Into the Past
Disclaimer- No, Moffat still hasn't signed over all the rights to owning Doctor Who to me. -Je soupire-.
xXx
Rory remembered things from the last dregs of the universe-that-never-was. Little things that he normally wouldn't have paid attention to, and he suspected the TARDIS had a figurative hand in the keeping of those memories. Because, had he had the choice, he would have remembered different things. Such as what Amy had looked like when she had realized who he was, or the man in the WWII coat that had kept him company on-and-off during his time guarding the Pandorica. But he didn't remember those things. No- he remembered the Doctor.
And it wasn't big things- it wasn't as if the Doctor kissed him or anything (but the man in the coat had (don't tell Rory that- he's forgotten), even though Rory was married). No, as mentioned, it was the little things that Rory wouldn't have paid attention to, such as the fact that when the future-Doctor had come to give him the message, he'd looked up, and his gaze had lingered on the stars for much longer than it usually did.
And that when Rory'd gone to retrieve the present-Doctor from the Pandorica (and he hadn't realized it at the time, but it was much further back in the room than it had been before), he'd stumbled a bit for the first few steps, as if he was unsure of his legs, and when he'd first talked, he seemed surprised at the sound of his voice, as if he hadn't heard it for a while.
And when the Doctor had stepped onto the grass, he'd looked down, as if he was surprised that it existed. And when he'd seen Amy he'd had such a gentle smile, as if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and Rory agreed (but that was before the Doctor'd seen River- it was like a starving man in the desert who'd spotted a banquet).
And later on, when he'd seen the Dalek, he didn't seem as angry- like everything had happened a long, long time ago, and it no longer bothered him as much. And when the Doctor'd looked at the sun, the exploding TARDIS, he'd stared at it like it was the brightest and most amazing thing he'd seen all his life, but also the saddest. It was an extension of him, but he didn't seem that bothered about it, as if he'd already though about the possibility.
But when he was back in the Pandorica, about to fly into the burning space-time-machine, he seemed scared. He seemed truly afraid, as if the walls were going to crush him and the darkness would drown him. But he'd come back all smiles and drunken giraffes and weddings and cheer and the mask was back on.
So when Rory couldn't sleep, and he'd sorted through the universe-that-never-was memories the TARDIS had placed in his head, he went wandering into the depths of the space-time-machine, and the halls lead him to the console room, and as an extension, the Doctor.
When Rory entered the room, the Doctor was leaning over the console, polishing one of the bits or bobs that helped fly the TARDIS. Rory remained in the doorway as the Doctor began speaking in a soft, low voice.
"When they put me in the Pandorica," he said quietly, just loud enough for Rory to hear, "they sent me back in time. The Daleks have always had a primitive form of time-travel, and the Sontarans have an extremely strong perception filter. The Daleks there used up the majority of their power to send me back in time, and made it so that when I came back round I'd be just behind the empty Pandorica, and the Sontarans hid me from myself." the Doctor paused, as if unsure of how to continue.
"How far did they send you?" Rory asked hesitantly.
"Two million, one thousand, four hundred and forty-four years and nine days into the past." the Doctor recited. He swallowed before continuing.
"The Pandorica forces you to live. It forces you to be conscious, to be able to think, to feel, to breathe, to react. It replays your memories of your life in the hope that you felt remorse for whatever reason there was for you to be placed in there. I watched Gallifrey burning over and over and over again, I saw Rose trapped in an alternate dimension, I left Susan a thousand times and watched my companions that I lost be killed time and time again." the Doctor's voice took on a desperate, sad tone at this point (A.N: think Rings of Akhaten speech).
"There was no escape. The perfect prison." he said quietly, vacantly.
Then the Doctor turned to Rory, who was still in the doorway, and smiled, a grotesque mask that Rory realized he had always fallen for, and said, "Go to bed, Rory." before walking down the stairs to the swing (it most certainly was, despite how many times the Doctor insisted that it was a sling, not a swing, because swings were meant to have two) that he had spent most of this regeneration on.
And Rory listened, turning away from the console to trek back to his and Amy's room before he even realized he was doing it. And when he slipped into bed beside Amy and wrapped his arms around her warm body (she unconsciously snuggled into him when he did this), he wondered how the Doctor was still sane.
But then again, maybe he really was a madman with(in) a box.
xXx
Waddaya think? Please leave at least a colon-capital-d? And virtual jelly-babies for anyone that can get at least three of the references (one is very vague, but there are four really obvious ones and a reference to one of my (better) fics). Bonus cookie and a happy feeling dedicated to you for anyone who gets them all!