"Immediate evacuation," the computer warned, forcing the group to run faster. In fact, they almost barreled into Rory, who had come looking for Amy.

"Other way, idiot!" Amy shouted when she caught sight of him. Rory skidded back around and ran with the group. They quickly came across Ambrose, Mo, and Elliot waiting for them on a long bridge.

"Toxic fumigation is about to commence. Immediate evacuation."

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, gripping Alex's hand tighter. She was starting to feel a little slack and he knew all of this running she was doing was not good for her. He briefly considered picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, but decided that would take too much time.

"Toxic fumigation is about to commence."

Right as that announcement played, the group reached the cavern where the TARDIS was. Never in Alex's life had she been so glad to see that box. She collapsed against it wearily, the wood vibrating worriedly under her fingertips as the Doctor hastily unlocked the door. "No questions, just get in!" he ordered Ambrose, Mo, and Elliot as they ran in. "And yes, I know, it's big. Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again, get yourself fixed up."

He turned to Amy, Rory, and Alex, the trio simply standing in front of the time machine. "Come on!" he cried. "Five minutes and counting!"

"Doctor," Alex said worriedly. She stared straight ahead and gripped the doorframe. The TARDIS buzzed, sending a warm jolt up Alex's arm in reassurance.

The Doctor looked at her questioningly and turned to look in the direction she was looking. His face paled. "Not here," he muttered.

Before the group, on the wall opposite the TARDIS, was a huge, glowing crack. It was the exact same type as the one from Amy's wall and the one on the Byzantium and looked just as threatening. "Not now," the Doctor continued. He watched as the crack seemed to expand a little in size.

"It's getting wider!" Alex realized. She inched herself over to where she was standing right in the doorway, ready to make a fast getaway.

"The crack on my bedroom wall," Amy whimpered.

"And the Byzantium," the Doctor added, hesitantly stepping closer to the crack. Alex frowned and would have made a grab for him but he was too far away. Plus, she really didn't feel like moving at the moment. It was a miracle she hadn't blacked out yet. "All through the universe, rips in the continuum. Some sort of space-time cataclysm. An explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?"

Amy checked the stopwatch. "Four minutes fifty. We have to go!"

But the Doctor ignored her. "The Angels laughed when I didn't know. Prisoner Zero knew. Everybody knows except me."

"Doctor, just leave it!" Alex begged, hauling herself away from the doorframe to stand next to Amy and Rory.

"But where there's an explosion. . ." He trailed off, grinning somewhat madly as he dug a handkerchief out of his pocket. ". . .there's shrapnel."

Alex's eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do. Did he want to get himself killed?! Stupid, bloody, idiot Time Lord! "Don't you even think about it, you bleeding idiot!" she snapped. Her stomach muscles tensed and she felt her stitches loosen a little.

"Doctor, you can't put your hand in there!" Rory protested.

"Why not?" the Doctor challenged, creeping closer to the crack.

"Common sense?!" Alex shrieked. "Because it will hurt? Take your pick!"

But the Doctor ignored their protests and stuck the hand holding the handkerchief into the crack. He shook slightly and shouted, with pain in his voice, "Argh! I've got something!"

"What is it?" Amy asked in spite of herself.

The Doctor yanked himself away from the crack, toppling to the floor on his stomach. In his hand, the red handkerchief was badly singed and wrapped around something in a similar state. The Doctor waved away the smoke coming from whatever he'd just gotten. "I don't know," he admitted, rising to his feet.

"Doctor!" Rory cried out in warning. The group turned to see a very weak but very angry-looking Restac gasping and crawling up to them, some type of weapon in her hand.

The Doctor shoved Alex behind him, but that didn't stop her from standing on tiptoe and peering over his shoulder. "She was there when the gas started. She must have been poisoned," Amy surmised.

"You," Restac glowered at the Doctor. She struggled to lift up her weapon.

"Okay, get in the TARDIS, all of you," the Doctor ordered lowly, keeping his eyes on Restac. Alex ran to the TARDIS doors and stood in the doorframe, waiting for the others to follow while also watching the tense scene before her.

"You did this," Restac hissed.

The Doctor reached into his jacket for the sonic.

"Doctor!" Rory shouted, running in front of the man as Restac lifted her weapon and fired . . . hitting Rory in the chest.

"RORY!" Amy and Alex screamed. The two launched themselves at the man as he fell onto his back, screaming in pain, the Doctor on their heels. None of them noticed Restac drop her weapon and fall to the ground stone dead.

"Rory, can you hear me?!" the Doctor demanded, crouching down beside him and running the sonic over him. Amy fell down beside Rory's head, Alex right next to her. Alex placed a hand to her throbbing stitches, feeling a little lightheaded. But, in the grand scheme of things, her own pain didn't matter anymore.

"I don't understand," Rory murmured, looking up at Amy.

She stroked his face. "Shush. Don't talk," she tearfully ordered. "Doctor, is he okay?"

"We have to get him onto the TARDIS," Alex said, grasping one of Rory's hands and squeezing it.

"We were on the hill," Rory gasped out. Alex alarmingly noted that his breath was becoming frantic and each constriction of his chest took longer to happen than the last. "I can't die here."

"Don't say that," Amy begged at the same time Alex ordered, "Don't talk like that."

"You're so beautiful," Rory breathed to Amy. He barely managed to choke out, "I'm sorry." He cringed in pain and closed his eyes, his last action being to squeeze Alex's hand before it went limp. His chest dropped and Alex felt her heart plunge down into some deep dark space inside her as the horrifying truth emerged in her brain: Rory Williams was dead.

Amy shook her head in disbelief. "Doctor, help him!" she pleaded, not accepting he was dead. Alex reluctantly dropped Rory's hand and stood to wrap her arms around Amy's shoulders. She buried her head in her friend's flaming locks. Alex suspected that even with the most amazing medicine ever, the Doctor wouldn't be able to bring Rory back.

She looked up when she realized the Doctor hadn't replied back to Amy. Her watery eyes wandered over to him, watching as he stared at the crack with a guarded, but worried expression. Looking down, she saw that tendrils of light were pouring out of the crack and gathering around Rory's feet.

The Doctor stood and began backing away. "Girls, move away from the light," he ordered. "If it touches you, you'll be wiped from history." He looked over, the girls not having moved an inch. "Amy, Alex, move away now!"

"No!" Amy screamed back at him. "I am not leaving him! We have to help him!"

"The light's already around him," the Doctor explained gently, kneeling down to wrap his arms around Amy as Alex shifted away a little. "We can't help him."

"I am not leaving him!" Amy shot back, tears running down her cheeks.

"And I'm not leaving her!" Alex snapped.

"We have to."

"No!" the girls shrieked.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized before wrapping one arm around Amy and another around Alex. He pulled them towards the door, which was easier said than done, considering he had two struggling girls screaming bloody murder in his arms.

He managed to lift Alex up slightly with one arm, sending her kicking into the air. "Let me go!" she howled.

"GET OFF ME!" Amy screeched, rivaling her in volume.

Alex tried to throw herself out of his arm but suddenly wailed in pain. A horrible snapping sound ricocheted through the air and Alex's abdomen clenched in agony. The Doctor looked down to see Alex's shirt turning red. She had popped a few stitches.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped, both for dragging the girls away from Rory and for unintentionally causing Alex to pop her stitches.

"Get off me!" Amy begged, too absorbed in her grief to register what happened to Alex even as her friend sobbed in pain. The Doctor continued to pull them through the door into the TARDIS. Once inside, he gently released Alex, the girl falling to the floor while he continued to struggle with Amy as he locked and soniced the door.

"No! No! No! No!" Amy sobbed, pounding on the door. The Doctor ducked out from under her and lifted Alex up into his arms. "Let me out! Please let me out! I need to get to Rory!"

The Doctor focused on Alex, blocking out Amy's desperate cries. He gingerly placed Alex down on a chair, the girl now only sniffling a bit. He saw her eyes were that horrifying neon green again and he resolved to make them vanish somehow.

He moved to lift her shirt when Alex let out a squawk. "Shh," he eased, kissing her hairline. "It's okay, Ally. I know you're mad at me, but you need to let me look."

Slowly, Alex considered his words and then nodded her consent. The Doctor dug his fingertips under the cotton material and pulled it up, being mindful of the almost-medium sized bloodstain. He grimaced as he saw a bit of blood leaking out of spots that had once been home to five stitches, but was relieved to see that it wasn't gushing as it had been. He lowered her top, stood, and kissed her head again. "You're okay," he told her.

Meanwhile, Amy had moved away from the door and was now watching the porthole screen. Outside, several more streaks of light were wrapping around Rory, slowly engulfing him in a brilliant blaze. "That light. If his body's absorbed, I'll forget him," she realized. "He'll never have existed." She turned to the Doctor, exposing her red-rimmed eyes. "You can't let that happen." She watched as the Doctor moved away from Alex and around the console. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor's response was to pull down a lever, sending the TARDIS into motion.

"Doctor, no!" Amy screamed. In a flash, she had raced up the console steps and over to the Doctor. She shoved him away from the controls and tried to reverse what he had done, even though she had next to no idea how the TARDIS actually worked. The Doctor reached around and tried to yank her away, but Amy fought him, kicking and screaming. "No! No! No!"

The Doctor finally managed to wrench Amy away from the console. "Doctor, we can't just leave him there!" Amy protested as the TARDIS dematerialized and entered the time vortex.

"Keep him in your mind!" the Doctor instructed, pushing her down to the floor. He looked over and lifted Alex down from her chair to sit next to Amy. "You too, Ally, both of you! Don't forget him! If you forget him, you'll lose him forever!"

"When we were still on the Byzantium, I still remembered the clerics because I am a time traveler now, you said!" Amy recalled.

"They weren't a part of your world," the Doctor explained, hoping he could make her see reason. "This is different. This is your own history! Yours and Alex's!"

"Tell me it's going to be okay! You have to make it okay!"

"It's going to be hard, but you girls can do it. Tell me about Rory, eh? Fantastic Rory. Funny Rory. Gorgeous Rory. Amy, Ally, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Girls, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this!"

Alex shut her eyes, blocking out the rest of the conversation. She was going to do exactly as the Doctor said and concentrate. She wasn't about to let some stupid, creepy crack rip away memories of her close friend, one who she practically considered an older brother.

Alex felt her memories of Rory pouring into her mind. The first time they met, the time he taught her to ride a bicycle because he had been aghast when she told him she'd never learned – Come on, Alex! I'm not letting you leave until you can get down the drive by yourself! – the various times she had advised him where to take Amy on dates – Are you sure she'll like it, Alex? – when she went ring shopping with him – Don't ever tell her what I paid for this – and so many other memories.

Suddenly, Alex felt something in her mind. She shut her eyes tighter, concentrating on the new visitor. In her mind's eye, she saw the outline of a crack, the one currently eating Rory away. No! Then, another sensation. Alex felt the bombs whizzing in her head, hurting her, yes, but not as horribly now that she had gotten a little used to them. She felt what seemed like the equivalent of steel walls slamming down around her memories of Rory as the bombs continued to attack the crack outline. Of course. Her mind was very strong. It was protecting her memories of Rory from the crack.

Alex eased up a little as she felt the crack's presence leave her mind. Slowly, her mental shields lifted and her memories of Rory were released back into the crevices of her mind, perfectly preserved.

Suddenly, Alex was thrown to the floor. She groaned and opened her eyes. The Doctor was lying next to her, Amy just a little ways away. The Doctor sat up and looked at her. "Rory?" he mouthed. Alex nodded in confirmation and looked down at Amy. Amy sat up and looked around. To Alex's anguish, she was no longer crying and she looked rather chipper.

"What were you saying?" Amy asked the Doctor.

Oh, God, Alex thought, her heart sinking. Amy didn't remember Rory. Only Alex and the Doctor could remember the wonderful man.

But before the Doctor could even begin to think up an answer, Mo came rushing down the stairs, Ambrose and Elliot right behind him. "I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to them.

Amy smiled up at him and then checked the stopwatch. Her eyes widened. "Doctor, five seconds till it all goes up!"

The Doctor jumped to his feet, Alex carefully lifting herself up as well. Everyone barreled outside, except for Alex, who calmly walked to the door. Her sides burned from the popping stitches and her head felt loopy, though whether that was from the mental attack on the crack or from running all around, she didn't know. She reached the door just in time to see the drill explode.

~Living the Life of Ally~

"All Nasreen's work just . . . erased," Amy breathed five minutes later.

"Good thing she's not here to see it," Mo laughed wryly. "She's going to give Tony hell when they wake up."

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Alex had moved to stand on the church porch. Alex was leaning against the railing, the only thing keeping her upright, while the Doctor and Ambrose stood in front of her. "You could've let those things shoot me," Ambrose said. She looked at the two in astonishment. "You saved me."

"An eye for an eye," the Doctor and Alex recited.

Ambrose smiled a little. "Do you two practice that or something?"

The Doctor and Alex had to smile a little at that. "It's never the way," the Doctor said.

"Now you show your son how wrong you were," Alex said. "How there's another way."

"You make him the best of humanity," the Doctor finished, "in the way you couldn't be." Ambrose nodded and Alex had no doubt that Elliot was going to be a very great man when he grew up.

A few minutes later, the TARDIS gang, minus one, headed back to the time machine. Amy skipped beside a somber Doctor and Alex. Alex couldn't help but feel angry at her friend for being happy, even though she knew it wasn't her fault. "You two are very quiet," Amy observed. She turned and looked out at the hill she had seen several hours ago with Rory. "Oh! Hey, look! There I am again!" She waved madly to the now lone figure on the hillside. "Hello, me!"

Amy frowned and slowly lowered her hand. The Doctor and Alex exchanged a quick look before the Doctor asked, "Are you okay?"

"I thought I saw someone else there for a second," Amy said trance-like. She shook her head and snapped out of it. "I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"

The Doctor waved them off. "You girls go in. Ally, go to the infirmary and don't argue." He turned to the door and tapped the lock. "Just fix this lock. Keeps jamming."

"You boys and your locksmithery," Amy teased. She smirked at the Doctor before waltzing inside the TARDIS. Alex remained behind, watching the Doctor's expression. It was guarded and she knew he was hiding something.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "Go, Alex," he ordered. Alex waited a beat, watching him, before slowly heading inside.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Alex got the sense the TARDIS was absolutely terrified about her condition for after leaving the control room, she felt a force pushing her to the first door she saw. Opening it, she felt a fast hum run beneath her fingertips as she stepped into the infirmary.

The infirmary was a nice sized room with a hospital style bed in the center. The walls were white and the floor was a white tile with black dots on it. All around the room were cabinets and shelves holding a wide variety of medical supplies, some that Alex didn't even recognize. She carefully eased herself up onto the bed, flopping back on the pillow. Oh well. Maybe some of it would be useful on her.

A few seconds later, the Doctor rushed in. He went over to a cabinet and started digging around wildly, occasionally throwing a medical instrument or a bottle of medication across the room. "We're in the time vortex now!" he announced, his voice somewhat muffled since his head was almost entirely in the cabinet. "Safest place to be! Well, not really, but safe enough."

"Where's Amy?" Alex asked.

"In her room." The Doctor pulled his head out, a few items now in his hand but from her angle, Alex couldn't make them out. "She wanted to help, but I told her I could handle it."

Alex nodded, but she knew that wasn't the real reason. The Doctor felt immensely guilty for Rory's death and he probably didn't want to be around Amy's happiness right now.

The Doctor walked over to her. He carefully placed the items in his hand down one by one on the nightstand next to the bed. Alex turned her head to look at them. A bottle of pills, a syringe, scissors, and a few bottles of different colored liquid with alien labels on them. He then ducked under the bed to pull out a collapsible med scanner. Alex watched, intrigued, as the Doctor quickly set it up and turned it on.

He rolled the scanner to the foot of the bed and plugged the sonic screwdriver into a small outlet on it. "Just stay still, Ally," he directed, stepping back. "The scanner will tell me exactly what's wrong with you and send the information directly to the sonic."

Alex stared up at the ceiling, wondering if the scanner used X-rays and, if so, shouldn't the Doctor leave the room or not. She recalled Lola's tale of getting an X-ray after spraining her ankle tripping down the stairs. She had been all alone in a large white room and scared out of her mind, worried that the rays would kill like in some sci-fi novel she had read.

A beep sounded, interrupting her thoughts. The Doctor cheered. "Ha, ha! Excellent. Now, just hold on a sec. . ." Alex heard the scanner being folded back down again and being pushed under the bed. The Doctor walked back up to her, studying the sonic. She could hear him muttering to himself but couldn't make out the specific words.

The Doctor tucked the sonic into his jacket. Alex looked up at him. His face was in a calm mask, evidently one that was supposed to calm her, but instead served to frighten her. What was going on?

Her face evidently looked panicked for the Doctor smiled slightly at her and started twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. "It's not that bad, Ally," he assured her. "You have an infection but, thankfully, we caught it just in time. Any longer and your body could start accepting the bacteria and begin mutating." Alex's eyes widened. "But it's not going to happen!" the Doctor cried. "Trust me, it won't."

His hands moved down and grasped the cloth of her shirt. "But first. . ." He started to lift the shirt but Alex stopped him, moving his hands down to the buttons. He tensed slightly, unable to believe the thrill going through him at the prospect of undoing a button on Alex's shirt. He subtly kicked himself in the shin. God! What was he doing? He couldn't be going lustful when he was trying to heal Alex!

He forced himself to concentrate on what he would do to cure Alex as he undid the buttons, each one revealing more and more of Alex's skin. Once he was at the end of the line of stitches, he stopped. He studied the stitches. They were pretty good but not very supporting. It was a wonder Alex hadn't snapped more of them or had snapped them sooner. He reached for the scissors on the table and lifted them up. He felt Alex tense.

"Ally, I promise you it'll be okay." He lowered the scissors and then grabbed the bottle of pills. He poured two out into his hand and held them out to Alex along with a glass of water the TARDIS had provided. "These are anesthesia pills. Remarkable really. They numb the spot you're going to be operated on but keep you conscious. They're for minor procedures like this."

Alex nodded, accepting this and quickly took them. She felt her body go slack, especially the region around her stitches. Apparently, they were fast-acting too.

The Doctor quickly set to work. He began undoing the stitches and directed Alex to look straight up at the ceiling. He didn't bother looking to see if she was doing this or not, completely focused on his task instead. After undoing the stitches, he grabbed the healing salve he had used on her back in Venice and poured it over the red skin. The salve acted quickly, restoring Alex's skin tissue and making the scar vanish. It was like she hadn't been dissected at all.

The Doctor tossed the bloody thread into the trash, feeling a deep anger well up inside him. He couldn't believe this had happened to Alex. Even worse? She had allowed it to happen to herself. He knew it had been to save Amy and he admired that, he really did, but he didn't like that she was so willing to put herself in danger like that.

The next matter was curing Alex's infection. It was the main cause of her being so weak. The Doctor set to work mixing and measuring the liquid in the alien bottles until he had a single test-tube filled with a dark, murky purple liquid. Alex watched him as he loaded the syringe with the liquid. She felt her muscles tighten as she saw him lift it up, exposing the incredibly long needle. She never liked getting shots at the doctor's office. She once screamed so much while getting one that it took two nurses to hold her down just so the doctor could give it to her. Granted, she had been eight, but still.

"Relax, Alex," the Doctor said, kneeling down to aim the needle at her arm. "This won't hurt a bit." Alex relaxed a little, believing him, but let out a yelp as the needle pierced her arm, hurting a lot. So that's where River gets it. She stayed silent while it was in there but the second it was out, she let him have it.

"What the hell?" she demanded. Feeling her energy coming back to her, she sat up and attempted to slap him, but he stepped out of her reach.

"Rule One," the Doctor smiled at her, tossing the syringe into the trash. "The Doctor lies."

Alex glowered at him and crossed her arms. "Stupid rule," she muttered. She sighed and began to get up but quickly found herself being shoved back down.

"Don't get up!" the Doctor ordered. "You aren't cured just yet! It takes time."

Alex groaned and flopped back down on the bed. Realizing her shirt was still open, she buttoned it back up. She looked at the large bloodstains and shuddered, unable to believe she had lost that much blood. She was a little surprised the Doctor hadn't given her a transfusion.

"There wasn't any need," the Doctor spoke up, sensing her thoughts. She looked over at him. He was resting in a chair beside the bed. His face was blank, like he was holding back his emotions. "The scans said you had good blood content."

Alex smiled. "Well, for future reference, my blood type is B positive." She continued to smile innocently at him but it fell as she saw that his facial muscles hadn't moved an inch. She looked into his eyes. They were dark green like always, but sprinkles of black were threatening to pop up and overtake them. "Doctor?"

She reached out for his hand, but he quickly pulled it away. "Doctor, please," Alex begged. She could feel tears bubbling up to the surface, but she pushed them back down. He had already seen her extremely weak today; she wouldn't let him see her at her weakest. "Doctor, please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

"You're lying," Alex challenged.

The Doctor huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, how am I supposed to act, Alexandria?" he snapped. She flinched. Bad already if he was calling her Alexandria. "When you practically begged to be dissected?"

"I was saving Amy," Alex said evenly. She knew that whenever they started arguing, the air would tense up until it finally snapped, launching them into what would probably be an explosive argument. "Would you have liked it if Amy was dissected instead?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed at her. "Of course not!" he cried. "But I certainly don't like you throwing yourself into dangerous situations!"

"Dangerous situations?" Alex repeated scathingly. "You make it sound like I willingly go looking for danger, which I can assure you, I don't!"

"And jumping over man-eating holes doesn't qualify as looking for danger?"

"I was trying to save Tony's life!" Alex snapped, any and all sense of calm long gone from her. "And I didn't even get sucked into that hole helping Tony anyway! You were the one that let go!"

It was a low blow and they both knew it. For a long minute, a tense silence filled the air. The TARDIS didn't even dare hum. The two stared at each-other, Alex's words echoing around in their heads. Their breathing was labored and was the only sound either dared make. Finally, the Doctor let out a low growl and began to storm out the door, but Alex quickly called out after him.

"Doctor, stop!" she pleaded. She heard him stop but she looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes in case he turned around. "I . . . I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say and I know it. It wasn't your fault. You tried your hardest. I let go. Really, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

There was another long silence and for a minute, Alex thought that the Doctor had actually left but a moment later, she heard his footsteps approaching her. She continued to look down, too ashamed to look up. She felt the bed dip beside her and then his fingers begin tucking hair behind her ear. "Ally," he said, his voice gentle, holding none of his previous anger. "Please look at me."

Alex shook her head and sniffled slightly in spite of herself. "I can't," she mumbled.

"Please." The Doctor's finger trailed down her jaw, making Alex shiver. It reminded her of what he did back on the Byzantium, how he had teased her before kissing her passionately. He traced the outline of her face until he reached her chin, tilting it up so she was forced to look at him.

Alex's eyes glimmered with unshed tears and the Doctor couldn't help but wish she wouldn't act so strong all the time. She was human, she had to let her guard down every once in a while. "Ally, I know," he said gently, moving in to kiss her hairline. "I know you didn't mean it. But it probably was my fault."

"It was the Silurian's stupid sucky thing," Alex said, resting her head on his shoulder. She subtly inhaled the scent of his tweed jacket and musky cologne, relishing in how comfortable it made her feel.

The Doctor chuckled at her word choice. "Well, regardless of whose fault it was," he began, "you went through something you shouldn't have." He pulled her to where their foreheads were touching and closed his eyes. "Ally, please promise me you won't do something so . . . selfless again." He had been about to say reckless but decided he would get slapped if he said that.

"You know I can't promise that, Doc," Alex replied. He opened his eyes to gaze at her in shock. "Before you say anything," she jumped in, "just hear me out. I don't like seeing others hurt or in danger. So, if there's a way to help them avoid it, I'm going to help. And if it does injure me. . ." Alex trailed off for a moment but continued. "Well, I'll try to avoid that, but if it saves someone else, then so be it. And Doc, are you honestly going to tell me that you wouldn't do the same for me or Amy or anyone else?"

The Doctor was silent. He couldn't argue that because it was the truth. He would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat for Alex . . . er, anyone. He sighed and pulled Alex's head to rest on his shoulder again. "You're right," he said almost inaudibly, moving a hand to rest in her hair.

"The only reason I protected Amy like that was so she wouldn't be in any pain and so that Rory wouldn't flip when he saw her." Alex suddenly let out a strangled choke. "Oh God." She looked up, exposing her tear-rimmed eyes. "He's dead. I almost forgot but . . . Rory's dead."

The Doctor pulled her back into his arms and shifted her so that she was sitting in his lap. Alex buried her head in his shoulder and he ran his fingers through her hair as she let a few tears fall onto his jacket. They sat like that for a little while until Alex finally lifted her head up and said, "You know what the worst part is? Amy doesn't even remember him. I can because my mind fought off the crack's force but she doesn't have that!" She shuddered and let out a filthy swear word that the Doctor thought was both hot and wrong. "What's the point in having these bloody mental abilities if it causes you nothing but sadness?" she sobbed before burying her head back down into his jacket.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, Ally, don't say that." He raised her head back up, making her look at him head-on. "Alex, listen to me. Those mental abilities of yours are extraordinary. Don't you dare go blaming them. Because of them, you can remember Rory. Yes, it will be sad for a while but what's the alternative? Never remembering?" He kissed her on the forehead. "Alex, I promise you it will get easier. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will."

Alex sniffled and nodded, taking in his words. She knew she was glad that she remembered Rory, the glimmer of happiness buried underneath a mound of sadness. She sighed and maneuvered herself until she was sitting next to the Doctor on the bed. "Thanks."

They were silent for a little while before Alex remembered something. "Doctor, the crack that ate Rory. . . You grabbed something out of it. What was it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, nothing," he lied. "Space junk, that's all."

Alex quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not buying that. Come on. Spill."

"It's nothing, Alex," the Doctor tried. "Just leave it!"

"No." Alex shook her head adamantly. "I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me. I swear, I will badger you with questions until you feel like you're on the brink of insanity."

Realizing that she would definitely follow through on her threat, the Doctor found himself reaching into his jacket and pulling out the wrapped bundle. It wasn't smoking anymore, but it still felt rather warm as Alex grasped it. She quickly unwrapped it and dropped her hands. She stared at the object inside before slowly lifting it up. It was a piece of the TARDIS's Pull To Open sign, now burned and singed.

"Doctor," she breathed. "What does this mean?"

"It could mean a million different things, Alex," the Doctor hastily said, not wanting to scare her.

Alex gaped at him. "It means the cause of the cracks is the TARDIS exploding!" A hum sounded throughout the room, the TARDIS apparently not liking the prospect of being blown up.

"It might not be that literal," the Doctor said. "It could be a metaphor."

But Alex wasn't buying that. Something caused the TARDIS to explode in the future, an explosion so big, these weird cracks in time appeared because of it. "Well, play devil's advocate for a minute. If the TARDIS does explode in the future . . . what could cause that?"

The Doctor didn't speak for a long while, pondering the subject with an intensity Alex found admiring and sexy. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "A regular explosion could cause some damage but something that causes cracks in time and space?" He shook his head.

Alex fingered the sign. What the hell could cause so much damage? Not wanting to ponder it any longer, she wrapped the sign piece up and wordlessly handed it back to the Doctor. They probably would have stayed in silence for a while but Alex let out a long yawn.

The Doctor stood up. "You've had a long day. You need to rest."

Alex yawned again. He was right. She felt completely and totally drained, physically, emotionally, and mentally. All she wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and sleep for a hundred years. Until she had become realistic, Sleeping Beauty had been her favorite fairytale.

"Alright," she agreed, standing up. She stumbled slightly. "Blood rush," she said by way of explanation to the alarmed Doctor.

"Well, to be sure that doesn't happen again. . ." Alex then found herself being scooped up into the Doctor's arms and being carried out of the room and down the hall. She giggled slightly and shifted closer to him. She liked being in his arms. It was relaxing and made her feel protected.

A few steps later, they were in Alex's room. The lights were dim and the bed had already been turned down. The Doctor sat Alex down on it, smiling a little as he watched her pat the wall behind her in thanks.

"Don't you need to. . ." He pointed to Alex's bloody and ripped clothes.

Alex glanced down. "Oh, um, I'll worry about it later," she dismissed. She kicked her boots off, not bothering to get up and put them in the closet, and placed her earrings on the nightstand. She crawled under the covers, relishing in how cool and comfortable they were. They always seemed to be like that. Alex wondered whether the TARDIS temperature-controlled them or not.

She rested her head on the pillow, her eyes closing the second her head hit the freshly laundered pillowcase. The Doctor watched her for a moment. She truly was beautiful. Alex maintained beauty like one of those girls who fuss with their appearance like it's a part-time job. Of course, Alex didn't have anything to fuss over. It seemed nature did all the work for her.

The Doctor shook himself. Yes, we get it, she's beautiful, but there's nothing to drool about, he told himself. Alex and he were not an item. They never would be.

Realizing he was still staring at Alex like some kind of stalker, the Doctor moved to leave the room. After all, he needed to figure out some way of making sure Amy never found the engagement ring Rory had brought back to the TARDIS for safekeeping or that she didn't start wondering whose aftershave was in her bathroom medicine cabinet. But before he could so much as put his hand on the doorknob, a small voice called out to him.

"Doc," Alex mumbled, half-asleep. She twisted so that she was facing him and her eyes fluttered open briefly before closing again. "Don't go. Stay . . . please." Her long legs tangled around the sheets and a hand fell over the side, nearly colliding with the nightstand. It looked as though she were reaching out for him.

The Doctor lowered his hand and stepped back over to the bed. How could he refuse that? You can't . . . wuss, the Dream Lord in his mind muttered, but he ignored that. After all, it was just to comfort Alex. She probably didn't want to be alone in case she started having nightmares or started crying in her sleep over Rory.

He went to the other side of the bed and sat on top of the covers. Alex turned over, flinging an arm around his waist as though she had been drawn to him. He was effectively trapped now and he really didn't mind. Instead, he eased back into the pillows and leather headboard and placed a hand on her head, running his fingers through her silky strands. He wanted to be there for her and he was going to be there if she wanted.

Several hours later, when Alex awoke, she found he was still there, asleep, an arm flung over her waist so that she was now the one trapped. And she didn't mind it at all.

A/N: Ugh, I had the majority of this typed out but then I accidentally hit the backspace button and it went back a page and now I have to type everything all over again! :( But, on the bright side, who liked the end part? :) Little bit of angst, but they made up. :) And tomorrow, we get the original chapter with all the Dalex fluff! It's like a Dalex-covered cotton candy! :)

Also, I think now's a good time to announce that I'm doing an Alex-inserted version of Apollo 23 by Justin Richards from the Doctor Who line of books by BBC Books. It's roughly 11 parts and will take place after 'The Lodger'. I have a few other books and plan on doing them throughout this series as well. :)

Notes on reviews. . .

SopherGopherroxursox - It's been hinted that she's not entirely human, but I can say that I'll be taking my time revealing the truth (which I seem to be fond of doing, lol). :) Glad you love the story!

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Yes, she didn't die! And the Doc fixed her up! :D Glad you like this story!

ShadowTeir - That's okay, I don't mind. :) Oh God, I would LOVE to write Doctor Who! Even just one episode would be a luxury! Yeah, I do like it as it is, but I do think there should be more romance in it. Part of the reason I could never get behind the Doctor/River relationship was because it wasn't very realistic. She zapped in at irregular intervals and flirted with him. If we had seen them go on dates or kiss more or something, I think I would've liked it more. I do like the Doctor/Rose pairing, but I can see why people might not like Rose. She was a bit too clingy, got easily jealous, and was a bit naïve. Still like her though. :) Lol, I would LOVE if Alex was on the show, but I doubt that'll happen, unless they have a Create-Your-Own-Companion contest or something. :) I like Donna too. She was never hesitant in giving the Doctor his two cents, a lot like Alex actually. I think Donna and Alex would really get along. :) Aw, thanks! That really means a lot!

rycbar15 - You DID get a part where he takes care of her! Funny how things work out, huh? :) No, I don't have a Tumbler and probably won't be making one anytime soon. I'm not really into social networking (like Matt Smith actually, lol). I only have a Facebook page and I barely check that one, so I'd be horrible at Tumbler. :)

Gwilwillith - Yes, when WILL they get together?! Lol, glad that even when she's being dissected, you think Alex is awesome. :)

ElysiumPhoenix - Yes, poor Alex. :( She got better though, so that helps. :) Lol, glad you liked where Alex yelled at Ambrose. SOMEONE needed to yell at her, I think. and I'm glad you liked Alex's random moments of alertness. I was in a play where a character kept fainting and then popping up to say something before fainting again, so that was the inspiration for that. :)

TheUltimateGuest - I am working on a story in the Alex Locke series where Alex DOES meet 10! :) And he's in the 50th Anniversary special with 11 and Alex, which I'm really excited for. I think 10 would get along really well with Alex and his reactions to her would be pretty funny as well. :)

TheGirlWhoWaited - Glad you loved the chapter and are looking forward to the original chapter with all the Dalex fluff! :)

TimeyWimey12 - I'll take that as a compliment. :)

dream lighting - Yes, poor Ally, but she's okay! :) Glad you can't wait for the Pandorica episodes! I have a few surprises in them. :)

evilpinklollipop - I don't know. All I can say is that if Alex hadn't stopped him when she did, the Doctor would have killed Malohkeh and anyone else that got in his way. :( Good thing she stopped him when she did though. :) Yes, Alex is way too selfless. It's really her fatal flaw, I think. It was brought up in this chapter to show good qualities can sometimes have bad effects, something I think really can happen if you have too much of something. They really do work as a couple, don't they? They really balance each-other out and look out for each-other to make sure the other doesn't go off into the deep end. :) I will definitely be doing up to 'The Name of the Doctor' so we will see Demon's Run and more of the Oncoming Storm, something that comes out when something happens to Alex . . . but that's all I can say about that! :)