The Angels Take Manhattan

Hey there, Annabelle Duncan here. Mom wanted me to write this chapter of our story because even after all these years, it's still painful for her to think about what happened to Amy and Rory…

The Doctor, Mom, Rory, Amy and I were having a nice picnic on top of a large rock near the Duck Pond in Central Park. After we finished eating, The Doctor and Amy were sitting back to back reading he was reading a book and Amy was reading the newspaper. Amy was wearing a very nice pair of reading glasses as she read. Mom and I were sitting back to back reading as well and Rory was laying on his back getting some sun, "New York growled at my window, but I was ready for it," said The Doctor from his book, "My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat ready, and I was packing cleavage that could fell an ox at twenty feet."

"Doctor, you're doing it again," said Amy.

"I'm reading!"

"Aloud. Please could you not?"

The Doctor turned and looked at her, "There's something different about you, isn't there?"

"What's the book?" asked Rory.

"Melody Malone," said The Doctor, "She's a private detective in old town New York."

"She's got ice in her heart and a kiss on her lips," said Mom, "and a vulnerable side she keeps well hidden.:

"Oh, you've read it?"

"No you did out loud."

"And then went yowzah!" I said making a face.

"Only you could fancy someone in a book," said Rory, as he sat up.

"I'm just reading it," said The Doctor, "I just like the cover."

Amy turned around, "Ooo, can we see the cover?" the she leaned over his shoulder.

"No, no, I'm busy. It's your hair!" said The Doctor then he sniffed her, "Is it your hair?"

"Oh, shut up. It's the glasses. I'm wearing reading glasses now, on my nose, see? There you go."

"I don't like them. They make your eyes look all liney," The Doctor then lifted up the glasses to get a better look. Then he saw that it wasn't the glasses, "No, actually, sorry." he placed the glassed back on her nose, "They're fine. Carry on."

"Okay," said Rory as he stood, "I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee? Me too. I'll go!" then he turned to leave.

"Rory," said Amy, "do I have noticeable lines on my eyes now?"

"Yes," said The Doctor. Mom and I just shook our heads.

"No," said Rory, without looking.

"You didn't look," said Amy.

"I noticed them earlier," said Rory, "Didn't notice them. I specifically remember not noticing them."

"Nice save, Rory," I said with a laugh.

"You walk among fire pits, Centurion," said Amy.

"Do I have to come over there?" said Rory as he walked over to her.

"You can if you like."

"Well, we have company."

"I'll get a babysitter," Rory and Amy kiss.

"Oh, do you know, it is so humiliating when you do that."

"Coffee?" asked Rory.

"Coffee." said Amy.

"I'll take a strawberries and cream Frappuccino," said Mom.

"Me too," I said.

"Got it…" said Rory and he left.

"Can I have a go?" asked The Doctor as he snatch Amy's glasses off her face, "Oh, actually, that is much better. That is exciting."

"Read to me." said Amy

"I thought you didn't like my reading aloud."

"Shut up, and read me a story. Just don't go yowzah."

The Doctor laughed and tore the last page of the book, "Why did you do that?"

"He always rips out the last page of a book," said Mom, "He hate endings."

The Doctor put the page in the picnic basket, then he started to read, "As I crossed the street, I saw the thin guy, but he didn't see me. I guess that's how it began…"

We moved off the rock to a nearby bridge, Amy challenged Mom and me to a game of Poohsticks while the Doctor continued to read as he sat on the railing, "I followed the skinny guy for two more blocks before he turned and I could ask exactly what he was doing here. He looked a little scared, so I gave him my best smile and my bluest eyes."

"Beware the yowzah. Do not, at this point, yowz." said Amy.

I looked at The Doctor as he jumped down from the railing he was almost shaking, "Doctor?" asked Mom, "What did the skinny guy say?"

"He said, 'I just went to get coffees for the Doctor and Amy and Frappuccinos for Teddy and Annabelle, Hello, River.'" said The Doctor.

We all looked at each other and started to run to the TARDIS as we ran through Times Square, Amy asked, "What's River doing in a book? What's Rory doing in a book?"

"He went to get coffee. Pay attention," said The Doctor.

Mom smacked him up side the head, "There is no need for that."

We reached the East River, by the Brooklyn Bridge and walked up to the TARDIS. "He went to get coffee and turned up in a book. How does that work?" asked Amy.

"I don't know," said The Doctor, "We're in New York!"

Once we were inside the TARDIS. The Doctor, Mom and I started to get the TARDIS ready for departure, "Where did you get this book?" asked Amy.

"It was in my jacket," said The Doctor.

"How did it get there?"

"How does anything get there. I've given up asking."

"Does she say when this is happening?" asked Mom.

"Yes, hang on," said Amy as she started flipping through the book, "Oh, April 3rd, 1938. That's weird, in the book River says he couldn't have gotten there in the TARDIS."

"Couldn't have?" said The Doctor, "What does she mean? Couldn't have?

Amy read over the page, " River says the city's full of time distortions. It would be impossible to land the TARDIS there. She compares it to trying to land a plane in a blizzard. She says even her grandmother couldn't do it."

"Excuse me?" said Mom.

"Calm down," said Amy, "she's only in a book.'

"1938. Easy one," said The Doctor. He flipped the switch on the console and there was a bang and a spark. The whole ship rocked and threw all of us against the railing. I looked at the scanner and it said 'Temporal Distortions Detected, then No Signal.'

"What was that?" asked Amy

"1938. We just bounced off it," I said, "How does River say she got there?"

"She says a Vortex manipulator. If Rory didn't come with us or River then how did he get there?"

Mom went over to doors and opened them, for some reason we were in a graveyard, "It had to be the Weeping Angels," said Mom.

"The Weeping Angels?" asked Amy

"It makes sense," said The Doctor.

"It makes what?"

"That's what happened to Rory," I said, "It's the Angels preferred form of attack. They zap you back in time, and let you live to death."

The Doctor pulled out a fire extinguisher and fired it into the TARDIS.

"Well, we've got a time machine. We can just go and get him," said Amy as she stepped away from the TARDIS.

"Well, tried that, if you've noticed, and we are back where we started in 2019," said The Doctor.

"We didn't start in a graveyard. What are we doing here?"

"I don't know," said Mom, It's probably causally linked somehow. It doesn't really matter,"

Then The Doctor shouted into the TARDIS, "Extractor fans on!"

"Well, we're going to get there somehow," said Amy, "We're in the rest of the book."

"Doing what?"

"Page 43, Annabelle's going to break something."

"I'm what?" I asked.

"'Why do you have to break mine', I asked Mother Annabelle. She frowned and said, 'Because Amy read it in a book and now I have no choice.'"

We turned around and saw Amy reading ahead in the book, "Stop!" I shouted as the three of us ran over to Amy.

"No! No!" said The Doctor.

"Stop!" said Mom as she snatched the book away from Amy, "You can't read ahead." Mom then handed the book to me.

"But we've already been reading it," said Amy.

"Just the stuff that's happening now, in parallel with us," said The Doctor, "That's as far as we go."

"But it could help us find Rory."

"And what happens if you read ahead and find that Rory dies?" I asked, "This isn't any future, Amy, it's ours. Once we know what's coming, it's fixed."

"I'm going to break something, because you told me that I'm going to do it," said The Doctor, "No choice now."

"Time can be rewritten," said Amy.

"Not once you've read it. Once we know what's coming, it's written in stone." Then we all headed back into the TARDIS.

Once we got back in the TARDIS, The Doctor asked, "What's going on now in the book?"

I opened up and found the page where Amy left off before she started to read ahead, "They are in the home of a Mr. Grayle. River is looking at his collection of china and found a vase from the early Qin dynasty."

"Okay," said The Doctor, "landing a plane in a timey wimey blizzard. We could push through."

"But if we of by a nanosecond, the engines will phase and we'll shatter the planet," said Mom, "We need landing lights."

"Landing lights?" asked Amy.

"We need a signal to lock on to. What did she say? Early what dynasty?"

"Qin," I said.

Mom quickly set the coordinates and we were in China, 221 BC, just outside a decorating workshop. The Doctor walked out and said to the workers, "Ah, hello, yes." he showed them his psychic paper, "Special commission from the Emperor." then he gave them the design that he wanted on the vase. It was the word 'Yowzah' in Chinese.

He ran back into the TARDIS and we did a scan then the word 'Yowzah' appeared on the screen. "Landing lights," said Mom, "We have a signal."

"Locking on," I said as I locked the TARDIS onto the signal.

The TARDIS fought us a bit as we struggled to land her inside Mr. Grayle's mansion. But, once the TARDIS had finished landing in the entrance hall, Amy ran to the doors, "Come on!" she ran up the stairs, "Rory? Rory? Rory?"

We looked into the study and saw River Song being held by her right wrist by a Weeping Angel, "Sorry we're late," said The Doctor, "Traffic was hell," There was a large man on the floor passed out. The Doctor knelt down next to him, "Shock," The Doctor stood up, "He'll be fine."

I rolled my eyes and us three Time Lords went into the study, "Not if I can get loose," said River.

"So where are we now, Doctor Song?" Mom asked, "How's prison?"

"Oh, I was pardoned ages ago. And it's Professor Song to you."

"Pardoned?" I asked.

"Mmm. Turns out the people I killed never existed in the first place," said River, "Apparently, there's no record of them. It's almost as if someone's gone around deleting themselves from every database in the universe."

"You said we got too big," said The Doctor.

"And now no one's ever heard of you. Didn't you lot used to be somebody?"

"Weren't you the woman who killed The Doctor and his nieces?" asked Mom, as she did a scan of the angel with her sonic.

"Doctor who?" asked River.

Mom looked at her readings, "She's holding you very tight."

"At least she didn't send me back in time."

"I doubt she's strong enough," said The Doctor.

"Well, I need a hand back, so which is it going to be? Are you going to break my wrist or hers?" asked River. We looked at each other and over at Amy who was standing in the doorway, "Oh, no. Really? Why do you have to break mine?"

"Because Amy read it in a book, and now I have no choice," I said to River. Then, I looked at Amy, "You see?"

"What book?"

"Your book," I took the book out of the inside pocket of my blazer, "Which you haven't written yet, so we can't read."

"I see. I don't like the cover much."

"But if River's going to write that book, she'd make it useful, yeah?" asked Amy.

"I'll certainly try," said River, "But we can't read ahead, it's too dangerous."

"I know, but there must be something we can look at."

"What, a page of handy hints, previews, spoiler free?" asked The Doctor.

"Chapter titles," said Amy.

I opened the book to the page of chapter titles and scanned down the page:

Chapter 1: The Dying Detective

Chapter 2: The Angels Take Manhattan

Chapter 3: Missing in New York

Chapter 4: Taking the Case

Chapter 5: Night in the Statue Park

Chapter 6: The Gargoyle

Chapter 7: The Skinny Guy

Chapter 8: Julius Grayle

Chapter 9: Calling the Doctor

Chapter 10: The Roman in the Cellar

"He's in the cellar," I said.

"Gimme!" said Amy. I reached into my pants pocket and took out my sonic and tossed it to her. Then she ran out of the room.

The Doctor and Mom went to follow Amy. But, I stood there frozen as I looked at the last two chapter titles:

Chapter 11: Death at Winter Quay.

Chapter 12: Amelia's Last Farewell.

"Mom? Mom, what is it?" asked River concerned.

Mom and The Doctor came over to me, "Sweetpea?" asked Mom, "What's wrong?"

I handed The Doctor the book and they saw what I saw, "What's wrong?" asked River, "Tell me. Grandma? Doctor, what is it, tell me." Us Time Lords looked at each other and I could tell by the look on The Doctor's face that he moved from sorrow to anger. River did too "Okay, I know that face," she said, "Calm down. Calm down! Talk to me. Doctor!"

"No!" said The Doctor as he threw the book, "Get your wrist out. You get your wrist out without breaking it!" then he stormed out of the room.

"How?"

"I don't know. Just do it. Change the future!" he shouted as Mom and I followed him out.

When we reached the cellar door, we heard Amy call out "Rory?" from the basement. We rushed down the steps and saw Amy looking at some stone cherubs… But, they weren't stone cherubs.

Amy moved to step closer but The Doctor stopped her, startling her in the process, "No!" he said, "They're Angels. Baby Angels."

"Did they get Rory?" asked Amy, "Where is he? Did they take him?"

"Yes," said Mom, "But we will get him back… Come on…" We kept our eyes on the cherubs as we made our way back up the stairs. When we got to the top step, Amy gave me back my sonic and I locked the door.

We went back to the entrance hall. Mom, Amy and I sat on the bottom step of the staircase and The Doctor started to pace, "So, is this what's going to happen?" asked Amy. "We just keep chasing him and they keep pulling him further back?"

"He isn't back in time," said River, as she walked into the entrance hall with a trench coat on and she read from her handheld device and held onto the book in her left hand.. I couldn't help but notice that River kept her right arm hanging at her side, "I'm reading a displacement, but there are no temporal markers. He's been moved in space, not in time, and it's not that far from here by the look of it."

"You got out," I said.

"So, where is he?" asked Amy

River started to search for Rory with her device, "Well, come on, come on, come on, where is he?" asked The Doctor.

"If it was that easy," said River, "I'd get you to do it."

"How did you get your wrist out without breaking it?" asked Mom.

"The Doctor asked, I did. Problem?"

"You just changed the future," said The Doctor with a laugh not noticing River's right hand was swollen and bruised.

"It's called family," said River, "Now, hush, I'm working."

The Doctor sat down on the step below Amy, Mom and I "She's good, have you noticed? Really, really good."

"Ah, wherever it is, it's within a few blocks. There's a car out front. Shall we steal it?"

"Show me!" The Doctor leapt to his feet and grabbed River's Right hand on the way out the door. She gasped in pain and The Doctor saw the hand was broken.

Amy stood up so River could sit down on the step between Mom and I. The Doctor handed Amy River's device and said, "Okay, when all those numbers on both units go to zero, that's when we've got a lock, okay? It's how we find Rory."

"Got it." said Amy as she stepped away to let the four of us have a private moment.

"Why did you lie to us?" said The Doctor.

"When one half of one's family are ageless gods who insists on the faces of a twelve year olds, one does one's best to hide the damage."

"It must hurt," I said, "Let me see."

"Yes," said River as she gingerly moved for me to see her wrist, "The wrist is pretty bad too."

I gently put my hands around her hand and wrist and regeneration energy started to come out of it, "No," said River. But I ignored her and continued, "No. No, stop that. Stop that. Stop it!"

"There," I said, "All better."

River pulled her wrist out of my hand, "If you weren't my mother, I'd slap you across the face! That was a stupid waste of regeneration energy! Nothing is gained by you being a sentimental idiot!"

"River…"

"No!" said River as she stood, "you embarrass me…" then she stormed outside.

"River!" I stood to follow her but Amy stopped me.

"Let me talk to her," said Amy as she handed me River's device, "She's my daughter too…" I sighed and nodded. Then, Amy headed outside.

I walked back over to Mom and sat down. She put an arm around my sholder, "Not easy being a mother is it?" I shook me head, "She might be mad now, but she'll forgive you… You always do." I looked up at her and smiled.

Just then River's device beeped when it located Rory, "Gotcha…" Then us three Time Lords went outside, "We've located Rory." I said, "He's at a place called Winter Quay."

"Let's take the car," said mom. We all piled into the car and River drove us to Winter Quay.

Winter Quay turned out to be an apartment building. When we came to a stop, Amy hopped out of the car and River continued her scans, "Why would they send him here? Why not zap him back in time, like they normally do?"

"We'll know that when we know what this place is," said The Doctor.

"Winter Quay," said Amy as she saw a giant neon sign on top of the building.

We all scrambled out of the car and ran to the Winter Quay. We went inside and River's device told us he was on the 8th floor. We got in the elevator and when we got to the 8th floor Amy was the first one out, "Rory?" she called as she ran down the hall.

"He's close." said River as she continued to scan.

"Rory!" said Amy then she ran into one of the apartments and we heard her say, "Rory!"

Then we heard Rory's voice, "Amy."

Just as we were about to go in the room River stopped, "Mom, Grandma, Doctor, look at this." There was a Weeping Angel in front of us. It was smiling at us, "Why is it smiling?"

"I don't know," said Mom.

I turned to the door of the room that Amy went in. On the nameplate under the doorbell was "R Williams."

"Amy. Rory!" I shouted as the four of us ran into the apartment. Amy and Rory were hugging.

"Get out of here!" said The Doctor, "Don't look at anything. Don't touch anything."

River locked the door behind us. The apartment was very small there wasn't much but the small hallway and the bedroom. Amy looked into the bedroom, there was an old man in the bed and she asked, "Who's that?"

The old man pointed at us. By the name on the plate, I knew who the old man was. It was Rory. Old Rory's eyes looked at Amy and I could see so much happiness but I could also see so much sadness, "Amy," he said in a very raspy voice, "Amy, please. Amy, please. Please."

Amy hesitated then she walked into the room and up to the bed. When she could get closer she could see who it was, "Rory?" she said then she turned to Young Rory, "He's you."

"Amy." said Old Rory. He gave Amy a smiled then he turned his head to the side. Closed his eyes and passed away.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" asked Rory.

Us three Time Lords looked at each other then I said to him, "I'm sorry, Rory, but you just died."

"This place is policed by Angels," said Mom, "Every time you try to escape, you get zapped back in time."

"So this place belongs to the Angels?" asked Amy, "They built it?"

"Displacing someone back in time creates time energy, and that is what the Angels feed on," said The Doctor, "But normally, it's a one off, a hit and run. If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off their time energy over and over again. This place is a farm. A battery farm." The Doctor looked at River, "How many Angels in New York?"

"It's like they've taken over every statue in the city," said River, as she was doing a scan.

"The Angels take Manhattan because they can, because they've never had a food source like this one. The city that never sleeps," said Mom.

Just then we started to hear slow heavy footsteps coming from outside. "What was that?" asked Rory.

"I don't know," I said, "But I think they're coming for you."

"What does that mean?" asked Rory, "What is going to happen to me? What is physically going to happen?"

"The Angels will come for you," I said, "They'll zap you back in time to this very spot, thirty, forty years ago. And you'll live out the rest of your life in this room, until you die in that bed."

"And will Amy be there?"

I shook my head, "No."

"How do you know?" asked Amy.

"Because he was so happy to see you again."

"Okay. Well, they haven't taken me yet," said Rory, "What if I just run? What if I just get the hell out of here? Then that never happens."

"It's already happened. Rory," said The Doctor, "you've just witnessed your own future."

"Doctor, he's right," said River.

"No, he isn't."

"Yes he is," said Mom as she got an idea, "If Rory got out, it would create a paradox."

We still heard the footsteps, "What is that?" asked Amy, as she walked to the window.

"This is the Angels' food source," Mom continued, "The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all. This whole place would literally unhappen."

"It would be almost impossible," said The Doctor.

"Loving the almost,' said River, with a smile.

"But to create a paradox like that takes almost unimaginable power," I said.

"Exactly," said The Doctor, "What have we got, eh? Tell me. Come on, what?"

"I won't let them take him," said Amy, as she stepped up and took Rory's hand, "That's what we've got."

We heard the footsteps outside getting louder, "Whatever that thing is, it's getting closer." said Rory.

"Rory," said Mom, "You need to understand what's going on here. If, and that's a BIG if, if you get out, you'll have to keep running for the rest of your life," said Rory, "They would be chasing you forever."

"Well, then," said Amy as she took a breath, "Better get started," said Amy. She opened the door and there was an Angel snarling outside, "Husband, run!" Then Amy and Rory ran out the door.

The Lights flickered and another angel appeared, "River, I'm not sure this can work."

"Uncle, shut up," said River.

The lights flickered again and the angels were in the room. Mom pulled out her sonic and pointed it at the light bulb over our heads to keep it on as the Angels surrounded us. "We can't keep doing this." said Mom.

"Any ideas?" asked River.

"Yeah, the usual," said The Doctor, "Run!"

We managed to make our way past the Angels slamming the door shut to Rory's room and ran for the stairway. We made it to the stairs, only to see Angels scattered all the way down. "Fire escape." said The Doctor. Then we head to a window in the hallway and climbed out. The Doctor was the last one out and locked the window with his sonic. We headed up to the roof because we didn't see Amy and Rory on the ground but we could hear voices from above us. "No, I can't take you too." we heard Rory say as we got close to the roof.

"You said we'd come back to life," said Amy, "Money where your mouth is time."

"Amy, look."

"Shut up. Together, or not at all."

We reached the top and saw Amy and Rory standing on the ledge of the building on the other side of the roof, "What the hell are you doing?!" shouted The Doctor.

"Changing the future," said Amy, "It's called marriage." Amy and Rory looked at each other. Then held onto each other they fell off the roof.

"Amy!" shouted us three Time Lords as we ran to the roof. We reached the ledge and watched at Amy and Rory got closer and closer to the ground.

Just then River called out, "Mom! Grandma! Doctor!" we turned around and saw balls of white light with electrical energy surrounding the light. Then, the building started to shake, "What's happening?!""

"It's the paradox," I said with a laugh, "It's working!" The four of us grabbed hands, "The paradox is working!" then we were engulfed in white light.

When they light was gone we found ourselves in the same graveyard we landed in when we bounced off 1938. The Doctor, Mom and I went looking for Rory and Amy. Then we heard Rory say, "Where are we?"

We looked behind a gravestone and saw Rory and Amy sitting on the ground. "Back where we started!" I said.

"You collapsed the timeline," said Mom, "The paradox worked!"

"We all pinged back where we belong," said The Doctor.

"What, in a graveyard?" asked Rory.

"This happened the last time," said Amy, "Why always here?"

"Does it matter?" asked The Doctor, "We got lucky."

"We could've blown New York off the planet," said Mom, "We can't ever take the TARDIS back there. The timelines are too scrambled."

"We could have lost you both," said The Doctor as he pulled the Pond into a hug. Mom and I jointed in and The Doctor said, "Don't ever do that again."

"What did we do?" asked Rory, "We fixed it. We solved the problem."

"I was talking to myself," said The Doctor.

After the hug was done we walked back to the TARDIS that was sitting near by. She had some fire damage on it and looked a little scorched. River walked out from behind with a bucket of water and a sponge. "It could do with a repaint." said River, as she started to wash some of the marks off.

"I've been busy." said The Doctor.

"Does the bulb on top need changing?"

"I just changed it, last week," I said.

"So. Rory and Amy, then." said River.

"Yes. We know, we know," said Mom.

"I'm just saying. They're going to get terribly bored hanging round here all day."

"Doctor," said Rory as he and Amy walked over, "Next time, could we could just go to the pub?"

"I want go to the pub right now," said Mom, "I want a big basket of wings and fries!"

"Me too!" I said, "I'm starving!"

"Are there video games there?" asked The Doctor, "I love video games."

"Right. Family outing, then," said River, as she picked up her bucket.

The four of us walked inside and got ready for departure. Then we heard Amy scream, "Doctor!"

We all ran out of the TARDIS and saw Amy looking right at a Weeping Angel. Rory was nowhere insight. "Where the hell did that come from?" asked River.

The Doctor did a quick scan with his sonic, "It's a survivor. Very weak, but keep your eyes on it."

"Where's Rory?" asked Amy.

The Doctor, Mom and I saw the angel was pointing at a gravestone. We walked around to look at the stone and it read, "Rory Arthur Williams, Aged 82."

We looked at Amy and The Doctor said, "I'm sorry. Amelia, I'm so, so sorry."

"No. No, we can just go and get him in the TARDIS," said Amy, "One more paradox."

I shook my head, "One more paradox would rip New York apart."

"No, that's not true. I don't believe you."

"Mother, it's true," said River, as she came up to Amy's left side.

Amy started to walk closer to the "Amy, what are you doing?" asked Mom

"That gravestone, Rory's, there's room for one more name, isn't there?" asked Amy.

"What are you talking about?" asked The Doctor, "Back away from the Angel. Come back to the TARDIS. We'll figure something out."

"The Angel, would it send me back to the same time? To him?"

"I don't know," said Mom, "Nobody knows."

"But it's my best shot, yeah?" asked Amy.

"No!" shouted The Doctor.

"Doctor, shut up," said Amy, "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Amy…" I pleaded.

"Well, then. I just have to blink, right?"

"No!" shouted Mom.

"It'll be fine," said Amy, "I know it will. I'll be with him, like I should be. Me and Rory together. Melody?"

"Stop it. Just, just stop it!" said The Doctor.

River took Amy's hand and kissed it, "You look after them. You be a good girl, and you look after them."

"You are creating fixed time," said Mom, "We will never be able to see you again."

"I'll be fine. I'll be with him."

"Amy, please, just come back into the TARDIS." I pleaded.

"Come along, Pond, please," pleaded The Doctor.

"Raggedy man, goodbye!" Amy turned around to look at us. We got one look at her and she was gone. We looked at the gravestone again and more writing was added to it:

And His Loving Wife Amelia Williams aged 87.

"No!" shouted The Doctor as he fell to his knees on the grass. Mom and I both went to him and hugged him tightly.

Laser, the four of us were in the TARDIS. River was flying the TARDIS while us three Time Lords sat on the steps that lead upstairs. "River, they were your parents," said The Doctor, "I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"It doesn't matter," said River.

"Of course it matters," I said.

"What matters is this. Mom, Grandma, Doctor, Don't travel alone."

"Travel with us, then," said Mom.

River smiled, "Whenever and wherever you want. But not all the time. One psychopath per TARDIS, don't you think?" we didn't answer then after a few moments River said, "Okay. This book I've got to write. Melody Malone. I presume I send it to Amy to get it published?"

"Yes. Yes." said The Doctor.

"I'll tell her to write an afterword. For you," said River as she walked past us and headed upstairs, "Maybe you'll listen to her." Then she left.

A few seconds after she left we all look at each other, "The last page!" we all said at the same time.

The three of us ran back to Central Park. We ran across the bridge and scrabbled back up the rock. The basket was still there. The Doctor grabbed the page and Mom and I looked over his shoulder while we read and here's what it said:

Afterword, by Amelia Williams.

Hello, old friends.

And here we are, you and me, on the last page. By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone. So know that we lived well, and were very happy. And above all else, know that we will love you always. Sometimes I do worry about you, though. I think once we're gone, you won't be coming back here for a while, and you might be alone, which you should never be. Don't be alone. I know you three have each other but you need someone else to be there with you to keep you safe and to know when to stop.

And do one more thing for me. There's a little girl waiting in a garden. She's going to wait a long while, so she's going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story. Tell her that if she's patient, the days are coming that she'll never forget. Tell her she'll go to sea and fight pirates. She'll fall in love with a man who'll wait two thousand years to keep her safe. Tell her she'll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived and save a whale in outer space.

Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond.

And this how it ends.

After that, three of us looked at each other and smiled. Then we ran as fast as we could back to the TARDIS. We had to fulfill our dear friend's last request… We owed it to her…