Rory sat in the control center of the TARDIS, absentmindedly sipping his tea.
"Rory?" a voice said from behind him.
Rory jumped, turning to face the Doctor.
"Rory, are you all right?" He said, walking toward him.
"Yeah," Rory said. "Fine. Just fine."
The Doctor looked at him, a wry smile forming on his face.
"You know, when you get to be 907, you get pretty good at telling when your friends are lying to you."
Rory looked at the Doctor. His green eyes showed honest concern for his friend.
"I was just thinking," Rory said, "About how I never really got to be a dad. I mean, I thought about it growing up, all things I would do one day when I had kids. Playing catch with them, teaching them how to ride a bicycle, reading to them. I always wanted to read to my children."
The Doctor put a brotherly hand on Rory's shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This isn't what your life was supposed to look like. You and Amy were supposed to get married and have River and raise her and live normally till the end of your lives in Leadworth. I wasn't supposed to be a part of your lives. I've ruined it all."
Rory looked at the Doctor.
"No you haven't. You've given us a chance to have an incredible life. You've made Amy so happy. You're her best friend, and she loves seeing all this out here. You've made some mistakes, I will give you that, but on the whole, you've done pretty well. For a 907 year old alien."
Rory and the Doctor smiled at each other.
"I did though. I always wanted to read to my kids," Rory said.
The Doctor smiled at him.
"It's really a wonderful thing. They get so excited," he said.
"Especially Dr. Seuss. That man had such an imagination."
The Doctor looked awkwardly to the side.
"Doctor?"
"Yes, Rory?"
"What was that look for?"
"What look, Rory? Whatever could you mean, there was no look there, no none, none at all. None. Absolutely no look. Look. No. Rory."
Rory raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, alright, fine. All those rhymy-whimey things in his books, all the strange little creatures, those were things he saw. With me."
Rory stared, open mouthed, at the Doctor.
"You're joking," Rory gaped.
"Uh, no. No I'm not. The Whos in Whoville are actually Time Lords in Gallifrey. Horton Hears a Who is actually more of an allegory. I'm supposed to be Horton. Saving the tiny planet…" The Doctor said.
"Well, he was a bit of a flatterer, wasn't he?" Rory said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah," The Doctor said, shrugging. "I can be kind of marvelous sometimes, but that kind of creeped me out."
"What about The Cat in the Hat?"
"Yes, well, New New York has a bit of an interesting population."
"Sorry, what?"
"Oh, Rory, I still have so much to show you…" the Doctor trailed off as he wandered away.
Rory just stood there, feeling like much of his childhood was a lie.