Chapter 4

Day four, complete. The Doctor stretched and swung the car door shut, happy to be done with driving for the day. It was early evening, and the parking lot was nearly full, despite the fact that the motel was located on a secondary road. Leaving Rory to collect their things, he entered the cramped office and requested a room. "Last one. Hope you don't mind, it's a bit small." the manager commented, entering his information into the system.

"That's fine." the Time Lord replied cheerfully, accepting the two sets of keys with a nod.

"Grand. There's a restaurant just up the hill, open 'til moonset, but the bar's open 'til starset." the alien said, slipping out from behind the desk. Translating the terms into Earth time, the Doctor figured that the restaurant closed at about 9, and the bar was open all night. Not that he was going to go there, but he supposed it was useful information to know.

"Thanks." he replied, exiting the office and meeting Rory in front of their car. Consulting the key and picking up his bag, he said, "We're in Room 25."

"That's down at the end, I think." the young man replied, following him down towards the far end of the building and up the flight of stairs. The Doctor fumbled for a moment with the door lock - it was always difficult to go from card keys to traditional key locks for some reason - then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"There's only one bed…" Rory muttered once he had entered.

"Ah. Yes….yes, there is." he answered, gazing in puzzlement at the single bed in the centre of the room. The manager had been right, the room wasn't that big, but he had been expecting more than one bed. "We could check out and keep driving. There might be another motel farther up the road." he suggested, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"No, it's alright." Rory said in a resigned tone. "We've already paid, and the car's battery is low anyway. I'll go open the solar panel." Seeming flustered, he dropped his bags and rushed out, leaving the Doctor staring after him in confusion. Wondering whether his companion was really comfortable with the situation, the Time Lord set about settling in.

Rory returned eventually, looking slightly calmer about the whole thing, and they went for dinner. Throughout the meal and the round of drinks afterwards, memories of a previous trip to Jersezia 12 kept rising in his mind. As such, the conversation lapsed, but the young man didn't seem to mind.

The Doctor had visited the planet shortly after the end of the Time War, during that period of loneliness and wanderlust. He had been a broken man then, haunted by what had happened and unsure of what to do next. The planet was nearing the end of its time as a tourist trap, unaware of the coming decline as its patrons moved onto the newer and more exciting places. He had spent a month here, drifting from place to place, trying to fight the urge to simply give up. It had helped, somewhat. There hadn't been peace, but a quietness had eventually settled over him. It had been that fleeting sense of calm that propelling him back into the TARDIS, back towards Earth. Perhaps that was why he kept coming back.

Shaking himself out of the past, he mustered a bright smile and turned to Rory. "You've been looking at the travel guide, right? Find anything you want to do?"

The glass fogged up as his breath hit it, obscuring his view of the night sky. Not that he was really studying it anyway. Rory froze as he head the Doctor snort and roll over, then relaxed as the steady breathing resumed. He had been worried that the man would wake up and notice his absence, but that hadn't happened. Truth be told, he felt uncomfortable sharing a bed with him.

Not that he hadn't done it before - his fake Roman memories had instances where he had slept side-by-side with other men, and he had done it often enough on his travels with the Pandorica. He had tried to refuse to give into the temptation of the many who offered their services to the Lone Centurion over the centuries, but he hadn't always been successful. Back then, he had comforted himself with the thought that Amy was waiting for him inside the Pandorica. He had taken it upon himself to protect her, and as such he never stayed too far away from the giant box.

But now, Amy was far away. Reachable by a simple phone call, yes, but not reachable for a hug or a kiss. Which was what he really wanted at the moment. Rising restlessly from his seat by the window, he returned to his side of the bed and sat there, contemplating the worn carpet.

"Can't sleep?" The Doctor's voice came out of the darkness some time later, and Rory wondered how long he had been awake.

"No." The bed shifted as the man sat up, and he sensed he was being looked at. Despite that, he didn't turn.

"Want me to sleep on the floor?"

"No. No, I'll manage." And he would. While he had been unable to truly sleep during his time as a plastic replica, he had learned to fall into a trance that let him rest. Rory had managed to do this in all sorts of places: during the long trip from England back to Rome, in the middle of a raging dust storm, and during the tense days of both World Wars. It had helped him relax and retain his sanity, at least to a degree. If he could do it then, he could do it now.

The Doctor remained silent as Rory slowly lay back down, facing away from him. The young man assumed that he had gone back to sleep, but eventually the man asked quietly, "Do you think a back rub might help?"

It was such an innocent question. The Doctor obviously didn't know how much the question pained him. Part of him wanted to refuse. Reject the offer and the kindness inherent in it. But he couldn't. He wanted to feel those hands again too much. Sighing heavily, he nodded. "Yeah, I think it might." he replied softly.

A moment later, the Doctor's hands landed on his shoulders. Closing his eyes, he shifted, edging slightly closer as the man began to rub gently. Suppressing his thoughts, Rory just let his mind drift into sleep.