The Doctor struggled against the restraints, he needed to get out of the Pandorica, preferably before the TARDIS exploded and everything when bang.

Also, Thea was outside with all of his enemies as he couldn't see her when the doors had been closing, he couldn't hear her or his enemies and that terrified him. If any of them sensed her, he didn't think they'd leave her alive as any sort of bait. If she was dead it was all his fault and he had a duty of care. He had failed on that, again, just like her failed his own children.

He had promised himself he would do better this time, after losing Jenny he promised he would do better with children around.

If he could just get the sonic out his pocket, he could undo the restraints and get himself out.

He froze, the Pandorica sliding open, seeing Rory standing against the bright light, still dressed as a centurion, and he knew that was Rory and not a Nestene Duplicate. They had already gotten him locked in the Pandorica which is what they'd wanted, why now get him out? No, this was all Rory Williams, soon to be Pond. A moment later the harness and clamps released.

"How did you do that?" he asked, trying to look past Rory, trying to see Thea past him. It didn't make him feel any better. Rory should have seen Thea first, checked she was fine before getting him out. Thea was number one priority, Rory should know that.

"You gave me this." Rory held up the sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor pulled out his own sonic screwdriver, "No, I didn't."

"You did. Look at it."

"Where is she?" he demanded, turning to Rory, "Thea, where is she?"

"I don't know." he shook his head, "she was down here with you." He hadn't seen the girl when he had come down, he assumed she had been locked in the Pandorica with the Doctor.

The Doctor spun around, as though she would suddenly jump out and shout 'boo!' he hoped she would. It didn't make sense. For her to not be here and turned to stone like everyone else, that meant she must have run off, the Roman on the floor was enough proof of that. But there was only one way in and one way out which meant if she left then Rory must have seen her.

"Thea!" he shouted. She had to be here somewhere.

"I'm here."

His hearts instantly slowed as she stepped out from hiding behind the Pandorica, Rivers bag clutched to her chest.

"Bad light." she murmured, "avoid that."

"You're alright." he sighed, hugging her tightly. "I thought you'd been turned to stone."

"What's it you say? I'm the king of okay."

He chuckled, "I've never said that."

She shrugged, "then you will."

"You're okay." He breathed.

"I'm fine." She assured him, "are you alright?"

"Better knowing you are."

"You don't need to worry about me. I can handle myself."

"I can see that." He smiled slightly, nodding to the Roman she had disarmed to get free, quite literally disarmed, with his arm a few feet away from the rest of the body, "but I'm still going to worry."

"What are they?" Rory cut in, gesturing to the aliens.

"Bad." Thea said.

"History has collapsed." the Doctor told him, "Whole races have been deleted from existence.

These are just like after-images. Echoes. Fossils in time. The footprints of the never-were."

"What does that mean?"

"Total event collapse. The universe literally never happened."

"So, how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing. Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out."

Thea looked around, seeing one person missing, "Where's Amy?"

Rory was silent, turning and leading them back outside to where Amy was laying, a blanket over her prone form.

"I killed her." he swallowed.

"Oh, Rory..." the Doctor sighed.

"What am I?"

"A Nestene duplicate." The told him, "sometimes known as Autons." she rubbed her head, remembering she had guessed Autons. She really did hate that, how she said things like that that could be so helpful and yet she never thought about it because it was so simple, just went over your head. No one would have thought she guessed correctly, knowing what the Romans were.

"A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity." the Doctor added.

"But I'm Rory now." he insisted, "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory."

"That's software talking." Thea told him softly as the Doctor ran the sonic over Amy, checking the results, sending her a small nod. There was still the chance to save Amy, but they needed to be sure Rory was actually Rory now.

"Can you help her?" Rory pleaded, "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably, if I had the time." The Doctor straightened up.

"The time?" Rory gaped, looking between them, even Thea wasn't on his side, she was just sat besides Amy in silence, avoiding his eyes.

"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky. Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your girlfriend isn't more important than the whole universe."

Rory whipped around, punching the Doctor soundly in the jaw, knocking him down, "She is to me!"

The Doctor jumped back up, laughing, "Welcome back, Rory Williams! Sorry. Had to be sure." he patted the mans shoulder, "Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there. Right, we need to get her downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning."

Rory stared after him, glancing at Thea who just smiled back at him. That face left him feeling even more confused.

~.~

The Doctor gently placed Amy in the Pandorica as Rory helped, "So you've got a plan, then?" he asked.

"Bit of a plan, yeah." the Doctor nodded, "Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a bit more than they bargained for, like you."

"Not just your face," Thea added, "but your heart and your soul. Every bit the Rory Williams she loves."

The Doctor placed his fingers to Amy's temples, closing his eyes in focus, "I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening." he stepped back and shut the Pandorica, sealing her inside.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Rory shook his head, "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It forces you tto stay alive."

"But she's already dead."

"Always so cheery, you are." Thea remarked, "she's not fully dead yet."

"The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way." the Doctor explained, "Now, all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

"Where's it going to get that?" Rory frowned.

The Doctor checked his watch, "In about 2000 years."

"1,894." Thea corrected, pulling out Rivers Vortex Manipulator from the womans bag that she had not let go off.

She didn't even know why she held it close, maybe because she knew they'd need stuff from in it and didn't want to risk everything getting turned to stone, or maybe she knew River would be cross if she lost her diary, or maybe it was out of her concern from River who, as far as they knew, was still trapped in an exploding TARDIS.

"She's going to be in that box for 2000 years?" Rory exclaimed.

"Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut." the Doctor informed him as he took the manipulator and strapped it to his wrist, "River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So, the future's still there, then?" Rory asked, "Our world."

"Yes," Thea replied, "no. Sort of." she shook her head, "a version of it."

"Not quite the one you know." the Doctor agreed, "Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look. You put your hand there. Don't worry. Should be safe."

Thea smiled as she rested her had on the Manipulator, she didn't even need to have a feeling or anything to know Rory wouldn't take the shortcut with them.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Rory muttered, turning back to the Pandorica.

"She'll be fine." the Doctor assured him, "Nothing can get into this box."

"Well, you got in there." he argued.

"Well, there's only one of me. I counted."

"Until you run into a previous regeneration." Thea countered, "that'll be a busy day."

"This box needs a guard." Rory determined, "I killed the last one."

"No." the Doctor shook his head as he realised what Rory was intending to do, "Rory, no. Don't even think about it."

"She'll be all alone."

"She won't feel it."

"You bet she won't."

"2000 years, Rory." the Doctor tried to reason with him, "You won't even sleep. you'd be conscious every second. It would drive you mad."

"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory asked.

"Of course, she would be." Thea smiled.

"Then how could I leave her?"

"This universe needs more Rory Williams."

The Doctor sighed at his stubbornness, "Why do you have to be so human?"

"Because right now, I'm not." he replied simply.

"Listen to me." the Doctor told him as he began to type in the coordinates, "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of trouble!"

"I want one of them." Thea sighed as she looked over at Rory as the man settled down before the Pandorica, putting his helmet back on, pulling out his sword.

"You're not having a sword." the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"No," she laughed, "I want a Rory Williams, someone who will wait 2000 years for me just to keep me safe and protective. That's so romantic."

She smiled over at Rory as he patiently waiting as the Doctor slammed his hand on the Manipulator, leaving the centurion alone, as the reappeared 1,894 years later, in a museum, Amy alive standing before them, with a smaller version of herself, the Pandorica opens with a light shining out...a Dalek behind them.

"Two of you?" The Doctor huffed, "complicated."

"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted, "Weapons systems restoring."

The Doctor grabbed both their hands, "Come along, Ponds and Smith." they ran off, using the Pandorica for cover as Thea led them into an alcove of the North America display. The Doctor catching the fez from one of the mannequins as it fell and put it on his head.

"Exterminate!"

"What are we doing?" Amy hissed.

"Well, we are running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being in one." the Doctor replied, turning to Thea, "do you see a way out?"

"I don't see anything." she stated, "there is no universe, therefore no future to see."

"Right." he nodded slowly. He hadn't thought of that.

They didn't really know much about her feelings and senses. Just that she was usually right about what she felt would happen in the future. Only the High Council really knew how to train young Visionaries to understand what they felt or saw. They knew from the millennia's of using Visionaries on the council to see what the future would be.

Thea didn't have that training, she didn't know how to use it, how it worked, just that her mind could see the future, whether near or far.

"What's going on?" a watchman called, stepping into view, a torch in his hand.

"Get out of here!" the Doctor shouted, "Go! Just run!"

"Drop the device!" the Dalek turned to the watchman.

"It's not a weapon!" Thea shouted, "just scan it. It's just light."

"It's not a weapon," the Doctor agreed, "and you don't have the power to waste."

"Scans indicate intruder unarmed." the Dalek said.

"Do you think?" the watchman scoffed, dropping his torch...and his hand opening to reveal a gun hidden away, firing at the Daleks eyestrain.

"Vision impaired!" it cried, spinning around, "Vision..." and powered down.

The watchman stepped put to reveal Rory! "Amy!" he gasped, seeing she was alive and well, out of the Pandorica.

"Rory..." she breathed, running for him and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened."

"Oh, shut up." she cut him off with a kiss.

"That's so romantic." Thea sighed dreamily, "I want that."

"I waited." Rory whispered, "2000 years I waited for you."

"No, still shut up." Amy continued to kiss him.

"I'm so ready to be married." Thea sighed.

Usually in Gallifreyan society when you graduated the Academy you were thrown into an arranged married, some did marry for love, but more often than not parents found a suitable betrothed for their children and within a few years after leaving the Academy you would be married and ready to start having children.

She had always hated the idea of an arranged married. But with her parents places on the council she pretty much had no choice in the matter. One of the many reasons she had wanted out of that place. People should get to choose who they wanted to spend their life's with.

"You never got married?" the Doctor glanced at her.

"Didn't find the time." She smiled sadly.

Little Amelia tugged on the Doctors sleeve to get his attention, "I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink?"

"Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it?" he moaned, setting the fez on her head but she shoved it back at him.

"The light!" Thea gasped, "The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek, that's why it's not stone like everything else, the light brought it back to life." The Daleks weapons witched.

"Out! Out!" Doctor shouted, seeing the Dalek slowly building back to power, "Out! Out!"

"Come on!" Thea urged Amy and Rory as they finally broke apart, pulling Amelia with them out the room.

The Doctor flashed the sonic on the lock, "So, 2000 years." he looked at Rory, "How did you do?"

"Kept out of trouble." he replied.

"Oh." he noticed the fez still in his hands and put it back on his head, "How?"

"Unsuccessfully." he looked over as Thea grabbed a mop to help block the door, "The mop! That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic!"

"Ah." the Doctor nodded, taking the mop from Thea, "well, no time to lose, then." he activated the manipulator, disappearing, reappearing a moment later. "oops, sorry." he used the mop to block the door and disappeared again.

"How can he do that?" Amelia asked Thea, "is he magic?"

"The good wizard from fairytale." she nodded, recalling what River had called him.

The Doctor reappeared again, "Right, let's go then."

"What about the sonic?" Thea wondered, "haven't you just given it to Rory 2000 years ago?"

"Oh, good point." the Doctor snapped his fingers at her, disappearing again and reappearing,

"Right then." he reached into Amy's top pocket, pulling out his sonic, "Off we go! No, hang on. How did you know to come here?" he asked Amelia.

Amelia reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a pamphlet and a sticky note.

"Ah, my handwriting." he turned to a table, grabbing a pamphlet and a sticky note, writing on them and disappearing again to ensure young Amelia came to the museum and stuck around to get Amy out of the Pandorica. He reappeared with a drink for Amelia, "There you go. Drink up."

"What is that?" Amy demanded, "How are you doing that?"

"Vortex manipulator." he answered, "Cheap and nasty time travel. Very bad for you. I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" she asked, as he headed up the stairs.

"The roof."

"We need to find River." Thea added, only to get cut off by a flash of light and crackle of energy.

The Doctor, another Doctor, from the future, appeared at the top of the stairs, smoking and singed, looking at them before collapsing down the stairs.

"Oh, my stars!" Thea cried, rushing to knee besides him, checking him over, "Dalek hit you..."

"Doctor, it's you." Rory frowned, "How can it be you?"

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy called.

"Yeah, it's me." the Doctor swallowed, "Me from the future."

The future Doctor snapped his eyes open, pulling Thea down and whispering in her ear before falling back to the floor, still.

"Is he...is he dead?" Amy swallowed.

Thea looked up to meet the present Doctor in the eye. Looking past him to see a certain

young ginger missing from the group, "you've got 12 minutes."

"Right." he nodded, "that's good."

"Could be better." She frowned.

"Could be worse."

"12 minutes to live?" Amy scoffed, "How is that good?"

"Oh, you can do loads in 12 minutes. Suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof."

"We can't leave you here dead." Rory argued.

"Oh, good." the Doctor spun round to face him, "Are you in charge now? So tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"

Both Amy and Rory spun around, finally noticing the girl was missing, her drink spilt on the floor, "Where did she go?"

"Amelia?" Rory called.

"There is no Amelia." the Doctor stated, "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

"But how can I still be here if she's not?" Amy shook her head.

"You're an anomaly. We all are. We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm. But the eye is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!" he took Theas hand and pulled her up the stairs.

"Come on!" Thea called, seeing the humans hadn't followed them.

~.~

The Doctor stepped out onto the roof first, seeing it was daylight, Thea behind him, Amy and Rory following.

"What, it's morning already?" Amy squinted in the light, "How did that happen?"

"History is collapsing." Thea answered, staring at the big ball of light in the sky, "the entire universe is collapsing, time is running out."

"What are you doing?" Rory frowned at the Doctor seeing the man take a satellite dish off a pole, sonicking it.

"Looking for the TARDIS." he muttered.

"But the TARDIS exploded."

"Okay then, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"I don't understand." Amy shook her head, "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. But why would it do that? How?"

"Who knows." Thea murmured, "maybe someone really hates TARDISes and Time Lords."

"But we'll leave that question for another day." the Doctor remarked, "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. So, if all the stars that ever were are gone, then what is that?" he pointed up at the ball of fire in the sky, "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun." Rory frowned.

"How can the sun exist is stars never did." Thea countered.

"Exactly." the Doctor nodded, "here's the noise that sun is making right now." he flashed his sonic on the dish, amplifying the sound, the wheezing of the TARDIS echoing around, "That's my TARDIS burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"Doctor..." Rory frowned, making out another noise, quieter than the wheezing, "there's something else. There's a voice."

"I can't hear anything." Amy shook her head.

"Trust the plastic." he pointed to his ear.

The Doctor aimed the dish higher and they could hear Rivers voice amongst the wheezing of the TARDIS, "I'm sorry, my loves..." echoing over and over.

"Doctor, that's River!" Amy gasped, "How can she be up there?"

"It must be like a recording or something." Rory reasoned.

"The emergency protocols!" Thea cried.

"Oh, of course." the Doctor realised, "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..." Thea breathed, spinning to the Doctor, "go get her. She's in there because of you."

The Doctor quickly disappeared again, and they heard him speaking to River in the TARDIS, "did someone need a ride?"

"What time do you call this?" River demanded and a moment later they both reappeared back on the roof.

"River!" Thea cheered, hugging her now she was safe.

"Worried about me, sweetheart?" River smirked, "Amy." she nodded to the woman, frowning at the sight of Rory, "and the plastic centurion?"

"It's Rory. He's on our side."

"Really? I dated a Nestene duplicate once. Swappable head...it did keep things fresh."

"I bet it did."

"Right then, I have questions, but number one is this. What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" she turned to the Doctor, staring at his fez.

"It's a fez." he grinned, "I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool. Thea agrees."

She blinked, "its very nice. Very red and hatlike."

Amy grabbed the fez off his head, throwing it into the air as River shot it.

"Actually I don't like it." Thea admitted, "I was just distracting you."

"Oh." the Doctor pouted.

"We should get back inside." Thea said, her gaze at the edge of the roof.

They didn't hesitate to run back to the stairs as the Dalek levitated up the side of the building with its war-cry. "Exterminate!"

The Doctor used the satellite dish as cover as they ran.

"Doctor, come on." River urged as the man sonicked the hatch locked, not seeming to make an effort to run further into the museum. She had her blaster out ready, just in case.

"Shush." he hushed her, listening for the Dalek, "It's moving away, finding another way in. It needs to restore its power before it can attack again." he climbed down the ladder, "Now, that means we've got exactly..." he checked his watch, "4 and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know?" Rory asked.

"Because that's when it's due to shoot him." Thea replied.

"Shoot him? What do you mean, shoot him?" River demanded.

"Oh, shut up." The Doctor huffed, "Never mind. How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"

"The Pandorica," Thea began, "the lights a restoration field. It restored Amy."

"But how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?" he countered.

"Because they would be some remnants left of it. Even if its just a memory, it can be brought back."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, "and 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." Amy frowned, trying to keep up.

"The perfect prison." Thea nodded.

"And inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was." the Doctor continued, "In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

"No, no." Rory shook his head, "too fast. I'm not getting it."

"The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory, and that's how we're going to do it."

"Relight the fire." Thea exclaimed, "and reboot the universe!"

"Exactly!" the Doctor cheered, "Come on!" he turned and led them off.

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous." River quickly caught up with them, "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 give it a moment of infinite power?" he countered, "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

"Well, that would be lovely, but we can't, because it's completely impossible."

"Ah no, you see, it's not." he grinned, "It's almost completely impossible. One spark is all we need."

"For what?"

"Big Bang Two! Now listen..." he stepped into the next room...only to be instantly struck by a laser, sending him backward as the Dalek trundled over from the end of the room.

"Doctor!" Thea shouted, running to his side, not caring about the Dalek as River followed her, standing with her blaster out to cover them as Rory pulled out round a corner.

"Get back." Rory called, his gun hand out, "River, get back now!" he fired at the Dalek, powering it down again momentarily again.

"Doctor?" Thea breathed, staring down at him. Oh she knew it had been coming, knew she couldn't even try to change it not when they saw it 12 minutes ago, and she hated him for that. Knowing he purposely would go back downstairs now to ensure she wouldn't be able to change it. "don't go..." she pleaded...but he reached for the vortex manipulator and disappeared.

"Where did he go?" River looked around, "Damn it, he could be anywhere."

"Downstairs, 12 minutes ago."

"Show me."

"River, he died." Amy told her gently.

River looked at her, horrified, and then at Thea, "who told you that?"

"I did." Thea whispered, straightening up at Rivers gaze.

River eyed her, "you're lying."

"Why would I lie about that?"

But they didn't have time to decide if Thea was lying as the Dalek began to power back up, "Systems restoring. You will be exterminated."

"We've got to move!" Rory called, "That thing's coming back to life."

"You go to the Doctor." River turned to the Dalek, "I'll be right with you."

"River..." Thea murmured as Amy and Rory turned to leave.

"Go."

"You will be exterminated!" the Dalek shouted.

"Not yet." River smirked, raising her blaster, "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. You are an associate of the Doctor's."

"I'm a Time Lord." Thea stated, "and I'll avenge the Doctors death," she held her hand out, not breaking eye contact from the Dalek, closing her grip around the blaster River handed over. "beg."

"Mercy!" the Dalek cried.

"Say it again." she cocked her head.

"Mercy!"

She smirked, "just once more..."

"Mercy!"

"That'll do it." she aimed the blaster, firing at its eyestalk and handing the blaster back to

River, "that felt good."

"I love your secret dark side."

"I bet you do." Thea smirked at her as they turned and headed off to join Amy and Rory at the bottom of the stairs, the Doctor nowhere in sight.

"But he was dead!" Amy exclaimed.

"I lied." Thea stated, not stopping as she walked down the stairs.

"Where's the Dalek?" Rory looked back as though expecting the Dalek to follow them.

"It died." River said simply, putting her blaster back in her holster leaving the humans to assume she had been the one to kill the Dalek.

"Come on, to the Pandorica." Thea led them off.

"Doctor!" Thea ran over to the Pandorica, seeing the Doctor slumped inside, she dropped to her knees before him, "you have to stay awake, please..."

"What's happening?" Rory frowned, seeing the light from the TARDIS getting brighter.

"Realities collapsing faster without the loop." Thea murmured.

"Look at this room." River agreed.

"Where'd everything go?" Amy looked around seeing the room was empty besides them and the Pandorica.

"History's being erased." River told her, "Time's running out." she knelt besides Thea, before the Doctor, "Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us. Doctor!"

"Big...Bang...Two..." he breathed.

"The Big Bang?" Rory blinked, "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back?" Amy guessed, "Is that what you mean?"

"Oh!" River gasped, "The TARDIS is still burning. 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 frowned.

"Then let there be light." Thea added, "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once. Big bang!"

"That would work? That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS," River continued, "happening at every moment in history. Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work."

Theas hand traced the Vortex Manipulator wired to the Doctor that the Doctor tightly held, "He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box." she murmured.

"Why?" Amy shook her head.

"So he can take it with him." River replied, "He's going to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion."

"You can't go alone." Thea whispered, as the Doctor finished connecting the wires to the box. "please..."

"No..." the Doctor breathed.

"It's not like you can stop me."

"Please, kiddo." He took her hand a lightly squeezed it, "I'm asking nicely."

"The universe needs you!" she cried.

"And now its got you." he countered, reaching out a tuck her hair behind her ears.

"But if you do this...you'll have never existed..." she swallowed hard.

"And that why I need you to help bring me back."

"But I won't even have known you."

If the Doctor never existed then Sarah Jane never would have met him, never would be investigating aliens, she would never meet her. Her time on Earth would never happen and Luke would never be alive. Stars knew where she would even find herself.

"There's always hope, as long as there are memories."

She blinked, finally figuring out his plan, "she grew up with the crack, if she remembers you, it'll be strong enough to bring you back."

"Clever girl." he smiled.

"I've learnt a lot from you, Doctor." She returned the smile, "I'll go get her then." she gave him a kiss on the cheek before making her way to where the other three kept their distance to allow them to talk in private, "he wants to talk to you." she took Amy's place besides River.

"Are you ok?" River asked her.

"I didn't think I'd ever have to see this. I didn't think I'd care so much."

She didn't think she would care this much. This was the man who had been the reason their home was gone. She should hate him, anyone else would but she didn't and not just because Sarah Jane always spoke highly of him. In just the past few months she'd known him she really did love him and care for him. The only other adult she had ever cared about was Sarah Jane and that was because she cared about her. Exactly like the Doctor did. And now he was never going to even have existed.

"You always care."

Thea turned to her, "I'll never get to know you."

"I suppose not."

Thea noticed the way River turned to avoid looking at her, clearly she was hurt that the Doctor didn't want to say goodbye to her. Why would he? So far River was just a woman they knew, somehow met in the future and would always go and help her when she asked, she was not yet as important as his current companion was.

"Hi." Amy whispered as she stood before the Doctor.

"Amy Pond." the Doctor looked at her, "The girl who waited all night in your garden. Was it worth it?"

"Shut up. Of course it was."

"You asked me why I was taking you with me and I said, no reason. I was lying."

"It's not important."

"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe. It's why I'm doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house, and just you."

"And Aunt Sharon."

"Where were your mum and dad?" Thea asked, coming back over, unable to stand being near River right now, the woman was too quiet now, knowing that if this worked, she would never have met them. She wanted to spend these last moments with the last of her species, before she was left alone.

"Where was everybody who lived in that big house?" the Doctor agreed.

"I lost my Mum and Dad." Amy whispered.

"How? What happened to them? Where did they go?"

Amy blinked, realising she couldn't remember what had happened to her parents, "I...I don't..."

"It's okay, it's okay." the Doctor assured her, "Don't panic, it's not your fault."

"I don't even remember."

"That was the crack from your bedroom wall." Thea told her, "its been earning your memories all those years, eating away at your life."

"Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense." the Doctor smiled, "How could I resist?"

"How could I just forget?" Amy looked at him, scared.

"Nothing is ever forgotten. Not really. But you have to try."

"Doctor!" River called as the ground began to shake, "It's speeding up!"

Thea swallowed, taking the sonic and carefully placing it in the Doctors pocket.

"There's going to be a very big bang." the Doctor explained to Amy, "Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there."

"How can I remember them if they never existed?"

"Because you're special. 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." she looked between them, "neither of you."

"Rory was never born, he was erased, but you remembered him." Thea told Amy, "he came back, you just...have to do the same with him. Remember the Doctor, remember me..."

"And if you can't." the Doctor shrugged, "You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friend anymore." he gave a small smile, "Ha! Amy Pond crying over me, eh? Guess what?"

"What?" she stepped back.

"Gotcha." he winked at her, before looking at Thea as the doors began to close, "you'll be alright."

"I hope you're right about this." She told him.

"No feelings?" He teased as she gave a teary laugh and stepped back.

Amy pulled Thea back to River and Rory by the wall, River instantly hugging Thea for support as the girl clung to her, unable to watch as the Pandorica took to the sky, right through the ceiling.

They all sat huddled together as Rivers communicator beeped, "its from the Doctor."

"Is it 'Geronimo?'" Thea guessed.

"It is."

"Then Geronimo!" she agreed, turning to look to the sky as the Pandorica flew into the TARDIS and everything went white...

~.~

...And the next thing Thea knew, she was laying on the floor in the TARDIS, the Doctor dancing around the console.

He stopped and looked over, seeing her getting to her feet. "what you reckon? That was pretty brilliant, eh?"

"I'm not following." She blinked, pointing at him, "you never existed," she gestured around the room, "back to normal. Confused. Good confused but confused all the same."

"Amy did it." he beamed, moving her round to the monitor showing Amy in her wedding dress, looking down at a TARDIS themed journal, "she remembered us. Brought us back. Now, come on! Best not keep the bride and groom waiting much longer."

"Bet she didn't remember she agreed I could be the flower girl." Thea pouted as she raced down to the wardrobe.

~.~

Amy was pounding on the TARDIS doors as the box materialised in the middle of the room, Rory slowly making his way around the long table to her side, his eyes on the old box.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, "Did I surprise you this time?"

The Doctor poked his head out the doors, dressed in a white coat with tails, a top hair, tie and a white scarf draped over his shoulders, "Er, yeah. Completely astonished. Never expected that."

"Did not see that coming!" Thea beamed, poking her head out under his, her hair in a high bun with a white ribbon wrapped around it, dressed in a forest green knee length dress, dcorated with white polka dots, the hem a few inches longer at the back, off shoulder, with white heels. Her grinned widened seeing Amy rolling her eyes, "no, seriously," she blinked, "you surprised the psychic, that's impressive. I need to up my game."

"But at least she knew we should be wearing these old things." the Doctor added, stepping out into the middle of the room, grinning at the stunned guests, "Hello, everyone. I'm Amy's imaginary friend. But I came anyway."

"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride." Amy joked.

"You know I'm really upset you didn't remember us in time so I could be your flower girl." Thea huffed, "I was really looking forwards to it."

"And from now on, Amelia, I shall be leaving the kissing duties to the brand new Mr Pond." the Doctor smiled, patting Rorys back.

"No, I'm not Mr Pond." Rory argued, "That's not how it works."

"Yeah, it is."

"Yeah, it is."

"Now, go and move the TARDIS, its in the middle of the dance floor." Thea remarked, "I need space. I love a good dance."

"We only came for the dancing." the Doctor laughed, disappearing back inside the TARDIS again.

"He is coming back right?" Amy asked Thea as the Doctor disappeared in the TARDIS, "not 2 years or 12 years late."

Thea reached into her dress pulling out Rivers Vortex Manipulator, "give him 5 minutes and if he's not back, I'll hunt him down a kill him." she smiled widely, "call it a wedding present."

"No murder at my wedding, please." Amy deadpanned.

~.~

Thea laughed as she watched the Doctor on the middle of the dance floor with all the younger children, showing them a wild dance, the 'drunk giraffe' he called it, holding his arms in the air and very badly swaying to the music. The kids seemed to love it and even Amy was laughing as she joined in, even Rory had a big smile on his face.

~.~

"Sorry," the Doctor winced as he stood in the middle of the dance floor, his hands on Theas waist as they swayed to the slow song, despite the slow song, he somehow kept stepping on her toes.

She bit her lip from the pain, "you really are terrible."

"You can stand on my feet."

"Why?"

"It's a thing you do. Usually when parents dance with their children, the kids stand on their toes, since they don't know how to dance."

"I know how to dance." She defended, but moved her feet onto his shoes as he continued to sway them.

"I don't." He admitted. "I hated it when my parents forced me to go to any parties in the Citadel."

"So did I. But I liked to dance."

"You're good at it. Clearly always did as the instructor said, eh."

"Well, I was always told I had to, or they'd be consequences."

The Doctor frowned at her, "consequences for being unable to dance? Bit dramatic, isnt it?"

She changed the topic, "its not over yet," she murmured as the song came to an end and another one started.

"What's not?" he asked, knowing she didn't mean the song.

"Whoever tried to blow up the TARDIS." she lifted her head to look at him, "they failed...what's to stop them trying again?"

The Doctor blinked, pausing his swaying as Thea got off his feet again. He hadn't even thought about that, someone being behind the reason the TARDIS exploded, he had just been busy trying to stop it and ensure Amy was able to restore them both.

"Good point." he nodded, "we need to go." he determined, pulling her off across the dance floor as another slow song started. He felt Thea stop, looking back to see Amy and Rory in the middle of the dance floor, swaying together, very much in love.

"2000 years." the Doctor murmured, watching them with a soft smile, "the boy who waited. Good on you, mate."

Thea's smile turned sad as they left the hall. She could say it as many times as she wanted, be it as true as it was, that was something she wanted, the love Rory and Amy had for each other, a wedding as beautiful as this one and she knew...it was something she could never have. She had been close to getting it, but it was gone in an instant.

The Doctor put the key in the lock as they reached the TARDIS he had parked outside, "Did you dance?" River asked as she approached, "Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?"

"And you'd know?" Thea looked back at her.

"Spoilers." she smirked.

Thea grinned, handing over the woman's TARDIS themed diary and Vortex Manipulator, "Thought you'd want this back, to avoid spoilers as such."

"Don't worry, we didn't peek." The Doctor swore.

"Thank you." River smiled, holding her diary to her chest. It really was her most important possession, not just because of the spoilers it held, but they had gifted it to her, which meant a lot. She had secretly gifted it to Amy as a wedding present to help spark a memory tobring the Time Lords back.

"Are you married, River?" the Doctor asked her.

"Are you asking?" she smirked, slipping her Vortex Manipulator on her wrist.

"Yes."

"Yes." her smirk widened at how easy it was to tease him, she loved seeing him get flustered and embarrassed.

"No, hang on." he shook his head, realising how his words sounded, "Did you think I was asking you to marry me, or asking if you were married?"

"Yes."

"No, but was that yes, or yes?"

"Yes." River held it in a moment longer before she burst out laughing, "oh, Doctor, you do make it easy. If you're that concerned, why don't you asked your little Visionary?"

Thea blinked, lifting up gaze from where it had been lingering on Rivers diary, seeing them both looking at her, "River doesn't do weddings." she offered.

"I might drop by for some cake." River shrugged.

"River," the Doctor sighed, "who are you?"

"You're going to find out very soon now." River murmured, inputting the codes on her Vortex Manipulator, "And I'm sorry," she looked up at them, "but that's when everything changes." she activated the manipulator and disappeared.

"She's great." Thea grinned, turning and entering the TARDIS, flopping down on the

jumpseat and removing her heels as the Doctor danced around the console, checking everything was in order.

The doors were thrown open again, "Oi!" Amy glared at them, "Where are you off to?"

"Amy!" Rory ran in after her.

"Shut up. It's my wedding."

"Our wedding." He corrected, shutting the doors.

"Sorry, had to return Rivers diary." Thea told them, rubbing her feet from where the Doctor had stepped on them, "spoilers and all that."

"And a bit busy, you know." the Doctor added.

"You just saved the whole of space and time?" Rory remarked, "Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up. Why? And why now?"

"And because they failed, what's to stop them trying again?" Thea pointed out, "phone." she called a second before it began to ring.

"The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to...can you get that?" he asked Thea, gesturing to the phone.

"I need to rest my feet from where you kept stepping on them."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, answering the phone himself, "Hello? Oh, hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line. No, no, no, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express, in space. Give us a mo." he lowered the phone, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye." Amy nodded, turning to Rory, "Do you think it's goodbye?"

"Definitely goodbye." he agreed.

Amy dashed to the doors, opening them again and waving outside, "Goodbye! Goodbye." And closed them again, joining them at the console.

The Doctor smiled, speaking into the phone again, "Don't worry about a thing, your Majesty.We're on our way." he pulled down a lever, sending them off on their next adventure.