Smitten 3/?
The rain was no longer falling, but the sky was the color of ash with puffs of bright white clouds scattered among it. The air had turned chilly and Rory raised the hood of his jacket over his head. He shoved his hands into the warm pockets and concentrated on each step against the cement. The puddles of water saturated the bottom of his jeans, but he barely noticed.
As glorious as the Doctor’s brilliant machine was - he had wanted to take a break from being within its impossible walls. He had led a simple life full of Amy, family, work and fun…well, at least what he thought fun was: spending time with the love of his life, having lunch with his friends when he had time, reading a book - just…being. That had been enough for him. He’d thought that would be enough for Amy too.
He chuckled. It sounded defeated and he hated that.
Rory knew that Amy would need more than just him and their life at some point and the Doctor and his time machine had more than taken care of that. Had he been foolish to believe that when that time came, he’d be welcomed to travel alongside her?
Turning a random corner, his forehead wrinkled in thought. The Doctor had invited him along - even seemed quite happy to…but Amy…well, she hadn’t seemed quite so pleased about it.
And that hurt.
Even as they left the chip shop earlier, she kept hounding the Doctor about the girl they had met. What was her name? Rose, that’s right. She had seemed nice. Yet again, however, it seemed so obvious that Amy had only been interested in getting closer to the Doctor…
Was it simply to get close or because of her insatiable curiosity - he wasn’t sure anymore.
It would be a lot easier if the Doctor was someone he could hate. Rory couldn’t bring himself to truly dislike anyone, let alone hate them. But it wasn’t even that…the Doctor was everything Amy described him as and more. He’d imagined that perhaps he’d be a bit aloof, and at moments he seemed as such, but...
Then there was the girl in the shop. And that…that had changed some aspects of his character, at least - it had for Rory.
He was so consumed with his thoughts that he failed to notice the group of people lined along the sidewalk. Before he realized it, shoulders bumped accidentally against his, causing him to knock harshly against someone himself.
“Oi! Watch it there ma-,“ yelled a pretty, familiar voice.
Rory stood with his mouth ajar, his hands grasping the arms of the person he had rudely bashed against in an attempt to keep her from falling.
The angry look on her face dissipated into something completely different as soon as she noticed who it was that bumped her. In fact, it hadn’t just dissipated, but morphed completely into a huge bright grin. Rory felt her body lose its tension under his grip. Abruptly, he let go of her, staggering a bit as he did so.
He smiled at her - unsure what to make of their encounter without Amy and the Doctor. He was pretty sure that she didn’t know who the Doctor was as she acted rather indifferent to him earlier…but he, oh he most certainly knew who she was. How was that possible though? To forget the Doctor was like forgetting there were stars in the sky.
“Hi there, Rory,” She smiled with that peculiar habit he’d noticed earlier, the pink tongue pressed against her teeth.
Rory let out a nervous-sounding chortle, “You remembered my name.” He always found it strange when people remembered him as he didn’t think he stood out enough for it.
Rose rolled her eyes and took a step closer to him, “Of course I do! I’m not one to forget a nice bloke’s name, yeah?”
He saw a twinkle in her eyes and his smile widened at the sight of it.
“So, where are your friends?” there seemed to be more to the question than she was asking, but he didn’t know what it was.
“Oh, my girlfriend and…,” he had just been about to say ‘the Doctor’ but the alien’s odd (and frantic) preoccupation with calling him so in front of this girl stopped him, “my friend are currently…fixing something…or other.”
She looked at him oddly, a look Rory was accustomed to, her smile having dimmed. He didn’t know why, but the look made him regret whatever had made her sad.
“Your…girlfriend?” she sounded disappointed.
Rory nodded. What he had wanted to say was fiancée because that’s who she was supposed to be - but he regrettably realized earlier that she hadn’t called him her fiancé. Not once since their current adventure.
Rose’s look then turned from disappointed to more than a little annoyed.
“Hold on then. You’re tellin’ me that your girlfriend is with another bloke…without you? And you…you’re here, walkin’ in the cold by yourself?” Rory could feel her anger on his skin causing it to prickle.
He wanted to tell her it wasn’t like that, wanted to say that she had it all wrong…but as her words turned over and over in his mind - well, that was exactly what had happened, wasn’t it?
She took his silence to mean the affirmative so with a quick shift she snaked her arm through his and tugged him along with her. Not knowing what to do (there was a very pretty girl kidnapping him), he let his legs and steps follow her.
“Where we going?” he managed to ask as he felt her grip on him tighten just a bit.
Taking a long side glance at him, she told him in a very sweet, but determined voice, “You an’ me, we’re going to have a proper cuppa. Cuz it’s not fair havin’ a nice bloke like yourself walking around by himself clearly missin’ his girlfriend.”
It sounded innocent and Rory couldn’t find anything to really protest to. She was being very kind to him and he needed someone to talk to just then.
Rose shifted her steps so that she was walking closer to him and Rory felt her drop her cheek to his upper arm, resting her head against him. Her warmth made his heart skip a beat.
***
“Doctor,” Amy’s voice dripped with exasperation, “I’m not going to ask you again…”
He cut her off before she could finish her thought, knowing all too well what was coming next, “Perfect! Then we can go find Rory…”
“No!” she shouted as she stood in front of him, blocking his path to the doors of the Tardis. The Doctor stared at her, surprised at her anger. He thought he’d seen her furious before…he was mistaken.
“Amy, this is very unnecessary…” he really, really didn’t want to have this conversation with her. With anyone.
“Oh, I think it is VERY necessary. It’s BEEN necessary ever since we were in that shop today and the way you and Rory both acted like puppy dogs at seeing her!”
Now, the Doctor understood that she was upset. Upset at the fact that Rory had been blinded by the Rose-Tyler smile earlier and that he was probably out there looking for Rose at that very moment…
He tried to ignore the feelings that had been inundating him. If he wouldn’t name them he wouldn’t have to deal with them.
Either way, he knew she was angry, but hearing her fuming vehemence at Rose’s mentioning made his blood boil and his body feel rigid. He had to remind himself that Amy didn’t know. She couldn’t possibly know.
“What does it matter,” it didn’t sound like a question, but it sounded like defeat. He hadn’t felt that since his end and he wasn’t very welcoming to the feeling again.
Her ginger hair shined brightly under the lights of the Tardis and her eyes widened with disbelief.
“What does it matter? WHAT does it MATTER?” the Doctor’s hearts faltered with the pain at the sight of her. She reminded him of Donna just then with her bright fiery hair, fair skin and outraged [at him] expression on her face. The memory hurt him.
The Doctor simply stared at her, not knowing how she’d finally explode at him.
“It matters because…,” she was holding onto something - something that wasn’t coming too easily to her lips. Or maybe it was because it came a bit too easily and that was what surprised her.
“Why does it matter Amy?” he wanted to hear her say it because she hadn’t been letting herself say, believe and drown in it.
“It matters because he’s mine! He’s my fiancé! And he’s out there! Looking for her!” Her eyes had turned glassy with tears he knew she wouldn’t cry. But they were there. The look on her face looked so familiar…not like Donna’s. It was one that resembled Martha and Sarah Jane only slightly. And it matched Rose’s almost entirely. But he knew that this time…well, this time it wasn’t for him.
This time it was for the one that was left behind.
***
Four
As glorious as the Doctor’s brilliant machine was - he had wanted to take a break from being within its impossible walls. He had led a simple life full of Amy, family, work and fun…well, at least what he thought fun was: spending time with the love of his life, having lunch with his friends when he had time, reading a book - just…being. That had been enough for him. He’d thought that would be enough for Amy too.
He chuckled. It sounded defeated and he hated that.
Rory knew that Amy would need more than just him and their life at some point and the Doctor and his time machine had more than taken care of that. Had he been foolish to believe that when that time came, he’d be welcomed to travel alongside her?
Turning a random corner, his forehead wrinkled in thought. The Doctor had invited him along - even seemed quite happy to…but Amy…well, she hadn’t seemed quite so pleased about it.
And that hurt.
Even as they left the chip shop earlier, she kept hounding the Doctor about the girl they had met. What was her name? Rose, that’s right. She had seemed nice. Yet again, however, it seemed so obvious that Amy had only been interested in getting closer to the Doctor…
Was it simply to get close or because of her insatiable curiosity - he wasn’t sure anymore.
It would be a lot easier if the Doctor was someone he could hate. Rory couldn’t bring himself to truly dislike anyone, let alone hate them. But it wasn’t even that…the Doctor was everything Amy described him as and more. He’d imagined that perhaps he’d be a bit aloof, and at moments he seemed as such, but...
Then there was the girl in the shop. And that…that had changed some aspects of his character, at least - it had for Rory.
He was so consumed with his thoughts that he failed to notice the group of people lined along the sidewalk. Before he realized it, shoulders bumped accidentally against his, causing him to knock harshly against someone himself.
“Oi! Watch it there ma-,“ yelled a pretty, familiar voice.
Rory stood with his mouth ajar, his hands grasping the arms of the person he had rudely bashed against in an attempt to keep her from falling.
The angry look on her face dissipated into something completely different as soon as she noticed who it was that bumped her. In fact, it hadn’t just dissipated, but morphed completely into a huge bright grin. Rory felt her body lose its tension under his grip. Abruptly, he let go of her, staggering a bit as he did so.
He smiled at her - unsure what to make of their encounter without Amy and the Doctor. He was pretty sure that she didn’t know who the Doctor was as she acted rather indifferent to him earlier…but he, oh he most certainly knew who she was. How was that possible though? To forget the Doctor was like forgetting there were stars in the sky.
“Hi there, Rory,” She smiled with that peculiar habit he’d noticed earlier, the pink tongue pressed against her teeth.
Rory let out a nervous-sounding chortle, “You remembered my name.” He always found it strange when people remembered him as he didn’t think he stood out enough for it.
Rose rolled her eyes and took a step closer to him, “Of course I do! I’m not one to forget a nice bloke’s name, yeah?”
He saw a twinkle in her eyes and his smile widened at the sight of it.
“So, where are your friends?” there seemed to be more to the question than she was asking, but he didn’t know what it was.
“Oh, my girlfriend and…,” he had just been about to say ‘the Doctor’ but the alien’s odd (and frantic) preoccupation with calling him so in front of this girl stopped him, “my friend are currently…fixing something…or other.”
She looked at him oddly, a look Rory was accustomed to, her smile having dimmed. He didn’t know why, but the look made him regret whatever had made her sad.
“Your…girlfriend?” she sounded disappointed.
Rory nodded. What he had wanted to say was fiancée because that’s who she was supposed to be - but he regrettably realized earlier that she hadn’t called him her fiancé. Not once since their current adventure.
Rose’s look then turned from disappointed to more than a little annoyed.
“Hold on then. You’re tellin’ me that your girlfriend is with another bloke…without you? And you…you’re here, walkin’ in the cold by yourself?” Rory could feel her anger on his skin causing it to prickle.
He wanted to tell her it wasn’t like that, wanted to say that she had it all wrong…but as her words turned over and over in his mind - well, that was exactly what had happened, wasn’t it?
She took his silence to mean the affirmative so with a quick shift she snaked her arm through his and tugged him along with her. Not knowing what to do (there was a very pretty girl kidnapping him), he let his legs and steps follow her.
“Where we going?” he managed to ask as he felt her grip on him tighten just a bit.
Taking a long side glance at him, she told him in a very sweet, but determined voice, “You an’ me, we’re going to have a proper cuppa. Cuz it’s not fair havin’ a nice bloke like yourself walking around by himself clearly missin’ his girlfriend.”
It sounded innocent and Rory couldn’t find anything to really protest to. She was being very kind to him and he needed someone to talk to just then.
Rose shifted her steps so that she was walking closer to him and Rory felt her drop her cheek to his upper arm, resting her head against him. Her warmth made his heart skip a beat.
***
“Doctor,” Amy’s voice dripped with exasperation, “I’m not going to ask you again…”
He cut her off before she could finish her thought, knowing all too well what was coming next, “Perfect! Then we can go find Rory…”
“No!” she shouted as she stood in front of him, blocking his path to the doors of the Tardis. The Doctor stared at her, surprised at her anger. He thought he’d seen her furious before…he was mistaken.
“Amy, this is very unnecessary…” he really, really didn’t want to have this conversation with her. With anyone.
“Oh, I think it is VERY necessary. It’s BEEN necessary ever since we were in that shop today and the way you and Rory both acted like puppy dogs at seeing her!”
Now, the Doctor understood that she was upset. Upset at the fact that Rory had been blinded by the Rose-Tyler smile earlier and that he was probably out there looking for Rose at that very moment…
He tried to ignore the feelings that had been inundating him. If he wouldn’t name them he wouldn’t have to deal with them.
Either way, he knew she was angry, but hearing her fuming vehemence at Rose’s mentioning made his blood boil and his body feel rigid. He had to remind himself that Amy didn’t know. She couldn’t possibly know.
“What does it matter,” it didn’t sound like a question, but it sounded like defeat. He hadn’t felt that since his end and he wasn’t very welcoming to the feeling again.
Her ginger hair shined brightly under the lights of the Tardis and her eyes widened with disbelief.
“What does it matter? WHAT does it MATTER?” the Doctor’s hearts faltered with the pain at the sight of her. She reminded him of Donna just then with her bright fiery hair, fair skin and outraged [at him] expression on her face. The memory hurt him.
The Doctor simply stared at her, not knowing how she’d finally explode at him.
“It matters because…,” she was holding onto something - something that wasn’t coming too easily to her lips. Or maybe it was because it came a bit too easily and that was what surprised her.
“Why does it matter Amy?” he wanted to hear her say it because she hadn’t been letting herself say, believe and drown in it.
“It matters because he’s mine! He’s my fiancé! And he’s out there! Looking for her!” Her eyes had turned glassy with tears he knew she wouldn’t cry. But they were there. The look on her face looked so familiar…not like Donna’s. It was one that resembled Martha and Sarah Jane only slightly. And it matched Rose’s almost entirely. But he knew that this time…well, this time it wasn’t for him.
This time it was for the one that was left behind.
***
Four