"Ready to go?" She asked as Cassandra cheered and jumped into the air. The Doctor snapped his fingers as the TARDIS doors opened dramatically, letting the light fill the room. Cassandra raced inside as River followed. The Doctor closed the doors and went to the console. River looked around and touched the controls gently. It had been a while since she had last been in the TARDIS. Memories filled her head as she remembered her parents and the real Doctor. She would probably never see them again, even if an echo of the Doctor was here.

"River?" A kind voice whispered from behind. She turned around to see the concerned Doctor. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"What?" She asked as she touched her wet cheeks. She didn't even notice that she was crying. She quickly wiped them away, embarrassed by them. "I'm fine, just remembering the past. That's all."

"Are you sure?" He implored as she nodded. Then he embraced her, feeling his heart break. He had never seen her so sad and distraught. He grabbed her shoulders and smiled. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm always okay," she grinned forcefully. In reality, she wasn't okay. This was too much of a culture shock. She could almost hear her mother's voice screaming at her father or at the Doctor as they got ready for another adventure. The Doctor nodded, not quite convinced that she was alright. She grabbed his shoulder before he walked away. "Will we be able to save my parents?"

"I don't know, River," he replied softly as she nodded. "I'll try my hardest, but I don't know if they can come back."

"That's where I want to go, Doctor. I want to try and save Amy and Rory," River informed Doctor gave her a worried look.

"You want to go looking for the virus now?!" He hissed, thinking that she was out of her mind. She stood her ground, her lips straight and thin. "What about Cassie? We can't risk her like that."

"There must be someone you know that can take care of her while we do this," she insisted as a lightbulb went off in her head. "What about Angelina? The woman from my expedition?"

"The one that was killed first by the vashta nerada?"

"Yes, her."

"River," the Doctor pleaded as she said nothing. River only stared. "Fine, but we're only looking for a day or two."

"If it makes you that uncomfortable, then we can let Angelina stay in the TARDIS," River bargained as the Doctor shook his head.

"No. Never. She'd break something."

"Doctor!"

"She would."

"Who else would you be comfortable with? Hm? We can't go to Jack, of course, so who else?" River pressed, wanting her parents back desperately. "What about Donna Noble? She's the woman who saved the universe. Shouldn't she be here?"

"Yeah, but she would be traveling with the old me, and that would get complicated fast."

"What about that lizard woman and her wife that helped us fight at Demons Run? Are they in the database?"

"Maybe, but Strax would be with them. I don't a Sontaran would fit the bill."

"Right. Well, I don't know. Vincent Van Gogh?"

"Really? He's a madman that is drunk most of the time."

"Churchill?"

"He's too busy for that."

"Doctor, you are a time traveler that has known more people than anyone in this entire universe. I'm sure you can think of someone who would be willing to help us out here," River hissed, growing annoyed. The Doctor nodded and thought. He wanted the Ponds back, too, but he didn't want to risk Cassandra.

"Let's see if Brian is here," the Doctor whispered, walking over to the console.

"Brian?"

"Your grandfather. Rory's dad. Haven't you met?" He asked as River shook her head. The Doctor stared at her in surprise. "Really?"

"When would have I met him?"

"Good point," he whispered as he looked at the screen and clapped his hands together. "There he is. Good, old Brian. Don't know why he would be here, but he is."

"Well, he's a good candidate. Especially if he's Rory's father," River agreed as Cassandra came back down the stairs. They stepped away from each other to welcome her.

"Can we go back? I forgot my bunny rabbit, Lucy. I don't want her to be lonely," she asked, glancing between the Doctor and River. River turned to her husband, since it was up to him.

"Sure, we haven't left yet," the Doctor smiled as Cassandra bounced down the stairs and bolted out the door. The Doctor shook his head and sighed. "Maybe we should keep her with us."

"Doctor?" River whispered, surprised that he had changed his mind.

"We can't leave her with someone that we hardly know, even if it is your grandfather. I wouldn't even know if he would want to do that," the Doctor explained, running his hand through his hair. River nodded and bit her tongue.

"Even if its dangerous?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Just promise me that neither of you two will go running off. Okay?"

"I won't, but neither of us?" She asked what he meant as he just stared.

"You're going to be watching her. Of course, I will, too, but we are going to stick together. No more running off on your own," the Doctor answered sternly. He wanted to protect the two most important people in his life, and he also wanted to help the Ponds, who had been his best friends. The thing was, he wasn't even sure if he could save Amy and Rory. They were taken by a virus, which had snuck underneath the nose of Dr. Moon, the protector of CAL. It was going to be more dangerous than all of his other adventures combined, with a few exceptions.

"Agreed, but that goes for you, too," River informed as the girl ran back in with Lucy the Bunny. River looked at Cassandra and she could feel her heartbreak. The girl looked so innocent and peaceful. River could only think of all the hardships that life was going to throw at her. How all that innocence could be destroyed. Yet, Cassandra was oblivious to it. River wondered if this was the way all mothers felt. The way her mother felt when River was born. That had been under different circumstances, but still. Cassandra went back into the TARDIS as the Doctor watched River. He could feel her tensions and concerns as if they were his own. He touched her arm comfortingly and offered a smile.

"Let's make the world a better place for her. Okay?" He whispered. She nodded and looked at the pillar in the middle of the console.

"Where do we look first?"

"We're going to find CAL and make sure she knows what's going on."

"What if she doesn't know?"

"Let's hope she does." The Doctor threw a lever by the console, sending the TARDIS into the computer. River watched him work as he circled the console, pressing all sorts of buttons and looking at the monitor.

"How do you fly through the computer?" River asked, starting to wonder how it worked. The Doctor glanced at her before he cleared his throat.

"Well, I think she's using the computer database to find where we are and plotting a course to the place we want to go. Other than that, I haven't really looked into it. Been too busy traveling and watching Cassie," the Doctor explained, turning his attention to the monitor above him. River nodded and looked away.

"Where's Cassie now?" River asked as she sat down on the chair. The Doctor shrugged.

"Probably in her room. Maybe exploring the TARDIS. It is infinite, you know," he replied, still working with the machine.

"Aren't you afraid that she'll get lost?" River implored softly, causing the Doctor to look at her.

"No, not really. I trust the TARDIS to take care of her," he sighed, implying that the TARDIS was like Cassandra's nanny. River smiled and dipped her head. If he ever told the TARDIS that she was a babysitter, River was sure that the TARDIS would argue just a bit. "Besides, Cassie's been on her own before. I just wish that there were more children for her to play with."

"You want her to have a normal life," River concluded as the Doctor hung his head. She had hit the bullseye.

"Doesn't every parent? Sure, traveling like this is amazing, fantastic even. But I don't think that this is a healthy environment for any child to grow up in. They need to be stable and have a normal life, without running for their lives. Cassie deserves so much more," the Doctor complained, leaning on the console.

"But you've given her more than any other father can give her. You've given her the universe. She's learning to find out answers and figure things out, like you do. You think that she needs a better life, but there are billions of kids out there wishing to see what she's going to see. Cassie does deserve the best, but she already has it, Doctor. Besides, whenever things get rough, we can go back to the apartment and pretend to be a somewhat normal family," River offered as the Doctor looked up at her with a smile.

"Normal?"

"Okay, a completely insane family, but still," River laughed, cheering up the Doctor. She stood back up and stood next to him. "So we need to find CAL?"

"Yep," he answered as she smiled and rested her hand on a lever.

"Then what are we waiting for?" River smiled brightly before pulling it down. The TARDIS shifted violently, send both River and the Doctor to the ground.

"HOLD ON!" the Doctor shouted with a grin. He loved it when the TARDIS experienced turbulence. River shook her head, hating the roller coaster ride. She held on tightly to the banister leading up further into the TARDIS. The Doctor laughed and cheered, almost like he was riding a wave.

"Doctor! Can you calm her down?" River inquired loudly over the whirring noises of the brakes. The Doctor shook his head as he climbed toward the console. Same old Doctor, she thought. The Doctor looked at the monitor as he held on for dear life and frowned. Something was wrong. He glanced toward her before the TARDIS jerked him to the floor again.