Chapter 2

River jolted awake with a start. She immediately knew what had woken her. The sound of her baby's scream reached her ears. Usually she wouldn't be phased by Athena screaming, she would go and give her a hug if she'd had a nightmare. But this time was different. This time, River realised, the nightmare was real. The sound of the screams proved it. Usually she would just hear a scared scream, this time it was a agonised wail of horror. River shouted at her husband as she jumped up and grabbed her gun from where she always kept on the bedside table.

Ever since Athena was born she had been worried about something like this. She was a time lord, she wasn't safe and never would be. River was shaken to the core as she ran down the corridor to Athena's room. She was aware of a faint sound of crackling electricity. That must mean it was the silence. River's heart was pounding. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't let Athena go to the silence, Madame Kovarian had kidnapped her but she would never let her daughter be taken. She burst through the door and was completely horrified to find five of the silence all standing around the the small bed that Athena was crawling down, trying to escape the monster's long fingers as he bent over to pick her up. She was screaming and crying as she did.

"Mummy!" she screamed, sobbing as they closed in on her.

Two of the silence turned on River and started towards her. For a moment, she was frozen with terror. The last time they had come for her was a very long time ago, but she still hadn't forgotten and never would, however much she wanted to. After composing herself River promptly shot all five and left them dead on the floor, their long limbs flopping haphazardly onto the carpet. She threw the gun across the room and ran to the bed. She scooped a sobbing Athena up and leant against the wall to steady herself but ended up sliding down the wall and crumpling into a heap on the floor with Athena, crying and shaking, clutching her daughter to her chest. This meant that they were going to have to guard Athena closely from now on. Kovarian knew about her and was trying to get her. Trying to kidnap her so she could finish the task that her mother had failed to complete. She would be forced to kill her own father and River would never, ever that that happen. River remembered her own days of imprisonment well. She had never known what was going to happen, she had been afraid to sleep at night and hardly ever closed her eyes. She only felt safe sleeping with the Doctor, on the TARDIS. That was the only place she felt truly safe. In prison she would stay awake until she really had to sleep. She remembered the spacesuit, and being guarded by the silence wherever she went. She remembered breaking out, ending up dying of starvation and illness and regenerating. She never wanted Athena to go through that. River already knew that Kovarian and the silence wouldn't give up, but neither would she. River felt so cold, sitting on the floor sobbing and clutching her daughter, rocking backwards and forwards. She was letting her terror rule her and completely control her. That was one thing she never did if she could help it but the silence held a special kind of terror for her. She was only calmed when the Doctor placed a warm hand on her shoulder and then, asking no questions about what had happened, pulled them both into a hug and wrapped him arms around both his wife and his daughter. When River had stopped crying the Doctor cautiously checked Athena over with the sonic. No injuries. Not the flesh. Completely unharmed. He got River to stop shaking and stand up. He took Athena from her and they went back to their bedroom together. The Doctor got River to lie down and he slid into bed next to her with Athena in the middle. He gave them both a kiss goodnight and they all went to sleep together, keeping each other safe. Athena slept in her parents' arms all that night, none of them ever letting go.