Chapter 4: Hold Me, I'm a Fermata
"Come on, Paul! We're going to be late!" Estelle called from the car in exasperation. The entire family had decided it would be a good day for both the Slipperys and the Jones to have a day to better get to know each other. It had been nearly half a month and everyone was generally so busy, no one had really had the time to fully spend together. This was going to be that day. They were all going to go to Central Park of a nice picnic and a musical performance by some local jazz band. They all managed to cram into a rented van with Luna and Rory in the very back, Edwin and Daniel in the middle, with Estelle and Paul in the front. Ianto would meet them in the park after taking care of last minute business. "Paul," Estelle mentally signaled her husband, "If you don't get down here now, we're not having sex later." It did the trick and Paul was down by the car in an instant.
"Ready to go!" He said with a false enthusiasm.
In the car, Daniel and Edwin turned in their seats to talk to Rory and Luna, mostly Luna. They'd gotten better at talking and Luna got better at placidly entertaining them. "What is that?" Daniel accused Edwin, seeing his younger brother fondling something in his hand.
"Nothing!" Edwin said, moving his hand up and away from his grabby brother. Luna reached out and snatched it from his hand.
"Golden Lappish Love Potion," Luna read aloud, "will work on anyone you desire." Rory laughed.
"Seriously," Paul gaped, "again? You boys really need to stop thinking about sex and girls."
"Give that back!" Edwin made a grab for the tiny bottle. Luna laughed and batted his hands away, tossing the Love Potion to Rory, who tossed it to Daniel.
"Ooo! Slip it into any drink or food and the person will fall instantly in love!" Daniel mocked while reading the label, "Who's the unlucky victim?" Another spurt of laugher from the back seat prompted Paul to snatch the bottle, eyeing it with speculation.
"Edwin," Paul scolded, "I don't know what's worse, the fact that you once bought an inventory of sex doll and other paraphernalia, or that fact that this is the second time you're buying this phony love potion."
"You bought an inventory of sex dolls?" Luna exclaimed incredulously.
"Strewn them all across the front lawn," Rory added.
"That's not fair." Edwin whined, "How am I supposed to have sex?"
"You're still a teenager," Estelle pointed out, "you shouldn't even he having sex."
"Luna," Paul asked, "Have you shagged Rory yet?"
"PAUL!" Rory and Estelle shouted while Luna looked absolutely mortified.
"Sorry, it was an honest question!"
"We haven't shagged, and we don't intend to." Rory grit out through angry clenched teeth. It was an unspoken agreement between Luna and Rory that they keep the kiss a secret, a forgotten corner of their memory. Keeping that as a forgotten memory, they mutually moved on and appeared to everyone else, and to each other, as really good friends.
The arrival at the park and the unpacking of the car helped ease the newly created tension. Ianto's arrival didn't exactly help, as Rory couldn't look him in the eye because he could only think about his father's outspoken question.
"Did something happen in the car?" Ianto demanded suspiciously wrapping a protective am around his daughter's shoulder.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Luna responded stealing a glance at Rory, "What have you been up to?"
"Dealing with a last minute appointment," Ianto lied.
Three hours ago, Martha had delivered the bad news. The Doctor had died at Lake Silencio, Utah. The file was sent to him as confirmation. There would be no help. "I'm so sorry…" Martha apologized, holding back her tears. Martha was doing her best to help, although it wasn't much. They'd been able to further pinpoint the location of the Rift spike. They got it within a one mile radius and with the Empire State Building right in the center.
Ianto scoured the building. There would be no way to get in without drawing attention to himself. Recording it in his diary, he made his way down to Central Park to regroup with the Slipperys and Luna.
"How lovely," Estelle sighed contented. There were murmured agreements as both families were sprawled out on the grass, the breeze wafting through their hair. Rory lay comfortably sandwiched between Luna and Daniel. Ever so slightly, he moved his hand, gently brushing it against Luna's. The motion was reciprocated and both hands intertwined without a single glace at the other. Even Paul had to agree he was enjoying himself.
The car was soon packed, and Ianto would once again meet them back at the house forgetting that he left his laptop at the travel agency. Walking away from the car and across one of the numerous bridges, something didn't feel right. "When something doesn't feel right," Ianto remembered Jack telling him, "always look to the corner of your eye. It makes you notice things…" Ianto stood in one spot. "Corner of my eye…" He murmured and caught the glimpse of something big and blue. A big, blue, phone box. The TARDIS. Unmistakably. Two figures disappeared into it. A woman with extremely curly hair and The Doctor (from the picture on his file), wearing a white tuxedo. The door closed and Ianto ran towards it. "Doctor!" He cried out, "Doctor!" Too Late. The TARDIS phased out and was gone.