The path had been terrible and beautiful. There were parts she regretted, parts she could never forget, though she'd managed to forget them anyway. She'd flitted through every emotion, remembered losing Rory, finding him again. Her path had been stunted and spotted, like the Doctor's return trips back and forth into her life. Rory's had been different. When the Doctor came back, when they remembered the Doctor, Rory was still solid and real and human but she could see the centuries she had stood outside her box and waited for her weighting his eyes.
She was a married woman. She slow danced with Rory, and she looked at the Doctor, who looked back at her. The smile on his face was genuinely happy, or achingly lonely. She understood it all. He wasn't some flight of fancy, some imaginary friend. He wasn't someone who was designed to take all her troubles away, or someone who was meant to be the love of her life. He wasn't her infant fantasies, or her adult ones. When she'd kissed him, when he'd pushed her away, it wasn't just because they were different species, or because he didn't feel that way. She felt Rory's hand tighten on her back, and when he looked down at her, he was smiling.
When he'd pushed her away, the Doctor was being kind to her. And now it was her wedding. She gave the Doctor a wink, and thought she ought to spend some time looking at her groom. She looked into his eyes for the rest of the dance, remembering the first time they had ever danced like this, the tablecloth dress and the silly tie she had never seen the Doctor wear again. When she looked back and he was gone, they both looked at the place he had left.
"Do you want to go?" he asked her, wrapping his arm about her shoulder. She looked at him. In this room were their families, whirling around in a constant dance of fancy clothes, of frank talking and small-town life. Their friends, their small world. This village was timeless. It would last forever and stay the same.
They could always come back to this moment. She looked up at him, and smiled.
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The path had been terrible and beautiful. There were parts she regretted, parts she could never forget, though she'd managed to forget them anyway. She'd flitted through every emotion, remembered losing Rory, finding him again. Her path had been stunted and spotted, like the Doctor's return trips back and forth into her life. Rory's had been different. When the Doctor came back, when they remembered the Doctor, Rory was still solid and real and human but she could see the centuries she had stood outside her box and waited for her weighting his eyes.
She was a married woman. She slow danced with Rory, and she looked at the Doctor, who looked back at her. The smile on his face was genuinely happy, or achingly lonely. She understood it all. He wasn't some flight of fancy, some imaginary friend. He wasn't someone who was designed to take all her troubles away, or someone who was meant to be the love of her life. He wasn't her infant fantasies, or her adult ones. When she'd kissed him, when he'd pushed her away, it wasn't just because they were different species, or because he didn't feel that way. She felt Rory's hand tighten on her back, and when he looked down at her, he was smiling.
When he'd pushed her away, the Doctor was being kind to her. And now it was her wedding. She gave the Doctor a wink, and thought she ought to spend some time looking at her groom. She looked into his eyes for the rest of the dance, remembering the first time they had ever danced like this, the tablecloth dress and the silly tie she had never seen the Doctor wear again. When she looked back and he was gone, they both looked at the place he had left.
"Do you want to go?" he asked her, wrapping his arm about her shoulder. She looked at him. In this room were their families, whirling around in a constant dance of fancy clothes, of frank talking and small-town life. Their friends, their small world. This village was timeless. It would last forever and stay the same.
They could always come back to this moment. She looked up at him, and smiled.
"Do you really want to stay?"