Author’s Note: With thanks to the incredible @theadrogna for being my historical guide for all things Roman.
Rome.
Rory had never been here, not in this life anyway, but the memories he held from his time being made of plastic meant he felt that he was home.
Unfortunately, he was still in his scrubs which meant he would stick out like a sore thumb, so he needed new clothes. And probably a sword.
It occurred to him as he scanned the area that there was a time when he would never have thought about needing a weapon of any kind, never mind knowing he could use it. He spotted a guard station and studied the soldiers. They were about to go out on patrol, which left a small group in the station which would allow Rory to, hopefully, steal what he needed.
He watched the soldiers as they began to march, waiting until he was sure they were far enough away. From his angle he could see the few left and decided which one to incapacitate. The nurse side of him hated the thought, but right now that part of him was pushed to the back of his mind. The situation, as well as whatever Constantine had done to him, meant Rory’s darker side was at the forefront.
Looking down at himself, Rory found some mud and quickly dirtied his scrubs to hopefully hide them to a degree before he moved carefully from the trees to the guard station. As one of the soldiers passed him, Rory pounced, wrapping his arm around the man’s neck, and held on until the man lost consciousness. Dragging him back where he couldn’t be seen Rory quickly swapped their clothes and took the weapons.
“Sorry,” he murmured to the man.
Rory grimaced, feeling uncomfortable in the soldier’s uniform because it wasn’t his own and it was a lower rank, not to mention the sword was not as good as his own. Shaking himself Rory took a deep breath and left his cover making his way to the gate.
There were caravans and people streaming through, meaning Rory could easily walk through in full uniform without anyone raising an eyebrow at his presence. Once inside he decided to head to the marketplace, somewhere crowded was his best bet to remain hidden from the nutcases who couldn’t understand the simple fact he was not the man they thought he was. It was pure luck they had crashed here, although the fact these people had the ability to travel in time worried him from what he’d seen so far.
He hoped there would be some way for him to send a message to the Doctor but at the moment he had no ideas how to do that. Then again, there was a ship outside the city he could use, if he could get onboard without the crew knowing.
That was a problem for later, after he’d found a safe haven that he could use for however long he was stuck here.
Rory walked slowly through the streets, taking in the familiar smells and sounds. He watched the children running around playing their games. Vendors offered their wares in the market while families strolled through, soldiers were not an unusual sight either, so Rory blended in.
He caught sight of a Centurion, and the reckless part of him wanted to steal the uniform to match the rank he was meant to have. Thankfully he still had common sense to know that was a bad idea, although if someone tried to give him an order he might not be as pragmatic about the whole thing.
As he moved along the streets, he spotted a leather pouch fallen to one side, hidden by crates from one of the stalls. Dropping a small stone that he’d lifted on his way into the city, Rory crouched to pick it up and swiped the pouch. Not long after the wedding, they were on a planet that were celebrating victory in a race of some kind. Amy and the Doctor had found something that the adrenaline junkies in them got overexcited about. Rory opted for the quiet option of sitting in a café watching the celebrations, River had appeared suddenly and spent a day teaching him how to steal. Looking back on it, Rory realised she was trying to spend time with him as a friend so that when he found out the truth, he had some good memories with her.
Now he had some money, Rory decided to get something to eat.
It had already been a long day.
*********************************************
“Alright,” the Doctor said, “I am aiming us for the same time as Rory, but I want to ensure we’re far enough away from the people who took him. I don’t want them seeing or detecting the TARDIS.”
“I can easily check where they are,” Rip noted.
The Doctor frowned in thought, “Not worried they’ve changed the codes?”
Rip chuckled, “They may try but that ship was mine for over fifteen years and know it better than any of them. If Gideon isn’t functioning, which is my worry since she would know Rory isn’t me, then there is a back door I can use.”
“Will that let you know if Rory is alright?” Amy asked softly.
Rip nodded, “And why they’re in Rome. Because there must be a specific reason the team have come here. And if there is an issue with the timeline, we need to make sure we don’t cause any more.”
“Time Masters,” the Doctor chuckled, “They’re always so much fun.”
Amy smiled at the look Rip gave the Doctor, his scathing look that was exactly like Rory’s and she wondered if maybe they were related.
They waited while Rip connected with his ship, and as predicted only a few seconds later he nodded, “I’m in.”
“Show me Rory,” Amy demanded.
Rip frowned, “Oh no,” he brought up the cameras, “It looks as though there is no mission, this was an accident.”
“They crashed here?” Amy asked, seeing the mess of the ship on the screen.
“What the bloody hell have they done to Gideon,” he grimaced, “I can’t find her anywhere.” He paused and rubbed his eyes, “This is not good.”
Amy rested her hand on his arm, “Rip, it’s okay. Take a breath.”
“You don’t understand,” he whispered sadly, “She’s all I have left. I promised her I’d come back.”
Hugging him tightly Amy rubbed his shoulder, “Don’t jump to any conclusions, okay. There could be any number of reasons she’s not answering you. Let’s focus on getting the TARDIS landed and then get you to the ship so you can check yourself.”
Pulling back Rip gave Amy a small smile, “Thank you. Let me check the security cameras and see where Rory is for you.”
The Doctor moved to Amy’s side as they watched Rip scan through the information.
“They locked him up,” Rip snapped annoyed, “I honestly wonder sometimes about their logic. Sara and I will have words on this.”
“Rip,” the Doctor said softly, reminding him they were there.
Shaking his head Rip returned to work, “Here he is. After the crash he slid out the ship and into the trees. The camera loses him quickly. Even in that colour, he’s hard to spot.”
The Doctor watched Amy wrap her arms around herself as both knew that meant the Centurion was in charge. It was, in many ways, a good thing as Rory would know how to blend in within the city and would be able to keep himself safe for them. Although, it would make it harder to locate him.
“Okay,” the Doctor said, “I will set us down between the city and your ship, Rip.”
“We can’t leave the ship looking like this,” Rip noted, “We will be spotted instantly.”
Forcing himself not to smirk too much, the Doctor said, “Amy, take Rip to the wardrobe and give him the uniform.”
Amy stared at him for a moment before leading the other man out of the room.
“A Time Master, that particular Time Master,” the Doctor mused to the TARDIS, “This will be interesting.”
*********************************************
The Time Sphere materialised just under the wing of the Waverider and Gideon smiled to see her ship, a calm settling in her. Sliding out the bubble, Gideon rested her hand on the metal and smiled.
“I’m sorry I was away, dear one,” she said softly, “I was scared you wouldn’t need me anymore now I am like this.”
The whispered reply made Gideon smile.
“I will fix what they broke,” Gideon promised, “And I will not leave you again.”
Turning she found Cisco watching her curiously.
“We should get inside and find the crew,” Gideon told him, smiling as the cargo bay lowered for them, “Thank you, dear one.”
Walking up the ramp, Cisco followed her into the ship. Anger filled her at the mess of the place, and she gently stroked the bulkhead to soothe the Waverider.
“Where are they?” she asked.
Flickering lights pointed her in the direction of the engine room, and Gideon patted the wall once more letting the Waverider know she didn’t need to expend any more energy. As they walked through the corridors, voices came from close by and Gideon quickened her pace towards them with Cisco following on behind.
“What did you do to my ship?” Gideon demanded sharply the moment she saw Sara and Jax in the engine room.
They turned and stared at her.
“I provided you with explicit instructions on how to fix a temporary AI for the Waverider,” she continued, marching towards them, “And you ignored them.”
Jax stared at her, “Gideon?”
“Gideon?” Sara echoed.
Annoyed she snapped, “Obviously. Now do you want to explain why you skipped several steps in the instructions I gave you?”
“I…well…” Jax stammered as he came face to face with the irate Gideon.
She stared at him, “I’m waiting, Mr Jackson.”
“Gideon,” Sara spoke up, stepping back slightly when Gideon turned and speared her with a sharp glare, “Jax was doing his job.”
“No,” Gideon stated, “Doing his job would mean the ship would not currently be crashed in the past needing substantial repairs.”
“That’s enough, Gideon,” Sara ordered, “Jax is working on fixing the engines. You head up to the bridge and work with Zari.”
Gideon tilted her head amused, “You are under the impression you are in charge, Miss Lance.”
Sara stared at her, “I’m still the Captain, Gideon.”
Gideon laughed softly before stating, “No. I am. The Waverider is mine, and she will follow me. There is only one person we would allow to act as Captain in my stead and that is not you, Miss Lance. Not after this debacle. I suggest you return to the bridge to assist Miss Tomaz with Mr Ramon, who is in charge of the repairs, while I supervise Mr Jackson.”
Sara stared in amazement at Gideon, who turned away to study the engines. Jax motioned her to one side quickly.
“Do we tell her?” Jax asked, “Now she’s in charge.”
Shaking her head, Sara replied, “No. Gideon has just become human, and she’s not in charge, Jax. This is her trying to assert independence since she’s no longer an AI.”
“What do we do?” Jax demanded, glancing over to where Gideon and Cisco were talking.
“We repair the ship,” Sara said, “While we do that, I’m going to send John to find Rip and get him back here. Once he’s here, then she’ll focus on getting his memories back.”
Shaking his head Jax sighed, “I hope you’re right.”
“Me too,” Sara murmured, before she started up to the bridge, Cisco could find her if Gideon wanted him to work with them.
She found John checking that none of his important and dangerous items had been damaged in the crash.
“I get why she’s pissed,” John noted after Sara told him what was happening, “The Waverider was the only physical form she had until now. And she never liked someone ignoring her instructions.”
“I haven’t told her about Rip,” Sara continued, “But I want you to find him and bring him back.”
John frowned, “Why not tell her?”
“We need her to fix the ship.”
Grimacing John said, “That is…”
“My decision,” Sara replied sharply cutting him off, “Now, find him and get him back here. If you have to knock him out again, do it. But remember you’ll have to carry him.”
“What about the couriers?” John demanded.
“After the crash they’re not working. Jax thinks it’s to do with the energy released by the engines,” Sara told him, “And without Gideon or Ray, resetting them isn’t possible.”
John rolled his eyes, “Bloody typical.”
“Find Rip,” Sara ordered, “And get him back here as fast as possible.”
Leaving him to return to the bridge Sara heard John muttering.
“Join the nutters who time travel, what a bloody good idea.”
I was sitting in sewing class, doing my sewing assignment, listening to Dr Who episodes of The Impossible Astronaut and Day of The Moon as one does, (screen of my phone down, audiodrama style) and just, of course my brain decided to do a full on analysis while I'm in class and itching to type, ha so here's an analysis/brain vulture that refuses to leave until i type them
First, Eleven's appearance at the diner is so... idk,.suave? He'd gotten a new shorter haircut, which I love,
and ofc he's decided that the bendy straw adds more fizz
(more under cut)
This is less analysis and more of me just loving his entrance-
Secondly. this episode kinda emphasize several things
i. that not knowing who River actually is actually bothers 11. we've seen in Byzantium, he was aggravated that he knew very little about River, then with all the adventures, this kinda got swept under the rug; 11 began to enjoy being around her, even asking her for help, playing along with her no spoilers thing and her hello sweeties, -
then in this episode, we see him questioning River's trustworthiness. this is after the Pandorica. and this is the Doctor. who is the person the Doctor trusts the most? still only himself.
ii. River and 11's dynamics- their jarring on edge relationship mixed with the flirting. does he not care about River? he does. she's one of the people he trusts, he flirts with her openly because that's her dynamics with him from the beginning; she's been playful and familiar since the Library
but it's still jarring to see him question her trustworthiness, then jumps back to flirting and bantering in the same 15 minutes. it's basically like the situation is spelling out, this is the Doctor, do not be on his bad side, i know this is old news, but it is still Something to see it being spelled out in between his puzzling (at that point) relationship with River
Matt Smith is a great actor because in the span of the same scene, he played off the Doctor's playful excitement after seeing the Ponds, oscillates to simmering anger, puzzlement and frustration, whimsy and worry when he was talking to Amy, and then back to his usual excited, flirting puppy with River
then afterwards, he maintains the usual demeanour of his with River, their familiarity with each other. 11 doesn't know how to entirely trust her, but he does, but he's also pissed off that he doesn't know a lot and he hates that; not knowing.
it's very interesting to see how he knows her so well, and she him too, and he's just at the same time actually underneath all that is impatient to know what is the deal with her
iii. and i think it opened Amy's eyes too to what he thinks of River in that moment. this is a side she's not often privy to
To her, he's always been the protector, the funny goofy silly Doctor, and she's almost never in all seriousness the recipient of his irritation or annoyance or distrust
And you gotta admit, seeing 11 being miffed at his own friends, being the man he's always put himself forth as, is always great. sides. i love seeing a man with different sides; preferrably stark contrasting sides, ehe. preferrably the kind where the character appears to be one of the good guys but can also be complicated
Thirdly, if there's any instances where Rory ever question Amy's importance to 11, then i think it's a question settled in this episode. 11 wholly trusts her, even in spite of not knowing who number one is. Even when he doesn't get the answer to his questions. Amy is his person.
My life in your hands, Amelia Pond.
Fourth, River and 11 Cares about each other. this is also not new, but this episode played off their familiarity and care for each other so well; it's basically a thing that the storytelling establishes that River goes on adventures with 11, even tho it's not onscreen, so seeing them care about each other is sweet. it's not merely physical attraction, get it
and in spite of his initial angry speech in the beginning of the episode
yh sorry about the repeating scenes, i forgot and got lazy to edit
this scene is basically the kids telling their parents-in-law to look out for their spouses, lol
Fifth, always kinda mess me up that for the longest time, Rory thought that he was always the person who loved more in his and Amy's relationship because no matter what, 11 is Amy's best friend that she never gave up on
he never really noticed that under Amy's gruff and direct personality, she always chose him. Amy usually doesn't say it in so many words; and this is also what makes their relationship interesting to me; in fictions, tropes usually writes the female character as the expressive side, and the male character fumbling and short with their feelings; --but not with Amy and Rory. with them, it's the other way around.
(yes i chalk up her weird thing with 11 on her wedding night to be cold feet of a girl who's marrying her other best friend after realizing that there's a wider world out there she hasn't seen)
Sixth, later in the episode, 11 is still trying to figure out, if only with very little effort and deflection skills --about River.
and River knows it. she's tired of it, but she's alsol entertained by it but at the same time trying to tell him to stop
Seventh, i loved 11 leaning on the invisible Tardis :)))
he's just exuding 'im so clever' here, lol
Eighth,
11 and River being their alien selves. more 11 than River; while Rory is having a mental crash about saving Amy as fast as possile, he's prattling about the importance of defeating the Silence. of course this is mainly because they were already working towards finding Amy, but yh,
finally, Amy and 11's conversation. he's her best friend and she confided in him about being pregnant, i just really appreciate any scene of them just talking to each other, being goofy, heartfelt and whatnot
so yeah that's it. brain vultures leave me now.... pls.....these kids are my blorbos they're all older than me
and I gotta say, these two episodes are among my favorites to rewatch :)
Currently in a sort of fragile mind space (space of mind??) and revelling in the warmth of Ponds (Ponds, River and 11) fics. If any of you writers ever feel like your Pond fam fics aren't appreciated, you're wrong.
