One moment she was there, and the next she was gone. In an instant, Amy was no longer standing before him in that cemetery in New York City, and neither were The Doctor or his daughter. Instead, all that Rory could see now were the dim stars that lined the nighttime sky, and many, many trees. It had only just been day mere seconds ago, and yet, the Lone Centurion wasn't shocked to find himself in such a compromising situation. Or, at least, he didn't appear to be. He knew what had occured right away — It had happened, and it had happened again. An angel had sent him away, back to the past, and this time there was no River Song disguised as an author here with a car to take him away, and there was no TARDIS to take him back to the people that he loved. The Doctor was explaining this over sixty years in the future to his heartbroken wife, and yet, the Rory of now (whenever now was) knew; he knew that this was it, and that there was no going back. He was trapped here forever... And without the love of his life.

For a moment, all that he could do was stand there and try to take it all in — And believe him that it was worse than anything you could ever imagine losing someone that you loved so dearly, and fearing that you may never see them again.

He would know.

Rory was no stranger to pain and loss, and now, after everything that he had gone through, he greeted them like an old friend. Only this time, it wasn't such a pleasant greeting. This was when the emotions finally hit.

He collapsed onto a nearby bench, his head in his hands (it wasn't a cemetery yet, but merely a continuation of the park; whatever caused the decision, he did not want to know). Rory knew, no thanks to his dad's constant pressures for him to be more 'manly,' that guys were supposed to be strong and always appear to be in control. But the thing was, he didn't agree, and nobody really understood him because of it. They just didn't realize how much he loved Amy, and how much of his life he had invested in trying to make sure that she always felt the same; not to mention how many years he had waited outside of the Pandorica as a Roman Auton to keep her safe. His worst fear was finally coming true: Amelia Pond was going to choose between him and The Doctor, and he was afraid that the man with all of time and space to promise just might win.

He didn't have to look at his watch to know that nearly ten minutes had passed by now, and with every second he could feel his heart shattering more and more... Had everything he'd ever done meant nothing? Being a third wheel at his own wedding? Dying countless times to save her? Always being there when others — even and especially the Doctor — weren't?

He felt like a spoiled brat for thinking this, that Amy should choose plain, boring, old him over somebody like The Doctor, who she had always been so fond of. And that marked the moment that Rory had almost accepted his fate. Here he sat, under a dim, electric streetlamp, his head in his hands, a pitiful man. Amy was not coming back for him... Just thinking about her, he could almost hear her voice calling his name.

"Rory!"

Unless... It was actually real. He glanced up, only to find a familiar ginger standing not too far away, just where he had been when he first arrived here. For a moment, he thought that it was a dream. But when she came closer, actually coming into the light and proving to be more than just a mirage, he knew that it was real. He had seen her only ten minutes ago, but it had felt like an eternity. To him, now, however, those minutes didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that Amelia Pond was standing right before him with a small and comforting, yet quite sad smile on her face. She had chosen him, and they had millions of minutes ahead of them to look forward to. No matter the time and place, the Ponds would always be there for each other now. After all, they were all that each other had left.

Rory immediately stood up and pulled her into a tight, protective hug, as if he was afraid that she might suddenly disappear again. He didn't need to say anything, mostly because he didn't even know what to. Besides, silence spoke louder than words. Amy broke it, and he didn't think that he had ever been happier to hear her voice.

"You thought I wouldn't pick you, didn't you?" She asked, pulling him away from her and holding onto his shoulders so that she could look him in the eyes. He didn't even need to nod. She shook her head, rolling her own eyes. They may have been still filled with recent tears, but Rory could tell by the sincere, same old smirk on her face that this was never a decision that she would regret. She had done this for him, he was sure. And maybe just a little bit for herself too. "Well, don't. It's you, stupid." Even an insult was beautiful right now. "It'll always be you."

And with that being said, she closed the gap between them with a kiss. In an instant, both of them knew that nothing would ever be the same, but at the same time, they were filled with hope. Sure, they didn't have cell phones or computers, no old friends and no Doctor... But what they did have was each other, and it made everything instantly perfect.

To each their own, a happy ending.