He was so human.

The way he acted around Amy, around the people they met, the way he cared so much.

It amazed him, greatly.

The Doctor, sitting on his mini couch, was staring at Amy and Rory. She had been chastising him because of their last quest, and she had good reason, he had volunteered to hold the stabilizer on the self-destructing engine while the Doctor had been on the other side on the alien's ship fighting with the captain. It required Rory to push down on it hard, but he was contained inside a small room and if he let it go for more than a tenth a second he would be obliterated, along with the rest of the ship. On top of all that Rory has no oxygen in the room, he had been holding his breath while pushing on the stabilizer. Amy stood watch outside and when the Doctor came to disengage the engine she had slapped him upside the head, putting her husband in peril danger was not a funny business. She had even slapped Rory, who was gasping for breath, when he came out of the room and when she asked him why in the world did he decide to do it. He replied with a:

"I had to help them."

Amy and the Doctor knew that Rory was talking about all the sick slaves on the ship, people who were supposed to be transported to a near by hospital but their ship was taken over and they were held captive and were to be taken to the villain's home planet for slave labor. Rory didn't like to see what was there, children crying while coughing out blood, mothers screaming in anguish about their dead babies while hideous rashes covered their bodies, men breathing shallow like and not responding when someone was talking to them. If on instinct Rory was trying to help some of them, trying to cure foreign sicknesses and diseases.

It was brilliant. The Doctor thought. How it came so easy for Rory to care for strangers and the need to help them. Rory reminded him of another one he knew, someone who was a doctor just like him, but helped with illnesses rather than end-of-the-world situations.

He sat and listened in on their little spat.

"I can't believe you'd even think of doing that!" She said, arms crossed.

Rory nodded his head sheepishly. "It felt right."

"You were in there so long though!"

"Not so long."

"Doctor!"

The man in question raised his head to the familiar call."Yes, Pond?"

"How long was he in there?" She walked over to stand in front of him, Rory staying where he was.

"Three minutes and four seconds."

"Almost three minutes! You could have died in there." She turned around again to look at her husband. "You were never the best swimmer, where ya even learn to hold your breath so long?"

"It was just one of those days." He replied.

"Everyday is just one of those days for you!" She rolled her eyes, walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thought you were a goner. Know how bad it is to watch you do that?"

Rory smiled in his own way. "Believe me, I know."

Doctor grinned to himself, he never knew a couple as quirky as they were.

He loved it.

He hopped up, the noise he made surprised the couple. "Well, it couldn't have been one of those days." He leaned against the control. "He had to have been used to pushing something heavy like a stabilizer and even holding his breath Rory would have to have known to do it before hand."

"Or he could have just have a heroic day." Came Amy's snarky reply. "Do you always have to ruin the moment with your logic?"

The Doctor nodded. "It's my job, Pond." He leaned forward and pulled down a lever. "So where to?"

"Ooh, how about a planet?" Amy said, she let go of Rory and leaned across one of the controls.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"No as in, no you can't pick Amy." The Doctor said. "It's Rory's turn." He looked at the young man.

"Me?"

"Well, why not? You had a heroic day." The Doctor walked around the engine. "You were cheered on by thousands of people! Their gratitude for you will live with them till they die! Of course you can pick today, "

Rory smiled. "Uh, sure. I guess."

"So where to? I'm dying to know what you pick."

"Uh, how about like a future city? Like 30th century London... Or maybe New York."

The Doctor stopped, turning around to look at Rory. He remembered visiting New York, a place where he was used to. It came in short pieces, moments when he was saving people against giant crabs, pig people, cat people. Two companions.

How Rory managed to make him remember, the Doctor will never know.

What a nice surprise. The Doctor didn't know something.

The Doctor went back to touch the controls. "You're a strange man, Rory." It was true though, it was a thought that come to the Doctor's mind frequently whenever he watched Rory talk to others in comfort. A man without faith, he didn't believe anything and didn't have a room back at the prison-hotel. He was driven by his love and never stopped. Not to question or disobey without good reason. The Doctor always had trouble with companions who disagreed with him on most things.

Rory looked at Amy confused, she just shrugged.

The Doctor looked up, grinning at the two. "Time for New New York!"

"New New York?"'

"Well, it's actually fifteen New." He replied, pulling at a stick. "Hold on now." He grinned.

The familiar sound of the TARDIS came and went, making the Doctor happy. The slight crash, they were used to and everyone managed to gain their composure quickly.

When the front doors open and Amy and Rory stepped outside the Doctor hung back for a bit.

It would be time soon.

"They'll be leaving me." He smiled sadly, he fixed his bow tie and ran after the two. A charismatic grin instead of the smile.

((Requested by my friend Eliza.))

((Image Credit: Mad42Sam on DeviantArt - "Rory Williams"))

((A/N: I had decided to put this piece on a time line where Amy and Rory are close to the end of their companionship.))