The group ran down the hall before the Doctor led them through a door into a tiny entryway. On one wall was a ladder. The Doctor climbed up first and quickly helped Alex up, leaving Amy and Rory to fend for themselves.
The rooftop overlooked a quiet London, which wasn't surprising considering history was collapsing. In the sky was a giant orange sun, bigger than the one Alex was used to seeing.
Amy frowned and squinted in the bright morning light. "What, it's morning already? How did that happen?"
"History is shrinking," the Doctor said irritably as he stared at the sun. "Is anybody listening to me? The universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left." As he finished saying this, the Doctor rushed over to a pole with a satellite dish on it.
"What are you doing?" Rory demanded as the Doctor soniced the dish.
"Looking for the TARDIS."
"But the TARDIS exploded," Rory reminded him.
The Doctor pulled the dish from its base and went over to the edge of the roof. "Okay, then, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS," he retorted.
"Doctor, explain something," Alex called out. She'd been trying to figure out why the TARDIS exploded, but nothing she came up with seemed to make sense. "The TARDIS blew up and took the universe along with it. Why would it do that? And how did it explode in the first place?"
"Good question, Ally," the Doctor complimented. "However, that's a good question for another day. The question for now is, total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one single one of them ever shone."
Alex's eyes widened. She dashed over to his side. "So what is that?" She pointed to the abnormally large sun.
The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver to it. "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."
"But that's the sun!" Rory protested.
"Is it?" the Doctor and Alex retorted. The Doctor raised the dish and his sonic towards the so-called sun. "Well," he said, "here's the noise that sun is making right now."
A second later, the TARDIS materialization noise came out from the dish. Amy and Rory stared at the sun in shock, while the Doctor and Alex just looked grim. "That's my TARDIS burning up," the Doctor explained. "That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."
"Doctor, there's something else," Rory said. "There's a voice."
As the Doctor adjusted the sonic accordingly, Amy frowned. "I can't hear anything."
Rory tapped his ear. "Trust the plastic."
The Doctor placed the sonic on the dish again. This time, instead of hearing the TARDIS, they heard a familiar female voice, an annoying one in Alex's opinion. "I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, my love."
"Doctor, that's River!" Amy exclaimed. "How can she be up there?"
"It must be like a recording or something," Rory guessed.
"No, it's not," the Doctor corrected, lowering his arms. "Of course, the emergency protocols! The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time loop to save her. She is right at the heart of the explosion."
"Can you get her?" Alex asked. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. As far as they knew, Alex loathed River, and the feeling was mutual. Alex blinked. "What? I don't hate the slutty poodle. And I don't want to see her die like that!"
"Slutty poodle?" Rory questioned. Amy caught his eye and shook her head, indicating not to ask.
The Doctor looked at Alex for a moment, then nodded. He didn't like the idea of Alex wishing River dead. "I'll be right back," he said, pressing a few buttons on the manipulator. He vanished in a burst of light and a crackle of energy. A second after that, he and River appeared behind the group.
"Amy!" River called. She then frowned in confusion. "And the plastic Centurion?"
"It's okay," the Doctor assured her. "He's on our side."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I dated a Nestene duplicate once," River recalled. "Swappable head. It did keep things fresh."
"Hello, River," Alex greeted, stepping forward as she tried not to sneer at one of River's sexual conquest stories. "Nice to see you didn't get burned alive."
"Nice to see you're not stuck in the Pandorica," River replied. It was probably the nicest thing the two had ever said to each-other.
A second later though, the moment was broken. "Right then!" River cried, clapping her hands. "I have questions, but number one is this. . ." She turned to the Doctor. "What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"
Alex snickered, causing the Doctor to frown at her. "I tried!" Alex laughed.
The Doctor pointedly ignored her. "It's a fez," he told River. "I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool."
River and Amy looked at each-other. Suddenly, Amy reached over and snatched the Doctor's fez, tossing it into the air. River quickly drew her gun and blasted the hideous hat into shreds as it fluttered over the edge of the building. "Oh!" was all the Doctor could say.
But someone else also had something to say. "Exterminate!" the Dalek shrieked as it rose up over the edge of the building. The Doctor pushed Alex towards River, who quickly pushed her in the direction of the ladder. Alex scrambled down, Amy and Rory following. The Doctor shielded himself with the satellite dish, effectively blocking the Dalek's shots. Behind him, River scrambled down the ladder and aimed her gun upwards. A second later, the Doctor dashed down too, slamming the hatch.
"Doctor, come on," River urged, keeping her gun aimed at the hatch as he continued to stay on the ladder.
"Shush," he murmured. He listened at the hatch for a moment before climbing down. "It's moving away, finding another way in. It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."
"How do you know?" Rory asked as the Doctor rushed down the stairs.
"Because that's when it's due to kill me."
River whirled around and lowered her gun. "Kill you?!" she cried, rushing after them. "What do you mean, kill you?!"
"Oh, shut up!" the Doctor dismissed. "Never mind! How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back."
"You said the light from the Pandorica—" Rory recalled.
"It's not a light, it's a restoration field," the Doctor interrupted, storming down the corridor. "But never mind, call it a light. That light brought Amy back, restored her, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"
"Okay, tell us," Amy prompted.
"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. And that explosion blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except—"
"Except inside the Pandorica!" Alex cried out, having connected the dots as he began explaining.
The Doctor nodded at her. "The perfect prison. And inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was."
Alex stared in awe at him, seeing what he was getting at. "You're thinking that we could reboot the universe from a single atom, like cloning a body from a cell."
"And we've got the bumper family pack," the Doctor beamed.
"No, no," Rory said, shaking his head confusedly. "Too fast. I'm not getting it."
"The box contains a memory of the universe," the Doctor explained, Alex nodding along beside him, "and the light transmits the memory, and that's how we're going to do it."
"Do what?" Amy questioned.
"Relight the fire," the Doctor answered, smirking slightly. He and Alex said together, "Reboot the universe." The Doctor grasped Alex's hand and led her further down the hallway. "Come on!"
"You two are being completely ridiculous!" River cried as she hurried to catch up with them, Amy and Rory just behind her. "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how's it going to reboot the whole of reality?"
"What if we gave it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor posed. "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"
River gave him a flat look and crossed her arms. "Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible."
"Ah no, you see, it's not," the Doctor gently argued.
"It's almost completely impossible," Alex finished. "Honestly, have you learned nothing traveling with him?"
River looked like she wanted to retort, but the Doctor cut her off before she could even get her mouth open. "One spark is all we need."
"For what?" River wondered, her thoughts on starting an argument with Alex shoved aside.
"Big Bang Two," the Doctor and Alex answered.
The Doctor released Alex's hand and started to turn around. "Now, listen—" he began, but a streak of light hit him in the chest and he jerked back, falling to the floor in pain and agony.
"Doctor!" Alex screamed as she dove down beside him.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!" the Dalek cried out as it rolled down the hall towards them.
"Get back!" Rory called, pushing Amy to the side for cover. "River, Alex, get back now!"
River dragged Alex away from the Doctor's body and behind Rory. "Exterminate!" the Dalek shrieked, just as Rory used his hand-gun to fire at it. The Dalek's voice fell silent and its eyestalk drooped, shutting down again.
"Doctor!" Alex cried as she knelt back down beside him.
River did the same thing. "Doctor," she called as the man shuddered and trembled on the floor. "Doctor, it's me, River. Alex is here as well. Can you hear us? What is it? What do you need?"
Without warning, the Doctor reached out and pressed a button on the vortex manipulator still attached to his wrist. He then disappeared. Alex let out a yelp that managed to sound both surprised and sad at the same time.
"Where did he go?" River wondered, standing up. She stomped her foot, frustrated. "Damn it, he could be anywhere!"
"He went downstairs twelve minutes ago," Amy informed her.
"Show me!" River demanded.
"River, he. . ." Alex choked as a sob forced its way up her throat. She shuddered and tried to keep her tears from falling. "He died."
Just then, mechanical whirring sounded from the Dalek. "Systems restoring," it called out, its eyestalk slowly rising up. "You will be exterminated!"
"Damn it!" Alex cried, jumping to her feet. "Why can't you just die?!" She couldn't believe this stupid upside-down trashcan was still alive while the Doctor – her Doctor – was dead downstairs. All Alex wanted to do now was kill this thing and then go crawl into a corner somewhere and bawl her eyes out.
"We've got to move," Rory said, grabbing Alex's arm and pulling her beside him. He could tell she was volatile right now, and there was no telling what she might do now that the Doctor was dead. "That thing's coming back to life!"
"You go to the Doctor," River told them. She pulled out her gun and checked to make sure it was loaded. "I'll be right with you."
Amy and Rory hurried towards the stairs, but Alex remained with River. She wanted to see what her frenemy was going to do. Hopefully, it would be something deserving of the Daleks.
"You will be exterminated!"
"Not yet," River argued calmly, raising her gun. "Your systems are still restoring, which means your shield density is compromised. One Alpha Mezon burst through your eyestalk would kill you stone-dead."
"Records indicate you will show mercy," the Dalek retorted. "You are associates of the Doctor."
"I'm River Song." River smiled crocodile-like and nudged Alex. "Care to introduce yourself, Ally?"
"Alexandria Nicole Locke, or Ally to the Doctor," Alex smiled, but her eyes were narrowed into tight little slits, showing how angry she was. "Check those records again."
If it could have, the Dalek probably would have started trembling in fear. "Mercy!" it shouted.
"Say it again," River requested.
"Mercy!"
"One . . . more . . . time."
"Mercy!"
"What do you think, Ally?" River asked, cocking her gun. "Mercy?"
Alex didn't even hesitate. "No." She then turned away, her tan combat boots banging on the floor as she went down to Amy, Rory, and the Doctor's corpse. She didn't break stride once, not even when she heard River fire at the Dalek. Serves it right, she thought.
A moment later, River came up behind her. "Never let it be said that I don't look out for you," she remarked as they turned a corner, just in time to hear Amy and Rory.
"How could he have been moved?" Rory wondered. "He was dead! Doctor! Doctor!"
"What?" Alex cried, breaking into a run. She skidded to a stop at the top of the staircase and looked down. Amy and Rory were standing on the step the Doctor's body was supposed to be on, but the Doctor wasn't there. All that was there was Rory's abandoned jacket. "What happened?" she demanded, racing down to them. "Where is he? Did that Dalek do something with his body?!"
"We don't know," Amy admitted.
"But he was dead!"
"Who told you that?" River asked as she descended the stairs in a calm-as-could-be manner.
"He did," Amy replied warily.
Alex groaned. Now she got it. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered. "I swear I will!"
"You always say that," River smirked. She looked over her shoulder at a baffled Amy and Rory. "Rule One. The Doctor lies."
"Stupid rule," Alex muttered, running after her.
"Where's the Dalek?" Amy asked.
"It died," River replied, her voice emotionless and flat.
Everyone ran back to the Pandorica room. Inside, Alex was surprised to see that there was nothing else in there, no exhibits, benches, or anything. History was truly unraveling. In the center of the room, the Pandorica sat in all its splendor, the Doctor seated inside, looking unconscious.
"Doctor!" Amy cried, seeing this. River and Alex ran over to him while Amy and Rory hung back a few feet.
"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory wondered.
"We were a diversion," Alex realized. She knelt down in front of the Doctor and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. He groaned softly, leaning into her touch. "As long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."
"Doctor, can you hear me?" River asked, crouching down next to Alex. "What were you doing?" She craned her head inside the box to see what he was trying to do. As she did this, the light in the room suddenly darkened.
"What's happening?" Rory cried.
"Reality's collapsing," River revealed, her head still inside the box. "It's speeding up. Look at this room."
Amy and Rory looked around, now noticing the absence of all the exhibits that had been in here just a little while ago. "Where'd everything go?" Amy questioned.
"Like the Doctor said, history's being erased," Alex told them. "Time's running out."
River knelt down closer to the Doctor. "Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us." But the Doctor remained silent. "Doctor!" River begged.
The Doctor's head rose up and he leaned back in the chair. He exhaled deeply before gasping, "Big . . . Bang . . . Two. . ."
"The Big Bang," Rory repeated. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"
"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back?" Amy asked. "Is that what you mean?"
"Oh," River breathed in realization.
"What?" Alex asked, looking up at her.
"The TARDIS is still burning," River explained. She kept one of her eyes on Alex, just waiting for her brilliant mind to catch up and work everything out. "It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire. . ."
"Then what?" Amy asked.
Alex's eyes widened. "Then let there be light," she finished. "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like the Doctor said."
"That would work?" Amy asked either one of them. "That would bring everything back?"
"A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history." River smiled in awe. "Oh, that's brilliant! It might even work."
"River, look." Alex pointed to the Doctor's wrist where the vortex manipulator was still attached. A bunch of wires from the Pandorica were connected to it.
River followed her gaze and nodded. "It'll be okay, Alex," she assured her. She turned to see Amy and Rory looking puzzled, though she wouldn't have been surprised if they were only shocked because she had called Alex by her insisted upon name. "He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box," she explained.
"Why?" Amy frowned. She could see that Alex was shaking slightly, not happy by this news.
"So he can take it with him," Alex replied. "He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."
"Amy. . ." the Doctor suddenly murmured, his head drooping slightly. River nodded and headed over to Amy and Rory, the two now deep in conversation. Once she was gone, he turned to Alex. "Ally. . ."
"Shh," Alex shushed, scooting closer. "You shouldn't be talking. God knows what that Dalek did to you."
"I'll be alright," the Doctor assured her.
Alex shook her head. "No, you won't. I know exactly what you're going to do. You're going to fly this death-trap into the exploding TARDIS. It'll close the cracks up, but you'll be dead. And I, Amy, and Rory, and everyone else will forget you."
"No," the Doctor protested. "I'll be trapped in the Void."
"I don't know what that is, but it still doesn't sound good."
The Doctor sighed. "No, you're right. It isn't."
Alex shuddered, her shoulders wracking with unwept sobs. "Doctor, please," she begged, her voice weak and fragile. "There must be some other way, something else that can be done. Can't you, I dunno, control this by remote control or the sonic or something?"
"I'm afraid not," the Doctor gasped, his voice as weak as Alex's. "And even if I could do that, I don't have the time. I have to go with the Pandorica."
"Then let me come with you." Alex got to her feet, just waiting permission to climb in and join him.
"No," the Doctor said flatly.
"Why not?" Alex demanded. She dove down to her knees again, gripping one of the Doctor's knees with her hands. "Doctor, did you forget everything I told you when we were trapped in the Pandorica, seemingly for all eternity? I told you my life was dull and boring until you came sauntering in. If you die, I have to go back to that life. And without you, there is nothing worthwhile to me waiting there. Nothing."
"Alex, listen to yourself," the Doctor scolded. "What about Lacey and Marigold and Emmy and everyone back in Bristol? What about Amy and Rory?"
"I'll just be a nightmare Amy has about a girl nearly running her over," Alex retorted. The Doctor watched Alex's eyes change from light brown to dark green. Those eyes showed that she was determined to do this. She would rather die than live without him. He didn't know what to think about that.
"Alex, I am not going to let you come with me," the Doctor said firmly, somehow finding the strength to get his voice to do this.
Alex stared at him. He was dead serious. There wasn't anything she could say or do to make him change his mind. Realizing that this was the end, she burst into tears. She buried her head into his knee, not wanting to look up at him as her tears dampened the fabric.
"Ally," the Doctor murmured. "Please don't cry."
"Sorry," Alex shuddered, slowly raising her head to look up at him. Her eyes weren't neon green, but dark emerald green. Unshed tears glistened in her eyeballs, resembling dew on the grass in a meadow in Ireland.
"Don't be," the Doctor told her. "I'm quite honored that your tears are soiling my pants."
Alex laughed, the tears in her eyes practically disappearing. The Doctor smiled weakly. "There's a smile."
Alex giggled. "Thanks," she murmured. "For everything." She sensed someone step up behind her and she stood, turning to see Amy. Amy gave her a sad smile and pulled her into a hug. Alex's arms tightened around her friend, before reluctantly releasing her to talk to the Doctor.
She was about to step away when Amy grabbed her hand. "Stay," she said. "I don't mind. I want you to." Alex nodded and silently leaned against the box.
"Hi," Amy greeted, whispering because of the sad circumstances.
The Doctor smiled at her weakly. "Amy Pond," he breathed. "The girl who waited all night in your garden. Was it worth it?"
"Shut up. Of course it was," Amy softly shot back.
"You asked me why I was taking you with me and I said 'No reason'. I was lying."
"It's not important," Amy dismissed. Alex had the suspicion Amy really didn't want to know what the Doctor's reason was.
"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe," the Doctor argued. "It's why I'm doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house, and just you."
"And Aunt Sharon," Amy reminded him. "And Alex a little later."
"Where were your mum and dad?" the Doctor inquired. "Where was everybody who lived in that big house?"
"I lost my mum and dad."
"How?" the Doctor pressed. "What happened to them? Where did they go?"
Alex watched Amy's face. Amy looked scared and nervous. What was going on? What did happen to Amy's parents? Alex wondered. It was only then that she realized she really didn't know. Amy had never brought her parents up, and Alex had always assumed they died in a car accident or something. She had never asked though.
"I-I don't. . ." Amy stuttered, looking truly scared now. Alex bent down to give her a reassuring hug.
"It's okay, it's okay," she assured her.
"Don't panic," the Doctor added. "It's not your fault."
"I don't even remember!" Amy realized.
"It was the crack in your bedroom, Amy," Alex deduced. She looked at the Doctor for confirmation. He nodded.
"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom," he explained to the dumbstruck Scot, "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?" Amy shuddered, allowing Alex to pull her up.
"Nothing is ever forgotten," he told her. "Not really. But you have to try."
"Doctor!" River called out, as the ground beneath their feet began rumbling and shaking. "It's speeding up!"
The Doctor reached out to grab one of Amy's hands, pulling her close to him. "There's going to be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."
"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy questioned.
"Because you're special," the Doctor told her, their foreheads touching. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back. You can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."
"You won't," Amy pointed out, tears coming to her eyes.
"You'll have your family back." The chair restraints came down over his shoulders and wrists. "You won't need your imaginary friend anymore." He observed the tears running down Amy's cheeks. "Amy Pond, crying over me, eh? Guess what?"
"What?" Amy sniffled.
The Doctor smiled wryly at her as the Pandorica doors began to close. "Gotcha."
Both girls swallowed roughly as the Pandorica doors closed, sealing the Doctor inside. Amy pulled Alex to the far side of the room, River and Rory running after them. They all turned to watch the Pandorica lift off and shoot into the sky like a rocket, flying towards the exploding TARDIS.
A moment after it was out of sight, River's handheld buzzed. "It's from the Doctor," she announced.
"What does it say?" Amy asked as Alex rushed over to look at the screen.
Alex chuckled a little, tears springing to her eyes. "Geronimo," she revealed.
A moment later, a loud explosion echoed around the room, everything going white.
~Living the Life of Ally~
The Doctor's eyes shot open and he sat up with a jerk. He looked around, happily noting that he was in the TARDIS control room. "Oh!" he cried. "Okay. I escaped then. Brilliant! I love it when I do that." He looked down at himself. "Legs, yes. Bowtie. . ." His hand reached up to fiddle with it. "Cool." He then reached up to feel his hair, jerking in surprise when he didn't feel the fez there, then remembering what River had done to it. He shrugged. "I can buy a fez."
"Lyle beach! The beach is the best! Automatic sand."
The Doctor frowned. That was his own voice. What was happening?
The Doctor hesitantly stood and looked up. Standing on the central platform were himself, Alex, and Amy. Amy was dressed in a Hawaiian-style shirt and shorts while Alex was wearing a sleeveless white sweater, ripped jeans, and sneakers. "Automatic sand?" Amy now cried disbelievingly. "What does that mean?"
"I'm guessing that it's automated," Alex smirked. Her arms were crossed, intently watching the Doctor pilot the TARDIS as if she was going to try and take it for a spin herself later.
"Totally," the other Doctor confirmed. "Cleans up the lolly sticks all by itself."
"No, hang on," the Doctor said to himself as his past self began explaining what lolly sticks were to Alex. "That's last week when we went to Space Florida." He stiffened in realization. "I'm rewinding. My, my time stream . . . unraveling . . . erasing . . . closing." He turned around, not very surprised to see a crack shrinking shut on the TARDIS wall.
He smiled sadly. "Hello, universe. Goodbye, Doctor." But he didn't want this to end. He didn't want to leave the universe. He didn't want to say goodbye to Amy and Alex . . . especially Alex.
On some crazy, twisted whim, he called out, "Amy! Alex!"
Much to his surprise, Alex whirled around and stared over at him. Amy lowered her sunglasses and stared in his direction as well. He watched Alex inch herself away from the console and over to the railing, squinting. It was like she could almost see him, but not quite. He remembered wondering what the girls were doing, but had dismissed it as nothing. Now, he knew better.
But before he could try to call out again, he felt himself being pulled away. He now found himself standing on a familiar looking street. A cat meowed behind him. He whirled around to see Amy and Alex walking towards the coffee shop, Amy with the note and advertisement for Craig's flat clutched in hand. Alex stopped to pick up the white cat she had wanted to keep. The Doctor felt a wave of sadness run through him. If he'd known all this was going to happen, he would have let Alex keep the cat.
"Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window." He watched for a moment as Amy ducked inside the coffee shop and Alex, still holding the cat to her chest, directed with one hand where she should tape it. "Amy! Alex!" he called out. "I need to tell you something!"
Amy ducked out of the coffee shop, frowning, and she stepped over to Alex. Together, the two turned in his direction. Alex released the cat, the animal curling around her ankles, as she squinted down the street. "They can hear me," the Doctor realized. "But if they can hear me. . ." He turned around, watching as a crack in the road closed up.
The crack pulled him farther into his timeline until he found himself leaning against a bunch of rocks. He was back in the oxygen factory on the Byzantium. "Good luck, everyone!" he heard his past self shout. "Behave! Do not let that girl open her eyes! And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, Ally . . . later." The Doctor poked his head out just in time to see his past self walk away. "River, going to need your computer!"
"Yeah, later," Amy responded sadly, her eyes shut. Beside her, Alex cringed and shut her eyes, burying her head in her lap as the Angel in her mind tried to take her over.
The Doctor waited until his past self was gone before running over to the girls. He knelt down in front of Amy and grasped her hands. "Amy," he murmured, "you need to start trusting me. It's never been more important."
"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy accused.
The Doctor laughed slightly. "If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."
"Doctor," Amy began slowly. "The crack in my wall. . . How can it be here?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He glanced over his shoulder to see his past self messing with the sonic screwdriver. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"
Amy frowned, confused. "What did you tell me?"
The Doctor grit his teeth. Of course. He hadn't seen her seven-year-old self yet. "No. No," he groaned, pressing his forehead against hers. "That's not the point. You have to remember."
"Remember what?" Amy questioned, but he was already getting up and moving away from her. "Doctor? Doctor?"
The Doctor stepped away from Amy and went to stand in front of Alex. He studied her for a moment. She was so, so beautiful. Her long brown-blonde hair shimmered in the oxygen factory's dim lighting and her t-shirt dress clung to her in all the right places. He remembered his dream of kissing her after this adventure and he felt blood and adrenaline race through his veins. God, he wanted her. He wanted to kiss her, right here, right now. And what better time? He was probably going to die anyway, and he had wanted to kiss Alex since the first moment he saw her.
He watched as Alex slowly lifted her head, Amy thankfully quiet now. He could tell she knew he was still there. Her posture was straight and she looked attentive, even with her eyes closed. She scooted away from Amy a little before hesitantly whispering, "I know you're still here."
The Doctor let out a deep, throaty chuckle. "You always know," he remarked. He quickly moved closer to her and knelt down in front of her. Alex smiled and started to open her eyes. The Doctor felt his inner panic slightly rise. Alex was intelligent. She would know in a split second that he was not her Doctor, not at the moment. Quickly, he put a hand over her eyes.
"Don't," he ordered, his voice unintentionally harsh. He grimaced as he felt Alex stiffen at the edge in his voice. She nodded slightly. He sighed. "Sorry," he whispered, removing his hand.
"You don't need to be worried about me," Alex assured him. "I'm fine. It's just a headache. The Weeping Angel is just trying to break out of its cage, that's all."
"Hmm," the Doctor hummed, glad she thought he was worried about the Angel. He had been while he was walking through the forest, wondering every second if she was alright. Throwing caution to the wind, he reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before slowly tracing her jawline with the pad of his thumb. Alex's breath hitched and she shifted closer to him.
"Like that?" he smirked.
He watched Alex bite her lip to keep from moaning. He felt kind of powerful for making her act like this. The Alex he knew would never act so needy or lustful. Alex reached out to grab him and pull him closer, but she suddenly stilled. He mentally swore. Of course. He had on his tweed jacket. The version of him here didn't, and he knew Alex would have noticed.
"Doctor," she said, running her fingers over the material, "where did you get—"
He couldn't allow her to expose him. Amy was right next to her, and she would hear. It'd create a paradox! Without warning, he pressed his lips to hers. There were other ways of distracting her, but this one was the only option for him. He'd been wanting to kiss her since he first met her when she was dressed in that revealing policewoman outfit. Besides, Amy might not remember him. It was his last chance to do this.
He felt Alex physically start when he pressed his lips to hers, but she quickly overcame it. In fact, she began participating, quite enthusiastically at that.
Alex's lips had a strange taste. They tasted sweet and sour, like a lime squeezed into a bunch of lemonade. They tasted wonderful. The Doctor wanted to delve into his new favorite flavor quickly, but he didn't want to scare Alex either.
Alex grazed her tongue over his upper lip. He suppressed a moan and parted willingly. Alex immediately pushed her tongue into his mouth and ran it over every last inch. His knees buckled slightly from her intensity. She was a damn good kisser, but the angle was a little wrong. He reached up and tugged slightly on her hair, pulling her head back to slant her mouth over his the way he wanted. He felt Alex shiver, but she didn't do anything to stop him, instead complying with the new angle delightedly.
The Doctor sank his teeth into her lower lip and nibbled a little, requesting permission. Alex gleefully opened her mouth. The Doctor, whose eyes were closed, sensed she was about to fall as his tongue raced over the roof of her mouth. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer until she was pressed right up against him. He absently wondered if anyone else was noticing this, but quickly pushed that thought to the very back of his mind.
Wanting to see how she would react, the Doctor moved his lips away from hers and started planting hot kisses down her neck. He could taste her perfume and that same sweet and sour flavor that decorated her lips. He felt Alex strain towards him. "Please," she begged, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Don't stop."
He smirked against her skin before he planted a long, lingering kiss in the hollow of her throat. It was so fun to make the normally uptight and in control girl come undone like this. He wanted to do this again, and in multiple ways. He then felt Alex's nails scraping through his hair as she pulled him back up to her lips. She hurriedly kissed him, her tongue doing amazing things in his mouth that nearly caused him to scream in ecstasy.
But, in a comical case of bad timing, he felt something pulling at him. His first thought was that it might be Octavian or River, even though he couldn't recall the two coming back here. Then, he realized. It was the crack, trying to pull him back further into his own timeline. He wanted to swear and scream. Why?! What couldn't he enjoy this moment a little longer?
Grimacing, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. Alex whimpered, causing his hearts to break and nearly pull her back to him. But before he could act on that, he felt that tugging again. Alex gripped his shirt collar, trying to pull him back to her.
He reluctantly moved out of reach and stood. "I have to go," he said softly but firmly. He hated this. He could see how sad she was and he just knew she was trying not to cry. His beautiful, strong Ally. Not wanting to leave just yet, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was light and soft, but also conveyed how much he wanted to stay with her and not go, though whether she realized that or not, he'd never know.
Feeling his eyes water, the Doctor stepped away and allowed the crack in the Byzantium to close, pulling him along with it.
He soon found himself standing inside a very familiar house. "Amelia's house," he breathed, looking up into the too big house. He glanced at his watch, hoping that he had arrived on a night that Alex was here. He groaned softly as he looked at the date. "When she was seven," he corrected. "The night she waited." No luck in finding Alex here then. She was currently seven years old in Bristol, Kentucky.
The Doctor turned and went out into the yard. He smiled as he saw little Amelia Pond curled up on top of her suitcase, wrapped up in a blue coat and a red knit cap. "The Girl Who Waited," he smirked. He leaned over and gently picked her up. "Come here, you," he murmured.
He carried her into the house, leaving the suitcase in the yard. Remembering that Sharon had been absent on this night, he carried her upstairs and into her room, pointedly looking away from the room Prisoner Zero was hiding in and the room that would eventually be Alex's.
He removed Amelia's coat and hat and tucked her into bed. Surprisingly, she hadn't stirred once. He sat down in a chair beside the bed and watched as she slept.
"It's funny," he said suddenly. "I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad, and you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know. It was the best. The daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you I stole it? Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back." He could practically hear Alex snorting and saying something like yeah, right!
"Oh, that box," he breathed, remembering how the TARDIS was currently in a million pieces. "Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient, and the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? Would have had. Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor, Alex Locke, and Amy Pond, and the days that never came."
He felt tears come to his eyes and a lump creep up in his throat as he thought about never seeing Amy or Alex again. He turned to look at the glowing crack on the wall. It was shrinking, but not by much.
"The cracks are closing," he told her. "But they can't close properly until I'm on the other side. I don't belong here anymore." He hesitantly stood, aware that his breath was shallow and that tears were starting to run down his cheeks like a waterfall. "I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats." He leaned down, lightly kissing Amy's cheek.
"Live well," he whispered. "Love Rory. And look out for Alex, since I won't be around to do it. Make sure she stays out of trouble and lives well." He bit his lip to keep a sob from escaping as he thought about Alex living without his presence in her life, blissfully unaware of her mental abilities or that she had fought many aliens or that she had allowed one person to call her 'Ally'. "Bye-bye, Pond."
He went over to the crack and stepped through it, the crevice widening to allow him entrance. Once he was fully inside, the crack snapped shut behind him. He didn't see Amelia wake and look around curiously to see that the once eerie crack on her wall was no more. He didn't see her fall back asleep with a smile on her face as the stars twinkled outside.
A/N: So many things going on in this chapter, so many emotions. We also got the Doctor's POV on the Byzantium kiss. :) That was probably my favorite part to write. :)
Notes on reviews. . .
dream lighting - She could be, but I'm not going to say. And congrats on being the 500th reviewer! :)
ElysiumPhoenix - Lol, Amy has horrible timing at any age, doesn't she? :) Nope, he doesn't protest when she calls him 'Doc'. It's supposed to be a parallel of how she doesn't protest when he calls her 'Ally'. :) I love that part too. It's so sweet and fluffy! :)
Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Don't worry, there will be one right after these notes! :D Ugh, I know. I hate school. But then again, I think most people my age do. :) Good idea, but Alex won't be trapped with Amy in the Two Streams Facility. Can't say the same about future OC's though. :) Good question. We know she's afraid of water so it's likely that she could get stuck in the swimming pool in 'The God Complex'. I don't want to say though, because what happens in that episode is pretty big. :)
ShadowTeir - Yep, I replayed all the scenes from the Doctor's POV. :) From my location in Kentucky, the time difference between here and the UK is five hours. :)
JackSpicer2311 - There is a moment like that planned, but not for a long time coming. :)
SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Yep, relish in the knowledge that it will happen eventually. :) I do watch Bones, but only the early seasons, before they had the baby. I didn't like how they got together. It felt too forced, like they only got together because she got pregnant. Still like it though. :)
mayfire21 - He made out with Alex here. :) And I'm glad my story was able to affect you that way. :)
TheGirlBehindTheRayBands - No, no declarations of love here. :( But, on a slightly brighter note, Alex will be in 'The Impossible Astronaut' and the letter numbers will be rearranged. :)
Gwillwillith - Thank you! Yep, not long to go so we'll see if and when they finally admit it!
TheGirlWhoWaited - Thank you! I'm so glad you like this story. It really means a lot! :)
jesterlover - Lol, I love that part too and it happened in this chapter. :) Yes, long live prinos and fezzes! :)
Okay, now for a little treat. :) We have passed the 500 mark on reviews! Thank you, everyone that reviewed and gave me praise. I never imagined this story would be so successful and your encouragement and praise and love for this story is the greatest reward I could receive. :D
And now, here's a sneak peek from 'Death of the Doctor'.
"No, you tell me right here, right now why you're here," she ordered.
Colonel Karim sighed and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead."
"Oh my God," Marigold gasped. Lacey was silent, instead watching Alex for some sort of outburst.
Alex blinked, sure she had heard that last word wrong. No, that was impossible. It was the DOCTOR, for crying out loud! "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, he can't be. That's impossible."
Colonel Karim sighed again, as if she had expected this sort of reaction. "Last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth and scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him." Alex stayed silent, trying to keep the sudden flurry of emotions in her under control. Sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, nerves, there was too much too soon.
She was barely aware of the Colonel still talking. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Locke. Sorry for the whole wide world because…he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."
Stop saying that! Alex mentally screamed. She wanted to scream it out loud at the Colonel, who seemed way too calm about this. She wanted to break down sobbing because the man she loved was dead and she had never told him. She wanted to scream and cry and curse whatever had crossed that man because he was dead.
The horrible truth sunk into Alex's mind. The Doctor was dead.
Poor Alex. :( But she won't be down in the dumps for too long. :) Once again, thank you to everyone that reviewed and favored/followed this story. Please review and see you tomorrow!
