belle, doctor who

forty-five

Ave and River have left. The Doctor, Belle, and Amy are still at the Pandorica. The Doctor is pacing back and forth.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?"

"Nothing, as far as I know," the Doctor says.

"But Vincent's painting. The TARDIS was exploding. Is that going to happen?" Belle asks.

"One problem at a time. There's forcefield technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour," the Doctor tells them. Belle gives him a sympathetic look.

"What good is half an hour?" Amy asks.

"There are fruit flies that live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life. There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

Amy takes the ring box from her pocket. Belle tries to hide, but listens to the conversation.

"So, are you planning on proposing to Belle?" asks Amy as she holds the box up.

"I'm sorry?" Belle hears the Doctor say. She could tell he's looking for her.

"I found this in your pocket," Amy tells him.

"No. No, no, that's er, a memory. A friend of ours. Someone we lost. Do you mind? Belle, I know you're still there," the Doctor turns around to find her. Belle cringes.

"It's weird. I feel, I don't know, something," Amy says. "I was just telling Belle about it. That's what we were doing before I knew she stole your sonic."

The Doctor rolls his eyes, but then says, "People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals, rings. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

"It might be nice to get married one day," says Belle. The Doctor nods. He looks at Belle like he might have already have something planned.

"So, was she nice, your friend? Is she the one Belle has talked about before?"

"No. Not that one," the Doctor has a pained look on his face, thinking about Donna Noble. "Remember that night you flew away with me?"

"Of course I do. And I remember the day Belle joined us," Amy gives Belle a smile.

"Besides that, you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason. I was lying," the Doctor tells her.

"What, so you did have a reason?" Amy asks.

"Your house," the Doctor says.

"My house," Amy repeats.

"It was too big. Too many empty rooms. Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?"

"I've never been to... er... Doctor?!" Belle starts, but stops as soon as she sees a beam of red energy shooting everywhere. That wasn't good. At all.

An energy weapon fires at them. It is the arm from before. They hide behind the Pandorica.

"What was that?" Belle asks.

"Okay, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target. Not you, Belle."

"But Doctor—"

"How?" Amy asks, interrupting Belle.

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" The Doctor asks as he squeezes Belle's hand.

"Yes," Amy says as Belle mutters, "sometimes not so brilliant."

"Sorry," he apologises after kissing Belle's cheek.

He runs out. Belle stares in disbelief as Amy comes up to her to comfort her.

"Look at me, I'm a target!" The Doctor raises his hands in the air.

He gets shot at and hides behind the base of a Sarsen.

"Doctor!" Belle yells.

"What is that?" Amy asks.

"Cyberarm. Arm of Cyberman," the Doctor explains.

"Cyberman?" Belle repeats. The Doctor nods

"And what's a Cyberman?"

"Oh, sort of part man, part robot. The organic part must have died out years ago. Now the robot part is looking for, well, fresh meat."

"What, us?" Amy asks.

"It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming. I need to get round behind it. Could you draw its fire?"

"What, like you did?" Amy asks.

"You'll be fine if you're quick. It's only got one arm, literally."

Amy runs, dragging Belle, screaming. The Doctor pounces on the arm.

"Come here!" Shouts the Doctor. He manages to sonic it.

"Doctor?" Amy asks.

"Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are, it could be bluffing," the Doctor says.

"Bluffing? It's an arm," Amy states.

"I said stay where you are!" The Doctor shouted.

Something creeps up behind Amy and lassoes her ankle. Belle tries to help get the cyberhead off of Amy, but it ends up getting her too.

"Doctor?" Amy screams.

"Doctor!" Belle screams.

They are pulled to the floor.

"Belle! Amy!"

The Cyberarm gives the Doctor an electric shock, knocking him out.

"Doctor!"

Amy grabs the cyberhead by the ears. It fizzles, then the mask pops open to reveal a skull, which falls out. Amy and Belle scream. "Belle!" Amy shouts. The mask keeps snapping open and shut. She hits it against a Sarsen until it lets her go, then throws it to the floor. It crawls away.

"Doctor? Belle?"

The Cyberhead fires a little dart into Amy and Belle's neck.

"You will be assimilated," says the Cyberhead.

"Yeah? You and whose body? Belle's?"

Belle glares and smacks Amy's head with a hand she had that wasn't occupied. Belle gasps when she sees what enters.

A headless, armless Cyberman enters. It puts its head back on then goes after the woozy Amy and almost woozy Belle. She backs out through the big doors, dragging Belle along.

"What do we do?" Belle asks Amy as they're locked inside the underhedge. Their backs are pressed against the door to hold the cyberman from getting in. A sword goes right past Belle's head and she screams. The doors open and the cyberman's body flops down. She woozily walks with Amy. Belle notices someone familiar in a Roman suit but isn't able to catch who the person was before her vision went black.

•••

Belle wakes up against a log, wrapped in a blanket. She is startled when her vision clears, seeing that Rory Williams was crying in a Roman suit.

"Hate to break up this... moment here, but... Rory?"

Rory nods. "Yeah... it's... me, but it's a bit complicated to explain..."

"Is that... Amy?" Belle gasps, hands go to her mouth as she sees Amy lying on his lap, out cold. Was she really dead?