Chapter 15- Worth the Wait

Rory was walking to work as he stared at the sky. Even after all this time he wasn't used to the sight. Looking up and seeing nothing but blackness was always unnerving. It had made the beginning of his wait even lonelier since he had nothing to keep him company. It had been a bit easier lately though as life began to resemble what he was used to.

Rory had actually found a pretty good life for himself. When the National Museum took possession of the Pandorica, things became much easier. He was worried at first that the curators would do everything they could to open the box, but luckily that wasn't the case at all. It seemed that everyone was convinced there was nothing to open. Rory was happy to let them think that.

This allowed Rory to relax and not be as on guard over the years. He managed to secure a job as the night watchman at the museum allowing him to still keep an eye on the Pandorica. With a steady salary and the other funds he had collected over the years, he found himself living comfortably in an apartment only a few blocks away. He wanted to stay close if anything were to happen.

"Hi Mark, how's it going?" Rory asked the man at the front desk of the museum.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Mark responded handing Rory his clipboard with the daily log. "You should have gone out with us last night mate. I could have introduced you to Sandy. You two would have gotten along swimmingly."

Rory smirked at this. The friends he had made at the museum were always trying to set him up on a date. "Sorry, just not interested," Rory answered as he scanned the report.

"I just don't get you sometimes. You're not a eunuch are you?" Mark asked laughing.

"Definitely not. I am just waiting for the right girl," Rory said laughing.

"Well, you're never going to find her here."

"You would be surprised," Rory said as he smiled back at his friend.

"Whatever," Mark responded a bit exasperated, "Oh, the report isn't finished yet. Why don't you do your first round and circle on back when the place is closed. I will have everything gathered by then."

"Must have been an exciting day," Rory added.

"I guess you can call it that."

"All right Mark," Rory said as he headed off to do his first circuit. He always started with the Pandorica just to make sure everything was fine. Even though he knew the box would be safe here, he still worried about it. That worry had only grown the past several years because he knew that back in Leadworth, Amy was alive. He had almost gone there several times to watch her grow up, or see the day that they met each other when he was running away. Rory knew that he couldn't though. The Doctor had told him before that interacting with your alternate self was dangerous and unpredictable. He refused to do anything that could endanger Amy. He knew that little Amelia was safe, so he would continue to wait for the Doctor to appear.

When he reached the room, he walked towards the Pandorica as he always did. "Don't worry Amy, I'm still here with you," Rory said placing his hand on the cold stone. It was something he did almost every day. He actually had many routines that he had built over the years to help keep himself sane, this one was the most important to him. Taking a breath he stepped away and continued his rounds.

When he made it back to the front desk, Mark had the rest of the paperwork finished as promised. "Here you go Rory, this should be everything," Mark said as he began to pack up his belongings.

"Thanks," Rory said as he picked up the report. Quickly scanning it, he saw something a bit curious. Apparently a child had gone missing earlier that day. Since there was usually a missing kid at least once a month, that was not what was strange. What made it curious was the description. It was a Scottish girl, age 7 with red hair. Rory's eyes began to widen at what this might mean. He turned the page and saw that he was right. The missing girl's name was Amelia Pond.

Rory just stood there frozen. Had he missed it already? Had the Doctor and Amelia come to rescue Amy from the Pandorica and left him behind? No, that was impossible, he told himself. Amelia must still be in the museum somewhere, waiting.

"Goodnight Rory," Mark called out as he exited the museum.

"Thanks," he said waving slightly, not even sure what Mark had said to him. His mind was racing with where he would find Amelia. He suddenly heard a commotion coming from the direction of the Pandorica exhibit. Rory dropped the report as he rushed towards the sound.

As he worked his way closer, Rory wasn't sure what he would do if he found her. His only hope is that when he did, the Doctor would show up too. When he was just outside of the exhibit he heard some commotion and a mechanical sound coming from inside.

"Come along Ponds!" he heard the Doctor call. Did he find Amelia? He could tell there was something else with them in the room, something dangerous.

He pulled out his flashlight and entered the room hoping he could help. "What's going on," he called out.

"Get out of here. Go! Just run!" the Doctor called out. Rory still couldn't see who was with him as they were behind the Pandorica.

That's when Rory saw the source of the mechanical noise. One of the aliens that had been in the cave with him all those years ago had come back to life. It turned to him as Rory shined his flashlight on it, "Drop the device."

"It's not a weapon, scan it! It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste," the Doctor called out. Rory could hear the fear in his voice and took a step back. What could make the Doctor scared?

"Scans indicate intruder unarmed," the alien said in its tortured voice.

Rory needed to protect them. "Do you think?" he said as he dropped the flashlight. His hand opened revealing his hidden gun. He fired several shots at the alien aiming for what appeared to be its eyestalk.

"Vision impaired! Vision-" the alien said as it spun around in distress. He had done it. He disabled it. Rory took a few steps forward to make sure that it was still down.

Suddenly the Doctor ran in with his sonic screwdriver up. Behind him he saw the woman he had protected for 2,000 years. "Amy," he called out not expecting her out of the box yet.

"Rory!" she responded. He couldn't believe it, after all this time she was standing in front of him. She quickly ran towards him as they nearly tackled each other. Rory almost cried out as he could feel her warmth in his arms. There were so many times over the years that he wasn't sure if he would make it to this day. The day he would see the woman he loved again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rory started pleading. He was so overwhelmed that he didn't know what to say. "I couldn't help it, it just happened."

"Oh shut up," Amy commanded as she forcefully kissed Rory. He couldn't remember ever being happier. Rory could tell the Doctor was telling him something, but was lost in Amy's presence. She was all he could see.

They parted for a second, "I waited," Rory said slightly delirious, "2,000 years. I waited for you."

"No still shut up." Amy said as they kissed once again. It had all been worth it. All of the pain and loneliness of waiting outside a box had been worth it for this moment. It didn't matter to Rory that the stars were gone or the universe was ending. As long as he had Amy, that was enough for him.

A/N: Hi everyone, thank you for the reviews and follows. I really appreciate all the feedback and views.

I am not completely happy with this chapter. Most likely because it wasn't included in my original draft. after I finished editing the last chapter I realized that this chapter needed to exist. So I quickly brainstormed it and typed it out. I did take three passes at it like all the others, I just feel it's still a little looser than my others. I might try to take one more pass at it. If I do, I will put in an authors note in the next chapter.

Other than that, I really like the idea of Rory knowing Amelia was in the museum somewhere. It's a concept I find interesting.

Hope you enjoy!