Chapter 1

Timelines

The TARDIS landed with a considerably lower amount of force than she had been lately. The Doctor knew she had been in mourning for River just as he had been, though being a time machine she must have known this has been coming just as the Doctor had.

Since Darillium the Doctor had been traveling on his own for quite some time, he wasn't sure exactly how long, but after Bowie Base 1 he had been more careful when flying solo. He had not been choosing where he traveled, the TARDIS did that for him, so never knowing where danger would be kept the Doctor on his toes.

For the first few travels the TARDIS stayed away from trouble giving the Doctor time to grieve. She had also not taken him back to tell Rory and Amy yet but given choice he wouldn't have gone himself. Rory and Amy, the Doctor still dreaded the day he would find himself in the Ponds house and have to explain to them why their grown up River, his wife, would never be seen again.

Though that wasn't strictly true. After Demons Run the Doctor had searched for and found the young River, Melody Pond, and returned her to her parents. Having their child returned to them, even as a three year old, had been so ridiculously emotional in the Pond's house the Doctor almost left as even he began happy crying, human-y wuman-y. Of course at the first sign of him walking towards the TARDIS Amy had grabbed his arm and refused to let him leave.

They still had a problem though, Melody had been trained to kill the Doctor. She hadn't tried to kill him yet no, and even though the Doctor knew his was her 3rd regeneration and she would grow up to be his River Song, it could be a problem as she became older. After he left the Ponds with three-year-old Melody, the Doctor had only seen her on two occasions between then and her seventh birthday. The Doctor had tried to be there more but being married to and often with the future version of her, made things difficult, a paradox being the serious worry.

At seeing the Doctor for what seemed like the first time for her, Melody have fallen in love with him, he hadn't been surprised of course. It hadn't helped that Amy and Rory had been telling her stories about him, and portraying him in a light the Doctor though he didn't deserve. As Melody had grown up, the whole time the Doctor had called her River (it was the having a second name just when she was with him Melody loved), her emotions had become slightly more complicated especially on her fourteenth birthday when she kissed him. Not that the Doctor minded of course, she was then and would always be his River but it was strange knowing that this was his future wife, not that the Doctor or her parents had told her that she didn't need encouraging, and even if she was a lot younger than the last time they kissed.

Amy and Rory had been angry at her for a while, despite the Doctor's argument that it would have happened eventually and it was easier sooner rather than later, at least the Doctor knew where he stood in consideration to their relationship.

Since then he had not seen Melody as River had told him about her expedition to the library. After the news the Doctor had spent as much time as possible with his wife, occasionally sending odd items and knickknacks back to the Ponds that they found on strange planets.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts the Doctor laid a hand against the TARDIS console and with the other he pulled his sonic from the charger slot. Tucking the metal into his pocket the Doctor turned and walked towards the door.

As the Doctor stepped outside the TARDIS he felt a cool wind blow across his body. He breathed the soothing air and sighed. The place he was on seemed like earth, he looked up and saw the house in front of him. Before the Doctor could work out why he recognised it he was greeted by a loud shout and a familiar redhead running towards him.