Inspired by 'How to save a life' by The Fray. I was listening to it and I thought about the stories I'd read where The Doctor finds a way to save River and they live happily ever after … so unrealistic. So I decided to make one of my own, with a twist of course!
The Tardis rattled and whirred uncontrollably, even more than usual. The light's flashed, and the Sirens blared in warning. The central column was admitting a noise that sounded very close to somewhere between screaming and groaning.
"Don't you dare let go Rory!" Amy growled. Gripping his hand as tightly as she could.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Rory yelled over the warning sirens. He was holding tightly onto the railing with one hand, and Amy with the other.
"It's … No, no, no," The Doctor shouted at the Tardis, frantically pressing buttons, pulling levers, flicking switches. Sliding and squeaking over the glass floor, trying to get his ship under control.
"Why? What is it? Doctor you were meant to be taking us ho…" The Tardis was thrown viciously, and Amy trailed off as her hand slipped out of Rory's, she was flung against the railing.
"OW! Oi, Stupid face!" Amy complained, rubbing her head with a grimace.
"Sorry, accident." Rory apologised, with an expression that said 'Please don't hit me'. He offered her his hand. Then the Tardis Jerked again.
The Tardis spun and swooped across the Time Vortex. The Doctor held onto the edge of the mechanical panel of the console with all his might, he reached out and growled in frustration as he tried to reach the Locking Down Mechanism.
The Doctor glanced at the monitor screen, looked away, and then looked back in horror. He pulled the Monitor screen round to face him and read the readings.
His eyes widened "Don't do that? Why would you do that?" he yelled at it.
The Doctor glanced from Amy to Rory, fear in his ancient eyes "She's sending out signals left, right and centre, at this rate the whole Universe is going to know I'm here. I can't even tell what's wrong with her. She won't tell me."
The Doctor wore a defeated look as he panicked over the Tardis console, his fists clenching and unclenching, like he didn't know which button to press.
Amy stood up and used the railing to make her way to where The Doctor was stood "So if they know you're here they'll come after us, yeah? Is that what you're saying?"
"Worse than that Pond," The Doctor gulped his eyes dark, "until now, they all thought I was dead." he went back to searching the monitor for clues as to why this was happening.
"Oh yeah," Rory said as he recalled his daughter's wedding day, "everyone thought that she killed you." Rory attempted not to wince as he said 'she'. Amy gulped her tears back.
"Yes, exactly, this is very bad, worse than bad, it's abominable, atrocious, erroneous" The Doctor muttered to himself, ashamed, he hadn't been talking about the situation he was in now in the Tardis. He was thinking about that other thing.
Another thing … another person he hadn't been able to save, he hadn't been able to save her. His brilliant River Song, the woman who murdered him … twice, then married him … twice. He had become the last Time Lord once again. It hurt more than he had ever imagined it would. He'd known from the start he would lose her, why did he get so involved?
'Because you couldn't resist' that was the simple answer, it was also the right one. He hadn't been able to resist her, with the crazy hair and brilliant mind, and all her 'KISS KISS, BANG BANG' glory. And she'd been a Time Lord. They could have been together for thousands of years, if their lifestyles and timelines hadn't have got in the way.
"What's worse than erroneous?" The Doctor asked, trying to return to reality.
"Errrrr …" Rory said, as he thought.
"Nothing," The Doctor explained, so Rory didn't have to "nothing's worse. If something's erroneous it's the wrongist thing there is." The Doctor shot Amy and Rory a sorrowful look. 'Except me,' The Doctor thought 'the Darleks and maybe, just mabye, Rassilion.'
The Doctor blamed his family's death on Rassilion, blaming him helped The Doctor to keep moving forward, but he had no one but himself to blame for River's death. Probably the only chance he would ever have gotten to have a family again, and she was gone. Losing River was like losing Galifrey all over again.
The Doctor hadn't even plucked up the courage to tell Amy and Rory that their daughter had died until a month after he had last seen her at Delirium. When he had told them, about two months back, Amy had cried none stop for about a week, shouting at The Doctor that he could have saved her. According to Amy, living in a computer program for eternity wasn't living. Every sharp word that came out of Amy's mouth had been a blade of ice searing through The Doctor's hearts.
Rory had taken a much less dramatic approach. He'd sat at the kitchen table all day in complete silence, eating crackers and drinking large amounts of tea. He hardly slept; he went to bed only to comfort Amy as she sobbed into his chest.
They may not have known River as well as they would have liked, but she was still their daughter. The Doctor could still see the ghost grief and pain in their eyes now.
The Doctor had occupied himself with his Tardis, the perfect way of staying away from the Ponds as he grieved his loss. He tried to keep River from his mind by distracting himself, cleaning and repairing circuits. It worked, in short bursts, but soon enough he was back to running through the different ways he might have saved her body as well as her soul.
The Doctor turned as he saw something in the corner of his eye.
"NO!" The Doctor howled. He was watched as transmission signal bar grew to 100% "What did I do, hey?" He asked the Tardis, over the noise, "Did I forget to replace a neuron bolt? If I did I'm very sorry, but I think death is a bit of an extreme punishment. Don't you dear?" The Tardis shook violently.
"Does that mean ... ?" Amy placed a pointing finger on the words 'Transmitting signals at 100%', flashing in red on the Monitor.
"Yes," The Doctor growled, "it means that everyone now knows that … wait …" he squinted at the screen, "Oh, you clever old girl." he smiled; he placed a hand on the Tardis's centre and observed it lovingly. The rattling and whirring decreased.
"What did she do Doctor?" Rory asked as he dusted himself off and came to stand with Amy.
"She conducted the neuron waves only to certain times, places and people, she was very precise about who she transmitted to." The Doctor's eyes glowed with pride.
"Who?"
"My friends," The Doctor caught their disbelieving stares, "What? I have friends you know!" he said in an offended tone.
"Who?" Amy repeated, this time there was an element of shock in her voice. The fact they didn't believe he had any other friends hurt a little, but he culd see where they were coming from.
"You know, old companions, Torchwood, people I've saved, people who helped me, for example, Chancellor Phinntaka of the Luna University." Amy and Rory gave him blank looks.
The Doctor continued regardless "Nice man Phinntaka, your daughter's boss, pet Groante called Tony, had a wonky antenae, helped me out of a tough spot with the Judoon when I got caught in the Krampik Archives, the folders there didn't like getting moved, I can tell you that." All he received were more blank looks.
The Doctor sighed "Oh, don't look at me like that."
It was times like this that he wished he could see River again. She would make a snark comment, or laugh. But, he couldn't she her, ever, she was gone. He had failed to save her, like so many others. He wished there was only a way to make her remembered, to make her immortal, a hero, in the eyes and hearts of generations to come. Then it came to him.
"That's it!" The Doctor yelled in triumph. He whizzed around the console, spinning, dancing, and laughing. He pulled the flashing bar lever.
"What is it Doctor?" Rory said, clinging to the railing again.
"I found a way for your daughter to live forever."
"What?" Amy said hoarsely, thinking it was a cruel joke "Don't joke about this Doctor!"
"Amy, what survives for eons?" The Doctor smirked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"I don't know." Amy shouted.
The Doctor pulled a small, blue notebook with the design of the Tardis on it out of his right pocket; he stroked the cover "Stories,"
"I don't understand Doctor," Rory said, "She's dead, our daughter's gone."
"Ahhh, but you see," The Doctor personal twinkle had returned to his eye, "Legends live for eternity. I'm one huge legend, I can make her one too. I can travel through time and space, telling stories. Everyone loves a good Myth. I can make your daughter live forever in the pages of books, in the hearts and minds of those who heard the tale of Proffessor River Song and remembered. I can make her Immortal."