Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or its characters. I only day-dream about them.
And the title comes from CBS's show of the same name.
9:53
"How did it get to be so late?" Brian thought to himself as he put the last of the dishes away.
It had been a long week. He had planned this anniversary party for Amy and Rory in hopes to help them forget about the not so present Doctor, at least for a while. He wanted them to feel as if they had somewhat normal lives. But before he knew it, the mad alien was back to take his son and daughter-in-law with him. So much for normal lives.
After the party, Brian insisted that Amy and Rory relax and that he would clean up. Now that all the washing up was done all he could think about was heading off to bed. That was until he remembered what a certain bow-tie wearing alien had told him earlier that night.
"So, where did you two go for 7 weeks?" asked Brian as he entered the living room.
"I don't know what you're talking about" said Rory, looking up from his wife.
"The Doctor told me"
"Well of course he did" added Amy sarcastically.
Rory looked back at Amy and they seemed to be having a conversation of their own, without words. Amy apparently won the stare-down because Rory then turned to face his dad. After sitting back and taking a long, deep, sigh, he finally said, "How 'bout you take a seat. This could take a while."
"Well, first he took us to Paris…" Rory started.
An hour later, all 3 "Ponds" were sitting in the living room in a fit of laughter as Amy tried to explain the prince of Colonia's reaction to his mother turning blue. Right as she reached the climax of the story, they heard a sizzling sound followed by a pop. Amy quickly stopped, mid-sentence, and looked at Rory. He turned to her and mirrored her expression. It was a mixture of fear, horror, shock and delight. Brian was just about to ask what was going on when a voice rang down the hall.
"Mum, Dad, I know it's late but I just wanted to wish you happy anni…versary." River's voice dropped almost to a whisper when she entered the living room and saw Brian starring at her like a complete stranger.
"Um… I'm sorry. I just let myself in. Didn't know you had company" River said looking from Amy to Rory, trying to figure out what exactly to do next.
"Right… that's fine River. Come on in." relied Rory, hesitantly.
Brian stood up as if waiting to be introduced. River didn't waste any time. She walked straight over to him and held out her hand with a kind smile as she said, "I'm River, River Song. I'm an old friend of Amy and Rory's. You must be Brian. Rory's told me so much about you I feel as if I know you already."
"Pleased to meet you Ms. Song…"
"River, please…" River interrupted.
"Of course. I hope it's good things you've heard about me." He said to River. Turning to Amy and Rory he asked, "Where do you know her from?"
They exchanged a few looks before Amy finally blurted out, "The Doctor, she's a friend of the Doctor's. Yep. We met her on some of the trips we went on. Didn't we?"
River and Rory both nodded, agreeing with the cover story chosen.
"But I thought she said she was an old friend" Brian questioned.
"Yes, well… you see…" Rory began but was thankfully interrupted by River. "That would be the time-travel. Not so easy to keep straight in your head."
"Ah, yes. I should say so. I once saw dinosaurs… on a spaceship!" Brian leaned in closer to whisper this last bit. River laughed as he pulled away. "Now that's one adventure I haven't heard yet. Would you be willing share that story Brian?"
"I would love to!"
And so for the second time that night, the "Ponds" (Now all 4 of them) sat around the living room laughing and just enjoying hearing and sharing stories of their adventures.
As the night went on, Brian watched this stranger, this River Song. He was not concerned about her motives of being here though if you were to be about anyone, it would be someone with her personality. But that was not what was bothering Brian. Earlier, when she arrived, Brian was sure he heard River call Amy and Rory "Mum and Dad" but he had just brushed it off when he heard she was a close friend. He figured it was a nickname between the three of them. But now, as he watched them interact, he could not help but wonder if there was something else.
While Brian was away in his thoughts the conversation was carrying on. Amy was trying to continue her description of the evil merchant they met in a Bazar on some far off planet. "He was extremely tall, had pitch black hair and creepy black eyes."
"Just my type of man sounds like. Did you get his number?" teased River.
"Shut up Mels!" Amy said without thinking. As soon as she realized what she had said, Amy quickly put her hand over her mouth, hoping Brian didn't hear. But he did. It was that which brought him back to reality.
"Did you just call her Mels?"
"Ummm… No?" Amy tried but to no avail.
"No, something's going on here and I would like to know what! Is anyone going to tell me?"
"Dad, calm down" Rory tried but Brian was not giving up so easily. "Are you sure you want to know?" Rory finally gave in.
"Yes" Brian relied, firmly.
Rory made a quick glance over to Amy and River, making sure it was fine with them before he went any further. "It's a long, hard and very very complicated story. How about you come over again tomorrow morning and we can start from the top? It's a bit too late for that now."
"Fine" Brian gave in. "But I'll be here first thing in the morning expecting answers."
They all agreed and Brian left soon after.
A/N: So that's the end of the first chapter. This was a bit of a set up for what's coming next. Let me know what you think.