A/N: Congrats everyone! You've made it to 1,000(!) reviews...I died. And I cried. I really did. You have no idea how much it meant to me to get one of my stories to 1000 reviews. It was always a dream and now...it's a reality. And it's all because of you, all of you and your amazing awesome brilliance! ^-^ As of posting this chapter, this story is the 10th most reviewed DW story and THE MOST reviewed Original Character story for DW if all filters are set to all and sort by reviews! I'm completely stunned by that realization ^.-^ So, since you made my entire life basically...I think I can return the favor and make your day by putting this first and foremost...
The answer to the ultimate question...
YES! The Doctor WILL remember Angel! ^-^
And, I'll do you one better! The 11TH Doctor will remember her! :D
But(!) I won't say when except that it will not be in Series 5 (since we only have about a week left of that) }:) Have to keep a little suspense going lol. So(!) for all we know it could be the very start of Series 6...or right before the Doctor regenerates in the 2013 Christmas special, we'll have to wait and see }:) BUT! Now you know, for sure, the fluff will return!
Lol, now I'm thinking of 'here come the drums' but with fluff, 'here comes the fluff, here comes the fluff' ^-^
I hope this made you smile and brightened up your day :) There's a continuation of my thanks to all of you at the end of the next A/N :')
~8~
The Big Bang: Closing the Cracks
Amy and Rory stood against the wall of the Pandorica room, looking at the sky which was now a brilliant orange, both of them silent, neither wanting to think about what was about to happen. Something was wrong with Angel, that much was obvious, she was sweating and panting and she seemed truly in pain. The Doctor had remarked solemnly that it was a combination of Angel's natural connection to the TARDIS, which was exploding at the moment, and her trying to hold off regeneration, as she'd been shot by a Dalek! Rory though, the way he looked at Angel made Amy think that it might be something else. Rory hadn't taken his eyes off Angel since they'd found out she was alive, and his eyes were filled with tears.
Because he knew it was MORE than just the regeneration, he knew that something had happened to the baby. That Dalek blast...the way Angel had fallen...it couldn't be good for the baby. He prayed, to everything he could think of, to every deity, even to every star he could remember the name of, that the baby was still alive, though given the look of pain on Angel's face...he very much doubted it. And the worst part was there was only minutes left before all of reality collapsed, there was nothing that could be done for her at the moment, that was why she was holding off her regeneration as well, what was the point in wasting a life when all their lives might end in mere moments.
He closed his eyes, hoping with everything he had that it wasn't...that it wasn't her way of...He couldn't even think of it. He'd seen how devastated and broken the women in the hospital were when some accident took their babies before they even had a chance to live. He hoped that the baby was alive and this wasn't Angel's way of just...not regenerating.
The Doctor seemed worried about her as well. He could see the Time Lord throwing glances at Angel as he worked on the Manipulator with the sonic, really making it secure and checking that it would work. Angel had been gently taken out of the chair so the Doctor could sit there, getting a closer look at the Manipulator. Angel sat beside him, on the floor, curled up which she seemed more comfortable in to be honest. But the Doctor kept looking at her with a frown and concern in his eyes, rightly so. At least it let him know that the Time Lord WAS worrying about Angel. The Doctor had insisted he go with Angel, despite River's arguments against it, citing and repeating what Angel had, that the Universe needed him. But the Doctor ignored her and just got to work on the box, ignored them all really, didn't even glance at them. He only ever looked over when Angel made a small pained noise or shifted, as though he were infinitely more aware of every move she made.
Rory looked over though, when he heard Amy sniffle beside him, "Are you ok?" he asked her.
"Are you?" she countered quickly.
He swallowed hard, looking back at Angel, "No."
"Well, shut up then!" Amy sniffed again.
Rory just turned and pulled her into a tight hug, holding her as she buried her face in his shoulder, shaking as she tried not to cry for what the Time Lords were about to do, which was undoubtedly very dangerous and something they would not let the humans join them in, not that they could, the Doctor and Angel themselves could barely fit into the Pandorica together.
River stepped away from the Pandorica, giving up in trying to get through to the Doctor. He was so like a child, ignoring and feigning deafness when someone tried to tell him not to do what he wanted to do. She shook her head at him, unable to understand why he didn't just let Angel fly the box like she'd clearly planned to. It wasn't like he'd even remember that Angel had even been there, if she was erased from time he wouldn't remember her, it would be his own history changing, like Amy's had. It wasn't like the new him that would be born from that event would care, he wouldn't have any recollection at all of Angel, she wouldn't have existed, so what was the point in killing himself as well?
Stupid bloody martyr.
And that was so him, he wouldn't want to be alone, be the last, not at all, not in any Universe. It wouldn't matter if Angel was there or not, if he remembered her or not, he knew, now, that if she was erased, he'd be alone. And that wasn't something he wanted in any version of reality. She knew he'd go, it didn't matter if he cared for Angel or not. Hell, she could be the Master and he'd still get in that box and go because it would mean erasing himself or being alone. And if there was one thing she knew, it was that the Doctor must NOT be alone.
She sighed and moved over to Amy and Rory, "Amy..." she said, "The Doctor wants to talk to you."
"What about Angel?" Rory frowned, not wanting to sound arrogant in that he felt he should be called over to but more...it wasn't like Angel at all to not try to include him, she'd done it from the very beginning. And so he frowned when he saw River's jaw tense at the mention of Angel, he really needed to ask Angel what that was all about and who this River woman was.
"She wants to talk to you too," River nodded.
"So, what happens here?" Amy pulled away from Rory but kept her arm around him, "Big Bang Two? What happens to us?"
"We all wake up where we ought to be. None of this ever happens and we don't remember it."
"River...tell me they'll come back, too."
"They'll be the heart of the explosion."
"So?"
"So all the cracks in time will close, but they'll both be on the wrong side..." she muttered, sounding very bitter about that aspect of the plan, "Trapped in the never-space, the Void between the worlds. All memory of them will be purged from the Universe. They will never have been born," and as wonderful as that would have been for Angle to never exist, it also meant the Doctor wouldn't either, "Now, please. They want to talk to you both before they go."
Rory nodded and squeezed Amy, making her look at him as he rubbed her back, "It'll be ok," he promised her, he had to trust that the Doctor and Angel knew what they were doing, that a miracle would happen and they'd all be ok.
Amy looked at River, "Not to you?"
"He doesn't really know me yet," Amy noticed how she still didn't bring up Angel, despite the woman saving her in the TARDIS, saving the Doctor from the Dalek, and preparing to sacrifice herself to save them all, "Now he never will."
Amy swallowed, taking Rory's hand tightly in her own before they stepped past River and made their way slowly up to the Pandorica. The Doctor hadn't even seemed to notice their approach as he looked at Angel, sitting on the floor, leaning against the chair, seeming to be struggling to breathe, her eyes closed and her face scrunched in pain, though the chair seemed to be the only thing keeping her propped up at the moment.
He only looked away from Angel when Rory appeared in his line of sight as well, kneeling down before the Time Lady and reaching out to take her hand, signaling to him that Amy and Rory had arrived. He watched Rory for only a moment as the man leaned in, half in the box to whisper comforting words to Angel, feeling a ping of...something at the thought of Rory comforting Angel like that.
He shook his head though and looked up at Amy when she spoke, "Hi," he could see tears in her eyes as she looked at Angel, a far too pale and weary Angel.
Angel, who had blinked her eyes open at the feel of Rory taking her hand, looked at them both, "Rory," she smiled at him, "Amy," and her, before squeezing Rory's hand, "I hope...you had a brilliant time," she whispered, "I'm sorry you got hurt..."
"Hey, hey," Rory cut in, seeing tears in her eyes, putting his other hand on Angel's hand as Amy knelt down beside him to rest a hand on her knee, "Don't apologize, it was the best time in the world."
"Worth ever single pain," Amy agreed.
"Amy..." the Doctor called gently, making her look up at him, "You asked me why we were taking you with us and I said...'No reason.' I was lying."
"It's not important."
"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the Universe. It's why we're going to do this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house. And just you."
"And aunt Sharon."
"And Rory," Angel smiled at him, making Rory smile back, though there were tears in his eyes as he saw her hand move to her stomach as she winced. But she rolled her head to look at Amy, "But...where were your mum and dad? Where was...everybody who lived with you?"
"I lost my mum and dad," Amy reminded them.
"How?" Angel frowned, "What happened?"
Rory frowned as well, thinking on that, "You never told me Amy," he looked at her, "You always just said they were gone but you never said what happened to them..."
Amy blinked, as though realizing that too, "I...I don't..."
"It's ok," Angel whispered.
"Don't panic," the Doctor agreed, "It's not your fault."
"I don't even remember," Amy looked at Rory, scared.
"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom," the Doctor explained, "And it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could I resist?"
"How could I just forget?"
Angel squeezed Rory's hand once more before letting go, startling Rory a moment before he realized she had done it so he could comfort Amy instead. He nodded his thanks at Angel and turned, putting an arm around Amy as she started to shake, truly afraid of how she'd forgotten so easily.
"Nothing is ever forgotten, not really," the Doctor said, not noticing the wince Angel gave at that, "But you have to try."
"Rory," Angel called, her voice thick with the tears in her eyes as he looked at her, "I hope you remember it all fondly."
Before Rory could speak, the ground shook, "Doctor!" River called, "It's speeding up!"
"There's going to be a very big bang," the Doctor turned to Amy and Rory, "Big Bang Two. Amy, try and remember your family..."
"And Rory," Angel added.
"And they'll be there."
"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy shook her head.
"Because...you're special," Angel told her, "I knew you were...the moment I saw you, like I did Rory," she offered Amy a pained smile, "You brought him back."
"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "That crack in your wall, all that time, the Universe pouring into your head. You can bring the others back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."
"But you won't," Rory whispered, looking at Angel again as he and Amy stood.
"It'll be ok Rory," she whispered, though he could hear her even above the rumbling that had started, "I believe in you."
Rory frowned, not sure what she meant by that, but the Doctor spoke, "Amy will have you and her family back. She won't need her imaginary friends anymore," he let out a small chuckle, seeing Amy crying, Rory trying t be strong, "Amy Pond...crying over us, eh? Guess what?"
"What?" Amy sniffled.
"Gotcha!"
The Pandorica closed and Rory backed Amy away, neither of them taking their eyes off of it as it started to glow.
"Back!" River shouted, "Get back!" she pulled the two of them back, out of the way, as the box launched into the sky.
~8~
The Doctor quickly sent a message on his comm. before dropping it into his lap and taking the controls with one hand, reaching down to grab Angel's hand in the other as the woman slumped over, starting to shake in the pain of holding off the regeneration as long as she was. He was being completely honest, whatever happened, they'd go together.
The Last of the Time Lords.
~8~
River, Rory, and Amy sat on the floor, against the wall of the Pandorica room, when River received the message on her comm., "It's from the Doctor!"
"What does it say?" Amy asked.
"'Geronimo.'"
~8~
The Pandorica flew through space, straight at the TARDIS, colliding with it and exploding...
~8~
The Doctor woke with a start, on the floor of the TARDIS, and sat up, looking over as Angel, no longer singed or hurt or regenerating but seeming restored to complete health once more, pushed herself up as well, more slowly as she had been lying on her side, her back to him.
"Oh!" he smiled, "Ok. We escaped, then. Brilliant! Love it when that happens," and then he started to pat himself down, not noticing Angel, still with her back to him, rest a hand on her stomach and let out a breath of relief at what else had been 'restored' by the Pandorica, "Legs, yes. Bowtie, cool," he tapped his head, "I can buy a fez."
Angel closed her eyes a moment, keeping the tears of joy back at knowing that the baby was ok. Because she knew the joy couldn't last. Yes, the baby was ok, restored to life and health as Amy had been, the living DNA of the mother helping with that, but...it wasn't over. Her stomach was still twisting in knots, she still felt ill, as she always did around the cracks and she knew what that meant, it wasn't over at all. The baby was fine, but...they were all about to be erased from time now.
"I don't think we escaped," she breathed.
"The beach!" they paused, hearing the Doctor speaking from a few feet away, "The beach is the best. Automatic sand."
"Automatic sand?" Amy asked, "What does that mean?"
"It's automated, totally."
They crept around a small panel of equipment, to see themselves standing by the TARDIS console, with Amy dressed for the beach, "Oh," the Doctor breathed.
"They say it cleans up the beach rather well," Past Angel told Amy as the ginger girl moved to lean against the rail and watch the Doctor work, her back to their present selves.
"No, hang on!" the Doctor looked at Angel, "That's last week when we went to Space Florida," and then he frowned, working out what that meant, "We're rewinding. Our time stream...unraveling, erasing, closing…" Angel touched his shoulder and looked at her, only to see her staring at a monitor behind them, watching the crack in it closing, "Hello, Universe, goodbye, us."
Angel glanced over at Amy, frowning as she felt...something...the Doctor had mentioned the cracks had affected her, let her remember things she shouldn't. Maybe...it was ALL the Amys, at every point in her timeline. And if that was true...
"Amy?" Angel called out...
And the woman turned...
~8~
...the timeline rewound a bit further till they stumbled out, somewhere around Craig's flat, watching as Amy crossed the street in front of them, "Ah, three weeks ago," the Doctor nodded, "When she put the card in the window."
"Amy!" Angel shouted and Amy looked up but didn't seem to see them, "She heard me!"
The Doctor's eyes widened, "I need to tell you something!" Amy looked back again, "She can hear me too! But if she can hear us..." he looked back to see a crack in the road close...
~8~
...time rewound again, depositing them by the clearing in the forest during the crash of the Byzantium, "Good luck everyone," the Past Doctor was saying, "Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those angels advancing. And if anything," he turned to Marco, "Anything," and stepped closer to the man till he was nearly nose-to-nose with him, "Happens to her, I will hold each of you personally responsible, twice," he gave the man a hard look, watching as Marco actually seemed to swallow in fear, before he smiled and nodded, glancing at Past Angel a few seconds, his smile softening from pleased that Marco would take it seriously to happy to know she'd be protected.
The Doctor frowned, squinting as he watched his past self's interactions with the men and Angel, his words, the glances he gave.
The Past Doctor gave Past Angel a nod which made her blink and frown as she realized he'd been talking about HER to Marco and not...not Amy.
The Doctor watched Past Angel carefully, seeing her gaze pulled away from his past self and to someone else...so he followed it to see her looking at River whose eyes were narrowed at her, seeming none too pleased about the treat his past self had given, though he didn't have a clue why.
"Amy, later!" his past self tapped Amy on the head, all smiles again, "Angel," he added, before he turned to River, "River, going to need your computer."
"Yeah," they heard Amy sigh as they walked off, "Later."
"It'll be alright Amy," Past Angel whispered, squeezing her a bit as Amy fidgeted nervously with her hands as they sat there.
Angel looked at the Doctor before stepping back, it would make things dangerously complicated to come in contact with her past self and the fact that she was already there with the Clerics would mean they couldn't see a second version of her appear, the Doctor would have to do this himself. She remembered this, she was suspicious enough of just HIM being there, for her to be there too...it would just be a big old mess. He sighed, seeming to realize that as well, and stepped forward, Past Angel looking up as he walked past the bushes, the expression on her face telling him she KNEW it was the wrong him.
Angel looking up as he walked past the bushes. He quickly made a 'shh' motion with his finger on his lips before walking over to Amy, putting his hands on hers to still her, "Amy," he said, "You need to start trusting me, it's never been more important."
"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy countered.
"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," he smiled, not seeing Past Angel close her eyes at that.
"Doctor, the crack in my wall, how can it be here?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out. Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"
"What did you tell me?"
"No, no..." he rested his forehead against hers, "That's not the point. You have to remember," he squeezed her hands once more before leaving.
"Remember what? Doctor? Doctor?!"
But he walked on, smiling as he saw his Angel...er, the current Angel...waiting for him just past the trees...
~8~
...time rewound once more, leaving them in the front hall of Amy's house, "Amelia's house," he moved to check his watch.
"She's seven," Angel cut in, having moved to the window by the front door, peeking out to see the little girl asleep on top of her suitcase outside. She glanced back at the Doctor, "It's the night we met her," and it was rather cold out she recalled.
She turned and stepped out of the house, leading him to where little Amelia was curled up asleep on her suitcase, shivering a bit in the chill.
"The girl who waited," the Doctor sighed, "Come here, you," he picked her up and carried her back inside, Angel following with the suitcase.
~8~
The Doctor sat on a chair beside Amelia's bed, watching with a soft smile as Angel gently tucked the girl in, before she moved to kneel at the girl's side, just stroking her hair lightly, trying to comfort her, offer her one last comfort she could like her mother used to do to her.
"It's funny," the Doctor remarked, looking at Amelia as she slept, "I thought, if you could hear us, we could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor," Angel just offered him a small smile, "When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad...and you won't even remember us. Well, you'll remember us a little. We'll be a story in your head. But that's ok," he tried to smile, "We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? 'Cos it was, you know. It was the best. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away, joining up with an angel to keep him in check," he smiled fondly at Angel who looked back at Amelia.
"Did he ever tell you?" Angel continued, "That he stole the old box?"
"Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back."
Angel smiled in thought, "Oh, Amy, that old box...I think you'll dream about her more than us. She has a way of just sticking with you," she gave a little laugh, and the Doctor likely had no idea just how long his particular TARDIS could stick with someone, he didn't even fully understand how he'd come across it unlocked, "She's just...remarkable, the TARDIS, big and small, new and old, all at once. And just...blue. SO blue. The bluest blue ever."
"And the times we had, eh? Woulda had...never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor, the Angel, and Amy Pond. And the days that never came. The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here anymore," he sighed and glanced at Angel, "I think we should skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats."
Angel nodded and stood up, "Live a good life," she whispered to the girl, "And be kind to Rory."
"Bye bye, Pond," the Doctor added, kissing the top of her head.
They looked over at the crack in her wall, moving over to stand before it for a moment, just...staring. The Doctor looked over at Angel, seeing tears in her eyes, and reached out to take her hand, squeezing it as they both walked through it, the crack closing behind them.
Amelia woke up moments later and looked at the wall , the uncracked wall, before settling back to sleep, the stars shining outside her window.
~8~
21-year-old Amy Pond slowly woke up and looked across her room, past her Raggedy Doctor crafts and her Golden Angel cartoons that Rory had helped her make, the man had been insistent that her charcter of 'the Doctor' have a friend along for the ride so he'd created 'the Angel' to be with him, to her wedding dress, hanging on her cupboard, starting to frown as she felt her gaze pulled back to the crafts.
"Morning!" her mother cheered as she walked into the room with a breakfast tray.
Amy sat up with a gasp, "You're my mum. Oh, my God, you're my mum!"
"Well, of course I'm your mum. What's the matter with you? And this is your breakfast," she held up the tray a moment before setting it down on her desk, "Which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. Downstairs, 10 minutes? Big day!"
Amy just blinked as she left the room, "Of course she's my mum. Why is that surprising?" she shook her head and got out of bed and headed downstairs to see her father standing in the parlor of the house.
"Ah, Amelia," he smiled at her, "I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the Best Man."
"You're my tiny little dad!" she ran over and hugged him.
"Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" her mother asked, entering the room with a roll of her eyes.
"I don't know," she shook her head, "It's just..." she turned and ran out of the room.
~8~
Rory was in his bathroom, brushing his teeth, already in his tux, and very excited for his big day with Amy, when his phone rang, "Hello!"
"Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important?" Amy asked over the phone, and he stiffened, the toothbrush just hanging from his mouth, "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"
He looked down a moment, "All the time," he told her.
"You're being serious yeah?"
He sighed, spitting out his toothpaste, "I really am," he agreed, "Like there's something you're supposed to know or do but...it's just always at the tip of your tongue and you can't quite grasp it."
"I love you so much," Amy told him, and he knew it was because he just...got her. The two of them, ever since they were kids, had always just...understood each other. They'd both played 'Doctor & Angel,' a game Amy had made up. They both could stare at the stars for ages. And they both believed in each other. He could understand what she meant even when she wasn't sure she understood what she was saying.
It was why they worked.
He smiled, "I love you too!" and clicked the phone off, staring at his reflection a moment.
Yes, he did feel like he forgot something, something important, something...very special to him.
He blinked and shook his head, it was probably just pre-wedding jitters.
~8~
Amy hung up the phone with a thoughtful expression before grinning and rushing to take her gown off the door.
~8~
Everyone clapped as the Best Man finished his speech, "Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!"
Augustus stood a moment, shuffling through his note cards, "Sorry, everyone. I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects," and he sat back down.
"Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me," her mother whispered to her, "Unless, of course, I strike preemptively."
Amy laughed but stopped suddenly, spotting a woman with light curly brown hair walking past the window, smiling at her. She stood, straining to stare outside, to follow the woman with her eyes, something about her was FAR too familiar...
"Amy?" Rory eyed her, having been looking at her and not the window, she was just a lovely vision in her gown, "You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm..." she sat, "Fine."
"Right," he nodded slowly, not believing her for a moment, "Er...you're crying."
Amy blinked and felt her cheek, realizing she had shed a tear, "So I am. Why am I doing that?"
"Because you're happy, probably," Rory started to smile, "Happy Mrs. Rory. Happy, happy, happy."
"No. I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."
His smile fell, "Great."
"Why am I sad?" she looked down to see a gift on the table in front of Rory, an old, blue book with squares on it that made it look like one of the old police boxes, "What's that?"
"Oh, er, someone left it for you. A woman," he reached forward and handed it to her.
"But what is it?"
"It's a book."
She flipped through it, "It's blank."
"It's a present."
"But why?"
"Well, you know the old saying. The old...wedding...thing. Huh?" Amy looked up slowly, remembering, "Amy?"
Augustus stood, "Ready now. Sorry about that. Last-minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year..."
Her father's speech faded in her ears as Amy looked around the room at the guests. She spotted a man wearing a red bowtie, a woman with a beautiful clear gem hanging from a necklace, an older man with blue braces, a woman wearing a lovely blue dress. She blinked glancing at Rory's father, a doctor, and then at her mother who was wearing a small pin of an angel on her blouse and a tear fell from her eyes.
"...at the age of six and announced that the new head teacher wasn't real because she looked like a cartoon…"
Amy stood abruptly, "Shut up, dad!"
"Amy?" Rory looked at her, concerned.
"Amelia?" her father gaped.
"Sorry, but shut up, please!" she called, "There's someone missing...two someones. Two important people," she looked at Rory meaningfully, "People so, SO important that they couldn't have just been forgotten."
Rory blinked, feeling a tickling in his mind at her words, "Who..."
"Sorry," she looked back at the crowd, "Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had these imaginary friends...well, I had one friend," she smiled at Rory, laughing, "Rory had the other."
Rory stared at her, his mouth falling open as his eyes widened, his mind starting to race. It had been ages (ok, really barely 24 hours) since Amy had brought up the Doctor or the Angel, which wasn't normal really. At least once a day either Amy or himself would mention them in passing, they were a constant thought in their minds...though Amy was quite a bit more vocal about them than he was.
Her mother sighed, "Oh no, not this again."
"My Raggedy Doctor and Rory's Golden Angel. But they weren't imaginary," she reached out and took Rory's hand, squeezing it, whispering to him, "They were real!"
"The psychiatrists we sent her to!"
"I remember you!" she turned back to the dance floor, Rory slowly starting to stand, joining her.
"I remember," he breathed, blinking quickly as he remembered the warm hugs only one person ever gave him...his sister.
"I brought the others back," Amy shouted, "I can bring you home too, me and Rory. Raggedy Man, Golden Girl, I remember you!"
"We both do," Rory nodded, Amy smiling a she felt Rory squeeze her hand.
"And you are late for my wedding!"
"OUR wedding," Rory corrected her but she just slapped him lightly on the chest to quiet him.
In the silence that followed their outburst, the glasses started to tinkle against each other as the ground began to shake, the chandelier swaying.
"I found you," Amy continued, "I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story...why Angel told me about the box. She had to have known! The brand new, ancient, blue box."
"That is...brilliant," Rory remarked, starting to laugh, "My sister's a genius."
The wind picked up even more and began to blow as the TARDIS wheeze sounded, that noise that was so familiar to the two of them, haunting their dreams every night since they were children…
"Something old," Rory nodded, recalling the story Angel had once told him about how the box had even come to be their method of travel, "Something new. Something borrowed. Something...blue. Brilliant!" the TARDIS began to appear in the middle of the floor as he started to laugh, "It's the Doctor and Angel!" the box solidified as Amy literally climbed over the table to get to it, "How did we forget the Doctor? How did I forget Angel! I was plastic. She was my Pilot! He was the stripper at my stag," he glanced at his new mother-in-law as she gave him a bewildered look, "Long story," he waved her off, moving to rush around the table to join Amy.
"Ok, Doctor, Angel!" Amy was knocking on the door, "Did I surprise you this time?"
"Can't surprise me Amy," Angel called before opening the door and stepping out in a simple floor length TARDIS-blue gown with spaghetti straps and an umpire waist, the skirt of the dress flowing around her from below her bust, just to give Amy a tight hug.
"Psychic," the Doctor called, popping up in the doorway, wearing a top hat and suit, with a white tie and tails, a white scarf over his shoulder.
"Thief," Angel laughed.
"I have to say though Amy," the Doctor smiled at her, "I was completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing," he grinned and stepped out onto the floor.
"Hello, everyone," Angel waved, "It's nice to meet you, we're Amy and Rory's imaginary friends!"
She was so touched at how that had come to be. She knew, originally, that Amy hadn't focused much on her in particular, it was mostly the Doctor and she was just his friend. But Rory, bless him, she was much more important to Rory than Amy, he remembered her, somewhere in his mind and heart he remembered her and having Amy talking about the Doctor as a child had touched upon that hidden knowledge, had let him think of her long before he'd even met her. He'd helped her be remembered into creation, Amy had done it, but Rory had made it possible.
Oh her companion was amazing!
"But we came anyway," the Doctor stepped over and shook Augustus's hand.
"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride," Amy strode towards the Doctor who planted a finger on her puckered lips.
"Amelia! From now on, I shall be leaving the...kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond," he shook Rory's hand as the boy reached them...that table was longer than it appeared.
"No, I'm not Mr. Pond," Rory paused in his quest to get to Angel to shake his head, "That's not how it works."
"Yeah, it is."
"Yeah, it is."
"Rory!" Angel cheered, walking over and hugging him as well, the man actually lifting her off the ground and spinning her as she laughed, though he was being very, VERY careful about her bump, hidden spectacularly by the very flowing dress she was wearing. But he couldn't help himself, he was just so relieved.
"Right then, everyone," the Doctor turned back, "I'll move my...our box. You're going to need the space…" he paused and grinned back in the doorway, "I only came for the dancing."
Angel just shook her head and watched the TARDIS disappear, knowing that the TARDIS would make sure the Doctor didn't get lost...she could particularly go after him, Rory was still hugging her and she was enjoying it FAR too much, the celebration of it all, to give that up right now.
~8~
The Doctor created his own dance to Queen's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' while Amy laughed at his ridiculous moves, "You're terrible. That is embarrassing!"
Angel and Rory stood to the side, watching from a safe distance, Rory with a glass of champagne while Angel had a small glass of water. The two of them quietly discussing their secret knowledge. Angel had assured him that the first thing she'd done when she and the Doctor had awakened again, before rushing off to get ready, was to scan herself and the baby…they were both, thankfully, perfectly fine. The time in the Pandorica had restored them both to the picture of health, or at least as healthy as the baby could be normally, Rory was greatly relieved though Angel still worried, it was only the first trimester, basically, there was still so much that could happen. And even then...two of her mother's attempts at children had been carried full term...but were stillborn in the end. She had a feeling that she would likely be terrified through the entirety of her pregnancy of the same happening, though she had to laugh at Rory's reaction, a fond laugh, and put a hand on her stomach, whispering to the baby that 'everything would be fine with Uncle Rory watching out for them,' to which tears appeared in his eyes at that honor and he'd hugged her tightly once more...
Not even noticing the Doctor frowning and narrowing his eyes as he watched them hug from the dance floor...
~8~
The Doctor stood before a group of children, teaching them a crazy little dance, "That's it. That's good. Keep it loose," he threw his hands over his head and shook them around, the kids following as Amy and Rory looked on with a laugh, Angel watching fondly as she spoke to Amy's parents.
~8~
Rory laughed loudly as Angel told him about some of her past incarnations, namely her 9th, and how oblivious and confused she'd been by humans. He hadn't quite believed her when they'd gotten to talking about why the Doctor was so odd, she'd simply claimed it was because they were aliens and humans were alien to them. He'd countered that SHE was very good with humans, very understanding and empathetic and, if he didn't know any better, he'd have thought she were human. She'd laughed and remarked about how she hadn't even known what a high-five was and that had launched them into reminiscing about her 9th self, regaling him with tales of how terrible she was at human expressions and other things.
Now, normally, that sort of conversation would have had the Doctor smiling, recalling quite a bit of that from his own 9th incarnation...but at the moment he was standing at the edge of the dance floor, more than a bit stiff, his arms crossed, his shoulders a bit hunched, a firm frown on his face...having turned down quite a few women and even two men who had asked him to dance (even though he'd danced with them all earlier)...because Angel and Rory weren't just talking.
They were dancing.
They were both out on the dance floor, dancing, not dancing dancing, but just platonically dancing, doing a semi-waltz with Rory's hand on Angel's hip and his other holding hers, her hand on his shoulder, but both standing quite a distance apart from each other, more shifting as they talked than really dancing.
But that didn't matter...because RORY was dancing with ANGEL.
And that bothered him.
More than it probably should have.
He could feel his jaw tensing and his eyes narrowing as he watched them quietly talk, Rory laughing, Angel beaming as she made her companion laugh. And something inside him just...twisted...at that, at seeing Angel so...happy. Well, not twisted because she was happy, not at all for that, but...because Rory was making her happy. And that wasn't Rory's job, that wasn't his duty to make Angel happy, if anything HE should be the one making Angel happy, she was of HIS species! She was the only other Time Lord left and it should fall to him to make sure Angel was safe and happy, not...not Rory!
And he shouldn't have his hands all over her either! It was just like when he'd walked in on them hugging that one time. But worse. Because it was dancing and it was more intimate in a way, even if it was at Rory's wedding and Rory's wife was currently dancing with her own Maid of Honor in fun, the song playing was rather cheerful. He just...he didn't like it. At all.
And that just wouldn't do at all.
Which was why he was only partially surprised when, the next thing he knew, he was a foot away from Angel and Rory and tapping the man on the shoulder, "Might I cut in?" he asked, a very slight edge to his voice.
Rory frowned, hearing that edge and not really understanding why it was there...but his response was cut off when he noticed Jeff moving in to ask Amy for a fourth dance and seeing Amy's pleading look at him to come help her out. He nodded, "Course," he stepped back, letting the Doctor take his place as he went to ask Amy to dance with him.
Angel, on the other hand, blinked, a bit confused as to why the Doctor seemed so pleased when Rory moved away from her and he was able to take the boy's spot, his hand on her waist and holding her other hand. But just as she opened her mouth to ask if he was alright...the song ended. They paused, looking over at the speakers when James Morrison's 'You Give Me Something' began to play instead.
A slow dance.
Angel swallowed, "Oh, um..." and bit her lip, glancing to the side, not seeing the Doctor's gaze drop to her lips at the move or him swallow subconsciously, "We don't have to..." she moved to take a step back, about to part so he wouldn't be stuck dancing with her.
"No, no," he pulled her back a bit, dropping his hand from her own to her waist, setting both of his on it, Angel eyeing him as she moved to rest her hands on his shoulders, "It's fine," he nodded, glancing around, more relieved that this meant that none of the other men would be able to ask her to dance than feeling awkward.
In fact...it felt the opposite of awkward, dancing with Angel, well more like swaying as he was rather bad at dancing and he didn't want to give her an excuse to walk away again. It felt rather...nice actually. It made him feel...warm...almost fuzzy...but a good fuzzy...a very good fuzzy really...
Angel nodded, eyeing him again, it was so odd, how he acted around her. At times he was distant, treated her as nothing more than a friend, a fellow Time Lord, but at others he seemed almost...almost like he used to be. And not just how he used to be as his old self but his old old self as well. And his thoughts, when those moments came, were always so jumbled and racing and then quickly brushed off that she could never make heads or tails of them.
And so they swayed, barely moving really, just...swaying, to the music, quiet. Angel kept her gaze lowered though, looking more at the Doctor's bowtie than anything, because she didn't think she could handle it, being semi-in his arms again, dancing, and then to look up and see that sparkle that had always been there not be there any more. She bit her lip again, just missing the Doctor swallow at the action, HIS gaze having not left her face since they'd begun to sway.
She took a breath, looking up at him as she spoke, "Are you worried?" she asked.
He blinked, "About what?"
"The Silence," she murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb the other dancers, "Falling."
He frowned, "We stopped that, the TARDIS is fine, we reversed the explosion."
"I know," she nodded, "But...that phrase, 'Silence will fall...'" she shook her head, "It's been following us, have you noticed? Just like 'Bad Wolf' did."
~oOo~
He raised his eyes to the Bad Wolf logo on the wall as Angel walked over to him, looking up at the words as well, frowning, "It really isn't the Daleks," she said quietly, just knowing the words had far more of an impact, had more...meaning...than a Dalek could design.
"What do we do?" he asked her, at a loss.
He really didn't know what to do. Refine the Wave, kill the humans. Not refine the Wave, the Daleks would kill the humans. There really was no winning scenario in this entire mess and...it was times like these...where he always looked to her for help, for faith. She had such unshakable faith in him, an unbreakable belief that he could do it that, sometimes, he just needed ONE person to feel that way to feel it himself. And Angel, well...she truly lived up to her name, she was the most faithful person he'd ever met, not just in how she felt with others but how he felt about her. He had faith in her, trust in her, in a way he never had before. Not even on Gallifrey, not even with the mother of his children, he'd never really ever let anyone get that close, let anyone in. But Angel...he didn't understand why, but she'd slipped into his hearts without him even realizing it.
"We refine the Wave," she shrugged as though it were simple, "With two Time Lords working, we might just get it refined enough."
"You feel that?"
She shook her head slightly, "No," she answered bluntly, "But I believe in that."
He smiled, there she went again, "You really are an angel, aren't you?"
She laughed, "Well we've got a god back there. Why not an angel?"
~oOo~
He started to nod, realizing that, "That's true."
"And yeah, we reversed the explosion, but...what made it happen in the first place?" she had to wonder, "We were leaving Amy's house and everything was fine...but then...the TARDIS started fighting the controls like she had been when we tried to get her to go to Stonehenge. But we hadn't programmed the destination yet, it was like someone else had and she was trying to stop them...I think...I think that struggle..." she blinked, frowning as she thought on it, as she followed the feeling in her gut about it, "Whatever it was was trying to steal the TARDIS and she was fighting them and...it was just too much. To keep them from getting her...she just...blew up," she looked at him again, "But what was trying to steal her?"
He blinked, he hadn't even thought of that. He'd just...he'd completely forgotten about that little detail in his joy at being restored. What HAD caused the TARDIS to explode in the first place? If Angel's theory was correct...that something was still out there. And that needed to be dealt with again. He would NOT let them use his companion or put her or Rory in danger once more. No, they had to be found and stopped.
"Good point," he nodded, "We need to go," he determined, taking her hand and pulling her out of the room.
They'd only made it to the door when he felt himself being tugged back by Angel, frowning when he saw she wasn't looking at him but at something in the room. He looked up and had to smile, the two of them watching as Rory and Amy danced, close, hugging each other and swaying, to the song, creating the perfect moment to begin their life as husband and wife.
"2,000 years," he murmured, "The boy who waited. Good on you, mate."
Angel gave them one more sad smile, watching them being so close, so obviously in love, it did hurt, to know that the Doctor and her seemed to have lost that. But she took a breath, she still had something to remember that love, the baby, and she had to find out who had tried to take the TARDIS and why, because they had inadvertently put her baby in danger, their actions had led to her nearly losing it. And they had to be discovered and they had to be stopped, because she couldn't risk that again, not again, not after having come so close this time.
She nodded to herself as she watched 'the Ponds' as the Doctor was fond of calling them, and turned to head out, the Doctor following her.
~8~
The Doctor and Angel headed back to the TARDIS which had been parked outside the Pond home. The Doctor had just put the key in the lock when…
"Hello River," Angel said.
He looked back to see River walking up the path towards them, "Did you dance?" River asked, ignoring Angel as she looked at the Doctor, "Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?"
"You tell me," he eyed her.
"Spoilers."
Angel held out the TARDIS journal, "Everything should be back," she said as River took the book, "We didn't look."
River just nodded at her, which, to be honest, was more than Angel expected, she certainly hadn't been expecting a thank you either.
"Are you married, River?" the Doctor asked, handing back the Manipulator as well.
River shot a glance at Angel, who had winced at the question and how it could be taken, before turning a smug smile at the Doctor, strapping on the Manipulator as well, "Are you asking?"
Angel shook her head, not wanting to know how the conversation would go, not wanting to hear any of River's innuendo, and turned, entering the TARDIS quietly...
The Doctor didn't even notice she'd left as he looked at River, "Yes."
River nodded, her smile turning into more of a smirk as she saw Angel disappear and leave her and the Doctor alone, "Yes."
The Doctor started to nod along, until he realized how the question had come across, "No, hang on. Did you think I was asking you to marry me, or asking if you were married?"
"Yes."
"No, but was that 'yes,' or 'yes?'"
"Yes," River's smirk turned flirtatious.
"River..." he let out a small laugh, shaking his head at how confusing she was, it was...interesting, how she could answer a question and yet bring up even more questions in doing so, "Who are you?"
"You're going to find out very soon now," River replied, her smile actually slipping to a line, "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes," and with that, she activated her Manipulator and disappeared.
The Doctor stood there a moment longer, looking at the spot River had been in, before he turned to ask Angel what she thought...only to see Angel wasn't there. He frowned, looking around, spinning in a small circle as though she were just standing somewhere else, before he realized she must have gone into the TARDIS and opened the door to head in after her to see her tap something on the monitor and look up at him with a smile back on her face...
~8~
Angel walked up to the console as the Doctor continued to speak to River, a small frown on her face as she walked around it, making her way to the monitor. She paused, looking at it, biting her lip as she debated doing what she was considering. She shook her head, she had to. She'd let her fear keep her from doing something once and it had taken decades, centuries even, away from being able to help Jack, she couldn't let that happen again. She took a breath and walked over to the monitor, tapping something into the keyboard and turning the screen on.
She smiled softly, seeing four boxes appear, with people in the background apparently unaware she was there at the moment, "Hello!" she called, giving a little wave and all of the people in the four squares turned at the sound.
"Angel!" most of them cheered, except for Jack who gave a shout of 'Angie!' instead.
She laughed, seeing Martha and Mickey in one box, Donna and Wilf in another (the man having finally been allowed a webcam), Torchwood in the bottom box along with Sarah Jane in the last one, "Hi!" she offered again.
"What happened?" Mickey was the first to speak.
She blinked, "What do you mean?"
Mickey smiled, "For a split second Angel, I couldn't remember who you were," he told her.
Angel's eyes widened, she knew that Amy would remember that she'd forgotten them, be able to remember them back into existence, and Rory as well since he had been swallowed by a crack in time, had existed within it for a time, he was just as affected by them now as Amy had been, but she hadn't known that the other companions had been affected as well.
"Really?" she asked.
"Worst second of my life," Mickey nodded.
"Us too," Jack agreed.
"And me," Sarah Jane added.
"I didn't," Donna said, a hint of the Doctor's smugness in her voice, "Don't know why though. Could be the bit of the Vortex in me, or your intuitiveness, or the Doctor's mind or..."
"Yeah," Jack cut in with a roll of his eyes, "We get it, you're brilliant."
"That I am," Donna beamed.
"But really Angel, what happened?" Martha asked, "Are you alright?"
Angel let out a breath, realizing that her dream...that terrifying dream where they all forgot her had basically come true...and she hadn't even realized it at the time. Thank goodness she was only learning about it now, to find out that THEY had forgotten her as well while it was happenign...she didn't even want to think about how she'd react to that. She closed her eyes a moment, focusing on the fact that they DID remember her now, that there had been more to her vision/nightmare than she'd first thought and that everything was ok again.
"I'm fine," she nodded, smiling at them, "The Doctor too. Are you ok?"
They all started laughing at that, nodding and giving her their own affirmations that they were just fine, nothing to terrifying or deadly popping up in their lives at the moment which she was grateful for. She was...she was starting to think that maybe, a quiet life would be better for her, would be what she needed. It was...dangerous, being with the Doctor and...with the baby...well, this adventure had proven to her that something had to change, it was getting to be almost too dangerous for her to keep going much longer.
But that was the problem. She was dreading either option, either staying with the Doctor, risking the baby's life and risking him finding out about it when she grew too big to hide behind her flowing dresses. Or leaving and not knowing if the Doctor would be safe, knowing she wouldn't be able to get to him in time if he were in danger, and just...leaving him. She hadn't been separated from him for long except when she'd gone to Torchwood and every day she'd thought about him and fretted over him and worried about him but she'd known she'd be going back to him eventually. She didn't know if she could handle that knowing she wouldn't.
"There was a small incident with the TARDIS," Angel explained to them, "She sort of...exploded," she hesitated before deciding NOT to tell them she'd been in the box at the time, "It created cracks in time and space that could erase things from history, like they'd never been created or born. The Doctor and I worked out a way to close them, but...we had to go through a crack."
"You did WHAT!?" both Gray and Jack and Mickey shouted, which made her laugh at their bug-eyed looks they were giving her.
"We came back," she reminded them, "Our current companions were able to get us back," she smiled, "I knew they would."
That seemed to placate them just a bit.
"But you're ok sweetheart?" Wilf asked, wanting to make sure.
"Yeah," she nodded, "We're fine."
She blinked, realizing that she'd been talking about her and the baby instead of her and the Doctor, but thankfully none of them seemed to realize that, assuming she meant her and the Doctor.
"And the cracks are closed," she added, "Everything's ok now."
"Good," Jack nodded, "'Cos if there's one thing I don't ever want to forget it's you Angie."
"Here here!" Donna shouted, the others all agreeing.
"And the Doctor too," Sarah Jane laughed.
Angel smiled, "No one could ever forget him," she murmured softly, before glancing up at the doors, sensing him about to enter, "I have to go, we've got to get our companions settled and..."
"Go," Martha laughed, all of them able to understand how important the current companions were, knowing they were JUST as important to Angel and the Doctor as the current ones as well.
"And come visit!" Tosh called, "I'm almost ready to pop and I want you to come visit the baby too!"
Angel beamed, "I'd love to Tosh."
"And me!" Mickey shouted, "Don't forget to visit us too."
"Of course!"
"Stop by," Sarah Jane told her, "Luke's about to go to University and I'll need some adventures to pop up."
"We will," she crossed her hearts.
"I know you'll come see me too," Donna winked, both with the Doctor's confidence and her intuitiveness.
"Definitely," she agreed, "I'll see you all soon," she told them as they waved goodbye. She looked up as the doors opened and flicked the monitor off, smiling as she realized that the past companions remembered them too, which was a great relief.
Though...she felt her smile struggle to remain as she watched the Doctor dance his way up to the console, pulling off his scarf in the process. She was still there. She'd been erased from time, but she was back. Everything was the same, the companions had proved it, everything that had happened before the moment they'd been erased had been restored as well...and yet the Doctor still didn't remember she was his Mate.
So what did that mean?
She'd been terrified that it had meant she'd been swallowed by a crack, erased from time, and that it was that event echoing back on the Doctor and keeping him from remembering the Mating. How could they have Mated if she was never born? But now, she was back, they both were, and still...nothing. So it wasn't the cracks that had done anything to him, not their presences, not them devouring her, so what then?
"Ready?" he asked, starting to put in some commands, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see him smiling at her, and nodded, moving to help him.
"Oi!" Amy called as she strode in, "Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet."
Rory followed her in and shut the door behind him, "Amy!"
"Shut up...it's my wedding."
"OUR wedding."
"Sorry, you two...shouldn't have slipped away," the Doctor smiled, "Bit busy, you know?"
"You just saved the whole of space and time," Rory shook his head, before glancing at Angel, still not fully convinced of her health till he either saw the results or did the scan himself, "Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."
"The Universe isn't quite safe yet," Angel sighed, knowing she wouldn't feel right till they'd worked out what had happened to threaten the rest of life in the Universe. She just...she wanted everyone to be safe and whatever had caused everything was still out there, waiting, "Something made the TARDIS explode."
The phone started to ring.
"Why?" the Doctor asked, "And why now? The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and we have to...excuse me a moment," he answered the phone, "Hello. Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line..." he frowned, "No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. Angel and I were at the prayer meeting. Though Angel did warn you to make sure you got your pronunciations right…well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express…in space! Give us a mo," he looked at Amy and Rory, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."
"Yeah, I think it's goodbye," Amy looked at Rory, "Do you think it's goodbye?"
"Definitely goodbye," he smiled, nodding.
Amy headed to the door and waved out to the night, "Goodbye! Goodbye!" before shutting it and heading back in.
Angel smiled as the Doctor spoke into the phone, "Don't worry about a thing, your Majesty. We're on our way!"
And with that, Angel pulled a lever and the TARDIS was off.
A/N: :') Uncle Rory! :) I figure, even if the baby was devastatingly injured (or even killed) by the Dalek as well...the Pandorica saved Amy, there was a chance to save the baby too :) And I HAD to have Rory get a goodbye message too :) Angel didn't let Mickey go without one, Rory couldn't go either :) And I figure, having been eaten by the crack that Rory had been VERY exposed to it, much like Amy had, and that he could help bring Angel back too :) And what about the Doctor being jealous of Rory dancing with Angel, awwww ^-^
Did you like seeing the companions return? :) I think, given Angel's nightmare that she'd want to make sure they were ok, and they also acted as a test for her theory. Amy and Rory, while they may have heard of the previous companions and seen pictures wouldn't know the true depth of their friendships with Angel and their personalities and all the memories they share, so having the companions remember Angel and nicknames for her and events like Donna taking bits of their personalities means that all the events from before being erased still happened and still existed, including the Mating. I know there were some concerns that with Amy and Rory not knowing about it that they'd remember the Time Lords into existence un-Mated because of that. So I hope that explained/eased the concerns :)
And wow! 10,000 words BEFORE the A/Ns, I think that's the longest chapter I've written for this saga! ^-^ (Not counting the TW crossovers :)
Now, we're going to get ANOTHER sneak peek! OMG! That is definitely a record to get two right after each other! That means we went through about 100 reviews in only a day! Wow! You guys are really amazing and there's a continuation of this note after the sneak peek :)
~8~
"Rory did you drop a thermo-coupling?!" the Doctor asked.
"Sorry..." Rory admitted.
"Oh how did you do that?!" he strode over and looked down the floor at him a moment before spinning around to the console, "I told you don't drop them! Angel specifically mentioned not dropping them too!"
At the mention of Angel, Rory looked over, his eyes widening at seeing her almost struggling to breathe, clutching her stomach and shaking. He ran to her side, kneeling down before her to put his hands over hers, trying to see what was wrong, but she had her eyes clenched in pain, tears in the corners of them.
"What is it?" Rory breathed, trying to help her, frantic.
"It hurts..." she ground out quietly.
~8~
You probably want to kill me now...I JUST gave you back the baby and now...we get a hint that something will be VERY wrong only a few chapters later :( I just wanted to show that...this will really, really be a dangerous time for Angel if she decides to stay with the Doctor. Even a mini-sode can be threatening to her and the baby :( I can't quite see Angel reacting well to the TARDIS being inside itself in that mini-sode, given how badly she reacts to it at other times :(
Now, to finish off the A/N before the notes on reviews...it's sort of long, but I mean every single word of it:
I really just want to say I love you all so much...when I first found out we'd made it to 1000...I cried, I literally started to tear up and had to hide away in the bathroom of my office building so no one would question me I was that touched that you all liked the story that much and wanted to know about the Doctor's amnesia just as badly :')
You guys, all of you who have ever read/reviewed/anything this story, I love you all so much. Lol, when it was originally brought up about whether he'd remember, I really did believe my little offer of revealing if he would at 1000 would be more of a 'I doubt that'll happen' thing…and then it DID! The closer we came to it the more I started freaking out because, given the way the stories have progressed I was only ever possibly maybe hoping for 1000 by the Series 7 story, because that would have been 70 chapters and, to me, might have had more of a chance to reach 1000…but you guys completely blew me away by doing it in 43! I think you even broke a record for my stories with over 50 reviews for one chapter alone!
I really was reduced to tears because, when I started writing fanfiction, it was a dream, a very VERY far away dream that I'd ever get a story to 1000 reviews. Of all my dreams in life, that ranked number 3, and you guys made it a reality. One of my ultimate dreams has come true, because of all of you and I cannot thank you enough for it. I really wish I could find each and every one of you and just give you a big old hug and fezzes and cookies and tell you how amazing I think you are :)
And you really are amazing. You've been with me through so much and I really and truly wouldn't be where I am without you. I really mean that. Every time plagiarism has come up, you've been there encouraging me to keep going, and I have, for you :) We wouldn't even have ATF if not for all of you. And now that it's gotten to 1000…well that's just made my life. I really can't begin to describe how much I love you all. I really and truly believe that I have the absolute BEST readers in the entire world and I really feel so lucky that you like my stories and characters and I really hope that I can continue to deliver twists and plots and drama and fluff for as long as possible and just do you all proud :')
Some notes on reviews...
Yay! The baby and Angel are ok! I have no idea why I would do that to her or the baby, but they're both ok...for now }:)
As for the Doctor...I won't say specifically when he remembers, but...at least you know that it'll be coming, that it WILL happen, and the fluff will return! Woo! :)
Lol, I can't quite see Angel punching someone...but I can say that there will be a point where she has some very strong words with River about something and doesn't back down ;) But yup, the fluff will return! :)
Nope, no Oncoming Storm against River in this story, since this is the last chapter we'll see River in. I can say that the Doctor has noticed how River was acting towards Angel, given he was watching the interaction in the forest, so he's a bit more aware in that regard. But I can say that that moment will be...very epic :) I think, in a way, he's falling for Angel again but just...not realizing it. Like...he doesn't remember loving her before so he doesn't recognize the feelings a second time around :( But I think he's slowly falling for her, lol, he wanted to 'dance' with her didn't he? Well, not THAT dancing, but still, he danced with her :)
Oh the TARDIS's reaction to the Doctor in Series 4 was SO funny to write. She was sort of flustered and confused in the episode, now add that to happy to see him and angry at him for hurting Angel. Not saying if she's angry because he's still hurting her or angry because he HAS hurt her though ;)
I think TL 4 will be more anger than emotional at first. It's more about resolving issues that have had time to harden and grow over time, with just a couple tears at two or three key points. And then we get wooing 11! :)
I have never done a sneak peek followed by another sneak peek before nope, this is a first! And I'm completely shocked :) I did have a sneak peek lined up just in case, and I do have one more ready in the off chance we make it to 1100 before the end of the story, I still can't believe we only have about a week left of it! :)
Angel's story will get a tiny bit easier. She's going to be more aware that she can't risk the baby the way she had here, she'll be more protective and thoughtful about what she lets herself get into and Rory! Rory always makes things better :) There might be one or two difficult things for her to bear (like the Space/Time peek) but overall, she'll have MUCH more support because...Amy will also find out about what happened and Rory will discover the complete truth as well so she'll have them looking out for her too ;)
There are 8 chapters left (not counting this one). The next chapter will be the script-to-screen 'Death is the Only Answer' chapter, then 5 of A Christmas Carol, and 2 of the SJA Death of the Doctor :)
Yup, the Doctor went with her, Last of the Time Lords together ;) I can say that the Christmas Carol is where we'll start to see the Doctor really begin to remember the memory-flashes with rather adorable results :)
I think the Doctor, even not remembering his love for Angel, is very much 'together or not at all' :) I think he'd only ever let Angel do something if she was relatively safe (he did think for a moment that she'd be able to stop the TARDIS exploding) but in dangerous situations they'd stick together :) Angel just sort of kept back because she knew her Past self hadn't seen a future version of her there so she was just maintaining the timelines. And...the Clerics were there, they'd understand the Doctor coming back to talk to Amy but to see a second Angel would put them on edge :) Lol, I loved writing shouty Doctor, she's definitely the only one (in probably the Universe) not scared of any side of him, even River jumped but not Angel :) Yup, Sarah Jane will learn quite a lot about what Angel's going through, but as for if she'll tell Jack, we'll have to wait and see ;) I hope the story's popularity will continue and keep picking up, Angel has really become one of my favorite Time Ladies to write :) I really like the cover for the next story and I hope everyone else will too :) I agree it would be hard to pick who cares for Angel more, the Doctor or Rory, it's like...Rory's more open with his concern, but the Doctor gets more extreme when he feels it :)
I'll definitely try to get the Aragorn/OC sneak peek up soon, hopefully in the next couple of days :)
I don't think it's bad at all, it would add a VERY big twist and new dynamic to the story :) Lol, talk about oblivious when he interrupts her dance with Rory and then pulls her in closer and can't seem to work out that he likes having her in his arms ;) He's definitely thick...but there's also something else keeping him from making that connection too ;)
Nope, doesn't remember at all in Series 5...but that leaves hope for Series 6 (and 7 and the specials lol) :) But I can say that Sarah Jane will learn quite a lot in that episode ;)
Oh someone will certainly put River in her place...repeatedly. Quite a few people really :) But none more so than the Doctor, he's still got his Oncoming Storm moment coming, but I won't say if it's for how she treats Angel or something else ;)
VERY good spotting with how Angel thinks she's worthless at the moment, that will play a HUGE role later in the saga ;)
Nope, Sarah Jane wasn't originally in this episode, but I felt like with Angel's nightmares and the fact that everyone DID forget her (and the Doctor) that she'd want to check in on them :) I love Angel too, but...just keep in mind, she could very much relate to Vincent and how he felt and we have yet to truly see how deep that pain she spoke of goes }:)
I'm glad you like Angel, I definitely wanted her to be a really big balance for him in this series, that darkness in him and the light in her :) As for the baby, there's still plenty of dangers to come, as the sneak peek showed, and the baby is still very, very small :( Yup, the crack theory is crossed off, we'll start to see Angel focus on two of her other theories and try to work out which is the right one ;) As for 10...it could be that he was hoping that it would only affect HIS memories, like he already saw 11 as a separate person that had his memories already there so that when HE died, HIS copy of the memories would be deleted but 11's would still be there. I'm not sure if he'd ever tried that before so it could be just one attempt gone horribly, horribly wrong :) No worries at all, you ramble to your heart's content :)
I know! OMG! We made it! ^-^ We definitely don't have to wait to know IF he'll remember, now we know he will, eventually :)
That's cool, I completely understand and I won't ever fault anyone who wants to stop reading a story :) I'm glad that you've enjoyed it up to this point though and I understand completely, sometimes these things just happen :)
My next fanfiction will hopefully (this year) be Merlin (Arthur/OC) with a Thor (Loki/OC) and Star Trek (Spock/OC) in between that and the 50th/Christmas Specials for the 3 DW series (and the introduction of the HOTS TARDIS POV spin-off in September). Next year will likely be Time Lady 4, Once Upon A Time, Time Lady 7, Big Bang Theory, Time Lady...etc :) I want to get Merlin completely written out though before I post it and I'm hoping to have that finished by the end of September so I can try to post in October :)