Blaze

A/N: For the sake of this mini-fic (if you can call it that), Rory isn't Amy's fiancée. I can't stand the thought of him being cheated on by both Amy and the Doctor, so Amy is unattached, okay? (I realise I did this with 'Ratings out of Ten', but that was before I liked him as much as I do now, haha!)

Oh, and this is set some time after the events of 'Flesh and Stone'. AKA, that memorable kiss against the TARDIS ;)

I.

The Doctor had never travelled with anyone quite as remarkable as Amy Pond. Normally, he felt the same way towards his companions, feeling nothing but friendship, compassion and respect for them. They were his friends, his allies at best.

But for Amy, he felt something else.

She was something else.

In his lifetime, he'd never had a companion who would argue with him just for the sake of it. He'd never had a companion who openly admitted to fancying him. And he'd certainly never had a companion who had tried to seduce him against his beloved TARDIS.

He was normally the one that had no respect for someone's personal space, but Amy was even worse than him, constantly touching him, her hands oh-so innocently brushing against him in places that a companion had never dared touch before.

She infuriated and astounded him - yet he adored her. And she seemed to know this, as she was always the one to push the boundaries between them.

And yet, he never found himself pushing her away. Never threatening to take her home. Never telling her to stop. He let her into his personal space, as if some part of him enjoyed this kind of attention, so different from any that he had experienced before.

Even now, she was touching him. The Doctor had gone to the library to do some reading, and Amy had followed, despite him telling her to go to bed and catch up on some sleep. She'd chosen to sit next to him on the loveseat instead of taking one of the other chairs, and she'd thrown her legs over his lap, shooting him an innocent smile when he'd frowned questioningly at her.

"Just getting comfy." She'd told him, and he hadn't missed the gleam of mischief in her hazel eyes.

He chose not to reply, and he didn't push her legs away either. So together, they ended up reading the same book, until Amy drifted off to sleep, her head resting on his shoulder.

II.

Sometimes, he was the one to initiate the touching. Always searching for an excuse to take her hand while exploring outside of the TARDIS. Pressing his lips to her forehead when she did something magnificent, which was often. Drawing her into his embrace when she needed his comfort.

But he never let it grow further than that. The lines were blurred enough between them, and the last thing he wanted to do was become more entangled in his relationship with her.

That never stopped him however, from running his hands through her soft, red hair, and kissing the tip of her nose when he discovered that she'd made him fish fingers and custard for dinner.

III.

The second time she'd kissed him, she was proving a point. They'd been invited to a ball held by the Zurian Royalty for preventing their planet from being invaded, a bit over-the-top really, considering all the Doctor had done was strengthen the protective force field of their planet with his sonic screwdriver. It had only taken him a minute. Nothing particularly special.

Nonetheless, Amy and the Doctor had returned to the TARDIS to change their outfits. Much to the Doctor's chagrin, the TARDIS refused to let him leave his bedroom while he was still wearing his tweed jacket, so he reluctantly substituted it for a tuxedo. The bowtie stayed, of course.

Amy joined the Doctor in the console room minutes later, and he couldn't contain his reaction when he saw her walking down the stairs towards him. She was exquisite. Her hair was piled on top of her head, delicate tendrils framing her porcelain face. She was dressed in a jade green dress, that didn't show as much skin as her usual mini skirts did. That's what he'd thought - until she twirled around in front of him and he saw the bare skin of her back.

His mouth was suddenly dry, and he found himself unable to speak.

Amy seemed delighted by his reaction, and she reached out to tug at his bowtie affectionately. "Oi, time boy. You okay?" She asked him, her hazel eyes twinkling at him.

"Never been better." He responded hoarsely, and Amy beamed, before looping her arm through his. Even through the material of his jacket he could feel her warmth.

He didn't extract his arm. This was normal for them. Perfectly normal. She'd know he was affected by her if he distanced himself. So he simply shot her a dazzling smile, and led her out of the TARDIS into the ballroom.

What the Doctor didn't know was that Amy had deliberately chosen the dress - with a little help from the TARDIS of course - to provoke that kind of reaction from him. They'd been skirting around each other for months, and the tension was becoming unbearable - for her at least. She wanted, she needed something to happen between them, and dressing the way she had was a starting point. Might as well let him know what he was missing out on.

Once they were inside the ballroom, the Doctor found that he wasn't the only male in the room who couldn't tear their eyes away from Amy. Many of the male Zurians were gazing at her, which didn't make her uncomfortable. How could it, when she could feel the Doctor tense every time an unwanted admirer winked in her direction.

Jealousy was a good catalyst, after all.

"Come on Doctor, let's dance!" She enthused, attempting to pull him towards the dance floor. But he stood firm, and Amy nearly stumbled. She frowned at him as he gently pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"I don't feel like dancing. Dance with one of your admirers." He replied, and Amy's eyes narrowed as she appraised his cool expression. She concluded that he was acting detached to stop himself from getting too close to her on the dance floor.

Before she could comment upon it, the Doctor had spun around, making his way towards the cluster of tables and chairs.

Amy wasn't alone for long. A group of male Zurians soon surrounded her, all clamouring for her attention. She rebuffed their advances, telling them that she was there with her boyfriend and wasn't comfortable dancing with other men.

"Your boyfriend? He's only your friend, he told us himself after he'd altered the force field." They scoffed, and Amy bristled. He had, had he?

The thought sent ripples of anger through her. How could he have described their relationship like that? They were so much more than 'just friends', and for the Doctor to refuse to acknowledge that infuriated her.

Excusing herself, she marched over to the far wall, where he'd been leaning. He looked away as she approached him, but she knew perfectly well that he'd been watching her exchange with the Zurians.

"To avoid being flirted with by a bunch of Zurians, you're my boyfriend. Even if it's only for tonight." She hissed, the moment she reached him. When his brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to argue, she made her decision to take control, once and for all.

Before he could even utter a word, Amy's lips were on his.

Suddenly, it was as if he couldn't breathe. He was fully consumed by her, unaware of everything else. After a few seconds however, as caught up as he was in his Amy haze, he finally realised that he was kissing her back. Once his mind had caught up with his actions, his hands, that had drifted to her waist, gently pushed her away, breaking their kiss.

"I think they've got the point." He managed lightly, his hands falling from her waist. His fingertips still tingled from the precious moments he'd been touching Amy's soft skin, and he quickly clenched his hands into fists, dispelling the feeling.

Amy nodded in agreement, although she was disappointed at how quickly their kiss began - and ended. She'd kissed him for longer against the TARDIS. He hadn't pulled away so quickly back then. What had changed?

She glanced at him, and realised he was gazing at her. He wasn't flustered like he'd been last time. That was a start, at least.

Testing the boundary one last time, she slowly ran her tongue over her lower lip, trying to contain her excited smile when she saw the Doctor's eyes darken, knowing that she was savouring the taste of him.

He wanted her. And she knew it.

That was all she needed - at least for tonight. If she tried to kiss him again, she knew he'd reject her.

This was going to take time, but they had plenty of that.

IV.

The first time the Doctor kissed her, he'd been drugged.

He'd promised Amy an afternoon stroll through the Grazilia fields, filled with thousands of kinds of wildflowers. The trip had started out beautifully, with him laughing at her reaction to the flowers that smelled like "chocolate fudge cake" and "christmas", before he'd taken her hand and twirled her around in the soft bed of petals that had gathered. Before long, they were throwing bundles of petals at each other, their laughter echoing for miles through the vast expanse of air.

However, the Doctor soon stopped laughing when he knelt down for some more ammo - having seen a golden leaf in the middle of the white petals. He knew exactly what it was, and knew that it was too late. He'd already been exposed to it's vapours.

"What's up, stupid face?" He heard Amy yell, before a flurry of dried petals hit the back of his tweed jacket. When he turned around, his face ashen, the colour left her face too.

"Doctor? What's wrong?" She whispered anxiously, taking a step towards him, only to be halted by the Doctor holding his hand up, warning her.

He quickly launched into an explanation about the leaf he'd seen, how it's endorphin-fuelled layers sent many alien species into a state of drunkenness - although it didn't affect humans. The effects also didn't last that long, but he insisted that they return to the TARDIS. Just in case.

It was a good thing they did, because the Doctor began to be affected just outside of the ship. It took Amy about ten minutes to convince him to come inside, as he was too distracted with running laps around the TARDIS.

Once he'd finally draped his lanky form over her, she helped him inside, directing him to the console room chair so he could catch his breath. She stood above him, watching him warily. He returned her gaze with a goofy smile, looking the most carefree she'd ever seen him.

"Bedtime." She decided, knowing that sleep could cure most illnesses - and drunken states.

The Doctor dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Amy let him lean on her again as they struggled up the console room stairs. She managed to get him into his bedroom, and once inside, he immediately began stripping out of his clothing, throwing it in her direction.

She'd seen him half-naked before, back in Leadworth when she was nineteen, but she hadn't been able to see him as clearly as she could now. She almost felt guilty, admiring the planes of his chest as he leaned down to attempt to unlace his shoelaces, which only resulted in him falling over onto his bed.

She shook her head to clear that train of thought, not wanting to be distracted by her feelings whilst the Doctor was vulnerable. So she helped him out of his shoes, but chose to let him keep his trousers on. Meanwhile, the Doctor continued to grin at her.

"Stay." He commanded, patting the bed space beside him, and she blinked at him in amazement.

"Excuse me?" Though she was sure she'd heard him right.

"I want you to sleep with me."

A moment of stunned silence.

Then the Doctor clapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.

As much as Amy wanted to say yes, there was no way that she was about to take advantage of him. Not like this.

The Doctor pouted at her when she refused, but he allowed her to tuck him into bed. After a minute or so, he was still as she hovered over him, and she thought that he'd fallen asleep.

She shook her head fondly, before leaning down to kiss his cheek. Her lips found his instead, as he'd tilted his head, not asleep after all.

She immediately straightened up, stunned as she stared down at him. He'd never initiated anything like that before. Before she could blame it on his inebriated state, he was kneeling on the bed, their faces level. And then he was kissing her, his hands sliding from her shoulders to cradle the back of her head.

Amy was on fire, inflamed by waves of passion emanating from him. Her instincts were telling her to respond, to kiss him back - but her brain refused. She couldn't do this. He wasn't himself. He'd only regret it in the morning, and then they'd spend weeks trying to repair the damage.

Gently, but firmly, she grasped his shoulders and wrenched him away from her. He blinked, dazed, and she pushed him so that he was laying down again.

"Sleep it off." She told him softly, before whirling around and leaving the room.

Once the Doctor had slept, he remembered every excruciating detail. Amy could tell that he'd remembered the kiss, but neither of them spoke about it.

And the tension between them only grew deeper.

V.

Amy was lost in the sensation of the Doctor's hands, as they roamed the expanse of her skin. Her eyes drifted closed, and she heard the Doctor let out a muffled cry.

"Amy...Amy, no! Come back to me, please!" The Doctor's lips were in her hair, on her forehead, peppering her bloodied skin with soft kisses, his hands clutching at her shoulders desperately.

Using the last ounce of her strength, Amy slowly opened her eyes, and she had to blink back tears at the Doctor's agonised expression as he loomed over her broken form.

"Doctor..." She choked out, and she watched in horror as his face crumpled. A tear slid down his cheek, and onto her skin, and he placed his finger on her dry lips.

"Amy, I'm so sorry. I'm going to fix this, I'm going to fix you." He promised her fiercely, his eyes burning with fervour. "Just hold on. For me."

"For you." Amy whispered drowsily, and then she was in the Doctor's arms as he staggered towards the direction of the TARDIS. His movement was unsteady, as he stumbled over the debris from the explosion, but Amy felt safe. Secure.

Closing her eyes again, she focused on him, and his shallow breathing. The sound soothed her; making her numb to everything else, even her own pain.

The reassuring hum of the TARDIS caused her to open her eyes moments later, and then she found herself laying on her back again, this time on the medical bay stretcher. She managed to turn her head, and saw the Doctor pulling a variation of jars and bottles out of the medicine cabinets.

He was by her side only seconds later with a pair of scissors, cutting her out of her clothing. Amy was in no state to enquire what he was doing, but his narration soon told her.

"Your burns are bad Amy. Really bad," He told her hurriedly. "I need to apply this Yerican cream as soon as possible to repair the tissue damage. I'll take you to see the Yericans soon, if you'd like? You'd love their planet. Extraordinary wildlife...much better than the animals on Earth. Although we can take a trip there too, and see some tigers? I think you said that they were your favourite animal...am I right?"

Amy knew that this was the Doctor's way of staying grounded as he worked on spreading the medical cream on her blistered limbs. She was grateful for his soothing voice, and his directionless rambling. It stopped her from panicking too.

She managed to give him a watery smile in response to his question, and he gave her a brilliant one in return.

"Yeah, thought so. Never wrong, am I? Apart from that one occasion where I placed a bad bet and ended up having to dress up as a Lady-in-Waiting in the Tudor Court. Henry the VIII wasn't as bad as people are led to believe. Right practical joker, that one."

The image of the Doctor in a dress made Amy smile again. "Let's...meet...him." She whispered hoarsely, and the Doctor laughed, the sound choked.

"Sure. Straight after this." He responded weakly, straightening up to kiss her forehead, before turning around, his back to her. Amy understood the reason for it; he was hiding himself from her.

"Am I dying, Doctor?" She asked him, her voice steady, though she was anything but. She couldn't leave him. Not yet. They hadn't had enough time together.

It couldn't end like this.

The sob that followed gave her away though, and the Doctor whirled around at the sound. He was instantly at her side again, wiping away the tears as they slid down her pale cheeks.

"No Amelia, you're healing." He told her softly. "It was close though, I won't lie to you. If you'd been any closer to that explosion..."

He trailed off, closing his eyes, unable to even think about what couldhave happened. He felt Amy place a trembling hand on his cheek, mirroring him. He opened his eyes to scold her, knowing that she shouldn't be moving while the cream was still in effect. But the words faded before they could reach his lips, and he turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"You need to rest." He whispered after a while, taking her hand in his. "I'll wake you up once you've healed completely."

Amy was too tired to protest, and she fell asleep within minutes, warm and reassured with her Doctor by her side.

The Doctor remained with her for a while, not willing to release her hand just yet. But he knew he had to tend to his own, minor injuries, and get himself cleaned up as well.

He was almost at the door before he suddenly changed course, bolting back to her, needing to do what he should have done when he'd found her bloodied body. Leaning down, he gently pressed his lips to Amy's.

As he was walking out of the door, he missed Amy's gaze boring into his back.

~I~

When Amy next awoke, her near-death felt like a distant memory. Apart from the tingling on her skin from where the cream had been spread, it was like it had never happened.

Gingerly, she climbed off of the stretcher, and caught sight of her appearance in the mirror on one of the cabinet doors. She was half-naked, clad only in her underwear, and her skin was smeared with blood. It was matted in her hair, and trapped underneath her fingernails.

Shivering, she turned away from the mirror, and spotted a silky dressing gown hanging on the back of the door. She slipped it on, and padded out of the medical bay. She wanted to see the Doctor, needing him after the trauma they'd shared, but she decided that she needed a shower first.

A few minutes later, now back in her dressing gown and with her auburn hair still damp from her shower, she went to find the Doctor. It didn't take her long to find him; she found him leaning on the console, his head in his hands . He had changed too, not a speck of blood on him.

"Doctor?"

He immediately lifted his head to gaze at her.

"Amelia Pond." He sighed reverently. "Are you okay?"

Amy placed her finger on her lips, thinking of a response to his question, and the Doctor averted his eyes at the sight, remembering all too well that his lips had touched hers only hours ago. And this time, he hadn't been drugged, and she hadn't initiated it.

She couldn't know that he'd...could she?

"I'm...alive." She answered finally, lowering her hand and shooting him a dazzling smile. "Because of you."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, not content with her answer. "No. You nearly died, because of me." He told her bitterly, glaring down at the floor.

Amy blinked, taken aback at his sullen mood. Gone was the playful Doctor she was used to, the almost human Doctor she'd grown to love.

Instead, standing in front of her was a Time Lord. A Time Lord who had endured years of suffering, and heartache. A Time Lord who was blaming himself for what had happened to her. She could feel him slipping away from her, the distance between them wider than it'd ever been.

"It wasn't your fault that they tricked you into deactivating the false bomb." She said calmly, knowing that acting hastily would only push him further away. "How were you to know that the real one would go off, seconds later? I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. That's all."

"That's all?!" The Doctor cried, stunned. "Amy, you were dying! Your body was - you didn't see yourself! I can't see you like that, ever again!"

"You saved me, carried me here, and healed me. I'm good as new. Like it never happened." Amy responded evenly, refusing to let the Doctor provoke her.

The Doctor continued to glare at her, but Amy knew that he wasn't angry. Not with her. She could see the self-loathing glimmering in his timeless eyes.

Knowing that her words wouldn't be enough, she began to descend down the console room stairs, the Doctor watching her warily. Once she was standing in front of him, she cupped his face in her hands so that he had no choice but to look at her, needing him to see that she had no ill feelings towards him at all.

"I'm fine." She told him softly. The Doctor stared back at her, his face conflicted. Amy refused to break their gaze, and eventually, she felt the tension leave his body.

Suddenly his arms were around her, clutching her tightly to him. Amy returned his embrace with just as much force, her arms wrapping around his neck.

They stayed like that for a while, his head resting against her shoulder, her fingers playing idly with the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"I should take you home." He whispered, and Amy felt his arms begin to loosen around her. So she held on tighter, refusing to let him go. Not after what they'd just been through.

"Don't you dare!" She rebuked him fiercely. "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, so get used to it."

She braced herself for his counter argument, but instead, his arms returned to her waist.

"My Amelia Pond." He murmured tenderly, and Amy beamed, tilting her head to kiss his neck lightly, the only place she could reach.

She felt the Doctor's arms tighten around her, thinking nothing of it, and then she felt him kiss her shoulder lightly. She ignored it, putting it down to his lips brushing against the thin material of her dressing gown.

Until he did it again.

Amy pulled back immediately, her eyes searching his curiously. But he only gazed back at her, his grey eyes clear. One of his arms left her waist, and he cradled her face with his hand, before kissing her forehead.

Amy had thought that it would end there, but then she felt his thumb lightly trace the contour of her lips. She didn't take the bait.

It was his move to make.

A/N: Part Two up shortly! Let me know what you'd like to happen...even though it won't affect the story arc of the next part ;) Haha!

Hayley x