Katy sat bolt upright, her heart hammering in her chest as she found herself back in the TARDIS, which was groaning furiously all around her. It took her mind a moment to unjumble and remind her of the peril they were facing. Stuck in a dream...or somewhere even worse. Looking down at her hands, she found they looked the same as ever, no detail out of place. Surely a dream wouldn't be so vivid.
"Oh, this is bad. I don't like this!" The Doctor complained, kicking the underside of the console with his foot, hoping to stop the TARDIS from freefalling through the vortex.
"Ow! Never use force. You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case...always use force," The Doctor murmured, rubbing at his sore foot, as Katy rolled her eyes.
"Don't take it out on her," Katy scolded, flipping one of the switches on the console as the TARDIS stopped jerking from side to side.
The TARDIS let out a hum of agreement, as Katy patted the time rotor, knowing better than to piss off the very thing that was keeping them alive. The Doctor had a habit of taking his anger out on the people closest to him. He and Katy had that in common.
"Shall I run and get the manual?" Amy suggested, as the Doctor started limping down the staircase leading to underneath the console.
"I threw it in a supernova," The Doctor replied, as Katy hurried closely behind him, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Because?" Katy exclaimed.
"Because I disagreed with it. Stop talking to me when I'm cross," The Doctor argued, as Katy glared holes into the back of his head.
"...This is because of the fiancé thing, isn't it?" She suggested, after a moment of silence.
"No! No, I haven't even thought of your...'fiancé'," The Doctor scoffed, making air quotations on the last word.
"Oh, yeah. You're the definition of zen right now," Katy mocked, ushering to the way he had crossed his arms over his chest.
"Okay! Argue later about the state of your relationship later. Whatever's wrong with the Tardis, is that what caused us to dream about the future?" Rory called out from upstairs.
"If we were dreaming of the future," The Doctor retorted, grabbing a few spanners from a nearby box and handing one to Katy.
"Well, of course we were. We were in Leadworth," Amy pointed out, as the pair ascended the stairs quickly.
"Upper Leadworth," Rory added, as Amy shot him a look, before the Doctor thrust a spanner in her face.
"Yeah, and we could still be in Upper Leadworth, dreaming of this. Don't you get it? You thought you were definitely awake when you were all elephanty—" The Doctor began, as Amy waved the makeshift weapon in his face.
"Hey! Pregnant," Amy clarified.
"And you could be giving birth right now. This could be the dream. I told you. Trust nothing we see or hear or feel. Look around you. Examine everything. Look for all the details that don't ring true," The Doctor explained, handing Rory a wrench.
"Okay, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside," Rory stated.
"With a bow tie-wearing alien and a girl descended from killer bats," Amy continued.
"So maybe 'what rings true' isn't so simple," Rory finished, using air quotations.
"Now, he's using air quotations too," Katy huffed.
Just as she finished her sentence, the lights in the room began to dim, and the sound of the console powering down echoed. The four were left illuminated by only a ominous green light, and a sharp pain ripped through Katy's skull. She stumbled forward, grabbing onto the console to steady herself, feeling something cold wrap around her chest. It was an odd feeling, almost like something had left a gaping hole deep within her.
"Katy?" The Doctor's voice broke through her thoughts, as she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder.
"She's gone," Katy mumbled, looking up at the motionless console with wet eyes.
"I know. We're in a dead time machine," The Doctor said, as they all heard bird song starting up around them.
Rory was quick to run to Amy's side, who pulled him close. The Doctor remained where he stood, still gripping onto Katy's shoulder tightly. The fear that they could be separated was evident in all their actions.
"Remember, this is real. But when we wake up in the other place, remember how real this feels," The Doctor told them.
"It is real. I know it's real," Amy argued.
In the blink of an eye, Katy found herself back in Leadworth, the smell of manure wafting through the air, and snowflakes lightly falling from the sky. Her forehead wrinkled as she found herself in a heap beside the bench they had been sat on when a hand was thrust in her face. The Doctor shot her a reassuring smile, ushering for her to take his hand, she which was accepted, and a moment later he was tugging her to her feet.
"Snow in England? This has to be the dream," Katy suggested, gazing up at the snow that was starting to lay around them.
"It almost sounds like you're hoping it is," The Doctor pointed out, in a slightly smug tone, as she sneered at him.
"...Doctor. My hand?" Katy exclaimed, gesturing to where he was still holding onto her tightly.
With a chagrined smile, he released his grip on her and twisted around to survey their surroundings, ignoring the way his cheeks had turned a slight red. Amy and Rory were slowly stirring from where they were still perched on the bench, as Amy's hands instantly went to her stomach. Katy's chest tightened at the thought that Amy's baby might not be real. Her goddaughter.
"Okay, this is the real one. Definitely this one. It's all solid," Amy mumbled, slapping Rory's hands as he too tried to cradle her stomach.
"It felt solid in the Tardis too. You can't spot a dream while you're having it," The Doctor stated.
"I can. Taught myself to lucid dream since I was like ten," Katy argued.
"Why?" Rory frowned, pushing himself to his feet.
"Bad dreams," Katy and the Doctor replied at the same time.
Her mouth parted as she gave the Doctor a questioning look, wondering what some future version of herself had told him. She never told anyone about her nightmares. Not in detail at least. Just thinking about them too much made her feel dirty almost like she couldn't bear to associate herself with some of the awful images her mind created. But it didn't make sense. To be able to have that conversation...did that mean she was going to start travelling with him again?
"Anyone else feeling really fucking confused right now?" Katy sighed, as Amy and Rory raised their hands.
"Hello, Doctor," An old lady greeted, as she sauntered past them.
"Hi/Hello," The Doctor and Rory replied, simultaneously.
"You're a doctor."
"Yeah. And unlike you, I've actually passed some exams," Rory huffed.
"Not the time for a pissing contest, Rory," Katy interjected.
"A doctor, not a nurse. Just like you've always dreamed. How interesting. Your dream wife, dream job, dream best friend, probably your dream baby. Maybe this is your dream," The Doctor theorised.
"It's Amy and Katy's dream too. Isn't it?" Rory pushed, as the two women glanced at each other.
"Yes. Course it is, yeah," Amy nodded, apathetically.
"Definitely. I mean, I'm getting married, that's...that's great," Katy added, in an unconvincing tone.
A husband had never exactly been on her to-do list. Hell, not even a boyfriend had been anything she paid too much mind to. Playing around with the extravagant ring on her finger, she felt nerves bubbling up in her chest. It wouldn't be long until she was walking down the aisle. Spending the rest of her life with someone. At least she wasn't going to outlive her fiancé—
"You said everyone here lives to their nineties. There's something here that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick," The Doctor announced, his gaze falling on a cosy-looking Residential Home.
"Can we not do the running thing?" Amy groaned, as she watched the Doctor race off.
"Come on, Mrs Pond," Katy grinned, linking her arm with her pregnant friend and dragging her off in the direction of the home.
The pair staggered up the staircase inside the building, both panting for breath, as they headed toward the sound of excited voices. Half a dozen old ladies were beaming at Rory, ushering him over to look at their knitting. They barely gave the Doctor a second glance.
"Who's your friend? A junior doctor?" Mrs Poggit inquired, gesturing to the Time Lord.
"...Yes," Rory answered, in a smug tone.
"Can I borrow you? You're the size of my grandson," Mrs Poggit exclaimed, holding out an unfinished knitted sweater in the air.
"Slightly keen to move on. Freak psychic schism to sort out." The Doctor knelt down in front of the old lady, who was quick to push the itchy jumper over his head. It was incredibly ugly, with most of the colours of the rainbow, and what was likely meant to be a dog stitched onto the front.
"Not really sure it's your colour, Doc," Katy teased, crouching down to whisper into his ear.
The Doctor let out a huff, pulling the half-finished sweater over his arms, before noticing something off with Mrs Poggit. All of a sudden, he leant forward, crowding the old woman into her armchair, in an almost threatening manner.
"You're incredibly old, aren't you?" The Doctor muttered, in a low tone, just as the sound of birds began tweeting.
"Not again," Katy complained, feeling her knees give out from under her.
Before she even hit the ground, she found herself collapsed against the TARDIS console, with the Doctor close beside her. The gaps between the jumps were getting smaller, and her ability to separate the two worlds was getting harder. She had no idea which was real and which was the dream.
"Okay, I hate this, Doctor. Stop it, because this is definitely real. It's definitely this one. I keep saying that, don't I?" Amy realised, as she straightened her back, glad to see no baby bump in sight.
"It's bloody cold," Rory complained.
"The heating's off," The Doctor shrugged, grabbing a device from atop the console.
"The heating's off?" Rory scoffed, rubbing his hands together.
"Yeah. Put on a jumper. That's what I always do," The Doctor replied, before shrugging off his tweed jacket.
He was slipping the jacket over Katy's shoulders before she had a second to complain, and racing off up the stairs to the second level in the console room. Katy contemplated chucking it as his head, and scolding him from being too...what? Caring? Protective? It wasn't a bad thing, but even after all the time she had spent travelling with him, it was still out of her comfort zone. Nevertheless, she pulled the jacket over her arms, and wrapped it tightly around her, secretly enjoying the way the Doctor's comforting scent surrounded her.
"Sorry about Mrs Poggit. She's so lovely though."
"I wouldn't believe her nice old lady act if I were you," The Doctor warned, from behind the layered wall above them.
"What do you mean, act?" Amy frowned, as the Doctor's head popped up and he started making his way back to his companions.
"Everything's off. Sensors, core power. We're drifting. The scanner's down so we can't even see out. We could be anywhere. Someone, something, is overriding my controls!" The Doctor snapped, angrily.
"Well, that took a while."
Katy all but jumped out of her skin, as a man in a red bowtie and a tweed jacket suddenly appeared on the staircase behind the Doctor. There had been a burst of static and then the stranger was just...there. Like he had forced himself into reality. It was impossible.
"Honestly, I'd heard such good things. Last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm. Him in the bow tie," The man sneered, beginning to approach them.
Katy reached out to grab the Doctor's arm, tugging him back before the mystery man could get too close. Her fingers still lingered on the Doctor's arm even as the intruder brushed past them, toward the TARDIS console. She glanced behind her to Amy and Rory, who appeared just as astonished as she was.
"How did you get into my TARDIS? What are you?" The Doctor questioned.
"What shall we call me? Well, if you're the Time Lord, let's call me the Dream Lord."
"Nice look," The Doctor murmured, noticing he was wearing almost exactly the same outfit as he was.
"This? No, I'm not convinced. Bowties?" The Dream Lord mocked.
A moment later, the Doctor was pulling a bouncy ball out of his pocket and chucking it at the creature, finding it flew right through him. The Dream Lord had no physical form...so, how the hell were they going to beat him?
"Interesting."
"I'd love to be impressed, but Dream Lord. It's in the name, isn't it? Spooky. Not quite there..." The Dream Lord stated, before suddenly appearing behind them in a flash of static. "And yet, very much here."
"I'll do the talking, thank you. Amy, want to take a guess at what that is?" The Doctor exclaimed, as Amy stepped forward to stand by his side.
"Er, Dream Lord. He creates dreams," Amy theorised.
"Dreams, delusions, cheap tricks. Katy?" The Doctor mumbled, looking toward her.
"Clearly, he's in our heads. We're in a dream, trance, take your pick. For what? You like to play with your food?" Katy sneered, as the Dream Lord sent her a smirk.
"Well, I'd certainly like playing with you," The Dream Lord replied, noticing how the Doctor's jaw clenched. "And what about the gooseberry, here. Does he get a guess?"
"Er, listen, mate. If anyone's the gooseberry round here, it's the Doctor," Rory scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well now, there's a delusion I'm not responsible for," The Dream Lord mocked
"No, he is. Isn't he, Amy?" Rory pushed, but his fiancé stayed silent.
"Oh, Amy, have to sort your men out. Choose, even."
"I have chosen. Of course I've chosen," Amy retorted, as tension grew in the air.
Katy glanced at the Doctor, who appeared to look everywhere in the room apart from her. She realised this was probably around the time that Amy had kissed him after their encounter with the Weeping Angels. But Katy knew now how much Amy loved Rory, she just hoped Amy herself realised that.
"It's you, stupid," Amy muttered, hitting Rory in the stomach, who let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good. Thanks," Rory nodded, as the Dream Lord disappeared and then reappeared behind them in the blink of an eye.
"You can't fool me. I've seen your dreams. Some of them twice," The Dream Lord taunted, before glancing toward Katy. "And yours? Blimey, I'd blush if I had a blood supply or a real face."
Katy chose to stay quiet, not sure if it was wise to call out the man's bluff. There were definitely some dreams that she'd rather the Doctor not find out about. Most of them actually, she mused.
"Where did you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" The Doctor inquired.
"Me? Oh, you're on shaky ground," The Dream Lord warned.
"Am I?"
"If you had any more tawdry quirks you could open up a Tawdry Quirk Shop. The madcap vehicle, the cockamamie hair, the clothes designed by a first-year fashion student. I'm surprised you haven't got a little purple space dog just to ram home what an intergalactic wag you are," The Dream Lord ridiculed.
His grin widened as he noted the Doctor's rare silence, knowing he had hit his mark. He knew all the right buttons to push, and he'd enjoy doing it. No one was surprised as Katy stormed forward, pushing herself in between the two, a dark look on her face.
"Wow, you really love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" Katy huffed, squaring up to the shorter man.
"Now, if you're as clever as you obviously think you are, I suggest you stop this shit before I get really mad. Cause' trust me, you won't like that," Katy threatened, as the Dream Lord's eyes lit up.
"And there she is. A good little dog defending her master. It's a shame he'll never do the same for you," The Dream Lord sneered, as Katy's hands balled into fists, wanting nothing more than to punch the man in the face.
"Where was I?"
"You were—" Rory began, as the Dream Lord flashed out of existence, before appearing on the level above them.
"I know where I was. So, here's your challenge. Two worlds. Here, in the time machine, and there, in the village that time forgot. One is real, the other's fake. And just to make it more interesting, you're going to face in both worlds a deadly danger, but only one of the dangers is real. Tweet, tweet. Time to sleep..." The Dream Lord announced, as the bird song returned
"Oh. Or are you waking up?" The Dream Lord stated, as Katy let out a groan, feeling her eyes fluttering shut.
She felt someone's arms wrap around her before she could fall, and then she was suddenly back in the old people's home, with a banging headache. The four pushed themselves to their feet, as murderous expression flashed over Katy's face.
"Doctor, I know killing isn't really your thing...but that prick is so dead," Katy muttered.
"Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad." The Dream Lord told them, strolling into the room in a new suit and tie, something that a doctor might wear. He appeared oblivious to the way Katy glared at him. "Look at this X-ray. Your brain is completely see-through. But then, I've always been able to see through you, Doctor. Now then, the prognosis is this. If you die in the dream, you wake up in reality. Healthy recovery in next to no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality?"
"What happens?" Rory asked.
"You die, stupid. That's why it's called reality," The Dream Lord retorted.
"Have you met the Doctor before? Do you know him? Doctor, does he?" Amy pushed, curiously.
"Now don't get jealous. He's been around, our boy. Rose, Martha, well maybe not Donna, but that's only in the past five years. No one ever seems to be able to keep up with you forever, can they, Doctor? Certainly not you," The Dream Lord sneered, his eyes snapping to Katy, who opened her mouth to retort, but he was already jumping into another speech. "But never mind that. You've got a world to choose. One reality was always too much for you, Doctor. Take two and call me in the morning."
Katy threw her arms up in exasperation as the Dream Lord disappeared, after his vague threat. He was playing with them, but she couldn't understand why. He had a hell of a lot of hatred for the Doctor, that was for sure.
"Why is he doing this?" Amy queried her mind following Katy's.
"Maybe because he has no physical form. That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on folk like us who can touch and eat and feel," The Doctor theorised, ripping off the itchy sweater he still wore.
"What does he mean, deadly danger, though? Nothing deadly has happened here. I mean, a bit of natural wastage, obviously," Rory shrugged.
"Anyone noticed all the old people have gone? We literally collapsed in front of them and just...wandered off?" Katy pointed out.
"Not good," The Doctor mumbled.
"Thanks for that, Sherlock," Katy scoffed, before storming out of the room.
"So, come on, let's think. The mechanics of this reality split we're stuck in. Time asleep exactly matches time in our dream world, unlike in conventional dreams," The Doctor explained, as the four strolled outside, watching as a group of schoolkids disappeared into some old ruins up the hill.
"And we're all dreaming the same dream at the same time," Rory added.
"Yes, sort of communal trance. Very rare, very complicated. I'm sure there's a dream giveaway, a tell, but my mind isn't working because this village is so dull! I'm slowing down, like you three have," The Doctor exclaimed, earning a glare from Katy.
"Ow. Really. Ow! It's coming!" Amy screamed, as the Doctor and Rory rushed about in a panic.
"You're a doctor, help her!" The Doctor exclaimed, as Amy grabbed onto his arm.
"You're a doctor! It's literally your name!" Rory retorted.
"It's okay, we're doctors..." The Doctor trailed off, as he squatted down and held out his hands as if to catch the baby.
Katy couldn't keep her laughter in any longer, descending into a fit of giggles, clutching at her stomach. Even Amy couldn't keep the smug smirk off her face, as she straightened her back, acting as if nothing had happened at all. The Doctor's eyes darted between the two women, completely confused.
"Okay, it's not coming," Amy admitted, as Katy sent her a wink.
"What?" The Doctor gaped.
"This is my life now and it just turned you white as a sheet, so don't you call it dull again, ever. Okay?" Amy warned, as the Doctor gave her a guilty look.
"Sorry," The Doctor nodded, as Amy staggered off toward the playground.
Rory opened his mouth, ready to scold him further, but he wasn't sure what else to say, so instead he waved his finger at the Doctor before running off after Amy. The Doctor would have followed the pair but from the way Katy raised an eyebrow at him, he could tell she had something she wanted to say.
"Look, just because this isn't the life you'd want, doesn't mean it's bad or...or boring. They're human. You're a Time Lord. You're gonna' have differences sometimes, there's this thing called empathy that stops people from acting like dicks. Might want to invest in it," Katy explained.
"Are you...happy here?" The Doctor questioned, not sure if he really wanted the answer.
"I know my fiancé's not going anywhere. Not without me at least. Cause' I actually know how he feels about me. So, yeah...not really much more I can ask for, is there?" Katy pointed out.
"Good. That's...I'm glad you've found someone," The Doctor replied, forcing a smile onto his face.
"...No, you're not," Katy stated, as the Doctor let out a sigh.
"No. I'm not," The Doctor agreed, as the pair shared a solemn look for a moment.
"Hurry up, you two!" Amy called behind her shoulder, before plopping down onto a nearby swing with a thump.
Katy and the Doctor rushed forward to catch up with them, as the former squeezed past Rory to take the other swing. She glanced behind her, sticking out her tongue at him, causing Rory to roll his eyes. The Doctor came to stand behind Katy, holding onto one of the swing chains, his other hand dropping down to rest on Katy's shoulder, who didn't push him away.
"Now, we all know there's an elephant in the room," The Doctor announced.
"I have to be this size, I'm having a baby," Amy snapped, angrily.
"No, no. The hormones seem real, but no. Is nobody going to mention Rory's ponytail?" The Doctor questioned, watching as Katy glanced up at him with an amused smile. "You hold him down, I'll cut it off?"
"This from the man in the bow tie," Rory scoffed.
"Bow ties are cool," The Doctor shrugged, spotting Mrs Poggit climbing up the stairs of the ruins toward where the children were playing.
"He does wear it well," Katy mumbled, turning to Rory, who nodded, reluctantly.
"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't hire Mrs Poggit as a babysitter. What's she doing? What does she want?" The Doctor mused.
A split second later, she heard the tweeting of birds, and suddenly she was lying on top of the Doctor in the TARDIS. He had caught her before she fell, his hands still wrapped around her waist, having taken the brunt of the fall himself. Katy glanced up at him, feeling a shiver go straight through her, barely being able to feel her hands now. The pair sat themselves upright, as Katy rubbed her hands together, still half lying on the Doctor's lap. He noticed how she was trying to warm up her freezing hands and reached out to place his hands over hers.
"It's really cold. Have you got any warm clothing?" Amy questioned, as the Doctor let out a soft groan.
"Amy, I can't solve everything! Can't you just give me a minute?" The Doctor snapped, surprising Katy, who was quick to pull her hands away from his.
"Sorry, sorry. There should be some stuff down there. Have a look," The Doctor suggested, gesturing past one of the walls in the console room.
Rory gave the Doctor an unimpressed look, before zipping up his jacket, as he and Amy left the pair. Katy pushed herself up onto her feet, quickly followed by the Doctor who rushed underneath the console, without another word.
"Running away again?" Katy suggested, finding him attempting to open a toolbox, as the lever came away in his hand.
"That was in the other dream. I didn't leave you in this reality," The Doctor insisted.
"Hmm. If this reality," Katy pointed out, as he hit the toolbox and numerous items fell out onto the floor.
"...Who is your fiancé?" The Doctor questioned, crouching down on the floor to pick them up.
"Does it matter?" She scoffed, stepping toward him.
"It all matters. It might be the clue that leads us to find out which is the dream," The Doctor pushed, as she knelt down beside him.
"I still can't tell you. It's too...spoilery," Katy informed him, as the Doctor shoot her a confused look.
"Trust me, you really don't want to know," Katy continued.
"It can't be that bad," The Doctor retorted, as she bit her lip.
"Look, can we just drop it? You might not even know he's...I could fuck up the whole timeline," Katy all but pleaded.
"There won't be a timeline to worry about if we die here. Just tell me who—" The Doctor began, as she cut him off with a confession.
"It's the Master."
The Doctor froze. His mind and body. Katy watched as he slowly took in what she said before a bitter laugh left his lips. He still didn't speak as he picked up the items on the floor and scooped them into his arms, turning his back to her.
"Oh, come on. Are you seriously pissed at me right now? It's the other me who agreed to marry him you know, I'm just telling you what I remember from the dream," Katy called after him.
"There are billions of humans on Earth. Thousands of other lifeforms. Why him?" The Doctor pushed, whipping around to face her.
He was angry, but she wasn't sure it was directed at her. Maybe at the Master, or just the whole universe. She imagined he felt like a big joke was being played on him.
"Who else would have me?"
She was surprised by how much she wanted him to answer. To say he would. Couldn't the Doctor understand loneliness better than anyone? Instead, he was speechless once again. Conflicted by how to reply, knowing he was on shaky ground with any sort of admissions.
"He's been married before, you know. More than once. They never end well—" The Doctor started, but she stopped him before long.
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not actually getting hitched then, isn't it?" Katy retorted.
"Then we both agree...that's the dream?" He suggested, as she slowly nodded.
"I doubt I'd actually ever do something so...self-destructive," Katy shrugged, grabbing a few things from his arms and heading up the stairs.
"I'd never leave you."
Katy's foot faltered on the next step, taken aback by the firmness in his voice as she turned back to look at him. He spoke like he didn't have one single doubt in his head about it. But she knew he had a nasty history of leaving people behind. How could she be sure their relationship would be any different?
"That's how I know it's a dream," The Doctor explained, before walking past her.
Katy was still stuck in her head as the Doctor finally managed to get the monitor working with a device he made out of the items in the toolbox. Katy audibly gulped as she saw a large ball of ice, which they appeared to be drifting toward. Except it was a lot bigger than just a ball of ice.
"What is that?" Rory gaped.
"A star. A cold star," The Doctor mumbled, before racing forward to open the TARDIS doors, causing a freezing ray of light to hit them. "That's why we're freezing. It's not a heating malfunction. We're drifting towards a cold sun. There's our deadly danger for this version of reality."
"So, this must be the dream. There's no such thing as a cold star. Stars burn," Amy theorised.
"So's this one. It's just burning cold," The Doctor pointed out, shutting the doors.
"Is that possible?" Rory questioned.
"I can't know everything. Why does everybody expect me to, always?" The Doctor groaned, flopping down on the TARDIS console seat.
"In his defence, you usually do," Katy scoffed.
"Okay, this is something you haven't seen before. So, does that mean this is the dream?" Rory pushed.
"No. No, it can't be," The Doctor suggested, almost hopefully. "I'd say we've got about fourteen minutes until we crash into it. But that's not a problem."
"Because you know how to get us out of this?" Rory guessed.
"Because we'll have frozen to death by then," The Doctor confessed, as the Doctor jumped up from his seat.
"Not exactly giving me a lot of confidence, Doc," Katy sighed, as the Doctor ran his hand over her shoulder for a moment.
"Stay calm. Don't get sucked into it, because this just might be the battle that we have to lose," The Doctor told her.
"Oh, this is so you, isn't it? A weird new star, fourteen minutes left to live and only one man to save the day, huh? I just wanted a nice village and a family!" Rory snapped, causing the Doctor to flinch.
"Oh dear, Doctor. Dissent in the ranks. There was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his friends and his..." The Dream Lord trailed off, as bird song started up. "Oh, no. We've run out of time. Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."
"You see, this is the real one. I just feel it. Don't you feel it?" Rory exclaimed, as they walked up the stairs of the ruins, finding dozens of piles of ash all around them.
"I feel it both places," Amy mumbled.
"I feel it here. It's just so tranquil and relaxed. Nothing bad could ever happen here," Rory insisted, as Katy squatted down beside one of the ash piles, a bad feeling settling in her stomach.
"Uh, guys?" Katy called out, as she realised what she was looking at.
"Not really me, though, is it? I mean, would I be happy settling down in a place with a pub, two shops and a really bad Amateur Dramatics Society? That's why I got pregnant, so I don't have to see them doing Oklahoma," Amy confessed, as Rory gave her a scandalised look.
"I totally agree with you, Ames, but I think you might be missing the dozen dead bodies around us right now," Katy announced, as she and the Doctor shared a worried look.
"Oh, my God."
"What happened to them?" Rory frowned, as Katy spotted a group of old people walking down the street, headed straight toward them.
"I think they did," The Doctor exclaimed.
"They're just old people," Amy murmured, though she now wasn't so sure.
"No, they're very old people. Sorry, Rory, I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive," The Doctor stated, as the group headed down the steps of the ruins toward the elderly horde.
"Hello, peasants. What's this, attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Katy? Why don't you jump off a cliff and wake up in the TARDIS—" The Dream Lord began, when the Doctor cut him off with a look of pure anger.
"Leave her alone. Don't say another word," The Doctor spat out, in a low tone.
"Do that again. I love it when he does that. Tall dark hero. 'Leave her alone'," The Dream Lord mocked, as fury burned behind the Doctor's eyes.
"Just leave her," Rory insisted.
"Yes, you're not quite so impressive, but I know where your heart lies, don't I, Amy Pond?" The Dream Lord taunted, turning his attention to her.
"Shut up. Just shut up and leave me alone."
"But listen. You're in there. Loves a redhead, the Doctor. Has he told you about Elizabeth the First? Well, she thought she was the first...here, Katy, maybe all you need to do is dye that pretty hair and he'll finally be all yours?" The Dream Lord continued, as Katy grit her teeth.
"Drop it. Drop all of it. I know who you are," The Doctor announced.
"Course you don't," The Dream Lord huffed, as the Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Course I do. No idea how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do," The Doctor replied, making Katy frown.
The Doctor had definitely met the Dream Lord before then. Did that mean she had to?
"Never mind me. Maybe you should worry about them," The Dream Lord said, gesturing to the old people who were now much closer.
A moment later, the smug man had vanished, leaving the group to fend for themselves. Katy didn't like the look of the vacant stares and possible weapons in the shape of zimmer frames and sticks.
"Uh, should we be running right now?" Katy guessed.
"Hello, we were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements, by the look of it. Are you all right? You look a bit tense," The Doctor greeted, as the horde steadily advanced on them.
"Hello, Mister Nainby," Rory waved at a bearded man, who wore an expressionless mask.
"Rory..." The Doctor started, in a warning tone.
"Mister Nainby ran the sweet shop. He used to slip me the odd free toffee," Rory explained, as the old man suddenly grabbed Rory by the collar and lifted him off his feet. "Did I not say thank you?"
Somehow, the elderly man managed to chuck Rory a few feet back, who landed in a heap in the mud. Katy was storming forward and shoved the old man back before he could try anything else. She rushed over to her friend's side and offered her hand out to him, which Rory gratefully took. She'd be damned if she let anything happen to her best friend.
Suddenly, in unison, the group opened their mouths until their jaws disconnected and a disgusting eye could be seen past their lips. Katy felt a bit of rile rising in her own throat at the sight, wondering how long the creatures had been inside the humans. Rory gaped in disbelief as the Doctor scanned the elderly horde with his sonic screwdriver, wanting to know what they were up against.
"There's a whole creature inside her. Inside all of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting," The Doctor announced.
"That is disgusting. They're not going to be peeping out of anywhere else, are they?" Rory mumbled, as Katy slapped his shoulder.
Amy let out a screech as Mrs Poggit breathed out a stream of green gas, as the group jumped back in horror. Katy didn't want to think about what might have happened if it had touched them.
"You lot leg it. I'll hold them off," Katy exclaimed, as Amy took off without another word.
"Katy..." Rory trailed off, not wanting to leave her.
"Take care of your wife, Rory," Katy advised, as he nodded and raced off after her.
"You too, Doc," Katy insisted, as he shook his head.
"I told you. I'm not going anywhere," He retorted, as she glanced at him with a slight smile.
"Talk to me. You are Eknodines. A proud, ancient race. you're better than this. Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?" The Doctor asked, as Katy grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.
"Not the time for questions. Time for the running," Katy told him, before dragging him away from the group, who hurled their green gas out.
The pair hadn't got as far as they hoped they would when the bird song began to deafen them. The Doctor grabbed Katy's hand and led her to a Butcher's, which had the door open. He locked the glass door behind them, and turned the open sign to closed, causing Katy to roll her eyes. She looked around for a back entrance but all the doors were locked.
"Sonic," Katy exclaimed, as the Doctor shook his head.
"It's wood," He muttered, knocking on the wooden door to the back.
"You really need to...to update those settings," Katy grumbled, as a wave of tiredness hit her.
"Oh, I love a good butcher's, don't you? We've got to use these places or they'll shut down" The Dream Lord called out, appearing behind the counter in an apron. "Oh, but you're probably a vegetarian, aren't you, you big flop-haired wuss."
"Shut up!" Katy and the Doctor shouted, in unison.
"Oh, I love it when you do that," The Dream Lord grinned, as Katy's legs gave out from under her.
"Oh, wait a moment. If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry pensioners will destroy you with their horrible eye things," The Dream Lord warned, as the Doctor linked their arms and all but dragged Katy further into the shop.
"Better hold on tight to her, Doctor. Wouldn't want to lose her again, would you?" The Dream Lord taunted, as the Doctor gave him a cold look.
He managed to make it to the door of a store room before he too collapsed, as the pensioners broke through the front entrance. He looked down beside Katy to find she was already asleep, her head lolled to one side.
"Wait, wait, stop!" The Doctor cried out, as the elderly group advanced on them.
"Oh, I can't watch," The Dream Lord gasped, covering his eyes with his hands.
Using all his strength, he pushed himself to his feet and managed to unlock the metal door just as the pensioners loomed over them. He dragged Katy into the store room and slammed the door shut just before the Eknodines could grab them. And then, he fell to the ground beside where Katy had slumped against the door, his head lolling against hers.
"Ah, it's colder," Amy shivered, as the four woke up in the TARDIS, finding ice started to grow in the console room.
"The three of us have to agree, now, which is the dream," The Doctor insisted, rubbing at his arms, seeing as he no longer wore his jacket.
"Okay, which world do you think is real?" Amy questioned, as Katy reached out to pull over one of the blankets Amy had grabbed and placed it over the Doctor's shoulders.
"This one," The Doctor replied, laying the blanket out so it also covered Katy's lap.
"No, the other one," Rory argued.
"Yeah, but are we disagreeing or competing?" The Doctor pointed out.
"Competing? Over what?" Amy frowned, as the two men turned to give Amy and Katy an expectant look.
"Oh, for God's sake," Katy scoffed, as she jumped up to her feet.
"What temperature is it?" Amy complained, grabbing a few more blankets and a pair of scissors.
"Outside? Brrr. How many noughts have you got? Inside? I don't know but I can't feel my feet and... other parts," The Doctor admitted, as Katy's eyes automatically drifted downwards.
"Well, I could—" Katy started, with a smirk before Amy stopped her.
"Stop flirting and put this on," Amy scolded, throwing a blanket with a slit in the middle at her head.
"Oh, a poncho. The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen," Rory huffed, as Amy made ponchos for all of them.
"Not sure if I can pull this off," Katy muttered, tugging the blanket over her head, regardless.
"I've seen you look much worse," The Doctor explained, pulling his own poncho over his shoulders.
"You're lucky she likes a challenge, mate," Rory snorted, as the Doctor winced when he noticed the glare Katy was giving him.
"Our time's running out. If we fall asleep here we're in trouble. If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world, but the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why? Why? what's the logic?" The Doctor sighed, pacing around the room.
"Good idea, veggie. Let's divide you four up, so I can have a little chat with our lovely girlfriend here. Maybe I'll keep her, and you can have Pointy Nose and Ginger to yourself for all eternity, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality," The Dream Lord threatened, as Katy's eyes widened at the idea.
"Can you hear that?" Rory asked, his eyes starting to flutter shut.
"What? Oh no, Rory, don't do this to me," Katy groaned, grabbing onto his arm as he slowly fell to the floor.
Amy was the next to fall, collapsing on top of Rory as the Doctor fought to stay awake. Katy reached for his arms, as he clutched onto her shoulders, his hearts breaking at the fear in her eyes. It was the thing that scared her the most, after all. Being alone.
"I'll be back. I...I promise," The Doctor insisted, before falling to his knees.
"Doctor?" Katy cried, helping to lower him to the floor, gently placing his head against the glass.
"How sweet," The Dream Lord mocked, as Katy refused to look at him.
"Just stay away from me," Katy muttered, as he suddenly appeared beside her, making her flinch.
"Katy, we're going to have fun, aren't we?" He grinned, sinisterly.
Over the next few minutes, a thick sheet of ice spread over the console and the surrounding room, until Katy could feel every inch of her skin screaming out in pain from the cold. She ran a hand through her hair, finding small bits of ice already coated in her brunette locks. Looking down from where she was perched on the staircase, she could see how her friends were shaking, despite being asleep. She was debating forcing herself to get up and search for more blankets when the Dream Lord appeared beside her.
"Poor Katy. He always leaves you, doesn't he, alone in the dark. Never apologises," The Dream Lord stated.
"People have been doing that to me my whole life. I'm pretty used to it now," Katy retorted, standing up to put some distance between them.
"And now he's left you with me. Spooky old, not to be trusted me...anything could happen," He smirked, suddenly appearing on one of the seats in a revealing robe.
"In your dreams," She sneered.
"You certainly are," The Dream Lord replied, as Katy's forehead wrinkled.
"Why did you bring me here, alone? I'm guessing it was more than just to flirt?" Katy pushed.
"...I want to help you."
A harsh laugh echoed through the console room, full of bitterness as Katy strode forward to loom over the Dream Lord. She was done being scared of the man. It was time for her to take control of the dream.
"And why the hell would you want to help me?" She spat out.
"The answer is glaring you in the face, Katy," The Dream Lord informed her, as she mulled it over.
"The Doctor knows you, but he's not telling me who you are. And he always does. So, you're something different. Something he wants to hide," Katy theorised.
"Oh, is that who you think you are? The one he trusts?" The Dream Lord huffed, as she gave a slight shrug.
"I think I've proven myself enough times, so...yes," Katy pushed.
"The only girl in the universe to whom the Doctor tells everything?" The Dream Lord said, in a mocking tone.
"Yes," Katy insisted, firmly.
"So, what's his name?"
Katy was taken aback by the question, but only for a moment. The Dream Lord's expression turned smug, thinking he had also managed to hit a sore spot for her. And Katy was going to enjoy proving him wrong.
"The Doctor," Katy began, shushing the Dream Lord with her finger before he could interrupt her. "That's the name he chose. That's who he is. And that's all I need to know. Whoever he was back on Gallifrey, none of that matters anymore. It's here and now, that's what counts. Being a Doctor."
"So loyal, aren't you? To the bitter end. If only the Doctor had the same loyalty," The Dream Lord sighed.
"Jesus, can you just leave me to freeze to death in silence?" Katy groaned, throwing her head back.
"Oh, you're not going to die today, Katy. You can't. Fixed point in time and all," The Dream Lord told her, noticing how her eyes widened a fraction.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Katy frowned.
"You can wake up. I'll let you. Hands on my hearts," The Dream Lord announced.
"And my friends?" Katy asked, as he shook his head.
"I'll let your little buddies go too. But the Doctor stays with me," The Dream Lord exclaimed.
"Then no fucking deal," She retorted, angrily.
"I'm trying to save you. Why do you never let me save you?" The Dream Lord huffed, as Katy's frown deepened.
And suddenly all the pieces fell into place for her. All the flirty comments, how he knew so much about the Doctor, hell he did just point out he had multiple hearts. How had she not seen it before?
"You're the Doctor," She realised, as a slight smirk grew onto his lips.
"You always were too smart for your own good," The Dream Lord sighed.
"What then, you're some dark part of him that's manifested? How?" Katy questioned.
"Does it matter?" He huffed, as Katy regarded him closely.
"You still haven't told me why you brought me here alone," Katy stated, as he clicked his fingers and the TARDIS whirred to life.
She watched as he typed away on the keyboard for a few moments, hopeful that he would finally stop his little game. But whilst the TARDIS had been somewhat revived, they were still hurtling toward the cold star.
"A part of me always knew. Maybe it's this part, right here in front of you. But I knew from that first day this would happen...it's what always happens," The Dream Lord explained, as words flashed up on the monitor.
Katy Smith.
Died age 26.
Katy felt her heart stop for a moment. Everything came to a grinding halt. It was a lie. It had to be. That was less than a year away. She knew something terrible was coming for her, but she was sure she would have more time. It was too soon. She still felt like her life was only just beginning, how could it already be the end?
"I'm so sorry," The Dream Lord murmured from behind her.
Suddenly, a sharp gasp was grabbing her attention, as Katy looked down to find her friends were awakening. Rushing forward, she collapsed by the Doctor's side, helping to pull him up onto his knees. She blinked away the tears in her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice when she found how his own eyes were bloodshot. The next moment, he was pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, cradling the back of her head, as she felt him tremble against her. What the hell had happened whilst they had been asleep?
"Definitely feeling a bit warmer now," She exclaimed, hearing the Doctor laugh as he pulled away.
He leant forward to press a kiss to her forehead, before reluctantly letting go of her and sprinting over to the console. Crawling over to Amy and Rory, the three reached out for each other, looking absolutely traumatised by what they had seen.
"Doctor, I know who the Dream Lord is," Katy announced, as the Doctor flipped half a dozen switches on the TARDIS.
"I know," He nodded.
"What are we doing now?" Amy called out, as she saw the time rotor starting to move.
"Me, I'm going to blow up the Tardis."
"What?" Rory gaped, as they staggered up.
"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was? Okay, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and I could have done without the limerick. But he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality," The Doctor began, tugging on a leaving as an ominous red glow came from the console.
"Doctor, the Dream Lord conceded. This isn't a dream!" Rory insisted.
"Yes, it is," The Doctor retorted.
"Stop him," Amy cried, as Katy held her hands up.
"He's right. I trust him," Katy informed them, as the Doctor hid a smile.
"Star burning cold? Do me a favour. The Dream Lord has no power over the real world. He was offering us a choice between two dreams."
"How do you know that?" Amy pushed.
"Because we know who he is," The Doctor smirked, before twisting a leaver and everything went white.
A dripping sound awoke Katy as her eyes slowly opened, becoming blinded with light for a second. And then she realised where she was. In the TARDIS kitchen. On the floor to be precise, a broken bowl full of cereal beside her and milk dripping off from the counter. But where were the others? She took off racing as fast as her aching legs could carry her when she all but collided with Amy and Rory.
"God, you two have no idea how glad I am to see you," Katy exclaimed, pulling them both into a hug, and smashing their heads together.
"Ow. But you too," Rory grinned, holding onto her tightly.
"Do you have any idea what's been going on?" Amy queried, as the group pulled back, with Katy shaking her head.
"We best go find the man with all the answers then," Katy huffed, as they walked off in the direction of the console room.
"A speck of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava. Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up and induced a dream state for all of us," The Doctor announced, already anticipating their question, as the three descended down the stairs.
"Bad luck, huh?" Katy mumbled, as the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and blew the pollen into space.
"So that was the Dream Lord then? Those little specks?" Rory guessed.
"No, no. No. Sorry, wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was me. Psychic pollen. It's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you, gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm nine hundred and seven. It had a lot to go on," The Doctor admitted, in a slightly guilty tone.
"But why didn't it feed on us, too?" Amy asked, gesturing to her and Rory.
"The darkness in you pair, it would've starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck with my own company, and you know how that works out," The Doctor shrugged.
"And me? Hell of a lot of darkness in here," Katy said, pointing to her head.
"Which you never cover up. Wear your heart on your sleeve. All that darkness, it's just on the surface. That's all. Not what it would have wanted," The Doctor told her.
"But those things he said about you. You don't think any of that's true?" Amy pushed, as Katy felt her heart sink.
The Doctor's expression alone gave her the answer. He really thought of himself as the Dream Lord, some dark, bitter God, hurting people without a care in the world. Didn't he see he was nothing like that?
"Amy, right now a question is about to occur to Rory. And seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your full attention," The Doctor stated, pushing Amy toward her fiancé.
"Yeah. Actually, yeah. Because what I don't get is, you blew up the Tardis, that stopped that dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?" Rory frowned.
"We crashed the camper van."
"Oh, right. I don't remember that bit," Rory replied, as Katy slowly pieced together what had happened.
"No, you weren't there. You were already...dead. You died in that dream. Mrs Poggit got you and Katy," Amy sighed, as Katy's eyes snapped to hers.
Shit, she had died in that dream? Was that why the Doctor looked like he had been crying when he had woken up? She turned to find the Time Lord suddenly appeared very interested in the switches in front of him, refusing to even glance in her direction.
"Okay. But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just die?" Rory insisted.
"I didn't."
"Oh. Oh!" Rory exclaimed, a grin spreading over his face, as he realised Amy had sacrificed her life when she knew he was dead.
"Buddy, maybe don't look so happy about your fiancé killing herself," Katy mumbled, patting him on the back before she went to stand by the Doctor's side.
Amy and Rory began to passionately kiss each other, as Katy quirked an eyebrow, thinking the pair had forgotten where they were. With a loud cough, they reluctantly separated, devoted expressions on both their faces, as Katy couldn't stop the smile that grew on her own lips.
"You two remember you have a room here, right?" Katy scoffed, as Rory was grabbing her hand.
"We'll see you in the morning!" Rory called back, as he dragged Amy away, who giggled excitedly.
"Looks like she probably is gonna' end up getting pregnant," Katy murmured, once they were out of earshot.
"Ugh. That is disgusting," The Doctor winced, sticking his tongue out.
"So...I died in that dream then?" Katy suggested.
The Doctor's hands stilled on the console, before he shut his eyes for a moment, as the memory of her being killed by the Eknodines washed over him. He hadn't been able to think of anything after her death. Nothing but getting back to her.
"Did you know it was a dream?" Katy inquired, as he gave her a shy look.
"I had a feeling," He replied.
"About me?" She pushed, stepping closer to him, all but slotting herself in between him and the console.
"Amy didn't want to live in a world without Rory...and I didn't want to live in a world without you," The Doctor confessed, as Katy's mouth went slack.
He gave her a nervous look then, not sure how she would react. He certainly hadn't been expecting her to lean forward and press her lips to his, as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The Doctor smiled into the kiss, as his hands came up to rest on her waist, holding her close to him. Pulling back a few inches, Katy stared up into his warm eyes, her hands pressed up against his chest, feeling the double beat of his hearts.
"You know...you don't have to hide it from me. The dark parts of yourself. I want to know all of you," Katy admitted, as the Doctor gave her a dreamy look before leaning forward to kiss her again.
"The Dream Lord...he wanted me to leave. Back then, after what happened at the school, did you think about not waiting for me?" Katy queried.
"I thought you would be better off without me and I wasn't...I wasn't sure I could handle the guilt."
"The guilt?" Katy frowned, as the Doctor's hands fell away from her waist.
"Of what I did. Your sister might still be alive if it wasn't for me," The Doctor sighed, as her eyes softened.
"Doctor. I never blamed you," Katy retorted, surprising him. "You did what you thought was right. You saved me. Rose, Sarah Jane...all those kids. Lassar killed my sister. No one else. And yeah, I'm angry as hell that she's gone and I'll do everything I can to bring her back but...it's not your fault."
"That darkness that you think you have inside you?" The Doctor began.
"Yeah?"
"I've never seen it," The Doctor declared, as Katy's lips twitched into a smile, and he wrapped his arms around her once more.
They remained as they were, happy just embracing each other for a little while, as the Doctor dropped his face into the crook of his neck. It wasn't the first time she had resolved his guilt, but every now and again he needed the reminder. A moment later, the TARDIS was lurching to the left, as the pair almost tumbled over, before bursting out laughing.
"I think the TARDIS may be telling us to get a room that she can more easily ignore," The Doctor huffed.
"But I don't know what this means...we're not on the same page. You're eleven chapters ahead," She pouted, as he reached up to cup her cheek.
"It's up to you. Katy's choice," He suggested, as she mulled it over.
"Well, I can't believe I'm gonna' say this...but I'm tired as hell. So, I'm off to bed," Katy told him.
"Ah. Right. Sure, I'm a bit tired myself" The Doctor nodded, taking a step back.
She began walking down the steps toward the corridor when she twisted around to give the Doctor an expectant look.
"You coming?" She exclaimed as a beaming grin spread over his lips.
"Just to sleep, mind you! No funny business!" She announced, as the Doctor rushed toward her like an excited puppy.
"Yours or mine?" The Doctor questioned, in a way that told her that this definitely wasn't the first time they had shared a bed for him.
"Yours. So, you better clear up all that space junk off the bed. I don't want to wake up finding a time gear sticking out my back," She continued, as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Yes, dear," He smirked, before rushing off toward his room.
Her smile slowly faded, as she glanced back at the console, before heading toward the monitor. Typing out her name, she felt the TARDIS cause the keyboard to spark underneath her fingers, clearly not wanting her to search further.
"It's my life. I have a right to know," Katy insisted, as she heard the TARDIS let out a deflated hum.
"Show death date for Katy Smith," She announced, as the words flashed up on the screen.
2007.
Martha's time. And underneath the date, her age at death appeared, confirming all her fears.
26 years old.
The Dream Lord hadn't been lying. She had a year left, at the most. Maybe less. She could search further for the exact date, but how would it help? Eventually, she would be thrown through the vortex to that very day whether she liked it or not.
"I guess I can't run forever."