Gazing up at the night sky from her bedroom window, the stars more impossibly bright than they usually were, Lia Song sighed from where she sat on her window sill. Her hand was pressed against the cool glass, her finger tracing patterns in the condensation that had formed there as she continued to search what she was looking for. She wasn't going to give up until she saw him again. Giving up wasn't in her nature and it never would be.
This was the fifth time this week Lia had stayed awake until at least two o'clock in the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the TARDIS flying through the starry sky, making that familiar sound that she loved so much. But no matter how long she waited, her dad never appeared and that broke her hearts.
Lia hadn't seen her dad since her grandparent's Amy and Rory were sent back in time by the Weeping Angels and trapped in New York 1938. Her mum had said he needed time to himself to help clear his head. You never knew how dangerous the Doctor could be when he was grieving. This was three month's ago now and Lia thought it was about time her dad came back to them. She knew he would always be hurt about the death of his best friends and so would she. But she knew her grandparent's would never be forgotten and would always live on in each of their hearts. The Doctor needed his family to help him and Lia wished he would realise that before it was too late.
Lia missed her dad so much. It really wasn't the same without him. It felt incomplete. Even though Lia loved spending quality time with her mum whenever she wasn't studying, it never felt right when her dad wasn't with them too. There was a Doctor shaped hole in their lives and it needed to be filled.
Lia missed the way her dad always knew how to cheer her up whenever she felt sad. All he'd have to do was have one of his clumsy moments or poke her in the side to raise a smile and she'd almost always forget why she was upset in the first place.
She missed the way he used to stroke her hair whenever she had a nightmare and how he always hugged her and spun her around whenever he was happy or excitable.
She missed how he sometimes took her on secret trips in the TARDIS whenever her mum was busy. Her mum usually liked to go with them incase they both got into trouble. "You two are like two Time Lords in a TARDIS," she often said, her version of saying two peas in a pod. Lia loved spending time with both of her parents but she adored adventuring in the TARDIS with just her dad. He'd take her from anywhere to the No Longer Lost Moon of Poosh to the crystal waterfalls of Guralia Two. He'd make each and every adventure exciting and fun, and sometimes with a little danger and trouble thrown in. They were now banned from several planets because of the Doctor's antics which her mother was not happy about but it amused both the Doctor and his daughter greatly.
The thing Lia mostly missed about her dad was the way he always made her feel safe. No matter how much peril she was in or how frightened she was, he always made sure she felt protected and cared for. She was his little girl and if anyone hurt one hair on her head, they had better run or they'd have him to answer to. He was always there to catch her whenever she fell. He was doing a good job of it so far. He had to come back. He had to, and it had better be soon. Her mother needed him. The universe needed him. But no one needed him more than Lia did right now.
The creaking of her door opening momentarily distracted Lia from her thoughts. Tearing her gaze away from her window, Lia turned around and saw that her mum had stepped into her room, one hand running through her halo of curls as she stared through eyes bleary with tiredness at her daughter.
"Lia, sweetie. It's half past one in the morning. Why are you still awake?" River asked, moving to sit beside Lia on the edge of the window sill. Her hand gently nudged her daughter to make room as she waited for her answer. Lia looked once more out of the window longingly before returning her gaze to her mother.
"I'm waiting for Dad. Mum, when is he going to come back? It's my birthday tomorrow. You said he'd be here. You promised!"
Lia felt tears start to form in her eyes but she knew she couldn't let them fall. She didn't want to upset her mum more than she already was but it was too late.
River sighed as she saw Lia was getting frustrated. Making little shushing sounds under her breath in order to comfort her, she pulled her daughter closer until she could wrap her arms around her in a hug, her fingers tracing soft circles on her upper back. Lia relaxed slightly under her touch, listening to her mum's hearts beating rhythmically almost in a tune.
"I wish I could tell you Lia but I really don't know. I really thought he would've come back by now, especially as it's your birthday tomorrow. But I want to tell you something and I want you to listen to me please because what I am about to tell you is very important."
Placing both hands on the side of Lia's head so that Lia would look directly into her eyes, River began to speak once more.
"No matter where your father is, whether he's on Earth or fighting God knows what out there in the universe, he will always love you. A father's bond with his daughter is eternal as is his love for you. He vowed to protect you the minute you were born and even though the Doctor is not known for keeping promises, I know this one he will never, ever break. He would rather die than hurt you Lia you know that.
Even though your dad is not here at the moment, he will always live on in here."
Kissing the tips of her fingers and then placing it above one of Lia's hearts, Lia gave a soft smile.
"Just like Gran and Grandad?" she asked, placing her hand on top of her mothers.
River's eyes darkened briefly at the mention of her parents before covering it with a slight chuckle.
Leaning in to kiss Lia gently on top of her head, River gave her daughter one more embrace before standing up, taking Lia with her.
"Just like Gran and Grandad." she replied, leading Lia over to her bed to try and get her to go back to sleep.
As Lia pulled back the covers, she noticed River looking at her, a teasing grin playing upon her lips.
"Are you too old for me to tuck you in?" she said, smiling as her daughter started to giggle. That was the Lia she knew and loved.
"I'm never too old for anything Mum. That's what Dad always said." Lia replied, allowing her mum to gently pull the duvet around her. The warmth of it made her feel safe and she relaxed against the pillows, her fingers adjusting them so they were comfortable.
"On this occasion, I think your dad is right." Lia raised her eyebrows in shock. Her mum never usually agreed with her dad, not even when it came to her. So it was a surprise that she was agreeing with him now. A very big surprise.
River looked at the expression on Lia's face and leaned in slowly towards her. She then grinned mischievously and let out a playful growl before quickly tickling Lia's sides, making her squeal with laughter. After a few minutes, River stopped to let her calm down, but not before pointing a finger at her in mock warning.
"But don't tell your dad I said that as he will never let me forget it, and you will have more of this coming your way if you do."
River waggled her fingers at Lia which made her giggle again before reaching up and pulling her into another hug.
"I love you so much, Mum." Lia whispered, one of her fingers winding around one of River's curls. Lia always loved playing with her mum's hair, even when she was a baby. It reminded her of the golden rays of the sun or a lion's mane. Both of them could never be tamed.
River gave her daughter one final squeeze before straightening up once more, placing the faintest trace of a kiss upon her cheek.
"I love you so much too, Amelia Verity Song. I love you more than the whole universe. Never forget that sweetie. I will always be there for you. Nothing will ever tear us apart. OK?"
Lia thought over her mum's words and nodded, before holding out her pinkie finger.
"Promise?" she asked, gazing up at River hopefully. Whenever they made promises, they always made pinkie promises so they could never be broken no matter what happened.
River thought it over for a moment before nodding firmly, wrapping her finger around Lia's so they were linked. She didn't want to let her little girl down.
"I promise." River said, stroking her hand through her daughter's brown locks before heading to the door.
Just before she left, she heard Lia speak again.
"To the TARDIS and back?" she asked, giving a slight yawn. She didn't know how tired she was until now.
River smiled fondly at her daughter, noticing she was on the brink of falling asleep.
"To the TARDIS and back." she confirmed, her hand switching off the light switch on the right hand side of the wall.
"Goodnight, little one."
Lia smiled at one of her many nicknames before closing her eyes.
"Goodnight Mum."
Just as River was about to close the door, she thought she heard a noise outside in the garden. It sounded like it was something in the distance, but she couldn't quite make it out. She waited a few more minutes before she heard it again and this time, she knew exactly what the sound was. A huge grin came upon her lips as she turned around to face her daughter, who was now sat up in bed laughing in excitement. It was obvious she had heard the noise too. It was none other than the unmistakeable sound of the TARDIS!
Lia cheered and clapped her hands as she jumped down from the bed, taking her mother's hand and pulling them down the stairs and outside, where the TARDIS was standing there in all of it's glory. Lia was so glad to see it. But Lia was even more happier to see the bow tie wearing man standing just outside it, a delighted smile on his face as he saw his wife and little girl.
"Dad? Daddy!" Lia cried, running towards him and throwing her arms around him, almost knocking him over in the process.
The Doctor caught her and wrapped her up in a massive hug, spinning her around whilst laughing like the madman he was.
"I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Lia said, resting her chin on her dad's shoulder.
The Doctor paused to look at Lia, tilting her head up so she was looking at him.
"I'm so sorry, honey. I'm sorry I couldn't come back sooner. I just needed some time away from everything. Let's just say I had my head in the clouds but now I've come down."
Lia nodded in understanding. The loss of her grandparent's had affected her as much as him so she knew how he felt. Reaching up to stroke her dad's hair, she smiled softly.
"It's OK, Daddy. You're here now. That's all that matter's." she whispered. The Doctor returned her smile and kissed her on the forehead before turning towards his wife who was watching them with tears in her eyes. Those tears were far from sad though. They were of happiness.
"Hello sweetie." River said, running towards them before he had a chance to speak. Before he knew it, River had wrapped her arms around both of them, one hand resting against the side of his face.
The Doctor was surprised by River's reaction. He thought the last thing she would be was happy as he had abandoned them for such a long time. He had thought she would've at least thrown something at him. Or hit him. Or both. Yes, she would've definitely done both. But then he thought more about it. She knew how Amy and Rory's deaths had affected him as she felt exactly the same way. They were her parents and they would both never see them again. Grief affects people in different ways and River knew the Doctor going away was his way of dealing with it. She wasn't angry with him. She was just glad he had finally come back. He had come back home.
The Doctor grinned before leaning in and placing a kiss on River's lips. He felt River smile before breaking apart, his fingers softly caressing her hair.
"Sorry I'm late, honey. Traffic was hell." he whispered, taking River's hand in his own.
River chuckled under her breath before leaning in to kiss him once more.
"You better be." she replied, winking to show the Doctor she was joking. The Doctor smiled in relief before leaning in to kiss River for a third time.
Just before he did, he heard his daughter give a mock groan of disgust.
"Yuck!" she said, folding her arms and trying not to smile. "There is a child present you know!"
The Doctor and River shared a glance before they both swooped in to pepper kisses all over Lia's face. Lia squealed until they eventually stopped, wiping her face on her sleeve.
The Doctor took River's hand and placed it on top of Lia's before placing his on top of hers.
"Happy birthday, Li Li." he said, ruffling Lia's hair. "I promise I will never leave you or your mother again. We are a family and families should always stick together. No matter what happens, you two are always stuck with me."
"Oh dear, what a shame!" River laughed sarcastically, dodging out of the way as the Doctor reached out to playfully slap her shoulder.
Hugging each other once again, the Song family went to head inside, the Doctor still carrying Lia in his arms. Before they went in, Lia crooked her finger so her dad leaned closer to her.
"Welcome home, Dad." She said, kissing him on the forehead like he often did for her. The Doctor smiled and bopped her on the nose before stepping over the threshold, his wife closing the door with a click of her fingers.
No matter how alone the Doctor sometimes thought he was, he wasn't. He had a family who would be there for him, always.
"Dad, can I tell you something?"
"Of course, Li Li. Fire away!"
"You do know my birthday isn't today right? It's tomorrow!"