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When Amelia told Jack that she wanted to bring Rory along when they left Leadworth on her eighteenth birthday, he had to admit - if only to himself - that he had his misgivings. He liked Rory, but the kid was just a bit too sensible for his own good. Jack wasn’t sure how Amelia Pond, the girl who grew up on the TARDIS, had ended up falling for Rory Williams, the boy whose socks always matched, but she had, and it wasn’t Jack’s job to question it.
To be fair, Rory had dealt well enough with, My girlfriend has two fathers. But they hadn’t yet broached and one of them’s an alien, much less and the other one’s immortal. Jack thought there was a good chance that the realities of Amelia Pond’s impossible life might be just a bit too much for sweet, sensible Rory, and he’d stocked up on tissues and chocolate ice cream for when it eventually ended in tears.
Plus, there was the fact that Rory hadn’t actually met the Doctor yet. Jack really didn’t know how that was going to go. He liked to think that the Doctor would be on his best behavior, but to be honest, he wasn’t sure that the Doctor even knew what good behavior might look like in this situation.
The Doctor was, predictably, less than overjoyed with the idea of Rory coming along. Jack shut himself and the Doctor in the TARDIS until the Doctor stopped fuming and ranting and resigned himself to the idea that Amelia, his little Amelia, had a boyfriend and wanted to bring him along. Jack let him wear himself out, and then he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the Doctor and kissing the corner of his mouth. "Doc, she’s eighteen,” Jack said, gently. “It’s time to start letting go.”
The Doctor sighed. "Blimey, Jack, she was eight years old three minutes ago. You just had five years with her on the slow path to get used to the idea. I didn't."
That was true enough, Jack thought, but even if he hadn't just suffered through twenty-first century adolescence with Amelia, he suspected he'd still have had an easier time dealing with all of this than the Doctor. "I know. But you're going to have to anyway. Because if you don't . . ."
"I know," the Doctor said, very quietly. "I know." He was silent, staring down at his boots. "I'm trying to be better this time around, Jack. When I was a dad before - I did okay when they were little, you know? But then they grew up and everything was so . . . complicated. I didn't know how to talk to them anymore. I thought - I always thought I had centuries to figure it out."
"Well," Jack said, as gently as he knew how, "this time, you know for certain that you don't." The Doctor's mouth twisted, and he nodded.
Jack took his hand. “Come on, then.”
“What?” the Doctor said, eyes widening. “Now?”
“Yes,” Jack said firmly, and pulled the Doctor out of the TARDIS. “Oh, and by the way,” he added, pausing just outside. “If you embarrass Amelia or scare Rory on purpose, you won’t get laid - at least not by me - until your next regeneration. So behave yourself.”
“I always behave myself!” the Doctor protested.
Jack glared.
“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll behave myself,” the Doctor grumbled.
Jack had asked Amelia if she wanted him to be there when she told Rory, but she had said she wanted to handle it herself. Jack hadn’t been so certain that was the best idea, but she’d seemed sure, so he’d left it to her.
He shouldn’t have doubted her. When he came back inside with the Doctor in tow, Amelia and Rory were sitting on the sofa, just as Jack and Amelia had planned. Rory did look kind of pale and shell-shocked, and he was holding Amelia’s hand in a white-knuckled grip, but Jack thought that was only to be expected under the circumstances. Jack caught Amelia’s eye and she gave him a small smile.
“Rory,” Amelia said, “this is my other dad, the Doctor. Doctor, this is Rory Williams.”
The Doctor didn’t move. Jack poked him sharply in the back, and he stumbled forward a step, putting him within arm’s reach of Rory. “Good to finally meet you, Rory Williams,” the Doctor said, extending his hand. Rory shook it. “Nice name. Nice, normal name.”
“Uh, thanks,” Rory said. He glanced sideways at Amelia, who nodded at him encouragingly. Rory swallowed and looked back at the Doctor, visibly pulling himself together. “Amelia says you like to travel? In your, uh - what was it called?”
“The TARDIS,” Amelia said, smiling.
“Right. The, um, the TARDIS.”
“You could say that,” the Doctor said. He paused, catching and holding Rory’s eye. Jack held his breath. “So, tell me, Rory. All of time and space, everything that ever was or ever will be. I’ve seen the beginning of the universe and the end of it, too. What do you say? Want to come along?”
Rory glanced sideways at Amelia. Amelia grinned and nodded. “Yeah,” Rory said. “I reckon that sounds like fun.”
“Oh, it will be,” the Doctor said, in a tone that sounded as much like a threat as a promise. Jack poked him again. The Doctor grunted. “I mean, fun, yes. Loads of it.”
***
All in all, it wasn’t nearly as bad as Jack had thought it might be. Rory hadn’t run screaming from the house, at least, and the Doctor had mostly behaved himself. Amelia was happy - thrilled, actually - and that was what mattered.
There was just one thing left for Jack to take care of.
He waited until the end of the evening, after they’d eaten dinner and taken Rory out to see the TARDIS. Amelia got wrapped up in talking with the Doctor about where they’d go when she turned eighteen in less than two weeks, and Jack saw Rory slip out the door. He followed quietly, and found Rory standing in the garden, staring up at the stars.
“Hey,” Jack said, joining him.
Rory looked at him. “Hey, Jack.”
“You okay? It’s been quite a night.”
“Yeah,” Rory said. Then he shrugged. “I guess - I always knew there was something different about Amelia. She wasn’t like anyone else at school, and I never totally believed her when she said she grew up in Glasgow. But it’s still a lot to take in.”
Jack nodded. “I know. But you have to, if you want to be with Amelia. This is who she is. This is where she came from. If it’s too much -”
“It’s not too much,” Rory said, with a sturdy sort of determination. Jack suspected that Rory’s sturdiness and normalness were a lot of what Amelia loved about him, whether she knew it or not. He turned to look at Jack. “It’s not too much. I can get used to it. For Amelia, I can get used to anything. She’s amazing. I mean, you know that, I don’t have to tell you that, you’re her dad, but she’s - she’s amazing.”
Jack smiled and thought for the first time that he might not need the tissues and chocolate ice cream after all. He squeezed Rory’s shoulder. “Good answer, Rory. Welcome to the family.”
Fin.