Author's Note: So, here's chapter three! It does shine some light on some things, so I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always appreciated.
By the way, originally this chapter had some flaws with medical descriptions saying 'antiseptic', when the correct term would be 'antibiotic.' Thank you to Verpy for pointing that out. I have changed those words(hopefully I caught all the mistakes).
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
It was as if the terrible burdens of the past had suddenly been thrust upon him.
His single heart pounded from within his chest, and he felt the color escaping from his face.
Though his deep brown eyes stared into those of the woman laid before him, his mind drifted back to a very different scene, one that he had been successfully able to block out for some time.
'You can let me do this!' the spikey haired man had pleaded, struggling against the handcuffs that fettered his wrists.
'If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you.' Her face was severely constricted.
'Time can be rewritten.' His vain words only induced greater strife.
'Not those times. Not one line! Don't you dare! It's okay. It's okay, it's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me, time and space. You watch us run!' She tried to reassure him.
'River, you know my name!' his voice quivered. The blare of the computer interrupted his speech. 'You whispered my name in my ear,' he continued, his throat closing.
'...nine, eight, seven...' the dreadful countdown ushered the inevitable prospect of death.
'There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could...'
'Hush, now! Spoilers...' the impossible woman managed a tiny smile, before silently connecting the wires and shutting her beautiful blue eyes for the last time.
The very last time.
Shifting slightly, the man in the pinstriped suit attempted to expunge the gut-wrenching truth from his throbbing head.
His face remained hard and stony, but on the inside he was screaming.
River Song, the woman who died in my place. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't even exist, and neither would the original Doctor. I wouldn't have Rose.
A young man's weak voice forced the human Doctor back into the entangling confines of reality.
"Ah, Sir, how exactly do you know this woman?" it was a seemingly innocent question, yet it illuminated a horror that he so desperately wished to forget.
"Doctor—" River rasped brokenly, though he supposed that she was not referring to him.
It was then that he recognized the pain flashing in her light eyes.
Battling the tubes that strangled her body, the pale woman began to whimper against her will.
The human Doctor's acute senses detected the unsteady bleeping sound on a machine that monitored her heart rate. Glancing quickly in that direction, he watched as the line nearly went flat.
No, no, no, no…she can't die…not here…
"River, River, stay with us!" he pleaded, as her heavy eyelids began to flutter closed.
Grasping her arm, he mentally noted the sickly bluish marks that circled the IV tubes that punctured her skin.
How had he not noticed this before?
"What's this? What have you been giving her?" The Doctor demanded, his eyes burning.
The frightened young man took a step back.
"Well, um, it was an antibiotic…for the pain…I don't know why…"
"You idiots! Can't you see whatever it is, it's killing her? And all you're doing is standing here, idly!" his caustic tone of voice caused the other people in the room to carefully inch away. "Getout!" he barked, annunciating every consonant sound with the greatest precision.
Obviously his demands were heard, going by the way that every Torchwood officer in sight bolted out the door.
"River…" The man in the pinstriped suit gently removed the tiny tubes from River's limbs.
"Ughhhhh…" she groaned, but at least it was a sound preferable to silence.
"It's alright, River, I promise, you're going to be just fine. Deep breaths come on, yes, that's it, there you go."
In a matter of minutes, River's breathing had steadied, and the color had seeped back into her face.
Meanwhile, the Doctor examined the blood-bathed wires, wondering why the curly haired woman had had such an adverse reaction to them.
Let's see…nothing unusual…just your basic antibiotic…shouldn't be harmful to humans…unless…no, that's ridiculous…of course, she's human…
His fingers lightly traced her wrist, in order to check her pulse.
Good. She's stabilized. But how could she have recovered so quickly?
"Doctor, why are you wearing that?" Her voice was pained.
"Wearing what? What do you mean?"
"The ring." River pointed to the golden band that adorned his finger.
"Because I'm married."
Her face darkened.
"Funny, he never told me about this…" Looking him directly in the eyes, River seemed as if she was at a breaking point.
"River, I'm sorry, but I'm not the Doctor you know." He conveyed this truth to her very slowly.
"But your face…I've seen it before…and you could recognize me, I saw it in your eyes…"
For a moment, he was absolutely silent, unsure of what to say to her without divulging major spoilers.
"I have his memories, up to a point…but I'm a duplicate, a copy created of the Doctor's tenth incarnation in a three way biological metacrisis with Donna Noble. That's why I'm partially human. I was born in battle and I committed genocide. The Doctor dropped me off here, in this world, with Rose Tyler and her family, so that I could give her the life he never could."
"What do you mean, 'this world?'?" River's expression revealed her confusion.
"This is a parallel world, like your own, only there are slight differences…and that's why I don't understand how you possibly could have gotten here. The walls of reality were sealed; even the TARDIS couldn't have landed here, so how did you?" His eyebrows rose in question.
"To be perfectly honest, I haven't got the faintest idea. I didn't use the TARDIS, if that's what you want to know. I was trying to escape…it was too dangerous…I tried to wire my vortex manipulator, but it all went wrong…somehow we ended up here…" her voice trembled as she recalled the previous events of the day in her mind.
"We? What were you fleeing from? And what were you doing with a Vortex Manipulator, anyway?"
"Oh, I just snatched it off the hand of a dead Time Agent…you… I mean, he…the Doctor was busy that day." She was steadily beginning to sound more like herself.
"You still haven't completely answered my question. River, this is extremely important. Who else have you brought with you? Was it him, the Doctor, your Doctor?" the man was very doubtful.
Shivering, River refused to meet his eyes.
"No." her voice was tainted with an inexplicable sense of sorrow, and it shattered the last fragment of hope he possessed.
A high-pitched cry suddenly reverberated through the room, causing River to lurch in surprise.
Her aqua colored eyes widened.
I've got to find her…after what they did to me, who knows what they might've done to her…
Gathering her lingering strength, River rose to her feet, cringing as pain shot through her body.
"What was that? Where are you going?" The man, who called himself 'John Smith,' appeared to be confused.
River ignored him, her loose curls bouncing upon her shoulders, as she quickly approached the door.
"River—" he grabbed her wrist before she could protest.
"I've got to find her…before it's too late…" she croaked, before exiting the room.
As she ventured towards the adjacent chamber, she could vaguely hear the Doctor's frustrated remarks as he followed behind her in close proximity.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but this area is for authorized personnel only…"
Let's see, all I've got to do his snag this gun off the guard, and then…
Catching up with a now enraged River Song, the human Doctor, against his better judgment, decided to avoid a potentially heated situation.
"It's alright, she's with me, and I've got clearance, see, here…" The guard's eyes lit up as Dr. Smith flashed his tiny ID card.
River's heart beat rapidly.
So, he's decided to help me after all.
"Oh, Dr. Smith, sir, I'm sorry, sir…" the man thrust a salute out of reverence.
"No, no, don't salute! And don't call me sir, either! Just let us in…"
With that, the metal door swung open, and River headed straight for her crying daughter.
A wet droplet trickled down her cheek, as she relinquished her precious baby from the metallic medical cot.
Nestling the tiny white bundle in her quivering arms, the curly haired woman sighed, seeing no visible injuries.
The rhythmic beating of her daughter's hearts against her chest caused a pang of sadness to set in.
No matter how much I love her…I can't have her…I don't even know what to do…
"Hush, now, little one, Mummy's got you," her warm breath laced the baby's smooth skin.
"What? River, you're a mother?" The human Doctor was slightly shocked.
Another man's voice briskly interrupted their conversation.
"I-I'm s-sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid they don't want you to touch her right now," A familiar voice resounded from nearby. "I've been caring for her, I'm one of the doctors here, and we've got everything under control."
No, it can't be…
Normally River would have retorted, but the gentleness in the man's voice shook her to the very core.
She shuddered when she recognized the man's features.
Rory Williams. Her father. Only he wasn't.
"But she's my daughter, please, she needs me, I can't abandon her …" Her voice broke as she pleaded.
The man in uniform was momentarily conflicted, but apparently he understood her fear.
"I could lose my job, for this, but personally I think that you've got a point. I can't imagine what I'd do if my wife, Amelia, and I lost our baby, Melody."
His words cut River to the very core, though he had not the faintest idea why.
Another tear cascaded down the woman's face as she recalled her parents' final encounter with the Weeping Angels.
This is the life they could have had. Without the Doctor. Without a psychopathic daughter.
"Thank you, you're very kind," River's eyes brightened at the way the man smiled a bit.
Her heart ached, because the loss of her parents also induced an incredible desire for the man she loved.
As the Rory Williams of this universe turned elsewhere, the curly haired woman's gaze darted back to the Doctor, who hadn't spoke for a while.
And that was never a good sign.
She recognized the flicker of pain and uncertainty alight in those deep brown eyes.
"River, is this who you brought with you?" he asked the question in order to confirm the obvious.
"Yes," she whispered very quietly, then softly pressed her lips against the infant's forehead.
"But, I don't understand, you two came through the walls of reality with only a Vortex Manipulator, without even a scratch? River, that's impossible." There was a sense of urgency in the way he spoke.
"Rule 426: Never underestimate the impossible." She watched as his pupils dilated, he didn't even have to ask where she learned that from.
"It doesn't make sense. You come into this universe completely unscathed, and yet a simple antibiotic nearly kills you…I …hold on…"
The spiky haired man pulled his boisterous phone from his pocket.
"This better be important…oh, Rose…" He carefully listened to the voice at the other end of the line.
He cocked a brow.
"Really? It's six o' clock, already? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the situation's worse than I thought…no, I can't really explain it over the phone, I'd rather tell you in person."
The human Doctor's wife continued the conversation.
"They what? Torchwood London called at five o' clock in the bloody morning to tell you I'd gone mental?"
River was so amused by the irritated look on his face that she couldn't help but chuckle.
Perhaps he wasn't so different from her Doctor, after all.
"Stop laughing! Sorry, Rose, I was talking to River, here…I told you, I'll explain later…and I'm fine, believe me…no, really I am, I swear…Alright…I'll see you soon…I love you, too." Hanging up, the man in the pinstriped suit quickly breached a topic of greater importance. "Okay, down to business. River…" he stopped midsentence.
The curly haired woman reached for the small band that lay nestled upon a table beside the baby's cot.
"No! It's ruined…I haven't got time to fix it…it may be already too late …" River was disheartened by her broken Vortex Manipulator.
What am I supposed to do, now? I can't stay in this place…but this is a world without Kovarian and the Silence…
The sudden realization stung like a corrosive poison.
Her light eyes drifted back down to her daughter's petite features and she felt her insides convulse.
"River, what's wrong? I'd say you're running away from something, and whatever it is, it's terribly dangerous, bad enough that you were willing to go anywhere to get away from it, in order to protect your daughter, but what exactly is it?" his clever deduction was a blow to the heart, because when she looked at that man's face she could see fragments her husband.
And it hurt. So very, very much.
"Spoilers." She breathed brokenly, despite knowing that it really wasn't a decent excuse given the fact that he wasn't actually her Doctor.
It's not like he'd understand. He never traveled with my parents. I can only wonder how he even knows me at all.
His eyes blazed, and she could tell he had many questions to ask if given the right opportunity.
"Now, you can go on and get emotional, but it isn't going to solve anything. I've got to find a way back to my universe, and I certainly can't stay in Torchwood after what's happened. I can't trust the people here. I've got to go somewhere else…I don't even know where…" Strengthening her grip on her daughter, River began to shake.
The Doctor's eyes grew sympathetic.
"River, I…" He wanted to give her some sort of comfort, but his own brokenness made that rather difficult.
"I've got to get out of here." Walking towards the exit, River recognized the mounting tension.
"Uhhh…I'm not sure that's a very good idea, ma'am…" the ever sensible Rory stuttered.
"It's the only way she'll be safe." Her voice waivered, as she gently patted him on the arm.
"Dr. Williams," River's voice was soft.
"How do you—"
"Take care of her, alright. Take care of that baby of yours, and don't you let anything happen to her."
"I-I will, ma'am…" he trailed off as River veered into the dim corridor.
What, now? I haven't got anywhere to go. What am I supposed to do? What would he do?
Her cheeks flushed slightly as the image of a certain man in a bow tie flooded her mind.
The Doctor would know. The Doctor always knows. But, I've got to figure this out on my own. Now, how to get out of here…
A warm hand looped around hers.
"Come with me, River. Rose and I have a guest room; you can stay there as long as you need to. I'm sure she won't mind. I understand your concerns."
No, you don't, she wanted to say, but instead held her tongue.
"I know what it's like to lose a child." His voice was strained, and she could tell he was being completely honest.
"I know you do." River remembered the many losses that the Doctor had confided in her over the years.
It was for that reason that she had kept her pregnancy from him.
She couldn't bear to make him endure such torment again.
"This is the quickest way out. If we're careful hopefully no one will notice. But just in case, I always carry around a perception filter…" he dug the tiny device out of his pocket. "Besides, they left you under my care in the first place, so if anyone does start asking questions, I'll deal with it."
A glistening light came into view as they approached the doorway to the outside.
When her daughter began to whimper, River rocked her back and forth very gently.
"It's alright, little one, you're going to be safe, now, I promise."
I can only hope.
Before the three escaped the dreadful confines of Torchwood London, the human Doctor suddenly screeched to a halt.
The baby's blue eyes popped open in surprise.
"What is it? What's the matter? Why have we stopped?" River spat out these questions, her eyes scanning the Doctor's paranoid expression.
I know that face. He's trying to work something out, but apparently he hasn't met any success.
His hand inched away from hers, motioning towards her arms.
"Your arms…"
"What about them?" She hoped desperately that he would just continue on, and they could all make their way out of there.
"They're perfectly normal looking."
"Yeah, so what?"
"River, less than an hour ago I pulled several wires out of your body and your arms were scarred- a pale bluish color. But now they look as if nothing ever happened. Now, I'm a bit out of practice, but I'd say that's not humanly possible…"
Note: I hope you enjoyed it. I have a lot more in mind to write about, so stay tuned. Feel free to check out some of my other stories, which are posted on my profile page. That whole 'rule 426' thing is a reference to another one of my stories, which you might be interested in if you haven't read it. Please take this moment to leave a review.
Have a brilliant day!