Can't believe it's taken me this long to write a Doctor Who story. I hope you like it! Please drop me a review and let me know what you think :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
"What are you reading?" The Doctor asked Clara as he reached past River to pull a lever on the TARDIS console.
"Melody Malone." Clara replied without looking up from the book that she'd been engrossed in since she found it in the TARDIS' library the day before.
This caught both the Doctor and River's attention. They locked eyes with mirroring expressions of sorrow written across their faces. Melody Malone. The tale of how they'd both lost two of the most important people in their lives; two people they could never return to, not for all the time travel technology in the Universe.
"It's about a detective who investigates angels." Clara continued, unaware of her friends' familiarity with the female detective's story.
Without warning an alarm sounded throughout the TARDIS control room.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Clara asked, finally looking up from page 43 of the book.
"Nothing." The Doctor assured her, leaning out of the way to allow River to reset the alarm system. "I just knocked one of the buttons by accident."
"You really are ever so clumsy, Sweetie." River added, trying to cover up the Doctor's reaction by attributing it to his Eleventh regeneration's frequent clumsiness.
Suddenly the Doctor walked away from the main console and down the corridor to one of the TARDIS' many rooms. River suspected he'd be by the swimming pool. He rarely swam in it but she'd often find him there watching the artificial waves as he lost himself in thought.
Ever since he'd lost Amy and Rory, River noticed he'd spent a lot of time thinking on his own. She could always tell by the look in his eyes whether or not it had happened in his timeline when she met him. It wasn't as if she'd ever bring the subject up with him; it was still too painful for both of them, but she could still allow herself to be there for him if he ever did bring it up. He hadn't yet, though, and somehow she doubted he ever would. He just kept running, never looking back. He couldn't and she knew that. This wasn't like anything he'd been through in a very long time. The Doctor hadn't just lost two of his best friends – he'd lost his family.
Meanwhile, River had stayed in the console room with a very confused Clara. She wore a stony expression that Clara had long ago learned meant she didn't want to be interrupted. Instead she continued to fly the TARDIS expertly. The actions were so familiar to her now that she found it almost therapeutic as she listened to the whirring of the engines. She'd become so used to the sound the TARDIS made with the breaks left on that she no longer tried to turn it off. After a while, however, she spoke up.
"What part of the book at you at?" She asked Clara, curious to know how much of the story she knew.
"The Doctor has just told Melody he has to break her wrist to free her from the angel." Clara answered. "Is it about him?" She wondered aloud. "Do you think the author met him and decided to write a book about him?"
"I can't say I've read it." River lied poorly, hoping to brush off Clara's curiosity. Her mind was too focused on reliving the tragic events she'd written in the book her friend was holding only a few feet away from her. She remembered the agonising pain she felt as she broke her own wrist to escape from the angel's firm grip. However, it was nothing compared to the pain she felt when she saw the disappointment in her husband's eyes upon finding out that she'd lied. Although she hadn't known at the time why it was so important for her to change the future, hindsight told her that the hurt in the Doctor's eyes was only a fraction of what they'd both feel only hours later and she'd give anything now to go back and change that moment.
"Do you know where he went? Why did he run off like that?" Clara asked.
"He's probably at the swimming pool but I wouldn't advise following him."
"Why not?"
"He just needs some time alone. That book brings up some bad memories for him." River explained.
"Then why does he keep it around?"
"For the last page." She answered simply. Clara turned to the last page of the book, only to find that it had been torn out. "He keeps it with him all the time now. I don't know if he ever reads it though." River continued, answering Clara's silent question.
"What does it say?"
"It's a note from an old friend."
"So it is about him!" Clara concluded.
"Yes." River nodded. "I suppose I should've given him a different name."
"What? You wrote this book?"
River nodded again but said nothing, instead choosing to focus her energy on the TARDIS' scanner. It was telling her that they were on their way to Space Vegas. The Doctor had been promising to take both her and Clara there for such a long time that he decided to make the most of his wife's visit and all go together. They'd planned to get married legally while they were there. As much as getting married on top of a pyramid while the Universe collapsed was romantic and perfect for them, Clara insisted that it didn't count and, knowing the Doctor's secret romantic side, River had agreed to a slightly more traditional wedding. Mind you, she'd heard rumours about 'traditional' Space Vegas weddings.
Her mind was suddenly torn from her memories of Captain Jack Harkness' retelling of his wedding to a nestene consciousness by Clara appearing at her side.
"Tell me what happened." She probed gently. She could tell that there was something the two of them were hiding and it seemed to cause them both a great deal of pain. Maybe if River would open up she could understand and maybe even help them through it. Although, getting River Song to talk about her feelings was about as easy as opening a wooden door with a sonic screwdriver.
"Spoilers." She whispered, not taking her eyes off of the scanner despite the fact that she was no longer looking at it but instead was staring aimlessly through it.
"Well something's got you and the Doctor to clam up and if you're not going to tell me then I'll have to ask him." Clara said as she walked away from the console.
"Ok, I'll tell you." River promised, knowing her husband wouldn't want to be disturbed. Clara stopped and turned back to face River. "Well, I'll say what I can."
"Why can't you tell me all of it?"
"I wouldn't want to spoil the ending." She replied with a sad smile and a glance towards the book that now lay shut on the chair Clara had just been occupying. "You know I've never liked that cover." She muttered before starting her story. "The events in the book are real. This all happened to us in 1930s New York. I don't know how long it's been for him but to me it was about four years ago."
"You're in the book as well?" Clara asked.
"I'm Melody Malone. Rory and Amy were my parents." River explained.
"Why did you call yourself Melody? You gave everyone else their real names." She pointed out.
"Melody is my real name. I was born Melody Pond. But that's a whole different story." River said. "Anyway after New York I knew I had to write the book, otherwise The Doctor and Amy wouldn't have been able to find us. I gave it to Amy to get it published and here we are." She finished.
"You've hardly explained why it made you both so upset."
"I'm afraid you'll have to read it to find out. I'm sorry but that's all I can tell you." She said, focussing back on the console.
Clara took this as her cue to drop the subject. She still wanted to know what happened though so sat back down and carried on reading.
It wasn't long before River took a step back from the TARDIS console and announced that they had landed.
"I'm going to get the Doctor." River informed Clara. "Don't let him see that book when he comes back." She warned her gently. She liked the Doctor's current companion. The girl didn't let him get away with anything and was good at keeping him sane - well, that's a relative term when talking about the Doctor, she figured – when River wasn't travelling with them. She knew that Clara had put up with many of his mood swings since he lost Amy and Rory and didn't want her to have to see him grieving over them like this.
As expected, River found the Doctor sat by the edge of the swimming pool. He didn't seem to have noticed her entering until she sat down beside him.
"We've landed, Sweetie." She told him.
"It made the noise." He commented.
"I know you like it." River replied with a small laugh.
"How long has it been for you?" The Doctor asked his wife. He didn't expand on what he meant. He didn't need to; the both knew.
"Four years, give or take a few months. You?"
"It will be two years next weekend."
"I'm sorry." River apologised. "It will get easier, I promise."
"And how can you promise that, Dr Song?"
"Spoilers." She teased. "And it's Professor Song, remember. But I can tell you I'll be here with you next weekend." River told him, remembering it fondly. Although she couldn't tell him what would happen, she was comforted by the knowledge that he wouldn't be alone and the day would go better than he was expecting.
The couple sat in silence for while then, neither of them knowing exactly how long it had been. If Clara was as much like River as the older woman thought she was, she'd be appreciating the extra time to read the book anyway, wanting to find out exactly what had happened as soon as possible.
"So, Space Vegas then?" The Doctor said suddenly, jumping up and causing River to chuckle at his childish antics.
"Space Vegas." River agreed, taking hold of his outstretched hand and walking with him back to the console room. All feelings of grief were forcibly buried as they stepped outside the TARDIS doors, hoping that the busy scene before them would take their minds off of what they had lost.
The trio returned to the TARDIS hours later with a marriage certificate valid across the galaxy, a winged goldfish in a bowl, and a complementary bottle of intergalactic champagne, with all thoughts of Melody Malone behind them.
"Well then, Sweetie." River Song smiled seductively at the Doctor as she grabbed hold of his bowtie and started to undo it. "You may kiss the bride."
"I'll make it a good one." The Doctor smiled back.
"You'd better." River continued to play along.
"I guess that's my cue to leave." Clara said, oblivious to the hidden meaning behind their conversation. She grabbed the book from under the chair where she'd hidden it and left the console room, eager to get away from what was sure to be a very intimate moment between the Doctor and his wife.
It was the early hours of the morning before Clara emerged from her bedroom, having finally finished reading Melody Malone. She hadn't slept and was feeling emotionally drained after having cried for almost an hour after she finished reading it. Never before had she been so affected by people dying in a book but she knew that her friends were characters in the book and she'd seen them grieving, making it impossible for her to have read it and not cried for the loss of Amy and Rory.
Clara quickly realised that she wouldn't be able to sleep so decided to take a walk around the TARDIS. She headed for the console room, hoping that her bedroom would still be in the same place when she returned. To her surprise, she wasn't the only one awake this early in the morning. Across the room from her was the Doctor. He was sat on a rocking chair that she didn't recognise humming quietly to himself. It didn't take long for him to notice her walking towards him and she met his eyes, giving him a sad smile.
"How's River?" She asked, taking a seat on another chair.
"Sleeping." The Doctor responded. "Why are you awake so early?"
"I never went to sleep." Clara admitted.
"Something on your mind?" He asked.
"I just finished reading Melody Malone." Clara noticed the Doctor visibly stiffen at the name of the book. "River told me the story behind it. I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"It's ok." He replied honestly. "I shouldn't have reacted that way. Even at my age I still get it wrong sometimes." He joked, earning himself a smile from Clara.
"Can't you just take the TARDIS back there and pick them up like you did in the book?" She asked.
"It doesn't work like that. I'd be interfering with my own past and thanks to the weeping angels New York has become a big timey-wimey mess. Either the TARDIS would explode before it landed or we'd destroy the planet on impact."
"You can still travel to 1938 though, right? Then you could just drive to New York?" Clara suggested. "Or is it a big spacey-wacey mess as well?" She laughed, making fun of his earlier comment.
Suddenly the Doctor shot out of his chair. "RIVER!" He yelled, running down the corridor to their room with Clara hot on his heels.
"What in the name of sanity are you yelling about at this hour?" She shouted back, sitting up in bed and shielding her eyes from the light that was now spilling into her room.
"We're going to see your parents!" He shouted.
"I would love to do that, Sweetie, but you and I both know it's impossible." She said tiredly.
"But Clara's had a brilliant idea. What if we land the TARDIS somewhere else on Earth in 1938?"
River's eyes widened. Even in her half asleep state she could see that it might just work. It certainly explained why the Doctor was so happy all those years ago when she visited him on the second anniversary of their death.
"It is brilliant." She smiled at Clara. "And it might even work if you let me fly her." She said, turning to the Doctor.
The trio ran to the console room and River started rapidly pressing buttons, sending the TARDIS flying through time and space.
"Geronimo!"