When the Sun Sets ☼ Eleven x Reader

XXIII - A Wish Your Heart Makes

A dream is a wish your heart makes,

When you're fast asleep.

In dreams you will lose your heartaches,

whatever you wish for, you keep.

There had been many a time in your childhood when you had pondered over those lyrics. Hearing Cinderella sing to herself so blissfully, you had believed every word that had fallen from her animated lips. However, the longer you spent in the presence of the Dream Lord, the more you wondered if a dream was a wish your heart made, or a place where you came to die.

The feeling of the 'limbo' had been borderline suffocating. You felt as if a tight grasp was clenched against your throat, unwilling to let go even for a second.  Unrelenting.

Your eyes shot open and you sat up quickly, gasping for air. The room you were in was unfamiliar; the light from the open window on the left hand side of the room guiding your eyes around it. You were on the left hand side of the bed, with a bedside table on your left, just next to the door. There was a small, rectangular photo frame on the side, and you shuffled back up to the headboard as you pulled the frame up into your lap. Before looking at the frame's content, you read the note at the bottom.

Married 2012

2012. Two years after what you knew to be the present. Your eyes drifted up to the photo. Yourself, in a wedding dress. And there he was- stood beside you.

'Oh, you can't be serious.'

Turning your head slowly down to the right, you saw him for the first time.

Your husband, the Doctor.

[-]

Amy and Rory had woken up in quite a state. They had been placed in the limbo simultaneously. Rory had woken up with his arm draped across Amy's chest protectively as they both lay sprawled across the living room floor downstairs.

'Amy? Are you okay?'

'Fine, fine. Where's the Doctor and co?'

''And co?' [Y/N]'s your sister-in-law.'

'Oh shush, you know what I mean.  That doesn't answer my question.'

Amy began walking towards the staircase at the other side of the room, Skipping a little for speed, she gently grabbed the edge of the staircase and swung herself around the post before shouting up to you, not expecting a reply. To her surprise a bedroom door creaked, and you appeared at the top of the stairs, shushing her as you lightly tiptoed down the stairs to the couple.

'Shhh, he's still asleep.'

'Who is?'

'You know who is.'

'You mean the Doctor?' Rory says, finally coming into earshot. 'How would you know where he is?'

'We woke up together.'

'You what?' he questions, and you could hear his protective-older-brother side leaking out in his words.

'Shut up, not like that.' you reason. 'Except... it basically is exactly like that.'

Before either of them had a chance to question it, or you had a chance to explain yourself further, you heard a familiar gasp from the top of the stairs.

He was awake.

Without hesitation, the three of you headed up the stairs to find the Doctor. You found it interesting how quickly you flocked towards him, and how he always assumed natural leadership despite how seemingly naive he came across.

The three of you reached the top of the stairs as the door to the bedroom flung open, revealing the Doctor, sonic poised and ready to threaten anyone who lay behind the door.

'Oh! It's only you three. Good. Small question, what's happening?'

'I really thought you would be able to tell us that.' Rory muttered.

'Well, we could start with the elephant in the room.' Amy suggests, turning to you. 'What on earth were you on about just then?'

'Ah. That.'

Glancing down at the Doctor's hand, you saw the frame you had discovered yourself a few moments before. Catching his eye before you reply to Amy, you nod down towards it. He nods, and passes the frame over to the couple.

'Oh, you're kidding.' Amy says, a small smirk forming in the corner of her lip. Rory takes the frame from her hands, and looks at it in more depth. There was a scattered crowd behind the two of you, and you could tell this was what he was scanning.

'We're not in this photo.' he says. 'Did you two not invite us to the wedding?'

'You say that as if I even agreed to the wedding in the first place.' you reply. 'I'm just as clueless as you are here.'

'It'll just be the Dream Lord trying to keep us on our toes, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure it's nothing personal.' the Doctor explains. 'Although, what I would like to know about is that limbo experience.'

'Yes! I was meaning to ask about that. You all had it too?'

'We were in together.' Amy recalled, looking over to Rory who had placed the the wedding photo onto the table beside him. 'We couldn't see each other, but I could definitely hear you.'

'I was in alone. He mentioned a key word to me- did you all get one?'

'I did.' the Doctor answered. 'I had the name of whoever's dream this is.'

'We got the date.' Rory stated. 'But I've done a quick scan, there's no calendars or anything in here.'

'Well yours are all considerably easier than mine. I got 'the symbol on the wax seal', whatever that means.'

'Oh great. Well this isn't going to be easy.'

'No. No, it's not. It's almost as if I designed it that way.' the voice of the Dream Lord echoed. You could hear the sound inside your head, but from the way the other three were reacting, they could hear the same thing. 'You're going to run out of time if you just stand there dawdling.'

'He does have a point.' you reply. 'So, how can we approach this?'

You naturally look over to the Doctor, and then curse yourself for embodying your own criticism of his leadership. He smiles, and throws his hands together in a dramatic clap, rubbing them together while he thinks.

'Well, Amy and Rory can focus on their own key word. Scan this house for any information you can find on when we are. Oh, and where, if you get a chance. [Y/N] and I can start scanning for this wax seal. As fo who's dream this is... we can cross that bridge when we come to it.' he spoke with complete assurance until the last sentence. You could tell he wasn't as sure about this plan as he was appearing.  'Remember, we've only got three hours- well, probably just under now-so speed is of the essence. Shout if you find something.'

He nods definitively, and turns towards the room you assumed was an office from what you could see in the slight gap between the frame and the door itself. You smiled at Amy and Rory as you followed him, and watched as the couple headed back down the stairs.