Title: life and love are the same
Fandom: Doctor Who
Summary: Amy and Rory's second child will not have a Time Head.
Rating: PG
Disclaimers: This isn't for profit, just for fun. All characters & situations belong to Russell T. Davies, Stephen Moffat, BBC, and their various subsidiaries. Title from a song by Stevie Wonder, which I also had nothing to do with.
A/N: Spoilers for everything current, just in case. I don't know where this came from, but it's for sure baby!fic.
Amy and Rory's second child will not have a Time Head.
"We kept our feet on the ground this time. So no chance of that," Amy says to River, after she tells her the news. She pats her daughter's hand. "Not that we mind, you know, but."
"It would have made preschool terribly difficult," River says, nodding her head understandingly, her hair bouncing on her shoulders as she does. "Really interesting things can happen when you swear in Gallifreyan."
"Please," Amy says, waving her hands, her face a perfect portrait of oh-dear-god-no, "never, ever tell me how you know that."
River's eyes sparkle at her mother over the rim of her wine glass. "I promise. But it's a good story, mother dear."
"He's my best friend," Amy says, and River just laughs.
+ + + +
The Doctor is so delighted by the news that he practically moves in for a week, though of course, not consecutively. "How dull," he says, shaking his head. "Not you, of course, Ponds, you're lovely. But you know how it is. Things to do, places to see. I'll be back tomorrow! Tomorrow there's an unexpected sale on baby toys, and I've bought you-- oh. Spoilers," he calls, leaping back into the TARDIS.
Amy and Rory watch him go.
"I can't decide if I like him better now, or when we were running from certain death," Rory says.
"I like him either way," Amy says, and Rory kisses her temple.
+ + + +
Amy leaves for a weekend conference. Rory frets.
"Oi, stupid face. It's just a weekend," she laughs. "We've lived through worse. Two-thousand years of it, even."
"I know," Rory says, frowning. "But look, we're normal people now, we have a house and jobs and a really cool car. Normal things happen to us now. I just don't want normal bad things to happen to us."
"Rory," Amy says, her hand on his cheek, "we have a daughter who looks like she's older than we are and a son-in-law who's over a thousand years old. I run a perfume company that I named after a word we learned from a time machine that thought you were pretty. So. Who's normal?"
"Yeah," he says, and kisses her. "All the same, be careful, okay?"
"Where's the fun in that?" she laughs.
"River gets it from you," he points out.
"I know," she says proudly. She pats her not-quite-round belly. "This one will, too. Speaking of River, she'll be around tomorrow. You should paint the nursery. Have some father-daughter time."
"She'll want to paint it TARDIS blue, you know," he says, and Amy smiles.
"Bluest blue ever. I wouldn't pick any other colour."
+ + + +
"I never thought I'd say this," Amy complains, slumping down into a chair, "but this was easier when I didn't know I was doing it. I'm the size of a house, I haven't seen my feet in a month, and I can't stop crying. It's terrible. We're never doing this again."
"Two is a good number," Rory says, rubbing her shoulders. "For what it's worth--"
"Don't you dare," Amy says, cutting him off. She tilts her head back so she can look up at him. "Don't call me Mrs. Williams, and don't tell me I've never looked more beautiful. I've already cried twice today thanks to your stupid face."
"Okay," Rory agrees. He kisses the top of her head. "All the same, I'm glad we're together, this time."
"Me too. I wouldn't really have it any other way," she says, squeezing his hand briefly. She swipes at the tears on her face. "Not again!"
+ + + +
River turns up with the Doctor's cot when Amy is about seven months along, the Doctor tumbling out of the TARDIS ahead of her, happily declaring that Amy looks like she swallowed an elephant. Amy hugs him-- "Oh, we're hugging now, okay," he says, wrapping his arms around her-- and then banishes him to the kitchen and tells him to make tea. He starts to protest, but she tells him not to argue with a very pregnant person, and he salutes and wanders away.
"Don't feel like you have to use it," River says, but Amy shakes her head.
"It's perfect, and your father can bring it up later," she says. She traces the Gallifreyan symbols with one finger, frowning thoughtfully. "You really do keep your secrets, don't you?"
"I have to," River says. "Which secret would this be?"
"You said, at Demon's Run, that you'd seen that cot before. After we found out who you were, I thought maybe you remembered, even though you were so small, but lately, I've been wondering if you might have seen it again?"
"I can't imagine to what you might be referring, mother," River says blandly.
Amy smiles at her, the same knowing smile she'd given her when they were wandering through the Maze of the Dead. "I just thought, you know, people get married, sometimes they have babies."
"It's the Doctor," River says. "Do you really think it could be that simple?"
"Yep," Amy grins.
"You're far too young to be a grandmother, dear," River demurs. She links her arm through Amy's and they turn away from the TARDIS. "Maybe when you're older."
"Funny old thing, time travel," Amy says, as they walk back into the house. "You could turn up years from now, if you liked."
"You're good," River says, patting her mother's arm. "I'm not saying you're right. But you're very, very good."
+ + + +
Aurora Pond is born on the twenty-second of April. She has ten fingers and ten toes and a very strong grip. Rory and Amy smile so much their faces hurt, but they're still beaming when River and the Doctor stop in to say hello to the newest little Pond.
"Not a bad way to redeem this date, yeah?" Amy says, carefully handing Aurora to her big sister.
"Not at all," River tells her. "Hello, sister."
The Doctor peers over River's shoulder. "Hello, baby Pond! Is it? Yes, well," the Doctor says, looking at River for a moment before turning his attention back to Aurora. "I suppose it would have to be."
"Right, you speak baby," Rory says, and they all chorus, "You speak everything," before the Doctor can reply.
"Well, I do," he huffs, tugging on his lapels.
Amy shakes her head. "And? What did she say?"
"She said that your hair is full of secrets, River," the Doctor says. He looks back down at the baby. "I think she was speaking metaphorically, but I can't say that she's wrong, really."
"Smart girl," River says, as her sister's tiny fingers wrap around one of her own. "And you weren't joking about that grip. Are you going to be a superhero, when you grow up?"
"She's going to be amazing," Amy says firmly. "It runs in the family."