Amy watched as the Tardis faded away with her best friend all alone inside it. She had spent so long in that box and gone through so many things that it didn't seem possible to just go back to normal life. What was normal life, anyway? Far away planets and alien invasions and time travel were more normal to her than television licenses and phone bills and alarm clocks now. She had never really considered it coming to an end – in her head, she had assumed she, Rory and the Doctor would travel the stars forever.
Oh, Doctor. She would miss him so much. Everything... the impish smile, the maniac energy, the infinite kindness, the ancient wisdom, even the bow tie. Would she ever see him again? She couldn't get the memory of Lake Silencio out of her head. The image of his face pale and expressionless, his eyes closed, his chest motionless. There was nothing she could do now.
Half of her wanted to bang down the Tardis door, refuse to let him leave, but somehow, she understood. He was sacrificing his friends so that they would be safe; he blamed himself for the deaths of so many people, and he was determined that she and Rory wouldn't be part of that number. The pain in his eyes showed her this was just as hard for him as it was for her, and that look made her know what she must do. She had to let him. She had to show him it was alright, that she understood.
Her eyes blurred as the Tardis faded out of reality completely, and her heart seemed to swell inside her, the emotion too great.
"What happened? What's he doing?"
She turned round to Rory.
"He's saving us," she told him. And she remembered what he had said – maybe there's a bigger, scarier adventure waiting for you in there.
She would do it. For him. She would take on the scariest adventure yet: normal, everyday life. And, as she reached out for Rory's hand, she knew she had the most amazing man in the world to share it with.
But, she thought, who did the Doctor have?
The Doctor blinked hard as he forced himself to close the Tardis door, and quickly pulled the necessary levers before he could change his mind. He had had to do it. He only needed to think about Rose, Jenny, Donna, Astrid, River... There were so many times when he had left it too late.
But he knew he had done the right thing, this time. He had messed Amy up so much already, leaving her to wait twelve years, causing her boyfriend to die and her to forget him, allowing her to be kidnapped and her daughter taken from her, creating a time stream when she waited for him another 36 years, and not to mention endangering her life countless times. But now he was letting her go; he had saved Amy and Rory, and they would be free to live an exciting, normal life. Only he couldn't help remembering what Sarah Jane had once told him: you were my life.
But Amy had understood, he told himself. She had known he was going to leave before he said it, and when he told her why, she let him, even though it was the last thing she wanted. The image of her standing there, laughing and crying at the same time seemed to be imprinted on his brain. Amelia Pond. She understood him so well, and letting go of a friendship that strong was one of the most difficult things in the universe.
The Doctor turned round from the controls and looked around him at the room illuminated with the familiar golden glow. It was empty. He was alone. Again. And he remembered every single time he had said goodbye.
I so nearly cried when they said goodbye! I was so clear neither of them wanted it, and I thought the image of Amy crying and laughing was so powerful, showing how much she is going to miss him, and how much she cares for him.
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