Amy's POV:
"Granted, I thought the eleven foot tigers were just a myth." the Doctor said as we entered the TARDIS. "But, you have to admit, The Royal Gardens of Swu are really spectacular."
"Yeah, I'm sure they're very beautiful when you're not running for your life through a hedge maze." I said, taking one of the seats.
"Well, I'm famished." River said, leaning on the rail next to me. "Want to grab a bite before we part ways?"
"Wonderful!" the Doctor said. "I know about a dozen places we can go…"
"Actually, I had some bought some steaks to celebrate our anniversary." Rory said. "I left them sitting in an Asian style marinade."
"Back home, then." the Doctor said. He was trying not to act too disappointed. Rory & I shared a look.
"Well, I bought plenty." Rory said. "If you & River would care to join us?"
"We'd love to!" River said, as the TARDIS engines started up.
"So, since we happen to have a time machine, let's jump forward a bit." The Doctor ran around the console, throwing switches & pulling levers. "How long does the marinade have to sit?"
"Couple of hours." Rory said.
"Good, then we'll just jump a couple of hours ahead of when you left." The TARDIS came to a stop. "I hate waiting for food."
"You hate waiting for anything, sweetie." River pointed out.
"Well, what's the point in waiting if you have a time machine?"
Rory & I led the way to the porch, where Rory opened the door…to the most horrible smell ever imaginable.
"Is it supposed to smell like that?" the Doctor asked.
"No." We all took a deep breath of fresh air before heading inside. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It had synced to the time period, & was delivering any texts or messages I had missed…& it seemed like there were a lot of them.
"What happened?" Rory asked, looking at his steaks. It was hard to tell from the bag, but it looked like it was covered with mold. The smell was definitely coming from there.
It was completely rotten.
"Doctor…" I said, looking at my phone. "You didn't jump us a few hours into the future. We've jumped more than a month!"
"Stupid helmic regulator…" the Doctor muttered. "I really thought that the chewing gum would help hold it together!"
We went around opening up every window to let some fresh air in. Rory threw the steaks in the trash & took it outside. I got some air freshener & sprayed every room as I made my way back outside.
"So, I guess we're going out to eat then." Rory said. The Doctor smiled as we headed back to the TARDIS.
"I know a wonderful little restaurant at the end of the universe!"
I had the idea for this long before I watched Hell Bent, but the ending reminded me of this scene (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is also a book by Douglas Adams)…
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