A/N: So... no. This is not the next installment of my Merlin fic "Once and Future King" so sorry about that. But this came to me when I was in a really dark place and I had just seen Angels take Manhattan. So alas, I got down to writing it, and this just sorta popped out.
This is my First Doctor Who fic, so please be nice.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Doctor Who, nor will I ever. Any spelling and grammar mistakes are mine and please feel free to correct me.
Permission to Hug
He told himself that he would never do it. That the dangers of crossing his own time stream and creating a paradox were too great to ignore. He had rules like these for a reason. But the Tardis, as usual, was ignoring those rules which extended to the coordinates that he kept trying to input into the Time Machine. Instead she landed them safely in the Pond's backyard before locking their position so he couldn't whisk them away like the coward he was.
"Really?" he asked glaring at her. There were some flickering lights around the console before the lights by the door turned on. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling him that this was a very bad idea but he ignored it and with a sigh, walked outside.
He could hear their laughter as the slowly walked to their back door. Looking inside he saw Rory flick water at his wife who then unsuccessfully tried to hit him with the towel that she was using to dry their dishes. He watched them, blissfully unaware of his presence. They look so happy, so alive and smiling, something he thought he would never see again. Captivated, he didn't notice the looming clouds or the feel of raindrops falling on his head. Instead, he took note of every single wrinkle that appeared on their faces when they were smiling, how Amy clutched her side when she was laughing, how Rory's eyes shone as he looked at his wife, his smile splitting his face in half. He didn't feel the tears that had traitorously fallen as he gazed at his best friends, their faces seared onto his hearts forever.
Suddenly Amy was looking at him and if possible her grin grew wider. "Doctor!" she called waving to him. Rory turned around noticing what his wife had not.
"Doctor, come in before you catch a cold!" he shouted running over to the door and opening it. The Doctor backed up faster than you could say Geronimo; rain soaking him through but hiding his tears. Rory Williams, the last Centurion.
"Doctor?" Amy questioned sounding hurt. She came to stand besides her husband. His vision was becoming obscured now. Amy Pond, the girl who waited. Though he would never admit it, they were his best friends. Together, the parents of the girl who married him, River Song. All of them gone forever. All because of him.
"Raggedy Man, what's wrong?" Amy asked, using the nickname that she had given him when she was a child, as she walked unabashedly into the rain with her husband trailing her. Raggedy Man. It was like a dam broke inside of him and all of his grief came spilling out of his eyes. He managed to keep most of the sounds muffled through his jacket.
"Doctor, please, let's get inside," Rory asked desperately trying to coax the Time Lord into moving. Hiccupping, he allowed his friends to pull him up and guide him into their kitchen, his clothes clinging to his every movement. The moment that they were inside, Amy sat him in the nearest chair so she could begin to fuss over him like any mother would, grabbing the nearest blanket and wrapping it around him. He desperately tried not to recoil at her touch, but something must have shown on his face because," Doctor?" she asked again but he only gazed at her, his eyes filling with tears once more. Instead he turned to Rory.
"Permission to hug?" he asked trying to get past the lump in his throat. Feeling very small and childlike he wiped his eyes on his sleeve, staring at the Roman, awaiting his answer.
"Of course! Granted! Always granted," Rory answered quickly, surprised that he would even ask the question. But that was all the Doctor needed to hear. In one fell swoop the Doctor had grasped both Ponds in his arms and began to cry again. Their arms instinctively wrapped around him, making him feel not quite so alone.
He knew that they were going to ask questions later. Questions that he could not possibly begin to answer because of the rules. But for now, he could pretend that they weren't gone. That the weeping angels had not taken them from him. He could pretend, for a little while that they were still here, awaiting the next grand adventure that he would take them on.
End.
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