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rumpelsnorcackTitle: A Long Life (But One Worth Living)
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcack
Rating: PG-13 generally
Characters & Pairings: This chapter: Rory/Amy
Word Count: 1511 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
This Chapter: What happened during the two years at the end of The Eleventh Hour
Notes: Many thanks to the wonderful
a_phoenixdragon and mollywheezy who have been extremely supportive through this whole process. I've been writing this on and off for a while. It's still not finished, but is getting there. Not sure how many chapters there will be, but each one is intended as a short one-shot in its own right so all can be read independently. However, they do all build together to give a picture of Rory's life, complicated timelines and all. It's all roughly chronological, but each piece doesn't necessarily exist in the same timeline as each other piece. So some are pre-reboot, some post, some exist in a universe which includes Mels, others don't.
Disclaimer: Sadly none of the characters are mine, I just enjoy hanging around in their sandbox.
The blue box faded out of sight with a whirring sound. In front of Rory, Amy's shoulders dropped forward. She turned to him and the look on her face tore at Rory's heart. It was the look of someone who has been abandoned one too many times being faced with yet another abandonment. Rory started towards her, reaching out instinctively to try to ease her pain away. She allowed him to fold her into his arms, and he promised himself, right then and there, that he would never leave Amy alone. He'd only ever half-believed her stories of the Raggedy Doctor. Not even half-believed, he corrected himself with a guilty start. And yet ... and yet as the events of this day had proved over and over he was real, the Doctor, and every bit as weird and interesting as Amy had said. Unlike Amy, Rory found the manic behaviour and crazy leaps of logic disconcerting and even frightening, but he could see Amy thriving with the other man in a way that made his mouth taste sour when he realised he would never be able to offer her that level of excitement.
But what he could offer was stability. As the blue box disappeared, it was blindingly obvious to Rory that, as much as Amy craved excitement and adventure, she needed an anchor as well. Her life was so untethered, what with her parents being gone and Aunt Sharon being so absent all the time, and now once again the raggedy man (clothing-thieving, non-raggedy man now, Rory thought with an internal sniff) had just taken off with a vague promise to be back again.
'How long do you think he'll be this time, Rory?' Amy asked in a plaintive voice. 'Not years like last time I hope.'
'I don't know,' Rory said truthfully. 'I don't think so.' He added the last with as much conviction as he could, but privately Rory thought the Doctor probably had better things to do than return to a tiny village. He wasn't about to say that to Amy, though, not while she was so obviously unhappy.
The next few months were hard. Every time there was an unexpected noise, particularly a whirring sound, Amy's ears would prick up and she'd get a blinding smile on her face. Always afterwards, the smile would fade and Amy became even more withdrawn than she already had been. Rory tried everything he could to bring that smile out himself but he only managed it once.
'Are you ready, Amy?' he called up the stairs of her house one evening.
'Not yet, you bloody idiot. Don't you know never to hurry a woman?'
Rory sighed. Yes, he did know that but he also knew that reservations at nearby Gloucester's best restaurant weren't easy to come by and that the one they had could be given at any moment to some other, more punctual, couple. He gritted his teeth, however, and took up pacing again. He knew that any more comments on the time it was taking her to get ready would prompt Amy to slow down even more.
Finally she drifted downstairs and Rory’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. He sometimes forgot, due to seeing her so often, just how breathtakingly beautiful Amy was. But occasionally she went to an effort, dressed up a little – stopped wearing her trainers and bulky sweaters, and it would hit Rory anew.
‘God, Amy, you look incredible,’ he whispered in reverent tones as he gazed up at her.
She gave an unbelieving snort. ‘You don’t need to be so weird about it, idiot. I’m still just me,’ she grinned at him. It was close to the smile she gave when she thought she heard the Doctor, but there was that small tinge of sadness weaving through it that always hurt Rory’s heart. He pulled himself together.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Are you ready to go?’
She nodded and he held his hand out to her. She took it casually, accepting it as she accepted him as her boyfriend now. In one way it was nice to be so openly acknowledged, but Rory knew this was partially another effect of the Doctor’s absence – that she had resigned herself to the everyday mundanity of Leadworth and accepted all that came with it, including their relationship. While he loved being with Amy, a small part of Rory was angry that the man was so cavalier with Amy that he could waltz in and out of her life and not really care about the effect he was having on her. He’d noticed it the mad day the Doctor had dealt to Prisoner Zero: how much more Amy was when he was there, and Rory resented the fact that such a vibrant part of her was destroyed by the raggedy man when he’d left again.
During dinner, which Rory thanked his stars they got to just in time, Amy chatted happily about her life and her job, but Rory was uncharacteristically silent around her. She finally noticed around the time dessert was being served.
‘What is up with you tonight? You’re not still moping because I did a Leadworth job last night, are you?’
‘No, ‘course not,’ Rory said, his palms suddenly slick with sweat as he thought about what was coming. ‘I’m just ….’ He sighed. ‘If you must know, I’m … I’m nervous.’ He could barely get the words out, and his hands had begun to tremble.
Amy frowned at him, lines creasing her forehead as she tried to process this idea. ‘You’re always nervous, but it doesn’t normally make you shut up this much. You sure you’re not moping?’
Rory could feel the hot flush of red rising in his cheeks. ‘Amy,’ he said, then stopped again. ‘I don’t even know how to say this …’ his voice cracked and Amy gasped.
‘Oh my god – you’re breaking up with me?’ Amy’s eyes were wide and fearful, her hands fluttered wildly and she looked like she would run at any moment. ‘You brought me here to soften the blow … Rory …’ the last was a pained whisper which tore at Rory. This insecurity – all the Doctor’s fault, he thought grimly.
‘No! No. Nothing like that.’ Rory reached across the table and grabbed her hands, stilling them and forcing her to look at him. ‘No. The opposite, in fact. I …’ Rory stopped again and sat back, releasing her hands which flew to her mouth. He shoved his hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a tiny red velvet box and held it out to her with shaking hands. ‘I … um.’ Rory took a deep breath then looked into her eyes, taking comfort from the emotion he saw there. ‘Amy Pond, will you marry me?’
Her eyes dropped and she stared at the box for a long moment as if weighing it up. Rory could feel the blush getting even deeper as he willed her to say something, anything, to break the silence. She finally reached over and touched the box reverently.
‘Are you sure?’ she asked, a quiver in her voice as she lifted her eyes to his.
‘Of course I’m bloody sure. I’ve been sure since … well, for a really long time. Please, Amy, answer me.’ His plea seemed to snap Amy out of whatever trance she had been held in.
‘Yes.’ It was an almost inaudible whisper, but Rory slumped in relief. He hadn’t been sure she would agree. He’d been ninety percent certain, but there was that part of her still waiting for the Doctor and adventure outside of Leadworth. That part that didn’t want a normal life in a small village. ‘Yes, I will.’ Her voice was stronger now and she took the box from him and opened it.
Rory had spent ages trying to work out which ring would best suit Amy. He had been tempted by a row of sapphires interspersed with diamonds, which reminded him of the top of the Doctor’s police box, but in the end he’d chosen a simple and elegant diamond. It had stood out from the pack to him the way Amy always did. No matter what else he’d looked at, that one had called to him. He knew he’d chosen right when Amy looked at him and smiled, and this time it was that blinding smile that she gave when she thought the Doctor had returned.
‘It’s perfect, Rory,’ she said and leaned over to kiss him. He smiled at her and kissed her back, determined to be more than a boring village nurse to keep her happy. He would start, he thought, with doing more reading on scientific theories around time travel. He may not be able to take her away to the stars, and he certainly couldn’t compete with the Doctor for excitement, but he could learn enough to be able to discuss that part of her life with her and let her know that he, at least, believed in her dreams.
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcackRating: PG-13 generally
Characters & Pairings: This chapter: Rory/Amy
Word Count: 1511 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
This Chapter: What happened during the two years at the end of The Eleventh Hour
Notes: Many thanks to the wonderful
mollywheezy who have been extremely supportive through this whole process. I've been writing this on and off for a while. It's still not finished, but is getting there. Not sure how many chapters there will be, but each one is intended as a short one-shot in its own right so all can be read independently. However, they do all build together to give a picture of Rory's life, complicated timelines and all. It's all roughly chronological, but each piece doesn't necessarily exist in the same timeline as each other piece. So some are pre-reboot, some post, some exist in a universe which includes Mels, others don't. Disclaimer: Sadly none of the characters are mine, I just enjoy hanging around in their sandbox.
The blue box faded out of sight with a whirring sound. In front of Rory, Amy's shoulders dropped forward. She turned to him and the look on her face tore at Rory's heart. It was the look of someone who has been abandoned one too many times being faced with yet another abandonment. Rory started towards her, reaching out instinctively to try to ease her pain away. She allowed him to fold her into his arms, and he promised himself, right then and there, that he would never leave Amy alone. He'd only ever half-believed her stories of the Raggedy Doctor. Not even half-believed, he corrected himself with a guilty start. And yet ... and yet as the events of this day had proved over and over he was real, the Doctor, and every bit as weird and interesting as Amy had said. Unlike Amy, Rory found the manic behaviour and crazy leaps of logic disconcerting and even frightening, but he could see Amy thriving with the other man in a way that made his mouth taste sour when he realised he would never be able to offer her that level of excitement.
But what he could offer was stability. As the blue box disappeared, it was blindingly obvious to Rory that, as much as Amy craved excitement and adventure, she needed an anchor as well. Her life was so untethered, what with her parents being gone and Aunt Sharon being so absent all the time, and now once again the raggedy man (clothing-thieving, non-raggedy man now, Rory thought with an internal sniff) had just taken off with a vague promise to be back again.
'How long do you think he'll be this time, Rory?' Amy asked in a plaintive voice. 'Not years like last time I hope.'
'I don't know,' Rory said truthfully. 'I don't think so.' He added the last with as much conviction as he could, but privately Rory thought the Doctor probably had better things to do than return to a tiny village. He wasn't about to say that to Amy, though, not while she was so obviously unhappy.
The next few months were hard. Every time there was an unexpected noise, particularly a whirring sound, Amy's ears would prick up and she'd get a blinding smile on her face. Always afterwards, the smile would fade and Amy became even more withdrawn than she already had been. Rory tried everything he could to bring that smile out himself but he only managed it once.
'Are you ready, Amy?' he called up the stairs of her house one evening.
'Not yet, you bloody idiot. Don't you know never to hurry a woman?'
Rory sighed. Yes, he did know that but he also knew that reservations at nearby Gloucester's best restaurant weren't easy to come by and that the one they had could be given at any moment to some other, more punctual, couple. He gritted his teeth, however, and took up pacing again. He knew that any more comments on the time it was taking her to get ready would prompt Amy to slow down even more.
Finally she drifted downstairs and Rory’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. He sometimes forgot, due to seeing her so often, just how breathtakingly beautiful Amy was. But occasionally she went to an effort, dressed up a little – stopped wearing her trainers and bulky sweaters, and it would hit Rory anew.
‘God, Amy, you look incredible,’ he whispered in reverent tones as he gazed up at her.
She gave an unbelieving snort. ‘You don’t need to be so weird about it, idiot. I’m still just me,’ she grinned at him. It was close to the smile she gave when she thought she heard the Doctor, but there was that small tinge of sadness weaving through it that always hurt Rory’s heart. He pulled himself together.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Are you ready to go?’
She nodded and he held his hand out to her. She took it casually, accepting it as she accepted him as her boyfriend now. In one way it was nice to be so openly acknowledged, but Rory knew this was partially another effect of the Doctor’s absence – that she had resigned herself to the everyday mundanity of Leadworth and accepted all that came with it, including their relationship. While he loved being with Amy, a small part of Rory was angry that the man was so cavalier with Amy that he could waltz in and out of her life and not really care about the effect he was having on her. He’d noticed it the mad day the Doctor had dealt to Prisoner Zero: how much more Amy was when he was there, and Rory resented the fact that such a vibrant part of her was destroyed by the raggedy man when he’d left again.
During dinner, which Rory thanked his stars they got to just in time, Amy chatted happily about her life and her job, but Rory was uncharacteristically silent around her. She finally noticed around the time dessert was being served.
‘What is up with you tonight? You’re not still moping because I did a Leadworth job last night, are you?’
‘No, ‘course not,’ Rory said, his palms suddenly slick with sweat as he thought about what was coming. ‘I’m just ….’ He sighed. ‘If you must know, I’m … I’m nervous.’ He could barely get the words out, and his hands had begun to tremble.
Amy frowned at him, lines creasing her forehead as she tried to process this idea. ‘You’re always nervous, but it doesn’t normally make you shut up this much. You sure you’re not moping?’
Rory could feel the hot flush of red rising in his cheeks. ‘Amy,’ he said, then stopped again. ‘I don’t even know how to say this …’ his voice cracked and Amy gasped.
‘Oh my god – you’re breaking up with me?’ Amy’s eyes were wide and fearful, her hands fluttered wildly and she looked like she would run at any moment. ‘You brought me here to soften the blow … Rory …’ the last was a pained whisper which tore at Rory. This insecurity – all the Doctor’s fault, he thought grimly.
‘No! No. Nothing like that.’ Rory reached across the table and grabbed her hands, stilling them and forcing her to look at him. ‘No. The opposite, in fact. I …’ Rory stopped again and sat back, releasing her hands which flew to her mouth. He shoved his hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a tiny red velvet box and held it out to her with shaking hands. ‘I … um.’ Rory took a deep breath then looked into her eyes, taking comfort from the emotion he saw there. ‘Amy Pond, will you marry me?’
Her eyes dropped and she stared at the box for a long moment as if weighing it up. Rory could feel the blush getting even deeper as he willed her to say something, anything, to break the silence. She finally reached over and touched the box reverently.
‘Are you sure?’ she asked, a quiver in her voice as she lifted her eyes to his.
‘Of course I’m bloody sure. I’ve been sure since … well, for a really long time. Please, Amy, answer me.’ His plea seemed to snap Amy out of whatever trance she had been held in.
‘Yes.’ It was an almost inaudible whisper, but Rory slumped in relief. He hadn’t been sure she would agree. He’d been ninety percent certain, but there was that part of her still waiting for the Doctor and adventure outside of Leadworth. That part that didn’t want a normal life in a small village. ‘Yes, I will.’ Her voice was stronger now and she took the box from him and opened it.
Rory had spent ages trying to work out which ring would best suit Amy. He had been tempted by a row of sapphires interspersed with diamonds, which reminded him of the top of the Doctor’s police box, but in the end he’d chosen a simple and elegant diamond. It had stood out from the pack to him the way Amy always did. No matter what else he’d looked at, that one had called to him. He knew he’d chosen right when Amy looked at him and smiled, and this time it was that blinding smile that she gave when she thought the Doctor had returned.
‘It’s perfect, Rory,’ she said and leaned over to kiss him. He smiled at her and kissed her back, determined to be more than a boring village nurse to keep her happy. He would start, he thought, with doing more reading on scientific theories around time travel. He may not be able to take her away to the stars, and he certainly couldn’t compete with the Doctor for excitement, but he could learn enough to be able to discuss that part of her life with her and let her know that he, at least, believed in her dreams.
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Date: 2015-01-14 02:10 pm (UTC)*HUGS*
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Date: 2015-01-15 03:08 am (UTC)