Midnight ⋆ Doctor Who²

11. The Gold

AURORA AND RORY ARE BOTH PAINFULLY SILENT, AS HE'S SLOWLY RECOVERING FROM THE SIREN'S INFLUENCE. Toby keeps coughing, which keeps worrying Aurora, and Amy is ignoring Rory. The Doctor is MIA with the Captain, and Aurora is ignoring him. All in all, a perfectly safe and sound situation for them, as they completely do not have a history of making things worse when they get emotional. See that time the Doctor almost killed a Star Whale by mistake.

Fair enough, though, because his death made Aurora consider blowing up the universe with a paradox. And she was dead serious too. Still is, probably...

Rory, sitting next to Aurora, nudges her out of her thoughts. "So... what happened between you and the Doctor?"

She purses her lips, looking at her nails. "What? Nothing." He gives her a flat look, and she sighs. "We got into a little argument, that's all."

Rory is surprised, because it's the first time she ever said those words. Her and the Doctor got into an argument. The earth is flat and the sky is red. "What was it about?"

She swallows thickly, trying to come up with a lie for him, or something. "It's just... He keeps acting as if he was the one allowed to do anything, and he's not. I wish he could see that." Since when did she start lying to her friends? Then again, it wasn't exactly a lie either. But it wasn't the truth.

Rory frowns. "Maybe he was worried? You know how he is when he's worried."

"Yeah." But it wasn't just that. She knows he was worried about Amy, she was too, but it's something else. He's never acted like that, even with the cracks. Pushing her away, that's a first.

Well, no it's not. It'd be a lie. It's the first time he does it since he discovered she's a Time Lady. Before that, before the Angels and the first time she met River, he was so worried about her that he didn't trust her. And he acts the same, right now. She sighs, and figures that it has to do with Lake Silencio. Her lying to him. Keeping secrets — she's never done that. Not from him.

Maybe he still needs time to process what happened in America. She can't blame him, she does too.

"I don't like the sound of his cough," Rory says, gesturing to Toby.

Aurora makes a face. "No, me neither. Going by the time period, this can't be too good." She shakes her head. "Man, I can't help but feel like we're missing something here." It may just be her anxiety, but she doesn't think it is, to be honest.

Rory's gaze is lost a bit. "I want kids." Aurora turns to him. "I always have."

She hums. "Maybe that's why Amy told us and not you. She didn't want to get your hopes up if it was nothing." She offers him a smile. "But you'd make a great dad."

"Yeah." He thinks it over a little, before turning to her. "Do you want kids?"

Her face lights up. She always wanted kids, like Rory. Even on Gallifrey, before everything. Aurora was made to be a mother, cut out for it, and it was her deepest wish.

She nods fervently. "Yeah. Just one." She has a weird history with siblings. One she doesn't remember fully yet.

Rory smiles. She'd make the best mom.

"What's going on?" With a frown, they turn to see Amy standing in front of two of the mates. They're unbarricading the door.

"We're not staying here to mollycoddle the boy," one of them cries out. "The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave."

Aurora laughs, running her tongue on her teeth. "Excuse you?" Considering the fact that she's still wearing the coat and the tricorn hat, the Doctor would have been gasping for breath only with that movement.