Title: Timey-Wimey
Fandoms: Doctor Who
Characters:: Eleven, Rose, Amy, Rory
Rating: T
word count: 2107
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I wish I did… *g* I don't make any money with this! I'm just writing for fun and hope someone else will enjoy it, too. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Amy makes a new friend and the Doctor is not thrilled at all.
Spoilers: some up to 5.06 Vampires of Venice, AU after that

The Doctor walked into the fish and chips restaurant where Amy had told him to meet them. Why did it have to be this place? He had been here before, a long time ago, two lifetimes actually.

Since he regenerated he had managed not to think about Rose that much. It wasn't like he had forgotten her, but whenever he regenerated he saw things differently. He remembered everything that happened before, but it somehow seemed a bit distant. When it came to Rose he was actually glad about that. It meant that he wasn't hurting that badly anymore. But now he was back in the place that they had eaten in after watching the end of the world. Rose had called it their first date. He smiled slightly at the memory. Then he sighed. All the memories about Rose and their time together started to feel not so distant anymore and that was a bad thing. He'd get Amy and Rory and tell them to go eat somewhere else. There were lots of places in London after all. Why did they have to pick this one to go to anyway?

"Ah, there you are," he called as he saw red hair from around a corner. Amy turned around and grinned, waving him over.

"Listen, you two, can we go eat somew-?" He didn't get to finish the sentence. Once he stood next to the table he froze. Amy and Rory weren't alone. But it wasn't just anyone who sat at their table…

"Doctor, I want you to meet Rose. We met in the store where…."

The Doctor didn't hear what else Amy said. His eyes were fixed on the blonde sitting so close. She was so young… well probably not much younger than when he met her for the first time, or the last time. But she looked so very much younger than when they were together before he sent her away. There was that childish spark in her eyes, which she had when she was happy.

"Hello, nice to meet you," she said and the Doctor snapped out of his thoughts. He blinked and then turned to Amy, leaning down to her.

"We need to leave. Now!"

Amy stared at him and the Doctor realized that he had spoken in a much harsher tone than he intended to. Well, he couldn't change that now and he really needed to get out of there.

"I'm waiting outside." That said he twirled around and rushed out of the restaurant. He could faintly hear Rory calling something after him. He thought he made out the word rude, but wasn't sure.

By the time Amy and Rory showed up the Doctor was pacing up and down in front of the restaurant.

"What is it, Doctor?" Amy asked curiously. When he didn't answer right away, Amy added: "Doctor?"

He glanced at her and then stopped pacing.

"What's it this time then? More aliens?" Rory asked.

"How serious is it?" Amy wanted to know, looking concerned.

"Oh, nothing serious… I'm just not in the mood for fish and chips," the Doctor finally said and started to walk away.

Amy rushed past him, blocking his way. "You look like the world is about to end and nothing serious is going on?" she asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"So, we're not in terrible danger… again?" Rory added, sounding hopeful.

"No, no aliens and no danger."

"Then why were you being so rude in there?" Amy demanded.

"I wasn't being rude…"

"Oh yes, you were," Rory stated.

Amy nodded, staring at him with that disapproving look of hers. Great, what was he supposed to say now? Luckily he was saved by Amy's phone.

Leaning back against a wall the Doctor tried to look casual as he let Amy talk to whoever called. His thoughts were racing as he tried not to think about Rose. Sighing he then heard Amy's last words.

"Where? We'll be right there. Don't move and don't touch anything." She hung up and looked at them.

"It's Rose. She…"

"You gave her your phone number?"

"Yes," Amy said while starting to walk.

"You just met her. Why would you…"

"Something is going on, Doctor. Something strange and I told her to call me if anything weird ever happened."

"You did what?"

"That guy grabbed my purse and Rose stopped him, so I owe her. Besides, I like her."

The Doctor stared at Amy in disbelief.

"But…"

"No but! What the hell is your problem anyway? You're acting weird."

"Ha, when isn't he?" Rory asked while catching up to them.

Amy frowned. "Can we talk about this later? Rose might be in danger after all."

The Doctor barely heard her words as his eyes fixed on a window. Someone had sprayed 'Bad Wolf' on it. But as a car rushed by water splashed against the writing and it started to disappear.

The Doctor's eyes widened. He had been so busy with his own feelings that he hadn't really listened to Amy. Rose had called because something strange was going on. And you didn't just call someone you barely knew for help if the situation wasn't serious.

"Where?" he suddenly asked.

Amy told him and the Doctor rushed off. Luckily it wasn't far. Of course it couldn't be far, since Rose just left the restaurant, but it still seemed way too far for the Doctor. He couldn't let anything happen to Rose, especially not before she actually met him.

As he rushed around a corner all the sound suddenly disappeared. It was just like in Venice. And just like Signora Calvierri described. Then he saw her. Rose was a few feet away, slowly walking towards a crack in a wall, her hand outstretched.

"No!" He rushed forward, put an arm around Rose and pulled her away as quickly as he could.

"Oh my god," Amy called coming to a stop nearby. "It's huge."

"What is it?" Rory wanted to know.

"It's the crack. The crack in my wall."

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked as she took a step back from the Doctor and looked from him to the crack and then to Amy and Rory.

"It's a crack in time and space," the Doctor simply stated. "And it needs to be closed." The silence was creeping through it and that couldn't be good. It had to stop. The only problem was that he needed to open it first in order to close it, just like he had done in little Amelia Ponds bedroom.

"Take a step back." Amy and Rory did so quickly. Rose followed their example wordlessly, even though she looked like she had a million questions.

The Doctor stepped in front of Rose, pulled out his sonic screwdriver and faced the crack.

Just like back in Amy's bedroom the crack opened. But the scene behind it was very different. It was a landscape, a possibly beautiful landscape. But somehow it wasn't. It looked like something was missing. It felt kind of dead. It wasn't like there were dead plants or animals or anything like that. It looked more lifeless than dead, as if nothing living was actually there. And even though they only looked at the place behind the crack for a few moments the Doctor felt like he could see even more life disappearing out of the place.

"Time energy," Amy said suddenly. Then the crack closed.

The Doctor turned to Amy and stared at her.

"There was time energy in the back. Didn't you see it?"

The Doctor blinked, remembering what he had seen through the crack.

"Yes! I remember." There had been something bright in the distance. It could have been another crack.

"It's just like when we met River and the angels. Doctor, there's another crack with time energy coming out of it!"

"I know," he said. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all!

"But it can't get here now, can it?" Amy's voice sounded rather scared.

"No, it can't. This crack is closed and everything behind it sealed away." The silence was gone as well and the Doctor had a feeling that he now knew what caused it. The place behind the crack seemed lifeless. Maybe every life had been cancelled out, so that it never even existed.

"What is time energy and what's going on?" Rose wanted to know, staring at them. Then she glanced around as if she just noticed that the noise was back.

Amy glanced at him, but the Doctor shook his head. Then he turned to Rose.

"I'm sorry. This must all be very confusing for you. But it's all going to be fine." For you, he added in thoughts. Because she wasn't going to remember any of this. She simply couldn't. It would change history.

Rose looked up at him, her eyes wide open, but somehow she didn't look scared. She just looked beautiful. On a sudden impulse he leaned down and kissed her. He wasn't sure why he did it, since he never gave in to that impulse before. Was it because he was a different man now? Or just because she wouldn't remember it anyway?

She didn't push him away and the Doctor pulled her closer, savouring the moment. Then he reluctantly let go of her.

Rose looked up at him a bit surprised, but also happy, her cheeks slightly flushed. The Doctor's lips turned up into a smile, but then the smile vanished as he reached up to her temples.

"I'm sorry, Rose, so sorry."

She looked confused and opened her mouth to speak. But then she sagged and the Doctor caught her in his arms. For the second time now he was holding one of the people he cared about most in his arms, their memories about him blocked forever.

As he carefully sat Rose down on the ground, Amy and Rory appeared next to them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Amy asked.

"You kissed her!" Rory exclaimed.

The Doctor ignored Rory and turned to Amy. "Yes, she's going to be fine. Won't remember a thing… She'll wake up soon, so we better leave…"

That said he jumped up and started walking. If he stayed longer it would just get harder to leave Rose. And he had to leave her behind, no matter how tempting it was to just take her hand and run off with her. He knew now that time could be rewritten but to try and do it was just too dangerous. Besides, all the things they had done together… All the things she accomplished while they travelled together. He wouldn't change it for the world, no matter how much it hurt now.

"We're just going to leave her here?" Rory asked.

"She'll be fine," the Doctor said in a reassuring tone as he walked away. "She'll wake up in a minute."

Amy followed the Doctor, falling into step besides him.

"So…"

The Doctor glanced at her.

"You kissed her!"

"Yes, I believe I did," he answered, a faint smile on his face.

"Why'd you do that?" Rory wanted to know. "At the restaurant you wouldn't even say hello to her."

"You know her," Amy exclaimed. "It's like with River. You met in the wrong order."

The Doctor briefly glanced at her. Yes, she was a clever one.

"I had to erase her memories, because when I met her for the first time she didn't know me."

"Where's she now then? If she matters so much to you...I mean, shouldn't she be here?" Rory asked.

The Doctor sighed. Yes, yes she should! "She's with her family. Might even have one of her own by now." Time did move quicker in the alternate universe after all. He sighed. Thinking about Rose and the other Doctor definitely wasn't a good idea.

"What happe-" Rory didn't get to finish the question as Amy elbowed him. The Doctor was glad about that. He knew that Amy probably wanted to know more as well. She was a very curious person. But he just didn't really feel like talking about it. Not now, not ever. But maybe he'd tell them anyway. Some day…

As they walked towards the TARDIS the Doctor's eyes fell on the window again. The words 'Bad Wolf' were back on it and a chill went down his spine. They disappeared when Rose came close to the crack. Behind that crack was a world that got consumed by time energy. If Rose fell through that crack… He didn't even want to think about it. She would simply have been gone, never even been born; and so would Bad Wolf.