Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all it entails is copyrighted to the BBC, not me. Kelsey is copyrighted to me, not the BBC.
First Sight
The Doctor was leaning against the control panel of his TARDIS. He had travelled around by himself for a while now and it was getting wearing. He didn't want to pick up anyone else and put them at risk, but he hated being by himself now, ever since he had met his previous companions. They'd opened him up a lot more. He thought he would never recover from the Time War, but now he was a brighter, happier man. The TARDIS seemed to read his mind because it suddenly let out a high-pitched beep. Delighted, the Doctor ran over to the screen and grinned.
"51st Century. One of my favourites. Let's go then shall we?" he patted his TARDIS and it jerked, setting off in a new direction.
It was raining. It always seemed to rain from July through to September, that hadn't changed in hundreds of years, good old British summer. But it didn't stop people from doing their jobs. In fact a group of people were digging around in the dirt on hands and knees, mud plastered to their clothes, their hair plastered to their heads and absolutely freezing. But they were laughing. They had spread a waterproof cover over them not dissimilar to a bubble as they marked and dug in a field. But it was so old that it was leaking so they were all wearing waterproof coats and limited funding meant their tools were not the most advanced around. Two or three people at a time had to give them a bit of a bang to get them started.
"The things we do for history," grinned a curly-haired blonde woman.
"What are we looking for again Miss Song?" queried a young man.
"Ye Olde Trafalgar Square," River brushed hair back from her face, smearing mud across her cheek.
"I bet the Londoners back in the day didn't expect to get buried so far down," another man smirked. "I hear they were very vain."
"Yet 3000 years does make a bit of a dent in anything," River shrugged. Her eyes drifted across the sopping wet site and she grinned, "Except caffeine."
Nimbly balancing along and trying not to slip in the mud was a black-haired young woman, with striking sapphire-blue eyes, holding a tray full of coffee mugs and an umbrella like a pro. River stood up, wiping her hands on her combat trousers as the girl, her assistant came nearer, neatly jumping over a puddle without spilling a drop.
"Sorry I took so long Miss Song," she apologised, "They had a sudden run on single cream so I had to go across town," her voice was quiet.
"Kelsey my girl, I could kiss you," River leaned forward and kissed the surprised girl's cheeks. "And how many times, call me River."
"Sorry Miss Song," Kelsey got a glare, "Um, River..." she mumbled.
River Song and Kelsey Manning had only been a duo for two years, Kelsey having been assigned to her on work experience from University. They got on with each other wonderfully, bouncing ideas off each other had turned into joint expeditions had turned into a fantastic friendship. She was the nearest thing River had to family. She had even been to the girl's graduation. With warm praises and pats on the back; which always made Kelsey a little nervous, she wasn't much of a touchy feely person; the crew relieved her of coffee, tea and pastries in minutes.
The Doctor wasn't quite sure what to expect. He was still smarting slightly from losing his previous companions and he didn't want to get anyone else mixed up in his trials and tribulations but his natural curiosity ploughed aside any misgivings and nerves. It had a habit of taking him over, but at least it got his mind to focus on other things. As he and his TARDIS touched down he grabbed his long tan coat and ran out of the door. Promptly getting soaked in a downpour. He groaned.
"What's the betting I'm somewhere in the UK?" he murmured to himself.
Running through the streets, his Converse shoes squeaking on wet pavement, he ducked under a kind of awning, dripping wet. He held out the bottom of his coat, wringing it out and ruffling his hair to try and shake off some of the water. He looked around, frowning as he tried to assess where he had ended up. All the building seemed to be glass and metal, huge. The pavement was pristine, no sign of blackened gum lining the slabs and his only witnesses were a few pigeons perched on roofs. Then he turned around and saw the site.
"Oh, you're kidding me. Archaeologists?!" he whined.
That was undoubtedly what they were. They had removed the top layer of a huge square section and there were tarpaulins and tools all over the place, make shift offices and a cover that didn't seem to be quite up to standard, judging by the pools of water inside it. However, they weren't exactly hard at work from what he could see. They were standing around drinking from steaming mugs and flicking pastry at each other. A dark-haired woman looking rather uncomfortable was the one who spotted him. She stared at him, then turned to a blonde beside her, whispering something and looking over her shoulder at the Doctor.
"There goes my cover," the Doctor muttered.
The other woman turned around and the Doctor's hearts both skipped a beat. A little younger perhaps, but it was unmistakeably Professor River Song. His Professor River Song. She made a beeline for him and pulled the first woman along beside her, although she didn't seem to want to be there. He couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot as they closed in on him.
"Can we help you?" demanded River Song, hands on hips.
"Me?!" the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, "I'm just...passing. Got caught in the rain."
"Oh, I see. As long as you're not an inspector, I'm River Song," she offered her hand.
"Aren't you just?" the Doctor couldn't help it slipping out in a kind of awestruck tone as he shook her hand.
The young woman beside her seemed to say under her breath something about a record; clearly she hadn't missed a beat. The Doctor was acutely embarrassed. To them he was a complete stranger. He really needed to turn the conversation around. He offered his hand to the brunette.
"And you are?"
She shook his hand in a surprisingly firm grip, there was more to her than met the eye, "Kelsey. Kelsey Manning," her voice was quiet, collected.
"Won't you come and not shelter with us under our roof?" River Song quipped.
"We have pastry," offered Kelsey politely, though she was eyeing him up suspiciously.
"Don't mind if I do," the Doctor shrugged.
River Song led them over to the group who all welcomed him with open arms and full mouths. So typically human. The Doctor smiled as a slightly squashed Belgian bun was pushed into his hand. River whispered something to Kelsey, who smirked.
"Do you think he's single?" River's bluntness didn't seem to bother Kelsey.
The Doctor subconsciously puffed out his chest and ran a hand through his hair. So typically male. This was the man who hadn't wanted to change bodies when he died. If only everyone had that choice.
Kelsey's eyes glinted mischievously. "Bit skinny, don't you think?" she whispered, a little louder than necessary maybe. She was only at ease around River.
The Doctor deflated as someone nearby choked on a muffin trying not to laugh.
"I can work on that." River winked. She walked over, close up to the Doctor, "So, what brings you here pretty boy?" she queried, "Not many people would want to visit here nowadays."
"I just...went out on a limb," the Doctor shrugged.
"Right. What's your name, by the way?" she continued mildly.
"I'm...the Doctor," he answered.
"Doctor who?" River pressed.
"Just...the Doctor," this could get awkward.
"An educated man then." River walked off, turning to survey the scene, "So tell me Doctor Mysterious. Where do you think we are?"
It was a test. River tested everyone she met. If they didn't know the answer to the questions she asked she just didn't bother. 72 people had been recommended to her from the university before Kelsey and none of them got passed stage one. The whole crew seemed to hold their breaths, waiting for judgement. The Doctor picked up on this and was all too happy to rise up to the challenge.
"Well, we're in the 51st century," he began,
River raised an eyebrow, "You don't say?"
The Doctor wasn't done, "We're in what would have been Trafalgar Square, roughly 3000 years ago," he wandered around, taking in the set up. "And I do believe you're standing on what would have been a lion's tail."
River immediately stepped back from habit and the crew around them turned their heads to hide smirks. Kelsey bit her lip to stop herself doing the same, she was often the one River looked to, to help her hold on to her pride.
"Not bad," River admitted begrudgingly, "Have you been on a dig yourself?"
"Not likely!" scoffed the Doctor. He was surrounded by angry looks. "I mean, I just...read a lot. It's almost like I've been there."
"You're not a Time Agent are you?" asked River immediately.
"No. No. Definitely no," he pulled a face at the memory of his old companion and friend.
He knew Jack would have a whale of a time with River and Kelsey there. He felt a slight pang of jealousy that took him by surprise as he eyed River. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes as they looked at each other. It was like there was no one else around.
River cleared her throat to break the tension that was building up.
"Right. Well. The rain's easing up slightly now..." the assembly stared out at the almost constant waterfall surrounding them and more than a few raised eyebrows, "Well, not exactly. Well, not at all," she shrugged, "But it's not going to," she turned to the Doctor, "Want to try your hand at a dig? Impress me."
"That's not a question, by the way," Kelsey hissed in his ear.
"Right, thanks," the Doctor hissed back.
The Doctor was suddenly given something that looked rather like a wand, a long silver tube, about the width of a pencil. Only it had lenses at either end. The Doctor's face lit up with a grin. It was what they called a 'view finder' in this century. You looked through one end and it was like having x-ray vision, you could see through the ground beneath your feet and beyond, depending on how you zoomed. One of the tools of the trade, for archaeologists.
"Oh, brilliant," the Doctor beamed like a school boy,
"Not the newest version, but it does well by us," agreed River,
She threw Kelsey what looked a bit like a cake slicer, a triangular blade with a solid wooden handle. Only this one glowed slightly at the base of the handle, a small light. If you pressed a button, that gave you x-ray vision as well, not as powerful as its partner, but it gave you a broader over view.
"Kels my girl, let's see what else you've got," River teased with a wink.
Kelsey rolled her eyes and all of them squelched through the mud, dispersing to their own sections. How many layers of ground were on top of Trafalgar Square now was hard to tell, but they were determined to find out. It was their job after all.
A couple of hours later and they had found bits of statues and columns, a left over fountain pipe, some old English money and bits of a lion. They laid things on the floor, trying to fit them together like jigsaw puzzles.
The Doctor couldn't believe he was actually enjoying archaeology. He had ended up by Kelsey, which was a relief. She was shy, only talking when she was addressed directly, but the speed and accuracy of her judgements told him she was smart. She suddenly paused slightly, wringing out her hair and clothes and looking thoughtful.
The Doctor frowned, "Kelsey? Are you alright?"
The girl seemed to be off in her own little world when she turned to face him. Her eyes were sort of misty and distant as water trickled down her nose. After a while, she slowly nodded,
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking," she gave a small smile,
"Care to share?"
They were both kneeling in the mud and people carried on around them, but the Doctor reckoned that any thoughts she might have were worth listening to. They didn't notice, but from another section, River was watching them closely.
"I was just thinking. It's sad, what time can do," Kelsey shrugged,
"What do you mean?" the Doctor frowned,
"Thousands of years ago, this was one of the most bustling places in a huge city. Now it's all broken and cracked, covered up by generations of rubbish. People laughed here, cried here, romanced here, broke up here. They would come here and bring the family to enjoy a day out and celebrate their culture here with friends. Now time has decayed everything. Its separated friends and family, even enemies, in a manner of speaking. It's all gone, just ghosts blowing in the wind. There's nothing but memories left, memories that we don't even have. It's nothing to us but research."
The Doctor was struck speechless by the depth of her insight. So was River, who had heard every word. That was why she picked Kelsey, not because she knew the answers to a few questions, but because she had heart.
"Or maybe I'm just reading too much in to it," chuckled the girl, bashful once more.
Picking up a tray of rocks Kelsey left, walking over to the makeshift lab across the site. A lot of glances followed her before they all returned to their section, River and the Doctor. A few minutes later there was a sudden crash as the ground disappeared beneath River's feet. She shrieked as she fell into a sudden hollow that appeared. Kelsey and the Doctor were over there like a shot,
"River?! Are you alright?" cried Kelsey,
"Can you hear us?" shouted the Doctor,
"I'm ok! I think I'm stuck though! Can't see a thing!"
River sounded perfectly calm, so the pair of them relaxed slightly. Kelsey laid on her stomach, peering down the hole. She grabbed a small tube from her pocket, about the size of a pen lid. With a press on the bottom, a dazzling white light filled the area and she shone it in to the crevasse. River was standing up, looking at her, dirt smeared but in one piece.
"Anything interesting?" queried Kelsey.
They were suddenly all business, forgetting that River had fallen around twelve feet in to a pit. The Doctor could see how well they got on as they spoke, Kelsey would say something and River would laugh, River would reply and Kelsey would grin. He realised what they were doing, they were calming each other down, stopping the onset of shock. The crew had managed to get a rope and had handed it to the Doctor. He threw the end out down and Kelsey picked herself up to help him pull it. However, as River was about to grab it, the ground crumbled beneath their feet and the Doctor and Kelsey fell head over heels in to the hole. As the pair of them choked on dirt and pulled themselves up, River suddenly grabbed Kelsey's arm and yanked her out of the way, as the opening collapsed after them, sealing it off.
"Now that's not good," said River, stating the obvious.
Kelsey had knocked her torch in the fall and she was shaking it, desperately trying to get it to work again. The Doctor lifted it out of her hands, holding up his own torch light thing, his sonic screwdriver. He changed the settings, it buzzed and in a second Kelsey's torch was lighting up the whole tunnel, as bright as if they were outside,
"We'll just have to find another exit," declared the Doctor.
"Where are we anyway?" asked Kelsey, "I mean, apart from underground."
River was over in the corner. With a better view you could see they were in a large kind of passing place, with tunnels leading off it that seemed a lot narrower. She was dusting off a large lump of rock and jumped slightly as two eyes stared at her. Suddenly excited she scrabbled through the debris, Kelsey automatically went over to help her.
The Doctor was half frustrated with them. How much air was there still down here, and how were they getting out? They were very human things to worry about, he had two humans with him, but they weren't worried at all. It reminded him of himself, stopping to admire the beautiful crafting whilst a killer robot was after him.
"Good day Admiral," joked River.
In large pieces but none the less recognisable, Nelson's column was laying on the ground in front of them. The Doctor found it strangely disturbing. He had been near the wholly complete and standing proud statue just a few days ago. He often forgot how much impact time did have on things.
"I guess the stories were true, huh?" Kelsey pointed out.
"Stories? What stories?" questioned the Doctor, "In fact, don't tell me, I just want to get out of here,"
"What's the hurry? Left your oven on?" teased River, "History says that there was a big earthquake in London roughly two thousand years ago. There was no real reason for it, it just happened. The whole city pretty much fell in to ruin, the most well known places buried under piles and piles of rubble. They rebuilt everything, over what had been,"
"Story of the universe," the Doctor murmured.
River and the Doctor started discussing the development of culture and whether or not people took things for granted nowadays. Kelsey kept it to herself, but they sounded rather like old people discussing the 'youth of today', and it was never positive. Instead of joining in, she had the sense that they should get to know each other a bit, she carried on brushing down cracks and crevasses. She stopped as something glowed a light blue,
"Hm, what's that?" she asked quietly no-one in particular.
The other two didn't even notice when she picked up a solid egg. It was made of some kind of stone, the middle part was glowing, which was where the light had come from. Now, she wasn't an expert yet, but she reckoned that 21st Century London didn't usually hide luminous eggs in their statue's hats. She held it in her palm, inspecting it. The blue light suddenly went to purple, then pink, then a kind of orange as it heated up.
"What on earth?" breathed Kelsey.
The light got brighter and brighter. She didn't even need to use her torch. Finally, River and the Doctor came out of their conversation and stared at her.
"What did you do?!" exclaimed the Doctor,
"What is that?" River leaned in for a closer look.
The egg suddenly got too hot for Kelsey to hold and she yelped, dropping it. It didn't fall though, it just hung in mid air. It was such a blinding red light that all three of them had to cover their eyes. The Doctor shot Kelsey a glare,
"I think it's about to explode!" cried River
"Oh great. My first interesting find is going to be my last," lamented Kelsey.
The Doctor grabbed them both around the waist and pulled them down behind Nelson as the egg expanded. With a flash and a boom that shook the cavern they were in, the egg broke and a strange shape came out of it. As the light died down slightly, the three squinted into it and weren't quite sure what they saw. It almost looked like a children's toy. It was around a foot high, humanoid. Its legs tapered into points, but they were still stood on and its arms were more like paws. The little thing was red with a yellow spiral on its belly and its face seemed to be covered by a kind of noh mask, round and white with black circles for eyes and a mouth. The top of its head flickered like a flame, it was a most bizarre creature.
"What on earth?" whispered River,
"Or not," the Doctor corrected.
He had a gleeful smile on its face as he stared at this visitor. He whipped on his glasses and leaned forward to meet it, though he towered above it. River and Kelsey just looked at each other, he was acting like this was normal.
"Hello there," greeted the Doctor, the creature just tilted its head upwards without making a sound, it was almost creepy. "You're a long way from home, aren't you?"
"What, is it alien?!" realised River, her voice getting ever so slightly higher pitched.
"You sound surprised. This is 51st Century London after all. But, yep. Been around longer than you humans," the Doctor, "Or the other species that have made a home here,"
"What do you mean us humans?" challenged Kelsey,
"Never mind that. What's a pint sized extra-terrestrial doing in Nelson's head?!" interrupted River,
"He's a Chama," the Doctor beamed, "Just a baby though, harmless," the Doctor assured. He reached out to pet the Chama and yelled, pulling back as his hand was burnt.
"Harmless, huh?" smirked River,
"Usually," frowned the Doctor, his ego having taken a bit of a hit, "They're a largely peaceful race. Live on the suns in galaxies. Although if threatened they can be rather unfriendly,"
"If this is a baby. Where's mummy?" Kelsey seemed almost fearful,
"Ah...now that's a good question."
They were answered with a sudden roar from behind them, down one of the tunnels. Even the Chama jumped, so it couldn't have been expecting whatever it was. In fact, the little alien floated up and landed on Kelsey's shoulder. Apparently she was mummy. The Doctor had neglected to mention that Chamas imprinted on whoever hatched their eggs. As a large shadow came slinking up the corridor, the Doctor, River and Kelsey ran in the other direction. The Doctor convinced Kelsey to turn off her torch so as not to give away their position. With a lot of persuading from River she did so. Yet the Chama was still glowing like an old time torch. It was kind of eerie; the flame was getting faster as Kelsey fled.
"What's that then?" asked River, ignoring the fact they were running for their lives in place of finding something new out.
"No idea," admitted the Doctor, "Don't really want to find out,"
"Well I do," River stopped running and turned around,
"Yea, me too," the Doctor looked sheepish.
"A match made in heaven," Kelsey murmured as she rolled her eyes, "At least find out from a safe distance."
She clambered over a pile of rubble and dirt from a part-collapsed roof in another tunnel, laying flat down on it so she could see over the top without being seen easily. She hissed a notice to River and the Doctor. She grabbed River's hand, helping her over the mound, and then the Doctor's once she was settled. The Chama was perched on her back. The fire coming from its head was a bit of a give away, but at least the pile gave them some kind of cover.
A good job too. Because moments later, a humanoid, thing, about as tall as the Doctor, perhaps taller, came floating down the corridor at a rapid rate. Kelsey's eyes widened and River stared, it was unlike anything they had ever seen. It was skeletally thin, red with gold markings, spirals, on its torso. The legs tapered into points, just like the small Chama's and its hands were like paws. It's head was floating a few inches above its shoulders. The head looked like a football that had been painted with a menacing face and set on fire..
"That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen," stated River,
"Me too, and I've seen you after a hard night out," commented Kelsey lightly,
"Oi!" River gave her a playful shove.
"That's a Chama all grown up," explained the Doctor.
Kelsey and River looked at the tiny version on Kelsey's head. No way. The Chama hissed and pointed a hand/paw at them. A fireball shot out and River and Kelsey ducked so quickly that they ended up tumbling down the slope as the fireball singed the ceiling just above them. The Doctor stood up, raising his hands in surrender,
"It's ok. We're not here to hurt you. We were just looking after your child for you,"
The Chama took a flying leap and landed facing the Doctor. It was definitely taller. The Doctor didn't flinch. River and Kelsey picked themselves up, brushing the dirt off. The baby Chama was floating around them. Kelsey gently grabbed a hold of it and held it up to mother. The fire on the big Chama flared angrily and a series of what sounded like keypad tones streamed out of its mouth. If it really was its mouth.
"What?! What did we do now?!" demanded River,
"Um..." the Doctor looked sheepish, "It thinks you poisoned the child to turn against it."
"Say again?" Kelsey couldn't quite comprehend. "How can you even tell anyway?"
"It's imprinted on you. Mummy thinks you're the enemy,"
As if to prove a point, several more grown up Chamas suddenly faded in to existence, like ghosts. A whole army of them. River and Kelsey froze to the spot as all of them closed in on them. In a flash, they were suddenly diving out of the way of more fire balls.
"RUN!"
Kelsey was out of there like a shot, the Doctor grabbed a still unmoving River's hand and pulled her along beside him. Eventually she woke up of her own free will and they sped into darkness, no idea where they were going. The baby Chama seemed to be quite enjoying the ride. It was River who spoke next as they were all panting with aching legs.
"Look, up there!"
Up there was a very old, very rusty ladder. None of them fancied their chances climbing on it, but they had no choice. The Doctor waved first Kelsey and then River up, every few minutes looking over his shoulder to see where the Chamas were. At the top of the ladder was an old manhole cover. Kelsey put her arms, back and shoulders in to pushing it, but it was so stiff it didn't budge.
"I can't move it!" she called down.
River climbed up further, to the rung below Kelsey, because she was a bit taller and could still reach. Together they pushed it but still nothing happened and now the Doctor was coming up behind them and fireballs were flying at the bottom of the ladder. The baby Chama floated around their heads, inspecting the manhole cover. Suddenly a fireball flew at it and it shattered, Kelsey and River turned their faces away but their arms and necks still got scratched and nicked by the exploding metal.
River looked at the Chama, "Thanks," she gave Kelsey a shove, "Go on then!"
Kelsey climbed up, falling out of the manhole cover who knows where. Again she helped River and the Doctor up. They were in a very old street, with only a few vehicles (powered by water) going by. To their right was the River Thames, far further down than it used to be. The Doctor didn't recognise any of the buildings, made from glass and metal, it looked nothing like the London he knew. There was still the honking of horns in the distance, but no exhaust fumes and it had stopped raining.
It was all incredibly clean, the only damage caused by age. Even the New London was old now, positively ancient. The Doctor felt a kind of pang in his hearts. All the friends and adopted family he had gained, they were all long dead in this London. Nothing was familiar, not even the street layouts. River sensed a kind of change in his demeanour, and rested a hand gently on his arm,
"You've been here before, haven't you?"
"A very long time ago. Sort of."
"If you're not a Time Agent, but you do seem to travel in time, and you're an alien, what are you exactly?"
"I'm a Time Lord."
River had heard about the Time Lords, so had Kelsey. History was part of their job. Time Lords weaved in and out of every time and place. There was only one in particular that had a strange attachment to the UK. He was always saving it at his own expense.
"You're that Doctor?" realised River.
The Doctor just kind of looked at her, a sad, tired look. The moment was broken by the three of them suddenly being surrounded by grown up Chama. The passing traffic suddenly sped up, and the odd pedestrian promptly turned around and went in the opposite direction. River, the Doctor and Kelsey were trapped, back to back and getting closer to each other.
"We didn't mean to upset you!" protested Kelsey, "It was an accident! We're not here to cause trouble!" she was frantic.
There were more clicks and whirrs from the Chamas. Kelsey and River were at a total loss, looking to the Doctor for reassurance. Much to their astonishment, the Doctor started clicking and whirring too. Kelsey shot River a look that said, 'you fancy a nut'. It was not the first time. Just in the last two years River had gone through about a dozen boyfriends, none of them ending happily. It was always Kelsey that pulled her back together again.
"What's he saying?" River asked her under her breath, "Be just my luck if he's one of them in disguise,"
"I have a good feeling about this one," Kelsey reassured her. She presented it as more of a fact than a feeling however.
After maybe fifteen minutes, River and Kelsey dared breathe out. So far there had been no more fireballs or angry keypad tones. The Doctor and the Chama seemed to be having a very good conversation. They had forgotten the two humans were there.
"Um excuse me," interrupted River huffily, "But would you care to translate?"
The Doctor seemed surprise, "Oh, right, sorry, of course. I explained that you were the guardian they asked for Kelsey. They wanted one of their own to see the world outside the underground."
River gave Kelsey a nudge in the ribs, "Oh, er...right," played along the confused trainee,
"Only they had problems with some of the less pleasant species using them as kind of lab rats,"
Both Kelsey and River saw the look that came over his face then. He was angry, really angry, but it was only fleeting. In a split second he was back to his normal self. Well, with the addition of yet more clicking. The Chama that had originally confronted them, a few inches taller than the others, suddenly glided forward. Panicking, River and Kelsey stepped backwards. It looked at Kelsey and started beeping again, the fire around it was softer and lighter now.
The Doctor smiled, "She's apologising for attacking you. She didn't realise the guardian would be so young, or so..." he paused, frowning, then smirked and shrugged, "Pink,"
Kelsey automatically checked her arms for sunburn. The Doctor and River laughed at her as River slung an arm around her shoulders. The Chama was still standing in front of her, and she could have sworn she was laughing too.
"So...I'm the guardian, am I?" said Kelsey slowly, the Doctor nodded, "What's his name?"
The Chama looked at the Doctor who translated, "That's entirely up to you, but she demands visiting rights,"
"Oh, any time!" Kelsey surprised herself, now she was acting like this was normal.
"I think you're infectious," smirked River.
"You make me sound like a disease!" protested the Doctor, insulted.
Realising they were free to go, the trio said their goodbyes to the Chamas, the baby waved too. The light coming from him pulsed gently, consistently. The Doctor pointed out to Kelsey that it was exactly in sync with her pulse. As they arrived back at the dig site, they were swarmed by concern and questions. Kelsey was immersed in a pool of fascination as she tried to explain to everyone that she was now the proud adoptive mother of her very own alien. River and the Doctor were keeping their distance for now.
"River?" the Doctor broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them,
"Yes Doctor?" replied his new friend,
"We were running from our lives from who knows what. But you were more concerned about learning something new,"
River laughed, shrugging, "Yea, I do that. I can't tell you the number of times Kelsey's pulled me out of harm's way,"
"You know," began the Doctor, "There's a lot more to investigate than what's on this planet, or even in this galaxy,"
"Tell me about it," agreed River,
"Have you ever wanted to go out there, to live history instead of digging it up?"
"All the time. It's a bit hard on my salary though."
"Well, you could always come with me..." he suggested, running a hand through his hair.
River stared wide-eyed at him. She couldn't quite believe it. A Time Lord was inviting her to go on a road trip (of sorts) with him? It would be a dream come true, something she had always wanted to do. The very prospect made her tingle with excitement. Then she stared at the holes and tables around her,
"I'd love to Doctor. But I can't. I have too many responsibilities here. I can't just throw Kelsey in at the deep end," she sighed,
The Doctor folded his arms, shrugging, "I think she might surprise you."
Flashback
Six Months Earlier
Kelsey was tired. River had had her working on her newest research project until the early hours of the morning. More than once she had gone without sleep to keep her mentor and friend company. River always felt terribly guilty when she realised how long she had kept her, but she really didn't want to be by herself all the time, like she had been aside from work until she met Kelsey.
"I'm sorry, I've done it again haven't I?" apologised River,
"It's ok, really," the fact that Kelsey yawned betrayed her words though,
"How about some coffee?" suggested the older woman,
"Sounds like a plan. What do you want?"
Kelsey stood up. Beverages was usually her job. But River surprised her by standing up herself. She held a hand up to stop Kelsey coming. She could manage to pour hot water on granules. Kelsey watched her go. A slight wind whipped up behind her and she heard the strangest noise, like engines. Spinning around, a blue wooden box materialised in front of her eyes,
"Wow. I really am tired, now I'm hallucinating,"
The blue box suddenly opened, and out tumbled a tall, skinny, dark-haired man with a long coat on. He gave her the biggest of grins, it was the Doctor.
"Hey, Kelsey! Good to see you!"
"Have we met?"
"No. Well, yes. Well, sort of. I mean, we will."
"You're not a Time Agent are you?"
"Nope, no. Definitely not. I just need you to do me a favour,"
"Um, alright?" she could at least hear him out.
"About six months from now, possible sooner or later, depending on how on target I am. I need you to convince River to come with me. Don't worry, I'll take care of her."
"I guess..."
"Thanks!" the Doctor beamed, then turned around and went back in to his blue box, "Oh, and by the way. Pay attention to how things work. You'll need to know."
End flashback
Kelsey had heard her cue, and managed to disengage herself from the swarm of people surrounding her. She tripped over someone's foot, righting herself when she got to the Doctor and River. She and the Doctor exchanged a knowing smile,
"You have to go River," informed Kelsey,
"What?! Why?" River frowned,
"When are you going to get a chance like this again, hm?" she pointed out, "You're always telling me you wish you could really get in to the heart of things, feel what people felt. Now you can," in a surprising gesture of fondness, she grabbed a still uncertain River's hands, "I can look after things until you get back. I do listen you know. You have got to go. Trust me, ok?"
River suddenly reached forward and hugged her. Kelsey grinned, returning the gesture, and looking over River's shoulder at the Doctor. He winked at her, 'thank you' he mouthed. After detaching themselves, the Doctor started heading towards the TARDIS, with River right next to him. Kelsey tagged along to see them off. Her eyes sparkled as she saw that familiar blue box. As they stood outside it, River hugged her again, not quite ready to let go yet. Releasing her a second time, she looked at the Chama that had faded into view by Kelsey's shoulder,
"What is his name going to be?" she asked,
"Isn't it obvious?" Kelsey grinned, "River's team needs a River, don't you think?"
With a fond farewell, River and the Doctor walked in to the TARDIS. As the engines whirred and it faded, Kelsey watched them, caught up in the little whirlwind it gave off. The last thing Kelsey heard was the cry of,
"It's bigger on the inside!"
She laughed and waited until it was completely out of sight.