Rory Williams [ Time's New Roman] (thecenturion) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-03-07 08:11:00 |
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When the blue light faded, Rory found himself standing on a platform next to his wife who was still holding Anthony, like she’d been minutes before the light had first enveloped them. For his part, he was still holding the plastic airplane-shaped spoon he’d been using to try to feed the toddler and there was still a smear of mashed peas down the front of his shirt from his already numerous attempts to get his foster son to eat. He flicked the remains of the peas from the cutlery and shoved it into his back pocket and stepped forward in front of Amy and Anthony as two SHIELD agents step forward to help them off the platform and explain everything to them. Rory stayed mostly silent as he was briefed on what exactly had happened and where they were. They’d been kidnapped by a blue box that seemed to be able to pull people from different dimensions and different points in space and time which -- Rory had to admit -- didn’t seem all that unusual. It was hardly the first time something like this had happened to either him or Amy and he relaxed significantly once the SHIELD agents assured him that they’d do everything they could to get the family set up and at least partially settled. It took about an hour for the three of them to get cleared through their medical exams and be given a quick tour of the building before they were left to their own devices in their new, furnished two-bedroom flat. He didn’t want to come out and say he thought the Doctor had something to do with all of this, but he knew he didn’t have to -- he knew Amy was probably already thinking it herself. If there was some way for the Doctor to reunite them and somehow get them home, he’d certainly try it. He’d even gone so far as to admit to Amy on more than one occasion that he missed the old coot. But, as the years had passed and he and his wife settled more into their life in the late 1930s, he’d adjusted, even if it was odd to watch the news and remember current events from his old world history classes -- or from his time as an auton. “On the bright side -- I guess it’s nice being, er -- back to the future?” He sat down on the sofa, quickly shifting his weight forward once he’d realised he still had a spoon in his pocket and plucking it out to toss it onto the coffee table. Well, this was an odd sort of day they were having. Not any more so than many other days they'd had, but odd nonetheless. Even after the SHIELD briefing, Amy still wasn't entirely clear on what was going on, or if she wanted it to be permanent. Of course, she too had been considering the possibility that the Doctor was somehow involved in all of this -- that he had finally succeeded in overcoming the angels and reuniting the team, bringing Rory and Amy back to their own time. The Doctor had said that you couldn't cross your own timeline or change the future once it was known, but the Doctor said a lot of things that turned out to be completely ridiculous. Perhaps this would prove to be one of them. It was funny -- even though Amy was pleased to be back in her own decade, she felt some pang of sadness for the loss of their home back in 1941. Not because she missed the decade on its own merits, really. Barring some residual sense of excitement and intellectual curiosity at the prospect of experiencing a historical event that she had once studied, she hadn't been looking forward to living through World War II. It was hard to know what was coming and not interfere, even knowing that some things were fixed events which wouldn't respond to her intervention. But she missed the home that she and her family had built together. She had already lost one -- her first home, the one that the doctor had given to them, the one where their daughter had visited them on so many moonlight nights, and the one where they had started their first "real" life together. And even though 1940s had never been quite their own, she'd still lost another -- the home that she and Rory had built together after she had chosen to take the slow path with the man she loved. The home where they had first welcomed their foster son, and where they had hoped to raise him. And now she had been transported into her own time, but in an alternate world that still wasn't quite theirs. But Amy Pond was nothing if not adaptable and open-minded, and she knew that they would be able to make do with what they were given. They had started over with nothing but each other before, and they could do it again. She was glad, at least, for Anthony's sake. Her recollection of the American Civil Rights movement was not entirely clear, but she knew that hard times lay ahead for her son back at home. Their arrival in 2013 would give Anthony a better chance at a life full of hope and opportunity than he would have had if they'd remained in 1941. She hoped so, at least. Things were far from perfect in 2013, but they were better than they had been once upon a time. Hopefully, they would only get better. Walking through the furnished apartment with Anthony on one arm and a purse dangling from the other, Amy made her way through the sleek, modern bedrooms before wandering back into the living room and settling down next to Rory on the couch. "Have you been waiting for an chance to say that since we got here?" Turning her attention back to her husband, Amy adjusted the infant on her arm and gave Rory a dry smile. Only Marty McFly knew the troubles they'd seen. "I don't know. It's nice, being back in our own time. Finally get to watch television. But it doesn't sound like it's really ours, does it? I've never heard of any SHIELD." “I’d never hear of any Torchwood either until -- you know -- until we had so.” He ended his sentence with a shrug that was meant to express what he thought without his having to say it. Maybe this wasn’t their world but it was at the very least, something like it. A few times, when the Doctor was in one of his more thoughtful moods, he’d brought forth an anecdote or two about his past and former companions, one of which he’d had to leave in some alternate, parallel dimension. It made sense to him that maybe this 2013 was located in one of those, not because it was a logical conclusion but because travelling with the Doctor and being exposed to the impossible on a regular basis made it easier to accept most notions without thinking too long about whether or not they made any sense. The only thing that was really important to him was how Amy felt about any of this. If she wanted to go back to 1941, he’d certainly do everything in his power to make it possible. Hell, if being here meant there was a chance they could somehow get back to where they were meant to go, he’d try to do that too. What was another paradox really? They’d already ripped time apart by the seams and rebooted the entire Universe once, they could do it again.. Some nights, after Amy had gone to sleep, he’d let his mind wander and think about how he’d felt standing on that rooftop ledge of Winter Quay with her hand on his chest or that particularly painful moment when, after waking up in the graveyard, he’d been touched by that surviving Angel and taken back to the thirties on his own without her. He hadn’t expected her to arrive minutes later without the Doctor and he hadn’t expected the news that they’d never see the TARDIS, River or the Time Lord again. It wasn’t that he thought she’d choose the Doctor over him, not anymore, but sacrificing everything she knew for him -- well, he was surprised by how easy a decision it was for her to make. That she felt being together was all either of them really needed. And she was right, really, and whatever this new place was -- whatever force brought them here -- seemed to know that too. They could get on as a family anywhere, but separated they’d rip dimensions, death and time a new one to get back to each other. “But yeah, okay. I was waiting to say that -- I just didn’t think those SHIELD-ies had any kind of sense of humour. They looked at me funny when I asked if we’d have an electric drip-coffee maker. I don’t think they’ve any idea what modern convenience even is.” "If they'd ever had to make it without one, they would have understood." Amy's expression brightened considerably at the mention of the electric drip coffee-maker, partly in remembrance of the blank, unamused looks on the SHIELD agents' faces, and partly in genuine enthusiasm at the prospect of having caffeine without the ridiculous pain in the arse of making mountain coffee with a kettle. There were so many things that she'd taken for granted at home before she'd found herself making do without them indefinitely. She couldn't wait to test out the shower. Maybe SHIELD didn't appreciate Rory's sense of humor, but they did seem to understand the importance of a decent cup of coffee and a functioning washing machine. "What do they do, anyway? I get what you mean about Torchwood, but I would've thought the Doctor might have mentioned SHIELD, if they deal in the same sorts of things we do. Did." Amy corrected herself, letting her purse fall to the floor and using her free hand to smooth Anthony's hair. They'd been in the middle of feeding him when they had turned up here, and he might still be hungry. He was certainly adjusting well, if his sound sleep was any indication. They were still waiting to determine if SHIELD could scrounge up a crib for them. It didn't sound like the building had many new families, which didn't really surprise her. It sounded like people usually showed up alone, rarely in the company of others, but she was hardly surprised to hear that she was the exception to the rule. The Ponds had spent most of their days tearing the universe to ribbons to get back to each other, and the tesseract probably wasn't keen on having them do it again."Maybe they're like the American Torchwood? Could be new." It didn't seem quite like their world, but Amy wasn't entirely prepared to give up on the possibility that it could be. She had noticed quite a bit of destruction in Midtown that hadn't been there before, and a handful of very tall buildings she didn't recognize from any of her trips here. But that wasn't a guarantee. Perhaps it was their own world, but with a slightly modified time stream caused by their jaunt back into the past. It was possible, wasn't it? And if it was possible, then perhaps they weren't the only people from their world who lived here. Maybe their son would finally get to meet his grandparents. Or his honorary godfather. Amy frowned slightly and gave Rory a sidelong glance before asking the question she knew they'd both been wondering. "Do you think he's here?" Rory seemed to honestly consider the question for a moment, his head leaned against the back of the sofa, he pulled a bit of a face, as if he’d drawn his conclusion and shrugged as he brought his gaze back around to look at his wife. Well it was true that neither one of them disliked their quiet life together, even though they sometimes had to adjust to the lack of technology or the backwards social dynamics of the late thirties -- he had to admit it was almost funny how easy it was to slide back into the general confusion and uncertainty of travel and adventure. Even now that they’d increased their numbers with a little boy, they hadn’t fallen out of step. Anthony seemed as unphased as the rest of them, though perhaps a bit more tired. “I’m not entirely sure he isn’t the cause.” Rory admitted, getting up from the sofa with an offer to take charge of the infant. Williams and Amy had talked about adopting a few of the foster children they’d seen since they started taking them in, but good homes were found for them and although it was always sad to see them go, there was comfort in knowing a child would be happy. Anthony, though, was different. Rory’d felt a connection with the baby the first time he’d seen him and he knew he didn’t want to give him up. Now, with how well the boy was taking the time shift, he felt as though his intuition had been spot-on about the little tyke. “And I’d actually be more surprised if he wasn’t here.” Rory had not always approved of the Doctor and there were times when he still disagreed with his decisions or the choices he made on behalf of other people until they’d finished travelling with him, but he wouldn’t say they parted on bitter terms. He trusted the Doctor and there were times when he’d miss him, that he’d hear some car backfire or an engine sputter and half convince himself it was the TARDIS. So, it might have been with that in mind that he was so quick to want to blame the Gallifreyan for what was happening now: he really liked the idea that he might be able to see him again. While Rory might not be as quick to want to travel anywhere dangerous with him because he’d never want to risk something happening to Anthony, a reunion and the chance to show the baby the universe wasn’t an experience he’d entirely shake a stick at. “Or at least on his way, anyway. Time-dimension problem like this? Like free popcorn at a movie theatre to him, I’m sure.” Oh God, movie theatres. Real ones with fake, disgusting popcorn and bucket-sized coke cups and oversized bags of stale gummy candy. Mentally, Rory put ‘find a sitter’ on his list of immediate priorities. "Blue box that snatches people from all over the universe and puts them all together in one place for no apparent reason. Does sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?" Amy smirked, though her wry tone did little to disguise the excitement beneath it. Of course, they hadn't really needed rescuing, but it was nice to have it. Rory and Amy had never learned what happened after they left the Doctor. She had no idea if he'd been working on a way to bring them back to their former homes, and it wouldn't have surprised her to discover that he had. (Though given his track record, she would be a bit surprised that he was only off by four years.) It wasn't out of the question to think that his attempt to bring them back might have involved -- whether accidentally or on purpose -- some small rips in the fabric of space time, which had allowed a number of other people to fall through. She just hoped that her old friend was one of them. Amy gave her husband an appreciative smile as she gently shifted Anthony into his arms, attempting to move him without interrupting his nap prematurely. Perhaps letting him sleep during the day would make it more difficult to put him to bed at night, but if he could sleep through an interdimensional sojourn, then she wasn’t about to wake him now. There was still a slight, uncomfortable pull in the pit of her stomach whenever she had to hand him off, even to Rory. After losing her first child the way she did, watching her baby disappear from her arms, there was always a hint of trepidation when Anthony left her arms or her sight. The pull had faded slightly when they became foster parents, and it had faded because it had to. They provided a happy, if temporary home to a number of children who would go on to find permanent families, and she’d had to let go many times. Though they’d talked of adopting others, the simple fact had been that she wasn’t ready -- until Anthony came along, and everything fell into place. Now, she found that the warring desires to protect him and show him everything the universe had to offer were particularly difficult to sort out. Amy hadn't forgotten the Doctor's obvious distaste for their boring, ordinary "life" the day that the Sleep Master (or whatever the Doctor had called him -- Dream Doctor? Dreamatorium?) had sent them off on a journey of collective hallucinations. But she would have liked for the man she'd called her best friend to meet her son, and to know that the life she'd built with Rory had turned out all right, even after everything that had happened. That life had turned out all right for them, and living out the slow path wasn't nearly as dull as Amy had always feared it would be. “I hope he doesn’t wait another four years before he turns up and fills us in on the plan.” Probably in some sort of ridiculous hat. Seemed like he’d managed to come up with a new one every time she’d seen him. |