This is the third story in my Lost Trilogy. The other two are Lost in Time and it's prequel is called Forgotten in Time. You do not have to read them but they will help you with this story. I will be combining them all quite soon. Thank you for all your patience.
Another note to add: there is a character that is supposed to be cockney and I have tried to make him sound so. Let me know if you think I could change it or if you find him…offensive or stereotypical. And I will change him. Thanks again.
Chapter One: The Call That Bids Her
"What do you mean she isn't here?" the Doctor asked the guard with the thick cockney accent.
The guard was leaning against the bars to River Song's empty cell in the lower level of Stormcage. He looked between the Doctor and Rory, appraising them in such a way that made Rory a little uncomfortable.
Amy was tired of the game they were playing. "Listen, whatever your name is—"
"Reginald." He looked at Rory with sultry eyes. "Reggie for you sweetheart."
Rory turned around and sighed. "Oh God…"
"Where is she!" Amy yelled at the guard.
Reggie looked back at Amy, seemingly bored with her. "I don't know, do I? Listen, I told the other two kids that come through here—"
"What other two kids?" the Doctor interrupted him.
"The annoying blonde girl and the cute American bloke. They come through 'ere every few months, leaving tings for Riv'ar, telling 'er this and that. Never makes no sense. I don't know what all they talk about. Blondie always tells me to go for a cuppa and when I get back they've just gone. They call here a couple a days ago, looking for Ms. Song. When they I says she's not 'ere, the girl 'bout has this fit or sumfink. Says she has to find a way to get in touch with someone called the Doctor." Reggie looked over at the Doctor. "That's your name in'it?"
"Yes." The Doctor said. "But they have to sign papers and forms to get through?"
"Never do, not that I seen. They just come in, right as ya please. But I did catch they's names once. Belle Noel Tyre," he said the name in a snooty way. "And James Johnson. Or Jimmy, but blondie just calls 'im James all the time." Reggie scratched his nose.
"Right, okay, so we need to find them. Or they need to find us. Whatever way we need to get with them." The Doctor smushed his fingers together and turned around. He snapped his fingers and the door to the blue police box that had been sitting off to the side opened and the three of them ran inside leaving a slightly bored looking guard alone in the dark corridor. Only when the big blue box disappeared in a rush of wind and whoo whoo did the guard react.
"Bloody Riv'ar Song." He turned on his heel and walked down the darkened corridor.
"Where are we going to find them Doctor?" Rory asked. "I mean, they could be anywhere."
"Yeah, but they aren't just anywhere." He was typing something into the TARDIS's mainframe. "Alright, there are no results for a Belle Noel Tyre but there are some links for a James Johnson. Alright: born August 21, 1994 in Seattle, Washington. Moved to Washington D.C when he was three, enrolled in various private schools, looks like he was expelled a few times and about two years ago, just went off the map, right after he was caught shoplifting. He had 6 priors."
"Interesting character." Amy grinned.
"Showed up in London a few months later with the mailing address of 358 Fisher Street. Ooh, that is interesting."
"What?"
"The house is owned by a Miss Melody Pond." The Doctor smiled.
"So off to 358 Fisher Street." Rory said, gripping the railing until his fists were white.
"I think we will do it the easy way this time, want to give ourselves the element of surprise." The Doctor said smiling.
Rory smiled and let go of the railing. "Really?"
The Doctor smiled wider and pulled down on another gizmo. "Nope!"
The TARDIS spun out of control and Rory went flying.
"Geronimo!"
The fat Persian cat purred loudly as Belle rubbed its white, furry head. His eyes were squinted until she could only see a slit of gold topaz.
"You are lucky you know; never have to worry about a thing Byron. You lazy bastard."
The cats head suddenly popped up, his eyes wide, and he began to growl.
"What is it?"
The cat took off suddenly and raised under the wardrobe in the corner of Belle's room.
"'Fraidy cat." Belle hissed at the cat.
Belle pushed all the books and papers and slipped out from under her thick, gold comforter and let her bare feet rest on the cool wooden floor. The floor squeaked as she stepped toward the door.
"Option one: thieves." She whispered as she opened the door and stepped out into the dim lighted hallway. "Option two: James is peckish. Option three: River is back."
Which one is more likely? James is always peckish. Except James' door was still shut tight and she could hear his steady breathing as she crept past.
Different option?
"I know that you haven't eaten in a few hours Amy, but I don't think you should just go poking around in someone else fridge." A male voice drifted up the stairs.
"It's River's place, I doubt she would mind if I had a bit of pasta." Said an annoyed female voice.
Belle's hand slid along the soft stair case railing as she carefully took one step after another. On the landing, Belle reached into a potted plant in the corner and pulled out a small pistol that someone (probably River) put in there just in case. She checked to see if it was loaded, it was, and then continued down the steps, the pistol in her left hand.
"So do you think they are even here?" said the female, Amy, her voice muffled.
"Don't talk with your mouth open." Said a different male voice.
"You're not my mum." Said Amy.
"I doubt they're here. I mean, would two teens living together keep a house this tidy? Nah, River probably has a house keeper. I mean this place is spotless."
"Or someone is real anal about that kind of thing." Said Amy. "Doctor, look at this, there are labels on the food. Belle and James."
"So they are living here, must be upstairs, asleep. Maybe we should just wait until morning.
"Or you could tell me what the hell you are doing in my house, here and now." Belle said, stepping out and pointing the gun at a ginger woman, a blonde man, and a smiling man with the bow tie.
James had always been a heavy sleeper. In fact, for the first six months after he moved into the house on Fisher Street, he had made everyone think he had had a bad case of jet lag. But back then he had been a real ass. In the last year and half, James had tried his best to get up in the morning so that Belle wouldn't have to be alone in the morning. She was never good alone. She thought too much when she was alone and when she thought too much she was a danger to herself. So he was up by eight in the morning, normally leaving her with only half an hour alone. He owed Belle so much, maybe even more than he owed River, and he didn't want her to ever feel alone again.
Point is James was a heavy sleeper. But as soon as the gun shot rocketed throughout the house, he woke up and was down the stairs in five seconds flat.
"What the hell is going on?" he yelled as soon as he saw the smoking pistol in his best friend's shaky hand. There were three other people in the kitchen beside him and Belle. They were all standing there with their hands up. The bottle of milk that had been sitting on the table was broken and milk was dripping off the table.
"It just went off!" Belle yelled. "And hit the milk."
"Why do you have a gun in the first place! I hate guns!" one of the men yelled at her, his bow tie bobbing on his neck.
"Because you have broken into my house!" Belle yelled back, waving the gun at him.
"Your house?" said the ginger near the fridge, a half-eaten apple in her hand. "I thought this was River's house?"
"We live here." James said. "We're her…friends."
The tall blonde man closest to the ginger looked confused. "You sound unsure."
"We're friends." James said with more conviction. "I'm Jimmy and this is Belle. And you are..?"
The man with the bow tie brought down one hand from his position of surrender and pointed the other two. "This is Amy and Rory," Amy and Rory waved their fingers and smiled nervously at the gun. "And I am the Doctor."
Belle froze and Jimmy smiled and jumped into the air with a whoop of joy. He rushed over to the Doctor and shook his still raised hand. "I can't tell you how amazing it is to meet you, we have heard so much about you."
"I wish I could say likewise." He looked over at the stunned Belle. "You don't seem as excited to meet us."
Belle looked between the three strangers. The gun was still pointed at the Doctor. She began to shake her head. "You can't be…you can't be him, you don't look like him."
"Who am I supposed to look like?" the Doctor, asked confused. "I wanted to be ginger. But I usually end up not ginger and rude."
"I just…I don't understand." She didn't look angry, just confused and…disappointed.
The Doctor put his hands down and stepped forward, as if she wanted to comfort her. But she didn't see it that way and pointed the gun at him more firmly.
"Oh my God, Belle, give me the damn gun!" James said trying to get it from her.
"Why should I give it to you? Have you ever even used a gun?"
"I'm an American; I knew how to shoot before I could ride a bike without training wheels."
She let him take it. The Doctor was still watching her. She seemed so familiar, like he had met her a thousand times before but never learned her name. Her wavy hair was almost copper in color it was so strawberry. And her eyes were glacier blue. Her lips were full and pink, her cheeks pale and flushed. He had to have met her before!
"Who are you?" he asked peering at her. He pulled out his sonic screw driver and buzzed her with it. "Human. But what kind of human?"
"What do you mean?" she asked stepping back from him. Her eyes flashed. "I'm more human than you."
"Belle!" Jimmy said.
"What is your whole name? Belle Noel Tyre? Belle. Noel. Tyre. Okay beautiful Christmas strength. Your name is Beautiful Christmas Strength? No, something more. Who named you?"
She looked at him like he was an idiot. "My parents?"
"And where are they? What sixteen year old lives with a time traveling archeologist?"
"An orphan, maybe?" she said as if it was common knowledge.
The Doctor frowned. "The both of you, not siblings?"
"NO!" Jimmy laughed. "We are not siblings. At all. Not even a little bit. We are two adults who live together and just happen to occasionally have another adult stop by when she needs to check in. And I speak English. Well, American English, because, I am an American. Not English—British."
Everyone looked at Jimmy who shrugged. "I'm just saying."
"Jimmy's parents are still in America and I'm an orphan."
"Right?" the Doctor said. He clapped his hands. "Anyways, so where is our mutual friend, mmm?"
Belle smiled. Even her smile seemed so familiar. "Here's the thing Doctor, we are not telling you anything until we are on the TARDIS."
The Doctor laughed. "What?"
Jimmy looked at him apologetically. "We have orders Doctor, sir. Sir Doctor."
"Oh I like that, Sir Doctor. Orders from whom?"
Bell and Jimmy: "River Song."
"And what are those orders?"
Neither of them said anything but exchanged glances. Jimmy put his hands in his pockets. "Well, we aren't really at liberty to say. The whole time and space messy-uppie-ness. We can't. River just said to ask nicely—" he looked pointedly at Belle. "For a ride and then we we're supposed to go and follow the rest of the directions."
"So there is more?"
"Not yet, they'll be here when we get back."
"Okay then. Guess we'll have to do what you say."
"So if we take five minutes to go pack you're not just going to disappear?" Jimmy asked.
Amy laughed.
The Doctor ignored her. "Yes, we will be."
"Great!" Jimmy grabbed Belle's hand and pulled. "Let's go Bells."
Belle allowed herself to be pulled away but her piercing blue eyes didn't leave the Doctor's until she was pulled from the room.
"I think she's lying." Amy said, biting into her browning apple.
Rory was on his knees under the table, wiping up milk from the broken bottle. "About what?"
"I don't think she is an orphan. I think we know her parents."
"What are you going on about now?" The Doctor said, tuning in, he was too was eating an apple, part of the smiley face that Amy had carved on it was still visible.
"I think she is your daughter."
Rory's head shot up so fast that it hit the bottom of the table and the Doctor began to choke on his apple. Once they had recovered from their initial shock they both looked at her with wide, tear dampened eyes. "I beg yourpardon?"
"Oh come on didn't you see those eyes?" she said through a mouthful of apple. "They were totally yours."
The Doctor looked like he was on the verge of insanity. "You think that she's my daughter?"
"Well not just yours of course; River's as well."
"But that would mean…we would have to….do more than—" he puckered his lips and made kissy noises. "And what do you mean she has my eyes? They are nothing like mine."
"Well not color-wise but they have that same…look." Amy dropped her apple core in the rubbish bin and began to dig around in the fridge again.
"What look?"
"That 'I am wise and all knowing' look. The only difference is that her eyes don't seem to have the same age as yours." She bit into a fat dill pickle.
"She is not my daughter." The Doctor said defiantly.
"She is! I bet she has a Time Head and everything!" Amy was enjoying his discomfort and the quiet mantra of "I am not hearing this" from under the table.
"What's a Time Head?" said Belle as she walked back into the kitchen. She was dressed and wearing make-up. She wore all in red. Her beanie, her glasses, her boots. All was red but the black dress pants, the small black designer suitcase, and cracked leather bag she held.
"That's my bag!" the Doctor pointed out giddily. "I gave that to River just a few weeks ago!"
"I've had this for years." She looked at him, confused.
"Well I gave it to her a few weeks ago. And she is supposed to give it to Rose, who—" the Doctor stopped.
"Rose?"
"Rose Tyler, old friend. Doesn't matter."
"Anyways, we have to take this to her cell in Stormcage." She held up the leather bag. "Then she will do with it what she will, none of our business."
Jimmy had joined them now and was smiling widely. His hair was still a bed ragged mess and he had sleepies in the corner of his eyes. "Ready?"
Belle nodded and left the room, over her shoulder she called: "Lock the door behind you."
Jimmy gave them all an apologetic look and they made their way out of the house.
"Oh. My. God. Oh my God! Oh my God!"
The Doctor grinned from ear to ear. "I love this part."
"It really is bigger on the inside!"
Amy and Rory laughed at Belle and Jimmy's childlike amusement.
"I wasn't like that." Rory said proudly.
Amy smiled. "I was."
Belle and Jimmy were jumping up and down with glee. The Doctor joined them, laughing and smiling along with him. When Belle noticed she stopped and stepped out of the little semi-circle with the look of disgust on her face, but Jimmy and the Doctor kept jumping together and giggling.
"Are you two about done?" Belle asked. "Because, we could always leave you here while we go save River?"
Jimmy stopped jumping and looked at her. "We have been waiting for this for years Belle, can't you stop being a bitch long enough to enjoy it?"
Belle was obviously taken aback by this, but she didn't comment on it.
Amy broke the awkward silence. "S'pose we should get going?"
The Doctor hoped up to the consul. "What time are we going?"
Belle told him and the Doctor put in the date.
Jimmy looked a bit uneasy. "Is this going to hurt?" he asked Rory.
"Not if you hold on." Rory whispered back.
Jimmy wrapped his hands around the railing in the same way Rory was. He was about to warn Belle when the Doctor shouted "Geronimo!" and it was too late.
"You could have given me a little warning ahead of time!" Belle said as she rubbed her head. She had hit it on one of the stair railings.
Jimmy was still a little mad at her, but apologized anyways. "I tried, though."
Belle looked into the leather bag. "It seems fine."
"What is it?" Amy asked.
"It's the Diviner." The Doctor said.
Belle and Jimmy gave him a surprised look. Belle shook her head. "How could you possible know that?"
"I gave it to River."
Amy asked if she could see it, but Belle shook her head. "River said that it is very…delicate."
"I know, I've used it before." Amy said. "So why do you have it?"
"She gave it to me, to give to her, to give to—"
"Rose." The Doctor finished.
"Yes." Belle said. "Rose Tyler. You mentioned her before."
"Anyways…" Jimmy said. "We have to take this to her…now."
"Right, well, I've landed us in Stormcage, so you should just be able to walk down the hall a bit, give her the Diviner. And then we go back and get the rest."
Belle and Jimmy stepped out, Belle still fixing her beanie. The Doctor watched them as they walked down the darkened hallway. Jimmy was whispering excitingly about time travel. Belle looked back once and saw the Doctor watching. She looked nervous, the Doctor gave her a reassuring nod and then she disappeared into the dark.
Belle could hear her heart beating in the dark. She held onto the leather bag containing the Diviner and reached out and found Jimmy's free hand in the dark. He squeezed it reassuringly.
"We're going to be fine Belle, just—"
"Who goes there?" called a voice from the dark.
Belle and Jimmy froze as a Stormcage guard stepped out of the darkness.
"Who are you?"
"Remember what River always said?" Jimmy whispered. "Be confident. Be yourself."
Belle took a deep breath. "We're here to see River Song."
"Like 'ell you are." The guard said. "Riv'ar doesn't get visitars."
"Take us to see her Reggie." Belle said with conviction. She squeezed Jimmy's hand harder.
"'ow do you know my name?"
"Because we're time travelers." Jimmy said proudly.
Reggie looked at him, seeing him for the first time. His eyes widened. "Well hullo."
"Hi." Jimmy pried his now aching hand out of Belle's grasp and waved. "Would you please take us to see River."
Reggie smiled. "Yea, sure, yea. Follow me."
Why is Jimmy so good at this? Belle wondered.
They walked a little ways in the dimly lit, cold corridor, until the guard asked them to stop so that he could see if River was even there. Apparently she often just left. Jimmy and Belle tried hard not to grin at this.
Nearly two silent minutes later, Reggie told them they could come see her and they took a deep breath as they walked farther down the hall. River sat in a cell alone. She looked nearly bored to see them. She looked younger than that last Time River had seen her. But this River had never even heard of Belle Tyre or James Johnson. Unsure of how to really proceed, Belle just smiled. "Hullo, my name is Belle Noel Tyre and this is James Johnson."
"Jimmy." Jimmy raised his hand in the air. "Hello."
"American?" River said, surprised.
"What gave me away?"
"The accent was a contributing factor."
"Ah, yes that gets me every time."
Belle thought it was funny how obsessed James would get about not "fitting in". It drove him crazy that he didn't have an accent. She was constantly reminding him that he did have an accent. Belle shook her head at the thought. "Are we really having this conversation again?" she looked at River, apologetically. "It's a bit of an obsession of his."
River nodded. "Writing a paper on me are you?"
Belle and Jimmy glanced at each other.
"This is so weird." Jimmy whispered to her. "I mean her meeting us."
"Well it was going to happen eventually James." She whispered back.
River leaned forward with a smile and whispered "You do realize that this is a very small cell and that I can hear everything you are saying, since you are less than two feet away from me, don't you?"
Belle blushed.
"How old are you two? You can't be more than twenty."
"James is seventeen and I am sixteen."
"You're young, how did you get involved with…whatever it is you are here for?"
Belle and Jimmy exchanged another glance. It was James who answered as Belle eyed Reggie who shouldn't have been there. "We can't tell you that, sorry."
River nodded and leaned back, her eyes focused on Belle. "Tyre? That is a very unusual surname isn't it?"
"So is Song or…Pond." Belle smiled a bit. It felt oddly satisfying to see River look confused. But she thought this might get River's attention to how important this was.
River froze. "Reggie, why don't you go get a cup of tea?"
Reggie glanced up from Jimmy's backside. "I'm not s'posed to leave you alone
with…guest."
"If she's going to run away, she's going to run away." Jimmy pointed out.
"Yes, go ahead and grab a cuppa tea, Reg." Belle said, smiling a charming smile, showing her straight white teeth.
Reggie gave them both a suspicious looks but turned and left. River stood and stared at them.
"Who are you?"
"Spoilers Ms. Song, spoilers." Belle reached into the leather bag and pulled out the Diviner. Her life, her soul purpose in life for the past ten years was this moment. It had been everything she had strived and fought for. The Diviner gleamed in the fluorescent lights.
"What is that?"
"It is a Model 4 Diviner." Belle said. Should River know what that was? What if this wasn't the right River? "Do you…know what that is?"
"Vaguely."
"It is a type of device used to—" Belle began but Jimmy put a hand on her arm.
"It is all explained in the letter, Bells. Just give it to her." he said, pulling out a long manila envelope from the leather bag and handing it to River, who took it hesitantly. He clearly wasn't afraid that this wasn't the right River.
Belle nodded and handed the disk over to River. She just put the envelope under her arm and took the disk in both of her hands, looking it over.
"Careful, it can be…touchy." Belle backed up a bit.
"So what else can you tell me?" River said, eyeing them.
"Whatever you need to know is in there." Jimmy said nodding to the envelope and put a hand on Belle's upper arm, pulling her out of the cell. It was time to go, but Belle felt like she should say something more. Maybe thank you? Or what made you decide you wanted to take a six year old in off the streets when you knew nothing about her. Maybe a thank you would have been simpler, but Belle wasn't getting the chance; Jimmy was pulling her from the cell, maybe sensing that she was about to say more than she should. Belle bit her lip and allowed herself to be pulled from the room.
River stepped out of the cell with them, watching them back away. "Wait, when will I see you again?"
"You won't see us for quite some time."
"What do you mean that I won't? What, you will?"
Jimmy looked at the tight lipped Belle. "She said she would be by for lunch on Sunday, right?"
Belle nodded, but that was a joke. She always said she would be there for lunch on Sunday, but she never was. Not once. She couldn't take her eyes off of River.
"What is it Miss Tyre?"
"I-I…" she looked up at James who gave her a gentle frown. She looked back at River. "It was lovely meeting you Riv-Ms. Song."
"'It was lovely meeting you Ms. Song?'" Jimmy laughed as he pulled Belle through the darkness. There was water running somewhere.
Belle stopped cold. "Do you hear that?"
He stopped too and listened. "I think it's just a storm drain outside. Nothing to worry about."
Belle couldn't see his face too well in the dark but his voice was comforting. They started moving again, the sound of rushing water becoming dimmer as they moved. Belle didn't like water. Rushing, swirling water. Currents.
"There you are. Did you get it done?" The Doctor asked as they found him. He was leaning on the TARDIS.
"You didn't have to wait out here for us to get back." Belle said a little put off that he thought they couldn't handle this. Even if she had done a shotty job at it.
"I wasn't." he hiked his thumb back at the police box. "Amy and Rory are snogging in there. I don't think they've come up for air since you left."
"Do they often just start making out?" Jimmy asked.
"Occasionally. But most the time they begin in there and THEN MOVE TO THEIR ROOM!" The Doctor ended the sentence by calling into the police box pointedly.
"Shut up!" Rory called.
"I don't know what got into them. I see you off, go back in, and they are snogging and Rory is crying. Rory cries and Amy thinks it is just adorable." The Doctor shook his head. "He cries as much as Stormy."
Belle looked to Jimmy for an explanation. He shook his head and she looked back to the Doctor. "I'm sorry, were we supposed to understand any of that?"
"Just come on." The Doctor pushed open the TARDIS doors. He called in. "We're coming in now, whether you like it or not!"
They waited a few more seconds before walking in. Amy and Rory were laughing and smiling and hugging.
"Eehhh, eww, okay, now we go back to Fisher?" the Doctor asked Belle as Amy and Rory kissed again.
She nodded and quickly grabbed the railing behind her.
The Doctor shook his head. "We'll take it slowly out of here. The whole atmosphere is made up of what you could call a firewall. It'll take us a few minutes to get out of here safely."
Belle let go hesitantly. The police box made the noise and they gently rocked. The Doctor looked utterly bored. He looked over at Jimmy and Belle.
"So, what has River told you about me?"
Jimmy nodded. "We have heard so much about you, you're a hero to us."
"Heroes don't exist." She said without looking at anyone.
Jimmy grimaced. "How do you figure that?"
"Heroes are what we call idiots who just happened to get something right." She said offhandedly, like she was talking about the weather. "Few of us have that urge to be one of those idiots in the back of our heads and some have to the urge to believe in those few and make them out to be someone or something they're not."
Jimmy was shaking his head. "What is up with you Belle?"
"What, now I'm not allowed to give my opinion?"
"Not when you are nutso about it."
The Doctor was watching Belle like an insect. "Have you ever wonder what makes you keep pushing forward, you crazy little humans? What makes some of you into heroes? Hmm? It's not some archaic instinct in the back of your squishy little brains that tells you to survive no matter what, it's that need to make it all right. To actually live, not just survive and be good while doing it."
"Is that all it is?" Belle pushed. "Or is it something deeper than that?"
"What do you mean?"
"No one is just that good Doctor, everybody wants something, needs something. Or someone. They need to feel that burning desire of being admired by those around them like they were a God. There are no heroes Doctor and you are just an old man who has seen more than any man should. Not a hero or a God just a man."
"I never said I was a hero."
"And another thing: you don't know me. You don't know James. Don't pretend like you do, because you just don't."
The Doctor didn't say anything as he and Belle started each other down.
"Belle...?" Jimmy said putting a hand on her tensed shoulders. "Why don't we go have a not crazy moment over here?"
"I've heard all the stories Doctor. Stories about a man of legend saving whole solar systems and species. Saving people from their boring lives." Belle didn't move but simply said. "You can't save everyone Doctor, least of all me."
…You can't save everyone.
"What did you just say?"
Belle said nothing else and let Jimmy pull her out of the room.
"What is it Doctor?" Amy asked.
The Doctor ignored the question and turned around with a big smile on his face. He looked at the monitor as Rory and Amy started to snog again. Rose Tyler had stood exactly where Belle had just stood, weeks ago, and told him "…you can't save everyone". He knew he couldn't save everyone. But he would sure as hell try. He wondered if Rose or any of the rest of his companions understood that? Maybe that is what Rose meant, when she had said that, that she understood that. The Doctor pulled down on one of the controls and let the thought go. He didn't want to think about Rose anymore.
"So how about we go and rescue River, eh?"
"What's going on with you Belle?" Jimmy asked her as soon as they were safe and out of ear shot from the others. "You've always talked about how amazing the Doctor is and now when you finally get the chance to meet him, you treat him like a chewed up pen. What happened to change your opinion so quickly?"
Belle couldn't look at him. "I just thought he would look like…someone else."
"You're mad because he doesn't look right?" Jimmy said disbelievingly. "Right. 'Cause that makes a lot of sense."
"It's just…I had this image in my mind of who he would look like and that man out there isn't it."
Jimmy grabbed her face and made her look at him. "Listen Belle, I know that you're kinda messed up—I've known for years and I have accepted it. But this is just weird. So I have a plan: let's rescue River and go back home. We will forget all about this and get some of that weird goat cheese from that hippie place on Brooks. Sound good?"
Despite the anger Belle still felt she laughed; Jimmy hated that cheese. Jimmy kissed her forehead. "Can we go and act like we aren't just some kids that River found wandering about London?"
Belle slapped him playfully. "You were found in London, I was found in Cardiff."
Jimmy shrugged, still holding her hand. "Same diff."
"Not even close, Cardiff is in Whales."
"Eh. You say ta-ma-to, I say ta-may-to."
"Actually I do say ta-ma-to."
"Oh just stop it, let's go." Jimmy pulled Belle back towards the others.
They joined the others. Rory and Amy were giggling with each other. But the Doctor was nowhere in sight.
"Where's the Doctor?" Jimmy asked.
"Outside. We've landed." Rory answered, his eyes still focused on his wife.
The house on 358 Fisher Street was darkened and had the lonely look about it, the look the Doctor got when he was alone for too long of a time.
And then the red door opened. The Doctor stood a little ways back into the shadows. It was Belle. The Doctor was confused: how had she gotten in there without him seeing? The Doctor peeked in through the small crack in the doors on the police box. He could see Belle's red sweater and here her voice as she talked to Amy and Rory. Which meant…
There was a different Belle coming down the steps of 358 Fisher. She walked quickly, but didn't really seem to have a purpose. She wore dark jeans and white blouse. Her heels clicked as they reached the cobble path. He passed by the Doctor, not even seeing the man in the bushes.
"Belle?" he couldn't stop himself.
The girl stopped and turned slowly. The Doctor stepped out of the shadows and waved at her. "Hullo."
Belle looked completely shocked. She glanced behind him at the police box.
"Am I in there?" she asked.
The Doctor nodded. "Where are you from?"
A Time Vortex manipulator was on her wrist. She looked different, very different. She didn't have the organized look that the present Belle had. Her hair was wavy and had a streak of some dark color in it. A nose stud glinted in the light from the lamppost. She looked older, not just in age, but in the way she held herself, like she had some kind of weight on her shoulders. Like the weight of the world.
"Six years in her future." She nodded at the blue box, but never took her eyes off of him. She was looking at him differently, like one might look at a person they hadn't seen a while but knew well enough to be excited to see again.
"Who are you Belle?"
She smiled. "I'm just dropping off some things for River."
"That's not what I asked."
"I know."
"Doctor!" called Amy from the TARDIS.
"I've got to go Doc." She said with a smile. "I will see you soon though, alright?"
And with a little wave of her fingers and a flash of white light, she disappeared into thin air.
"What was that?" Amy said stepping out, Belle at her side.
"Street light flickering." He said in a dismissing voice. "Shall we go in?"
"I'm just saying that I told you to lock the damn door, behind you." Belle said turning the light on in the library.
"And I'm just saying that I did!" Jimmy replied plopping down on the couch.
"Then why was it unlocked?"
"I know I locked it and you will not convince me I didn't."
"Oh, would you two just stop it!" Amy said, sitting down in a wing back chair. "You guys argue like a married couple."
This hushed Jimmy up. Belle looked around the room.
"So what makes you think that River would have left them in here?" Rory asked, leaning against the wall.
Belle looked a little confused. "Well, actually…I don't. I just have a feeling that it is in here."
The Doctor, who hadn't said much since seeing the future Belle outside, looked at her. Was it possible that the presence of the both of them was giving her some sort of secret connection.
"When I was left on my own, I would leave my school work on the desk in here so River could look over it when she came through. So it makes sense she would leave the rest of the message in here."
The Doctor laughed as Belle pulled a very old looking stack of papers sandwiched together between two thin pieces of wood and bound in a leather tie off of the desk. Belle smiled from ear to ear and showed them the cover.
"What is that?" Amy asked, leaning forward.
The Doctor smiled as he read the cover. "Really, you think that is where she is?"
"What is it?" Rory asked.
Rory, Amy, and Jimmy gathered around to read.
"Plato?" Rory asked reading the words inscribed in gold on the cover. "Where is Plato?"
"Not where, Mr. Williams, but who." Belle smiled. "Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who is famous for his written works on the lost city of Atlantis."
Amy smiled broadly. "You think she is in Atlantis? Like the Atlantis? The lost city?"
"Correct."
"But it is just a myth. I mean the lost city of Atlantis." Rory said. He looked at the Doctor. "It's not real is it?"
The Doctor didn't say anything but the look of pure excitement told everyone that it was, in fact, real.
Rory sighed in defeat. "Well that tops it. I am sure that if you told me that there was a planet completely made of blue hedge hogs that sang show tunes, I would probably believe you."
The Doctor nodded. "Well they are not blue, more periwinkle and its smooth jazz."
Rory groaned and whispered through his teeth "Of course."
"So are we going to Atlantis or not?" Amy pushed.
"What is the message?" The Doctor asked.
Belle pulled a loose scrap of paper out the old book. "It's a poem by Guy Wetmore Carryl:
'Long leagues above her courts the stately days advancing
Kindle new dawns and see new sunsets dim;
And, white and weary-eyed, the old stars, backward glancing,
Reluctant pause upon the ocean's rim.
But she, of dawns and dusks forgotten and forgetful,
Broods in her depths with slumber-weighted eyes;
For all her splendid past unanxious, unregretful,
She waits the call that bids her wake and rise.'"
"And there are the number sequences written on the bottom of the page: 7:7, 7:8, 7:12, and 7:18." Once Belle finished reading she handed the paper to the Doctor who just handed it to Amy who handed it to Rory, who gave it back to Belle.
"But why would she go to Atlantis?"
Jimmy looked at Belle but looked away quickly, but she was scribbling something on the page. This was not unnoticed by the Doctor.
"What? What was that?" he said pointing between the two.
Jimmy ignored him. "Do you think it was her?"
Belle nodded, as she circled something on the page. "Yes, that's what she made it sound like on the phone."
"What?" The Doctor asked again.
Jimmy shrugged. "A few years ago, River went and saw a woman named the Acquirer for a…favor; long story short, River owed that woman a favor in return. This has to be it. It explains all the secrecy."
"The Acquirer?"
Belle shook her head. "Whole other story."
"So River is in Atlantis and she wants us to meet her there?" Rory asked.
"No I think it is more than that. I think she is in trouble." Belle said.
"Why?" Amy asked.
Belle grabbed the paper from Rory again. "'For all her splendid past unanxious, unregretful, she waits the call that bids her wake and rise'?"
Everyone looked at each other and then back at Belle, confused.
She looked at them as if they were all idiot children. "7:7, 7:8, 7:12, and 7:18? Line 7 and words 7, 8, 12, and 18?"
Belle showed them all the page where she had circled different letter. The circled letters spelled out the word HELP.
"Help." Amy read. "Okay so we go and help her."
Rory looked queasy. "Please tell me we aren't going on the day it sunk."
The Doctor waved the idea off. "No, of course not. Except we are because that is the only date that makes sense."
"Why?" Amy asked.
"Because when their world is crashing down around them, I would think the Atlanteans would be rushing about trying to save themselves and not worried about their greatest treasure." Belle grinned.
Amy piped up at this. "Treasure? What treasure?"
"The two Tablets of Moyo." Belle smiled. "According to Plato those tablets were basically blueprints to technology that shouldn't have even been possible to achieve much less conjure up in that time. Blue prints to cars, tanks, planes, submarines. And the vault."
"What vault?" Rory leaned forward to listen.
"The vault that had all the riches of Atlantis in it. Gold that would be worth billions of pounds today."
"And that's what she's going to get, gold?"
"No the Tablets. The Acquirer is a time traveler she can go back and get the gold whenever she wants. Any time she wants. If she has the Tablets she has a detailed map to the vault. A piece of apple pie."
Belle said the last sentence with a bad American accent. Everyone looked at her and with a look. Jimmy leaned down and whispered in her ear. "We talked about this. You are cute enough being British. Or Welsh. Or whatever the hell you are."
Belle didn't waste time correcting him but glanced at the Doctor. "Do you know when we are going?"
The Doctor turned on his heel and walked out the study door. With one last look at Belle, he whispered "Geronimo."
If you see any grammatical errors please let me know so I can fix it. Thank you, see you again soon!
Sorry it took so long Abbs813!