belle, doctor who

twenty-one

*Time Skip To The End*

Belle couldn't take it anymore. The Dream Lord was pushing them to their limit. Belle had decided to die alongside Rory. The Doctor didn't want her to, but she had to. She wanted this to be over. She cried until she passed away.

Arriving in another world, The Dream Lord came over to her as they waited for The Doctor and Amy to arrive.

"Have you made your decision?" the Dream Lord asked her. She growled.

"I have," she said. "And that decision is to... to... ugh..."

She started to faint as she tried to hit him. "Not... tell... you... what it is!" she slaps his arm as she falls to the ground, hard.

She wakes up with the Doctor's face close to hers. Her eyes widen.

"Oh. Oh, right. This is good. I am liking this. Was it something I said? Could you tell what it was so I can use it in emergencies, and maybe birthdays," Rory says as Belle tries to look around at her surroundings.

"What... what are we doing here?"

"Izzy. I'm so glad you're okay," Amy came up to her, giving her a hug as she's finally up. "What are we doing now?" She asks the Doctor.

"Me? I'm going to blow up the TARDIS," The Doctor says.

"What?" Rory asks.

"Why?" Belle panics.

"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was? Okay, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and I could have done without the limerick. But he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality."

"What are you doing?" Amy asks him.

"Doctor, the Dream Lord conceded. This isn't a dream."

"Yes, it is," says the Doctor.

"Stop him."

"Star burning cold? Do me a favour. The Dream Lord has no power over the real world. He was offering us a choice between two dreams."

"How do you know that?" Belle asks.

"Because I know who he is."

Suddenly the TARDIS is back to normal. Rory and Amy enter to see the Doctor looking at something small and yellow on his palm. Belle sits in the chair at the console.

"Any questions?"

"Er, what's that?" Rory asks.

"A speck of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava. Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up and induced a dream state for all of us," the Doctor explains.

He takes it to the door and blows it into space.

"So that was the Dream Lord then? Those little specks," Rory says.

"No, no. No. Sorry, wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was me. Psychic pollen. It's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you, gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm nine hundred and seven. It had a lot to go on."

"But why didn't it feed on us, too?"

"The darkness in you pair, it would've starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck with my own company, and you know how that works out."

"But those things he said about you. You don't think any of that's true?" Amy asks.

"Amy, right now a question is about to occur to Rory. And seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your full attention. And you, Belle, need to tell me your decision. It'll change my life forever, too."

"Yeah. Actually, yeah," Rory says.

"I can tell you later," Belle says.

"There it is," says the Doctor.

"Because what I don't get is, you blew up the Tardis, that stopped that dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?"

"We crashed the camper van."

"Oh, right. I don't remember that bit," Rory says. Belle nods.

"I don't either."

"No, you weren't there. You two were already..."

"Already what?" Rory asks Amy.

"Dead. You died in that dream. Mrs Poggit got you. She got Belle after you."

"Okay. But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just die?"

Belle squirms in her seat.

"I didn't," Amy replies.

"Oh," Rory says.

"Yeah," says Amy.

Belle rolls her eyes as they repeat themselves the Doctor wraps an arm around her and kisses her temple as the two kiss.

"So, your decision?"

"I'll stay," Belle says, "though I'll need a little break. I don't want Maverick to get angrier with me. I need to bring him those groceries, too."

The Doctor looks at her happily. "You won't have to worry about Maverick," he says. She raises her eyebrows, confused.

"What? Why?"

"Because I have something special for you."

"Something special?" Belle asks him. He gives a smile but doesn't say anything. There's a hint of sadness forming in his eyes as he turns away.

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Omg. One more chapter and it's time for act two!! You guys are not prepared. This last chapter is an original. I hope you enjoy! Thank you so so much for 400 reads. Y'all are the best!

<3 Liv