Dusk ⋆ Doctor Who¹

31. The Blue Grass

SOMETHING CHANGED, IN AURORA AND THE DOCTOR'S DYNAMIC. Well, they always seemed to be joined at the hip, but it's worse now that the Doctor knows who she is. What she is. And Aurora... Well, she's a small town girl — at least that's what she feels like — traveling with a god. How long do you expect her to try and shove her growing feelings for him away?

Especially now that he looks at her like she's the ninth wonder of the world.

"Behold, Rio!"

They all put one foot outside, and turn to look at the Doctor with a flat expression.

"Nah," Amy says.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe," Rory agrees.

"Yeah I think there was a bit of a mistake," Aurora adds. "It's a graveyard, not a beach."

She feels chills run up her exposed legs, and up her arms because of her short-sleeved shirt.

"No?" He steps outside too. "Oooh, feel that, though. What's that?" The Doctor jumps up and down. "Ground feels strange." He turns to look at them, noticing they're confused faces. "Just me. Wait. That's weird."

"What's weird?" Aurora asks, stepping forward.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us," Amy says, coming after them. "We're in the wrong place. Doctor, it's freezing and I've dressed for Rio. We are not stopping here." He's not listening, crouching down a patch of grass. "Doctor. You listening to me? It's a graveyard. You promised me a beach."

He turns to Aurora, who's already next to him. "Blue grass. Patches of it all around the graveyard." She frowns, about to ask something, but Amy and Rory approach them. "So, Earth, 2020-ish, ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a massive overshoot."

Aurora purses her lips. "It's a graveyard, that's pretty far from a beach."

"Yeah, there's that."

"Why are those people waving at us?"

They all turn to two figures on the other side of the valley. "Can't be," the Doctor mutters.

Rory starts to wave back.

Amy takes his hand. "Don't."

The Doctor uses a pair of binoculars. "It is. It's you two."

"No, we're here," Rory lets out. "How can we be up there?"

"Ten years in your future. Come to relive past glories, I'd imagine. Humans, you're so nostalgic."

Aurora nudges him. "Says the one coming to Earth every time he can."

"We're still together in ten years?" Amy exclaims.

"No need to sound so surprised."

Aurora cringes a bit, clearing her throat.

"Hey, let's go and talk to them," Amy proposes. "We can say hi to future us. How cool is that?"

"Er, no, best not," the Doctor stops. "Really best not. These things get complicated very quickly, and oh look." His eyes are lost in the distance, and they follow his gaze to a huge yellow mining device. "Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See, way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing."

Amy groans. "We're not going to have a look, are we?"

"Let's go and have a look." Aurora giggles as she follows him. "Come on, you two, let's see what they're doing!"

They rush to the mine gates, half running, half walking quickly. They come to a halt once they reach them, looking at the sign. Amy catches up to them.

"Restricted access," the Doctor reads. "No unauthorized personnel. Hmm."