"But those things he said about you… You don't think any of that's true?"
"Amy, right now, a question is about to occur to Rory and seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your full attention."
He smiled slightly as he spun round and started to fiddle with the tardis controls. He would liked to have said that he had always known that Amy loved Rory, that he had been sure of it even if she had not, but the truth was he hadn't been. Maybe he hadn't wanted to think of it, because once people were in love, they left.
He was glad she was though. He wasn't entirely sure of how to qualify his feelings towards Amy; they weren't romantic, he knew that much but there was love of some kind mixed up with dependence and reliance. He had also developed a certain kind of affection for Rory, though he didn't know him as well, and there was always going to be that competitive, teasing edge to their relationship. He needed humans to steady him, but a certain type of human, good humans, humans in which any darkness would be strangled. He did indeed choose his companions carefully.
"So," he said, clapping his hands in a vague attempt to get them to pay the slightest bit of attention to anything other than each other's tonsils. "Where now?" The two of them gave no sign that they had heard him. "Or should I just pop down to the swimming pool for a few lengths?"
"I don't mind," Rory shrugged. "Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy now."
"Amy's choice," said the Doctor, not, he thought, that it hadn't already been made. For the better he was sure. At least neither of them had asked to go home. Maybe the Doctor felt like being selfish a little longer, keeping them both with him. He'd taken the first step to letting them go, and soon he would have to for good, as he always did.
Not yet, though, not quite yet.
Wow, I really did like this episode. Two stories for it in under an hour... Well now you know what I do when I'm ill and off school and supposed to be doing revision... I thought the Doctor was actually being very selfless in kind of pushing Amy and Rory together when he wants Amy - and Rory, I think - to stay in his life. I didn't want to dwell too much on the dreamlord, although that part fascinated me too so... watch this space. Please review! :)