One Last Adventure
by Ms. Moonstar
A/N: Wow, thanks to everyone for the reviews and story watches, I am flattered! I'll try to upload every week on a Friday.
Chapter 2:
The Doctor trudged down the steps into the main console room hours later, still not feeling either awake or ready to face the Ponds. The Time Lord swept some of his chestnut bangs back before he went to the controls. He could hear the clattering from the kitchen that signaled that his companions were making breakfast, or was it lunch? He wasn't even hungry, even if his stomach thought otherwise. Ignoring the gnawing feeling that punctuated his guts, the Doctor fiddled with the controls.
"Hey!" The voice of Amy Pond called out from the kitchen door, "Doctor, are you still cross or what? It's time for lunch."
"Not hungry, Amy." The Doctor called back, still not looking at her.
"Are you still-?" the red-haired woman looked at him worried as she strode to him, "Doctor, please. I don't want any hurt feelings between us. Your-your part of our family."
The Doctor turned, trying to smile before he suddenly hugged her.
"Amy, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He spoke in a whisper, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. Feeling slightly surprised, the red-haired woman ran her finger through his hair.
A moment later Rory's head popped out from the kitchen doorway. "Oi, are we going to have lunch now? I don't want it going cold."
"Alright, Mister Pond," Amy called back with a laugh as they broke apart. She turned back to the Time Lord.
"Still not hungry? We're havin' fish fingers and custard, your favorite." she said cheerfully.
The Doctor's eyes lit up and he licked his lips like a child who was being treated to chocolate chip pancakes.
"C'mon Raggedy Man. " She pulled him by the sleeve into the kitchen and the waiting meal.
While the Doctor went to the console room to set the coordinates of their next destination while Amy and Rory did the dishes.
"Soo..." Rory began quietly, the TARDIS blue dishtowel in hand, putting the plates back in the cabinets of the rather inconceivably spacious kitchen. "He didn't tell you, did he?"
His wife shook her head. "Though, just before lunch he said 'I'm sorry."
Rory stopped drying the dish in his hand, "Amy, do you think-he heard us last night?"
The spoon she'd been cleaning plunked back into the soapy water as she turned to look at him.
"Oh God, Rory, I thought-" Her green eyes began to well with tears, "How? How could I put all that blame on him?"
Rory put down the dish towel and embraced with his wife. She cried and then with a sigh, finally wiped away the tears.
"You were upset, you just lost your-our baby. But we forgave him. It was our choice to go with him."
"I pulled away from him. On Demon's Run after Melody was taken, I-" Her eyes were wide with the memory of that horrible day, "I pulled away from him. I must have really hurt him when I did that."
"And then he married River and ended up living. Amy...he does things for a reason. We both kept secrets from one another." Rory finished for her.
He kissed his wife on the cheek. "I think we'd better apologize to the Doctor."
Amy let an inkling of a smile cross her face before replying, "Got to finish these dishes first. God knows, the way the Doctor lands sometimes, all of them with be shattered otherwise."
Rory chuckled and continued to dry and put away the utensils, neither one noticing that the had come in for a landing.
The Doctor peeked out the door of the TARDIS around the grim gray walls of the prison, his eyes coming to rest on a blond haired woman with curls, sitting in her cell, writing in a diary.
"Hello River," The Doctor husked with a sassy smile, which mad her do the same.
"Hello Doctor," she replied with a pretty smile, "come to spring me and go off on another adventure, then?"
"Of course," he returned saucily, as he pulled out the sonic screwdriver, and pointed it at the lock, causing the door to swing open. River kissed him lightly on the cheek as she stood and strolled past him, "Thanks, Sweetie."
Together, both time travelers entered the console room, The Doctor pressing levers and buttons, but not with same amount of animation that he was known for. In fact, River noticed that he was actually uncharacteristically quiet.
"Doctor," She asked, her brows together in worry, "What's the matter?"
For a moment, it seemed like she caught him off guard and saw a small look of sadness in his face that was quickly swapped for a small smile.
"Nothing!" he called back, twirling around the controls like a five year old who had too much candy.
Remembering rule one, River managed to corner the Doctor on one side of the console and put her hands firmly on his shoulders.
"Doctor," she said, quietly but firmly, "What's wrong?"
The sadness returned to his face and soon it became apparent that he would not be able to hide this from her, as it seemed that it was hurting him so much.
"Can I talk to you in the library?" he asked quietly.
She nodded and they both ascended the steps to the Victorian style reading room.
"Now," River said, putting one hand on her hip, closing the door, "are you going to tell me what this is all about?"
The Time Lord sank heavily onto the settee and clasped his hands together, head bowed somewhere between shame and grief.
This surprised River, who came and sat next to him, putting her arms around his shoulders.
"River," he whispered, "You were right, you were always right. Everything that happened was my fault. I made so many afraid of me that they took the daughter of my friends to get to me. Your chance at a childhood was taken because of the Silence, Amy and Rory lost you, and-" he chocked back tears, "because of Demon's Run, Amy can't have children! any more!"
River's eyebrows rose at this revelation. "How'd you find that out, sweetie?"
"I heard them talking. But does that really matter? I've ruined their lives, your life." Tears began to stream down his face. River bent over, cupped his chin in her hand, and raised his head so they were eye to eye.
"If you hadn't noticed, we're still alive." She returned gently. "And yeah, the Silence stole me, but I spent my childhood with mum and dad, I was with them practically every day. Remember what I said in Berlin? They got to raise me and be the concerned parents that they were." She smiled and stood up, "Loving you brought back my humanity. And if Amy and Rory hated you, they wouldn't be here traveling with you, would they?" She kissed his forehead. "Did you know, they thought about adopting?" When the Doctor shook his head in the negative, she continued, "Sweetie, don't bring yourself down with all this guilt, because we're all still together having adventures."
The Doctor managed to smile a little before rising and offering his arm. Linking arms, the couple went to the console room.
When they arrived, Amy and Rory were standing nearby, looking guilty.
"Doctor," Amy began stepping forward and putting out her hands.
"Amy-" The Doctor started.
"We're sorry."
"I'm sorry." They said simultaneously, making both parties chuckle, then sobered.
"We-Rory and I didn't mean to make you the reason for all our troubles. You've given us so much. Your friendship, time and space, a home. No matter what, you're our best friend."
Without hesitating, the Doctor strode forward and tightly embraced the Ponds who soon reciprocated.
When they broke apart, the Doctor raced over to the console. "So, now that we all made up, let's go somewhere exciting. How about seeing the Nodevores of Pazuzu. They live for performing Shakespeare!"
TBC...
