I have recently become a huge Doctor Who fan...this seems to happen eventually to all BBC lovers. I'm particularly fond of one Rory Williams and it has come to my attention that there isn't that much fanfiction about him. And voila, this story was born. =) As always, no slash, though there is some violence and general strangeness ahead - but you're all Doctor Who fans, so that's to be expected, right? =P This story takes place after all the events of "A Good Man Goes to War." Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Riven - adjective, rent or split apart.

Amy wanted fish and chips.

To be honest, Rory was relieved. After traveling through all of the strange planets and eating things that could just as easily have eaten him, he was ready to get back to normal territory again. Maybe even have a nice cup of tea and sleep in a regular bed once more.

He knew he could never convince the Doctor to go back to England on his own, so he was glad when Amy refused to go to another planet without having some good old English food.

"Humans," the Doctor sighed. "You can be so sentimental over the silliest things."

But he took them home without further complaint.

The sky was cloudy, but bright. Just the sort of day that Rory liked best.

They stepped out of the TARDIS, stretching and enjoying the familiar air of home. It didn't take Amy long to grab them both by the arm and start dragging them off. "Come on! I know the best place to get fish and chips!"

Before they had gone five yards, a young voice called out, "Rory!"

A boy, about twelve years old, came running towards them.

"Benjamin!" Rory let go of his wife's hand and bent down so that he could give the boy a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?"

"Um...traveling." He glanced at his companions. "This is my friend, the Doctor, and you remember my wife, Amy. This is Benjamin. I used to care for his Dad when he was in the hospital. Speaking of your father, how is he?"

Benjamin's face turned sober. "That's why I've been trying to find you. Dad's been feeling poorly again, but he refuses to go to the doctor. Says he won't see anyone but you. Mum's worried about him now, but you know how stubborn he is."

Rory grimaced. "Yes, I do."

He turned towards Amy and the Doctor. "You all don't mind if I go see him, do you? It shouldn't take too long."

"Of course, go ahead, Dr. Rory," smirked the Doctor.

"I'm a nurse."

"Whatever." Amy pecked him lightly on the cheek. "Go help people."

"Be careful," he murmured back.

"Always." She grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him off in the direction of the town.

"I'll meet you back at the TARDIS tonight if I can't find you later!" he called after them.

Amy waved her hand in acknowledgment.

Rory glanced back down at Benjamin. The boy looked worried, staring after the two figures with a dark expression. "Are you alright, Ben?"

"Y-Yes." He snapped back to attention, turning in the opposite direction. "This way."

Rory followed obediently. "So, how's school going? Maths still giving you trouble?"

"It's fine."

He frowned. Benjamin was usually a talkative, outgoing boy, but now he acted as if he was on the run from something, darting anxious glances down every street they passed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," the boy insisted, but his pace increased. "I'm just worried about Dad, that's all."

Rory decided to leave matters well enough alone.

"And you?" Ben asked abruptly. He shot Rory a suspicious look. "Where have you been? How come you and your friends were in that blue box?"

"Uh, it's just a hobby of ours - inspecting police boxes." Like that was going to convince anybody, especially a smart boy like Ben. "We've just been traveling together, seeing different countries, you know?"

"Right." The boy didn't look the least bit persuaded.

They turned onto Benjamin's street - one that Rory well-recognized after so many trips to the boy's house. Ben's father hated to go to the hospital, more so than the average person, and Rory, in order to make a little extra money as well as to test whether he would enjoy doing house visits, had volunteered to go to the house on a weekly basis. The man suffered from severe arthritis in addition to weak lungs, which made him susceptible to bronchitis and other lung infections. He often had a lingering cough regardless of whether he had an infection or not.

They approached the front door and Rory frowned as he caught sight of the closed blinds on the windows. Ben's mother preferred to keep them open - to "let in the sunlight" - but he knew it was for spying on the neighbors. "Is your mother here now?"

"Yeah, she's with Dad." Benjamin seemed even more on edge now, face stern and grim. But he kept on walking, right up to the door and into the house.

Rory followed.

Almost as soon as he set foot inside the house, he knew something was wrong. He had traveled with the Doctor for far too long not to notice the strangeness in the air - a sort of unnatural silence. "Ben? Where'd you go?"

"Back here, in the living room."

Rory glanced at the open front door. The outside world looked so bright, so inviting. As a precaution, he left the door open and headed towards the living room.

Ben stood next to a man, looking apologetic. Four other people were gathered in the room - two men and two women. It took a split second for Rory to see that they were heavily armed, but before he could make a move, a sixth person came up behind him, wrapped an arm around his chest and rested a gun against the top of his throat."Easy there, chum. No sudden moves."

"I'm sorry, Rory!" Ben wailed. "They had Mum and Dad! I didn't know what else to do!"

"It's alright, Ben, calm down. It's not your fault." Rory was surprised at how calm he was. Maybe hanging out with the Doctor had its advantages. He turned his gaze to the tall man directly in front of him. The broad shoulders, intricate medals on the front of his uniform, and the dark brown eyes that even now were sizing the nurse up seemed to indicate that he was leader. "Who are you and what do you want? You know what, scratch that. Let Ben and his family go first and then we can get down to business."

A thin smile cracked the man's face. "Rory Williams. You aren't quite what I was expecting, but then again, looks are often deceiving."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm not much to look at. Could we please get to the point of this matter?"

"Right, no beating around the bush then. I like to get straight to business too." The man glanced at Benjamin. "You may go to your family, boy. They're in your parents' bedroom. Thank you for your cooperation."

Ben spared one more teary glance for Rory, before he fled from the room.

"Now, you may not be much to look at, Mr. Williams, as you so eloquently put it, but all of us here know that there's something special about you."

"I'm flattered you think so. My wife is rather fond of me too. Now if you would please let me get back to her, I -" the gun at his throat dug in deeper.

"We wouldn't have gone through all of the trouble to lure you here if we didn't mean business. We would rather you come quietly if you would but we will use force if necessary."

"And here I thought you were being so polite." That earned him another dig with the gun. "Might I ask why you need me?"

"All your questions may be answered in time." The leader gave a sharp nod.

The man behind Rory lowered the gun and took hold of him by his upper arms, pulling him towards the back door. Before they left the room, the leader turned to another man. "Take care of the boy and his family."

That put Rory into motion. A sharp twist broke the hold his captor had on him. Before the man could get another grip on him, he ducked around him and darted for the bedrooms. "Run, Ben! Run!"

A surprisingly strong arm wrapped around his abdomen, pinning his arms to his sides. To his utter shock, Rory found himself picked up and thrown over the leader's shoulder. It wasn't possible for someone to so easily pick up someone of his height and weight. A sinking sensation spread throughout him. "You're aliens."

"Yes, and you're going to pay for that little stunt." The leader was already out of the back door before Rory remembered the reason for his efforts to break away.

"You leave that family alone! Put me down!" Twisting and kicking had absolutely no effect on the humanoid, but that didn't stop him from trying.

The leader finally had enough of his struggling and threw him down. Gravel cut his hands as he tried to keep his head from hitting the ground.

"You know, Rory, I've been watching you for quite a while now. People have a habit of using you and selling you short. They keep taking your heart and ripping it to shreds. Why don't you just do the easy thing now and give up?"

Rory winced as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Obviously you don't know me very well."

A shot rang from inside the building.

"No!" He scrambled up, but before he could even take a step, the leader threw him back over his shoulder. "Let me go! Why must all you blasted aliens go around killing people? Let go!"

He was tossed down again, this time into the back of a strange-looking vehicle. He didn't quite manage not to hit his head and the blow dazed him.

The leader stood silhouetted against the daylight for a moment.

The door shut.