"...and take the blankets, too," Amy Pond said to Rory, adding yet another blanket to the already impressive stack in her husband's arms.

"I still don't see why we've got to bring lawn chairs when we could just sit on these," Rory groaned, hefting his load and turning around to head out of their kitchen. "It's only a fireworks show, you know. It's not like we're going away."

"Preparation, Rory," Amy said, giving him a little shove towards the door. "It's November, you know. It's cold. And what if the park's covered in spiders? You'd be glad we had more than blankets then, wouldn't you?"

"It's you who's scared of spiders, not me," he retorted, but quietly enough that she wouldn't hear. He opened the door carefully, his arms piled so high he was nearly unable to see where he was going. "Totally unnecessary," he muttered, feeling his way carefully down the sidewalk to where their car was parked. "There's absolutely no reason to have this much, and-"

"Ah, Rory Pond!" a voice exclaimed suddenly. Rory jumped, nearly dropping his load. "Wife giving you trouble again?"

Miraculously, Rory managed to open the car door and dump the blankets inside before turning around. "You know that's not actually my name."

"Of course it is," the Doctor said, beaming. He was leaning on the side of the TARDIS, parked right behind Rory's own car. Dressed in his familiar jacket, suspenders, and the ever-present bow tie, Rory had to admit the Time Lord was a sight for sore eyes.

"Rory?" Amy came out the door, drying her hands on a dishrag. "Who are you-" She stopped as she caught sight of their guest. "Doctor!" she cried, bounding down the front steps to give him a hug.

"Amy! How are you?" he asked, kissing her once on the forehead. "Listen," he said excitedly, pulling Rory in as well, "I've got a trip planned. There's this moon, see? Made of actual honey. Well, it's not actually a moon," he added. "And it's not real honey. And technically it's alive, and a bit carnivorous. But trust me, there are some lovely views."

"Actually," Rory cut in, trying to be firm, "we're kind of busy."

"Busy? How can you be busy?" the Doctor demanded. "I offer you a trip to a carnivorous moon, and you're busy."

"We do have lives, you know," Amy informed him tartly. "We have to do something when you disappear."

"So do it later," he answered. "Come along, Ponds. We've got a moon to see." He started to drag them towards the TARDIS, but Amy shook him off.

"You've got a time machine," she reminded him. "It'll all still be there later, yes?"

"And right now," Rory added, "we're celebrating. Bonfire Night."

"Bonfire Night," the Doctor repeated, musingly. "Celebration of fires?"

Amy laughed. "No, stupid. Some bloke tried to blow up the Parliament, but they caught him, so now we have a holiday. Fireworks and bonfires and things, you know." She seemed suddenly to realize she was still holding the dishrag. "Hold on. Back in a mo'."

"There's a rhyme that goes with it, too," Rory explained, watching Amy hurry back through their vivid blue front door. "You know, 'Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot.' Or something. Sort of an English thing. You'd have to be from around here to have heard of it, I guess," he added, seeing the Doctor's confusion. "Well, more 'around here' than you are, I guess."

"Figures. Humany-wumany stuff," the Doctor grumbled, but good-naturedly. "So what do you do?"

"To celebrate?" Rory asked. "Well, we have bonfires, usually," he said at the Doctor's nod. "And fireworks. That's where we're going. Well, were going," he corrected himself, gesturing to their car.

"Hold on, fireworks?" The Doctor beamed, dashing over to the TARDIS and ducking inside. "I love fireworks. Be right back."

"Wait, hold on," Rory protested, but the blue box was already dematerializing. "Doctor-"

"What's the matter?" Amy asked, coming out of the house again. "Where's he gone?"

"I don't know," answered Rory helplessly. "I was just telling him about the fireworks and he flew off, didn't say a thing. I don't-" He stopped as the familiar sound of TARDIS engines filled the quiet street once more.

"There you are, see?" the Doctor announced, popping out of his box once more. "Told you I'd be right back."

"Where did you go?" Amy demanded, but he refused to say, only tapping the side of his nose with a knowing grin.

"Ah, that'd be telling. You'll see. So!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Fireworks, yes? You'd best be off, wouldn't want to miss it."

"What, aren't you coming?" Rory asked. The Doctor shrugged.

"Humany-wumany," he repeated. "That's not where I belong."

"Oh, don't be absurd," Amy told him fiercy. "Of course you're coming, Raggedy Man. You're family. Come on," she added, headed for the house. "I've got to make some more sandwiches."

The Doctor beamed, following her into the house, but Rory pulled him back. "Doctor, hold on. You can't leave the TARDIS there."

"Why not?" he asked, glancing back at the neatly parked police box. "It's not hurting anything, is it?"

"Well, no," Rory admitted, "but you've parked it on a meter."

"I've what?"

Rory pointed behind him. Sure enough, right in front of the TARDIS stood a small parking meter, flashing red. "You've got to put change in it, or you'll get a ticket."

"A ticket? Ticket to what?"

"Not like that," Rory explained patiently. "It means you have to pay the city, that's all."

"Well, that's rubbish." The Doctor stepped over to the little meter, glaring at it. "How do they expect you to pay just to leave your car somewhere, hey? Rubbish." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and zapped it. Sparks shot out of it, but the meter remained unchanged, stubbornly demanding change. "The sonic's not working!"

"'Course not," said Rory matter-of-factly. "You'd need a miracle to fool a meter."

"Argh!" The Doctor kicked the metal pole, then lurched away, clutching his foot. "Never use force, Rory," he said, panting. "Unless you're frustrated. In which case, always use force." He kicked it again.

"Just pay it," Rory suggested, watching the Time Lord's struggles. He forced himself to hide his grin, forcing his face into an appropriately sympathetic expression whenever the Doctor looked his way.

"Can't," he replied, hobbling towards the TARDIS door. "No money. How much space have you got in your living room?" he asked.

"No," said Rory quickly, sensing the Doctor's plan. "No, we haven't got-"

"Never mind," the Doctor said. Rory breathed a small sigh of relief. "I know how big your living room is." He grinned, much to Rory's displeasure. "See you inside, Mister Pond."

"Doctor, wait a minute," he protested, but the TARDIS was already dematerializing. He cursed quietly under his breath, hurrying back inside. He brushed past Amy, who was slicing bread, and into the living room, just in time to see the Doctor dive to the floor to catch a vase he'd knocked over.

"No harm done!" he said, beaming and setting the vase back on the table it'd fallen from. Rory took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Now then, life with the Ponds," the Doctor said, rubbing his hands together. "Normal, ordinary, mundane. What can I do to help, eh?"

"Actually," Rory said carefully, "I think me and Amy've probably got it pretty well under control." He'd seen the Doctor try to be domestic, and it wasn't an experience he cared to repeat. "Maybe if you could just wait, I'm sure something will turn up-"

"RORY!"

Amy's shriek echoed around the house, making both men wince. The Doctor straightened his bow tie, grinning from ear to ear. "There we are, see?" he told Rory. "I knew something would come up." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, flipping it in the air. "Ordinary life with the Ponds, hah! Never."

Rory sighed. "Whatever you say, Doctor. Not everything's a huge adventure, you know. Once in a while, things can just be normal." The Doctor, of course, ignored him, dashing off into the kitchen. With a weary sort of air, Rory followed the Time Lord into the kitchen, knowing full well what the matter was and not nearly in such a hurry to deal with it.

"RORYYY!"

Read onto the next chapter for the proper author's note :)