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Spoilers: Doctor Who Season 6 Episode 13 - The Wedding of River Song
A/N: As promised there will be a few intermediate chapters between part 1 and part 2. And here is the first. River's parents meeting Shadow. But not under the best of circumstances. It takes place in River's timeline right after she told her parents that the Doctor is still alive. I told you there was a slight discrepancy and here I will use it to my advantage.
Intermediate 1 – Iris
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
- Iris – Goo Goo Dolls -
Rory just made to get Amy a drink, when Shadow walked out of the shadows.
"I think you should get yourself a drink, too." She told Rory who, still a bit stunned by the big news River had just relayed to them, only muttered 'yes, yes'. Although Rory at first didn't notice Shadow, River and Amy immediately did. Amy jumped, whilst River just looked questioningly.
Rory came back with a glass of wine for Amy and then noticed Shadow standing there. He immediately took a half step in front of Amy to protect her.
"Always protecting." Shadow smiled knowingly.
"It's not time already, is it? I've only just got here like two minutes ago." River spoke up.
"Nah. It's not."
River sighed, then looked a bit confused. "Then why are you here?"
Shadow looked a bit sheepishly. "I need to borrow your scanner."
"Why?" River had moved over to where Shadow was standing, not half a meter away from Amy and Rory. She came to a halt right before Shadow.
"Mine's a bit on the frizz." Shadow grimaced. "Seems like I dropped it one too many times."
River rolled her eyes but withdrew her scanner from its holster and held it out to Shadow. "You always drop your scanner. And you know you always drop it. Why haven't you installed something that protects it?"
"Well, I had thought about it. But then happened things that demanded my immediate attention and I didn't find the time to do it." Shadow took out her own scanner and held it out to River, whilst she took River's.
River looked doubtfully at Shadow's scanner. "What shall I do with it? I thought it's broken."
Shadow looked a bit affronted. "It's not broken; it's just on the frizz."
"And I'll take it, it breaks completely and you accuse me of breaking it? I don't think so."
"No. I thought maybe you could take a look at it and perhaps find out what's wrong with it." River still didn't look convinced. "Please." Shadow pouted slightly.
"Fine." River said exasperatedly and took the scanner from Shadow. "Do I even want to know what you're up to?"
"Well, there's this thing. And I just want to take a quick look at it. Make sure it's safe, you know."
"If I didn't know you as well as I do, I just might believe you. Anyway..." River turned around, facing Amy and Rory. "...meet my parents."
"Hey." Shadow uncertainly greeted them. And to River she whispered. "I'm really not good with parents. Really." River just looked at her with her 'you-don't-say'-look.
Amy seemed to be a bit thrown at the interaction between her daughter and the other but she quickly recovered. "So, who are you then?" She asked Shadow.
"Shadow." Short and clipped.
"And what are you doing here?"
"Besides exchanging my scanner against a working one?"
Amy nodded, as did Rory, who had recovered meanwhile.
"Leaving." And with that, Shadow almost ran from the garden. But not three meters had she come, when River grabbed her arm.
"I think we should tell them." River said in a hushed tone.
"Now? Really?" Shadow complained.
"Yes. When else?"
Shadow sighed. Looked then over to Amy and Rory, watching interestedly the exchange between River and Shadow. "Tell you what...I go and do the thing I want to do. Will take about two hours. You think again about it and when I come back and you haven't changed your mind, we're going to tell them."
"Yeah. But where's the catch?"
"There's no catch."
"There's always a catch with you." River smiled fondly.
"Well, now that you insist that there is a catch..." Shadow looked accusingly at River. But the amused glint in her eyes gave away that she was far from accusing. "...you have to repair my scanner. Or at least find out what's wrong with it and give me a reason why you couldn't repair it."
"You're impossible. But I'll do it. And I won't change my mind. So you better think about what you're going to say." River released Shadow's arm.
"It's always a pleasure doing business with you."
"I do what I can." River turned around to go back to her parents and Shadow walked away but turned around again.
"Hey. Remember..." With that Shadow looked River squarely into the eye opened a telepathic connection. 'I love you'
River broadly smiled at that and answered also with her mind. 'I love you, too. Be careful.'
Shadow closed the connection, turned around again and left the garden.
When River was back with her parents, Amy immediately noticed the slight change of mood in River. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing. Why should anything be wrong?" River answered defensively.
"You're worried."
River just looked at Amy and then decided that she should sidestep the topic until Shadow was back. So she shrugged and then shifted her attention to Shadow's scanner, trying to find out what caused it to act up.
Two hours and 14 minutes later, River had just put the back onto the scanner in front of her and screwed it tightly, when there was a bright flash and Shadow appeared, slightly stumbling.
"Ow! Damn it! Should've known." River looked up and saw that there was an arrow sticking out of Shadow's left shoulder. She immediately dropped everything and called for Amy and Rory, who had gone inside sometime ago because River was ignoring them and didn't answer any questions.
Rory, followed by Amy, bolted out of the door and saw River steadying Shadow, who was still cursing like a drunken sailor. Rory helped River to bring Shadow inside and to lay her down on the sofa.
Once there, River was almost in a panic. But she had to know. "How bad?"
"Too much to live; too less to die. Don't worry. I'll be alright." That was accentuated with a slight moan of pain. "Eventually. When that arrow's out of my shoulder."
"Shouldn't we get her to a hospital?" Rory asked.
River turned to him. "No. Do you have anything to cut the arrow? And a first aid kid would be nice, too." Rory darted from the room and came back with a first aid kit.
"I'm afraid we don't have anything to cut the arrow, except a saw." When he said that, Shadow cried out. "No way."
"Then what do you suggest we do? That thing has to get out of there." River practically yelled at Shadow.
"I've something in one of my coat pockets. Don't know if inside or out but definitely on my right side." Shadow stayed calm. River, putting down the first aid kit next to the sofa, carefully dug into Shadow's pockets, first the outer one and when she didn't find anything useful there, the inner one. There she found a small bolt cutter.
"You are prepared for anything, aren't you?" River asked with a cocked brow.
"I don't have a screwdriver, well, I do, but it's not a sonic one." Shadow shot back. Meanwhile Rory had taken a look at the wound and had taken out a few bandages.
Meanwhile River was cutting the tail of the arrow off. That done she tightly grabbed the front of the arrow and looked into Shadow's eyes. "This is going to hurt."
"You don't say." Shadow gasped out, but the sarcasm was clearly audible.
"Whatever." River looked at Rory. "When that arrow's out, we have to get her shirt off as fast as possible." Then she turned to Amy. "We'll need something to clean the wound and to wipe up the blood. Water and a cloth, please." Amy nodded and went to fetch the things. River looked at Rory and nodded, when he nodded, too, signaling he was ready, she finally turned to Shadow again. "On three. One...two..." And she tore out the arrow. Shadow cried out in pain. River tossed the arrow aside and immediately began pulling off the clothes from Shadow.
When the shoulder finally lay bare, Amy came back with the water. River took it and held it for Rory who did as he had been taught, he tended to the wound. When he had finished cleaning, he bandaged the shoulder. Afterwards he gathered the first aid kit and stowed it where it belonged whilst River disposed of the bright red water. Amy put a blanket over Shadow because she lay on the sofa with her bare upper body.
Eventually everyone gathered back in the living area around the sofa. River knelt next to the sofa and took Shadow's hand. "Where the hell have you been?" She whispered.
"You know the small colony we visited once, on that backwater planet, where they had these 12 legged dog-like creatures that chimed?" River nodded. "Remember how much they liked us?"
"Oh no, you didn't go back there?"
"Well...there was this thing and I just wanted to make sure that it was safe." A small sheepish smile stole itself on Shadow's features.
"You are absolutely impossible. And one could insinuate that you got shot on purpose..."
"Getting shot on purpose? Right. But I'm not burning off regenerations; I quite like this body, thank you very much." Shadow objected.
"I know. And I like this body, too. But, well...if the roles were reversed and I would be lying on the sofa with an arrow wound. You would most likely say the same." River tried to calm Shadow.
"You're right, I definitely would. But I didn't get shot on purpose. I was sneaking and someone got lucky. I immediately came back here. Healing is better than death, after all."
"Yeah, but now rest. You need to heal."
"Stay?" Shadow asked when River got up.
"My parents will have questions and I believe talking will disturb you." River reasoned.
"No, I'll be out cold in five minutes at most. But, you know..." One look from Shadow told River that she just didn't want to be alone in her wounded state. Although Shadow would never admit it out loud.
"Alright." And River pulled up an armchair next to the sofa. "I'll stay right here. Rest well."
And almost as soon as Shadow had closed her eyes she was asleep.
Two and a half hours later, the arrangement in the room was almost the same as before, except for Amy and Rory to have also taken a seat. They were watching River and Shadow and how intimate River seemed to be with Shadow.
Just then Shadow started to mumble and throw about in her sleep. Which let River stir from her slightly sleepy state. "She's good. She's really good." She got up and tried to wake Shadow.
"What's going on?" Amy asked from her place.
"She's having a nightmare. And she knew she would have one." River replied, still shaking Shadow. "Argh...she's not waking up. I need a glass of water."
Shortly after River had her glass of water. She proceeded to sit Shadow up and promptly emptied the contents of the glass down Shadow's back. That effectively woke her up.
Gasping, Shadow looked around and immediately tensed when she didn't recognize her surroundings right away. River's hand on her back made her look around and realize where she was. And because of her relief that the nightmare was over, Shadow pulled River into a big hug.
"Mind the shoulder." River interjected.
"Nah, that's almost completely healed."
"How can that shoulder be almost completely healed?" Rory asked.
"Why? That so surprising?" Shadow shot back at Rory over River's shoulder.
"Well, yes."
Shadow released River and swung her legs over the side of the sofa. She then looked at River to her left. "I'm wet."
The only response she got from River was a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
"I meant...my back is wet. You know what I meant. Seriously, sometimes you can be worse than Jack." Shadow shook her head in mock exasperation. Then she faced Amy and Rory. "Well, to answer your earlier question, my shoulder is almost completely healed because my wounds just heal faster than the ones of humans."
Amy closely looked at Shadow. "So you're not human?"
"Yes...and no." Shadow smiled apologetically.
"Right. Why should it be easy? Am I right to assume that the Doctor is somehow involved in all this?"
"You would assume correctly. And he's even more involved in this than he knows. Well, seeing as he doesn't know me at all. And wouldn't even know of my existence. And I hope it will stay that way for longer. Otherwise I don't know what would happen. Maybe it would bring down an entire casual nexus. Or the multiverse would explode...or implode. Depends. Or nothing would happen. Well, that would depend, too. On various factors actually." Shadow sighed. "And I'm rambling again. Why doesn't anyone ever stop me? They stop him, why not me?"
"My parents don't know about your tendency to ramble, yet. And I think it's kinda cute. And if one of the evil guys finds that out my reputation will be lost forever." River answered.
"I won't tell anyone." Shadow looked into River's eyes a moment longer than could be classified as purely innocent, which Amy picked up on.
"So...who's cheating with whom on whom?" Amy directed the question at both River and Shadow. Rory just looked baffled at his wife, which just shrugged in response.
"No one's cheating on anyone." Was Shadow's short reply.
"Really? Then what's with the smoldering looks?" Amy shot back.
Shadow looked at River. "They're your parents. You wanna tell them or shall I?"
"You're better at explaining this. You do it."
"Alright." Shadow got up. Then looked down at herself. "Ah. I thought it to be a bit fresh. Could I have a shirt or something to cover me up, please?"
Amy looked at Rory and he got up to fetch something. He came back with a white t-shirt, which he handed to Shadow. "That alright?"
Shadow slipped into it. Albeit being a bit baggy on her it fitted. "Yes, yes, that shall do." She turned around and walked a few steps whilst Rory sat down again. Then she turned back to the others. Her forehead in creases. "Where was I?"
"You wanted to explain what's with the smoldering looks between us." River readily supplied.
"Ah. Right. Thank you. Sorry." And she almost immediately seemed to have drifted off into a world of her own.
"So...?" Amy tried to get an answer again.
"What? I have to think about how to put this. Sheesh." She shook her head at Amy. "Alright, I think I have it." Crossing the room for a last time she gathered a breath and slowly released the air again. Then she finally turned around with a determined face and nodded.
"Let's come clean." Shadow pointed at River. "She isn't married. Well, she is. Well, no, yes. Let's say it's complicated, for now. But as a fact we can surely say that she isn't married to the Doctor."
"But we were there. We saw it." Rory interjected.
"Yes. But...!" Shadow looked at Rory. "That was in an alternate timeline. An aborted alternate timeline...in a world that never was. She did marry the Doctor as much as she..." Shadow pointed at Amy. "...killed Kovarian."
"How did you...?" Amy gasped.
"Well..." Shadow smirked. "I've got my sources. And my ways to get information. Anyway..." Shadow let her gaze sweep around. "Now that we have established that River isn't married to the Doctor, let me ask you something before I go on." She directed it at Amy and Rory. "Whatever I say is strictly confidential. It mustn't, under any circumstances, come to the attention of the Doctor. He doesn't know me. And it isn't time, yet, for him to know me. So, are you willing to keep this confidentiality? Will you give me your word that you won't betray me and tell him what I'm about to tell you?" Shadow's expression was dead serious.
Amy and Rory looked at River, who just sat there, watching Shadow, not giving anything away. Then they looked back at Shadow.
"Yes. I'll give you my word." Amy said.
Shadow looked at Rory, who seemed confused. Probably because I'm that serious about something like this, Shadow thought. "And you, Centurion?" Shadow asked.
Rory fixed his gaze on Shadow and looked her squarely into the eyes, trying to decipher if she could be trusted. After all, she had just come here and his daughter seemed to care a great deal about her. But Shadow didn't back down from his stare. And she let something slip into her eyes that anyone rarely got to see, her eyes conveyed her status as seasoned warrior. And after what seemed like ages he decided.
"I give you my word...warrior." He bowed his head in recognition. Which Shadow answered with a courteous nod.
"Thank you." Shadow smirked again. "Been ages since anyone called me that."
"Warrior?" Amy looked over to her husband with a very confused gaze.
"Well..." He started.
"It's something only people who have served as warriors can understand. Warriors will always recognize each other. And they know they can trust each other." Shadow finished for him.
Shadow recounted the story of how River and she had met and how they came to be. But she left the tiny bit out about her running from it. After she had finished, River looked at her imploringly but Shadow refused to acknowledge the look. Prompting River to a sly move.
"You forgot to tell something." She started, knowing her parents, or at least her mother, wouldn't stop until the full story was out.
"I did?" Shadow feigned ignorance.
"Yes, you did." River nodded.
"What did she leave out?" Amy asked.
"Well...not everything went as smoothly as she told it. In between was a moment where she ran."
"Really?" Amy gasped.
"I was afraid, alright. I didn't want to cause more pain than I already did. I was in too deep already." Shadow surrendered. "But there was a certain someone that didn't take no for an answer. And still doesn't, by the way."
"And don't expect me to change." River added.
"I'd actually be disappointed if you were to." Shadow smiled warmly. "Anyway..." She yawned. "Do you have any further questions?"
"How did you get to her after the Byzantium? How can she be here? There was a prison ship in orbit." Amy asked.
"Well...I'm quite influential across the whole of time and space and some people owe me a favor. So, I called in a few and manipulated a bit of information and that gave us a few days."
"You are evil." Rory said.
Shadow got a bit of a faraway look and turned her gaze to River. "Remember the old times when you said I'm evil?" River smiled and nodded slightly.
"Those were the times. Although I could have done without Sarah Jane's comment afterwards."
"Yeah, that was really just for her own amusement. I guess she was still a bit peed off about us not leaving a note and staying away for the night." Shadow chuckled.
"Who's Sarah Jane?" Amy wondered.
"The one I lived with for a few years. She was a former companion of the Doctor. Now has...or had... When are we? Doesn't matter. Anyway, she dealt with aliens in London together with her son and a few other teenagers. And I can tell you, you really don't want to get on her bad side." Shadow looked around searchingly. "Which reminds me." Apparently she couldn't find what she was looking for.
"What are you looking for?" River asked.
"My coat." Shadow said curtly, as if it was against some law to hide her coat from her.
"Here." River reached next to the sofa and pulled it up, holding it out for Shadow.
"Thanks." Shadow put her hand into one of her inner pockets and drew a book from it, giving it to River. "Look what the neighbor thought we were doing."
River took a look at the author and made a face, then turned the book around and read the blurb on the back. Then she looked at Shadow, amusement evident in her eyes. "She wasn't that far off. Except..."
Shadow gave her a blank look. "We did not have a threesome with Sarah Jane!"
"Okay. What is that for a book?" Amy and Rory looked like they couldn't decide if they should dash from the room or inquire further. Rory looked as if he was more for the dash from the room option.
River gave Amy the book. "Petulah Welsh? You know Petulah Welsh?"
Shadow's left eyebrow rose almost into her hairline. "You want an autograph?" She sarcastically asked.
"Um...no." Amy evaded.
"I'll get you one." River said knowingly. Shadow just theatrically rolled her eyes at this. That was answered with a look that clearly expressed 'What!?' from River.
Shadow yawned again. "This healing thing is really strenuous. You wouldn't have a spare bed, would you?"
"We have a guest room." Rory said.
"I'll show you. Come on." Amy said and got up. Prompting River to also get up and follow Shadow and her mother to the guest room.
When they arrived, Amy turned to River and said. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
River and Shadow looked at each other. River raised a brow and Shadow just smirked.
"Of course." River followed her mother outside. Shadow made herself ready for bed and then slipped under the covers.
Outside Amy just waited long enough for River to close the door behind her before she bore down on her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
River looked confused for a moment and then comprehended what her mother meant. "I'm not leaving her alone. If you're insisting that I can't be with her to keep her troubled mind at least a bit at ease then we're going to have a problem. Because I won't leave her." She stated firmly.
"I didn't mean that. I meant, why are you not leaving her? What makes you stay with her? What's so special about her?" Amy backpedaled.
River let herself slump against the wall next to the door and smiled. Amy was taken a bit aback by the so uncharacteristic move.
"She... I guess it's that she gets me. And she knows what I did. And even though it should have made her kill me on the spot, she didn't. She didn't even turn away from me. She took me in the way I was. And although she ran from what was between us, she did never run from me."
Amy looked at her and blinked. "Why should she have killed you when she found out what you did?"
"I killed the Doctor." The door opened suddenly.
"And the Doctor is my father. And by the law of the olden days, back when Gallifrey was still there and before it had been cursed to be barren, I had the right to execute her to take revenge for the destruction she had caused in my blood."
Amy had to take a few moments to comprehend the new information. Eventually she asked. "Why didn't you?"
Shadow blew out a puff of air. "I knew that the Doctor would be able to escape certain death. He's tricky that way. Like a cockroach. You just can't put him down. Alright, at the time I didn't know that she hadn't succeeded in killing him. But what I knew was that I probably would have gotten a notice from the Wolf to save him, if she would have."
"The Wolf? What Wolf?" Amy thought things couldn't get more confusing.
"The Bad Wolf. A powerful deity that has taken up residence within me. It became a part of me and guides me a bit." Shadow explained. "River and me are part of the pack. You belong to the Children of Time. The people who traveled with the Doctor or have helped him. The Children are under the protection of the Wolves. We are not many. Actually we are just a handful...not even. But we are powerful."
"I am part of the pack?" River was astounded.
"You are. Remember, the Wolf bound us together until the end of time. It marked just me because it couldn't risk the Doctor finding out. I believe when the time is right you will get a mark, too." Shadow enlightened her. "And my parents, too."
"You are marked? No, wait, you are bound? As in like married!?" Amy exclaimed loudly, which made Rory come down the corridor asking what was up. "They are bound." Amy said to him like that explained everything. He just looked dumbfounded.
"She has gotten it wrong." Shadow started. "River and I are bound together by a deity. It decided to make us a team. That we are also together on another level is a totally different thing. We could have been worst enemies and I believe it would have still bound us together. We make a really good team. The bad guys don't even think about screwing us over."
"So? You're not married?" Amy seemed relieved.
Shadow and River shared a quick glance.
"Oh god, you are."
"It wasn't planned. How could we know that when we jumped down that waterfall holding each other's hand was the marriage ceremony on that planet? We were chased and running for our lives." Shadow defended.
"Oh, and don't forget the one time we were drunk in New Las Vegas."
"Don't remind me. I still get a hangover just thinking about that." Shadow buried her head in River's shoulder.
"New Las Vegas?" Rory wondered.
"It's like Las Vegas. Only it's on New Earth. Don't worry about it. That one is 5 billion years into the future." River supplied.
"Oh, alright." He nodded.
River looked at Shadow who still had her head against the shoulder. "This one here seems tired."
"I'm not tired." Shadow mumbled. River just raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I am. Just a little."
"Let's postpone the conversation until morning. She needs her rest and I think we all are tired."
"Alright. But don't think you two are off the hook." Amy narrowed her eyes at them.
"We won't. Good night. Sleep well." River said and guided Shadow into the room.
"Good night." Amy and Rory said, before heading for their bedroom.
The next morning, the sun had just risen above the horizon, River sat in the kitchen of her parents' home with a mug of tea in her hand, skimming the headlines of the paper, when Amy entered.
"Morning. How are you?" She asked, whilst pouring herself a cup from the thermos on the counter.
"I'm fine." Amy made a face after she tasted the content of her mug. "But you look like something's wrong."
"Tea? Really?" Amy asked.
"I like tea in the morning. Especially after such an eventful night." River replied.
"Anyway. Where is Shadow?" Amy wondered, sitting down at the kitchen table.
River just pointed out the window. Amy looked where River pointed and found that someone sat in a treetop on the other side of the street.
"What is she doing there?" Amy questioned.
"Watching the sunrise." That earned River a blank look from her mother. "She always watches the sunrise, when she had a troublesome night. It shows her she's still alive and made it through."
"Alright." Amy frowned and they lapse into silence.
Five minutes later, River got up, fetched another mug, filled it with tea and set it down on the table. Amy just watched and wondered, but decided to just see what happened. A minute later, Shadow entered the kitchen, saw the mug and just looked with a bright, thankful smile at River, who in turn just smiled and shrugged. Shadow then also sat down at the table.
"Sorry." Shadow said apologetically.
"Don't worry. You always do. Don't know why though." River answered.
"I don't." River exclaimed after a pause. Shadow raised her left eyebrow.
"I do, too. So it's not a problem. At least I don't see one." Shadow answered.
At this point, Amy felt like she was watching a scene on TV and every other sentence was omitted. She had to stop them or she might go insane guessing what they were possibly talking about.
"What are you talking about? Or doing for that matter?" She asked
"I woke her up when I left and apologized." Shadow explained.
"And why have I just heard about half of that?"
"We sometimes communicate with our mind." River shrugged.
"You mean telepathy?" Amy asked.
"Something like that, yeah." Shadow answered. Amy just shook her head.
A/N: This is just the first in a line of some things that will happen to these two. Two other snippets are also written, but I wanted to get this out first. So, what do you think? Please tell me in a review. (Or flame in a PM. ;))