The console room was very quiet and neither Amy nor the Doctor really wanted to start the conversation. Eventually the silence became too much to bear and the Doctor cracked.

"Ok! Right well I'll start with the questions yes?" Amy nodded reluctantly and the Doctor wavered, wanting to ease her into the conversation carefully. He coughed uncomfortably but continued.

"Um...so the beginning. What happened when I left you? Rory was there when we found you and he said you broke off the wedding." Amy flushed guiltily. "Why didn't you tell me Amy?" he was genuinely hurt that she had kept this from him.

Amy shook her head looking up and away from the Doctor, "I don't know. I was too scared to get married and you came back at exactly the right time, you saved me from my view of hell! I can't see myself settling in Leadworth for the rest of my life." She looked down at him imploringly, "can you?" The Doctor had to accept that, Amy Pond was most definitely not going to be happy in a sleepy village. He shut his eyes, leaning his head into the soft fabric of Amy's sweater before carrying on.

"So, let's not dwell on it, I understand why you didn't want to tell me, caught up in the moment I guess...but I am sorry."

Amy looked at him, confused as he elaborated. "I'm sorry if I ruined your relationship with Rory by taking you away." Amy shook her head vigorously, "No! Don't ever be sorry for taking me away, I shouldn't have agreed to marry Rory in the first place and now I've found you." She smiled shyly and the Doctor, eyes still closed, couldn't stop the grin making its way across his face. They revelled for a moment in the knowledge that he loved her and she loved him and for the moment life was good.

Sighing, the Doctor, eyes still shut, moved onto the bigger questions. "Amy, when I left." She winced at the memory. "What did you do? What made you go to ...him?"

The Doctor felt Amy shift awkwardly beneath his head but he didn't dare open his eyes, afraid of what he would see, what he had driven her to do.

Amy sighed, it had to come out eventually and if she just told him quick, now, then they could get it done and go back to the travelling and get to the important stuff, like those three little words that were so big to the pair of them.

"Uh well, I started to wallow and feel sorry for myself when I got home. I knew I'd made a mistake and should've just talked it through with you but, well you know I'm stubborn." The Doctor smiled in agreement and Amy continued, her tone drifting to a more solemn tone. "I didn't know what to do with myself and I just needed a release and I figured I should be the girl you thought.." she shook her head, "No I mean the girl I thought you thought I was."

The Doctor's eyes opened and he sat up, his forehead knocking away the hand Amy had placed there caressing his eyelids. "You went to him, because of what you thought I thought of you?" He looked stricken as he whispered her name. "Never believe, not for a moment, that I think you are anything less than spectacular. You are brilliant, mad, impossible Amy Pond and never EVER think that I think poorly of you." His eyes were intense and Amy couldn't release the breath she was holding and simply nodded mutely. The air immediately lifted and the Doctor lounged back into the end of the sofa not occupied by Amy.

She felt her cue to continue and so obliged. "Uh, so I turned up in Gloucester and he was there and he just looked so, the same, and he seemed to be a little less aggressive than I remembered him and I thought, oh he'll have changed or something." She looked chagrined, "I was such an idiot." She sighed and looked past the Doctor, her eyes unfocused as she recounted the end of her story. "So I stayed at his flat for a while and it was ok actually. He offered me drugs a few times," she glanced nervously at the Doctor when she felt him stiffen, "but I said no of course, I didn't want to go down that road again I just wanted to get out of Leadworth and I don't know anyone anywhere else." The Doctor relaxed a little before speaking up. "So what do you remember of when we found you?"

Amy blinked and made eye contact with the Doctor. She looked strained for a minute as she struggled to remember but she couldn't think of anything...except. "Well we got into a bit of a row. And he...he got pretty angry again, cause I was just staying and not partying like we used to back..." she coughed as the memories of her teenage years flashed across her mind. "And then he came at me and...then..." she shook her head. "Nope I don't remember much after that." And then in a smaller, frightened voice, "what happened Doctor?"

Her heart quickened as she watched the Doctor refuse to meet her eye. Within the Doctor's head a war was raging between whether he should just tell her everything that happened to her or whether he should save her from the trauma of knowing. He decided on a midway point.

"He attacked you, you were in a really bad way when we found you but Rory was brilliant and we got you to the hospital pronto. They sorted you out and that's that, Oh! And don't worry about Steve," the Doctor's eyes darkened. "I dealt with him."

Amy shivered at the Doctor's tone of voice and decided not to push that one, but he was being very vague about why she had ended up in the hospital. An awkward silence descended and the Doctor knew she wouldn't let it lie. Amy scratched her arm absent minded as she subtly took account of any injuries she had obtained. Ok so there were her arms which were bandaged from her mid fore-arm to past her elbow and there were definitely a few bruises on her head, back and stomach. She slowly began to peel away the bandages covering her arms and heard the Doctor's sharp inhale as her messy arms were revealed.

Dark bruising covered the skin and there were angry red puncture marks dotted at frequent points up her arms, tears built behind her lids as she prayed that this was not self inflicted as it had once been. The Doctor leant towards her, unsure whether to comfort her or just let her cry it out, all indecision flew out the window the minute she turned her teary eyes to his. He clutched her close as the tears spilt over, creating moist tracks down her pale cheeks. Her sobs wracked her body and he tried everything he knew to sooth her.

"Ssh, Amy don't. It's OK I'm here, I'm always here now, forever, I love you. Sssh." Her tears stopped abruptly and she cracked her head up to stare at him, a slight smile tugging at her trembling lips. Something passed between them and Amy closed the small space, pressing her lips to his. He was quick to respond and between kissed he whispered I love you over and over.

The kiss became more passionate and the Doctor lay Amy down onto the large sofa, never once breaking the kiss. Her hands tangled into his floppy brown locks and neither could think of a better place to be.

They lay together for a while catching their breath, each glowing with their new found love. Amy smiled to herself and snuggled into the Doctor who kissed her head tenderly.

"You know what?" Amy whispered.

"What," the Doctor whispered back.

Amy sighed happily, "I think we're going to be alright." And the Doctor knew that at least for now, they would be better than alright.

THE END

I'm so sorry! No update for ages and then this is it!

I will definitely consider writing a sequel if people want, let me know if you're interested in me writing one. It won't be instantaneous but shouldn't be too long!

As always, please review! Reviews make me wanna write :D

Thank you for all the amazing reviews over the chapters, the reception to this story has been so lovely and I've really enjoyed writing for these two!

OXBKXO