psychic pollen :)
I think it'll depend on Angel as to when the family might find out about the Doctor. I think she knows they'll be uber-angry at him and might try to hurt him so, in a way, I can see her not wanting to say anything to protect him and not worry her family. But then again, I can also see her being overwhelmed and just needing to talk to them about it. We'll have to see what'll happen :)
Lol, nope, the Dream Lord's not 10, that would be awesome if he was though :) Oh Cold Blood will be hard :( But at least we get Jack after that, I think Angel will need her big brother to deal with what happened to Rory :) As for whether he'll remember in this series, hmm...just to hint, Sarah Jane will notice something off with the Time Lords }:) I won't say if that means he doesn't remember by the Death of the Doctor episode, or he remembers and it's just awkward/tense between them, but it's a hint ;)
There's definitely a reason the Dream Lord hasn't let too much slip. Even as the subconscious, he's still partially ruled by the conscious mind, there's only so much he can say if the conscious mind is even slightly holding him back. But...there's also more to it than that too ;) Lol, he is oblivious isn't he? But then again, Rory who was never born, standing right in front of him, dressed as a Roman...lol, my favorite moment of Series 5 :) And thanks for the submission! I've posted the link on my tumblr and a shout out here! I think it's awesome thanks! :) I wanted to show a little of Rory's insecurities, like...he's slowly becoming more confident, but it will take time for him to get there :)
Hi! And thanks! I'm glad you like the DW stories :) That's definitely an interesting idea for a Time Lady :) I've got about...8 total thought up already (one for practically each series of the show lol), but you never know where Series 8 might take us and who TL9 could be. I do have Time Lady 4 already planned out as a Doctor/OC (the same with Time Ladies 5-8) but you never know what might happen in the future :)
Lol, that's not bad at all, I think a lot of people want to see Jack punch the Doctor and Donna just go off on him :) Very interesting theories, I can say we'll be seeing her with Jack very soon :) And no worries about the length of the review, I love all lengths :)
I agree, it's getting a bit ridiculous now :( -sigh- But I definitely can picture the Dream Lord as Mrs. Weasley in that scene lol :)
I can say there's a reason why the Dream Lord wasn't more obvious than he was lol :) I almost see Angel's being so forgiving as a reason why others would react so strongly to her being upset or hurt. Because she's just a kind soul and when she's hurt you hurt in a way and it just makes others more protective of her, definitely :)