Fic - Coming Home
Doctor Who ficton based on episode 6:07 'A Good Man Goes to War' big spoilers for that episode.
Title: Coming Home
Characters: Rory, River, Amy
Spoilers: For 6:07
Rating: G
Not betaed so please feel free to point out mistakes.
They took Vashta and Jenny to their home first. Then River (Melody) took them back to their house. It didn’t feel real. Not standing in the front room dressed as a Roman solider, it felt like he was eight years old playing dress up. Trouble was he couldn’t work out who was real and who was make-believe, Mr Williams, The Last Centurion, Mr Pond, Rory, (Dad)…
River clapped her hands as the television came on. Cash in the Attic. Like the world was still able to contain something like that. But she was perched on the edge of the sofa watching with every appearance of fascination. Amy stood behind the sofa, her arms wrapped around herself. She hadn’t taken her eyes off River (Melody) since they’d found out, she jumped slightly when Rory laid a hand on her shoulder. She leant into the hand as she turned to face him. Eyes far too bright and a brittle, fragile smile. Rory had known Amy nearly all her life, and it always hurt him to see her looking fragile. Amy was the strongest person he knew. He hugged her tight and she let him. Protecting Amy was his job, his only job, Amy and their baby, he’d failed.
River cleared her throat. “I should go…” she started.
“No!” interrupted Rory and Amy at the same time. Amy was trembling. “Stay,” continued Rory his voice rough to his own ears. “At least until the Doctor gets back. Please.”
River didn’t answer but she didn’t move either. Amy pushed away from Rory gently. She looked like she wanted to hug River (Melody) but didn’t know how. The older (younger, just a baby) woman gave her a soft smile back.
“Right,” said Amy decisively, using a voice that Rory hadn’t heard her use since her parents stopped making her go to the psychiatrist. “I’m going to have a bath because I smell like… that place. You,” she pointed at River. “Are staying here. You,” she pointed at Rory. “Look after her.”
Rory mumbled ‘of course’ and kissed his wife before she headed upstairs. That left him with River. Melody Pond. Rory wants to laugh. He wants to laugh because this is ridiculous. Totally and completely. He wants to scream and cry and blame the Doctor even though it isn’t the Doctors fault, not really. He really wants to kill the woman with the eye patch. Actually kill her and make it hurt. That scares him, how much he wants that. Not just as a means to get Melody back, he wants to see her die. He’s never wanted to kill anyone before. Rory-the-roman killed people, but he was a solider, it was a job. He never took any great pleasure in it.
Rory-the-nurse could make sure it hurt.
“Cup of tea?” he asked mostly to distract himself from his thoughts. River smiled and nodded. Rory held the door open for her to pass through. Not out of any kind of politeness. He just didn’t want to take his eyes off her for fear that if he did she wouldn’t be real. He made the tea while she leaned on the counter next to him. She was alive and whole and that meant that the younger her had to be okay too.
Fill kettle, switch it on. Two mugs. Two teabags. There was a comforting rhythm to it.
“So I’m grounded then?” asked River with a smirk.
“Not funny,” replied Rory flatly. Sugar, water, milk.
River fidgeted next to him, he’d never seen her do that before. “Sorry,” she said softly.
“No,” said Rory turning to face her. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Melody.”
There were tears in Rivers eyes to match the ones in Rory’s so he pulled her into a hug. She buried her face into his shoulder and he found himself stroking her hair and whispering some comforting nonsense.
She pulled away smiling through the tears. She wiped her eyes as best she could with the back of her hand. “I must look a state.”
Rory grabbed a roll of kitchen towel and pulled off a few sheets, passing them to River. “You look beautiful,” he said, feeling useless.
River laughed. “You have to say that.”
‘Because you're my Dad’ wasn’t said but hung in the air anyway.
“Tea’s getting cold,” said Rory. Turning to pick up the mugs, he gave one to River. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t ask how you take it. There’s plenty of sugar and milk if you need more…”
“It’s perfect,” interrupted River. “Thank you.”
They drank in silence for a few moments. Rory was trying to think of things to ask that wouldn’t be asking for ‘spoilers’. He didn’t want to put River in an awkward position. “Do you ever go by Melody?” he asked finally.
River sipped her tea and glanced at Rory’s face. She seemed… unsure. “Sometimes. I… I can’t talk about this Rory…”
“I know,” said Rory quickly. “I just…”
River sighed. “Why is this so hard? I’ve been doing this for years. With the Doctor I just… I know how much to say, but with you…” she looked at Rory again. “I just want to tell you everything, and you tell me it’ll be alright. That I’m good.”
“You are good,” said Rory. “Of course you are.”
River laughed again but it sounded so sad. “Rory, I don’t end up in prison for nothing. I… I’m not always the kind of person you’d like…”
“I love you,” said Rory with conviction. “No matter what, I love you and I always will.”
River shook her head and opened her mouth to speak.
Rory caught her hand in both of his and interrupted before she could speak. “I. Love. You. And so does Amy. There is nothing that you or anyone else could ever do that would change that for even a second.”
“You should believe him,” Amy’s voice came from the doorway. Rory looked up. She was dressed in her oldest t-shirt and jogging bottoms. Her hair was damp and pulled up into a messy ponytail at the back of her head. She crossed over to them and wrapped her arms around River. River was sitting and Amy was still standing so it was awkward. Made more so because Rory wasn’t letting go of Rivers hand. “We are your Mum and Dad, Melody. And we are going to get you back.”
Rory believed her. Because he’d always believed Amy.
Title: Coming Home
Characters: Rory, River, Amy
Spoilers: For 6:07
Rating: G
Not betaed so please feel free to point out mistakes.
They took Vashta and Jenny to their home first. Then River (Melody) took them back to their house. It didn’t feel real. Not standing in the front room dressed as a Roman solider, it felt like he was eight years old playing dress up. Trouble was he couldn’t work out who was real and who was make-believe, Mr Williams, The Last Centurion, Mr Pond, Rory, (Dad)…
River clapped her hands as the television came on. Cash in the Attic. Like the world was still able to contain something like that. But she was perched on the edge of the sofa watching with every appearance of fascination. Amy stood behind the sofa, her arms wrapped around herself. She hadn’t taken her eyes off River (Melody) since they’d found out, she jumped slightly when Rory laid a hand on her shoulder. She leant into the hand as she turned to face him. Eyes far too bright and a brittle, fragile smile. Rory had known Amy nearly all her life, and it always hurt him to see her looking fragile. Amy was the strongest person he knew. He hugged her tight and she let him. Protecting Amy was his job, his only job, Amy and their baby, he’d failed.
River cleared her throat. “I should go…” she started.
“No!” interrupted Rory and Amy at the same time. Amy was trembling. “Stay,” continued Rory his voice rough to his own ears. “At least until the Doctor gets back. Please.”
River didn’t answer but she didn’t move either. Amy pushed away from Rory gently. She looked like she wanted to hug River (Melody) but didn’t know how. The older (younger, just a baby) woman gave her a soft smile back.
“Right,” said Amy decisively, using a voice that Rory hadn’t heard her use since her parents stopped making her go to the psychiatrist. “I’m going to have a bath because I smell like… that place. You,” she pointed at River. “Are staying here. You,” she pointed at Rory. “Look after her.”
Rory mumbled ‘of course’ and kissed his wife before she headed upstairs. That left him with River. Melody Pond. Rory wants to laugh. He wants to laugh because this is ridiculous. Totally and completely. He wants to scream and cry and blame the Doctor even though it isn’t the Doctors fault, not really. He really wants to kill the woman with the eye patch. Actually kill her and make it hurt. That scares him, how much he wants that. Not just as a means to get Melody back, he wants to see her die. He’s never wanted to kill anyone before. Rory-the-roman killed people, but he was a solider, it was a job. He never took any great pleasure in it.
Rory-the-nurse could make sure it hurt.
“Cup of tea?” he asked mostly to distract himself from his thoughts. River smiled and nodded. Rory held the door open for her to pass through. Not out of any kind of politeness. He just didn’t want to take his eyes off her for fear that if he did she wouldn’t be real. He made the tea while she leaned on the counter next to him. She was alive and whole and that meant that the younger her had to be okay too.
Fill kettle, switch it on. Two mugs. Two teabags. There was a comforting rhythm to it.
“So I’m grounded then?” asked River with a smirk.
“Not funny,” replied Rory flatly. Sugar, water, milk.
River fidgeted next to him, he’d never seen her do that before. “Sorry,” she said softly.
“No,” said Rory turning to face her. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Melody.”
There were tears in Rivers eyes to match the ones in Rory’s so he pulled her into a hug. She buried her face into his shoulder and he found himself stroking her hair and whispering some comforting nonsense.
She pulled away smiling through the tears. She wiped her eyes as best she could with the back of her hand. “I must look a state.”
Rory grabbed a roll of kitchen towel and pulled off a few sheets, passing them to River. “You look beautiful,” he said, feeling useless.
River laughed. “You have to say that.”
‘Because you're my Dad’ wasn’t said but hung in the air anyway.
“Tea’s getting cold,” said Rory. Turning to pick up the mugs, he gave one to River. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t ask how you take it. There’s plenty of sugar and milk if you need more…”
“It’s perfect,” interrupted River. “Thank you.”
They drank in silence for a few moments. Rory was trying to think of things to ask that wouldn’t be asking for ‘spoilers’. He didn’t want to put River in an awkward position. “Do you ever go by Melody?” he asked finally.
River sipped her tea and glanced at Rory’s face. She seemed… unsure. “Sometimes. I… I can’t talk about this Rory…”
“I know,” said Rory quickly. “I just…”
River sighed. “Why is this so hard? I’ve been doing this for years. With the Doctor I just… I know how much to say, but with you…” she looked at Rory again. “I just want to tell you everything, and you tell me it’ll be alright. That I’m good.”
“You are good,” said Rory. “Of course you are.”
River laughed again but it sounded so sad. “Rory, I don’t end up in prison for nothing. I… I’m not always the kind of person you’d like…”
“I love you,” said Rory with conviction. “No matter what, I love you and I always will.”
River shook her head and opened her mouth to speak.
Rory caught her hand in both of his and interrupted before she could speak. “I. Love. You. And so does Amy. There is nothing that you or anyone else could ever do that would change that for even a second.”
“You should believe him,” Amy’s voice came from the doorway. Rory looked up. She was dressed in her oldest t-shirt and jogging bottoms. Her hair was damp and pulled up into a messy ponytail at the back of her head. She crossed over to them and wrapped her arms around River. River was sitting and Amy was still standing so it was awkward. Made more so because Rory wasn’t letting go of Rivers hand. “We are your Mum and Dad, Melody. And we are going to get you back.”
Rory believed her. Because he’d always believed Amy.