belle, doctor who

twenty

"Okay, this is the real one. Definitely this one. It's all solid," Amy says as they wake up. Belle puts a hand on her stomach as she groans.

"It felt solid in the TARDIS too. You can't spot a dream while you're having it," the Doctor says.

The Doctor waves his hand in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" Rory and Belle ask.

"This ring's pretty," Belle says, looking at her fake wedding ring. "I wish I had this in..."

The Doctor gives her a look.

"I'm looking for motion blur, pixilation. It could be a computer simulation. I don't think so, though," he tells Rory.

A little old woman walks past them. She looks at Rory.

"Hello, Doctor."

"Hi," Rory smiles. Belle scoffs.

"Hello. You're a doctor," the Doctor pulls Belle towards him as he notices that the woman called Rory a doctor.

"Yeah. And unlike you, I've actually passed some exams," Rory says.

"A doctor, not a nurse. Just like you've always dreamed. How interesting."

"What is?"

"Your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby. Maybe this is your dream."

"Then how come I'm married to you and are going to have your baby in this dream?" Belle asks. "Do you think this would've happened if this wasn't a dream?"

"Well you'd still have to decide whether to stay with me or not," the Doctor kisses her temple.

"It's Amy's dream too. Isn't it, Amy?" Rory asks Amy.

Amy agreed. "Yes. Course it is, yeah."

"What's that?" the Doctor looks at a building.

"Old people's home," Amy says.

The sign outside says SARN Residential Care Home. A man is looking out of a window, then a woman and another man.

"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 runs off, followed by Rory. Amy looks at Belle as she stands with her.

"Oh," she groans, "can we not do the running?"

•••

"Oh hello, Doctor Williams," a woman greets Rory as Belle and Amy catch up with the Doctor.

"Hello, Rory love," another woman greets Rory.

"Hello, Mrs Poggit. How's your hip?"

"A bit stiff," Mrs Poggit says.

"Oh, easy, D-96 compound, plus. No, you don't have that yet. Forget that," the Doctor says.

"Who's your friend? A junior doctor and his wife?" Mrs Poggit looks at Belle fidgeting with her ring.

"Yes."

"Can I borrow you? You're the size of my grandson," says Mrs Poggit.

The Doctor has to try on the sweater Mrs Poggit is knitting.

"Slightly keen to move on. Freak psychic schism to sort out. You're incredibly old, aren't you?" the Doctor asks. Belle rolls her eyes as the rest of the residents in the lounge stare at him, then the birdsong starts and they fall asleep.

•••

"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 says as they're all waking up again.