Ah here we go, the next chapter. It's whole so you know what that means. Yay.
Anyway, thamk you Brownbug for reviewing (x2) and to all those who read, favourite and follow my story. Cheers mate.
A Good Mistake
"Okay, so where are we going now?" Amber asked looking at the Doctor. "I mean, we've stopped earth being incinerated twice and destroyed a load of murderous Angels all the while I have been almost killed for most of those things." She leaned on the counter and looked at the Doctor.
"Yes well it was a learning experience. Oh and don't forget about the Starship UK, there was that one too." He reminded her.
Amber smiled and walked over to him before leaning on his shoulder slightly. "Yeh but it was me that figured that one out remember?"
"It's seemed to have slipped my mind." She rolled her eyes at the Doctor's antics before walking over to the wardrobe. "Would it be too much to ask to go somewhere where we don't end up almost dying? Oh we could go to Fiji or maybe Rio. That would be awesome; I've always wanted to go there." She looked at the Doctor. "What do you think doc? Fiji or Rio?"
"Neither, I know where we should go; the planet Androsa Major. It's known for its beauty and it's a rather peaceful planet. Hasn't had a war in ten thousand years." His eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect of taking Amber to a new planet. He loved the look that always came on her face when she saw a new planet.
"Androsa Major? And you promise that someone won't try to kill me this time?" She asked seriously. The Doctor had a habit of taking her places and they would always get into trouble; whether it was something trying to kill her, the Doctor or Earth and almost always it meant she had to run as fast as she could. Amber had lost a good 3 stones since she had been with the Doctor because of all the running and frankly she blamed the suit he wore.
"Cross my hearts and hope to regenerate." She laughed and walked over to the wardrobe again looking through the clothes but she had no clue what the weather would be like in Andros.
"What should I wear?"
"Something for warm weather." She nodded and walked into the wardrobe looking through all the clothes for something she would like. "Oh, and it may be a little windy as well." The Doctor added.
"Okay then. Something for warm weather with a hint of wind proof." She murmured to herself. She looked through the wardrobe for a good five minuets before she found something she liked enough to wear it; it was a purple top with silver curls weaving in and out of each other with golden leaves on it too, there was a black skirt that went up to her knee and ruffled out at her thigh. Underneath were a pair of purple tights and a pair of black suede low heeled boots. She topped it off with a white cardigan, bangles and a little bit of eyeliner. Her hair was out and curled into the natural waves that had formed in the shower the previous night. Over all Amber thought she looked good and stepped out of the wardrobe.
"There you are, you took your time." Amber rolled her eyes at him and in a childish manner stuck her tongue out. Then the Doctor seemed to notice what she was actually wearing. "You're very dressed up." He looked at her now properly, noticing that every time he looked into her eyes he felt a warm feeling in his stomach. It had been like that for a while now, ever since Song had found her way onto the ship and they had found the Angels.While he knew that he loved her, he found that ever since the Angels his feelings had increased, and it seems to have been by tenfold, along with the urge to always protect Winter.
It explained why every time she had been in danger his hearts felt like they were going to jump out of his chest or why, when the Angel had climbed into her mind and had been killing her from the inside, had felt so much pain whenever she said she was going to die.
"Well it's not everyday that I travel to another planet." She thought about what she just said, "scratch that, it's not true anymore and anyway it's not my fault that wardrobe is like a maze. So are we there yet?" She asked excitedly. She was looking forward to having a break. Not that she didn't like saving the world on a daily basis - in fact she loved it - but sometimes she just wanted a normal day.
"Yep were here." He walked over to the door and stood by it, hand on the door handle. "Winter, welcome to Andros." He opened the door and she gasped. Outside was the most beautiful planet she had ever seen. There were flowers everywhere, and they were all different colours. The sky was a light purple colour and the clouds were white but also had hints of other colours too. The trees were very much like the ones on earth but the bark was a silver colour. In the background was what seemed like to Amber, a kingdom.
"Wow, that…that's…I'm speechless." Was all she could say at that moment in time? Her mind was still trying to process what she was saying.
"It's beautiful isn't it? There isn't a more beautiful planet anywhere and the people take pride in it but let's not just stand around here, let's go into the town." He grabbed her hand feeling the spark again and pulled her behind him. She laughed and followed him into the village but before they got there, she stopped and looked at the park and the little waterfall that was there in the middle of the field of flowers.
Feeling her stop the Doctor turned back and looked to see what had happened. "Come on, let's go see." Now it was her pulling him. They walked up to the small waterfall and looked into it just to see what there was. Amber saw the water rippling and sighed. There at that moment, it seemed like there was nothing more magical than being there with the man that she loved. Love? As soon as she thought the word, realization swept over her. At first it was just that he had taken her away from the horror that was her life and shown her the wonders of the Universe.
That in itself would have spawned feelings of gratefulness at least from a person. The Doctor would take her to see worlds and somehow they would always get in trouble. She had been in her fair share of life threatening positions before she had travelled with the Doctor but now…it seemed there was no end to them. It didn't matter though, because the Doctor would always be there to save her.
Amber wondered if that was how it started; he took you to see the impossible and from there, somehow – amongst the stars, the planets, the aliens, the Doctor would do something or say something and that was it. Feelings of gratefulness turned into something else. In retrospect, she thought, it must be impossible to end up not loving the Doctor in one way or another. And yet, if she was asked Amber wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone other than herself. But while it was one thing to be able to say it in her mind, it was another to say it out loud – even if she was only 80% sure of her feelings. No, I – I can't say it yet. He'll send me back home and I can't leave him!
"It's beautiful isn't it?" A voice asked her, breaking Amber's inner argument. She spun around and noticed that there was a woman in a white floor length dress standing in front of her smiling at them. Amber nodded in answer. She had red hair cascading down her face in loose curls and her eyes were a shining shade of blue that rivalled the water from the waterfall – yet there was something young and ancient at the same time in them.
"Hello, who are you?" The Doctor asked getting straight to the point. Amber rolled her eyes at him and hit him in the back of his head.
"Excuse him;" she said as the Doctor groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "It's been a long time since he's met anyone that hasn't tried to kill him recently so he's a little rusty on manners. Hi, I'm Amber Swann and this is the Doctor."
"Hello Amber, I'm Serafina. You know, the waterfalls of Androsa Major are known for both their healing qualities and their knowledge of the future."
"Really? You mean they actually heal people?" She asked fascinated. All those possibilities to heal the people on Earth and they were in that pool.
"Yes it does. You are a strange human Amber Swann." Her head cocked to the side slightly.
"I've been told so by a lot of people." She said smiling.
"Yes but many would ask about their future only you seem to not want to know it. Why is that?" She asked. "Ohh umm, I guess I just like surprises." The Doctor smiled, that was what she had told him when he asked her where she wanted to go. She had said to 'surprise her' and he hoped he had. "Hmm, well I hope you enjoy it here on Androsa Amber, but before you go, here." She handed the Doctor a corsage and he took it and thanked her and then she left.
"Well that was interesting." The Doctor said looking at the woman moving off into the distance.
"Yeh, and apparently, I am a very strange human. Who knew?" Amber shrugged her shoulders. The Doctor grinned, looking at her.
"I could have told you that," Amber hit him in the arm but not that hard trying not to smile but she couldn't help it.
"So what do you think? Should we go explore the town?" She asked.
"Yeh but first," he took the corsage and brought out her hand towards him. Amber held her breath as he put the brightly coloured bracelet onto her wrist and then kissed her hand gently. "There, a beautiful flower for a beautiful girl." Amber blushed and lowered her head before reaching up and touching the flower that now rested in her hair.
"Oh, congratulations," an old woman said before smiling at the two of them. "Err…for what?" Amber asked her. "The marriage of course." Both people starred at her, shock coloured their features and they just stood there staring at her. The Doctor was the first to snap out of it. "What do you mean marriage?" He asked her slowly. A confused expression came to the old woman's face. "You mean you don't know?" Both shook their heads, "Oh, well the customs of Androsa states that if the male partner takes the Flower Of Eden and gives it to their partner and she accepts, a marriage bond is formed, one that is irreversible."
"How does she accept?" Amber asked cautiously, "I mean, what has to happen?"
"The Flower of Eden must be presented to the female and to accept it, she must allow the flower to touch her skin." The woman looked at the pair happily, smiling at them joyfully but Amber couldn't make herself do it. She was too scared of the Doctor's reaction.
"What you mean that there isn't any way to reverse this? Isn't there like a…divorce council or anything?" Amber asked. Why are you asking that? Isn't this what you want? To spend a lifetime with the Doctor? The voice asked her. Yes but this is going too quickly, he doesn't know. She argued with the voice.
"No."The word was firm and full of the smallest traces of disgust. "Marriage is a sacred thing on Andros. Once you have made the bond you can not reverse it, it bounds the soul forever. The only way to reverse it is if one of you dies." As if on cue a burning sensation shot through Amber's right arm but it was the hottest around her wrist. She gasped in both pain and in shock and clutched her arm to her in attempts to stop the pain but I didn't help.
After a few seconds though, the burning lessened and she looked at her wrist to see a ring of intricate loops and swirls in and out of each other right where the corsage had been and if she looked closely she could see the outline of the word 'Hope and Elation'. Amber gasped again still looking at her wrist but then she looked over at the Doctor only to see that he was looking at his left wrist.
When she looked at his wrist she saw almost the same design only this one had leaves and small roses blooming and Amber could see the words 'Freedom and Love' on his wrist.
"It is now completely irreversible. Those tattoos are your connection to each other's soul. Memories, feelings and thoughts will now be shared." The woman rolled back her sleeve and Amber saw the tattoo on her.
"So…you're married?" She asked her. The woman nodded and smiled.
"Yes, I've been married for 40 years." She smiled fondly and rolled the sleeve back. "It's been a good marriage and the High Priestess blessed our as well." The Doctor's head shot up and he looked at her.
"What?" He asked. He had been quiet. Scarily quiet and she was starting to worry about him.
"The High Priestess, she was the one that gave you the flower wasn't she?" He nodded, "well if she was the one that gave you the flower then she must have thought that you two were a good pair. Her giving you the flower means that she blessed your marriage."
"Right, well where can we find this High Priestess?" The Doctor asked looking at her earnestly.
"She lives right on the edge of the Silver Forrest." She pointed them in the direction and the Doctor thanked her before taking off in the direction. Amber ran behind him as fast as she could. Why am I not surprised that were running again? Oh well, at least I put on low heeled boots today. She thought with an eye roll. As they got closer to the edge of the forest hey saw the outline of something that looked like a hut and as they got closer they saw that it was a rather large bungalow.
"Huh, not somewhere….you would expect a…high priestess to live." Amber panted leaning on a tree and trying to catch her breath but the Doctor had already gone right ahead and knocked on the door. The same woman – Serafina – answered the door smiling at us.
"Hello, we have some questions for you." The Doctor stated rather bluntly in Amber's opinion. Serafina motioned for the both of them to come in and closed the door behind them when they had both gone in.
"Hello again Amber, Doctor." She nodded her head at the both of them. "Please, why don't you sit down? I know you have a lot of questions to ask me and I assure you I will but first." She motioned to the chairs that were around a table. Amber went and cautiously sat down but the Doctor stayed standing and assessed the situation trying to find the possible exists if things started to get bad and so far he saw only one and it was the same one that they had come through.
"I understand how you feel Doctor but I promise you that no harm will come to you or your mate while you are here." The Doctor stood for a moment more before nodding slightly and sitting down.
"Yeh, uh that's one of the things that we wanted to ask you. How are we married?" Amber asked her. "I mean I know how, but I mean how? We are two different species, wouldn't it like…. I don't know…cause some sort of hole in the universe or something?" She asked. Serafina smiled at her.
"You said you know what has happened yes?" They both nodded and she continued, "Who told you?"
"Uhh…we don't really know. There was a woman there when you left and she explained some things to us like the binding of the soul and all that but still it would be nice to know what happened." Amber said somewhat reluctantly. Serafina smiled and nodded before explaining. "The Flower of Eden is a sacred flower, not only in Andros but in many other planets as well however it only grows here."
"The Flower of Eden? As in Adam and Eve and the garden?" Serafina nodded at her question and continued.
"Yes, the flower is from the garden and so is special. From the age of five all high priestesses' are required to be able to understand it's magic and even still very few can. The flower if read properly can also show the souls of other and therefore it can also show soul mates." She looked pointedly at the two and noticed that Amber wouldn't look at the Doctor.
"When I saw you two standing by the waterfall, the Eden gave off a light so brightly that there was no mistaking it, and I had only heard of this happen once before between a couple: Jessica and Michel."
"That must have been the woman we met." Amber said quietly, "she said that their marriage had been blessed by the high priestess too." Serafina smiled thinking about it. "I must have been them then."
"So because a flower glowed brightly then you thought you could just marry us?" The Doctor asked, finally speaking. "You don't realize what you've done. Winter can't marry me; it's too dangerous for a Timelord to marry a human."
"But she is no longer completely human." Serafina said quickly. The Doctor stared at her for a moment before looking at Amber.
"Of course she's human, what else could she be?" He asked her angrily.
"She's changing." Serafina said simply.
"What? I'm changing into what?" Amber asked. Panic erupted from inside Amber. How was she changing? What was she changing into? It doesn't make any sense. "It can't be; I'm just a normal human girl from America. Granted bad things have happened to me but I'm still human!" Amber was standing now, somewhere along that rant she had managed to stand up so now she was towering over Serafina.
"I know what you have been through Amber Swann and I know that no person should have gone through that but believe me when I say that you are not ordinary and you are most defiantly not human anymore, at least not completely but then…you have never been fully human." Serafina stood up from her chair.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked shakily. This woman couldn't know; she hadn't told anyone. Not even the Doctor about what had happened to her in those years after the Doctor had left.
"A couple married under the Eden flower share their partner's life." Serafina explained. Both people looked at her shocked at what they had just learnt and momentarily, she smiled as they seemed to have forgotten about the question she had asked. They would find out in due time. "The tattoo's on your wrist are what's in your heart of hearts, what you truly need."Amber looked at hers and then felt Serafina's hands on hers. "Yours, Amber says 'Hope and Elation'. It means you have brought hope and happiness into the Doctor's life; what he needed the most." She turned to the Doctor and took his hand. "And yours says 'Freedom and Love'. "That is what you brought to Amber when you took her with you all those months ago. You both have been blessed with a great gift: a chance at love. Not many are given this gift so treasure it and keep it safe with all your hearts."
Amber sat on her bed back in the TARDIS. They had left after Serafina had told them all she thought they needed to know and now they were floating somewhere in space again. Amber fond herself tracing the tattoo absently she was thinking about everything Serafina had told her but mostly about the fact that she was now an alien. What am I going to do? It was bad enough how it was before I met the Doctor but now I have all these powers and the lifespan of a Timelord. It was hard enough when I lived on Earth with all that I had seen before I travelled the universe. It'll be near impossible now. Amber sighed and lay down on the bed looking up at the ceiling of her room. He hasn't even asked how I am. She thought to herself. Maybe he doesn't even care. But even as he thought it she knew it wasn't true.
He cared; he must of care even if it was only a little but because otherwise she wouldn't even be here. But then why isn't he up here then? She sighed again but she had no answers to the questions that kept swimming around her head so she tried to sleep. This time she closed her eyes and tried to sleep it was because it was the only way that she would be able to escape for a few short hours and that was what she needed: an escape. She traced the pattern once more before she found herself drifting of to sleep.
The Doctor sighed and fiddled with his sonic screwdriver just staring at the wall of the TARDIS. He could feel Winter's emotions settling down a little and he guessed that it meant that she was going to sleep now. It had been like that ever since they had come back from Serafina's house. He had been feeling whatever she had been and since they had come back Winter had been feeling all sorts of emotions. From sadness to guilt to desperation but he just couldn't bring himself to go up to make sure she was okay. She might hate me now. I took her to Andros so that she could relax but instead I manage to get us married.
It was an odd feeling. On the one hand, he knew that he loved her that he really and truly was in love with the odd named Swann but on the other hand he didn't know how she felt and he was worried about the marriage. It had never been done before; a Timelord and a human had never been married and the thing that had happened with Donna… As he thought t about imagined Winter in the same place as Donna he felt a gut wrenching pain, almost as if his body was reacting to the thought of Winter away from him and protesting with all its might and he quickly stopped thinking about it.
Instead he tried to make his body fall asleep and it seemed to work, but just as he was drifting off he heard a piercing shrill scream fill the TARDIS an echoed off the walls. "Winter." He whispered to himself.
He jumped up and ran to her room, bursting down the door and looked around the room expecting to see something leaning over her but all that was there was Winter in her bed tossing and turning. "Winter, Winter wake up." He shook her trying to get her to wake up. "Winter wake up!" He shook her again and this time she woke up.
She gasped and saw him and when she did an uncontrollable sob burst through her and she started crying. "Shhh, shhh." He brought her too him and put his arms around her comforting her. His hearts broke at what he was seeing but part of him noted that his hearts were fluttering at the proximity of her. "It was a bad dream Winter, that's all." he told her, rocking her gently.
"N-no it wasn't." she whimpered. The Doctor looked at her and wiped away the tears that were still falling freely down her face, but it didn't make much difference. The tears were still falling and Amber knew there wasn't anything she could really do about it. They would carry on falling and nothing was going to stop them. Amber didn't want to stop them though; she was crying for all that those people had lost, their homes, their family, friends and eventually their planet. Her crying was a way to honour them when there was nothing else that could be done.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"It was too real to be a dream; it was almost like a memory but it wasn't mine." She began crying again as she remembered the faces. "It was too vivid." She gasped. The Doctor held her closer again, telling her that everything would be alright.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and felt her grip tighten on him. "Okay then, you doesn't have to tell me anything but what about a hot drink?"
"Umm do you think that you could just stay here with me for a bit? I don't trust myself not to fall apart again." He nodded and stroked her hair softly. After a few moments she sighed and lifted her hands off the Doctor suit. "I think I can handle a hot drink now." He nodded and Amber moved away so that he could get and when he did she followed him into the kitchen part of the TARDIS. "Hot chocolate right?" He asked but then froze.
He wasnt supposed to know that, she hadn't told him what drink she preffered or how she like it. But thankfully, she saw too upset over her nightmare to give it any thought.
"Yeh, hot chocolate." She told him. "With water instead of milk please." She added as an after thought. He nodded and walked to the kettle and put it on to boil then he turned to look at Winter. Beautiful, smart, bright, sarcastic, strong Winter. The girl that figured out how to save a whole country, the girl that almost died and walked right out of it laughing and asking where they were going to go next and the girl that waited all that time to follow him into the unknown, not afraid of anything so whatever was in that dream must have been pretty bad to scare her like that.
"I think…I think that I can tell you now." Amber said quietly. The Doctor handed her the cup of hot chocolate and she took it gratefully into her hands and gave him a little smile. "Do you want to sit down?" Amber shook her head looking down at her mug and sighed slightly before looking up again. "The dream was so real, it was almost like it was happening right in front of me… there was so much pain and suffering though, like…like there was a war happening right there in front of me."
She started and when she did she couldn't seem to stop. "I-I don't know what happened…all I could really feel was the pain of all the people but… what I did see was the…the Daleks." She stopped, closed her eyes and tried to escape the pain that she was feeling but this time it didn't go away. Instead it increased so much that she almost cried out.
Amber looked over to the Doctor in time to see him stagger a little and then fall to the floor. "Doctor!" she cried out and ran to him forgetting the hot chocolate in her hand and letting it drop. It smashed to the floor as she knelt by him. "Doctor? Doctor are you okay?" She was almost crying again from both seeing him helpless on the floor and the pain she was feeling.
"I think… I think that I know what you were dreaming about." He whispered sitting up.
"What was it?" Amber asked. She didn't know whether she wanted to know or not but somehow she knew it was something that she needed to know. The Doctor seemed reluctant to tell her. "Please? I need to know." She whispered. He nodded and with that he began telling her about the Last Time War.
The Doctor woke up dazed and slightly warm. He looked over and found that Winter was asleep next to him and his arm was resting lightly over her waist. Her face was snuggled into his chest and her hand was gripping his shirt tightly. He started to move away from her but she clung tighter and murmured something that sounded a lot like 'don't go'. Smiling to him self her moved back into the position that he was in before and closed his eyes and breathed in her scent, preparing to go to sleep when something Winter said made his eyes snap open so quickly that they almost made a sound.
He stopped breathing, wondering if what he heard was wrong. "I love you." She murmured again but this time it was clearer to hear and unmistakable. The Doctor lay there frozen in that position. She couldn't of said that, she couldn't have been talking about me could she? He didn't dare let himself hope what she had said was true – not this early in her timeline - because it may have been a mistake and he didn't know if he would be able to handle that.
"I love you Doctor." She whispered softly and moved herself closer to him. The part of his brain that wasn't forced into shock from those words argued with himself but his hearts won out in the end. The Doctor broke out into a huge grin and held her closer to him.
"I love you too Winter." He whispered to her. "I love you more than I thought possible." He closed his eyes and fell into a soft, peaceful sleep – and for the first time in months he didn't have a nightmare. Amber smiled to herself as she heard the words he had whispered. She knew now, that the Doctor more than cared and the feeling she felt hearing him say those words made her heart swell and her stomach flutter and Winter Swann fell asleep knowing that the man she well and truly loved, loved her back just as much and for now she was happy that she knew. When he wanted to tell her he would but for now, Amber enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, keeping her safe from whatever was out there.
They slept peacefully and unknowingly ignorant to what lay ahead for them because very soon, the Doctor and his beloved would once again be parted.
And there you have it. The lonng awaitied original chapter.
Were you as suprised as i hoped you'd be? I hope you were. This was basically the chapter the whole story was revollved around so tell me if it's good.