A/N: This is my first fic to both write and publish. I would be happy to recieve some tips and/or constructive criticism. Also please let me know if there is anything that would make this non-cannon (I really dislike non-cannon).
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or its characters.
I walked into the buzzing cafeteria looking for a quiet place to sit. Seeing an empty table in the back corner, I headed towards it. I was hoping to spend some time in quiet contemplation over my diary. As I flipped through the new crisp pages, I remembered the day it was given to me. It had been nearly 4 years now. Sometimes it felt like no time at all but sometimes it seemed so far away. Today was one of those days which made it feel like forever ago. I was a different person back then. As I got to the first page I lovingly brushed my figures over the words written there. On the front was a note from The Doctor.
To my dearest River (or Melody or maybe Mels I guess), I am giving you this book as a promise. A promise that you will never be alone. When you wake up again, though I may be gone for now, you are not alone. I will come for you but you need time first; time to make your own way in the world, to find out who you are. You will find that you have a bank account under the name of River Song. It should have enough to get you everything you need. Don't spend it all on guns or shoes. But until you see me again, know that you are an incredible and amazing woman and I love you.
Love always,
Your Doctor
I remembered the mixture of pain and joy I felt the first time I read those words. Now I only felt the joy. The Doctor did come for me like he said. Last year he showed up in my dorm room and whisked me away on an amazing adventure. Since that night he has come almost 20 times. Each time there is some new planet or time to explore.
I turned the page so I could read what was on the back. It was another note only this one was from Mum and Dad.
Dear Melody, The Doctor says we have to leave you here. Know that that is something we never want to do. He says we have too much foreknowledge and it would be dangerous. Remember to be a good girl for us (though telling you that never helped before Mels). We will miss having you around, getting into trouble. Leadworth will be so boring without you. We will see you soon (according to an older you) but I'm not sure how long it will be until you see us again. So know that we love you as both our daughter and our friend. Come visit any time you're in the century!
Love, Amy and Rory Williams (Pond)
Mum and Dad
Just as I finished re-reading it, I looked up to see a head of floppy brown hair leaning over me, with eyes poking out just to stare at me. But this was not an uncomfortable stare. This was one of care, compaction and love.
"Hello Sweetie" I said, without missing a beat.
"Hello dear. Care for some adventure today?" he asked me with a grin spreading over his face.
"Always" I replied with a similar grin now growing on my own face.
The Doctor then grabbed a chair and sat directly across from me. His face became ever so slightly serious, yet still had playfulness about it. He kept looking down at my hands almost expectantly. I raised my eyebrows and now sported a confused look where that grin used to be. Was I supposed to understand this? What was I missing? I did not have to wait long for an answer. He soon asked, "Where are we for you?" Oh! Right! My diary, in my hands.
"Last time I saw you was Apalapachia. Such a beautiful world." I said
"Ah, ok. Yes, very nice when there isn't an outbreak of plague. So that would make you about 2nd or 3rd year, yeah?"
"Third year, yeah."
And then it struck me. It had almost been 4 years since I'd seen my parents, my best friends. Every time The Doctor showed up, it was only him. I did love my time with him but I needed to see my parents. They said I would see them again. I was hoping that would be soon.
The Doctor noticed my change in demeanor.
"Are you Ok River? Is something wrong? D-did I do something?"
"No, no. It's nothing you did. I… just miss my parents is all. Do you think I could go see them?" I asked, almost embarrassed.
At the mention of my parents I saw something so sad pass through his eyes but only for a second. It was well gone before I could identify it. He gave me a smile, though slightly weaker than before, and said, "Of course."
With that he grabbed my hand and weaved us in and out of the crowd until we reached a small closet. He opened the door and led us right through the TARDIS doors. The Doctor wasted no time and was soon running around the console like the mad man he is. We were soon surrounded by the wheezing sound as the TARDIS took off into the vortex. I don't think it's supposed to make that noise.
Once we came to a stop, he looked up from the console and asked, "When exactly do you want to see them?"
"The last time you dropped them off would be fine with me. I'm sure they can't wait to see you again" I replied now assuming that that is why they were never with him. He must be dropping them off.
Once more I saw his face grow dark. It's amazing how a face so young could look so old. He took a deep breath and smiled up at me, though I could still see the hurt under those ancient eyes.
"Nah! Ponds are probably busy with their own lives. Don't need me popping in. Plus, I've got loads of thing that need done. You know, planets to save, governments to keep from collapse, inventing new flavors of ice-cream. Maybe even fish-finger flavored. I bet that's(that would be cool)…"
"Doctor!" I said in order to stop his rambling. He looked at me again and I knew I once more had his attention. "If you don't want to go that's fine. Are you sure you're alright though?" I asked.
"Fine! Amazing! Magnificent even!"
"Good" I sighed, deciding to take his word for it. "So… how exactly am I going to get there and back?"
"You take the TARDIS, obviously."
"Ok, but when do I fly her to?"
The Doctor cocked his head to the side slightly, eyebrows raised, as if confused. But the next thing I saw him do surprised me. He smirked. That adorable, 12 year-old, ancient face was smirking at me.
I crossed my arms and stared back. "What?" I questioned.
"I just forget how cute you are young."
"Oh, just shut up and help me"
"Just let the TARDIS show you where you need to be. And as for getting back, send me a message on my psychic paper. Think the message and I'll get it right here. Easy as that" He said, patting his chest pocket.
"Alright, if that's everything, I'll just be off" he said as he turned and left into the depths of the TARDIS.
As soon as he left, I turned to face the console. I put my hand on the time rotor. I could feel The TARDIS respond to my touch, like a small voice in my head.
"Ok, so where to now?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, the voice began giving, what seemed to be, directions. Pull that lever there. Push these buttons and step over here. Don't forget to make sure the neutron flow is correct. Oh, and be a dear and turn off the breaks, would you? And with that, we landed. (And without that squealing noise it would seem) I quickly glanced at the scanner just to double check we were where I was aiming for. As soon as I read the words: LEADWORTH, ENGLAND, I was out those doors with a quick thank you.
It was a sunny day, warm but with a cool breeze. The sun was shining down on my face while the wind was softly blowing through my hair. I forgot how amazing it felt to just stand in the actual sun light. I stood there for quite some time, just enjoying earth for all its worth.
It wasn't until about 5 minutes later that I noticed where I was. This was Leadworth, but at least two blocks from my parent's house. Though I had not been here in nearly 4 years, I remembered that much. I was enjoying being outside, back in Leadworth so much that I chose to walk and find there house myself. I turned the direction I remembered their house being but before I had gone 5 steps, I heard a voice I hadn't heard in years. It called a name I had not been called for years.
"Mels!"
I turned to see Brian Williams, the dad of my best friend, my granddad, standing in the doorway of the house which the TARDIS had parked in front of. And then it hit me. How does he know me with this face? Is he talking to me or is there a younger me here? I quickly looked around to make sure he was talking to me. There was no one else around. When I turned back Brian was walking toward me. I guess he was talking to me. But how did he know? When he reached me I smiled and said, "Hello, Brian".
He chuckled and replied, "Hello, Melody".
I was still confused as to how he knew it was me. The last time I saw him was a week before I went to Berlin and I was a totally different person back then. He pulled something out of his back pocket. It was a small black journal. He opened it up about half way and looked up at me.
"Ok, where are we then?" he asked.
"Um… We're in front of your house I assume. But, how… I mean how did you know it was me?"
He stopped for a moment, slightly taken back at my response. "Mels", he said, "When was the last time you saw me?"
I had to stop and think for a moment. "Last time I saw you I came to pick up a box from Rory's old room to take to him" I told him slowly, remembering back to that time so long ago.
I saw the moment he realized exactly when I was talking about. His eyes grew wide as he stared at me.
"But that was still Mels, my Mels! That was nearly 7 years ago for me!" he said.
"Only 4 for me"
"Wait, so you have not seen me with this face yet, have you?" He asked, gesturing to my face.
"No. But I'm assuming you have. How much do you know exactly?" I asked, curious.
"I know you're River Song, archeologist, Mels Zucker, one of my son's best friends and Melody Williams, my granddaughter" he told me, and I could see pride growing in his eyes with each word.
I smiled at the last part. I had known this man nearly twenty years. In all that time he had never known that he was my granddad. He only knew me as the reckless friend of Amy and Rory's. Now he stood before me, knowing it all. I hadn't realized how much I had wanted him to know.
I just stood there for a moment, speechless. But how did he know all this? Where or when had he seen this face before? Did Amy and Rory tell him? Were they here? As all these questions swam in my head I felt a hand grab mine. Brian looked up at me with a caring smile and asked, "Do you want to come in for tea?"
This may not have been the reason I came but how could I refuse this? The TARDIS had taken me here for some reason after all. This must be it.
"Absolutely" I smiled.
With that he led me inside. When we entered I was surprised to find that it was just as I remembered it. Suddenly a feeling I had not felt in many years washed over me. Home, I felt at home here. I smelled the air around me. It smelled of clean laundry and tea, a smell I not only associated with Brian but with my own dad as well. As we made our way to the living room, Brian turned to me and said, "Make yourself at home. I'll go and get the tea".
I looked around the room for a second until I took up my usual seat in the corner of the nearest sofa. As I sat there I noticed a few things different from the last time I was here. The walls were no longer a light green but were now badge. On the mantel was a line of pictures, half of which I had seen and half of which were new to me. My curiosity got the best of me so I got up to look at them.
Those on the right were old pictures of the Williams family, including that of a young Rory and Brian's wife who had died 2 years before Rory and Amy's wedding. As I looked behind that one I saw a picture of me with Amy and Rory. We must have been only 16.
As I moved to the left, the pictures became more recent. The first I saw was one of Amy and Rory together. It looked like it was taken at some kind of party. They were both laughing and smiling. This only made me remember how much I missed them. The second picture looked very old. It was of a family in the 1940's. As I looked closer I realized that the man and woman looked exactly like my mum and dad. They were holding a baby. I wonder who that is.
The next picture in the line was one of Brian and a man who looked to be in his 70's. The last picture was of me in this body. But I was not alone. It was of me and The Doctor together. He was smiling at me and I at him. This must be from my future, I thought.
Just as I got to the last picture and turned around to head back to my seat, Brian walked in with the tea.
"So, Melody, are you still in university then?" he asked as he offered me a cup.
I grabbed the tea from his hand. It was warm on my hands but not too hot. I took a small sip. It was just how I like it, two sugars and no milk. I let the warm liquid slip all the way down my throat, savoring every moment, before I responded.
"Yes", I nodded.
"What year are you now?" he asked, taking his own cup to his lips.
"Third year"
"Getting good grades I presume."
"Of course" I replied with a smile spreading over my lips.
"That's a pleasant change from before. You were quite the rebel back in the day", he said with a knowing smile.
"I was, wasn't I?"
Slowly my eyes dropped down to my cup as a silence grew between us. It's not that I did not love being with him after all this time, but I just didn't know what to say. Growing up I had often wondered what it would be like sitting with my grandfather like this. Now that I was here, it seemed more complicated.
"You didn't actually mean to come here, did you?" Brian said, breaking me away from my thoughts.
I kept my eyes on my cup. "No." I answered simply.
"Oh…" he started. "So, where were you heading for then?"
"To see Amy and Rory" I told him honestly.
I saw a look of pain and confusion cross his eyes, similar to the one The Doctor had on earlier. It only took him a moment to compose himself. "You wouldn't find them here. They moved to London soon after you left. And now, well… spoilers I guess."
I was only slightly annoyed with the use of the word The Doctor seemed to like so much. "I asked the TARDIS to take me to see them, but I guess she had plans of her own."
"And for that I'm grateful to her. It's important for a granddad to have quality time with his favorite granddaughter. I only wish she would come by more often."
"If you don't mind me asking, how… how exactly did you find out who I was? I haven't told you. Did Amy or Rory tell you?"
"I can't say much, but I can say that on one of the worst days of my life, you showed up and gave me hope. That was the day I found out who you were. For the rest, you'll just have to wait and see." He smiled at me with a gleam in his eyes, a gleam that told me he was telling the truth.
"So I guess that that means I will see you again."
"It sure does."
After that, conversation came more easily. Brian and I shared stories from both our shared past and our time apart. He told me about a long lost relative he met recently named Anthony and how they meet up once a year to spend the day together. I told him what I had been learning in school, about the friends I had made and, of course, about some of the places the Doctor had taken me.
As the stories came to an end and silence once again grew around them, I looked up and noticed just how late it had gotten. Not wanting to over stay my welcome at what was, I had to keep reminding myself, basically a stranger's house to River Song.
"Oh, look at the time" I said getting up. "I best be going now. Don't want to take away any more of your night."
"River, you are always welcome here! Anytime at all. I… I have something for you. Let me just…" Brian added moving out into the hall. Slowly I returned to my seat, waiting for Brian to return. When he finally returned he chose to sit right next to me on the sofa. He took my hand and placed it over his. I felt something cool and medal under my hand. As I grabbed it I new instantly what it was, a key. I looked up and saw the large smile on Brian's face.
"You've always had a key from my perspective but when I've asked you just said to keep an extra one on my and that I would know when to give it to you. I believe that is now. This key means you can come and go from here whenever you want. You are my granddaughter and this is now your home. A home away from home."
And then I knew, I was home.