Chapter 1

"Jersezia 12, the best vacation planet this side of the Milky Way!" The Doctor exclaimed, bounding out of the TARDIS and spreading his arms wide. "Think of it: a whole planet devoted to rest and relaxation!" Turning back to the time machine, he grinned as Amy and Rory stepped outside.

"So, basically the perfect place to end a honeymoon?" she asked with a smile.

"Exactly." the Time Lord confirmed with a nod, leading them towards the entrance to the resort near where they had landed. "Two whole weeks to do whatever you want."

"And what about alien invasions or a robot coup? Any of those happen during this time?" Rory asked, casting a rather nervous glance at the lush surroundings. The Doctor could understand his apprehension; the last few honeymoon trips hadn't exactly gone according to plan.

"Nope, this time zone is nice and quiet. I checked before we landed. Twice." he replied with a confident smile, seeing the young man nod warily back.

"Good…good. Some quality time alone would be lovely." the nurse said, turning to his new wife and giving her a knowing look.

"Oh yes, quality time alone would be great." Amy replied, giving him a short kiss before adding, "What would you say to going our separate ways while we're here? I mean, look at this place! It must have all kinds of things we'll each be interested in. If we split up, we'd be able to enjoy it better."

She turned to the Doctor then, asking him several questions about the quality of the resorts and what they offered. He answered them fully, but he caught the flash of disappointment on Rory's face at her enthusiasm for a vacation alone. Reaching the end of his spiel, he finished by saying, "Come on, Rory, let's go check in. Amy, go grab our stuff, would you?"

"Sure thing." she agreed, darting back towards the TARDIS. Once she was out of earshot, he wrapped an arm around the young man's shoulders and steered him in the direction of the resort lobby.

"Don't look so glum. Given what we've been though recently, don't you want a relaxing two weeks?" he asked gently.

"I do…but I was hoping Amy and I could spend it together, y'know? Just the two of us…a proper honeymoon." Rory muttered sourly.

The Doctor squeezed his shoulder in sympathy as they entered the lobby, replying softly, "I'm sure she'll change her mind if you talk to her." The young man gave a resigned nod, so the Time Lord released him and went over to the front desk. Flashing the psychic paper at the receptionist, he quickly struck up a conversation with her.

Rory slumped in his chair, suppressing a groan of frustration. They had barely been here two days, yet Amy was still insisting that a separate vacation for each of them would be the best thing to do. He appreciated the idea of being pampered for two straight weeks, but he couldn't understand why his wife didn't want to spend it with him. He knew she had an independent streak, but this was taking things a bit too far. Bargaining hadn't worked, and he was nearing the point of resorting to bribery and possible begging to get her to change her mind.

Fortunately, the Doctor had kept out of their way, only checking in with them twice so far. "Been enjoying yourselves, I hope?" the man said from across the table, causing Rory to glance up at him.

"It's been grand!" Amy replied, and the young man nodded in agreement. Straightening in his seat, he put on a smile and tried to look happy as she chatted about the many things she hoped to do during the next two weeks. Luckily, their dinner arrived shortly afterwards, so between her talk and the food, he didn't have to say very much.

"Why don't the two of you do something together?" Her sudden suggestion nearly caused Rory to choke on his dessert, and he could tell by the Doctor's face that it had caught him off-guard as well.

"What do you mean?" he asked, settling back in his seat and sipping on his drink like everything was normal. But his stomach was churning with dread. What was she thinking?

"Exactly what I said. You and the Doctor should go and have your own mini-trip or something." Seeing his doubtful expression, she grabbed his hand and said, "It'll be fun! My boys, off on their very own adventure! What do you think?"

"I…I guess so…" he stammered, still stunned by the suggestion. Before he had time to come up with something more convincing, the Doctor swooped in.

"Jersezia 12 does have some wonderful sightseeing spots. There's the Rose Mountains, and the Zenith Canyons are beautiful this time of year. And I think there's a festival taking place on the moon. Or was it the next planet over? I'll have to check. But yes, we should do that. The TARDIS would love-"

"Hold it!" Amy cut him off curtly, holding up a hand to prevent him from speaking again. "No TARDIS. If you decide to do this, I want you to do it properly. This planet has shuttles and stuff, yeah? Then use those to get around."

Rory glanced between the Doctor and his wife, half-hoping he'd disagree. But he simply smiled and inquired, "Are you challenging me, Amy Pond?"

"Yes I am, Doctor. So…?"

Realizing that he was going to have to give a definite answer, he coughed and looked at his wife. "Yeah, it sounds like fun. I'll do it." Amy looked so pleased with the idea of him and the Doctor having their own trip that he didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Wonderful!" the Doctor exclaimed, clapping his hands and rising. "We'll leave tomorrow morning, then. See you bright and early, Rory!"

"See you." he replied, hearing Amy echo the farewell as he returned to his dessert. He sighed softly, not entirely pleased that Amy had gotten her own way yet again. But a trip with the man might be fun, assuming they didn't run into anything that tried to kill them.