The Girl Who Waited

It was a crisp, cool night. Leadworth was quiet. It had been some time since the Doctor had dropped Amy off at her home, as he wanted to check out some cool things, and Amy wanted to check on her house and things for at least a day.

A day that was supposed to be her time.

It had been four years.

Amy had long decided that he wasn't coming back anytime soon, and that she wanted to go find him herself. Meeting a guy only known as 'Jack', she bought a transporter of a sort, and did her best at tracking him down. No such luck. Hit-and-miss.

She couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever show back up at her home in tiny leadworth, looking for her. She supposed it didn't matter, he'd get her letter anyways.

"Oh Doctor... Where are you?" Amy spoke to herself, as she stood upon a cliff, studying the moon.

The Doctor groaned as he sat on her bed. He got it wrong. Again.

"18 years... I've really messed up her life." He said sadly and laid back. He had originally wanted to see the twin moons of Palanorian... but unfortunately he ended up in a fixed point and started the war. He had always wondered how it started.

Turned out that the people of palanorian didn't particularly like blue.

He looked around her room, taking note of the various objects. Like the mini TARDIS Amy had made. The dolls of him and a 7 year old her. The drawings... He felt guilt wash over him.

If he hadn't shown up and destroyed her shed 20 years ago She would have had a normal life. She would have friends and she wouldn't be running around Rassilon knows where.

He closed his eyes, physically and mentally exhausted from the day's events and it wasn't long before he'd fallen asleep, a light pink tinge in his cheeks as his breathing slowed.

Amy's note had been left on her dresser, left for him to read.

Doctor,

My Doctor. My wonderful, amazing and crazy Doctor. I have missed you so much.

It's been four years since you've left. I definitely know now, your time is much different than mine. Maybe next time, I should say a few seconds.

But then, would it really matter?

I've got a confession to make. I've never told you this either. When I left, with you, I was running from something. Something that, would've killed my Mother, had her life not ended in that accident.

I'm dying. I've been dying. I've been running from this for years. And now, I've got maybe months. No cure.

My gran passed it to my Mum, but not Aunt Sharon, who passed it to me.

I hope to see you before this happens. But, if I don't, just know I've loved you. I still do.

Our time was something I don't regret. I could never regret it.

I just hoped, I'd go out by saving someone, instead of this. This weakness. This bit of suffering.

I've been searching for you Doctor. But even that, must come to an end.

Goodbye, my Doctor.

Love,
Amelia Pond

The Doctor shifted in his sleep, a dark dream making him frown in his dreams. He gripped the paper, rain hitting the window pane hard, flashes of light illuminating the room for a few seconds. The third light flash and the Doctor woke, a combination of his dream and the noise waking him. He looked at the paper in his hand and darted into the TARDIS, using a scarf to lock onto her signal.

He made sure he didn't add on any more days or years and stepped out onto the cliff behind her.

"Amelia..."

Thinking only his voice was an illusion, Amy shivered. She had been having no luck finding the Doctor. She wondered if he even was the same person. Maybe, he changed and didn't know her.

She didn't hear the TARDIS land, or him behind her, and she stepped closer to the cliffs edge.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. This is where I stop. I can't take this anymore. This, this thing. I'm so, so sorry." She whispered, her hair blowing in the wind. "Goodbye."

She raised the eyecover to her eyes, shielding them from watching her death. She knew there was a river down below. She knew she wouldn't be able to swim well at all, her limits exceeded. She knew the coldness of the water would stun her into shock until she died.

Amy Pond was ready to stop suffering. She was going to jump.

The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat and he started moving almost instantly at her words.

"Amy!" He reached out to grab her, his fingers grasping air as he watched her fall.

"AMY!" He threw his jacket to the side and jumped after her, trying to catch up with her speed. He could feel his hearts hammering in his chest as he saw her dissapear under the water, following her a second or so later. He felt the air in his lungs freeze in the sub climate waters. He managed to grab Amy's jacket and pulled her up to the surface, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. Time-Lords had a lower body temperature anyway but even this was too cold for him.

He managed to pull her onto the bank and turned her onto her back where he looked at her.

"Amy! Amy speak to me!"

Amy groaned. "Please... let me die... I don't want saved. There's only one person who can save me... let me die." She moaned out, shivering, as she turned on her side and curled into a fetal position, waiting for death to come. She could feel herself going in and out of consciousness. "Just let me die..." She whispered.

The Doctor let out a desperate laugh and winced at the tingling in his fingers. It was truely too cold.

"I'm so sorry Amy.. I should have made sure..." He lent down and gently kissed her. "I love you too Pond." He managed to pick her up bridal style and carried her back toward the TARDIS.

"And there's no cure in this time period yes... 50Th century however is a different matter." He staggered to the TARDIS and lent against it, his breath coming out in gasps. He could feel his respiratory system fight for every breath, the cold had done more harm than he thought.

Amy heard talking, and she tried to recognize the voice. "Doctor?" She said softly, trying to get past the fog in her brain. She opened her eyes, and saw him struggle to breathe. "Doctor, let me down. Need to get you to medbay." She said, jumping out of his arms, and helping him to the medbay. after all the time, she knew where it was still.

"Why did you jump in, ya numpty? I'm... I never told you. I don't have much time left. Months, weeks... Days maybe. And yet, you jump into water that is colder than anything." Amy said, helping him onto a bed in the bay. "And yet, you never learn do you? Do you?! When are you going to learn, when someone's time is up, you HAVE to let them GO?!" She yelled at him, looking into his eyes.

"And yet," She paused, using soft words. "here you are. Playing a hero again. Risking your life for a dead person. I might as well already be, with as much little time as I have. It's written in stone. I've seen the future." She said, raising her wrist, showing the transportation device that Jack had given her, along with fresh scars, over old scars, over old scars.

"Doctor, I've seen my own grave. It's next to my parents. My Aunt. And you've seen it too."

The Doctor looked away.

"I jumped in Amy because i love you." He didn't say anything else. He knew about the grave. He knew how she died. He just didn't want to accept it. She was all he had left. He had loved Rose and lost her so suddenly. He had been so lost afterwards and he had tried... He'd tried so hard not to let it happen again.

But then the little Scottish girl from an English village stumbled into his life. He couldn't just let her go. He couldn't let himself accept she was going to die.

"I love you."

Amy was stunned for the moment. "You know, you're making it hard." She said, softly, getting choked up. "You're making it hard, for when it is time for me to die. But, I love you too. I always have. And I always will. I believe I'll even love you after.... after my heart stops beating." She said, her eyes welling up with tears. "With my last breath... I'll even tell you. I do love you."

Amy stared at him for a moment. Lip between her teeth, a tear streaming down her cheek. She then let out a sigh. "Get dried, dressed. I'll have tea waiting for you on the table in a few." She said, walking out and towards her old bedroom.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Amy i'm sorry but i will not let you die. I know... I know a way around it..." He looked away, his green eyes seeming ashamed of his thoughts.

"And i am determined." He took her hand, his freezing in her slightly warmer ones. "I will not let you die."

Amy left out a soft smile. "River Song once said to me that time can be rewritten. Doctor, I've seen the future. I've seen my own funeral. Which, I wish I hadn't had one. This is my own DNA we're talking about. Believe me, you can't change it. But, it's fine, I've made peace with the fact that, everyone dies. Even me. I've learned, I'm like you. I've been running. Hard and fast." She said.

"Do I have to show you my grave, to convince you? Do you need to see it a second time? Because, quite frankly, I don't. I can't. I may have come to terms with this, but I'm scared. Deep down, I'm scared. Amy Pond. Scared. Sounds rubbish." She scoffed, disappointed in herself. "That's why I've involved myself with you. With danger. I'm not going to let this pitiful illness kill me. Amy Pond finally has a chance to change the world. To be a hero. To go out, with a bang." She smiled.

A bout of dizziness overcame her for a moment, and she swayed a little. She noticed him trying to help, but declined. "It's side effect. It happens." She shrugged.

The Doctor shook his head, flat out refusing to acknowledge the illness.

"Amy. Rule number one."

"The Doctor lies, right? Well, look at it this way.. You could create a rip in time, a paradox, if you tried to save me." Amy said, shrugging. "You know, Rory tried to find a cure. Instead, he was the one who found there wasn't. Of course, he did a lot of studies on me, me alone. I was his patient for four years. Until he himself died. My own friend... died. Went to sleep and never woke up. They didn't know what the cause of death was. Shortly after, I left. I couldn't take everything anymore."

The Doctor sighed.

"I'll prove it." He set co-ordinates and the TARDIS landed a few seconds later. The Doctor left with a spade and started to dig up Amy's grave. He reached a plain wooden box and opened it to find...




Nothing. The box was empty and gathering dust. The only thing that was there was a note on the wood.

'Gotcha Amy. Forever x Doctor.' The Doctor smiled and pulled Amy out to look.

"Told you so."

Amy stepped back. "The bloody hell?" She looked over at the Doctor, and back down at it. "No... No, I'm dead. How the fuck did you..." She was confused. Her thoughts were going too fast. "Take me far away. Take me away from here. From this. I don't... I don't want to suffer anymore." Tears started streaming from her eyes, her hands shook. "I don't want to see this anymore. No matter how many times you change the future, you always see the things you don't want to see anymore. You might try to change my future, but I'll always see this."

The Doctor stood and hugged her gently.

"I'm sorry Amy." He had the wheels in his head turning as to why he would dig her a grave.

"I guess i had to have an alibi as to why you hadn't come back in... probably 50 years." He looked down at her before tilting her head so he can look in her eyes.

"Let's get you fixed."

Amy shook her head. "Not your fault." She said, shivering a little. "It was a good cover, I'll admit." She said, giving him a soft smile, as she itched her wrist, wincing. "Lets go, yeah? I'm... I'm done here."

The Doctor smiled and led her inside where he set the co-ordinates for the future.

"31st century. Human's have moved on from earth. yeah you lot never learn though." He smiled. "You all find this new planet though don't you! What do you call it with all your imaginations and your ideas?" He stopped and looked at her, humor dancing in his eyes.

"New Earth. I mean.. Of ANYTHING, you all choose new earth." he sighs and shakes his head in an amused way. "Technically speaking it's the 11 version of 'new earth' but you guys still just call it New earth." He smiled as they landed.


"Amelia Pond, welcome to the cure for your illness." He opened the door to a large white building with a green logo.

"It's a hospital yes but please... Don't argue."

Amy looked around. "It's quite beautiful." She said, looking around. Looking at the Doctor, she looked a little nervous. "I uh, I'll do my best. I've always been a little scared of hospitals. Ever since I was in there last." She said, putting her hand in his. "You do know, there's a chance this may not work exactly. It may, but maybe not the first time. No matter how advanced this hospital is, my body could reject the cure." She paused. "It happened last time. Treatments Rory gave me. They made me sicker."

She thought about what happened last time. "Uh, you know, that's alright, I think I'll uh, hold off on this." She said, turning around, half dragging the Doctor back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor growled almost and picked her up bridal style and carried her into the hospital.

"These don't do accidents and rejections. They take your sample first and make sure. Trust me."

Amy squirmed in his arms. "Alright, alright, I'll go. Let me down, yeh?" She said, looking at him. "Are these uh, people nice, yes? I hope so..."

The Doctor chuckled.

"The sisters of plenitude. The nicest.. well.. Almost the nicest group of nurses you will ever find. Just... Don't ask them about the diseases of 4953." He smiled and let her down.

"You'll be fine Amelia. I promise."

"That sounds definitely bad..." Amy said, as they got closer to the hospital. "Are you sure this will work? I mean, seriously, it almost seems impossible that these people alone can cure this, but, but there was never any cure before. Does every cure work for every person?" She asked, curious. "I mean, how do they administer this stuff? Do they do things surgically?"