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Chapter Text

Part One: Save River Song

Tick, Tock Goes The Clock
It Plays The Nightmare Song
Tick, Tock Goes The Clock
You’d Better Sing Along…

It was rare that the Doctor ever took them somewhere he was actually trying to get to when looking for a vacation spot. Downtime on the Tardis was a promise never kept; just forever floating out of reach… unless River was around to drive. For once, Amy was enjoying this rare moment since first stepping onto the Tardis.

“What do you say we check out Giant’s Drop? Says here, it’s a pretty popular tourist attraction… haven’t lived till you’ve seen it,” she offered, eyes still focused on the pamphlet shoved into her hand by the Doctor just before they’d split up. She suspected the Doctor was off shopping for something. She’d heard him mumbling to the Tardis about getting back in River’s ‘good graces.’ She hadn’t asked him what he’d done this time, deciding it best to wait for her daughter to spill all the juicy details. Considering how often he got himself into trouble with Doctor River Song, Amy suspected it would have to be infinitely special indeed.

Rory shoved his hands in his pockets, eyes roving about curiously, though the rest of his body screamed a lie of disinterest. He was wonderfully contrary that way when they traveled. Amy knew better, and hid away her smirk under the large pamphlet she was pretending to read. “Oh yes, everyone loves a good chasm.”

“Oi! Infinitely vast chasm!” she corrected playfully.

His smile was faint and fond when he looked at her, slipping an arm over her shoulders as they continued to walk through the crowd. “If you insist!” he agreed. Rory was no more interested in chasms than she was, but they were on vacation… for once! There was no point seeing other worlds unless they actually saw some sights while they were there.

The planet was called Trion. The Doctor had mumbled somethings about life before the civil war, and trees three times the size of those on Earth with purple leaves. He’d also chatted on about a most peculiar ‘friend’ who’d traveled aboard the Tardis… Tur-something. Amy hadn’t been paying that much attention to his ramblings. The Doctor would talk whether she was listening or not.

They’d landed on one of the main continents in the Dnalvelc region. The people were humanoid, and advanced enough to have transmat capability, which was pretty handle from what she’d seen. Even in the light of day three moons of various sizes hung in the redish, yellow hue of the sky. The market place was overflowing with life, though they seemed to have a distinct distaste for manners… at least when interacting with ‘otherworlders.’ The Doctor had brushed it off. ‘Rubbish, they just need time to get to know you! That’s all! They’re really quite pleasant… well, most of them! Well no, that’s a lie… they’re a bit snobbish, really….’

She’d stopped walking, so Rory linked her arm in his, leading her on towards the transport center. She shoved the pamphlet into his side pocket, laughing at the face he pulled for using him as her own personal ‘purse.’ They walked through the crowded market, struggling past the waves of people going past them when Amy felt a man shove against her left side, hard. “Oi! Watch it!” she warned, glaring at the sea of people. She couldn’t tell who’d bumped her.

Her dear husband looked over at her, and Amy knew that worried frown anywhere. “You alright?”

“Yeah… it’s nothing,” she whispered, still scanning the crowd. For a moment she thought about the museums back home, pick-pockets with a sly hand and an uncanny ability to blend in. Rory had their money, but it was certainly possible they’d tried a bit of scrumping, just the same.

She slipped her hand into her pocket and felt the scrap of paper against her skin. It’d been empty minutes before, though she’d never heard of criminals that slipped things into people’s pockets instead of out of them. She closed her hand around the stiff paper, and pulled it out to take a look. A simple card, just an inch in height and two inches in width. The paper was smooth, but as she turned it around she saw writing on the other side.

“We should get going if we want to see that chasm… unless you’ve changed your mind,” urged Rory, unaware.

Amy gripped Rory’s arm. “Rory….”

“I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to save it for later. We could do a bit of shopping instead… or visit the local pub. They’ve got to have a pub. Every civilization has a pub.”

“Rory!” she spoke, voice raised to draw his attention.

Rory lifted an eyebrow, finally noticing the paper in her hand. “What’ve you got there?”

Amy felt numb, her stomach twisting till she felt physically ill, hands trembling and she couldn’t make it stop… she couldn’t even breathe. She raised the card so he could see.

Save River Song.

It took a moment for recondition, for his eyebrows to rise and his jaw drop in alarm. “Oh god….”

“We’ve got to find the Doctor… River’s in trouble.”

*~*~*

“What does it mean?” she questioned, having waited long enough as he inspected the card and it’s mysterious message.

“Save River Song… that’s it?! Just three words? No coordinates?!” complained the Doctor, pacing the control room staring at the words. “Blimey, what’s the point?!”

They’d found the Doctor knee deep in ancient trinkets all shiny and gold. He’d have to do better than that if he wanted to impress River… but first they’d need to find her. Amy’s stomach was still twisted in knots, though she’d felt loads better knowing the Doctor was on the case. If anyone could find out why River needed saving, it was the Doctor. He always knew what to do. He’d figure out something any minute, press a few levers and off they’d pop to find her daughter. She tried not to think about what they’d find when they got to her. If she was dead… she wouldn’t need saving, right? Rory hadn’t let go of her hand since she’d seen the message. She was grateful for that.

“Hold on… what’s this?” muttered the Doctor, the card practically shoved into his eyeball as he tried to get a closer look. “Do you see that? The bluish tint of the writing?”

She had, though she’d thought nothing of it. “What is it?”

The Doctor was deep in thought, more focused than he’d ever been. His mind was going a mile a minute. He was making connections no human ever could. She forced herself not to speak, let him think, let him process… that brilliant, mad brain of his would figure it out. “Doctor? What do you see?” questioned Rory.

“It’s a hologram!” he finally exclaimed, making them both jump as his voice burst forth. “A message inside a message! Ooooh that’s clever!” The Doctor smiled briefly, momentarily distracted before it was back to the business at hand (saving River Song), and turned to look at Amy. “You found it in your jacket pocket… someone just slipped it in your pocket, but who? Who would send us this message?”

Amy shook her head. “I… I dunno. I never saw a face.”

“Amy, this is important. We could be walking into a trap,” the Doctor urged, invading her space, eyes searching hers just as carefully as he’d searched the words on the card gripped in his hand. “Man? Woman? Short or tall? Did it have green scales and walk with a limp? You’ve got to tell me something!”

She took a step back, overwhelmed by his intensity, though she supposed she should be used to that by now. Her eyes closed, but she shook her head. She tried to think of the moment just before she’d been shoved. A sea of faces… normal faces… nothing unusual. She’d shoved the pamphlet in Rory’s pocket. A moment of distraction. Whoever put that card in her pocket didn’t want to be noticed. She’d turned around and… and…. “I can’t… I can’t remember! It could have been anyone! We were in a crowd.”

“Doctor, you really think someone is trying to trap us?” Rory was purposely pulling the Doctor’s attention from her, seeing her frustration build. She wanted to be helpful, but she couldn’t think. She couldn’t remember. They’d been good… too good. What if it was a trap? Could she take that risk? It was River… her daughter!

“It could be a trap. Plenty of people out there would love a piece of me, and what better way of doing just that than use the daughter of my two best mates? Mind you, it’s an old strategy, but if it works, why shift tactics? Dangle River Song as the bait, and the Doctor comes running, but trap or not… they have no idea who they’re dealing with.” Amy could see the flash of fire in the Doctor’s eyes. He was angry. He made mistakes when he was angry, but she wouldn’t be able to keep him focused this time. She felt just as out of control as he did. Her chest tightened, trying not to think about all the things she’d been forced to forget. Spoilers. “If they want me, then that’s exactly what they’ll get! But first… coordinates!”

The Doctor spun around, facing the console and shoved the card in a slot by the matrix that she could have sworn wasn’t there before. The view screen shifted, blinking in and out as the Tardis made sense of the message. Words repeating over and over again on the screen going sideways and longways, vertical and horizontal. Save River Song. Save River Song. Save River Song. It was all over the screen.

“Save River Song.” Amy’s blood ran cold as her head twisted around, looking for the whisper that filled the Tardis’ console room. “Save River Song.”

“Oh that’s new… audio and holomatrix fused into the card. Coordinates! Find me some coordinates!” the Doctor demanded, stroking the Tardis’ console. “She’s important to you too… please.” The view screen blacked out once more, and then there were numbers. They filled the screen, as complicated as pi, and… negative? “Oh that’s not good… that’s very not good.”

“Doctor?!” questioned Amy, gripping the railing of the Tardis as it rumbled violently. She hadn’t even realized they’d left Trion.

“Ummm… it seems we’ll be leaving our universe again.”

“Wait what?! You mean like a bubble universe?!” exclaimed Rory over the wheezing of the Tardis. “Like that time you took us into another bubble universe and we were almost killed by a living asteroid?! Is that what you mean by leaving our universe?!”

“This won’t be like that! We’re going to E-Space! Been there loads of times! Perfectly fine!” assured the Doctor.

“Is it really?!” questioned Amy, having a feeling she wouldn’t like his answer.

“No I’m lying! Not fine! We’ll have to take the void this time! We’re running low on power and I don’t think getting rid of the pool is going to give us nearly enough! Hold on!”

“Doctor!” Amy shouted, before the Tardis lurched forward and she was almost thrown off the console room’s railing.

“Hang on!” screamed Rory, reaching for her hand to keep her steady.

Lights started blinking, the console erupted with sparks and bits were catching fire too fast for the Doctor to put out the flames. “This is going to huuuuuuuurt!” A sudden jerk and crash sent them away from the console and tumbling below. She hit her temple hard just as the lights went out, and faded into unconsciousness moments later to the wheezing of the Tardis, and screams.

*~*~*

“Please tell me the Tardis hasn’t lost power… Doctor?”

Everything was dark. Or maybe she just hadn’t opened her eyes yet? She could feel gentle hands stroke her face, they were Rory’s hands. Her head on something soft, his lap, she’d know that lap anywhere. “No no… the Tardis is okay. She’s not happy, but she’s endured worse. It’s for River… she’ll endure it for River.”

“But where are we? Have we landed?”

“I think so… maybe… can’t seem to get a visual going, but these are the coordinates from the holocard.”

“I uh… I think Amy’s coming round,” Rory announced just as her eyes opened and she looked up to see that stupid face smiling back down at her. She could wake up to that face for the rest of her life, and she certainly planned to. “Hey.”

Her smile was faint, with the pounding of her head. “That hurt,” she moaned.

“You weren’t out long, but you might have a nasty concussion,” he warned. “Pounding?”

She nodded carefully. “Like a drum solo,” she replied, pulling herself up with Rory’s help. He steadied her when she swayed, and the dizziness overwhelmed her for a bit.

“Maybe you should stay here. You can’t go off for River like this,” Rory pointed out, brushing red locks of hair from her eyes.

“Rory… she’s our daughter. You really think I’d let you two idiots leave me behind?”

“We should at least give you something for the headache!” he insisted.

The Doctor cleared his throat, and their eyes turned towards him as he held out a white and red box. “First-aid box! I didn’t even know I had a first-aid box!” he told them, handing it over the railing to Rory.

Rory smiled, more smug than usual. “You didn’t, but I’m a nurse… and you won’t see me traveling in a mad, blue box without it!” That was her husband. He was always thinking ahead.

He popped it open with one hand and grabbed a pain reliever for her to take. The Doctor passed her some water, and she swallowed down the pills with a grimace, with a bottle of water to wash it down with. Her boys were watching her as if she were the only important thing in the room. She’d have to keep them focused on River, and less on her state of mind. She’d be fine… concussion and all. “So… where are we?”

“The coordinates were negative… hence E-Space. I’d say we’re at the very edge of this bubble universe, and we’ve definitely landed… somewhere. Can’t make heads or tails what it’s like out there. Could be a wasteland… uninhabitable and dangerous! Surely perilous if River’s in trouble,” the Doctor chattered on, barely noticing if they were actually listening or not.

“So what? We just walk outside and see?” Amy offered impatiently.

“Stupidly dangerous!” he replied as if the very thought was offensive to him. A flash of a smile, and he bounced to the door like a kid on a sugar high. The door swung open just as Amy caught up.

“Not sure you should be running with a concussion!” Rory argued apprehensively.

“Oh, shut it! I’m fine!” she replied as she stumbled outside into a… forest? A dark forest. She could barely see.

“That’s a bit… spooky,” said Rory, one hand on the Tardis as if he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to find it in the thickness of the dark and fog.

“What? Were you expecting fountains and waterfalls?! We’re on a rescue mission… or possibly trying to spring a trap. Still not sure which… either way, such fun!”

“Could you not… I mean, our daughter is in horrible trouble here,” Rory reproached, obviously on edge, and concerned for their lost daughter.

That sobered the Doctor immediately. It was hard to think about… the idea that River Song might actually need their help. She was clever and mad, like the Doctor. Amy’d always thought her a bit invincible… especially before she’d known she was Melody Pond. This woman knew the size of it all… from beginning to end. She’d felt safe with River… even if she hadn’t always trusted her completely. Not her fault really, she was good at keeping secrets.

“Look… Rory, we will find her. We’ll find out what’s been done with her, and I promise you she will be safe,” the Doctor spoke, softer now, with the hope of easing their tensions.

“How can you know?!” Rory questioned. They didn’t talk about it, but Rory cared deeply about River. He didn’t know what to say most of the time, barely knew how to interact with a grown woman who was both his daughter and his best mate from childhood. It was all a bit difficult… timey whimey, and all that stuff that couldn’t be put into words. Nothing ever made sense in her life, and she should have been used to that by now, but she wasn’t.

She could barely make out the Doctor’s face, but she heard him whisper one word. She wasn’t sure why he sounded so sad saying it this time. “Spoilers….”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

Eerie silence in a forest that should be teeming with life; that was never a good sign. She couldn’t shake the feeling like something was very wrong. A forest should never be this quiet. Not even the subtle chirping of a tiny bug to ease the deafness of it all. It made her feel cold despite the sweat collecting behind her neck from oppressive humidity. The sky was almost completely blocked by the tallest trees, but there were patches open to the sky, and a greenish tint made everything feel all the more unfamiliar and alien. There were just a few sporadic stars in the dark green sky that the Doctor called E-Space, and she wondered how small this bubble universe really was.

The dense black made it impossible to see anything properly. “Right! We need torches… Rory, we’ve got some packed away in the control room,” said the Doctor, hands rubbing together as if he was already making plans.

“Where in the control room?”

“It’s in a box… a uhhh… a trunk, I think. Oh fine, I’ll show you!” grumbled the Doctor as he followed Rory back in the Tardis. She almost smiled when his head popped back out. “Amy, no wondering off in the scary dark forest, got it? If River really does need saving, it certainly won’t help if you go off and get yourself killed by… wildlife… or… something.” What wildlife? It was too quiet for wildlife.

“And what am I supposed to do?” Amy asked him, folding her arms. Despite the tremor of her hands, she felt better having the Doctor with her, less afraid.

“Keep… watch.”

“Right… keep watch in the big, dark forest,” she muttered as the Tardis door closed behind him. “I can do that.”

Really, really dark forest. Amy was forced to squint in the hopes of seeing outlines better. The fog made it difficult. It was as if they’d decided to study every bad horror movie ever made and turn it into a planet. Creepy forest? Check. Silent forest? Check. Bit of fog? Check. Any minute an axe murder would come bursting through the fog and she’d be the first unlucky victim. On second thought… best not to think about that. She was feeling edgy enough as it was. River was here… somewhere… in the dark.

“It’s fine… you’re with the Doctor and Rory. Just be… brave… for River,” she told herself. She could be brave. It wasn’t like she’d never come face to face with nightmares. Weeping Angels, weird wooden dolls come to life… and that was just in a weekend. She was Amy Pond. Amy Williams, sometimes. She’d lived in a house with muffled whispers and warnings of a prisoner escape. She’d stared down the cracks of the universe… vampires… and the Silence. This was just a big, scary forest. No sweat.

It didn’t help that she was just standing around. She needed to be useful, get her mind off things. Amy used her hands to keep her from running into anything, straight ahead of her, palms up. Wouldn’t do to get a concussion twice in one day… would surely cause some brain damage or something. Her left hand connected with the rough bark of a nearby tree, and she dragged her palm over the wood, pausing when she felt something different in the bark. Felt like… had someone carved into it? The grooves were deep in some places, and her fingers slid to follow the lines and make some sense out of it.

This had potential. The lines weren’t random. They were carved with a purpose. Letters… someone had definitely left a message in this tree. She couldn’t see, so she relied on her sense of touch instead, following the grooves and compositing a picture in her mind’s eye.

S – A – V – E.

Amy paused. She had a feeling, felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as the word took form in her mind. Could this be a clue? Could it have been River that’d carved the message? Her fingers explored more of the surface of the tree.

R – I – V – E – R.

Just like the card. She was almost certain what she’d find next. Those three words repeated… just like the card she’d found in her pocket. Was someone playing mind games? Was this supposed to help them find River? It felt more like a trap every second, but it couldn’t be… could it? The Doctor’s future was fixed. His death awaited him in Utah surrounded by those he trusted most, and as much as she hated this foreknowledge, it assured her of his safety in the meantime. Why leave a trap for a dead man? It didn’t make any sense.

S – O – N – G.

Amy stepped away from the tree, almost stumbling on roots that’d burst from the ground below her. She didn’t care if it was a message or not. She didn’t like this. The eyes, burning from all sides, her every move. She felt like she was being watched. It was still too quiet, quiet enough to drive someone mad. Why was it so quiet? A forest should never be silent… not like this. She felt hot and cold all at once. Amy couldn’t see a thing, hadn’t a clue where they were, or even whether River was really on this planet. She hoped not. She damn near prayed that she wasn’t. She wanted her daughter safe… in Stormcage… in Luna University… anywhere really, but just not here.

The crack of wood, a twig maybe? Nearby, she was sure. Was someone nearby? Watching in the dark? Amy licked her lips, making fists to keep her hands from shaking. “Hello?” she called out. She didn’t sound as strong as she wanted to.

Then there was noise… louder noise from all sides. She heard it like a scream in the night. It was deafening and sudden, and made her body quake with pain and fear. Her hands clasped over her ears as the sound shook the trees with random notes, screams and laughter, and tones that made her skin crawl. She couldn’t describe it, wouldn’t dare try. It was chaos and dread. It was a muddled mess of musical terror. Whispers in the notes, but she couldn’t make out the words. It was gone just as quickly as it’d come. Amy hadn’t realized she’d dropped to the ground until she peeked through the strands of hair covered over her face. Her breathing was labored, heart pounding. What… what was that? Where had it come from? More importantly… what did it mean?

*~*~*

Rory was busy digging into the Doctor’s trunk of supplies, and switching torches on and off to make sure they were working. Some needed a battery change, it seemed, and he did so when needed. He looked nervous. That wasn’t good. They’d both looked nervous. They’d felt it by instinct. Wrong, wrong, wrong! This planet felt so… wrong. The Doctor couldn’t quite narrow down the feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was like the perception filters… just this unexplainable feeling that something was hiding out of sight… in the dark. It was waiting for them. This was worse than a trap.

“Rory, what could possibly be taking you so long? They obviously work! Go check on Amy! I don’t want her off on her own for very long!” he insisted, while he dropped to his knees under the console and tried to get the sensors working. Green wire to the blue… no wait, the yellow! Oooh that was hot! Don’t touch the red one… wouldn’t want to burst a hole in the bubble universe… that wouldn’t do!

“Right… yeah… just making sure they work… making sure they have fresh batteries,” he explained, confirming his assumptions. The Doctor was using his sonic screwdriver to see in the small hatch under the console, the green light just barely allowing him to work. Emergency lighting was dimmer than usual. He hoped they’d have enough power for a swift exit if need be. “What are you doing over there?”

“We can’t exactly just go wandering off into that forest without some idea of what direction to head in! We need sensors!” he replied, obviously! He couldn’t stand stupid questions.

“Right.”

“Rory?!” the Doctor growled, losing patience, his muscles having gone tense since the moment they’d landed. Why weren’t the sensors working?! Useless!

“Uh… yeah?”

“Big, dark, scary forest. Your wife’s out there… check on her.”

“Yeah… on it!”

He heard Rory walk up the steps, leaving him a torch before he rushed out of the Tardis to check on Amy. The Doctor sighed in relief, returning his focus on his work. He had to find River. They hadn’t a clue what was out there, and he really didn’t want to go wandering about without a plan… even if his plans were usually rubbish. River would have known what to do… or maybe not, if she’d gone and gotten herself kidnapped. How in the world had they managed to get her into E-Space anyway? The Tardis barely managed it, and that was with help from the void. For what purpose? His death loomed in the future. There was no need for traps when he would soon be facing a fixed trap, no escaping that one (well, he was working out a plan for that one). Nothing like looming death to force one to re-evaluate some things. For example, he hadn’t always been fair to River Song.

It wasn’t all his fault, honestly! How was he to guess all those years ago that she was Amelia Pond’s precious daughter? How was he to know just how precious and important she would be (to him) to the Ponds? Only he had known she was precious… or he wouldn’t have told River his name. He had known she was important… or he wouldn’t have spent centuries trying to keep her alive somehow. Knowing she was special hadn’t made it any easier to trust her.

They hadn’t parted on the best of terms last he’d seen her. His fault, as usual. She’d been an older River, a Professor, she’d told him. He’d barely managed to ignore the ache in his hearts when he’d realized how close she was to the Library, let alone hide it from her. He’d started them fighting on purpose. She’d known. He could see it in her eyes as she’d told him off. She said something about investigating Angels in Manhattan, and told him to bugger off when he’d tried to apologize. Damn his pride. He was never good at facing the end… not hers, and certainly not his.

Yet, that’s how he knew River Song couldn’t possibly die here. Not on this planet. Not in E-Space. She died saving him in a Library. That was waiting for her… not this place. If River Song was in danger he’d find her, he’d save her… and somehow, he’d make it up to her. The Doctor was old, set in his ways, but for someone as amazing as River Song… well, he’d match her any way he could. He’d be amazing for her, with her. They’d be amazing together.

“Doctor? Uh… Doctor!”

A spark blinded him momentarily, and he slammed the back of his skull against the console. “Ah! Bloody… what Rory?!” he snapped, crawling from under the console to look up at the man. “What is it?”

Rory’s head was peeking through the Tardis, and he looked hesitant for a moment. ‘ Out with it! You’ve already gone and gotten me to dent my head!’ He kept his thoughts to himself and waited. “It’s uh… it’s Amy. She said she heard a noise… like a song, but… bad.”

“A song? She heard a song in the middle of a forest?” questioned the Doctor in disbelief.

“Yeah, a bad one.” He nodded his head, glancing back at Amy. “She’s a bit… shaken up.”

“I certainly didn’t hear anything,” the Doctor spoke, frowning. “Nothing bad anyways… other than the sound of my skull cracking under this console,” he mumbled. Rory didn’t seem to have heard.

“Neither did I, but she said it was loud… when I walked outside she was practically curled up in a ball on the ground. Also, there’s something else. There’s writing on a tree nearby… same words as on the card. You should probably take a look. It might be a clue… or something.”

“Right! Right! Just give me a minute!”

Rory nodded, and he disappeared back outside. Songs only Amy could hear… and writing on a random tree. Well, that wasn’t ominous. With a sigh, the Doctor reached for his torch, and rubbed the back of his head gentle to ease the ache. Concussions for everyone, or so it would seem! He flipped the switch to turn on his light, shoved his sonic screwdriver in his pocket, and left the console to check on his Ponds. The moment he walked back out from the Tardis he felt it again. Wrong.

His light swung back and forth through the fog till it settled on Amy’s face, blinding her. “Oi! Point that somewhere else, will ya?!”

“Sorry!” he apologized. “Now, what’s this about a clue? I love clues, me… usually lead to more clues, and more clues… and… stuff.”

He could almost see Rory roll his eyes, standing by the tree that Amy’d found. “It’s the same three words as what was on the card. Save River Song. Do you think she was here?”

The Doctor stepped over to the tree to get a better look, careful not to trip on roots and twigs. So… message. It was certainly made in a hurry. The carve work was sloppy. Some letters were carved deeper into the bark than others. Who’d ever left the message was nervous, hands probably shaking. He (or she) couldn’t keep the tool steady enough to keep the message clear. He narrowed his eyes, using his and Rory’s light to see better, while his other hand touched the rough bark to look and feel for answers. “You’d think he or she would have at least thought to make an arrow or something. To save River Song… this way,” he muttered.

“But it’s got to mean something. First the card, and then this? What if the message is embedded in the tree like with the writing on the card?” questioned Rory.

“Rory Pond, I knew there was a reason I keep you around, you brilliant thing!” The Doctor smiled impressed, grabbing Rory and kissing his cheek before he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Rory’s eyes widened in horror, and he could hear Amy laughing behind them as he wiped his face in disgust. Anything to improve the mood. His eyes were focused on readings… strange… very strange. Lifeforms. His screwdriver was detecting lifeforms. He changed the settlings to look for any tech that might have been hidden inside the tree. “I take it back… useless, don’t know why I bother listening to you.”

“Doctor… there’s got to be some reason a person decided to carve this message in a tree! What’s the point unless it’s supposed to mean something?!” insisted Rory.

“There’s nothing in that tree! Nothing at all!” the Doctor insisted, widening his scans to include anything out of the ordinary. Lifeforms… why was it picking up so many lifeforms? Thousands of them. Impossible! There was nothing here! There was absolutely nothing! Just a forest! A forest and the… dark. “Oh dear….”

“Oh… that’s not good,” said Amy, arms folded as she peered over his shoulder. “What is it Doctor?”

He was so thick! He never should have let them outside without sensors! Thick! Thick! Thick! He was a reckless old man, and he’d made a horrible mistake. “Everyone stay very… very still, and calm.”

“Doctor… I really don’t like it when you say that,” Rory muttered, eyes wrinkled in a mixture of concern and alarm.

He shifted the torch to the ground, scanning it carefully. Count the shadows. For god’s sake, if you want to live… count the shadows. His torch passed by Amy and he felt his hearts sink. Anger and self-hatred boiled inside him as he met her gaze. It burned like liquid fire, overwhelmed him till he was dizzy. “Amelia Pond, you’re going to be very brave, do you understand?”

He could see it in her eyes… the panic. She knew something was wrong, could sense it in the way he was staring back at her… as if she were already dead. She was dead. Oh god, Amelia, no! “Doctor… what is it? Tell me what’s wrong?” she asked quietly, far too quietly.

The Doctor could barely speak, already choking on the rage. Guilt ate at him, ripped him to pieces, squeezed and pressed until he was liquid mush. Not Amelia. Not her. “We’ve stumbled into a forest of the Vashta Nerada… and Amy, I’m afraid… you’ve got two shadows.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

“Stay back! Don’t let your shadows touch! You stay away!” The Doctor ordered, authoritively. “We need to stay out of the shadows… somehow….”

“How do you stay out of shadows?! We’re in the middle of a big, dark forest! Everything is a shadow!” Rory argued, glancing between the Doctor and Amy. “What did you mean, about two shadows?! What does that mean?! Why can’t I touch Amy?!”

Amy was trying very hard to breathe properly. She had two shadows… okay, two shadows was bad. Judging by the look the Doctor was giving her, guilt and anger, very bad. She was casting a shadow with the light of the torch, but the other shadow… what was that? What was casting that? She had to think… think, think, think! Two shadows, very bad, and she was pretty sure dangerous too. Her eyes connected with the Doctor, just breathe, be brave. “Doctor… what’s going to happen? I can see it in your face. What’s going to happen to me? Tell me.”

The Doctor straightened, keeping away, eyes roving around them in alarm. “Rory, get back inside the Tardis.”

“What?! No! If Amy’s in trouble, I’m not leaving!” Rory insisted.

So Rory was in danger too? Or the Doctor didn’t want him seeing what would come next. Oh god, was this it? It couldn’t be. They needed to find River. She couldn’t die here and now with her daughter somewhere out there. She’d go kicking and screaming. She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready for this. The Doctor growled in frustration, drawing her back to attention. “Rory, this isn’t the time!”

“Then explain what’s happening… Doctor?”

There! Her second shadow… did it move? Just a faint shift as the light passed over it. Shadows didn’t move on their own. “Doctor,” she spoke, ignoring how unsteady her own voice sounded. “What’s in the shadows?”

“It’s uh… the Vashta Nerada. They live in the shadows. They are the shadows. They’ve latched onto a food source.” Again he met her gaze, apologizing without words. ‘Amelia Pond… I’m so very sorry.’ She’d seen the Doctor look at other people like that… just before he’d mourn them. It didn’t matter that there was denial there too, and just a touch of hope. He knew what was coming. He knew he couldn’t save her.

“Food source?! And Amy’s their food source?!” exclaimed Rory, taking a step forward before the Doctor pushed him back, held him back.

“Rory, we can’t! We can’t get too close! They… they live in darkness and cast shadows in the light. Carnivorous, microscopic swarms that feed on meat… like piranhas!”

“So how do we stop them? Come on, Doctor… there must be something!” Rory urged.

A slight shake of his head, and Amy’s heart sank. He really didn’t know what to do. The Doctor didn’t know how to save her. That was new. Amy’s gaze shifted to Rory, beautiful Rory. “Rory… please, help the Doctor find River.”

He shook his head, refusing to hear it. She had to make him listen. “Amy-”

“I love you,” she told him, a single tear slipping down her cheek. What else was there to say? What else could she possibly tell him? It was what she always said right before the end. She wouldn’t ever stop saying it. With every close call, and every last second… she wouldn’t stop saying those words to him. She loved Rory Williams… all the way to the end. “Rory… go back to the Tardis.”

The stubborn fool. “No! No, no, no! Doctor… think of something!” he screamed, crying harder than she was, just barely keeping his torch steady. “You think of something right now!”

“I… I can’t! They don’t have a weakness! You run, you stay in the light! She’s already got two shadows… it’s too… I’m sorry, it’s too late,” her Doctor stuttered out. Her Raggedy-Man was crying too, eyes focused on her and she could feel the blood rushing through her body, almost hear it surging in her veins. Her head was pounding, making the tears that much easier to fall. Between her tears and the fog… she could barely see anything at all.

“But they haven’t taken her yet… there’s still time! Doctor!” Rory practically begged.

Amy took a breath. “Doctor?”

“Two shadows, I see them… they’ve latched onto a food source, but they haven’t taken her.” The Doctor slipped out his screwdriver, passing it over her near the ground, and flicked his wrist to look at the readings. “They’re just… waiting.”

“Please tell me that’s a good sign… Doctor, please tell me that’s good!” Rory pleaded. Her lungs burned. Why were they burning? The fog was getting thicker now. She strained to see them. “Amy?”

“No… not waiting,” Amy assured them as the shadows continued to move. “Moving… playing.”

“Amy!” the Doctor… her name, uttered with the saddest whisper.

She felt it… like needles against her skin, crossing over her body from below. “Rory!” she screamed.

“No!”

Too dark. She couldn’t see anything now.

“Stay back! Stay back!”

“I can’t… I can’t just let her die!”

“Rory, it’s already too late!”

“No!”

Her skin stung, was set aflame in the shadows, but she couldn’t utter a sound. This was it. Amelia Pond. Consumed by shadows.

*~*~*

There was nothing left. Nothing. No clothes, torn and ripped. No bones, picked of all it’s meat and organs. I’d just been the fog moving around her, the shadows taking hold… and then nothing. She’d been reduced to nothing. The Doctor couldn’t quite be bothered to move. He held Rory tight against him, held him back. He didn’t let go till he saw Rory’s knees buckle. “Amy….”

Rory was sobbing in the silence and the fog. He was shaking and sobbing, and the Doctor was paralyzed. He was standing there stunned, and so completely broken. Not Amelia… not her. They couldn’t wait here to be the next meal. They had to get back to the Tardis. Was River still out there? Was she in the shadows, unaware of what lurked in the dark? Would she be next?

“Rory… we have to go. We have to mo-” the Doctor lost his thought as he turned to see it gone. No Tardis. Just more forest. It was just there. That wasn’t possible. He moved towards where he’d parked it, passing his hand through the air. No contact with the smooth blue wood. Just more fog. More darkness. They were trapped in a forest of shadows and the Tardis was gone. “Rory….” Rory, on his knees, eyes staring at the place where Amy’d once stood. Amy… gone, but everything was gone. Everything. His hearts clamored away in his chest and he tried again. “Rory!”

All he did was turn, his eyes still glazed over with sorrow. “The Tardis…” he whispered.

“It’s gone. Rory, we have to run now.”

“Run where?” So defeated… the boy who waited.

“I dunno, Rory… just… just RUN!” he ordered, grasping the man’s arm and yanking him up. Movement… movement would keep them alive… maybe? They had to keep going! The Tardis was gone, and they had to run. Not every shadow, but any shadow could be deadly. The darkness was moving. The fog was moving. The forest was silent because nothing else was left. They couldn’t stop. If they wanted to live, they couldn’t stop.

*~*~*

Rory wasn’t running. Rory was being dragged. The Doctor had never gripped him quite so hard, never run without purpose or direction. He wouldn’t stop, even when begged to. Rory couldn’t keep up with the Doctor’s pace. He couldn’t think when his mind had gone numb. Disoriented and dazed. Everything was fading around him, a blur of black and lines of light from their torches. Why wouldn’t he just stop? Mud and dirt stained his clothes every time he stumbled. The chill of the air soaked through his pants and skin, directly into his bones. What was the point? Amy.

The Doctor wouldn’t stop. The Doctor wouldn’t even slow his pace for more than a millisecond. His grip on Rory was bruising, cutting into his skin till he was certain he’d lost circulation. It was possible he’d already gone into shock. It was hard to think, but the training loomed in the back of his mind, reminding him of what this was. It was difficult to process anything when he was moving this fast. He heard the crack of twigs, watched trees pass him by as he faltered. Sometimes the Doctor would zig or zag, yanking at him like a lifeless doll, so rough he would surely lose an arm.

His torch lit up the forest, and he had to be dreaming when he saw a flash of white in the darkness… the outline of a person. Rory stalled. “Doctor, no! Stop!”

“We can’t stop! We must not stop, Rory!”

“STOP!” he shrieked, wrenching his arm from the Doctor’s grip with great effort. He dropped to the ground like a brick from the sudden drop of momentum, and watched as the Doctor staggered forward.

“Rory, please! It’s too dangerous!”

He shook his head. He’d fallen backwards into the dense undergrowth of the forest. The plants tickled at his face, and he could still see the flash of white in the dark. The outline of a person. Rory was panting hard, struggling to focus when his mind was shutting down. Amy. He could only point instead, hope the Doctor would understand.

“Rory I…” the Doctor followed his finger, peering into the distance. “What? What is that?”

He couldn’t be certain, his vision wasn’t clear, and his cheeks were stained with dried out tears. Mud soaked further into his clothes, but he didn’t care. Rest. He needed to stop. “Don’t know… saw her… corner of my eye.”

“Her.” The Doctor hesitated, standing over Rory, obviously uncertain. He shined his torch into the fog. “Hello?”

“Help me!”

That voice… it sounded familiar. He’d heard that before… a very long time ago, or not that long at all… depended on one’s point of view. He knew it though. Amy… gone. Rory tried to shake away the cobwebs, focus… why were they here? Their daughter. River Song. She was all that was left now. She was a piece of them. Amy wouldn’t want him to quit. ‘River… I’m so sorry.’

“That’s… that’s impossible! That’s a little girl’s voice,” said the Doctor. “Hello! Are you hurt?!”

Rory rolled slowly onto his stomach, his chest aching from the strain. He was still so out of breath. He felt fuzzy, could barely make out the Doctor over the pounding of his heart and the gasps for air. His palms positioned horizontal to the ground, fingers digging into the dirt, and weak arms straightened as he forced himself to get on his knees. He was filthy now, but there was no time to be concerned with hygiene. “Doctor… know that voice.”

“Help me! Please!” the child cried.

The Doctor turned to Rory, giving him a hand as he struggled to stand. “And I know that face,” he whispered, nervously. He could tell. He wasn’t wrong. The Doctor noticed too.

The two men shined their light into the darkness where the little girl had been standing. She was still there, clearer now. Two auburn braids just past her shoulders, white jammies with ruffled edges. She was just as Rory remembered. Her voice. Her hair. Amy’s nose. His eyes. “Melody!” he shouted, voice rough and worn.

“Help me!”

“No, no, no… that’s impossible, Rory. She can’t be here. We saw her in 1969… in the hands of the Silence! She… she can’t be here!” the Doctor insisted. His eyes were wide and haunted. Was that fear? Real proper fear?

“It’s her… before she regenerated. Doctor-”

“No! Rory, no! I don’t know what’s happening, but that… that can’t be her! We’re hallucinating. The fog, maybe? I don’t know, but that isn’t POSSIBLE!”

Rory wouldn’t hear it. He took a step, and that’s when he heard it. Music so fear-inspiring he nearly dropped to the ground once more. It shattered him. It ravaged through him like a storm, only twice as loud. His hands instinctively protected his ear drums as the chaotic sounds grew earsplitting. He could almost see the trees shake. The Doctor gripped the trunk of a nearby shrub, twice the size of those on earth. He was in pain. This was what Amy had heard… just before she died. Oh god… it hurt. It hurt so badly… and then… nothing.

Rory didn’t dare remove his palms just yet. The forest was silent, and when he blinked, he could see the glare of his torch against the grass. He must have dropped it. Rory followed the light, eyes searching the black for his daughter, but there was nothing. She was gone. All was quiet once again. “She’s gone. She disappeared,” he whispered, his ears still ringing from the noise.

The Doctor swallowed hard, picking up Rory’s torch and handing it back to him. “She was never really there. We’re being toyed with. I feel them… eyes… like we’re being watched.”

Rory turned back to the Doctor, a question on his lips, but he faltered when he saw the Doctor’s hand… a faint tremor. It was colder now… could be from that. Could be. “Doctor… what is this place?” he finally asked, still holding onto the hope that the Doctor knew something… anything to ease his mind.

“I wish I knew.”

More questions on the tip of his tongue, but he paused the moment he felt it… a single rain drop against his cheek… and a whisper too low to be understood, but he knew the voice. “Did you hear that?” Rory asked. He turned, trying to locate the origin. Another drop against his shoulder. Another whisper. ‘Rory,’ it said. “That was Amy… that was Amy’s voice.”

The Doctor frowned, shaking his head, ready to insist it wasn’t real. A drop of rain hit the Doctor, slipping down his bangs, and his eyes widened. “Adric?”

“What? Doctor, what do you hear?” More drops. More rain. More whispers. Amy! Every time the rain came down, Rory could hear Amy….

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

They were drowning in the rain. That’s what it felt like. The more the rain fell, the less the voices whispered… and the more they screamed. The fog grew thick till they could barely see even with the light of their torches. It shifted like a ghost in the dark, with faces and eyes of the dead and long lost. The Doctor tried not to look. He was desperate not to see, but they would not be ignored or forgotten.

‘DOCTOR! Doctor! DOCTOR!’ Adric’s child-like smile in the fog, a question on his lips. ‘Why did you let me die for nothing?’ He saw all of them. He saw the ones that grew old. He saw the ones that walked away. He saw the ones that burned. ‘Murderer! MURDERER!’ Worst yet, he saw River Song… in a spacesuit… whispering his name in the Doctor’s ear. ‘One day you will trust me… completely.’

The fog pressed against them, he and Rory, forcing the Doctor to grip Rory’s arm. “Not real… it’s not real! Just… STOP IT!” he screamed angrily.

Rory, the Last Centurion, anyone else would have broken a long time ago. “Doctor!” he shouted. “We have to go!” More faces in the fog. Amelia Pond, his first face, her hand reached for him, he let go and reached for her. All he felt was bones. They dug into his hand, and cut him skin deep. “Doctor, we’re hallucinating. We’ve got to fight it!”

Hallucinations didn’t make people bleed. It was blood, his blood, that dripped down his fingertips. His eyes were wide in the shock of watching his Amelia reduced to bones and dust. Rory wasn’t gentle when he grabbed that hand, inflicting more pain, but it pulled him back into the present. They ran together, hand in hand, rushing past the thick fog. It wouldn’t give up easy. It pulled at their clothes as if to drag them back into the dirt, back into hell. The rain screamed and cried with all the people the Doctor had ever lost… and millions of children left to burn.

They continued to run, staggering in the dirt and mud, trying to outrun the fog. It was hard to keep upright as the ground shifted beneath them. Uphill… they were going uphill. They scrambled for purchase, crawling if they had too, because the fog wouldn’t stop. It was coming, with a million voices, and so many bitter memories. In the corner of his eye they stood, would lean in with wild eyes. Romana? ‘Having fun, Doctor?! Do you like this body?!’ He shook his head, struggling to continue.

“River?” whispered Rory, frozen and eyes wide as he looked up ahead towards the top of the hill.

The Doctor’s eyes roved over the horizon, but he saw nothing… just more fog. “Rory, keep moving!” he urged. He knew what this was. He’d experienced it once before. The ghost rains, legends of horror to keep the children up, but the Doctor knew this. “KEEP MOVING!”

‘I’m going to the Library… come say goodbye, sweetie!’ The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and pressed on, gripping Rory’s arm when his companion slipped. ‘I went and got married and you just forgot me! You never came back!’ Jo, not real, he never stopped keeping track. ‘Horrible things, Doctor! I can’t bare it!’ shouted Tegan, roughly tugging at the Doctor’s tweed. ‘You made me forget! I would have rather burned!’ No! Donna, no! ‘Is that what you do, Doctor? Tear our world apart and walk away?’ Rose Tyler’s eyes flashed angrily. A gloved hand ripped at his tweed. ‘I’m just like all the others… born to die for the Doctor! River, no… your so much more than that!

They made it to the top of the hill, minds spinning and out of breath. Both men fought to keep going, but they were so exhausted, wet and cold, barely conscious as their nightmares took form before their very eyes. Not even the clever Doctor could fight it. He had millions, perhaps billions on his conscious, and he could never carry that many souls. The rain stung his skin. He barely noticed they were whispering once more. Rory reached for him, his hand dropped an inch from it’s goal….

*~*~*

The Doctor popped up with a gasp. Quiet… the forest was quiet. They’d been unconscious, and he couldn’t be certain how long. He reached for his torch, but it was gone. He’d dropped it most likely, but they were still alive… that was something. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his sonic to take readings. Despite the darkness, he detected no Vashta Nerada in the immediate area. They were safe… relatively speaking. He turned to check on Rory, feeling for a pulse as he looked so horribly pale under the green light of his sonic. Heart beat… weak, but steady.

This rescue mission had gone to hell so fast. It was no wonder River Song had needed saving. This planet was the stuff of nightmares, and River had plenty of those. Thirsty… he was so thirsty. The fog was mostly gone, but he saw it in the distance below them. It’d been smart to move uphill. They’d just barely made it before their ghosts could inflict any lasting damage. Lasting damage… right.

A groan. “Amy?”

His hearts burned, but he’d lost people so many times, and he’d learned how to cut himself off from his grief. He would mourn her properly later. The Doctor twisted towards Rory and gave him a jarring shake. “Rory, wake up!”

Rory blinked several times, eyes roving the area, and the Doctor knew he was looking for his wife. Gone. Nothing left. The recognition and pain flashed in his eyes before he closed them. “We passed out?”

“High ground keeps us safe from the fog… and I’m not detecting any living shadows here.”

Rory nodded his understanding, clearing his throat. He was struggling to keep it together, because they needed to focus on River now… if she’d survived it. No, of course she’d survived. She didn’t die here. “Doctor… what was all that?” Rory asked, looking at his torn hoodie, from the ghosts.

“Ghost rains… living organisms in every single drop. They’re psychic micro-organisms… they latch on to your strongest memories and feed on them. Living hallucinations. Dark planets… they always have rain ghosts, and I’ve been to more than my fair share,” he explained. “Usually they’re just haunting whispers. Somehow the fog amplified them, turned them real. Amazing really… and horrifying.” He tried not to think about what he’d seen, what Rory could have seen. They were nightmares, and there were other things still lurking. He felt the eyes, a continued reminder that they weren’t safe… not nearly. “If we’re lucky… that’ll be the worst thing we face.”

“Lucky?” Rory whispered the word with derision, and the Doctor couldn’t blame him. “Amy’s dead!” The words were meant to sting, and oh how they did. Nothing left. It nagged at them. The darkness left nothing behind. “How much worse can it get, exactly?”

“Well, they don’t call them dark planets for nothing, do they? Not just an expression… dark planet. Not just because it’s only sunny two days out of the year….”

“We can’t just stay here. River needs us. If she’s not dead already.”

“Rory, you can’t think like that. She’s still out there. We can still save her,” the Doctor assured him.

Rory could only nod, looking away, shivering in the cold. The Doctor felt numb, his limbs were stiff. He could only imagine how wreaked his human companion might be… physically. He wasn’t plastic anymore. He was made of bones and flesh, proteins and cells, a different kind of machine. The Doctor wanted him safe. He wanted him safe more than anything in the world… for Amy if nothing else. Gone… why so gone? Nothing was left. It was nagging at him. “If the darkness or the fog haven’t taken her first,” Rory whispered, his voice cracking just a bit.

Oh… oh… of course. The fog. He was so thick. “Oh Rory… I am so… so thick!” The Doctor growled angrily, hitting his forehead over and over again as the word repeated in his mind. “Thick! Incredibly thick! How could I be so blind, you ask?! Because I’m bloody THICK!”

“Doctor! What?! Just calm down!” Rory scolded, gripping his hand so he wouldn’t hit himself.

His eyes were wide, mind swirling with a truth he’d been too emotionally compromised to see at the time. Laughter bubbled from deep within, hysterics and he screamed his triumph to the green tinted sky and the darkness and the fog, mocking the eyes gazing upon him.

“Great… you choose now to go mad,” Rory grumbled in defeat.

The Doctor had to make Rory understand. He had to make it clear to him… explain why he couldn’t stop smiling, why his hearts were beating normally for the first time in hours. “Nothing was left, Rory! Nothing was left of her?”

Rory’s gaze darkened then, dangerous and angry. “Doctor… you cared about her… I know you did, but River’s still out there. We both need to focus. Amy would want-”

He scrambled to his feet, standing over the male nurse with unadulterated glee. “No, no, no… Amy… she had two shadows, and we watched the fog take her! It wasn’t the Vashta Nerada! They leave bones… and torn clothes… all they care about is meat. Yummy, delicious meat! They don’t eat bones! The Vashta Nerada don’t eat bones! They would have left the bones behind, but they couldn’t because nothing was left! She’s alive! Don’t you see?! Amelia Pond is so very much alive, Rory!”

*~*~*

She was dead. Her skin tingled, like ants crawling all over her skin, itching… and tender to the touch. The last thing she remembered… a forest… saying goodbye to Rory. She was always doing that… saying goodbye. A chaotic song. Two shadows. Screaming. “Am I dead?”

“Heavens no.”

Wait. She knew that voice. That was a very important voice. Amy’s eyes flashed opened, but darkness greeted her. She couldn’t see anything… not an outline, not even a speck. Everything was black. “The last thing I remember is dying,” she whispered into the dark, praying she’d hear that voice once more.

She heard the faintest chuckle. “Really? Oh Amy… bless! You’ve been spending far too much time with father, dear.”

“River!” Amy moved to sit up, but felt the press of a hand force her back down into the dust.

“Easy, don’t go knocking yourself unconscious. This space is tight. You can’t sit up here.”

Where was here? Her hand rose to feel around since her eyes would do her no good. Rock above her… less than a foot. If she’d sat up she’d have surely knocked herself out cold. River was nearby, sensed what she’d do, and kept her from injury. That would have hurt. The ground beneath her was rock as well… dust and rock. “Where are we?”

“I’d prefer not telling you just yet.”

“Trying to protect me, are we? Just who is the parent in this relationship?” Amy replied, impatiently. She was in no mood for games, especially from her own daughter.

“Oh mother, you think you want to know, but you really, really don’t.” Amy could hear River’s voice was nearby, but as her arm stretched out, she felt nothing. River had moved out of reach. To her left she felt the scrape of a boot against rock, and a dramatic sigh. “I’m not even sure what you’re doing here.”

“We came to save you!”

“Oh… well done,” River muttered sarcastically. Amy glared into the darkness, hoping somehow River would see it. “Sorry… that wasn’t… meant for you. The Doctor brought you here. He shouldn’t have done that.”

“Where is here?” she tried again.

“How did you even know where to find me?”

River was avoiding her question deliberately. “You answer my questions and I’ll answer yours.” She hated being so childish with her own kid, but she was Mels too… and they’d certainly been childish together a number of times. What else would she fall back on to get what she wanted out of her very stubborn daughter? She could almost see Rory’s eye roll (wonder where she get’s that from!)

“Are we really going to do this here?” questioned River.

“Apparently so.”

River sighed, shifting again in the tight space. “It’s a… well, from what I can gather… a tomb.”

“A what?”

“I used to love a tomb… not so inviting without an exit. This hasn’t been any fun at all. Then again, when has being buried alive ever been, hmm?”

Oh. Okay, perhaps River had been right. She really didn’t want to know. Amy was almost grateful for the black now, so she wouldn’t see just how small it was… a tomb. She was in a… tiny space… underground, and buried alive. That was just ace! “It’s a bit warm in here… don’t ya think?”

“Amy, you’ve got to stay calm.”

Her hands reached up to touch the rock above her. It was cold and heavy, as if carved. Buried underground and in the rock and dirt. “Stay calm?! You stay calm! We’ve been buried alive!”

“Fair is fair… you said if I told you, that you’d answer my question. Focus mother, how did the Doctor know I was here?”

Amy growled, shoving against the rock as if somehow it would move if pushed hard enough. What about oxygen?! Somehow she’d escaped death, and now she’d just been dropped somewhere even more horrifying! “I don’t know! We were on holiday! Got bumped, and there was a card in my pocket. Showed the Doctor.” Her words came out in a rush as she began scooting back and forth to get a better feel of the small space. Was it all rock? There had to be a way out! How was the Doctor going to find them in here?

“A card? You mean like an old fashioned business card?” River probed. She knew what her daughter was doing. She was trying to occupy Amy’s mind. She was trying to take care of the ol’ mum who was currently having a mini heart attack about being buried alive in a god forsaken tomb underground. It wasn’t working!

“Sort of. It had three words on it. Save River Song. The Doctor thought there might be more to the message so he had the Tardis analyze it. Turned out there were coordinates inside the lettering… a message inside a message. We popped off to this stupid bubble universe and there was a forest… shadows… I died and came here.”

A hand slipped up her arm, and pulled it away from the ceiling, linking their fingers. “Amy… it’s okay… really. We’re going to get out of this,” River assured her. Her voice was solid, not an ounce of fear. Amy’d told her once to be brave, and she was… in ways not even Amy could be. Her little melody, wrapped in white linens as she’d told stories about the Last Centurion and a big blue box. That little girl was gone, but never forgotten. She was so… very brave (like Rory).

Amy squeezed her daughter’s hand, nodding in the dark. She took deep breathes and closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus. Her head was pounding… damned concussion. Keep the mind occupied. Distracted. “River… how long have you been here?”

The longest pause. She could hear River breathing nearby, hesitating.

“River, tell me,” Amy insisted.

“Not really certain. The vortex manipulator I used was tampered with. I was given a card with it, probably much like the one you found. A message of three words. The next thing I knew, I was in a forest with all the nightmares you could ever imagine.”

“What did it say? The card, I mean… what did it say?” Amy asked gently, feeling more and more like this really was a trap.

She heard her daughter take in a deep breath, far less solid and sure. “Save Melody Pond.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

“It makes perfect sense! I’ve seen Vashta Nerada feed, and every time… every time when they striped a person’s flesh, they left their bones. Nothing we’ve seen has felt right, and especially not that! The fog… something about the fog.” The Doctor paced back and forth, overwhelmed with ideas and thoughts. Had River faced the shadows? Had she known about the Vashta Nerada then, in the Library? Spoilers…. Didn’t matter really, but it did explain why she’d contacted him in the first place! Amy’s alive! It made sense! It was the only thing that’d made sense since they arrived. “And what’s with the noise?! That noise before it rained. Amy said she heard a noise, and what happens? Seemingly killed by Vashta Nerada. You and I, we hear that noise, and then the rains come in. Why? What does it mean? When it plays something bad happens... like a warning, or a threat!”

“Umm… excused me, could you get back to the part where my wife is alive, for a minute?” asked Rory, one finger raised as if he had a question.

The Doctor pointed to him, smiling with glee. “Alive! Breathing! Somewhere… not sure where. We’ll find her though… and River too!”

Rory shook his head, a tick he had when he was trying to process something. “Sorry, but how is that possible? We saw-”

“Oh, come on, Rory! All we’ve done is see things! This place… you can’t trust your eyes, but you can trust facts! Fact is… they waited. They latched onto Amy and waited. What for? Then it got all foggy and hard to see, so they started moving! There was nothing left!”

He only had one Pond to work with, but they made a good team. He was brilliant, brave, loyal, and he was capable of impossible things… especially when it came to his girls. He’d be brilliant for them. “So what do we do to find them?”

“Aha! Yes! Rory the Roman! The chin and the nose! Blimey… don’t call us that, that’s just rubbish.” The Doctor clasped his hands together, rubbed them frantically as he tried to think. Everything was forest, and he thought it best to keep away from the fog. That meant keeping to higher ground for the moment, but there was no telling what they’d face next. “The key is the chaotic music we heard.”

“If you call that music… nearly went deaf. That sound… it was terrible.” Rory shivered, and ran a hand through his hair. “And what about the Tardis? That’s gone too.”

“Disappeared the same time Amy did. Can’t be a coincidence.”

“Doctor, how are we going to find them? We’ve dropped our torches… it’s pitch black out here.”

Still… what on earth was that? He didn’t answer Rory’s question. He was far too busy with this new puzzle to solve. They were above the fog now. It couldn’t possibly be playing tricks on the mind. “Rory?”

“Uh yeah?”

“Is it really pitch black?”

“Well, I suppose I can see a bit.”

“Torches long gone?”

“We dropped them,” Rory confirmed.

“Then what’s that?!”

Rory frowned, confused, finally turning around to see a flicker of light up ahead in the distance. It wasn’t far off, and it was most definitely fire… it danced. “Could it be River? She might have made camp,” he suggested.

The Doctor smiled. “Only one way to find out….”

*~*~*

Alistair had always hated camping as a boy. It was rubbish. What was the point of living in the 51st century, and then spending vacations de-evolving in some random forest without technology and human comforts? His father used to urge him to learn, embrace it just once. Perhaps he’d learn to love it. He hadn’t enjoyed it then, and he certainly wasn’t enjoying it now. The cold and the dark, and he was utterly useless, but at least he wasn’t alone. He’d probably have died days ago if not for Mia and Jenson. The last member of their group of lost souls was Tom (just as worthless as Alistair felt).

They’d managed to survive because Mia was clever, she’d gotten several doctorates in biology, and managed to find them food and water from the trees and other plant life. Jenson had brute strength and knew enough about building to help them design a shelter. They just needed to stay out of the fog, and keep the fire going. There were bad things about in the forest… shadows and ghosts that no one dared discuss, but they’d all faced the demons lurking in the fog. Joining together had saved them, but not everyone was lucky. On their first day they lost a young girl… Callie. She’d been snatched away by a living plant, carnivorous… Mia had tried to warn her. Not long after arriving they’d met Tom and his brother Rowan who was killed by moving shadows. Nothing but his bones remained. Tom and Rowan had managed to survive almost a week on their own. Rowan had wandered off into the night after Callie.

They took care to watch their shadows, keep in the light of the fire Jenson had made. Tom wouldn’t stop shaking. He’d been the one to witness Rowan’s death, his brother, poor sod. He had a North American accent, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He and Rowan had only been born a year apart, and looked very much alike. He was just barely keeping hold to his sanity. He was no good to anyone… and certainly not to himself. Alistair wasn’t sure how long he’d last.

It was getting worse, though, in the last few hours. Alistair kept watch so Mia and Jenson could rest. Tom never slept, but they certainly couldn’t have a madman watching their backs, could they? “Tom?”

He shook his head, curling into a ball and took deep breathes. “We won’t survive this, you know? We’re just part of the fun.”

Alistair was starting to wish they’d gagged him. “That’s rubbish… there must be a way.”

He shook his head fiercely. “We won’t… the little girl told me so.”

That’s all Tom ever talked about. Tom and Rowan had been on their own for nearly a week before his brother was killed, and both had sworn to have seen a child wandering the forest. After Rowan’s death it got worse. Tom, barely conscious, muttering about a girl with red hair and jammies walking about in the forest… a bunch of nonsense, really. “You’re mad.”

He laughed, manic… still shaking in the cold. “Yeah… I think I am, but it doesn’t mean I’m lying.” Tom lifted his gaze to look at Alistair, certainty in his eyes. “We aren’t alone. They’re watching….”

“Oh dear, did I come at a bad time? I do hope you two were just telling ghost stories around the campfire… love a good ghost story!”

Alistair popped up in a flash, holding the only weapon they had… not much, just the thick part of a tree branch. Two men… strangers in the dark. “Who the hell are you?!”

One of them was wearing a bowtie and a tweed jacket. He looked fairly young, but his eyes promised a different story. “Hello… I’m the Doctor, and this is Rory Pond.”

“Rory Williams… my name is Rory Williams,” the other man insisted.

Tom had been right. They weren’t alone, but he didn’t like this… there being others. Who knew how many? They hadn’t done much exploring since they’d gotten here. It was always night, and they couldn’t risk it when the shadows were out for blood. “How did you get here?! Where do you come from?”

“Well… that’s a bit of a long story. We were on a rescue mission of sorts, but then our ship got taken. We’ve just been… wandering about in search of our friends. Haven’t seen them, have you? Couldn’t miss them! One’s got ginger hair… she’s extremely Scottish… Rory’s wife. The other has wild curls, lots of curves, and can turn your insides into your outsides in less than a minute!”

Rory Williams paused, frowning, and turned towards the man beside him in the bowtie. “Is that really how you describe my daughter to people?”

The Doctor shrugged, smiling wide. “Sometimes I tell people she’s hell in high heels. Not my fault your daughter’s a firecracker! Yowzah!”

“Excuse me, but you two are talking insanity!” Alistair interrupted, angrily. “No one can survive these woods!”

“You did… and we certainly have,” the man in the bowtie pointed out gingerly.

“We’re not without our losses. I don’t care who your friends are… they’re probably dead by now,” Alistair insisted, being intentionally cruel. He didn’t trust these two. He kept his eyes on the strangers, but leaned down to give Jenson a shake nearby. “We’ve got visitors,” he warned.

Jenson popped up in seconds despite the sleep in his eyes, straightening when he saw the two new men. “Who are you?!”

Mia was up as well, having heard the commotion. She remained quiet, and a safe distance from the strangers. The man in the bowtie let out a long-suffering sigh. “I hate repeats. Hello! I’m the Doctor, Rory Williams… the guy with the nose… we mean you no harm. We lost our torches running and saw your fire.”

Alistair watched Jenson smile, though he looked less than welcoming. “What kind of a name is The Doctor?”

The man in the bowtie straightened at that, thoroughly affronted. “What kind of a name is… whatever your name is?” He shook his head and waved away the failed comeback. “Look, we’re just trying to find our friends… perhaps make new ones in the process. No need to be rude, is there?”

“I’m Alistair Graile,” he finally spoke. He still didn’t trust them, but it seemed the polite thing to do. “This is Jenson… Mia… and the madman currently curled in a ball is Tom.”

Tom struggled to raise a hand and wave before curling back in a ball. Very odd fellow…. The Doctor just smiled, as if he saw the mentally ill on a regular. “See? Now isn’t that much more civilized? Tell me, Alistair Graile, love the name by the way! How did you all happen to get here?”

Jenson answered before Alistair could. “We were stolen. One minute we were home, and then we got this package with a bracelet. Put it on, and we woke up here. All of us.”

“No card, then?” questioned Rory.

“Card? What card?” asked Alistair.

“Nevermind that… interesting. Kidnapping random people and dropping them off in a big, dark forest,” murmured the Doctor.

“They watch us die. They enjoy the clever ones,” whispered Tom.

“Shut it!” snapped Jenson.

The Doctor frowned, eyes focused on the madman among them. “Hold on, wait…” he said with a raise of his hand. He leaned down to look at Tom, curious. “Let him speak.” He kept his voice soft, minding his current mental state. “Who are they, Tom? You can tell me what you know.”

The young man smiled (probably because someone was finally feeding into his mad story), his brown eyes reflecting the fire. “She sang a song when the music stopped. The shadows left her alone.” He closed his eyes, whispering words to himself as if it were a puzzle he couldn’t quite understand. “She sang a song… sang a song… the little girl sang a song.”

Alistair could take no more. He’d been through enough and despite his pathetic state of mind… he felt… sorry for him. “He hasn’t been right since watching his brother die, Rowan. His brother had gone off hoping to save someone from our group that’d been left behind. Tom followed after him and witnessed the shadows take his brother. He’s mad, Doctor. He keeps talking about a young girl dressed in white. He says his brother died because they didn’t sing.”

“They didn’t sing,” whispered the Doctor, staring off into the dark with wide eyes. “The shadows left the girl alone because she noticed a pattern? No… not a pattern. She sang because she was scared. What do children do when they’re scared and alone? They sing!” Immediately the Doctor turned to Rory. “The fog was messing with our minds, Rory! It made us see things from our own subconscious, but what if the little girl was real?!”

Rory Williams, the Doctor’s friend, folded his arms thoughtfully. “You mean she might be out there? Doctor, I didn’t want to say anything, but we both saw her. How could it have been a hallucination if we both saw the same thing?”

The Doctor’s hands slapped his cheek, face drained of all cover. “That doesn’t make sense! She was on Earth! She was trapped in 1969 on Earth… and then Melody regenerated and… somehow she ends up here? Taken into the forest, terrified… having just escaped the Silence only to end up in a big, dark forest. But why say ‘Save River Song’? If it’s Melody Pond out there… why use River Song’s name?!”

“Doctor… does that mean my daughter… when she was little… she’s out there alone?” asked Rory.

The Doctor gripped Rory’s shoulders, eyes full of determination. “No… she’s not alone, Rory! We will find her! We will find her… and Amy! I promise.”

Alistair stood curious as the strangers rambled on, having forgotten the group watching silently. Did that mean Tom really had seen a little girl? “I’m sorry… you mean to tell us you saw the little girl in white jammies?”

Rory turned to look at him, and those eyes seemed ancient too… like the Doctor’s eyes. It was as if he’d unlocked a part of himself hidden away. No fear. “That little girl is my daughter. We came here to save her.”

“You came here? On purpose?!” Jenson questioned in disbelief.

Rory stepped past the Doctor, holding Jenson’s gaze. “Have you ever been a father?” Jenson shook his head. “Then you couldn’t possibly understand.” He turned back to the Doctor, dismissing Jenson completely. “That means going back into the fog. If we aren’t killed by the Vashta Nerada… or the Rain Ghosts, it’ll be something else.”

The Doctor’s smile was wide, filled with confidence. “Rory… haven’t you been listening? You’re daughter managed to survive god knows how long in that forest without light or shelter… wandering around in her jammies! So what’s a little girl to do when she’s all alone in the dark, hmm? See that is why I keep telling you all… never grow up!” He pinched Rory’s cheek in excitement, staring him down. “Rory Williams, when the music starts and she’s terribly afraid she does the one thing that makes her feel better! She does the one thing to fill the silence and the dark. She SINGS! And so must we!”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

“You’re not really stupid enough to go back into the fog, are you?!” exclaimed Jenson, horrified. Alistair shared his sentiments. Had they no sense of self-preservation?

Rory Williams didn’t seem to be paying them any attention. “So we’re just going to sing our way to Melody? Any particular song? Does the fog have a preference? Perhaps it fancies the classics… maybe a bit of The Beatles?” he questioned, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Doctor’s face fell, giving his companion a frustrated glare. “It’s a fog. It doesn’t have a preference! When the music starts I just need to have my sonic analyze the frequency and emit a noise it will accept. Melody probably has no idea she’s saving her own life every time she sings. It’s possible whatever songs she sings have just been in sync with whatever it is controlling the fog. We find that frequency, and we’ve got a way to protect ourselves from the danger. The shadows come after the music does, which means the Vashta Nerada are being controlled, Rory… by someone or some thing.”

“So, that’s a ‘no’ on The Beatles then?”

Alistair had been listening to the Doctor’s explanation. Madman or not, he actually seemed to understand this place. He had a plan, at the very least, which was better than just trying to survive. “You said you have a ship?”

“Alistair, you aren’t really contemplating going with them, are you?” Mia questioned voice deeply troubled.

He glanced back at her with the most encouraging smile he could muster. Where Jenson was strong, Mia was kind. He’d taken to her almost immediately, though she was far older than he. What would a woman like that ever want with a child? It did please him that she worried, but he knew better than to think he’d ever have a chance. “We can’t stay here forever. I’ll go with them. You and Jenson should remain here to look after Tom. If I help him find his ship we all go home.”

Mia shook her head. “Yes, but the risk-”

“It’s worth the risk,” Alistair maintained. He was useless to them anyway, and feeling entirely too restless. He wanted to go home… or die trying to get there.

Jenson dropped a heavy hand to his shoulders, forcing him to turn around. “If you go, we should all go. We’ve stuck together this long.”

“You’re all welcome to go, of course,” the Doctor assured them.

Alistair met Jenson’s gaze, touched by the concern. “And drag Tom back through that hell? No… it has to be me. You’ve got to stay and protect them.”

Mia turned him back around with the softest smile, gently kissed his cheek, and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. “Just… be careful, Alistair. We’d hate to lose you… you’re oh so clever.” He shivered as her lips touched the shell of his ear, watching stunned when she backed away with a secret smile.

“I’ll be careful… and I will come back for you both! I promise,” he assured them. He gave one last look at Tom who seemed to be crying. Tom met his gaze, but it felt different this time… like he was looking past him, or inside him… seeing something no one else could. He said nothing (for once), but the man looked terribly sad. Alistair tried to look self-confident, and forced a smile. “Rowan would want you to stay safe. If sanity is beyond you… at least try and remember that.”

“Right! Back into the fog! Just me and the boys,” said the Doctor with extreme enthusiasm considering they would possibly be facing a horrifying death in the shadows and fog. “Geronimo!”

Rory gave Alistair an apologetic look. “Sorry about him… he’s a bit ridiculous.”

*~*~*

It was strange how morbid one’s thoughts could get when slowly dying in a closed off tomb. The darkness made it impossible to assess her situation accurately, and she found herself wondering how River Song had managed on her own. The woman seemed remarkably confident despite having been trapped for nearly a day. Amy supposed there were very few things that could scare River Song.

When she was younger, and unaware of who River was to her, she’d admired that about the woman. The first time they’d met as Amy Pond and River Song it’d been during the crash of the Byzantium, facing a crack in the universe and weeping angels. Doctor River Song had been brilliant, strong, daring, and sexy (not the kind of thing she wanted to think of her daughter, but she hadn’t known then). When she called, the Doctor came… like a loyal (but reluctant) puppy. Heel boy! Now that was a laugh!

This one now… wasn’t quite that River Song yet… or maybe she was? “You never told me where you are… I mean, when you are,” Amy noted.

“Hmm… suppose we didn’t settle that, did we. Must be more careful about that. Where are we for you?”

“We met a boy named George recently. He was being terrorized by these monsters in his cupboard. Turned out the kid was an alien.”

“Oh yes, a Tenza! I pop in for visits from time to time, for the Doctor. Puberty can be quite a headache for someone with psychic powers like his. He’s got a girlfriend.”

“A girlfriend?!” Amy repeated, surprised. He’d been so young when she’d seen him… less than a week ago.

“Or a boyfriend. In fact, he or she might also be an alien. Can’t be sure. Was a busy day. Get’s hard to keep facts straight in your head, hence the diary,” River explained. Amy could hear scrapping against the wall nearby River. She’d been making the noise for nearly an hour. She’d claimed to be testing the integrity of the tomb. Amy had a feeling she was doing more than that. “Was just me and the Doctor before this happened. Went out for karaoke with Jim The Fish. Must have been a good night because I can’t remember half of it. I think we taped some of it… hopefully it was strictly of the karaoke. The Doctor get’s a bit handsy after cocktails.”

Amy couldn’t help but laugh, despite her daughter’s disturbing need to ‘over share.’ They had the most ridiculous relationship sometimes, and she rarely knew what to make of their conversations. This wasn’t just her daughter. This was Mels. Her best mate! It was all so complicated and timey whimey. Nothing in her life ever made sense anymore… it never really had. Poor Rory handled it worse than she did. “You realize you just came dangerously close to telling your mother about your active sex life, yeah?”

There was a long pause before River responded. “I see your point. Flirting isn’t off the table, though, is it? It might be a bit fun once I start seeing versions of you three in your younger days.”

Is this important flirting?! Cause I feel like I should be a little higher on the list right now?! “I would protest, but somehow I doubt that would stop you two.” River hadn’t done 1969 yet, Amy was fairly certain; which meant she hadn’t seen the Doctor die. Time travel… it was almost impossible to keep it straight in her head. She’d thought it best to start a diary of her own not long after Demon’s Run. It helped, sometimes, to get it all down on paper. The writing made it easier to absorb the conflict she felt whenever faced with River Song. “You haven’t… you haven’t been to 1969 yet?” She just wanted to make certain.

“Well… in a way, I have.” There was a long sigh, and movement. Amy got the feeling River had turned to face her even though they couldn’t actually see each other’s faces. “I was so little then… so afraid. Afraid of the Spaceman.”

A shiver ran down her spine as Amy remembered that moment with the Silence, her child trapped in a suit, and she hadn’t even known. It felt like ages ago now. She’d watched the Doctor die, and then they’d gone back in time. She’d shot at a strange girl that’d turned out to be her own daughter. She was still so glad she’d missed. “I saw a picture frame of you picking flowers. You were wearing a black jumper and your hair was pulled back with a thin headband.” ‘And then there was me holding a baby in my arms,’ Amy thought to herself.

She could tell it was hard for River to talk about those times. They’d shared memories together when River was Mels, but little Melody Pond… she’d been all on her own. “I never understood the pictures. Most days were so cruel and ugly, but then there’d be such hope in the sunlight. It got hard to look at them after awhile… not even the one of you.”

Amy shifted onto her side. Despite the dark she could imagine River’s face. She could imagine the pain hiding in her eyes. Mothers were supposed to protect their children. It was hard to face the facts that told her she’d failed. “You found us, though… as Mels.”

River’s laugh was faint. “I know it’s a bit silly, but I used to have this dream of father holding me and telling me I was safe. You tucked my hair behind my ear, kissed my forehead, and told me to be brave. So I was.” Amy smiled. Maybe she hadn’t been so rubbish after all.

She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt a tear drop down her nose and into the dirt. Their ‘moment’ didn’t last long. Another tear slipped down her face, and as it followed the first to the ground, both women felt the tomb rumble. “River? What was that?”

“Nothing good… I can assure you of that,” River replied, the concern in her voice crystal clear.

Again it shook, the ground beneath them shifting as part of the ceiling began to cave in. “River!” screamed Amy as she rolled away, hiding her face from the dust and debris. Rocks from a previously smoothed ceiling tumbled down between them, ripping them from each other cruelly and closing off their space. The violent shaking of their tomb ended just as quickly as it had begun. Coughing as the dust reached her lungs, smaller rocks crumbling against her back. Amy waited for the tomb to steady before shouting. “River?! Can you hear me?!”

No response.

*~*~*

“We’ll lose the fire if I don’t find a bit more wood to keep it going,” Jenson noted with a tired sigh. He hadn’t gotten much rest while Alistair was keeping watch, but with him gone, he would need to take the next shift. He might as well collect the wood now while everyone was up and awake. “Mia, watch after Tom. I’ll be back,” he assured her.

Mia quirked an eyebrow at his request, glancing wearily at Tom. She didn’t much trust him since he’d lost his marbles. Jenson couldn’t blame her for that. He barely tolerated the man, but it would do no good to abandon him to the shifting shadows. Mad or not… he was still a life worth preserving. “He just lies there in a ball… in the dirt. I think I’d rather us stay together.”

Jenson knew they were all on edge. How could they not be? They were trying to survive in the dark on a forest far from home, and he was fairly certain the Doctor might be their only way out. Alistair had been right to insist they stay behind, away from the dangerous fog. They’d lost enough people. He only hoped that ridiculous man in the bowtie wasn’t as daft as he looked. “I’ll only be a second, Mia. When I get back I’ll take watch.”

Mia hesitated, but finally gave him a nod. She took a seat across from Tom, eyes trained on him as if he’d snap and cut her head off any second. He was certainly mad, but he’d yet to turn violent. “Just… hurry back, will ya?”

He flashed her a warm (hopefully comforting) smile. “Back before you know it!”

Their camp was perfectly chosen. A large boulder shielded one side (where Tom was curled), with long wooden planks added on both sides and overhead in case it were to rain. He passed the boulder and walked the clearing to reenter the small bit of forest nearby. He held a torch in one hand, pointing it ahead of him as the fire burned and lit his way. Finding wood was difficult in such a damp forest. It needed to be dry in order to burn, which usually meant having to do a little climbing as nothing below was ever dry enough.

The silence was unnerving, but hearing the snap of a twig was ten times worse. Noise echoed, and his ears were hyper aware when he was being followed. Jenson stilled, passing the torch back and forth as he tried to peer into the dark. He was not alone. “Hello?”

SNAP!

Definitely not alone. He should have taken Mia on her offer not to separate. Jenson turned towards the noise and saw a flash of white in the dark before it disappeared behind a tree. No… could it be? “Hello?!”

Eyes peeked from behind the tree, blue eyes. The fire’s light bounced off the red of her hair, and he was left speechless in the sight of the little girl in white jammies. “Have you seen them?”

“Seen… who?” he asked, still too stunned to comprehend what he was seeing. It couldn’t be… but it was! It was her… just as Tom had said. The girl that sang in the dark. Wasn’t this the child the Doctor and his companion were searching for? They’d left nearly half an hour ago, but there had to be a way to catch up with them!

“The man in the bowtie and… and… my dad,” she clarified, still peeking from behind the tree, as if it could protect her from Jenson.

He kept his hands clear to her view, trying not to look threatening. “Yeah actually… I have. You’ve been on your own awhile, yeah?”

She nodded.

He could only imagine what she’d been through, the poor girl. Rory Williams’ words repeated in his mind. ‘ Have you ever been a father? Then you couldn’t possibly understand.’ Jenson may not have been a father, but he had seven younger brothers and sisters that he’d helped his mother raise. It wasn’t something he liked to dwell on, but it occurred to him how precious this child was… a miracle, really. “A friend of mine is with them looking for you. If you come with me we could find them together.”

She seemed to be considering it when he heard the scream. Jenson’s stomach dropped as his head turned towards the shriek that could only have come from another man… could only come from Tom. His head whipped back to the girl, but she was gone. Even as he passed his torch, rushed towards the tree where she’d been… he saw no sign of her.

“Dammit!” he cursed, rushing back towards the camp site as quickly and carefully as he could. Mia and Tom could be in trouble! He never should have left. Adrenaline gave him quite a boost as he cleared the forest and made it back to the boulder that had become their sanctuary. “Tom! Mia!” He turned the corner and saw it… a creature in the dark. Pale skin and claws, hovering over Tom as he cried out. “No!”

The thing turned to face him, and his shock propelled him backwards till he tripped and hit the ground hard, dropping his torch. Those eyes… Mia’s eyes, but… not. Her smile was cruel, with pointed teeth stained red with blood. Her skin, like that of a serpent, and claws as sharp as a knife. “We like them clever,” she whispered to him with each threatening step.

His heart slammed against his chest, and he struggled to push off and away from her in the dirt. “Mia?”

“What a shame… didn’t you know? You must never wander alone in the dark!”

Jenson screamed as she advanced, but it was already too late. His body was torn and ripped in seconds, and he watched his blood seep into the dirt. The last thing he heard was music as Tom sang.

“Ashes… ashes… we all fall down….”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

Making the trek down towards the fog had certainly been easier than going up, but took just as long. The ground was treacherously slippery, and they couldn’t completely see even with the medieval torches they’d designed using some of Jenson’s fire and sticks wrapped with cloth for kindling. Balance wasn’t really Rory’s strong suit, although at least, he’d gotten to be quite exceptional with the running since meeting the Doctor. That was a plus, he supposed.

Alistair kept close to Rory, eyes shifting between the two curiously. He seemed especially cautious of the Doctor, not that Rory could blame him. Hadn’t he felt the same when they’d first met? He was a whirlwind of activity, impossibly clever, incredibly straight-forward, with not an ounce of any real humility (well… it was certainly debatable). He played with forces beyond Rory’s complete understanding, but he was still just a man… a wonderfully terrifying man. The Doctor was too busy fiddling with his sonic, passing it back and forth in his search for lifesigns (human and the living shadows), to notice Alistair’s concern. “Is he for real?”

It was a valid question. “I’m not quite sure how to answer that.”

“The bowtie?”

“Bowties are cool!” cried the Doctor, suddenly, and both men jumped. His eyes remained focused on his sonic screwdriver.

Rory resisted the urge to retort. He didn’t like wasting time in an ongoing argument as old as time itself. Besides, it wasn’t like Rory was the ‘king of fashion’. Since getting married it’d become ever more clear that Amy was much better at dressing him than he was. “It’s best if you just go with it. Believe it or not, we’ve been through much worse than this. Running with the Doctor… it’s sort of the greatest story you’ll ever tell… if you survive it.”

Alistair was obviously quite young. He couldn’t have been that much older than Amy and Rory when they’d first started traveling with the Doctor. No more than twenty, and no less than sixteen… seventeen, maybe? He seemed far less scared than Rory had, but appearances could be deceiving. He probably had parents worried about him by now. Somewhere beyond the stars there were a mother and father waiting for their boy to return, and they didn’t have a clue if he ever would. Becoming a father changed one’s perspective drastically. The clouds of people he’d met in his travels had faces, friends, family, and lives waiting for them. Some would never come back. Some would just never be the same. He’d been lucky enough to be the second one.

“How old are you, Alistair?” he finally asked.

Alistair lifted his gaze to Rory for just a moment as he navigated his way down a particularly rough part of the incline. “Eighteen.”

Eighteen. He’d just barely lived. What if he didn’t survive? He was just a kid! Rory knew he shouldn’t think like that, but it seemed inhuman not to. This young man was fighting for his life on the most dangerous planet he’d probably ever been to. “Eighteen… you got a girlfriend, Alistair? Or a… you know… a boyfriend?”

Alistair shrugged, helping Rory down the same incline. “Not really. Most girls don’t pay much attention to me, I guess. I don’t blame them. I’m not especially interesting.”

“Well, neither was I, really… and I ended up with the most beautiful woman in the universe,” Rory remarked thoughtfully. “Still not quite sure how I pulled that one off.”

Graile smiled at that, looking a bit more at ease. “I think I know.”

Rory wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but he let it go as he watched Alistair walk ahead. They were reaching the edge of the forest below, where the fog had grown thick, but at least it wasn’t raining. He wasn’t sure he could endure that again. “Doctor… find anything yet?”

“Well… I can tell you there’s definitely lots of lifeforms in the area, but I’m pretty sure we want to avoid most, if not all of them. They don’t seem affected by our presence. They aren’t on the move. My sonic has been programed to start the frequency algorithm the moment we hear the mysterious music that signals danger.”

“What if it never happens? What if we never hear it?” asked Alistair.

“I’m quite confident it will. Whatever’s happening here… it’s not completely without reason or rhyme or Melody Pond wouldn’t have lasted this long on her own. Getting to her might be a bit of a challenge though, if I can’t separate these lifesigns clearly. Not to mention the fact that I’m not getting any readings that indicate where my Tardis is! It could be anywhere on this planet!”

“But what if-” Alistair never finished his question as his foot slipped on a patch of mud and he just barely kept on his feet. “Blimey!”

Rory helped steady him, and glanced over at the Doctor. It was getting harder to see him in the fog. It was so thick. “Doctor?”

Screams. Everyone stopped as they heard it… but before they could react the music came. It came just as sudden and loud as before, forcing everyone to grimace and clasp hands over their ears. It felt especially piercing this time, and the fog grew impossibly thick. Rory closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind even as his heart pounded against his chest. This was what they’d been waiting for… the moment they’d see if the Doctor’s sonic could really unlock the secret to safe travel in the forest. He could see Alistair drop to the ground, and tell he was groaning in pain, though he certainly couldn’t hear it over the chaotic sounds penetrating his ear drums. ‘Relax… this is what we were waiting for,’ he told himself.

And so Rory waited. He waited for the end… and end it did. The silence returned, and their panting echoed in the dark. They’d dropped the torches again, the fire was going out. Rory grabbed his quickly, encouraging the flame with a gentle blow. Beside him Alistair did the same. The Doctor, however, was occupied. “Right… just need to adjust for any distortion… background noise… filtering… aaaaand, YES!”

He flicked his wrist as the sonic’s tip opened, the green light shined, and a series of beeps and hums filled the air. The mechanical tune was far from pleasant, but certainly better than what they’d heard before… a definite improvement. The sonic repeated the tune several times before the Doctor cut it off and turned back to face Alistair and Rory. “Now we wait to see if something tries to kill us.”

Alistair frowned. “That’s… encouraging.”

Rory let out a sigh, hyper aware of the current dangers possibly lurking. “Are the shadows moving?”

The Doctor once again checked his readings and frowned. “No movement… that’s a good sign. Oh look at that… the sonic’s worked… possibly. Let’s keep moving just in case.”

Rory was in full agreement of that. They sped up their pace as they reached the end of the incline, not quite a run, but certainly close enough. The lack of action in the forest was almost as unnerving as the blast of music they’d heard. The question hung in the air as to whether the sonic’s mathematically configured tune had worked. Did it really mean they were safe if nothing happen? The forest grew dense around them and Rory could see Alistair’s breathing grow more rapid with each step. He moved closer to the young man and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Easy… we’re okay. It worked… right Doctor?”

“Hmmm? Oh yes… must have. We’re not dead yet.”

It was slightly aggravating when the Doctor failed so miserably at reassuring others. “See? It’s fine.”

“Does anyone else feel that?” the Doctor asked, turning around to look back at Rory and Alistair.

“Feel what?” asked Rory.

The Doctor’s barely noticeable eyebrows wrinkled, and he flicked his sonic to check readings. “Feels a bit cold… and the ground… it’s moist.”

The ground had felt a bit strange since they’d reentered the forest, but Rory had been too busy waiting for possible death to pay much attention. “Maybe it rained?” he offered.

“No… not rain. Something… something is definitely off. Not good… very not good.” The Doctor moved to take another step towards him when he stalled, looking down. “Ohhh.”

Rory quirked an eyebrow, suddenly worried. “Doctor? Please tell me your little sonic frequency… thing… worked.”

He looked especially pale, eyes widening as he peeked through the strands of hair that’d fallen over his eyes. “Rory?”

“Yeah?”

“Step back….”

Rory knew that voice. Something bad was about to happen. “Doctor… wait… but it worked! It’s not the Vashta Nerada!” He couldn’t watch that again… even if Amy was possibly still alive.

“No, no… not them… but… possibly worse.”

“Doctor?” questioned Alistair in alarm.

They didn’t have a chance to ask any more questions. In a matter of seconds, right before Rory’s eyes, two vines snapped around the Doctor’s wrists to restrain. The ground opened around him so suddenly that Rory and Alistair just barely managed to stumble back in time before they could be devoured. The last thing Rory saw was the look of panic on the Doctor’s face as he was being swallowed up, with the roar of the creature that’d been hiding silently in the mud.

“No!” Rory screamed, gripping a nearby tree as the earth rumbled and roared. Just like that! The Doctor was taken from them in the blink of an eye… and any hope of finding the Tardis with it.

“That… that’s the thing that took Callie! Rory! It ate the Doctor!” cried Alistair, terrified. “What do we do?!”

Rory met his gaze, and looked back down while the ground settled… still and silent once again. “I uh… uh… I don’t know.” Bloody hell… they were all going to die in this forest.

*~*~*

She was an archeologist. She was used to digging. Despite the restlessness of her Time Lord hearts, she’d learned how to be still, how to wait… she’d been doing it all her life. It was possibly a family trait. Amy was somewhere past the cave in of rocks and debris, and she couldn’t hear her. Please be alright. Please be alright.

River reached for another rock, shifting on her back to angle herself just right when she felt the jolt, and the ground shook once more. NOT AGAIN! She’d thought she’d prepared for the sharp pain of rocks against her body, but something soft hit her instead, forcing the air from her lungs.

“Holy… Hannah! That smarts!”

Oh no. “Doctor?!”

“It ate me! I’ve never been eaten before… well… wait… yes I have… several times… but, ow!”

“Doctor!” River yelled with eyes wide as he pressed into her awkwardly. She was desperate to get his attention before he made their situation worse.

The Doctor paused, as if finally realizing who he’d ‘landed’ on. “River?!”

“Doctor!”

“RIVER!”

Arms wrapped awkwardly around her in the small space, and River struggled for oxygen, shoving him away. “Get off me, you sentimental idiot! That hurts!”

The Doctor stilled, finally noticing their current position. She was pinned, with her back pressed into the dirt, and him directly on top. “Oh… sorry, dear… but um… I seem to be stuck in this position. Not a lot of wiggle room.”

River groaned, dropping her head back against the ground of her very small tomb. This would be an ironic death, indeed. There’d certainly been times she’d suspected she would die with the Doctor on top of her, but they were usually wearing far less clothes at the time. “Just… just try not to move. It was hard to breathe enough as it was!”

“River… what the hell are you doing here?!”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“What is this? Are we underground? A tomb? Who puts living people in a tomb?! This planet is absolute rubbish!”

River tried her best to keep a firm grip on her sanity as the Doctor squirmed over her, refusing to keep still, and pressing boney bits of him into her cruelly. If she had the space she would have slapped him a long time ago. “This tomb is unstable, Doctor,” she warned him. “It’s already collapsed once. I’d prefer if you didn’t cause more debris to fall with your… oh for god’s sake… STOP MOVING!”

“I’m dead… I was eaten by some weird plant thing!”

“No Doctor, you’re quite alive, but you won’t be in a second if you don’t keep still,” she growled.

“River, you haven’t happened to run into Amy while being buried alive, have you?”

“I was getting to that.”

“So you have?!”

“There was a cave in… I’m trying to get to her,” River explained, grunting as he shifted over her once more.

The Doctor whooped for joy, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Right! Yes! We’ve got to get to Amy… and Rory… and perhaps save your childhood… but we’ll worry about that later. Can you grab my sonic? I can’t reach!” River rolled her eyes, processing absolutely none of his rambling. She managed to squeeze a hand between them, and felt her lips curl when he squawked in surprise. “River… that’s not my sonic.”

It probably wasn’t the best time for this sort of retribution, but River was most certainly covered in bruises with all the elbowing the Doctor had done when he’d been transported on top of her. “Hmm, are you certain? Certainly feels like it might be useful.”

“R-River… I can assure you. That is not my sonic screwdriver,” he sputtered, and gave way to a shudder as she squeezed viciously. Perhaps next time he would listen when she told him to remain still… for once.

“Oh trust me, honey… it screws just fine,” she whispered into his ear teasingly. Revenge. It was divine.

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

Right… so… the Doctor was gone. Possibly dead, though Rory doubted it considering the fact that he was supposed to die in Utah. That meant that maybe he’d gone where ever it was that Amy had gone. If the Doctor was with Amy, then Rory was certain he’d protect her. In some ways this was a relief. Sure, there was the fact that he and Alistair were in danger, with no way of detecting Vashta Nerada… but Amy could be safe. He almost preferred this… that is, if the Doctor wasn’t dead.

“I never should have left Jenson and Mia,” said Alistair. “We’re going to die out here.”

Rory shook his head, trying to clear his mind. What would the Doctor do? He would solve this. He was good at solving impossible riddles. It took time, but he always figured it out. He would realize something mad and clever and… and clever… the Doctor would be clever. His head snapped up as he looked at Alistair. “Tom said something back at camp. What was it? He said something about being clever! ‘They watch us die’.”

Alistair let out a frustrated sigh; not following Rory’s thought process. Instead, he was carefully eyeing the area where the Doctor had been swallowed up, but Rory needed him to focus. They were on their own now. They had to figure this out. “I dunno! He always says that. He’s been saying that since Rowan. He told them both not to wander off… said it was dangerous for them to be off on their own.”

“They enjoy the clever ones!” Rory shouted, his brain making the connections. The Doctor wasn’t always the worst influence in the world. Sometimes he made a person better… inspired them to be more. He’d learned so much from the Doctor. He’d learned from Amy. He saw things that others didn’t. He noticed things that other people missed. It was about survival when traveling with the Doctor. He knew how to survive the worst. Usually his deaths were chosen, never quite without his permission. He could do this. He could survive this. “Don’t you see?! Who is they?! The Doctor kept insisting that he felt like we were being watched. I’ve felt it too! So what if we are?!”

“Of course we are. This forest is filled with dangerous creatures!” Alistair groaned, throwing his hands in the air as if defeated.

“No, I mean by something else! What if this is all a test? Testing our responses, our reasoning skills… watching to see if we can solve the riddle. Solve it and you live… and they’re willing to preserve the clever ones… but if you fail completely… then… they let you die. It’s like a game with several different levels. But to what end? Why do we need to be clever?” Rory rubbed his face, mind ablaze with new ideas and theories. “My daughter is surviving through instinct! She’s passed their test so they leave her alone. Some of us… some of us are still being tested. We’re not quite there yet, but they’re impressed. It could be why they preserved Amy… and maybe the Doctor too.”

“So what? Callie and Rowan were too stupid to be saved?!” Alistair questioned in disgust.

Rory paused, realizing what he was saying. How cold he sounded. “No… no, that’s not what I meant. They… didn’t understand they were being tested. What happened to them was wrong and cruel. Whoever is running this test, they’re evil… they’re the purest form of evil. They allow this to go on. Maybe they even enjoy it, I don’t know.” It was difficult to imagine the kind of person capable of taking pleasure in another person’s pain, but he’d seen it often enough. The universe was filled with such darkness… but light always shined in the dark. There was always a burning star to remind them all why it was worth saving. People like Alistair. Rory walked over to him, dropping a hand to the young man’s shoulder. “We’re going to solve this.”

“Not even the Doctor could solve this. He’s possibly dead! What makes you think we could do any better?”

Rory held his gaze, determined to give Alistair some hope. “Because… you and me… we’re clever.”

*~*~*

He was attempting to behave, find some sense of control despite the desires awakened in her presence. It was a tough position to be in (between a River and a hard place… he’d take her over the rock any day). The Doctor’s screwdriver allowed enough glow in the tiny tomb to see the area where there’d been a cave in. Most of the rocks were large and solid, as if strategically cut to fall as they had. It was all a game for them. They were just pieces to move around randomly, but to what end? What was the point of all this?

Why hadn’t his sonic worked?! Had the frequency been off? Did they have to actually sing themselves? Was he seeing patterns where there were none? None of it made any sense, and it was so difficult to think with River breathing against his ear sensually. Was she trying to drive him to distraction?

She handled his instrument with expert precision (not a euphemism, although…), and maintained impressive flexibility considering the tight space and his lanky body. Ooh… so flexible. He was trying really hard not to think about what that implied for their future exploits. She’d made it quite clear their relationship had and would be physical… depending on where they were in the time stream (quite the screamer), but he wasn’t there yet. He resisted a shiver, trying to clear his mind of inappropriate thoughts. Good god, it was impossible to focus on anything proper when lying on top of River Song. Right… Amy Pond, cave in… so much to do!

“Doctor....”

“Hmm?”

“It’s obviously going to take me awhile to clear these rocks in my current position, but you could at least pretend to be helpful.”

“I’m trying, but you’re making it very hard,” he complained.

River’s laugh was downright cruel. “Yes, I noticed, sweetie.”

“Difficult! You’re making it difficult!” Ugh, had he turned into a twelve year old?! He was a thousand year old Time Lord, and this was getting ridiculous! He would not resort to this level of immaturity. Yes, he was pressed into all of River’s curves, but she was still just a woman! The woman. What a woman! So many curves… flexible… brilliant… bad, bad girl. Oh no. “You could at least try not to press your… bits against me like that!”

“Sweetie, you are lying on top of me. It’s virtually impossible not to be pressing bits.”

All the blood was rushing from his head. He needed a plan… and blood… preferably above his waste. “I swear, River, this never happens.”

“Wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“Not helping.”

“Wasn’t trying to, my love.”

He watched River expertly shift through the rocks, using the sonic to break apart the larger ones that she couldn’t move. The noise frequency used pierced his ear drums painfully, but it still wasn’t nearly as horrible as that mysterious music from the surface. He only hoped that Rory and Alistair found Melody Pond soon… before their tomb got even smaller. Still, that would certainly kill the mood. He could use a good mood killer.

“You could try thinking about something else… I mean, other than my bits.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes, terribly cross with his current state of attention. “River… oh, shut up.”

“Just a suggestion.”

“Well, it’s a terrible one.” River was enjoying this. She liked watching him suffer. Reduced to the mental state of a child in the throes of puberty, and desperately trying to control humany urges. “I’m better than this.”

“Obviously not… quite flattering for me though. Who knew I had such an affect?”

It occurred to him that she really hadn’t expected him to be so… physically aware of her, and immediately frowned. “Of course, you would do this to me! You’re River Song! Hell in high heels! Never could resist a bad girl, but you take the cake! Oooh cake! I jumped out of a cake once. Not as much fun as I thought it would be, then again I was telling your father that his future wife had just snogged me.”

“I thought the point was to turn you off… not me,” River pointed out with a pointed glare.

“I didn’t kiss her back! Well… I did for a bit. She’s awfully good at it. You kiss like your mum.”

“Oh Doctor… my family’s been through enough therapy thanks to you. Change of subject, please.”

“Oi… it’s a compliment!” River paused her work to stare at him, but he couldn’t read the look on her face. In the silence it took him a moment to realize he’d finally started to ‘settle down.’ “That did the trick! Looks like you were right, after all! Just needed to think about something-umf”

River had grasped his face and pulled him down for a searing kiss before he could even finish his thought. The Doctor flailed in surprise, banging limps against rough rock, while River slipped a tongue inside his mouth. She ripped through him like a shock to the system, and even his hearts scrambled for a proper rhythm. Her teeth scrapped over his bottom lip, biting (just shy of drawing blood). Her lower body pressed into his, and his hands finally gripped her hips (holding on tight), even as he began to thrust back against her. His mind swirled with her taste, her smell, the way her curls brushed his cheek, and her tongue took him hostage. Just as he’d finally begun to kiss back she broke away. Her hip dropped back onto the ground and she flicked her wrist, activating the sonic, continuing her work to break up the rocks.

Wait… what… no, that wasn’t fair! That was simply beyond cruel! The Doctor glanced down between them and growled. “That’s just… inhumane!”

River barely managed to keep a straight face. “Do I still kiss like my, mother, dear?”

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed. “No… that was more like your father!”

*~*~*

Amy had been hearing muffled shouts from River’s side of the tomb for nearly an hour. One voice was female, and the other male. She was pretty sure it was the Doctor she was hearing… to her relief. It didn’t take long for her to realize that somehow River Song and the Doctor were sharing her side of the tomb, and using something (possibly the sonic) to break up the rocks from the cave in. It also occurred to her that they were most definitely shouting. She tried her best to clear debris from her side. With each passing minute it was easier to hear their voices… make out words.

Amy gasped as a rather large mass burst before her eyes, and the green light of the sonic blinded her momentarily. “… and another thing! I never much cared for the hair color!” shouted the Doctor.

“Doctor?!”

There was a long pause, and Amy could make out River’s smile through the small hole they’d created. The Doctor’s eye peeked through as he pressed his face next to River. “Amy!”

“Are you two fighting again?” she asked, pleased to see them both alive and well.

River rolled her eyes. “He’s trying to start an argument. I’m refusing to participate.”

From their position, Amy could tell the Doctor was lying on top of River, and she could only imagine how awkward that might have been… and was. From his expression, it was clear, that he was being Mr. Grumpyface. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know why. “You can’t refuse to participate in an argument! The word, itself, demands two individuals be involved in the process!” he retorted.

“Do I really want to know what set him off?” Amy asked, directing her question to River.

River shook her head. “Best not. I’ve been told you would rather we stay away from mentions of my active sex life.”

“It’s not active! Nothing is active!” the Doctor frantically insisted.

“Something is active… I can feel it pressing into my thigh,” said River.

Amy grimaced, watching the Doctor’s eyes widen, his face turning all red… nearly purple with embarrassment. “Your doing! I’d gotten rid of it!”

This was extremely uncomfortable. She really wanted nothing to do with this conversation. This was so much worse than flirting. “Oi! You two… I have ears, you know!”

Two sets of eyes turned, as if actually noticing her for the first time. “Sorry mother. Were you hurt in the cave in?”

“No, I’m alright. You?”

“I’m fine… we’re both fine.”

“Speak for yourself,” the Doctor mumbled under his breath. Amy still heard him. It was hard not to in the small space.

“We’re doing our best to break up these rocks, but we still need to find a way out of here. Take the sonic,” River told her, passing it through the small hole they’d made. “You have free hands, so it’ll probably be easier to break up the rocks from your side.”

“Right!” Amy agreed. She grabbed the sonic and quickly got to work. She knew enough about the Doctor’s screwdriver to press the right button. It was mostly point and click. “You two just sit tight.” It was no wonder the Doctor was antsy. Being stuck in a tight space with River… those two were like the two ingredients needed to cause volcanos to erupt and tornadoes to form. It was exciting for a minute, but stand around too long and there were bound to be casualties. “Doctor, how did you even get over there?”

“I got eaten by a plant… thing,” he answered.

She didn’t hear Rory in there… certainly doubtful he’d have survived those two. “What about Rory?”

“He’s still in the forest looking for your daughter.”

Amy shut off the sonic for a moment. “Wait… what?! You mean he’s out there alone?!”

“No, not alone. He’s got Alistair with him,” the Doctor told her.

“Who is Alistair?” River questioned.

“Oh right… turns out there are others in the forest. They got taken from their homes. Dropped a box on the doorstep with a bracelet and WHAM… forest of hell. Oooh, that’s a good, dramatic title… like a horror film! I could direct it. I’d be good at directin-”

“Doctor!” River snapped, keeping him on target.

The Doctor cleared his throat, sending her a glare. “Anyway… it’s several of them, but Alistair, Rory, and I were busy trying to find Melody.”

Amy hated when he did this. He thought he was making sense, but they were missing details, and he wasn’t filling in the blanks. “They’re looking for River… who is right here.”

“No… they’re looking for Melody Pond, weren’t you listening? Turns out there’s two of you, River! Saw a girl in white jammies in the forest, but we thought it was an illusion. Then got rained on, met some strangers, realized she’d been real when it turned out others had seen her, and off we went! That sound you heard, Amy… it’s like some sort of puzzle. It signals dangerous events that are triggered if you fail to solve it in time. Your little girl has managed to survive the forest for who knows how long.”

River’s eyes widened. “The note! Amy, that note! ‘Save Melody Pond’… it was meant to be taken literally. Whoever sent it wanted me to save myself.”

“Wait, you got a card too?” the Doctor asked, turning to look down at her.

River nodded. “I was telling Amy how I got here. Someone left me the card, tampered with my vortex manipulator, and I ended up here. Doctor… how can I be here? I don’t remember that forest,” she swore. No spoilers, no knowing smile. River was serious. She’d never seen that forest until she (in her current body) had been taken.

“Then it’s possible whoever took you from 1969 wasn’t supposed to,” said the Doctor, his expression grave. “We could be dealing with a dangerous paradox.”

Amy switched back on the sonic, redoubling her efforts. “We’ve got to find Rory and Melody!”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

Rory had never been much of a gamer. Board games, video games… it was Amy and Mels that had turned him off of Hide and Seek. They never played by the rules… or actually bothered to look for him… or hide… or play. That didn’t mean he wasn’t clever enough to figure this game out. The music was meant to frighten and disable. It made his skin crawl; his heart beat faster and faster with each passing moment. It was also meant to test them. Sing the right song and they’d avoid the traps. To what end? What was the point of the test? “Watch your step.”

“After what I just saw, what makes you think I’m not?” replied Alistair, following Rory deeper into the forest.

“She couldn’t be this deep. We saw her closer toward the incline,” Rory sighed, turning around, eyes roving in hope for that flash of white in the darkness. “We don’t even know we’re going the right way.” Wandering like idiots would get them nowhere, but he had no way of detecting Melody or anything else for that matter.

“We could look for your Doctor friend’s ship. Might be easier to locate her that way.”

Alistair was certainly right about that, but Rory had a feeling they were even less likely to find the Tardis anywhere remotely safe. At least with Melody they’d finally know what she was doing to protect herself… what song she sang to keep away the danger when the music came. “Whoever runs this game or test wouldn’t give up the Tardis to us. The point is to send us off like rats in a maze. Watch the mice be clever… study them. You find the cheese at the very end.”

Alistair gave Rory a curious look. “A bit creepy… comparing us to mice.”

“But that’s what we are. Alistair… they want us to run… and scramble. They want us to solve their mysteries or die. We’re being treated like animals… or a science experiment.”

“So what do we do?” Alistair asked.

It was a good question. What would the Doctor do? Play along, probably… until the moment he didn’t. He would have a clever plan formulating while everyone else remained clueless. He would play the fool until they saw what he was truly capable of. He would show them all why he should be feared, why they should have listened. Then he would make them the mice.

SNAP!

Rory’s head turned towards the noise, from somewhere deep in the darkness. He wasn’t the Doctor though, and he had no plans (other than trying to stay alive). He could, however, work on the first part. He’d played the part of a buffoon often enough. Mysterious sounds… usually not good (almost never). “I think… I mean I know… we should probably-”

Somewhere in the darkness they heard the scream of a beast, it’s call almost as terrifying as the music that promised death. It was close, and wild… and most certainly not nice. Rory’s eyes widened.

“RUN!”

*~*~*

The low hum of the sonic filled the silence. River had just about given up trying to help from her side. Amy was working quickly, and already half of the rocks were cleared away. It wasn’t enough for the Doctor to move, but it wouldn’t be much longer. The silence was almost as mind-numbing as his persistent interest, which hadn’t gone away since the kiss. His arms hung loose around her frame. She wouldn’t look at him, even though he’d been staring at her for nearly an hour.

“Soo… River Song, haven’t done diaries yet, busy day.”

“I already know where you are,” she replied, still not looking at him. Preoccupied… he didn’t like her when she was preoccupied.

“Hmm… so certain I don’t need to know where you are, then? No spoilers for me to drop?”

River licked dry lips, shifting his focus. Those lips… pressed against his. She kissed him like she could read his thoughts and know what he wanted and needed at any given moment. Each touch of her lips against his left him reeling (normal lipstick, he hoped), but he knew she felt the same about him. He had to have some sort of affect. It couldn’t just be one-sided, though she’d like him thinking it was… until she got sentimental. “Karaoke with Jim The Fish.”

“Who’s Jim The Fish again?”

“Exactly.”

Okay, so she was farther along. The Doctor closed his eyes tight, frustration bubbling inside him at being trapped this way. He wasn’t good at stationary. He wasn’t good at being still… or quiet. He didn’t like it when they’d fight, not that it was a proper fight. He always felt like the ‘bad guy’ in their relationship, which was rubbish since she was the one destined to kill him. Still, not her fault. She made the sacrifices… Stormcage, her regenerations… protecting his secrets even before he knew he had any to protect. He wanted so much more for her… and her parents. He wanted them happy. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Yes you are, I can see it on your face,” he insisted.

River finally blessed him with her eyes. “You can barely see my face in this lighting.”

“I’m lying on top of you, River… pretty sure I can see your face.”

“Oh you say the most romantic things sometimes, Doctor.”

“Not sweetie, then?”

That made her smile. “You are always my sweetie,” she assured him, warmly.

He smiled back. “You’re worried about your younger self. You can’t remember wandering that forest and it bothers you.”

River turned away from him again, her defenses on alert once more. He’d got it in one. She was trying to make sense of it… how she could be wandering that forest. She didn’t like not knowing. They were the same, her and him, that way. “I’m used to memory gaps, sweetie. Before Mels, I was being raised by the Silence.”

Right, yes of course. How could he forget his failure? Amy’s daughter, little Melody Pond was being raised by the Silence. She’d been plagued with that constant manipulation, the Spaceman, the purpose of her existence being the death of him. His bespoken psychopath. For a moment when he’d watched Mels regenerate he’d been so afraid… that maybe he was seeing the last of her, and that he’d never see his River again. The versions he ran into were always so young… not quite the complete picture. Not quite River Song. He supposed she must have felt the same (will feel the same). He’d been cruel and foolish. Not many could take it. River could.

We always hurt the ones closest to us. It’d felt like decades since he’d met a River that knew more than him. In this moment they were so close to being linear. It was surprising to discover he’d rather missed knowing less than she did. It gave him something to live up to (impress her by being brilliant… even without foreknowledge). “You make it so difficult,” he sighed.

“I make it difficult?” she questioned, voice suddenly sharp, but quiet so Amy wouldn’t hear.

They didn’t actually need handcuffs for him to feel trapped. He’d been tied to her since the Library, and no amount of resistance could stop the fate awaiting them. Despite everything he knew, he came when she called. No one spoke to him like River did, with such authority, and no one ever would. All the enemies he’d ever faced (desperate to plunge him to his knees), and River accomplished it with ease that even a Dalek could respect. It was… infuriating. “This is what you reduce me to… and it drives me mad.”

She turned to meet his gaze, snorting disdainfully. “You think you’re the only one affected? You think you’re the only one feeling out of control? You breeze into my life like a whirlwind, Doctor… and I’m the eye of the storm. It’s chaos.”

“You love the chaos.”

“I love you,” she countered in aggravation, and any possible reply died in his throat.

They were buried alive in a tomb. He was lying on top of her, straining against her leg, and she had the audacity to say those words now. She’d never said. He’d never heard her say it before. He knew. He always knew. Just like he knew she was important to him (would be important to him). So important… in every point in time. His days were numbered, though, and there still seemed to be so much left unknown of their story.

There was something jarring about the realization that their love hurt. It physically hurt… but not like with others he’d known and cared for. He’d loved before, of course, but it never hurt. It hurt when they were gone, it hurt when times changed and he was ripped from them… forced to move on, keep traveling. Of course that hurt. No, with River it hurt during. She could be lying in his arms with the widest of smiles and when he’d look at her the ache was nearly unbearable. It wasn’t knowing her death that did it. Everybody dies. No, that wasn’t what made his hearts bleed.

River saw into his eyes and turned away. He didn’t know what she saw, but he could guess. “You are right about one thing, though.” She was giving him a distraction from the dark thoughts triggered by her confession. Always making the sacrifice for him. Perhaps he was the ‘bad guy’ in their story.

“And what’s that?”

Her smile was faint, with that special glint in her gorgeous eyes, promising him all the things he could never resist. “I do love the chaos.”

He could certainly smile back. He could pretend it was okay to be loved by her. He could pretend the hurt didn’t matter. He did none of those things. Her smile faltered, holding his eyes… and there it was… the hurt echoing from them both, reflecting like water. The problem wasn’t them, though. Despite everything he’d said and done it could never be them causing this. He knew where the hurt came from.

The hurt he and River experienced wasn’t that they would end one day. There was something far worse than endings (though he hated those too). What truly made them suffer was that they wouldn’t be ending together. It was true, he would watch River die, but it would never be him (her Doctor), watching her go. Perhaps, as time demanded, he would die in Utah. The person standing there would be River Song, but not quite his River. It’d already almost happened once.

Mels… she hadn’t even known her own name. ‘Find her. Find River Song and tell her something from me.’ Lying on the steps in Nazi Germany, he’d made one last request from the woman who’d understood (even before she knew the Doctor) how to destroy him best. The cruelest warfare she could conceive of. Brilliant Melody Pond. He’d almost died on those steps in the presence of a woman that mattered to him, but she didn’t even know she mattered. Not my River. Every time they met it wasn’t quite them. It hurt to know it might never be that way. He loved the woman she would become, and she loved the man he would soon be becoming.

In that moment he finally found the words, realizing she’d been waiting for them. Perfect words were hard to come by. They were precious. “The chaos loves you too.”

His meaning was clear, and he didn’t miss the way her eyes traveled to his lips. He wanted to kiss her, almost needed it at that moment. If love could not be separated from pain then he would gladly take them both. No matter how incomplete, when had he ever been able to resist River Song? The Doctor tipped his head, ready to capture her lips when he heard another rock burst, making him jump despite being wedged between River and the rock.

“Now isn’t that better! You lot finally make up?” said Amy with a wide smile. His eyes narrowed as he realized she’d done it on purpose… interrupted them. Then again, probably for the best. Wouldn’t do to be caught snogging Amy’s daughter right in front of her… and still fairly awakened down below the waist. He really ought to do something about that, but he’d gotten rather used to it by now.

“Where’s the fun in that?” River answered, with a smirk. “Now Amy… do me a favor. Move down below your feet. Tell me what you see. I’d suspected there might be a secret way out of here before you came, but finding it was difficult without a light… many tombs have them, some way out built into the tomb. Are there any levers or openings of any kind?”

“On it!” Amy shifted, curling up on her side as she squeezed down towards where her feet had been. She’d managed enough of an opening that they could pass on to the other side. The Doctor might even be able to slip off from over her, though he was fairly sure he’d miss being on top of River Song. Now that was most definitely a euphemism for something….

He felt River wiggle underneath him, not the best thing to do in his current state, but it got his attention. “Time to focus, Doctor. How on earth are you going to run in this condition, hmm?”

“Your fault.”

Her smile was wide and flirtatious (as usual), and she shifted her legs just a bit so he wasn’t fully pressed against her. “Better?”

Actually… it was. Less of her against him, and he could finally think of something else. “You mean you could have done that this entire time?!” He should be cross with her, but he’s not.

She shrugged innocently. Bad, bad girl….

“There’s an opening! It’s not very big, and I can’t see… just barely enough for my hand to fit through. Looks suspect,” Amy called out to them through the opening in the cave in.

River slipped further away from him. “Can you scan it, using the sonic? Make sure there aren’t any traps? It could be a lever. Most tombs are built with an exit in case the dead were able to come back to life.”

“I think… I think I see a lever!”

“Be careful, Amy!” River urged her.

“It’s not going to like… lop my hand off or something, will it?”

The Doctor and River shared a worried look. He answered for River. “Probably not. Use the sonic to activate it if you can!”

“Oh, very comforting!” He could hear Amy grunt with effort… and then an echoed click. “Oh yeah! I am good!”

River sighed in relief. “Of course you are, mother! Very good!” she agreed. Before he could say a word she was slipping up from under him, using her arm to sweep away the smaller rocks as she slid through to the other side. “Come along, Sweetie!”

He rolled his eyes even as his smile widened, so proud of his two Ponds… and perhaps missing River’s body against his (just a tiny bit). He crawled through the point of the cave in and followed his girls out the other side. River and Amy grasped his hand and dragged him from the tomb, and onto the ground of what looked like a cave. Skulls lined the walls, he noticed, with the glow of the sonic, and the cave was filled with the fog. “Oh… much better.”

*~*~*

The dim light drew her near eventually. All life was drawn to the light. Melody had been wandering in the dark far too long. Her steps were quiet and careful. She prepared for the worse. Her heightened senses smelled the stench of death, could almost taste the blood in the air.

That nice man… torn apart by the creature of the forest. Melody crouched down over the barely discernible body, taking calming breaths. Her fingers dipped into the blood that stained the ground. A slaughter, cruel and violent. They’d shown her death… the ones she couldn’t remember. This was not new to her. Whispers in her dreams. Kill.

Melody stood up, hearing a whimper in the dark. She should go… but dangerous things didn’t whimper. She crept past the boulder to see the source of the cries. A man… pressed against the rock shivering and shaking. He saw her the instant she saw him. Mentally unstable and nonthreatening. “He’s dead,” the man whispered, voice so broken. Weak mind.

This one would not hurt her, but in this state would he be of any help? He was scared, like she was. She moved closer to get a better view of his face. “The snake lady… she left you.”

“She likes the clever ones,” he told her.

“American.” His accent was familiar. She remembered him from before. “You sang.”

“I heard you,” the man told her, a watery smile on his lips. “You saved my life.”

Melody had never saved someone before. The ones she couldn’t remember wanted her to end life, not save it. She smiled back at him. It felt rather good… saving a life. “Have you seen my dad?”

Tom nodded. She offered her hand to him, but watched his face fall. “I-I can’t.”

Weak mind. She’d saved a broken man. Melody twisted to walk away, but the child only saw darkness. She didn’t want to be alone. “Help me. Please?”

Hesitation in his eyes, but so very soft. Worth saving. Weak mind, but kind. “Okay.”

She nodded. A chance… to not be alone. He took her hand this time… and she took his. “I’m Melody.”

“My name’s Tom… Tom Harkness.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

The whispers were in his mind, just loud enough that they couldn’t be ignored. He’d tried so hard to silence them on that hilltop, farther away from the fog that seemed to press him at all sides, flow through him without resistance. The young girl’s hand steadied him, kept him in the present, but his legs felt so numb despite his ability to walk. It was a low humming in his mind, keeping him unstable, and it didn’t matter how hard he tried to hide from it. The dark forest was silent for everyone else but him. He heard everything.

Rowan had tried, kept him safe, been the protector. From the moment Tom had arrived his grip on sanity had been slipping, with only one clear voice holding him up out of the fog. How far he’d fallen since his brother died. His hand tightened on Melody’s to stop the tremors. Sweat dripped down his face, drenched his shirt, cooling his body with the vapor of the fog. It was hard to keep going when the whispers were getting louder. They spoke to him, crawled into him, pulling and tugging at his conscious. He was losing all sense of reality. He feared for Melody. He feared for himself… who he was becoming… or what was becoming of him.

He felt a tug on his hand as beautiful and innocent eyes rose to meet his own. Tom saw her fears despite the dark… no, he felt them. The fear froze and burned his skin, seeped inside him, almost brought him to his knees. Every thought became ice pelted against the only wall keeping him in the present. His filters were torn and broken. The fog soaked everything in like a sponge, and projected it straight into his soul. He kneeled down to her level, and shook his head.

“I’m dangerous.”

“You?”

“It… I… meant it’s dangerous.” Why had he said that? He hadn’t meant to say that. So many voices and he could sift through it. They wanted his voice. He was trying so hard to fight it, resist them. He was fading… so fast and so hard. He was losing himself in the fog.

Melody never let go of his hand. She held it tighter instead. “Don’t leave me.”

“Shhhh… Melody… you have the key. The others have forgotten, so clever, but they forgot.” He didn’t know what he was saying. His lips moving, but they weren’t his words. A puppet, that’s all he was, a puppet in the fog (the Mist).

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

No, she wouldn’t. So young. Clever and young. He felt the darkness in her just as deeply as the darkness in the fog. A blank piece of paper stained black with ink. The evil inside stirring, growing, feeding… but not without hope. Not without light. “You will.” Tom nodded to her, not strong enough to fight it. Exhausted. The whispers were too loud now. “When the time comes you will sing.” A small, delicate hand slipped to his cheek, and the whispers died. Silence… deafening silence. He gripped her other hand, pressed it against his face, eyes wide. “I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Too little to comprehend. She gasped. “I… think I do.”

She was hearing it now. Like the flick of a switch, and he was the lightening rod channeling them to her. They’d needed him. “They like the clever ones… that’s what they said.” He remembered.

Her hand was shaking, pupils blown ever wider, and she yanked her hand away, staggering back. “That hurt.”

The silence lifted, and the whispers returned. Tom closed his eyes, hands gripping his ears as if he could tear them off. Quiet! “It always hurts.”

*~*~*

It was him gripping Alistair’s hand as they flew through the forest for their lives. The creature was coming. It could smell them. Rory wasn’t sure how long they would last. All they could do was run. Run and hope. His chest was tight. His legs burned. His limbs felt heavy, slicked with perspiration. His understanding of the human body detected possible places where he’d start to cramp. He kept his back straight, posture was everything, adrenaline would keep him fast… running.

He felt superhuman like this. Rory Williams. The Last Centurion. The boy from Leadworth. A life so normal in the beginning, but he’d been growing up with his future wife and his daughter at the very same time. Then there were the memories locked away (or risk insanity), a Roman guarding a precious box in solitude. He beat the odds against him for her. When he’d thought himself ignored for so long, only to realize the universe never stopped watching… waiting. He’d died, but was never forgotten. Perhaps he was superhuman (and once plastic). He could do anything… be anything. For them. For his daughter. For his wife. Even for the Doctor.

Alistair turned back, but Rory propelled him forward before he could stall. “Don’t look back!”

“Wh-what is that thing?!”

“Don’t know!”

“It’s… monstrous! We didn’t hear music! Why is this happening?!”

A good point. This danger hadn’t been announced like the others. Whatever chased them was different, and most certainly deadly. Had Alistair’s friends Callie and Rowan heard the music before their deaths? Was that what made them different? He was basing his theories on the Doctor, but the Doctor wasn’t always right. Sometimes it was just about being ridiculous until he uncovered the truth. Giving Rory hope that Amy was still alive, but in reality it was just another lie. Rule one.

Alistair’s scream echoed in his ears as Rory was yanked back, just barely letting go before he could be pulled to the ground with Graile. No! “I stepped on something. I think I hurt my ankle.”

Rory’s fingers slipped through his hair just before he pulled Alistair back up despite protesting. “We have to keep moving!”

“I’ll slow you down!”

“I’ll speed you up!” was Rory’s only reply. He slipped Alistair’s arm around his shoulders and forced the kid to lean against him. Eighteen. He couldn’t die here… not like this.

“Rory-”

“Shut up, I’m not leaving you!” They needed to get out of sight… which shouldn’t have been hard in the dark. Climbing was out of the question with Alistair’s injury. His other hand, still holding their only torch waved through the darkness, and he tried to look around. In the distance he could see the mouth of a cave. He hadn’t even noticed it before… had they walked past it? “There! We hide there!”

He took on Alistair’s body weight as best he could as they made their way towards the entrance, struggling through the fog and dense underbrush. “We’ll need to put out the torch!”

Alistair was right. The creature would track them with the light of the fire. Rory threw the torch down and they continued on ahead, his smile strained, but genuine. “Told you we were clever!”

The young man laughed despite the fear and pain from his leg. “Who’s we?”

*~*~*

“Catacombs! Oh that’s cheery,” muttered the Doctor as they followed the subterranean passageways decorated with dead bones. They were piled on top of each other, shoved onto shelves like old books left to collect dust in the dark. So many lives… were they all taken for the sake of the test? A wall of failed attempts and so much fear. Each told a story that the Doctor had long since tried to silence for sanity sake. He saw too much already.

In the corner of his eye he could see the light in River’s eyes… Archeologist. She was pulled towards the walls without resistance, embracing the stories, soaking them in with such curiosity and passion. “Some of these have been here for centuries, but Doctor… not all these bones are ancient. Some look like they might be recent….”

“How can you tell?” questioned Amy.

“It’s difficult to know for certain without carbon dating them, however look…” River spoke, stepping close to the wall as her eyes hovered over one unfinished section. “There’s been virtually no degradation of these bones, almost completely preserved… parts of flesh still decaying into dust. You can almost smell it… the blood… the stench of so much death.”

Amy looked less than comforted by her daughter’s words, and kept as far from the walls as possible. The Doctor wasn’t sure if it was the sonic turning her face green, or the smell. “I think I preferred the tomb.”

River’s smile was soft and teasing. “I ought to take you on a dig one of these days. It’s far more exciting when your life isn’t in danger.”

“Oh that’s exciting,” the Doctor mocked. “Let’s dig in the dirt for several hours and look at bones all day OR… a quick hop in the Tardis to see what happened.”

“Cheating,” River retorted.

“Hypocrite! Not like I haven’t taken you on a ride or two,” he reminded her. It was almost impossible for those words not to be taken another way entirely and he inwardly groaned at River’s glee.

“Oooh Doctor, and here I was thinking you far too young for riding.”

“Oi! Enough of that!”

River turned towards Amy. “You agreed to flirting.”

“Not in catacombs! I’m making it a rule… no flirting with the dead watching… it’s… disrespectful,” River’s mother replied, and even the Doctor couldn’t stop smiling at the discomfort written all over Amy’s face. Despite the awkward, it was rather fun to be the ‘shameless couple’ while Amy suffered their romancing. So many moments watching Rory and Amy nearly snog each other to death (did they ever even breathe?!)

“Oh mother! Rules are made to be broken,” threatened River, giving the Doctor that smile… the one where she’d bite her bottom lip just a little. He loved that smile. “I would have thought you’d learned that by now.”

River walked past him, brushing against him inappropriately. The stupid grin on his face was virtually impossible to remove. Yowzah… he did love a bad girl. Amy slapped the back of his head forcefully, and the Doctor winced. “That’s really rude!” he complained, rubbing his neck.

Amy’s eyes narrowed at him. “Stop encouraging her.”

The Doctor straightened his bowtie and tugged at his tweed. “Like she ever needs encouragement….”

“Doctor! Look at this!”

River had walked farther ahead towards the edge of the passage which opened to two possible exit points. The Doctor had a feeling one of them would not be the exit they wanted. He shined the light of his screwdriver over the wall where River was looking for a better view… noticing writing on the wall. The Tardis was translating for them, and he could read it quite easily. He cleared his throat before speaking aloud. “And in the beginning there was only day. Forever to bask in the glory of the sun. A time of peace and an eternity of enlightenment. The others… enemies of peace and jealous of our light, chained it away from us… casting only shadow on our accursed land. And we were left with the nightmare song to blacken the heart. It plays for eternity the curse upon our souls. Shed of flesh, we float among the dark, living in the nightmares of other people’s dreams.”

River was staring at him, and he turned to meet her gaze. “How is that even possible?”

“It would certainly explain the long nights and the cold. It’s possible the core is emitting just enough heat to keep the planet from freezing, but they’d need a power source to prevent the star’s light from reflecting onto the planet. How would they account for that?”

“Wait… feeling a bit lost here,” interrupted Amy.

Her eyes remained on the Doctor, and he could see her making the same connections he was. “But if it was forever day… wouldn’t the sun burn the planet?”

The Doctor shook his head. “Not necessarily… I didn’t get a good look at their orbit, but it’s quite possible their atmosphere absorbs enough heat to protect any life below… while reflecting that light in all points around the planet. Pangory V, for example!”

River nodded. “But Doctor… that means-”

“I know.”

“What?! What does that mean?!” Amy questioned angrily.

The Doctor ignored her, turning back towards the wall. “They couldn’t stop it. The sonic has been picking up low levels of psychic energy ever since we arrived, but it’s stronger in the fog.”

“I could sense it… but you taught me how to block it out when necessary,” said River.

The Doctor felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized what had happened to this world. “The eyes watching us.”

“The fog,” she agreed with a nod.

He watched River press a hand into the rock, re-reading the words on the wall. “Centuries of darkness and nightmares. Doctor, that music isn’t just some sort of test, is it? It’s… it’s-”

She was getting it. This was very not good. “Part of a distress call,” he whispered.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Amy finally demanded impatiently. “What have you guys figured out?!”

Finally they turned to look at her, glancing briefly at each other for permission to explain. He watched River take a deep breath, giving herself time to find the words… tell her gently. He wasn’t always good at gentle, though he was brilliant at hugging. He loved a good hug. “Amy… this wall is telling the history of the planet… a planet that used to bask in the sun all it’s days. Someone cast a curse… found a way to shield the planet from that light and forced it into constant darkness. A punishment or attack of some kind, most likely. Either way, the lifeforms on this planet have continued to evolve and adapt in an effort to survive. They became like mists… part of the fog.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “You mean to tell me… the fog is alive?”

River reached to grasp her arms, rubbing them gently. “A fog that has been desperately searching for someone clever enough to lift this darkness… but it’s all wrong. The nightmares of those who come here are projected into the fog.” The Doctor watched River turn back to look at him. “It doesn’t make sense, though. My younger self, Melody Pond, is left untouched. You said that she’s protected herself by solving the riddle.”

The Doctor shook his head. “No… no, you’re right. I was wrong. She hasn’t solved it… but perhaps they see that she’s the only one to ever come this close? They keep testing her. They keep repeating the message hoping she’ll have the correct reply, but eventually the fog will grow impatient. She won’t be left alone forever.”

“Wait… are you saying Melody might not be safe?” asked Amy, and he could see the fear of a mother in her eyes. “Doctor… is my daughter safe?!”

He licked his lips, searching out River’s gaze and seeing the resignation reflected back. She knew what this meant just as he did. They like them clever… but eventually… even the clever die. River’s very existence was being threatened by this test. If Melody didn’t answer correctly soon she would die like the others… and River Song would never have existed in the first place.

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

“We won’t let them hurt Melody… we’ll find her.”

River had always believed that the story of her life was hers to write. Time could be rewritten, of course, but only with her permission. Not even the Doctor would dare break those rules out of respect, and she treasured him for it. Perhaps it should have scared her that there was a chance River Song might never exist. She could fall through the cracks of what never was, but should have been. It wasn’t fear that gripped her when she realized somewhere out there in the forest little Melody Pond was in trouble. River Song was sad, ever so sad.

Regeneration was complex. Everything changes. River held onto her memories, emotions, experiences, but the change was all encompassing. The people she’d been before died and River Song was to be the last. It was almost a relief, to be the last. She rather liked River Song. Her past lives were always part of her, but they were separate too. Melody was a child trying desperately to survive. Mels was a woman raised reckless and without boundaries. As for River… River was a woman unafraid to love… always brave. She preferred being River Song best.

She watched the Doctor pull Amy into a warm comforting hug, assuring her that they’d find Melody in time, but there was doubt in her mother’s eyes. Despite her trust in the Doctor, it had been broken once, and it wasn’t something easily repaired. “You said that last time.”

She watched her husband (too young) still against Amy, cut to the very core with those simple words. Her mother had a power over the Doctor that not even River could expect to match. Amelia Pond, the first face his face saw, and he’d just been reminded of how horribly he’d failed her. He pulled away, such sad eyes. “This is different. It isn’t meant to happen.” He glanced back at River. “She’s here… with us… your daughter.”

River forced a smile. “He’s right. We don’t know how long before their patience runs out, but Melody is still the key.”

The Doctor ran his right hand through floppy brown hair, trying to think. “We know she’s been singing to avoid failing the test, but it’s possible they’re just waiting for the right song… the right frequency or tune to unlock the code and lift whatever shield is keeping this planet in darkness… assuming it is a shield. We still haven’t a clue what really happened.”

River knew they were expecting her to know what to do, a window into Melody’s mind, but she could think of nothing. She could offer nothing. “I used to be afraid of the dark. It was Doctor Renfrew who used to tell me to sing.” Mentally broken by the silence, but he’d always been kind. They’d both been no more than tools to further the purpose of the Silence. She remembered… she’d pitied him. “He taught me.”

“He… he was really who they left to care for you?” questioned Amy. River knew she’d must have met Renfrew, because she could remember being in the spacesuit at the orphanage where they’d kept her. It must have been horrifying to know the man looking after her child had been so utterly mad after years of influence and mental manipulation.

She hesitated to answer truthfully. “It was better before the orphanage closed. Once I was old enough, well… everything changed then. Including him.”

The Doctor seemed to realize they were treading a dark path, and adjusted their focus, clasping his hands. “So you liked to sing! Melody Pond enjoyed a good song… and then became a Song, ha! A little word play there… rather amusing.” The Doctor turned to look at River. “What did you sing, River?”

She shook her head. She couldn’t be of use to them this way. So many years having her mind manipulated made it difficult to remember, and she’d been more than happy to forget. “Just childish songs, I guess.”

“What kind, River? This is important! What did you sing about?”

“I don’t know,” she lied.

“Of course you know! That little girl is you! You must have had a favorite! Something to help you be brave in the dark,” he urged. “Just think!”

Amy frowned, watching River carefully. “Doctor-”

“Was it a musical? A pop song? It wasn’t the Beatles, was it, because Rory would never let me hear the end of it! You said that it was a childish song, give me an example.”

“I don’t know, Doctor,” she insisted, backing away just a bit.

“River, the memory is there! You just have to access it! Think back! You’re Melody Pond again and you’re afraid! You’re alone! You need to remember! Lives are at stake!” he pressed. “Just try-”

“I DON’T KNOW!” River shouted, cutting him off. The catacombs went silent as he finally realized how hard he’d been pressing her. She watched him blink, as if pulled from a daze and taking in her heavy breathing and wide eyes. She hated this, hated this feeling. Exposed. The Doctor’s eyes burning a hole in her head, and there weren’t enough walls in the universe to keep him out forever. She took a calming breath. River didn’t need their sympathy. What’s done is done. The silence between them had gone on too long. She licked dry lips and spoke. “It was a long time ago.”

The Doctor nodded. “I… suppose it was. It doesn’t matter. We can’t help anyone trapped in these catacombs.” He flicked his wrist and scanned down both passageways. “It looks like to the right leads us straight out, but I can’t be certain. It could also lead to our instant deaths. The other passage is shielded.”

“That could be where they’re storing the Tardis… you told us it was taken around the same time as I was,” Amy pointed out.

The Doctor’s eyes widened at that. “It’s possible… or it could also lead to our instant deaths. Fifty fifty chance… better odds than I’m used to, I’ll give you that.”

“We should split up,” River spoke.

“What? No!” Amy immediately argued.

River rolled her eyes. “Oh mother, don’t concern yourself with me. I can take care of myself,” she assured her with a wicked smile. She’d restored her control, hearts finally settled, and the Doctor’s probing was forgotten. “I was doing just fine before you two showed up… both of me, apparently.”

The Doctor’s smile was far less convincing. “If the Tardis is shielded you’ll need my screwdriver to get in.”

“So she get’s our only light while we walk into walls?” Amy questioned nervously.

The Doctor waved away her concern. “We’ll be fine, Amelia! My eyes are perfectly capable of navigating this passage in the dark!”

“The first time I met you, you walked into a tree.”

“Oi! The steering was a bit off! Brand new body! It’s distracting!” he argued.

River rolled her eyes at the Doctor. “If all goes well I’ll meet you at the entrance of these catacombs!” She snatched his screwdriver with a wink and heading towards the left passage, stalled when a hand (his hand) gripped her and spun her back around.

His expression was deadly serious. “Be careful, River.”

Normally this was the part where she said ‘where’s the fun in that?’ He’d smile and shake his head while she rushed off literally laughing in the face of danger. She didn’t this time. “You too,” she responded instead, watching him invade her space and kiss her cheek. She closed her eyes as his lips pressed against her skin, lingering. His affections were always welcome, but rare in the presence of others. He squeezed her hand tenderly and stepped away with a secret smile. Later you and I… without the world watching. “See you both soon,” she assured him when she’d found her voice once more.

Amy was smiling. She was still just young enough to see their love as a more complicated version of her own with Rory. Naive. River flashed her a grin in return and moved quickly down the left passage towards what she hoped was where the Tardis was being kept… or it could lead to her instant death. River shook her head. The more things changed… the more things stayed the same.

*~*~*

He didn’t even breathe. The mouth of the cave provided cover, but he wasn’t sure it was any safer than being out in the open. Rory could see the forest shudder as the creature ripped through it with ferocity, destroying everything in it’s path. It’s shriek echoed, making his blood surge in his ears. They were panting, exhausted, sore, and most certainly being hunted. The torch he’d left behind still lit up the forest, and Rory’s eyes widened as the beast emerged, all scales and claws, but her face. “No….”

“Mia!” Rory clasped his hand over Alistair’s mouth before he could speak another bloody word, but it was already too late. The creature stilled, bellowing another loud screech. She’d heard them.

“Move!”

Alistair resisted. “You want us to go deeper into the cave?! Won’t we just be trapped?!”

Rory swore under his breath. He had a point, but where could they run?! Alistair was in no condition to run. That left one option, though it certainly wasn’t his favorite. Mia slammed a heavy fist into a nearby tree trunk, and Rory watched it break into pieces under her strength. “Right… time for a new plan!” He swallowed hard and shot Alistair a reassuring look. “I’ll draw her away and circle back around if I manage to lose her. You stay put!”

“What?!” Alistair’s eyes widened. “She’ll kill you!”

Rory nodded, taking a deep breath as his eyes followed her movements. “Wouldn’t be the first time!” he assured Graile and took off. Rory was careful to get just close enough for the creature to see him before he scrambled into the forest. The ground quaked as she followed after him and he strained to run faster than he’d ever run before. He kept his movements unpredictable, arms flailing like mad as he tried to avoid trees he could just barely see in the dense dark. He knew she was gaining. Superhuman strength and speed. All he could do was run.

Rory was starting to get used to this… these moments. He could feel death like a chill down his spine. It constantly followed him, as quick and terrifying as the creature. Mia… how was that even possible?! Had she been fooling them all that time?! For what purpose?! Why did she choose now to reveal her true form?! Or was she changed? Either was possible, but was she also involved in the test?! What’d happened to Jenson and Tom?

He could climb, but if he was spotted… she would surely kill him the moment she knocked down his tree. More than anything he wished the Doctor was with him. He’d swing around with a smile and a ridiculous hat. He’d demand the monster tell him all her plans, and he’d know just how to fix everything… eventually.

His thoughts turned to Amy next. His wife. The girl he’d never thought he could have, and always secretly wanted. He thought of the way her hands fit into his when they ran together. He thought about her smile and laugh, just as radiant as her ginger hair. It was worth it. Even now. She was worth it. She was worth the tears. She was worth the danger. She was worth all the years he’d waited (both as a human and as plastic).

Rory felt his limbs protest, his body scream, his lungs strain, and even the adrenaline wasn’t enough to continue like this forever. Determined not to stop, Rory let out the loudest scream just before he saw it… a flash of white. Melody?!

He turned around in time to see Mia advance, but was blinded as a torch was swung in her face. Her scream was loud enough to make his ears ring. Rory blinked, confused as he realized it was Tom. No longer curled into a ball in the dirt, he swung the torch threateningly and echoed Mia’s shout. “Back! Back you demon!”

Mia’s voice was like the loudest whisper, making his ears ache even as they pierced through the silence like a sharpened knife. “Clever boy! You cling to the girl! Does she have command over your sanity now?!”

Rory turned around, looking for white jammies just as a tiny hand slipped into his and pulled him away from the confrontation. They hid away in the shrubbery and watched Tom continue to fight her off with the threat of his torch. Tom advanced, ducking away as she tried to rip it from his hands. He glanced down only briefly as he realized he’d found his daughter, Melody Pond (proper and real beside him). He tightened his hold of her hand, and turned back to Tom who laughed manically just before shoving the fire against Mia’s skin, and she cried out her agony.

“A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go. Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go! A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go. We'll catch a fish and put him on a dish, and then we'll let him go!” he sang as Mia rushed back off into the night with a terrifying outcry as the fire continued to feed on and burn her.

Rory didn’t stand up until Tom turned back to look at him. His hand was shaking, the one holding the torch, and he was red-faced and wheezing. “You… saved my life.”

Tom glanced down briefly at Melody. “I found who you were looking for… or rather… she found me,” he spoke before dropping to his knees.

He was at Tom’s side in seconds to see if he was okay, but there were no physical injuries. He scanned the man carefully just in case, worried about internal damage. The tremors in his hands, wide pupils, soaked in sweat… physically fine. The other man shook his head, struggling for breath. Rory wished he had water to give the man… something. They were both suffering dehydration by this point, and the nurse slipped to the ground beside him while Melody stood over them both. She looked just like her mother… so much. His daughter, right there before him. He’d found her… and she’d found him. Not the baby he’d held in his arms, but there she stood.

A single tear slipped down his face and he wiped it away. “I was going to be cool,” he swore, frustrated and sniffling.

Tom slipped further to the ground on his back and laughed weakly. “Crying in a dark forest, having just barely avoided a horrifying death? Very cool.”

Rory laughed with him at that, reminded of his wife. Melody quirked an eyebrow and crouched down in front of them. She wasn’t nearly as emotional, but her eyes shined in the light of the torch still being clutched by Tom. “Hello Dad.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

It didn’t take a mind reader to notice these things. The unending darkness of the passage made it easy for the mind to wander even as he dragged his hand along the concrete that lined the outer wall. His grip on Amy was unrelenting; nervous of the possible danger that could be waiting for them the further they went. He’d already almost lost her once. It wouldn’t be happening a second time. “Are we just going to pretend, then?”

He knew. He’d seen it just as she had. It was hard to miss… even for him. “What about?” he asked out loud, listening to his steps in the dirt and gravel.

“River… she was hiding something,” said Amy, ever the worried mother. Her concern was understandable. It wasn’t the first time River had ever held back from him. From the moment he’d met her all she’d ever done was hold onto secrets and tell tales. That was their lot in life as time travelers. Not everything could be shared. He also knew when she was hiding things for reasons other than ‘spoilers’… like now.

The Doctor paused to turn to Amy, though he could barely make out her face. “Sometimes it’s easier to forget, Amelia. Sometimes we hide things even from ourselves.” Whatever she remembered or didn’t remember was irrelevant. Melody Pond was what they needed right now, and River knew that.

“And you’re okay with that? Living like that? Watching her live like that?” Amy pushed.

“Not like I don’t do the same.” The Doctor continued to move, letting out a tired sigh. “But she’s your daughter.”

“It doesn’t amount to much,” Pond mumbled, although he heard her just the same. He stilled, letting his thumb pass comfortingly over hers.

“You’re wrong, Pond. So wrong. You think it doesn’t matter, but it does. It always matters.” His mind drifted back to just before Mels regenerated into River Song and a smile tugged on his lips. “She searched for you. Despite all odds against her… she never forgot her parents… little Melody. River may have needed to forget those times, but it doesn’t mean those moments didn’t hold weight in her lives… as little Melody and as Mels. A world of billions, Amy… and it turned out I never had to find her because she found you.”

“She found a couple of kids,” Amy argued with a huff. “She was my friend. I didn’t even know she was important!”

“Of course you knew.”

“No… she was my mate… my best mate.”

“She integrated herself in your life, Amy.”

“A lot of good it did her!”

The Doctor closed his eyes, wishing there was some way to make her see. “We all have scars. You can’t shielded River from that… you never could have.”

“We don’t all get kidnapped and brain-washed, though… do we? We don’t all go through that.” Amy’s voice was filled with such frustration. Feeling helpless would make anyone a bit cross, he supposed. “What did I ever give her?!”

Enough, he’d had enough. He wouldn’t let her continue thinking this way. “You made her brave, Amy!” he snapped, whirling around to face her so suddenly that she almost bumped into him in the dark. He took a deep breath before speaking again. “You, her mother… you made her brave. She’s amazing because you are amazing, and that’s more than enough! I couldn’t be capable of loving anything less than amazing, and she got that from you!”

Silence settled between them. He’d said too much… certainly more than he’d planned. He’d heard Amy suck in a breath… surprise. “That’s what you whispered in her ear, isn’t it? Just before she saved you… you whispered something in her ear. A message for River Song. You told her that you loved her.”

He didn’t much like this conversation. Very bad. Very, very not good. He moved to turn around but Amy refused to move. “I thought we were discussing your relationship with your daughter… not mine.”

“But that’s what you said… you can’t lie to me raggedy-man,” Amy insisted, suddenly cheerful with this change in their conversation.

He would most certainly try to lie to her, though, and had lied often enough. He could almost imagine the look she was giving him, and he resisted the urge to groan. He wasn’t about to discuss this with Amy, couldn’t possibly manage that without going into parts best left in the past. It was too late for them, he and River. Their story was already written in the stars and neither was eager to change it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty about the parts he was eager to forget. “I love all my Ponds,” was the only answer he’d willing give.

“But you love River! You probably go around defacing ancient cliffs with both of your names in ancient Gallifreyan… River and the Doctor forever… with little hearts and kisses! Perhaps we’ll pop in time to meet Shakespeare so he can write you a love letter for her. My dearest River-” The Doctor tugged her forward and listened to her laugh ricochet against the empty walls of the catacombs. Damn her… Amy Pond… she was seared onto his hearts. He could hold nothing back from her and he knew it.

“I’ve already met Shakespeare. Lovely chap… he had a crush on my companion. Pretty sure he’d fancied me too, actually.”

“Already pals then? Oooh, then I suppose he wouldn’t take much convincing! He could even write a play about you two!”

In a strange way, he already had. Doomed love was his specialty. Probably better if he didn’t tell her about the time he had drinks with Old Will after seeing one of his latest plays. He may have said too much that night, although he had tried to avoid the really timey whimey bits. Considering it was all timey whimey… he’d taken a few liberties. He and River… stuck in a war they wanted no part of. He’d really hated the ending, but William had scattered so much of their conversation in that play.

’ If you sink, you’re dragging love down. It’s not right to drag down something as tender as love.’

‘Is love really tender? I think it’s too rough, too rude, too rowdy, and it pricks like a thorn.’

‘If love plays rough with you, play rough with love. If you prick love when it pricks you, you’ll beat love down.’

Good ol’ Will… he had an answer to everything, but it wasn’t always the right one. Loving River was certainly not tender, but he could no more ‘beat down love’ than she could. The Doctor was pulled out of his musings with a jolt when he heard something faint just up ahead… a scream perhaps? Shouting… familiar. “Amy, stay behind me.”

“Doctor, what was that?!” she whispered.

“I don’t know, but I think we’re about to find out.”

*~*~*

It was so quiet. His ankle was throbbing and his mind was reeling. Was Rory still alive? What’d happened to Mia?! How could she be that… thing? Alistair tried to calm himself, certain he’d give himself a panic attack if he didn’t get a grip. This was a disaster! It didn’t make sense! Mia had been with them for so long. Why had she chosen now to reveal her monstrous form? He’d… he’d… liked her!

Alistair shook his head, running a hand through his hair and sunk down into the dirt at the entrance of the cave. Rory could be dead. He could be next. He was alone in the dark and he had no idea what was going to happen. That forest held so many nightmares. How long could he possibly last on his own? And… oh god what about Tom and Jenson? Had she killed them? He’d left them behind with a promise to come back with help, but was there anything left to save?

He was going mad waiting. Everything was quiet and still. He couldn’t bare it. He needed to do something. Alistair didn’t care about his leg. He had to find Rory. It was a struggle to get back to his feet, but he managed, grunting in pain every time he put weight on his ankle. “I must be going mad,” he grumbled to himself. What good would he be like this? So worthless to anyone, but he couldn’t just wait forever.

SNAP!

Alistair’s eyes widened as he looked out into the forest, uncertain if he should call out, for fear of the beast. He could hear the rustling of shrubs, and crunch of the underbrush. Someone was coming. Alistair peered into the forest, unable to see much. He made no noise. He waited. Please be Rory… please!

It was Mia that emerged instead. The creature was gone, and her form was human, but he could tell something was wrong as she drew closer. Parts of her skin looked blackened, and she was staggering about like she’d been hurt. Blimey… it was her, but was it a trick? Could he go out there? Risk exposure? What if she changed into that creature again? She may have looked non-threatening now, but he’d seen how powerful she was as that monster. His heart pounded in his ears as she continued closer for a moment, and swayed.

She dropped several feet from the cave, like a brick. “Mia!” Alistair limped towards her, cautious, but concerned. Damn his heart, but she looked like she’d been burnt. “What happened to you?” he whispered.

He dropped down beside her and turned her over, her eyes flashed open and held his. “Alistair,” she whispered with the faintest smile.

“Y-you were a thing,” he whispered.

She didn’t speak for several seconds, her breathing strained and he could see the damage (though just barely). She was hurt bad. Perhaps even dying? “Monster,” she whispered.

“How is that possible?” he asked her, wishing there was something he could do.

Mia blinked, looking away. “Servant… their servant.”

“I don’t understand.” He shook his head. “Who do you serve?”

Her hand rose to touch his face, and instinct told him to pull away, but he couldn’t. She’d been his friend in this god forsaken place. She’d looked after him, taught him how to find food and water… how could he pull away from her now? “They are watching,” she groaned. Open sores over her arms and stomach. He could even see parts of her skin scorched around the neck. She’d been on fire. It couldn’t have been Rory, could it? He hadn’t even had a torch. “Must… repair.”

“Repair? I don’t understand… repair what?” he pressed.

“Me…” she whispered before her eyes grew heavy and she fell unconscious. Alistair swore under his breath and looked up at the forest so empty. He was alone. Mia was hurt, but she was also dangerous. He didn’t know what to do. Couldn’t bare leaving her like this. Rory would know… he would know what to do right now.

With a sigh he rubbed his eyes, settled beside Mia’s form. She could change any second. She could kill him. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that he was putting himself in danger by keeping by her side, but he didn’t go. He couldn’t leave her even now. Alistair’s mind settled on Jenson and Tom, worried they were most likely dead, and despite this he found himself concerned for Mia. Guilt ate at him for this, but what else could he do? Was it possible this was happening without her knowledge or control? He hadn’t a clue. Perhaps he wasn’t so clever after all.

His eyes took in Mia’s form. He didn’t know what to do with burns. Rory was the one who’d had that sort of knowledge. He doubted she would heal on her own though. Did he want her to heal? What if she turned back into that thing again? He’d be dead if she did. She’d kill him in an instant, he was certain. The question was… was she worth saving? “Don’t take this the wrong way… but I think I might be over that crush,” he told her with a curl of his lips and a sigh. Crush or not… Alistair stayed.

*~*~*

The deeper into the catacombs, the more she saw of their history painted on the walls… like a diary. There was more than one person doing the writing. Some were stories like fairytales. Some were documentation of their history through the centuries before their light was lost. Pictures decorated the walls with faces long dead, buildings now long gone, and so much more. River could spend the rest of her life studying these walls and it still wouldn’t be enough. Despite the urgency, she couldn’t help admiring the work put into all this. Their legacy. This was truly a sacred place. It was the last thing left behind of these people. It was the story of their lives.

River’s eyes scanned the walls, drank in their stories with such a powerful thirst. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, and it went on and on. She saw paintings of children playing in a field. She saw detailed smiles of lovers during their bonding ceremonies. These people… this world… it’d once been a place of joy and happiness. The light shined on them forever, and they basked in it’s light. Who would dare take something so precious from these people? For what purpose? It didn’t make any sense. Why had their enemies been jealous of the light? So many questions circled her mind, and she found herself searching for answers in the text. There had to be a reason.

She continued down the passageway for what felt like hours without an answer. It kept going without end, and she found herself wondering if she was wasting her time. It was quite possible the Tardis wasn’t even in this passage. The walk eased her tensions either way. Her memories of Melody were often locked away in the deepest parts of her mind. She didn’t dwell on them, she couldn’t. No regrets. River was proof that a little girl’s life of suffering wouldn’t be in vain. There would be good days she could hold onto… and some best left alone. There were bad days too, and they couldn’t hurt her now as long as she didn’t let them. Why had she resisted the Doctor’s questions? Something was stirring (a memory) that she’d tried desperately to forget and she didn’t understand why.

The memory was a strong one, a powerful one. It was the kind of moment a person ought to treasure whether good or bad, and when she touched the surface of it… she knew that it was both. Her hearts swelled, and her belly ached. A good kind of pain. Why did it affect her? Why had she forgotten? And why did she feel like it would be useful to her now? She sensed foreknowledge, the smell of time and space, and part of her wondered if she was starting to remember this place after all. The question was… how did the story end?

River frowned, realizing she’d stopped walking, and lifted her gaze. She needed to focus. The Tardis was hidden somewhere, and it was possibly just up ahead. She shined the light of the sonic high to see and paused when a certain painting caught her eye. There wasn’t much text beside the painting of a box, and it felt… familiar, and foreshadowing. River Song couldn’t have resisted even if she’d wanted to. She twisted to get a better view and her eyes scanned the wall, reading along.

“And there came to be visitors not of our kind… very wise and very strong. For their visit they gave no reason… but gave us dance and song. We welcomed them in peace and let them see our light… they whispered of rewards. Do not trust their tricky tongue… the enemy called-” River’s eyes widened, and she stepped back horrified. “Time Lords.”

Oh no….

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

He was holding his daughter’s hand. He’d never gotten the chance to do that before, and certainly not with River Song. It was harder to be a father to a woman who was all grown up and didn’t need him. It was the little things he’d missed out on. Reading his daughter a bedtime story, letting her dance on his feet when music would play, hugging her when some worthless man broke her heart (hearts) and he was forced to put it back together again. Strange how something so simple would give him such indescribable joy.

Tom walked ahead of them, and Rory didn’t miss the way his hands were still trembling. Sometimes he would pause for a moment as if he’d heard something, and shake his head in frustration before moving along. He was obviously mad, but he’d pulled himself together to help Melody… and save his life. Rory was grateful for that. “We found a cave. That’s where I left Alistair. I’m not quite sure how far it is. I was focused too much on the running and not dying part.”

“A cave. Rowan and I saw a cave our first day here,” said Tom thoughtfully. “It’s full of secrets.”

Rory wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but Melody’s grip on his hand tightened, and he didn’t dwell on it any further. Instead, he glanced down at the little girl that was so much a mixture of him and Amy, and flashed her a reassuring smile. She was still so scared, but at least she wasn’t alone. He wanted to believe she would never have to be alone again, but he knew enough spoilers to realize that wouldn’t be true. She would be alone, scared, hurting, in pain, and it upset him greatly just thinking about it.

Then he would think of River Song (amazing, brave River Song) and he was almost certain she would say it was worth it. Would he have traded the two thousand years he waited alone for Amy? Why would he ever expect River Song to be any different? The Doctor called her a ‘Pond,’ and she was often known by ‘Song,’ but at the core of it all she would always be a ‘Williams.’ River would say the Doctor had been worth every minute she’d suffered. He could understand that, he supposed.

“Where is the man with the bowtie?” Melody finally asked. It was the last thing he’d expected her to say. Perhaps he should have known better. He wondered if she knew he was the Doctor. Had she already been programmed to kill him, or was the process incomplete?

“I lost him. Not quite sure where he went.” It wasn’t really a lie. They had been separated… the question of whether they were separated in the state of living or dead, well… that was another matter entirely. “How long have you been here, Melody?”

He noticed the hesitation and knew immediately he wouldn’t like her answer. “A month? Maybe?” Yeah, definitely didn’t like her answer.

“You’ve been by yourself all this time?”

She nodded.

Rory felt his jaw tightened and he let go of her hand just long enough to pick her up and hold her. His affection seemed to surprise her for a moment, but she responded in kind, wrapping arms around him and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. She’d looked tired. She wasn’t all that heavy. He didn’t mind carrying his daughter (his second time doing that), the rest of the way back.

Tom craned his neck to see Rory, his eyes looking glazed as if he were somewhere else entirely. “Rory… I feel cold.”

The way Tom said it was as if to warn him of something. There was certainly a chill in the air, but it was always colder in the fog. “I don’t have a jacket,” Rory responded with a silent apology.

He shook his head at Rory, turning around to face him. “In my head. I feel cold in my head. Something bad is going to happen.”

Tom’s madness, Rory reminded himself; though a part of him tensed anyway. “There’s no music.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure himself, Melody, or Tom. Probably all three.

“No, not music. Something worse than the test.”

Melody’s head popped up to look at Tom. “He knows things because he listens,” she tried to explain, though Rory wasn’t quite sure what the man could possibly be listening to. It all just felt a bit ridiculous… slightly creepy. He thought about Mia, deceptively human until the monster came, and wondered if he was making the right decision trusting Tom. Perhaps it didn’t matter. Tom had saved his life. If he wasn’t to be trusted than what was to be gained by saving Rory?

“Uhh… and what, may I ask, are you listening to?” he questioned.

“The fog,” answered Tom, as if it were obvious.

“Oh… great… so the fog can talk now?”

“Fog can’t talk, Dad, but the people in the fog can,” his daughter corrected, as if he was the person talking madness.

“People in the fog?”

Tom’s smile wasn’t convincing, and he shook his head. “To you this forest is silent, but I can hear everything. I can hear her. It’s how I found you, Rory.”

Perhaps it was the authority in which Tom spoke, or all mad and impossible things Rory had seen since traveling with the Doctor. Whatever it was, his gut was telling him that Tom was telling the truth. “You said something bad is going to happen… bad how?”

The other man closed his eyes, but a tear escaped just in time to run down his cheek. “Someone is about to die.”

*~*~*

The voices in her head stirred from every shadow, their grip on her unrelenting even now. Escape was not an option. They would preserve her until her work was complete. She was all things to them. She was their voice, their hands, and yet another physical expression of the nightmares torturing their souls in this darkness. There was only cold and dark. It drove them to madness. It drove them to pain. Free of innocent hearts and plagued by all the evil of night. They stirred in her now just as before, urging and pressing from deep inside.

Mia Sharpton had been incredibly young when she’d crashed on this planet all those years ago. The crew was lost; her parents sacrificed themselves to make sure she survived. A little girl all alone in the dark and in the days that followed all she did was cry. She wailed in agony and fear for the loss until her throat was raw and she’d run out of tears, resorting to silent sobs that made her sick to her stomach. The dark planet was of no comfort to her. It left her cold and battered, repeating chaotic music until she’d most certainly go deaf.

On her own world she’d lived in a forests. Her parents studied plants and spores with the glee of children, always including her in their greatest discoveries. ‘Oh Mia, you’ve no idea how beautiful our world is until you see where life starts!’ her father would tell her. Records from the crash saved to a portable datapad were all she had left of them, though the batteries had died centuries ago. She’d watched their journal activity every night to sleep, holding that damned pad as if she was holding them too.

It was never silent in the forest. She heard the Mist whisper to her each second of every day. They screamed for her… oh, how they screamed. Little Mia did not understand them at first. They were louder when the shadows would come, whisking her away seconds later though she never understood why. They were protecting her. They kept her safe because they needed her.

The change took time… so much time. Her mother would have suspected a virus, meant to mutate in her blood with every sip of the water from trees. Even the air she breathed was thick with vapors, often making her sick. Accept us, they urged. Serve us, they pressed. Save us, they begged. Their plans for her were clouded away, but their presence could never be. She was to be their rescuer in the unending dark. She would be the one to find them the light once again.

Knowledge far beyond her came with the changing. Horrible headaches plagued her, but she could see so much more than she ever thought possible. A gift. Intellect. Beware of the shadows. Make your own light. Build… use the wreckage left behind and build. It wasn’t until she’d created her first power source that she’d noticed the scales on her arm and gasped in fright. Shhhh Mia… just the change. Accept the change.

She travelled to so many other worlds, tucking away a gift inspired by the brilliance of her mind. An invitation. Save us. No one ever did, but unlike her… they never survived when they failed. The voices grew angry, broken, projecting their nightmares into her mind and heart with a fury that burned from the inside out. So many centuries of bad dreams. They were in agony… and so was she.

It was different now. Mia knew better than anyone. The little girl, the one they’d been waiting for, and more came… just the same, so clever. They liked them clever. Clever like the Lords of Time. Clever enough to save them all. She stirred. They stirred. A chance, but not without risk. They would make the child understand. She did not hear them, but they would make her listen. Over and over again.

Kill.

So much pain. Mia moaned, skin tight and burning… melted. It hurt. “Please… no.”

You are not finished.

She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t go again. She wouldn’t change. “No,” she whimpered.

Gentle hands touched her face, and her mind drifted to her father… so warm and open with his heart. Mia had grown tired. She’d lived so… so long. “Mia?!” his voice slipped into her subconscious with ease. She felt his heat.

Not clever. Not clever enough.

A tear escaped despite her eyes closed. She could feel it fall, trail down her cheek. She had forgotten what it meant to be human… a long, long time ago. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried. “No,” she replied to the voices. “Please.”

It was happening even as she resisted. The change. It never stopped. Endless deaths… worthless to everyone else but her. They wouldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. It was already happening. Too late. Her eyes flashed open, and she saw that it was him.

What came next was what always happens. She had no control over it. She had no power over it. Encouragement, they whispered, and she hated them all the more. Mia cried out with such fury, and he scrambled back. “Go, go, go… run… go!”

She could see the fear in his eyes, so much fear, but there was kindness too. So young. The youngest since her… the youngest since Melody. “My leg, Mia… I c-can’t run.”

Her blood surged through her veins, heart beating ten times faster, and despite the burning she could feel her skin cool down. It always hurt, the change. It always hurt. “Please,” she sobbed. She didn’t know what she was asking. Kill her? Find the strength to fight? Be clever? Run!

“W-what should I do?! How do I make it stop?!” he asked her, because he saw what this meant. He saw what she was becoming. They didn’t understand… he really was clever, so clever… but he also had a heart. His heart would be the death of him.

“Can’t… stop.” Mia rolled over and away from him, face pressed into the dirt as she breathed in the fog. Be the monster. She was. She was a monster. Little Mia… long gone… left dead as she cried over her parent’s graves. “Go!”

He moved away as if to try, but he knew there was no use. Injured. He couldn’t run. Alone. He couldn’t fight. Lost. He couldn’t hide. “Mia… I… I’m so sorry!” His eyes were wet with tears, for her and for him. He knew what was coming. She knew what she would do. Mia cried with him… until nothing human remained. Just the monster. No more tears.

“S… sooooooorrry,” she growled. Like a fury she ripped at him, her nightmare come to life, but she could not stop… would not stop. His scream penetrated her soul, but it was already so black… all it did was made her bleed… and him.

She hadn’t finished her work when the sharp end of a stick pierced her belly with a wild scream, and she staggered away in shock. A flash of auburn hair, and she ran, yanking at the wood in her gut as she heard screaming behind her. He was dead. Young Alistair… gone. Her fault. Their fault. They liked to watch him die….

*~*~*

“Amy?! What did you do?!” shouted the Doctor, out of breath, and eyes wide in the dark.

“I-I don’t know! I saw it attacking him, so I grabbed a stick!” she replied, panting. That creature… Amy was certain she’d been human when she’d seen the outline of her at first with the glow of a nearby fire some distance away. It wasn’t human anymore. “What the hell was that thing?!”

She froze the moment she turned back around to face the Doctor, to see him kneeling over the man the creature had been attacking. They were too late. She could see it on his face. His eyes… sad eyes… watching yet another life drain away. “Alistair?” he whispered gently.

The Doctor knew him. Amy moved down beside them and watched the young man just barely clinging to life, shaking and crying as blood poured from his body like water. Rory would try to save him anyway. Alistair, his name it seemed, turned to meet the Doctor’s gaze. “D-Doctor,” he spoke as the tears fell.

“Alistair… where is Rory? You were with Rory last I saw you… where is he now?”

The man was dying, but Amy bit her tongue. As selfish as she felt for it… she wanted to know just as badly as he did. Alistair was shaking so hard, in shock, maybe? His hand in the air, and the Doctor immediately took it. “S-saved me. Think… alive… somewhere.”

He nodded, brushing the dark hair from Alistair’s face to reveal beautiful, youthful eyes underneath. “I wish… we could have gotten to you in time. I’m… I’m sorry.”

Alistair shook his head, a smile (or a grimace), and Amy could see his teeth stained with blood. “Wasn’t… clever… after all,” he whispered with great effort. The Doctor shook his head, but the boy was already gone. His eyes growing heavy and his hand slipping away.

Amy could only watch, helpless, as she saw that moment that always came. That moment when sadness turned to anger and anger turned to fury (the kind that sent whole armies scrambling away before they were caught in the wake). Another life he couldn’t save. Another person to add to the growing list of failures. She didn’t want him thinking that way, but he was far too old to change now. “Doctor,” she tried, gentle and sympathetic to his pain.

He let Alistair’s hand slip away and she saw the darkness in his eyes, knew what it meant, how it changed him… made him reckless. “He was clever, Amy….” It was all he said before he stood and wiped the blood from his hands. “They always are… always.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

There was a legend, an ancient and terrifying legend about a weapon that could stand in judgment of the person who’d dare use it. The idea of it’s morality made even the Ancients of Gallifrey shudder… including it’s creator. Few knew how the weapon was built. It’s origin was lost a long, long time ago due to the depth of it’s shadowed past. It could burn away whole galaxies, it was said. Some believed it already had. Idle gossip. River knew. She always knew.

One glimpse of that horrible box on the walls of the catacombs, sketched over and over again till she shivered with the weight of it’s meaning. No one knew how the Ancients of Gallifrey built that horrible weapon. No one could comprehend how a weapon could become powerful enough to become sentient, and moral. River knew, just as surely as she knew the Doctor was in trouble, and needed saving (especially from himself).

The light of this planet had never been something as simple as a star. This world was different, impressionable. The light had come from a powerful source (unlike any other ever seen), like a guardian warming the planet for all time, symbiotic. It was alive, and so rare. Of course the Time Lords would take it away. The Ancients of Gallifrey were certainly powerful… larger than life (like gods really), but they were also so completely small. The Doctor would have seen only beauty a long, long time ago when the light heated this world with warmth and morality… enlightenment. River was certain she would have loved to have seen that too. All the Gallifreyans saw was the most powerful weapon they could ever imagine. It was no wonder the universe feared them so.

They harnessed the light, it’s power and size, and turned it into a weapon. They couldn’t have known it would still live, set apart from the world it’d protected for so long. Left without light and morality, all that was left were nightmares. Cruelty. This entire planet abandoned to waste away in the dark. They’d had their light ripped away from them under the guise of peace, blinded… and they searched for it so many centuries later. Always groping in the dark.

It made her sick. Her hearts ached for this world, but she knew there was nothing she could do for them now. She didn’t know why the Time Lords had left them the music. Leave them with hope, but it was empty and meaningless. They couldn’t be saved, but she knew her Doctor. She knew him well. He would try anyway… even if it killed him… and she was quite certain it would.

She ran. River Song ran faster than she ever had. The Tardis was hidden in the caves, protected by the fog, so thick that her sonic could barely penetrate it. She kept the secrets well hidden from their probing, promising things, anything, if it would allow her to pass. They knew she wouldn’t leave. Footnote to rule one… River Song lies too.

The door to the Tardis flew open and she was at the controls in the blink of an eye. Locate Rory and Melody first. It took time to get sensors working (and sparks). At least she knew what she was doing when she worked on the Tardis. The fog had lifted (just barely), but she’d been forced to boost power by getting rid of a few rooms. Goodbye swimming pool. She’d have to remind the Doctor to bring it back later. She was fairly certain she’d be needing it, she always did, especially when the situation demanded a good leap from very tall buildings. How else was the Doctor supposed to catch her?

Locating Rory and Melody’s lifesigns (they were together and a third was with them). She typed the coordinates just before activating the Tardis. River wasted no time once she was certain she’d landed (without leaving the breaks on), and hurled herself out of the Tardis to see Rory’s dumbfounded face. “River?! H-how?!”

“Long story, no time to tell it! Get in this Tardis, all of you!” she urged them, and rushed back towards the controls. She tried not to notice how Rory held onto Melody, so gentle, how it squeezed at her hearts and mind like a vice (memories on the edge of her mind, but just out of reach). Timelines intersecting, but this was always supposed to happen. She could feel it.

“River, what’s happened?! Where’s the Doctor?! We were looking for you!”

“And I found you instead… funny how that works,” she replied as she searched out new lifesigns (his lifesigns), and locked on. Amy and the Doctor were by the entrance of the cave. She’d thought there was a third lifesign, but it faded almost the moment she lifted her gaze to the screen. A fourth kept close, almost out of range… not quite human.

“River! Did you find the Doctor? Did you find Amy? Do you know if they’re still… if they’re alive?”

Rory was holding onto Melody so tight, while his… friend, a young man, hung in the back with wide eyes. “It’s bigger on the inside,” he whispered in awe.

She rolled her eyes at his wonder. They always mentioned the obvious. “Of course they’re still alive! Like I said, long story, but we were forced to split up… and now we’ve got to get going!” River flicked the lever that would send them jumping through space once more, this time to the Doctor. The jolt was faint and quick, and she powered the Tardis down, already punching coordinates that would get them far away from this planet and all the secrets it contained. He must not know. He’ll try to fix it. He can’t, not this time.

Rory was gentle as he finally put Melody Pond down, letting his hands cup her little face as he gave her a faint (and fatherly) smile of reassurance. “Melody, I need you to stay right here while Daddy finds out what’s happening. Can you do that?”

Melody nodded even as River brushed past them in a fury of activity.

“Tom, look after her!” Rory added, and followed behind her. “River!”

She was already out the door, and the sight that greeted her made that feeling in the pit of her stomach all the worse. Once again, her Doctor, standing over a body… a broken, lifeless body. Must it always end that way? His jaw was clenched with barely contained rage. He was bound to do something stupid like this. “Doctor, get in the Tardis… now!”

“Oh my god, no… Alistair!” cried Rory as he saw the dead man lying in the grass.

The Doctor turned all the way around to face them completely. She didn’t miss his struggle to hide the burn in his hearts at failing to save the young man’s life. “River… you’ve got the Tardis, good. I’m sorry, Rory… we tried to save him. We just… got here too late.”

Her father surveyed the body, nodding solemnly, and turned away. “I never should have left him,” he muttered angrily to himself while his wife pulled Rory into her arms for comfort.

River’s focus was on the Doctor… on getting him safe, and far away from this place. “Doctor… we’re going… now,” she urged desperately. They didn’t have much time. The fog was watching, realizing their mistake, stirring. They would stop her at any cost, and she couldn’t let them have the Doctor or Melody. She couldn’t let them see that their hope was in vain. Their planet would never be restored.

His eyes were wide, reading her expression so carefully, solving the riddles of her without her permission. “I can’t leave… this planet needs my help… this world has been in darkness for centuries and it’s been eating away at their dreams… their souls. River, they are screaming in an agony only we could possibly comprehend! Their nightmares have turned into realities, and people are dying.”

River shook her head, leaving the Tardis, her hearts beating so hard she was certain he could hear it. “Doctor, you have to trust me-”

“Trust you?!” he retorted forcefully. He softened when he saw the hurt in her eyes. “River, what are you not telling me?”

“Spoilers.” The weight of what she knew was never too much for her. She’d carried this burden all her life. From the moment she came into existence, the Doctor had been there. The energy of time swimming in her veins (child of the Tardis), constant mental manipulation (to kill the Doctor), and years realizing she could only ever love him in spite of it all (her husband). River Song was used to protecting the Doctor. Instinct told her to protect him from this. She could do anything for him, and she would.

“No… River, I know you’re lying. What have I told you about playing games?”

Her parents looked so utterly useless, watching, knowing what would happen without interference. She saw Rory step forward to ask questions, but she dropped a hand to his chest, gently keeping him quiet. “It’s not a game; your life is not a game!”

“Neither is anyone else’s!” he snapped in frustration.

River wasn’t about to back down. She never did. “There’s too much at stake if you stay.”

“What about Melody Pond?” he questioned, head tilted to the side, eyes colder than ice.

“Safe… in the Tardis,” Rory answered. Amy’s eyes widened as she glanced behind River at the big blue box.

“Melody? You found her?” Amy asked Rory.

“Yeah… she’s safe,” he answered, kissing her lips gently.

“There, you see? All fine, now for once… just listen. We don’t have much time! They know… the eyes of the fog, they’re watching. They will throw everything at us to keep us here. We have to go… now!” River almost begged. In the distance she could see the shifting of fog and shadow, thick and menacing. “Please, Doctor… now! For god’s sake, just listen!”

“I’m not going anywhere. We aren’t finished yet. Alistair died, and I won’t let it be for nothing.”

“Doctor please-”

“What are you not telling me?!” he shouted, and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. He wanted her to care, about this world and all the others, but she couldn’t. She knew what the truth would do to him. “You know something! You’re keeping things from me again! Tell me, River!”

He was angry, so very angry with her now. She was making the decision for him, and he would never forgive her for that. He would never listen. The fog… it was coming… and it was bringing it’s nightmares with it. “I told you, spoilers!” she answered, backing away towards the Tardis, nodding for Amy and Rory to get back inside where it would be safer. They didn’t move… just as stubborn as the Doctor.

She took another step back, but he gripped her wrist, unyielding, and she could see Amy tense. “River, you don’t get to decide what I should and shouldn’t know!”

“There’s nothing you can do for them, my love.” She could only hope the words would soften his rage. “You need to walk away… just this once.”

“I don’t walk away, River!”

“You do today.”

She resisted his grip and he yanked her forward heatedly. There was a glimpse of fire in his eyes, losing patience when faced with her resistance. “That’s enough!” shouted Rory, stepping in front of River protectively. She didn’t need protecting from this. It was much too late for that. Amy pulled him away as the Doctor dropped her arm.

“River… just tell us. Tell us what you found out,” Amy urged.

River never stopped tracking the fog and shadows. The nightmares formed a circle around them, trapping them in, and she wasn’t even certain the Tardis would be able to break free now. Didn’t that just say it all? River Song, wife of the Doctor… perhaps he would trust her with his hearts (his body and mind), but never in the times she needed his trust most. Why couldn’t he have just listened?

“The enemies of this planet didn’t just steal a sun… they stole a power beyond comprehension. This planet had a symbiotic relationship with it. It’s light wasn’t just giving them day… it gave them conscious and morality. It gave them enlightenment and peace… and the enemies only ever saw it as a weapon. The most powerful weapon the universe has ever known.”

She saw comprehension in his eyes almost immediately, and so much guilt. It ate at him, always, and though she tried to tell herself it would be worth it in the end (one day he’d know the truth)… it ate at her too. The Doctor staggered back towards the dead body under his feet, her words cutting him with the memories of what he believed he’d done. “The Moment,” his voice cracked.

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry.” She hadn’t wanted to tell him.

“Always trying to protect me, eh Doctor Song?” he asked with the coldest voice. “You disappoint me,” he growled. The Doctor was very observant. In his rage and frustration he always knew which words would cut the deepest.

“There is nothing you can do! The Moment is lost…”

“It’s GONE!” roared the Doctor. “It’s gone because I USED IT!”

The hatred spiraled like bullets against her walls, but she managed them like an expert. Rory looked primed to play mediator once more, but she laid a hand on his arm. Don’t interfere, father. “You can’t save everyone.” This moment was exactly what she’d been trying to prevent.

The Doctor shook his head, turning away from her, desperate to prove her wrong. “Why the music?! Why the test, left behind?! It doesn’t make any sense?!” He was fidgeting and antsy, struggling against the beast inside, scrambling for purchase in the storm of memories and guilt.

“Perhaps to leave them with some hope? False hope,” River offered.

“No… no… they wouldn’t do that. You don’t know the Time Lords like I do! They had to have known what would happen,” the Doctor insisted, always desperate to find the good… especially in his own people. “It would have taken time to harness that much energy… years perhaps; years to plan and predict how their actions would change this planet. What if they’d left something behind… a replacement?”

“They could never replace the symbiotic relationship of their light and this planet,” River insisted.

“No, but it’s just like with the Ood. Cut their third brain and stick a translator in their palm instead. The Time Lords knew what they were taking, but they didn’t just leave them with nothing. The music is a command subroutine! It’s been repeating and repeating for centuries, but without reply. The Time Lords left for some reason and they never gave the command… so for centuries the planet waits and waits… hoping that someone will crack the code, activate the command… but none of them could ever be as clever as a Time Lord. The Time Lords are dead. I killed them all. No one could give them the right answer… no one… but you.” The Doctor’s eyes met River. “You… human PLUS! They found you and realized what you are, so they stole you, hoping that you would know! Hoping that you could save them.”

River shook her head. “How am I possibly supposed to know how to activate a command code made by the Ancients?”

The Doctor held her gaze. “It’s there, River… but you’ve forgotten. The answer is a string of notes… hidden in plain sight… childish songs from when you were a little, and so afraid of the dark. You were right. I can’t save this planet… but you can. You just have to remember!”

She didn’t realize she was crying until the tears dripped onto her shirt, so bitter and salty, but she held his gaze. “What if I don’t want to remember?” she asked. What then?

A tiny hand touched her wrist, and River broke her gaze with the Doctor to see Melody Pond. So young. Perceptive and young. “Am I supposed to sing now? Tom said it was time to sing.”

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

“When I first met the Doctor, a long, long time ago... he knew all about me. Think about that. Impressionable young girl, and suddenly this man just drops out of the sky, he's clever and mad and wonderful and knows every last thing about her. Imagine what that does to a girl.”

Greystark Hall Orphanage: 1967

Melody Pond didn’t mind the rain. When day turned to night and she couldn’t sleep, the rain seemed the only thing capable of keeping her mind off the shadows. It’s just the dark, Melody! Why are you so afraid of the dark? It wasn’t so much the blackness of night that made her uncomfortable though, but what could possibly be hiding in the shadows. The shadows shifted and moved, a presence waiting (ever patient) for her to let down her guard. They couldn’t tell her that this fear was irrational when she knew the shadows watched her sometimes, so they left her a lamp by her bed.

Tonight it was raining hard. Thunder shook the small attic where she slept, and Melody tried her best not to jump. She kept close to the lamp, eyes trained on the picture of her mother’s smiling face, reassurance that she wasn’t quite alone… not quite. It wasn’t enough, but it would do. Little Melody Pond closed her eyes, tucked under the blankets and tried to listen to the rain; kept safe in the light of her lamp and the watching eyes of her mother. Be brave, Melody. Just be brave.

“Ow! Bloody hell!”

Melody’s eyes flashed open as she heard the familiar voice of her only real friend in this place. Although old and fairly strange, she was quite used to him now. With a smile she jumped from the covers and rushed to her window, pulling it open all the way so he could climb in. “You’re late!”

He rolled his eyes and huffed at her, soaked to the bone. “Oh perfect… you started the nagging young,” he grumbled (Scottish accent thicker when he was grumpy… he was always a bit grumpy actually), and tripped over into the attic. She closed the window behind him. “Let’s ignore the fact that I scale an orphanage just to see you, in the rain no less, and focus on my timing!”

Melody could only shrug, amused as she grabbed a towel she’d snuck from the bath in anticipation for his visit. He nodded to her gratefully and started drying his grey hair and wrinkled face. “I didn’t think you were coming because of the storm.”

“Didn’t stop you from stealing the towel,” he pointed out, knowingly. He always knew.

“I borrowed,” she insisted.

He could only laugh. “You’ll do quite a bit of that, Melody Pond!”

“Did you bring me anything?” He usually did. Sometimes it was a toy or a picture (the one of her mother), and often bars of chocolate since the orphanage rarely had snacks. The first time he’d come, she’d thought him a monster climbing the wall to kill her in her sleep… until she’d seen the present… stars to hang over her bed at night. She’d always loved the stars.

“Is that all I am to you? Some kind of nightly Santa Claus to bring you presents?” He straightened as if highly insulted, his coat slipping open to reveal the bright red lining on the inside of his jacket. She tried her best not to laugh.

“You? Santa? You’re not ‘merry’ at all!” she retorted, and watched his eyes light up with such glee. He liked her ‘spunk.’

“And don’t you forget it!” he maintained, sternly, with a finger wag.

Melody’s hands perched themselves on her hip as she stared up at the gangly looking man. He didn’t have a name (at least not one he’d tell her). Sometimes he told her to call him ‘John Smith,’ but it seemed far too normal for someone so wonderfully colorful. She waited patiently for him to break, refusing to back down, and knowing him far too well at this point. He wouldn’t break tradition.

“Oh fine! I brought us a game!” he sighed, pulling a box from behind his back that she hadn’t noticed before.

“That’s a puzzle.”

“Same thing.”

“No it’s not. A puzzle is a puzzle and a game is a game.”

He waved off her argument and wrinkled his bushy eyebrows. “That’s not even a proper argument. Must you always be so difficult?!”

Melody took a seat in front of him, tugging her legs underneath her and stared at him expectantly. Eventually, he sat down, with a dramatic groan. “It’s not like you’re any less stubborn,” she pointed out.

He immediately chuckled. “I suppose that’s why I adore you!”

She beamed proudly at that. She would never admit it out loud, but she liked the attention he gave her. Most days she felt forgotten in this place, a cast off without a home, but he treated her like she was special… like she meant something. She wasn’t used to that. Melody watched him dump the contents of the puzzle on the floor, cracking knuckles and clearing his throat as he surveyed the tiny pieces.

“This could take awhile. Are you helping, or not?”

She rolled her eyes at his gruff demeanor and leaned down to get a better look at the pieces. “Where’s the picture?”

“My dear, that’s cheating.”

“It’s supposed to help you!” she fought.

“Rubbish! Where is the fun in that?! The best part of solving a puzzle is the journey, sweet child! The picture is right in front of us! All we have to do is find it!”

She made a face at him, but conceded to his will. It wouldn’t take long, anyway. It never did. She got to work immediately, watching him every once in a while as he compared different pieces, deliberately taking his time. “Will you tell me a story tonight?” He didn’t always tell stories, but she especially enjoyed those nights. Her favorite was of the lady Archeologist, with a sharp tongue and a gun at her side. She wasn’t afraid of anything. He called her Melody Malone. She liked that name.

“Hmmm, not sure we’ll have time for that, but perhaps a song before you sleep?”

They were already almost done, well… she was, his side… less so. “What song?”

“My favorite, of course!” he answered with a wink, and turned his attention back to the puzzle. His youthful vigor matched her own, which was strange to see from an adult, especially an old one. He liked their games almost as much as she did, and he loved to hear her sing.

Melody pulled her gaze away from the old man and stared down at the puzzle, nearly completed. It’d been far too easy. Despite a few holes in the finished product, she could see what it was now… stars. A night sky filled with stars. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’ll see them one day… properly,” he assured her.

“Will you take me?”

She saw him hesitate, and she wasn’t sure why he looked so sad all of the sudden, but the look was gone just as quickly as it’d appeared. “Would you like that? Off traveling with a mad man to see the stars?” he asked, doubtful.

“You’re just a bit weird.” He smirked at that, a secret smile. Melody suspected he had lots of those… secrets. “Who else would I travel with? You’re my only friend.”

“What if you had lots of friends?”

“None like you,” she responded without thought. “Not nearly as wonderful as you.”

He stilled then, staring at her for a moment, but it was like he was staring through her and seeing somebody else (a ghost). It was always strange when he did that. It was unsettling. He knew all about her, and she wasn’t sure why… but he’d known her since the very beginning. She knew nothing about him. She didn’t know where he lived, if he had a job, or anything like that. He was a mystery, a puzzle. She wondered if she’d ever get the chance to solve him one day.

He cleared his throat after a moment, and shook his head, as if to clear his mind of memories. “Come now, off to bed. It’s late and the rain’s stopped.”

Melody glanced down, placing the last piece of the puzzle and admired the completed picture. Eventually, she popped up and jumped into bed. “When are you coming next? My birthday is coming up.”

He moved over to sit on the bed, a gloomy look in his eyes, and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Oh… you’ll see me around eventually. Quite soon.”

Sometimes grown-ups said things because they wanted to protect a child from the truth. She’d seen it happen often enough when the other kids would ask why no one wanted them… why they weren’t special enough to be adopted. She knew better than to ask. Watching her nighttime visitor now, she knew he was keeping something from her, but couldn’t quite tell if he was actually lying or not. “You won’t stop, will you? Coming, I mean. You won’t stop coming to see me, will you?”

He immediately straightened, looking especially slighted. “My dear, girl… you’ll be seeing me till the very end. That’s a promise,” he guaranteed, bopping the end of her nose with his finger. She always laughed when he did that. “Now… how about a lullaby?”

“But you’re terrible-”

“I meant you, Melody! Oi, everyone’s a critic!”

She immediately leered, shaking her head at him. “You’re favorite?”

He closed his eyes as if it were him about to sleep and let out a sigh. “Sing about the stars, my dear girl. The one about the stars.”

E-Space/Planet Unknown: Present

“Am I supposed to sing now? Tom said it was time to sing.”

“Go on, River,” the Doctor urged. “Help her.”

River knew. She always knew. That didn’t mean she always wanted to know. Spoilers. She liked that word most of the time. It was a tease, a mystery, one single word that answered everything and nothing at the same time. The fog surrounded them like a cage, refusing to let go of their only hope in this endless darkness. Did it always have to be this way? River Song… trapped, but for once there was no escape. There was nowhere to run. The manipulations of the Silence, the sins she’d carry with her all her life, none of that compared to the painful memories of Melody Pond… and the nights she’d shared with her only friend. Those memories had left her bitter till the day she forgot. It wasn’t until now that she realized why.

Time would forever be a circle to them. Her mad and wonderful visitor (future husband), and only companion in the dark. She’d loved him even then. He’d promised to be with her, and then he never came back. She wouldn’t see him again until Mels… and even then the connection would be lost for many years to come. It should have healed the ache, knowing that it was the Doctor that’d come for her during those dark times. He’d made her nights special, and would again in Stormcage. The Doctor, her protector of shadows, like stories from a fairytale. He’d been battling her demons for her, even then. Perhaps it was time to face them on her own. Just this once.

She ignored the tears in her eyes as she knelt down in front of Melody and looked into her curious eyes. She remembered those eyes. So sad, but so full of hope. “Tom is right… it is time to sing,” she told her younger self with a gentle smile.

Melody shook her head, eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. “What song do I sing?”

She’d almost forgotten too. She would need River’s help to remember. They could remember together, and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it would be easier if she wasn’t remembering alone. She had to try. Everyone was counting on her… including the Doctor.

*~*~*

Despite the fury that had briefly washed over him… the guilt of his people… frustration with River, his hearts squeezed painfully in his chest as River cried. Even then she soldiered on, though he still couldn’t comprehend why it was so difficult for her. He wanted to understand it. He needed to understand, because it was important. He knew that much. She didn’t want to remember and he needed to know why.

“I want you to close your eyes, Melody. I want you to think about the orphanage,” said River gently. Little Melody hesitated, of course. She didn’t understand who River was, but she was still at that tender age… when it was easier to trust. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “Do you see it?”

“Yes… it’s night time and I’m in the attic, my room.”

River nodded, though Melody couldn’t see. “You met a wonderful man in that room, didn’t you Melody? A wonderfully mad man.” The Doctor held his breath at that, hyper aware that this was it. Her secret since being taken to this awful place. A wonderfully mad man? Did she mean….

He watched Melody’s lips curl just a bit, and more tears fell down River’s face undeterred. “He’s just a bit weird. I haven’t seen him in awhile.”

“I know, sweetheart… I know. You were very special to him though, Melody. He’d climb all the way to the attic just to see you, but only in the night.”

“He knew I was afraid of the dark. I-I try to be brave.”

“You are very brave, Melody. He knew that. He was very proud of you.” He. The pressure on his hearts tightened unbearably, and his eyes widened just a smidge. Spoilers. She was speaking spoilers. His future. River continued to speak. “Do you remember the last night he came?”

Melody nodded, River’s hand moved to brush a stray hair out of her face, and the Doctor could see clearly that the child was crying too now. He couldn’t stand to look at her very long, couldn’t stand by watching little Melody cry, but he never stopped listening. Never that. “He brought me a puzzle of the stars. He said that one day I’d see them. He’d take me to see them all. He promised.”

“He will,” River assured her. “One day. You’ll see the stars together like you’ve always wanted. The first time… your first night when you’re almost sure he’s forgotten you completely… he’ll take you to a place far, far away. You’ll see more stars than you could ever imagine, Melody.” The Doctor’s eyes were drawn back to River’s face, now smiling despite the tears. “They’ll light up the sky like daylight.”

Melody beamed. “Really?” Such hope. She already couldn’t wait. He was quite certain he was looking forward to it too.

“Yes, he will… because he knows you love the stars just as much as he does. Do you remember, Melody? Do you remember the song you used to sing to him about the stars?”

Melody nodded, and her eyes opened. River looked back at her, offering a watery smile in return. “A lullaby to help him sleep. His favorite.”

River licked her lips, and took a deep breath. She stood slowly and stepped away. There was nothing in the universe that could hold the Doctor back in that moment. He swept by her side in seconds, his hand slipped into her own. A silent apology. A show of support. Or perhaps he just couldn’t stand to see her remember alone. She squeezed back. “Sing it to him now, Melody. Sing the one about the stars.”

Understanding lit up Melody’s eyes as she looked up at River, just before she closed her eyes once more and breathed deep. The Doctor’s gaze settled on the woman beside him, so broken sometimes, but always putting herself right back together again.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are….”

The reaction was instantaneous. The Doctor watched in amazement as the trees began to glimmer and hum, a luminescent green and blue glow more beautiful than he could have imagined. River’s hand tightened in his, and he could feel Amy’s gaze on him. He didn’t care. He focused, once more, on River. So amazing. So brave… then and now. How could he ever deserve her?

“When the blazing sun is gone. When he nothing shines upon. Then you show your little light. Twinkle, twinkle, all the night….”

The sky was next. He watched River lift her gaze, and the faint stars above seemed to glow twice as hard, shine so much brighter than ever before… as if some barrier around the planet had been lifted. He could see the curves of River’s face so much clearer now. The glow of light around them highlighting the beauty of her green eyes and olive skin. River sang the last verse right along with Melody, much softer (only he could hear her). He’d never heard her sing before. He hadn’t known she could.

“Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your tiny spark. He could not see which way to go, if you did not twinkle so. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are!”

The fog lifted from around them, and the grass beneath vibrated… so faint that no one would notice… except for maybe him. So much light around them, though certainly not nearly what this planet deserved. He could feel the psychic energy dissipate. The fog… no longer absorbing the nightmares, free of the burden pressed upon them for so long. It was quiet. The eyes of the fog closed for good. Finally, there would be peace. He’d come to this planet to save River Song, but she saved them instead.

To Be Continued

Chapter Text

Amy and River had taken Melody inside the Tardis while the men dug a grave for Alistair and the others. Rory tried not to feel angry or guilty about what’d happened to him, but he realized it was utterly useless in the end. Eighteen. He was just a kid. A sweet and innocent kid. Girls didn’t pay attention to him (their loss really), but it’d never made him bitter. He put others before himself, and he’d never stopped being brave. He had a family waiting for him. They would never stop waiting.

Tom shook his head, as if he’d heard Rory’s line of thought. “His family should know how he died. I want them to know how brave he was… like I could never be.”

Rory was grateful. How often had they watched people die since traveling with the Doctor? Never once had anyone thought to tell their families, not even him. Sometimes he didn’t like who he was turning into since seeing the universe. He feared for the day when he’d stop caring. It was all fun and adventure most of the time (in the beginning), but then people got hurt… then people died. He hoped it never stopped hurting when they did.

Mia was buried not far beside Alistair. Once the fog’s influence was gone, they’d been powerless to heal her injuries. She’d died as a human in the forest, perhaps for the best considering the things she’d been made to do. There’d been a datapad in her pocket… recordings of a couple… scientists. He’d watched a few parts, enough to know they’d been Mia’s parents. Rory had buried the recordings along with her. The Doctor seemed certain they’d been keeping her alive for centuries to fetch them people who might crack the command code. They’d turned her into a monster. She’d never really had a choice in the end.

Finally, there was Jenson. He was buried to the left of Alistair, and although Rory knew very little about him, he was certain he would have liked the man. Melody said he’d tried to help her. Rory would always be grateful for that.

The fog had all but dissipated in the forest. Rory wasn’t quite sure he understood what had happened, even with the Doctor’s barely comprehensible efforts to explain. From what he’d gathered, the fog had been sentient; teeming with the lives of those who’d once lived on this world. Psychic energy gave them power, but it also caused their suffering. Without the light that seemed to have provided a conscious, of sorts, they were lost (feeding on the darkness and their own nightmares instead). The command subroutine cut off those abilities for good, but without it, the life in the fog could no longer be sustained. More than three people had died on this planet… a whole civilization was gone. It was no wonder the Time Lords hadn’t activated it before they’d left. Still… perhaps it was for the best? At least they could finally have some peace as well.

“We should go,” the Doctor spoke. “We’ve got to get everyone back where they belong.”

Not everyone. Rory let his eyes linger over Alistair’s grave and he turned away, walking beside Tom towards the Tardis, with the Doctor trailing behind. Tom took a deep breath, eyes lifting to stare at the starlit sky. “My great grandfather passed down these stories… about a big blue box that traveled through time and space. He’d say you’d be lucky to meet a man that wonderful… if you survived him.”

“What was his name? Your great grandfather?” the Doctor asked.

“Captain Jack Harkness. There’s a legend in our family that he’s one of the few that didn’t… survive you, I mean. That he died… and keeps dying over and over again. I used to think it was crazy, till I saw your Tardis… till this place.”

Rory almost smiled. “A friend of the Doctor’s that’s died more than once? I think I’d enjoy meeting him. We’d have a lot in common.”

“You really wouldn’t,” the Doctor assured him, catching up to them, shaking his head fondly. “He’d probably just try to get you into bed. Good ol’ Jack never could resist a challenge.”

“Not Amy?” Rory questioned in surprise. He’d assumed the man was straight… what with the grandkids and great grandkids, but there were certainly other ways around that.

“Oh no, he’d try to sleep with her too,” the Doctor assured him.

Rory rolled his eyes, looking over at Tom, who was smiling extra wide. Not denying a thing. “You two are kinda hot….”

They laughed then, unable to stop themselves despite the pain they’d witnessed and the losses they’d suffered. It occurred to Rory that he shouldn’t feel guilty about that. If he’d learned anything since travelling with the Doctor… it was to be grateful for every laugh. What was the point of living without a laugh or two?

*~*~*

River wasn’t certain if the song about the stars was taken from Earth or if it was the Time Lords that had inspired the melody. It was quite possible the Doctor had been involved… he usually was, bless. The fact that he’d imprinted the song onto her hearts all those years ago gave new meaning to those moments between them, preparing her for the day when she’d have to face the nightmares of that planet (and save them with their song). Timey whimey, the Doctor would say. River liked to blame the universe for such things… such a mad place with so many secrets and plans for them all. Some called it fate or destiny. River had never known what to call it.

Little Melody had fallen asleep in one of the chairs by the console, and no one could really blame her. After so long on her own, it was doubtful she’d gotten many chances to rest. Anyone would be a bit knackered after what she’d just been through, River certainly was. The Tardis had made it back through the void with less trouble this time (and River’s help), leaving behind the nightmares of that planet ripped of it’s light by the Doctor’s own kind. She knew he was carrying their guilt inside him now, despite the fact that he’d had nothing to do with any of it. In his mind he was just as responsible… even more so since he still believed he’d used the device to destroy his own people in the Time War.

They’d managed to find Alistair’s family, and dropped Tom Harkness off to inform them of what happened. He’d hugged everyone goodbye, finally free of the madness that had plagued him (the effects of the fog now gone), and spurred on with new purpose. She’d seen that look often enough. He was contemplating adventures of his own. She was quite certain he would have them. He would be brilliant.

River had asked to be dropped off next… to give her parents more time with Melody, before they would be forced to say goodbye to their daughter once again. No matter how many times they would see River Song, she was certain nothing could be worse than letting go of their child as she was now… with auburn hair… and such a mixture of both her parents.

The Tardis was silent. The Doctor had actually remembered not to leave the brakes on… for once. She actually missed the wheezing noise (though she wouldn’t be telling him that). She watched Rory reach down to pick up little Melody in confident arms. She could almost remember the warmth of him. “You’re safe now,” he whispered, and River closed her eyes for a moment to keep herself from crying. She shouldn’t have opened them again. Amy tucked Melody’s hair behind her ear, and kissed her forehead softly. The air left her lungs when she spoke. She told Melody to be brave. Her dreams.

While her parents left the room to find a bed for their daughter to sleep in, River brushed away her tears. She wanted to go, right now. No goodbyes. Just this memory… to know that her dream was real after all. She opened the Tardis doors and slipped away quietly while the Doctor wasn’t watching, and walked back towards her cell.

“Oi! And where do you think you’re going?”

River turned back around to see her mother’s face. “Where do you think?” she replied.

Her mother shook her head; face all stern with mock disappointment. “No goodbye, then, for your own mother? I thought we raised you better than that. Granted we were kids, but we tried our best… Rory and I.”

She smiled back, pulling Amy into the tightest hug. “Oh mother… there’s no need for goodbyes. Your daughter is waiting right inside.”

Amy was staring at her now, wide eyes; with so much feeling it was almost staggering. “You are my daughter.”

“We both are,” River agreed. Somewhere deep inside she realized she’d needed to hear Amy speak those words, more than anything in the world.

Amy dragged her into one last hug, gripping her tight as if she wasn’t quite certain she wanted to let go. “Rory’s already sorting out one. I’m just trying to sort out the other,” she whispered fondly, taking River’s hands in hers briefly before she backed away towards the Tardis. “Also… I may have been trying to stall you just a bit so the oblivious idiot you’re madly in love with has enough time to realize you’ve gone.”

River glanced past Amy to see the Doctor, his head poking out, glaring holes into the back of her mother’s head. “I noticed! I notice everything! I was trying to be a gentleman and let you two have a chat first!”

She watched her mother roll her eyes, and laughed; hearts lighter than a feather as she realized just how lucky she was to have these moments. Amy snuck past the Doctor with a devilish grin, making him blush the deepest red before he shoved her inside and locked the door from the outside. “Were you really just going to go? Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked, turning back towards River.

She pretended to give it some thought. “Nothing I can think of, sweetie.”

He was walking towards her slow and confident, a teasing grin on his lips. “Oh… shut up,” he almost growled as he leaned down to kiss her, hard. He pressed her into the bars of her cell, and she melted against his lanky frame. While her hands tucked themselves under his tweed jacket, his cupped her face, controlling the pace… languid… like they had all day and all night for just this.

When he finally broke the kiss, she took a moment to breathe. He did that to her sometimes… took her breath away. “Oh right… how could I ever forget about that?”

His eyes grew serious at her comment, thumb stroking her cheek so sweetly. “I don’t want you to ever forget, River.” His forehead pressed against hers, eyes closed, and he snuck in another kiss. Silently begging her to never resist the memories of them, not even the painful ones. “Please… don’t.”

“I won’t,” she promised. River never stopped promising things. She always kept them though.

They stood there for what seemed a very long time, holding each other. He wasn’t eager to let her go. Neither was she, really. Eventually, he would, though. He would have to, of course. “I do trust you… you know. You make it difficult sometimes, but River… you need to know that I trust you.”

She wanted to believe him, more than anything, but actions spoke so much louder than words. “Not all the time.”

She felt him sigh and shake his head, pressing soft kisses against her temple and over her eyes… her lips. “Not all the time, no… but one day… with everything. One day I’ll trust you like I should.”

The moment was too heavy for her after what they’d both experienced. River swallowed hard, letting her hand stroke up and down his back soothingly. “I look forward to that.”

Silence settled between them, both realizing how difficult it was to leave like this. So much left unspoken, but neither quite ready to face it all. Time was forever getting in the way, and it didn’t feel right to point out that from her point of view he was trusting her less and less. She was unbelievably relieved when he changed the subject. “Sometime in my future I visit Melody,” he pointed out. “She didn’t recognize me though.”

Oh Doctor…. “Spoilers.”

He cracked a smile. “I thought you might say that.”

River bit at her bottom lip, eyes dropping down to his lips once more. “You realize eventually if you don’t leave, my parents will start suspecting things… naughty things about what we’re up to out here.”

The Doctor flicked his bangs out of his eyes, looking extra wicked. “Let them,” was his only response before he dived right in for another kiss. She gasped as the bars dug into her back hard this time, and his hands roved over her body. She just about lost it when she felt something hard pressed against her thigh. Look who’s back! Perhaps he wasn’t so young after all.

There were three things that River Song was grateful for in that moment as she felt his hand slip up her shirt: 1) that she was quite certain her parents were far too busy with her younger self to be concerned with what was happening outside the Tardis, 2) that the Doctor had built in a perception filter around her cell for just these such moments between them, and 3) that he hadn’t let her go without saying goodnight….

*~*~*

By the time the Doctor stumbled back into the Tardis he looked extremely out of sorts. Shirt untucked, bowtie mysteriously missing, hair askew, and Amy was fairly certain his trousers were unzipped. “Amy!” he exclaimed in surprise and horror. His back against the Tardis doors as he shoved his shirt back into his pants and scrambled to zip them.

“That must have been some ‘goodbye,’ you gave my daughter,” she remarked, arms folded as she stared him down. It was a good thing Rory was still with Melody, or she was almost certain he’d have been off looking for his sword.

The Doctor immediately straightened, looking convincingly affronted. “It’s been an emotional few days… I was… making sure she was alright!” he claimed.

Amy was less than convinced. She’d spent an hour getting herself cleaned and taking turns with Rory to look after Melody, wondering why they hadn’t left Stormcage or drifted off into the vortex. It wasn’t until she’d returned to the console room that she’d realized the Doctor was still outside. “Doctor,” she finally spoke, letting her arms drop. It was fun to watch him sweat, but after what she’d seen… she couldn’t help feeling inclined to have a more serious conversation. There would be time for teasing later.

“Hmm?” was all he managed before he ran his hands through his hair, looking a little less ruffled once the tangles were combed through. “What is it?” he asked, walking past her towards the console to send the Tardis off into the vortex for their next drop off in New York.

Amy followed him with her eyes, gripping the rails as the Tardis shuddered. “I know you get a temper sometimes. I can’t exactly say I’m any better… but she was just trying to protect you. You hurt her.”

The Doctor stilled, but refused to meet her gaze. She knew in that moment that he’d do it again… say cruel things to her daughter. He knew it too. It was inevitable. Sometimes he wouldn’t even know who he was saying those things to, because she was just River Song… a woman from his future that he was certain he shouldn’t trust. Sometimes he would know exactly what he was doing and hurt her anyway. River would be River… take every harsh word as if it didn’t hurt. They both knew that it did. “I know,” he finally spoke.

Amy also realized he’d try to make up for it later, every time. Not always when he should. Not always in the right order. He would try, though. She’d let go what she’d seen for now, but it didn’t mean she’d forget it… or forgive him quite so easily. Just because River seemed to be able to recover, didn’t make it any less easy for Amy. “Was it Mia that sent River and I those cards then? No one else was given a card.”

The Doctor shook his head, though visibly relieved for the change in topic. “I don’t think we were actually expected. It’s why the planet didn’t kill us right away… or River. The fog was trying to figure us out… studying us. Eventually, they must have realized we could solve their dilemma.”

“Then who was it? Who sent us the message and coordinates?” Amy asked.

“Think about it, Amy. They took Melody Pond. They actually planned on stealing her, probably detecting that she was indeed part Time Lord, and therefore capable of helping them. Who do you think they took her from?”

A shiver ran down her spine as she realized why she hadn’t noticed the person brush past her, hadn’t remembered his face. “The Silence.”

He smiled, full of pride at her deduction skills. “Exactly! They wanted their little pet project back and who better than River Song and the Doctor to save her?! They knew we wouldn’t be able to resist,” he told Amy and flicked a switch before turning to face her, his hip leaning against the console. Silence settled between them briefly before Amy watched his eyes grow wide as if remembering something jarring, as if something important was just sinking in and he didn’t know quite how to handle it. She’d never seen him make that face before. “I may have just slept with your daughter a little,” he confessed.

Amy grimaced and shook her head. “I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear that!” she replied, walking towards the exit before he tried to tell her more.

“Right… way too much sharing… I’ll just… uh… never do that again… tell you about it I mean… I’ll probably still dabble in the sex! Oh… nope, now I’m just making it worse,” he called after her. “That’s a bit awkward… sorry!”

All she could do was wave him away and try not to look him in the eyes until she was certain her mind wouldn’t start picturing things. She was beginning to miss the days when her biggest concern was a life that didn’t make sense. This… this was ten times worse!

*~*~*

The Doctor had given them some time alone with Melody to say ‘goodbye,’ but neither parent seemed especially willing to say it, especially when she was still fast asleep. Watching her husband sit beside Melody holding her hand was enough to break anyone that’d been through half of what Amy’d experienced. The fact that they were supposed to be sending her away made it so much worse. She could see the tears in Rory’s eyes as he studied their daughters face while she slept, hands curling strands of hair around his finger to examine that flashes of ginger and brown; eyes roving over her chest as it rose and fell, just content to see her breathing. “It’s not fair,” he whispered, resentfully.

There was nothing worse than this. It’d been one thing for their baby to be taken from them, but giving her up? That was incomprehensible. The timeline, be damned! Would it really be so wrong for them to keep Melody? Could they ever forgive themselves if they didn’t? Amy let her finger slip down one chubby cheek, and she smiled wide as her daughter shifted, still blissfully unconscious. “We could refuse to do this, Rory. We could rewrite everything and never let her go.”

Rory shut his eyes tight for a moment, and shook his head. “Erase River?” he questioned. “Could you really do that? To her? To the Doctor?”

Part of her wanted to. Whatever connection River and the Doctor shared, through time and space, it was tearing them both apart. She pretended not to see it, but even the Doctor looked haunted when he was with River. It was like he knew how it would end, and he was falling hard for her anyway. Amy refused to ask what that was about. He’d never tell her anyway. Rory knew it too though. River had said as much once. There's a far worse day coming for me. Amy shook her head. “We could blow a hole in the universe, I’m sure.”

Rory tilted his head briefly with a sigh. “Right… yeah… getting a bit old, isn’t it?”

Amy smiled, staring at her husband as she realized how much he’d changed, but so much of him stayed the same… the beautiful parts (the unselfish parts). As much as it hurt him to give up their daughter, he would do it, and she knew without a doubt it wasn’t for the universe… or the Doctor. He was doing it for River Song. He was doing it for the woman their daughter would become. “River’s worth it, isn’t she?” Amy whispered then, as if only just realizing the weight of it all.

Rory craned his neck to look at her. “She’s mad and clever… a bit stubborn sometimes. She kinda reminds me of you. It makes me proud… knowing I helped create that.”

Amy leaned in to kiss him then, because it would be too impossible not to. He kissed her back with all the love he possessed, and she basked in it’s strength, felt her heart float weightless in her body as if all her burdens meant nothing with Rory around… her Rory. “She’s like you too, though. I see it in her eyes. So much love and loyalty… so much strength. The way she looks at the Doctor sometimes… I know that look. I see it on your face every time I ask myself how I got so lucky.”

He was giving her that look now. Amy was almost certain she could do anything when he looked at her like that. “River’s worth it, Amy. As hard as this is… I think… I know that River’s worth it.”

River had told them that she remembered waking up in the middle of New York on her own, and knew not much else about the month she’d been away (just what came to her when she slept). She would survive for a time, struggling for warmth and bread, braver than she’d ever been (dreaming of her parents and a man in a bow tie). It made Amy sick to think her daughter might feel abandoned by them, but River assured her that it’d only made her determined… determined to find her parents no matter what. Anyone else would be bitter and broken, but her daughter… little Melody… rose to the challenge, and found her way.

Amy turned back to Melody and kissed her forehead one last time. “She really is going to be amazing… isn’t she?”

“Of course she is Ponds,” came a voice from behind them, and they both turned around to see the Doctor standing in their room, leaning against the wall with such sad eyes. “Was there ever any doubt?”

To Be Continued In Epilogue

Chapter Text

Many Centuries Later

The Doctor hadn’t thought about River Song in a very, very long time. That wasn’t to say he’d forgotten about her, of course not! She was the love of his life! His wife! Just because he hid away his emotions didn’t mean they didn’t exist. She wasn’t just a passing fancy for one of his ‘younger’ regenerations… never that. She was the one that mattered, the one he’d trusted with all his secrets in the end, though she couldn’t have realized the depth of his feelings for her (just another regret among many). However, the Doctor did what he always did when something hurt that deeply… he pretended. He smiled. He traveled. Life goes on, and so would he. River would want him to.

It was quite possible he’d mourned for River longer than he’d mourned Gallifrey. His guilt over his home planet had been horribly great during the days he’d thought he’d burned his own planet. Losing River was like tearing out his beating hearts, but it’d been worth it… every second he’d spent with her. He would tear out his hearts a million times over if given the chance to rewrite their history. She was worth his enduring agony. Of that there was no doubt.

The thing was… he’d thought his life with River Song had ended centuries ago, one last goodbye to the ghost that’d managed to do the impossible. He would never see his beautiful wife again. That being said, having a mild hearts attack (both of them), wasn’t being overly dramatic when she appeared aboard the Tardis looking every bit as ravishing as he remembered. She didn’t miss a step, greeting him with a knowing grin, and a ‘hello sweetie’ as if he’d always had this face. He had to remember she knew all his faces, and possibly a few not even he knew about. That was the trouble with time travel… it was all just so much easier to make up funny words and dismiss the impossible with a ‘wibbly wobbly’ and a ‘timey whimey’. He was far too old to explain the unexplainable.

Looking at River after so many years was like being torn apart instantly, and slowly put back together again. The universe was entirely too cruel sometimes… but then there were these moments, rare moments, when he was faced with a miracle. He’d kissed her before he could be concerned why she’d come to him or how, because it really didn’t matter in the end. River had laughed against his lips, pat his cheek, and given him a once over. “My god! One minute it’s the baby face, then that spikey hair… now this? How am I ever supposed to keep up with you, Doctor?” she teased.

His smile was especially wicked. “You always manage somehow.” She was just as beautiful as he remembered… dazzling!

His mind drifted to their last night together, the singing towers (and his utter devastation when they played a familiar childish tune, just barely recognizable, but how could he forget?) He’d thought that would be the last time he saw her until he’d bid her data ghost goodbye, and then this. He wondered if himself capable of so many goodbyes. There was only so much an old man could take.

River seemed to notice the way his eyes darkened, and placed a hand to his wrinkled cheek. “Someone ought to. You won’t be able to fit in the Tardis if that head of yours gets too big,” she said softly.

His smile was wide, though his chest constricted with an overwhelming ache for her. “It’s been a long time, River.”

“Too long, it seems,” she agreed, finally pulling away. “I just got back from the Pandorica and my parents wedding. You danced, of course. I should have materialized back in my cell, but I’ve found myself here instead. I wasn’t sure why until just now.” River shook her head, taking in the Tardis (different from how she’d last seen it). “Melody Pond is waiting for a hero. Aren’t you supposed to be saving her by now?”

His eyes widened with the weight of her words, as he remembered the nightmare planet and their song. “Is that now? River, is this when I teach her our song?”

She quirked an eyebrow at him, as if to say ‘obviously,’ and lifted her arm to glance down at the device that had brought her here. Her hand drifted over her vortex manipulator, and he wondered why something normally so accurate would fail. He had used it to fly the Pandorica that day. It was certainly possible something had been damaged. “Word of advice, my love,” she spoke, frowning at a scorch mark on the metal casing. “Or perhaps just a spoiler instead.” River glanced back up at him and her smile was soft as she looked upon him fondly. “When you came to visit me for our first night together… you brought me a special present.”

“A present?” he questioned, curiously.

She nodded, typing in new coordinates. “You brought me stars….”

No goodbye. No fair warning. She hit one finally button and disappeared before he could reply. Just like that she was gone, leaving him stunned and slightly confused. Stars? How on earth was he supposed to bring a little girl stars? The Doctor paced for a moment, straightening his jacket and vest as he tried to think of something. It would have to be significant! He was certain of that… something… familiar. What could he possibly have that was familiar to her though?! The last time he’d seen her (from her perspective) she was just a baby lying in his cot and… and… oh. Oh! Oh yes, he could surely do that! He could surely bring her stars!

*~*~*

“Well that won’t do! There’s no way I’m climbing this every night!” he grumbled, staring up at the orphanage with distaste. There wasn’t even a ledge! How was he supposed to get up there?! He was a Time Lord… not a bloody superhero! The Doctor growled as he stormed back into the Tardis and adjusted the coordinates, landing his old girl on the roof instead. He winced as he set her down with a loud bang, certain he’d woken the entire neighborhood and cursed colorfully under his breath. “This better be worth it!”

Of course it was worth it. Melody Pond was always worth it. The Doctor shook his head and walked back outside, almost falling to his death as he realized he’d parked fairly close to the edge of the tilted rooftop. With a shriek he dangled over the edge, legs flying and kicking madly in search of purchase, and he was just barely holding on.

Inside he watched Melody Pond jump back from the window in fright, eyes wide, and jaw hanging open as she caught his gaze. “Don’t just stand there! I’m about to bloody drop!”

His words snapped her out of a daze, and she rushed back towards the window, pushing it up with effort, and he sighed with relief when his feet hit the ledge. “I thought there was a monster on my roof!” she confessed breathlessly.

It took effort to slip inside her room, almost falling back out again twice, if Melody hadn’t reached for him and pulled him back from the edge. He glanced out the window with a grimace once he was safely inside, wondering how he would make it back up onto the roof when it was time to leave (could be a problem). He had a feeling that he’d have to plan his climb a little better over the next few visits. “Do I look like a monster?” The Doctor turned to focus on Melody, taking in her face for the first time in so long. She looked just as he remembered, such a Pond….

Melody paused, eyes still slightly wider than he’d like, and he could tell she was shaking. He wondered just how old she was now… couldn’t be more than seven or eight, perhaps? “You’re eyebrows are a bit scary looking, but not really no.”

“Oi! They complain when they’re a bit thin… they complain when I’ve grown them out. Is anyone ever satisfied with my faces?” He knew the girl would have no idea what he was talking about, but he liked to think River Song was always satisfied with his looks… as long as it was him. The Doctor straightened, surveying the room for the first time when he remembered the gift he’d had for her. He popped his head back outside and could see it lying precariously on the edge of the roof. It took effort to make a grab for it, but eventually he managed, hiding it behind is back. “Well, I can guarantee I’m not a monster. Monsters almost never come baring gifts.”

The young girl’s eyes narrowed at that, though she still kept her distance. “For me?”

“Do you see anyone else here that I should know about?” he replied, gruffly, still frazzled after his near-death experience. River certainly hadn’t warned him about that… probably internally laughing at his clumsiness.

Melody folded her arms, eyeing him suspiciously. “W-what is it?”

It was strange seeing her like this. Could this possibly be the same girl that would eventually brave the forest of nightmares? Nearly a month on her own in the dark, and she’d kept so strong and faced so much. This wouldn’t do. Melody Pond would never be capable of facing her future if the sight of him was enough to cause her to stutter. She would have be brave and strong… and he would help her become both. The Doctor frowned, watching her gaze up at him… so innocent of whom she would become. Melody Pond and River Song… and all that lay in between. She would be amazing; of course, there was no doubt about that. “Tell me, Melody… are you afraid of the dark?”

He was surprised to find her blush at that, her eyes dropped for a moment as if she’d failed him somehow. “I can’t help it. I keep thinking… that there’s something in the dark… that it’ll get me. I should be brave.” She sounded so defeated. No… that wouldn’t do at all.

His frown deepened, and his finger brushed the metal wire pressed into his back… his secret gift. “You will be brave one day, Melody. The stars will make you brave.”

“Stars?” she questioned, curiously.

He nodded. “Haven’t you ever looked at the sky on a clear night? All that black and darkness, but what’s there, Melody? What waits in the darkened sky?”

She smiled. “The lights.”

“Exactly!” The Doctor pulled his gift from behind him and kneeled down so she could see. He’d had to take pieces of his old cot apart to relieve it of the mobile that’d hung over the crib. He smiled as her eyes lit up. Doctor’s first stars. It was a piece of his past that would now belong to her.

She touched the stars and planets that hung from the wire, fascinated, before finally meeting his gaze. “Who are you?” she asked finally, and it was the last question he’d expected from her. It shouldn’t have been. She hadn’t really met him yet, but he knew her… oh how he knew this little girl.

Looking into those expressive eyes, it was a wonder to behold. No matter how much it hurt to know that somewhere out there in time, River Song was gone… it was moments like these that reminded him that she would never fade completely. She was never really gone Never that. It was all still happening out there in time, such a wild ride. Never ending. Oh… how they would run. “I’m your friend, Melody Pond,” he answered with a curl of his lips.

“I don’t have any friends.” She spoke those words free of emotion. No pain or anger. It was spoken as an afterthought, just another part of her life she’d learned to accept. So young, and she was already so numb to this life… this lonely life. He was proud to know one day she would never have to feel lonely again. Even on her own, River Song knew… she always knew. He would catch her when she fell (or jumped). He would come whenever she called. He would forever live in her hearts, as she lived in his.

“Correction… you didn’t have any friends. Pay attention, Pond.” He moved over to the crib (her old crib) and placed the mobile on the railing before turning back to Melody. “Do you know what I do when I’m afraid of the dark?”

Melody curled her lips in disbelief. “You get afraid?”

“We all feel fear sometimes,” he assured her. “It’s a part of life. It’s a hurdle we all must climb.”

“Well… what do you do?” she asked, eyebrows knitted together as she focused on his words with such concentration, as if she wanted to remember everything he said in that moment. He hoped she would.

“Well, Melody Pond… there’s only one thing you can do when you’re in the dark and afraid,” he told her, letting his finger tap her nose with affection. “You sing….”

The End