A Long Life (But One Worth Living): Chapter Three
Title: A Long Life (But One Worth Living)
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcack
Rating: PG-13
Characters & Pairings: Rory, Amy, Mels
Word Count: 1271 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
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.
Rory kicked his ball. It skidded sideways and bounced off Mrs Bradford’s picket fence, landing square-on in the middle of her petunias. Blushing, Rory stepped carefully over her flowers to retrieve the ball. He hoped no-one had noticed as he hopped back onto the footpath to carry on towards Amy’s house; this time the ball was tucked safely under his arm.
Unfortunately, the new kid who had just moved in across the road was staring at him forthrightly from her porch. Her foot was swaying casually in the dirt and she looked as if she found Rory funny - and not in a good way. He blushed again and scampered onwards, trying to put as much distance between himself and her as possible. She made him uneasy; she was obviously confident and self-assured even from the smallest observation. Her self-assurance was nothing like the village’s other children’s, even Amelia’s; this kid was almost adult-like in her poise.
‘Wait,’ he heard her shout behind him, but ignored her, keeping his head down and his gaze focused on the ground in front of him, hoping he could get past without having to speak with her.
‘Watch out!’ Amelia’s voice was amused and exasperated. He looked up to find her right in front of him.
‘Sorry. I was just …’ he flapped his hand around, trying to convey a sense of urgent, important business that was hastening his steps. Amelia rolled her eyes at him.
‘Hello,’ the new kid said, her tones also amused as she strolled up to them.
‘Hi,’ Amelia said brightly, looking the new girl up and down, taking in her ripped jeans, faded trainers and leopard-print top. She seemed to approve of what she saw. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Melody,’ the girl said. ‘It’s a bit of a crap name, innit?’ Her eyes were twinkling as if she was having a huge joke on them, which made Rory uncomfortable. He didn’t like feeling out of the loop, and this girl exuded an aura of sharing an in joke with the universe, one which he very much feared was at his expense.
‘It’s a bit unusual, yeah,’ he said quickly, trying to cover for feeling so out of sorts but sure he was just coming across as nervous and daft.
‘I’m Amelia, this is Rory,’ Amelia put her hand out formally. Rory stared at her in shock; she hadn’t greeted him that way when they met. In fact, he couldn’t remember Amelia being this formal with anyone, not even adults she was supposed to respect. Melody took Amelia’s hand and shook it solemnly, still with that indefinable sense of superiority and a smirk which suggested she was humouring them.
‘We’re just off to play football. Want to join us?’ Amelia asked.
Melody shrugged and fell in behind them, her presence making Rory feel distinctly uncomfortable. This was worse than the day he’d first met Amelia. Amelia had made him anxious that day, but she was also warm and friendly when she’d let her prickly guard drop. Melody was putting him completely off-kilter with the ever-present smirk and her confidence - she either had no guard or wasn’t about to let it drop.
‘I’d better be going home, Amelia,’ he said a couple of hours later, his voice and stance diffident - he was always nervous when he had to go home, never sure how Amelia would react. ‘Dad’s expecting me at five.’
Amelia waved her fingers at him as he scurried over to pick the ball up, but her attention was all on the vibrant new girl who took as much delight in pushing boundaries as Amelia herself. Rory could hear Melody talking behind him as he headed out of the tiny park.
‘He’s a bit rubbish, isn’t he? You seem cool … why do you hang out with him?’
‘Nah, Rory’s ok. Mostly. When you get to know him.’ Amelia’s voice was cool, and a little dismissive. ‘What do you want to do now?’
Rory’s heart sank. It was obvious Amelia and Melody got on well. It was equally obvious that Rory didn’t get on so well with Melody. How long before he lost his best friend to this new girl? It hadn’t escaped Rory’s attention that ‘mostly ok’ wasn’t a ringing endorsement of his personality, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Amelia loved adventure; Rory didn’t but he would go along with it to please her. Now, he could tell that Melody would happily keep up with Amelia’s flights of fancy, and that Rory, whose commitment to her crazier schemes was half-hearted at best, could soon become unnecessary. His feet were heavy as he dragged himself home.
When he left his house the next morning he found Melody waiting outside. He started and looked around nervously, completely bewildered that she was there.
‘Hello, loser. Whatcha up to?’ Melody pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning on and wandered up to Rory.
‘How did you know where I live?’
Melody shrugged. ‘I’ve been paying attention, and it’s not like this place is so huge it’s exactly difficult.’
‘I guess.’ Rory flushed. The way she said ‘huge’ suggested experience with much bigger places and a sort of condescending attitude towards Leadworth. Every comment she made set Rory’s hackles up and he couldn’t help feeling defensive and awkward.
‘So. What are you doing?’ She asked again as he started walking.
‘Going to find Amelia,’ Rory said, all his defensiveness clear in his tone.
‘Don’t you have other friends?’ Melody looked incredulous. ‘What about other boys?’ She looked him up and down, taking in his small build and delicate features. ‘Well … if you even are a boy.’
Yep. Definitely didn’t like her, Rory decided. He ignored her barb and carried on walking, his hands bunched in his pockets and his shoulders hunched defensively against her onslaught.
Melody grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. ‘Look. I don’t know many people here and I want to be friends with Amelia because she looks to be the coolest person this dead-end place has.’ She eyed him with disdain, and gave a theatrical sigh. ‘It seems like you come as a package so I need to be friends with you, too, even if you are a wuss. So. What do you say? Will you be my friend?’
Rory gaped at her, horrified. He really didn’t want to spend time with Melody, but he also knew Amelia did whatever she liked and it seemed she had already taken up with Melody. If he didn’t agree to hang out with her, he knew he’d be limiting his access to his best friend. He sighed.
‘Rory! Mels! Perfect. I was just looking for you both.’ Amelia came panting up to them. ‘I have the best idea for what we can do today!’ She linked her arms with both of the others and dragged them with her.
It seemed Rory’s decision had been made for him. Melody was going to be Amelia’s friend and it appeared like that meant she was going to be his friend too. This was the first time Amelia had met anyone else she wanted as a friend and Rory wasn’t prepared for just how fast she had wrapped Melody into her sphere. He tended to take his friendships slowly, building up trust and confidence over time, so the speed with which his most important relationship was changing had set him totally off-balance. Rory tried not to let either of them see just how terrifying he found this new acquaintance, and allowed himself to be pulled into Amy’s madcap adventure in the nearby forest.
Prologue
Chapter Three
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcack
Rating: PG-13
Characters & Pairings: Rory, Amy, Mels
Word Count: 1271 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
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.
Rory kicked his ball. It skidded sideways and bounced off Mrs Bradford’s picket fence, landing square-on in the middle of her petunias. Blushing, Rory stepped carefully over her flowers to retrieve the ball. He hoped no-one had noticed as he hopped back onto the footpath to carry on towards Amy’s house; this time the ball was tucked safely under his arm.
Unfortunately, the new kid who had just moved in across the road was staring at him forthrightly from her porch. Her foot was swaying casually in the dirt and she looked as if she found Rory funny - and not in a good way. He blushed again and scampered onwards, trying to put as much distance between himself and her as possible. She made him uneasy; she was obviously confident and self-assured even from the smallest observation. Her self-assurance was nothing like the village’s other children’s, even Amelia’s; this kid was almost adult-like in her poise.
‘Wait,’ he heard her shout behind him, but ignored her, keeping his head down and his gaze focused on the ground in front of him, hoping he could get past without having to speak with her.
‘Watch out!’ Amelia’s voice was amused and exasperated. He looked up to find her right in front of him.
‘Sorry. I was just …’ he flapped his hand around, trying to convey a sense of urgent, important business that was hastening his steps. Amelia rolled her eyes at him.
‘Hello,’ the new kid said, her tones also amused as she strolled up to them.
‘Hi,’ Amelia said brightly, looking the new girl up and down, taking in her ripped jeans, faded trainers and leopard-print top. She seemed to approve of what she saw. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Melody,’ the girl said. ‘It’s a bit of a crap name, innit?’ Her eyes were twinkling as if she was having a huge joke on them, which made Rory uncomfortable. He didn’t like feeling out of the loop, and this girl exuded an aura of sharing an in joke with the universe, one which he very much feared was at his expense.
‘It’s a bit unusual, yeah,’ he said quickly, trying to cover for feeling so out of sorts but sure he was just coming across as nervous and daft.
‘I’m Amelia, this is Rory,’ Amelia put her hand out formally. Rory stared at her in shock; she hadn’t greeted him that way when they met. In fact, he couldn’t remember Amelia being this formal with anyone, not even adults she was supposed to respect. Melody took Amelia’s hand and shook it solemnly, still with that indefinable sense of superiority and a smirk which suggested she was humouring them.
‘We’re just off to play football. Want to join us?’ Amelia asked.
Melody shrugged and fell in behind them, her presence making Rory feel distinctly uncomfortable. This was worse than the day he’d first met Amelia. Amelia had made him anxious that day, but she was also warm and friendly when she’d let her prickly guard drop. Melody was putting him completely off-kilter with the ever-present smirk and her confidence - she either had no guard or wasn’t about to let it drop.
‘I’d better be going home, Amelia,’ he said a couple of hours later, his voice and stance diffident - he was always nervous when he had to go home, never sure how Amelia would react. ‘Dad’s expecting me at five.’
Amelia waved her fingers at him as he scurried over to pick the ball up, but her attention was all on the vibrant new girl who took as much delight in pushing boundaries as Amelia herself. Rory could hear Melody talking behind him as he headed out of the tiny park.
‘He’s a bit rubbish, isn’t he? You seem cool … why do you hang out with him?’
‘Nah, Rory’s ok. Mostly. When you get to know him.’ Amelia’s voice was cool, and a little dismissive. ‘What do you want to do now?’
Rory’s heart sank. It was obvious Amelia and Melody got on well. It was equally obvious that Rory didn’t get on so well with Melody. How long before he lost his best friend to this new girl? It hadn’t escaped Rory’s attention that ‘mostly ok’ wasn’t a ringing endorsement of his personality, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Amelia loved adventure; Rory didn’t but he would go along with it to please her. Now, he could tell that Melody would happily keep up with Amelia’s flights of fancy, and that Rory, whose commitment to her crazier schemes was half-hearted at best, could soon become unnecessary. His feet were heavy as he dragged himself home.
When he left his house the next morning he found Melody waiting outside. He started and looked around nervously, completely bewildered that she was there.
‘Hello, loser. Whatcha up to?’ Melody pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning on and wandered up to Rory.
‘How did you know where I live?’
Melody shrugged. ‘I’ve been paying attention, and it’s not like this place is so huge it’s exactly difficult.’
‘I guess.’ Rory flushed. The way she said ‘huge’ suggested experience with much bigger places and a sort of condescending attitude towards Leadworth. Every comment she made set Rory’s hackles up and he couldn’t help feeling defensive and awkward.
‘So. What are you doing?’ She asked again as he started walking.
‘Going to find Amelia,’ Rory said, all his defensiveness clear in his tone.
‘Don’t you have other friends?’ Melody looked incredulous. ‘What about other boys?’ She looked him up and down, taking in his small build and delicate features. ‘Well … if you even are a boy.’
Yep. Definitely didn’t like her, Rory decided. He ignored her barb and carried on walking, his hands bunched in his pockets and his shoulders hunched defensively against her onslaught.
Melody grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. ‘Look. I don’t know many people here and I want to be friends with Amelia because she looks to be the coolest person this dead-end place has.’ She eyed him with disdain, and gave a theatrical sigh. ‘It seems like you come as a package so I need to be friends with you, too, even if you are a wuss. So. What do you say? Will you be my friend?’
Rory gaped at her, horrified. He really didn’t want to spend time with Melody, but he also knew Amelia did whatever she liked and it seemed she had already taken up with Melody. If he didn’t agree to hang out with her, he knew he’d be limiting his access to his best friend. He sighed.
‘Rory! Mels! Perfect. I was just looking for you both.’ Amelia came panting up to them. ‘I have the best idea for what we can do today!’ She linked her arms with both of the others and dragged them with her.
It seemed Rory’s decision had been made for him. Melody was going to be Amelia’s friend and it appeared like that meant she was going to be his friend too. This was the first time Amelia had met anyone else she wanted as a friend and Rory wasn’t prepared for just how fast she had wrapped Melody into her sphere. He tended to take his friendships slowly, building up trust and confidence over time, so the speed with which his most important relationship was changing had set him totally off-balance. Rory tried not to let either of them see just how terrifying he found this new acquaintance, and allowed himself to be pulled into Amy’s madcap adventure in the nearby forest.
Prologue
Chapter Three