Amelia Williams had just finished putting up the Christmas tree. It took a considerable amount of time, but she was pleased with the final result. The lights were wrapped evenly around the tree, and the ornaments rested nicely on its' branches. It sparkled from the corner of the room, and she stepped back to admire it. Holiday music blasted from the radio, and the smell of the pine tree mixed beautifully with the smell of Christmas dinner.
Rory had put a chicken in the oven an hour or two ago, and he was going all out, as appropriate for their first Christmas together in the past.
"Rory, come look at the tree!" Amy shouted towards the kitchen.
"Hold on a sec!" Rory shouted back, taking the chicken out of the oven and placing it on the counter.
He came out a moment later, and smiled at the tree. He gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek.
"It's beautiful. Nice star, where'd you get it?" The decoration that sat on the top of the tree was a miniature blue phone box, that both of them recognized at a glance. It wasn't the exact shade of TARDIS blue, but it looked pretty close.
Amy grinned, "I made it. Took me forever too, the 30's don't have nearly enough craft stores."
They both stared at it for a moment, nostalgia heavy in the air. Rory broke the silence first.
"It's a bit odd isn't it, being here?"
Amy looked up at her husband, and shook her head. She said easily, "Of course not, we're together. How could that be odd?"
He glanced at her with a mix of love, and disbelief.
"Ok, it's a bit odd," she admitted. "But we'll make it work. You're the one that said that, stupid. Or did you forget?"
Rory wrapped Amy in a familiar hug, and then went back to the kitchen to cook. "Amy, can you set the table?" Rory asked from the other room.
"Sure!" Amy called back.
A few minutes later Rory came out into the smallish dining room carrying a massive chicken. It smelled fantastic, and he sat the dish on the table. He grinned widely at Amy, proud of his achievement. He noticed then she was standing by the table. Two places had been set, and she had one more placemat in her hand. She stared at the table, unsure what to do.
"Should I leave a place for him?" Amy asked hesitantly.
They had always left a place for The Doctor on Christmas Eve. He had only showed up once, but he was part of the family. It was tradition. But then, there was always a chance of him coming to those Christmas Eves. It was impossible for him to come to this one. They both knew it, but The Doctor had a way of doing impossible things. Neither of them had actually realized the fact that they would never see him again.
It seemed like it was just another one of those breaks. They'd be living their normal lives, while The Doctor would be off doing who-knows-what. Then he'd pop back and offer them an adventure. It could happen any day now. Except it wouldn't.
Setting that table would mean false hope, just like it had every other Christmas Eve he hadn't shown up. But only placing two would be accepting that he would never come back for them.
Before Rory could answer, Amy abruptly walked away. She went into the kitchen, and put the placemat away in the cabinet. She turned back to see Rory, his hand taking hers.
"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice soft and comforting.
"Yeah." She leaned in to kiss Rory, and after a minute she broke away. "It's just us this year." It sounded a little sadder than she meant it to, but she meant it whole-heartedly. The Doctor was her best friend, and she would always miss their adventures. She loved The Doctor for that, but he was a chapter of her life that had ended.
Rory was the entire book. She loved him more than everything and anything, and she was perfectly, outstandingly happy with him.
They sat down to their wonderful dinner. Neither of them listened for the sound of the TARDIS anymore. That shrieking and groaning; the sound that had once held hope and adventure was replaced by the steady sound of two people in love, living.