They did take option C, but it could have just been an, oh, the Doctor never lets people force choices on him sort of cop-out. But he really didn't like living in their house in linear time, even though he loves them, and the writers also acknowledged that if the Ponds go with him, not only are they giving up huge chunks of their real life, but they're risking a lot of danger. So it felt like an actually considered option C.