Amelia Pond sat down on a wooden toboggan in the deep white snow. The long sloping hill in the back yard of her friend Rory's house spread out before her eleven-year-old eyes. She yelled out to him,
"Rory? Hurry up! I'm not waiting for you slow poke!"
She did wait though, because she was the girl who waited, but not for very long. When his figure had not appeared within the next minute, she gave up with a shrug and pushed off down the hill. She beamed as the wind rushed through her hair and the cold stung her eyes; wet snow flinging up on either side of her primitive transportation. The hill seemed endless, though at some point trees began to appear on either side of her as she entered the small patch of snow covered woods behind the yard. She let out a whoop as she descended, steering through the trees, until very abruptly she stopped with a thud. She could have sworn there was nothing to impede her path a moment ago, but as she looked up, comprehension dawned. A blue police box rose before her, towering above her small form. A smile graced her face as she jumped up, almost falling over as her feet sunk into the deep snow, and knocked on the door. It came open with its usual creak, and just behind it stood her not so imaginary friend. He seemed as surprised at the sight of her as she was at the image of him.
"This is not your front garden," he said with some alarm, "And you are not waiting." It would seem it was her surroundings and not her personage that he was so intrigued by.
"It's my friend Rory's house. The stupid face wandered off though."
She saw the raggedy man's mouth twitch at that, though he wasn't looking so raggedy at the moment.
"I must of got it wrong," he said, "again. I always seem to be doing that with you."
"What?" The small redhead asked.
"Just as well though," he continued, not seeming to hear her, "if I had gone back the same night it would have crossed the timeline and messed everything up." His face was sad and lonely.
"Are you alright?" little Amelia inquired.
"I'm always alright," replied the doctor, the image of another red haired companion flashing into his mind as he echoed the words. Both gone now though.
"You're not making sense," she said, in a matter of fact tone.
At this he calmed, letting the whirring thoughts in his head slow to a stop and instead felt the sadness inside him. It had been less than 24 hours since he'd lost his Amelia to a weeping angel. The Ponds were lost to him, and this was her last request. He stepped out of the TARDIS and into the cold, not wanting her to see the inside yet. For her it was a joy yet to come. For him nothing but a memory now. He closed the door behind him and sat down on her stilled toboggan. She plopped down next to him, knees in the air and elbows resting on them.
"I will someday," said the doctor, "To you more than anyone else."
"You're late." Amelia replied, her temper flashing.
Again a sort of half smile appeared on the doctor's face.
"I'm afraid I'm going to be even later. I'm only here for a visit at the moment. Oh but Pond, when I do come back, well, for the third time all together, the adventures we'll have. You'll do so much Amelia. Your story is just beginning."
"Why are you crying, doctor?"
"Because you'll fight pirates, and give hope to Van Gough, and save a whale in outer space. And you will fall in love. You will fall in the deepest love that anyone has ever known. Love that will make him wait two thousand years, that will make you try to give him up. Love that will make you jump together, and live together, and die together. Love that will make you leave me."
"Doctor stop crying."
"And that's the way it should be. The way it always should be. Oh but Amelia Pond, I will miss you."
"What are you talking about? I'm right here"
"But you won't always be Pond. The day will come when you will risk everything to save the man you love, and then again to be with him, and that day just passed for me."
"Then why are you sad?"
"Because you're gone."
"But you said that's how it should be."
"Well it is."
"Then don't be sad. That's stupid."
The doctor laughed at this and wiped away the tears. Little Amelia Pond. How right she was. The Ponds were together, as they were supposed to be. So many times they had almost been ripped apart, by death and destruction, by him. But in the end, they chose each other. She could not have stayed without her Rory. Amelia Pond had not chosen to leave him; he knew she never could. She had needed to leave him; there were no other options. Sure he could have shown her the stars, his best friend and him across the universe. But she would never be whole, and never be her, not really. And so the Doctor dried his eyes with the sleeve of his coat and looked down at the little girl next to him.
"You're quite extraordinary Amelia Pond" he said. For he knew that in leaving him she had saved him. She did what so many others did not or could not. She saved him from the pain and guilt that he would have felt every time he saw the loneliness in her eyes. She saved herself from destruction, and she saved him from destroying her.
"You've always been better than me. Thank you for that" he said to a confused looking Amelia.
"AMY?" Echoed a voice through the empty woods. The doctor smiled. It was Rory.
"You take good care of him. Do that for me" the doctor said as he stood.
"Wait! Doctor!" She yelled and he turned.
"Why aren't you raggedy?"
He smiled.
"I am on the inside Pond. I always will be." With that he pushed open the creaking door, and disappeared once more.