Antinomy (A Tale of Amy and Rory)

Crimson

            “Amy! Come and see this.”

            Amy turned round, stepping out of the TARDIS and closing the door behind her with a creak. “What?”

            “There’s a gravestone here for someone with the same name as me.” Rory gestured to a gravestone.

          In Loving Memory

        Rory Arthur Williams

                  Aged 82

            Amy’s voice shook with a laugh as she approached the grave. “What?” She looked up at Rory, who looked up at her. Her eyes went wide as she saw the stone angel behind him, its arm stuck out, its finger pointed at Rory’s back. She blinked, then her husband was gone.

            She yelled. “Doctor!”

            She stared at the angel statue, not blinking, her eyes never leaving it as the TARDIS doors creaked open once again.

            “Where the hell did that come from?” River asked, panic flooding her voice as she and the Doctor ran towards Amy.

            Amy heard the Doctor’s sonic, but her eyes still never left the angel. Her eyes were beginning to dry out, but she ignored it, not risking the consequences of blinking.

            “It’s a survivor,” came the Doctor’s voice. “Very weak, but keep your eyes on it.”

            Amy could not process what was happening. “Where’s Rory?”

            The Doctor walked a few feet in front of Amy, and glanced at the grave that Rory had been staring at. His eyes widened, a frown ruining his expression. He trained his eyes on the ground, and then slowly looked up at her. “I’m sorry. Amelia, I’m so, so sorry.”

            Amy began shaking her head, sniffing as she finally risked blinking as the tears threatened to spill. “No. No, we can just go and get him in the TARDIS.” A sob shook her voice as she spoke. “One more paradox.”

            “Would rip New York apart.” The Doctor said, tears beginning to form in his own eyes. “And I–”

            “No,” Amy said, like a child being told that she would never fly, “that’s not true. I don’t believe you.”

            River kept her voice strong for her Amy, but her expression did it no justice. “Mother, it’s true.”

            Amy let out shaky breaths as she took a few steps forward.

            “Amy,” the Doctor said, voice touched with panic, “what are you doing?”

            “That gravestone,” she said, “Rory’s. There’s room for one more name, isn’t there?”

            The Doctor almost shouted at her. “What are you talking about?” he marched toward her, grabbing her hand in attempt to pull her away. “Back away from the angel.” He turned around sharply when she yanked her hand out of his grip. “Come back to the TARDIS. We’ll figure something out.”

            She took another step forward. “The angel, would it send me back to the same time? To him?”

            “I don’t know.” The Doctor cried. “Nobody knows.”