As the years ticked by, Rory began to grow more doubtful of that one night in his backyard, in which a very strange man who called himself "the Doctor" had promised to return. Perhaps it was all a dream. Perhaps it never happened. Time and resentment ate away at the memory itself, making it fuzzy along the edges.

Still, he knew that he could not dwell on some fantastical night, be it dream or reality. So he had carried on as normal, living out his childhood days in the comfort of his own backyard. Any signs that the box had ever occupied it were long since gone, and he watched through the eyes of a growing child as his backyard stayed the same, while he changed.

At twenty-two, he was still living with his father, while working as a nurse at the local hospital. He'd been teased by his teammates - he played football, of course - about being a male in a predominantly female profession, but he really didn't mind all that much. He enjoyed his work. He was in it to help others, not to please himself. He did hope to become a doctor someday, but until then, he was satisfied with the position that he was in.

His father, much like him, rarely ventured far from home, either. The two of them lived in relative peace. They were both quiet, reserved men who tended to keep to themselves more often than not. Sometimes they watched the telly together for a bit, or they both enjoyed working out in the garden that Rory had begun in his early teen years. They often took their meals together, unless Rory had to work late, in which case his father made a plate and left it for him.

One night, however, Rory returned home from work and found his father, tense, in the living room. He stood quickly as Rory hung up his coat. He looked confused as he crossed the room to Rory, speaking in low tones as he said, "There's a man in the kitchen here for you. I've no idea who he is, but he was insistent on seeing you. I think he's sort of off his rocker…"

Rory looked from his father to the kitchen door, and then back again. He didn't know who would be calling at such a late hour, and he didn't know why his father would be so vexed by someone visiting, but he figured that he had no choice but to find out. With a sigh, he made his way to the kitchen, pushing the door open without care, and then freezing in mid-step when he saw his visitor.

That. That was not possible.

"Jimmy Dodger?" The Doctor asked, holding out a cookie to Rory. He seemed to be inspecting him, searching for something in Rory. Rory wasn't sure what, but he didn't like to be scrutinized like such. He somewhat relaxed, however, when the Doctor smiled. That was a good sign.

"Keep your stupid biscuit." Rory said, trying to decide whether or not to sit across from the Doctor. All of this time… All of this time Rory tried to convince himself that it had all been some silly dream, and yet, here sat the very man who had visited him all those years ago. Somehow, he looked the very same, right down to the stupid, dirty blue shirt with the unbuttoned collar and mangled tie. His hair was uncombed, and still looked rather damp to Rory. He began to wonder if he wasn't imagining this. He moved closer to the table, but remained standing.

"You've grown, Rory. Your father told me that you're twenty-two now." There was an apologetic tone to the Doctor's voice, and he wondered what the hell that was about. If he was going to apologize for abandoning Rory, Rory wasn't having it.

"That's what happens when you disappear and don't come back." Rory told him curtly. The Doctor frowned and set his half-eaten biscuit down.

"I didn't intend to be gone for so long. In fact, I was only gone for five minutes."

"You were gone for fourteen years!" Rory nearly shouted.

"It was a mistake!" The Doctor said, standing and whirling around. He turned back to face Rory again and placed his hands down on the table, leaning in towards Rory. "I had every intention of coming back."

"But you didn't." Rory pointed out.

"I'm sorry."

"Saying that you're sorry is simple. Anyone can do that. It doesn't mean it's true, and it doesn't fix everything." Rory answered, looking down at the Doctor's hands, seething.

"So let me make it up to you." The Doctor said, straightening. Rory snapped his head up to look at the Doctor, who stood with a smile on his face.

"How?" Rory asked, frowning.

"Come with me. I'll take you anywhere in the universe. Any place that you can think of." The Doctor answered, bouncing on his heels. Despite his anger, Rory felt a sort of excitement at his words. The feeling puzzled him. He had never had any interest in traveling. Not out of Leadworth, not out of England, and certainly not into another time. He had everything he needed right here.

And yet, he felt the sudden urge to journey with the Doctor. To leave everything behind him and take on an adventure that would lead him to places and people of old.

"No." Rory said, folding his arms across his chest. He was not running off on an adventure with a man who had broken a promise all of those years ago. He had responsibilities, and he would not drop it all for some ridiculous trip to the unknown.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked, frowning. Clearly, he didn't hear the word "no" very often, Rory thought.

"Why would I want to travel with you? You'd probably leave me somewhere or forget me again, and besides, I have a life here and things to do and places to be. I can't very well abandon everything just to run off with you." Rory told him. He wondered for a moment, if his father was listening in, and he was sure that he probably was. What did his father make of this? He was probably just as confused as Rory had been all those years ago. And even now.

"I told you I didn't meant to!" The Doctor shouted, exasperated. Gripping the back of the chair he'd been sitting in, the Doctor continued, "One trip. One. Then you can go back to your dull life, and I'll leave you alone."

Rory considered this. He didn't understand why the Doctor was so desperate to have Rory go with him, and he didn't know why he felt so eager to drop everything and go, either. He didn't want to go, yet he felt that he needed to. Glancing back towards the door to the living room, he wondered if he could leave his father behind like that.

"One short trip?" Rory asked, looking back at the Doctor.

"Short. Yes. We'll be back before you've even had a chance to miss it." The Doctor told him, looking pleased.

Rory snorted. "Heard that one before."

"Well, I mean it. No accidents this time." The Doctor told him, and Rory gave a resigned sigh. The Doctor clapped his hands together, grinning, and said, "Wonderful. I'll go prepare the TARDIS."

Rory didn't bother questioning the man; there would be time for that later, he assured himself. For now, he had to deal with his father, and he had no idea what he might tell him. With a sigh, he pushed back from the table and stalked out of the kitchen. He found his father kicked back on the couch, feet on the table as he watched a football game on television. So perhaps he hadn't been listening. Rory wondered what his father would say if he said he was going on a trip with the man in the kitchen. Only one way to find out.

"Dad," Rory said, sitting down in an armchair nearby. His father looked at him, eyebrow raised. "It's a friend of mine from out of town."

"I didn't know you had friends outside of Leadworth." Brian said, warily. He was certainly his father's son, wasn't he?

"Yeah. He was visiting his cousin here years ago, when I was a kid. We've sort of kept in touch all this time, but he failed to tell me that he'd be dropping in tonight. He's kind of… spontaneous, I suppose." Rory said, rubbing his hands over his face.

"So what's the deal?" His father asked, and Rory hid a smile.

"He wants me to go see some thing with him in some other city or something. Wouldn't shut up about it, so I'm just going to go so he'll leave me alone." Rory muttered. He wasn't lying. He just simply omitted certain unnecessary facts.

"You're going away?" His father asked, surprise flitting across his face.

"Unless you need me here?" Rory asked, uncertainly. Surely, if his father was opposed, he'd be able to stay, yes?

"No, no. Go. I'm just… surprised." His father said, as though his expression hadn't made that obvious enough.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." Rory muttered, standing. He was rather disappointed that he wasn't able to use his father as an excuse, but a little part of him was also relieved. It was nice to know that his father could get on without him around.

"Are you leaving tonight?" His father asked.

"Ah, yeah. Shortly. I just have to.. pack a bag." Rory said, thinking of the bag he had packed in preparation at eight years old.

Doubt seeped into his mind, poisoning his thoughts as he realized that the Doctor had run off to - had he come in his blue box? Rory wasn't sure. Wordlessly, he wandered up to his room and began to pack a small bag. He smiled, thinking of the contents he'd packed when he was eight. Such different priorities back then. With a sigh, he gazed around his bedroom, wondering if he would see it again soon. He had gotten the impression that the Doctor was rather unpredictable.

The Doctor was waiting, by his blue box of course, when Rory exited through the front door and walked around the back, letting himself in through the gate. He'd rather not disappear out the back door and confuse his father even further. The blue box was standing upright this time, which made Rory feel a little better about all of this.

"Ah, Rory!" The Doctor said, his eyes lighting up as he spotted the male nurse. Rory couldn't help but feel a little excited himself. He was about to disappear; he was going to go somewhere he'd never been. It wouldn't be such an exciting thing if he weren't with the Doctor, he was sure. "Are you ready?"

With a nod from Rory, the Doctor pushed open the door to the blue box, and he ushered Rory inside. Rory tried not to let his expression falter as he stared around the seemingly huge room inside of the seemingly small box.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" The Doctor asked, moving around him and going forward, up the stairs to a console in the middle of the room. "Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension." Rory said, taking advantage of the Doctor's pause.

"It's basically another dimension - What?" The Doctor asked, taking a step back towards him.

"I've been reading up on all the scientific theories since I was a kid… FTL travel, parallel universes…"

"I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside. I always look forward to that." The Doctor said, reaching the bottom of the stairs once again.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you lost your chance at wowing me a long time ago. You think I wasn't going to try to find some sort of explanation?" Rory asked, moving past the Doctor. Despite his words, he was rather in awe of the vessel.

"Let's get to it, then." The Doctor followed, scowling. "Where would you like to go?"

"You said anywhere in time, right?" Rory asked.

"Or space." The Doctor added, and Rory stood dumbfounded.

"What do you mean, space?"

"I can travel through both space and time. TARDIS - Time and Relative Dimension in Space. I can go anywhere." The Doctor explained matter-of-factly.

"So you can go to, say… Mars?" Rory asked, curious.

"Where's your imagination, Rory? We could go to Mars, but that would be dull, and I'd rather not take you there, anyway." The Doctor scolded.

Rory rolled his eyes. "Then where would you take me, o wise Doctor?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment, considering Rory's question. He answered within a moment, giving Rory a toothy grin as he said, "I know just the place."