Amy has never been good with goodbyes. In year three, when her favourite teacher left, she refused to say it, instead locking herself in the toilet and crying. In year eight, when her goldfish died, she kept it in the tank for as long as she could, until she was made to flush it down. In year twelve, when one of her closest friends had to move across country, she locked herself in her room for days. In fact, Amy was very, very bad at goodbyes.
That's why, when her husband was lost in a flash by the touch of an angel, she refused to say goodbye once again. Instead she chose what was, in her opinion, the far better route. Saying goodbye to the doctor, she had practiced that so much she was an expert. Saying goodbye to River, that was old hat. Saying goodbye to Rory, that was another story. One that she couldn't accept.
The doctor has already explained the logic. "No more paradoxes." he had said. Amy smiled. She didn't need a paradox to fix this. She just needed to close her eyes, and be done with it. A tear slipped down her cheek.
"That gravestone, Rory's, there's room for one more name isn't there?" She choked out. Rory would hate her, she knew, but it was what she needed to do. That poor boy could never truly hate her. Her man, her centurion, her Rory. She barely heard the doctor's protests. "The Angel, would it send me back to the same time, to him?" She dreaded the thought of going back only to have to live without him anyway. She had to go for it. She had to go save that stupid, stupid man.
The doctor was panicking now, trying to talk her out of it, not listening to her reassurances, as River was. She smiled at the thought of her daughter, beautiful as she had turned out to be. "You look after him, you be a good girl and you look after him." She warned. She was sure River was smiling, and as soon as she turned around, she would be able to see that beautiful face for one last time. The doctor was still trying to change her mind, but she was desperate now, barely stopping herself to say her final goodbyes.
Amy had never been good at goodbyes, but this time, it was easy. "Raggedy man, goodbye!"
As she turned, she thought out her life. She thought about Rory waiting two centuries to keep her safe. She thought of Melody growing up without her parents there to support her. Finally, she thought of the doctor, and the many times he left her. Funny, she thought, this time I'm the one leaving.
She turned around. Raggedy man, goodbye.