Of Assassinations and Reunions
The Tardis- Revelations
River stared in shock at the two Tardises sitting side by side. She'd never seen anything like it. Two Tardises. How was that even possible? She hesitated as she stepped towards the left one which was just slightly darker. The left was definitely the Tardis she was familiar with. But then what was the other one, and which one would have the Doctor? Or would he be there at all? Maybe she was wrong, maybe he really had died. To her relief, the left one opened before she took another step, and the Doctor stepped out.
"Doctor!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.
He stumbled, leaning back against the Tardis for support. She knew then just how weak he really was.
"You're alive," she gasped, a smile spreading quickly. "I thought... I thought for sure you wouldn't make it."
"No thanks to you," the Doctor replied, but his smile eased the guilt she felt.
"I'm so sorry. I never should have... I was so young," she said.
"It's okay, River," he said sincerely. "I forgive you."
"But I might not," John said as he too exited the Tardis, Rose right behind him.
"Sorry, have we met?" River asked.
"We will. I'm the Doctor."
"Call him John,"the Other Doctor said with a grin.
River's eyes widened and she looked him up and down. His hair was a perfectly ordered mess, his eyes brown and powerful, but something was off, not quite right. And the girl... her eyes shifted to Rose and she couldn't stop a flame of jealousy. This could only be one girl. The Doctor's name was rarely said in legend without mention of the beautiful blond girl who was rumored to be nearly as powerful as he.
"You must be Rose Tyler," River said, extending a hand in greeting. "River Song."
"Yes," Rose said. "The Doctor's told me about you."
"And history speaks for itself about you," River said. "I've been looking for proof that you weren't just a legend."
"I guess you have it now," Rose replied.
"But that's not why you're here," John said, eying her suspiciously. "What do you want?"
"I want to help," she answered.
"You just tried to kill him," Rose retorted.
River narrowed her eyes, fighting her anger. She would not let this girl get the best of her. Absolutely not.
"That was many years ago for me,"River answered calmly, serenely. "I learned my lesson."
"I think we'll be the judge of that," John said.
River felt distinctly uncomfortable under his steady gaze. He took no pains to hide his distrust anymore than Rose and it threw her off guard. Though he wasn't strictly 'the Doctor' as far as she could tell, it was still painful to feel his hostility. Even her Doctor was clearly out of sorts. She didn't like it one bit.
"Come on in," the Doctor said, pushing open the door.
River expected him to follow right after her when she walked in. Instead, he waited until the other two were filing in and his hand guided Rose's back when she stepped in. She looked back at him smiling warmly, and River's anger flared. This girl was supposed to be of the past, just another companion lost along the way... wasn't she? For the first time, River began to doubt her own security. Apparently the stories featuring Rose as the Doctor's true love weren't as far out as she previously thought.
The console room was drastically different than the last time she had visited. Well, the overall scheme was the same crazed theme, but the main platform was extended farther out to include a carpeted study of sorts on the left side. The desk to which John immediately went was an absolute mess. Papers were scattered around and a set of matching blue books, some old and tattered and some new, were spread out across the desk. He picked up a book so new it practically gleamed, flipping to a specific page which he silently showed to the Doctor. The Doctor nodded thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Rose settled into the love seat, her feet resting lightly on the other cushion. She watched the two Doctors intently, amused but completely lost just the same. She only spared River a glance when she spoke.
"This is new," River commented, still standing a fair distance away from the new addition.
"It's for our research," the Doctor said enthusiastically, bounding to her side, blue book in hand. "See, these are the Tardis archives in hard form."
Now that was intriguing. The archives had everything. But that still didn't explain the room inside a room.
"But why in here, Doctor?" She quirked her eyebrow, feeling a tad like a nanny dealing with a child whose toys were spread all over the house. "Why not in the actual study or the library?"
He shrugged, grinning... at Rose oddly enough. "Partly for convenience sake, as this is the central room where everyone can meet up and work together. And partly because Rose didn't believe me when I said it was possible. It really isn't terribly difficult. The worst part was getting the Tardis to cooperate."
"I see," River said. "I don't suppose you've found anything useful?"
"Well, that depends," he said. "I've managed to finally piece together most of your life with a few exceptions."
"Oh how nice." She said rolling her eyes. "That's hardly useful."
"As you were his almost murderer it actually was quite necessary," John said from his place at the desk. "And you're also the only connection we've got to Father Stone at the moment."
"It was Father Stone behind it all, wasn't it?" Rose piped up, just to make sure.
River shot her glance that might possibly have been constituted as less than friendly. But really, was the girl a complete idiot? Of course Father Stone was behind it.
"You won't find him," River said. "Not if he doesn't want you to."
"Oh, well I suppose we'll just sit back and let him kill the Doctor then," Rose retorted.
The Doctor and John both looked at her sharply which pleased River enormously. Though she couldn't help but notice they were both holding back smiles.
"We don't need to find him just yet anyway," John said before River could respond. "We just need to know who he is."
"He's not your real father, is he?" The Doctor asked.
River shook her head. "I was brought into his care when I was three. I was always told my parents were dead."
"Given what we know of his character now," the Doctor started, "That may or may not be true." "I've looked into it before; there's not much to be found."
"We'll look into that later, for now let's focus on Father Stone," John said. "What can you tell us about him?"
"Not much," she said with a shrug. "Well, not much that will help anyway. You all ready know he has terrible grudge against the Doctor. He's the smartest man I've ever known."
"Including me?" the Doctor asked indignantly.
She smiled. "Including you."
"Sweet Rassilon," the Doctors whispered in tandem. Rose's eyebrows were a mile high.
"Driving the Tardis, Time Lord Biology... he taught you all that?" John asked thoughtfully when River didn't offer up anymore information.
"Of course... didn't you know, he's a Time Lord too?"
"What?" The single word from three different voices rang eerily in the Tardis, the shock snowballing with each silent echo.
"That's impossible," John said when the silence grew louder than an avalanche.
"Well, strictly speaking it is possible," The Doctor replied.
"I guess the Master did come back that once." John sighed. "It wouldn't surprise me if he managed to come back again."
The Doctor coughed, suddenly very fidgety. John looked at him expectantly, though a little shocked. They all knew there was a a confession waiting there underneath the Doctor's innocent look.
"He might have made an appearance a while ago," he admitted after a moment.
"He came back?" John asked.
"Well I didn't just regenerate for the fun of it did I."
John groaned. He sank down next to Rose, pushing her feet to the floor. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Really? You lost another one to him?"
The Doctor sniffed. "Better than the Daleks again."
"Technically it was Rose," John pointed out. Rose was quick to swing her feet back up kicking him in the process. Even River had to smile at that one.
"Fine, then it was Wilf's fault I regenerated." Before John could protest, the Doctor quickly amended his statement. "In all reality, I suppose it was Rassilon's fault."
John choked on air, his eyes wide as he regarded the Doctor. Beside him, Rose kept switching her gaze from on Doctor to the other, clearly as confused as River felt.
"Oh, I forget you weren't there for all of that," the Doctor said slowly.
"Perhaps you should enlighten me," John replied, standing back up.
"This might hurt."
A mighty crack split the air as the Doctor slammed his head against John's out of nowhere. River winced, touching a hand to her head in memory of the only time the Doctor had shared thoughts with her. There had to be better way, she thought. One just slightly less painful.
"Are you mad?" John cried, when he pulled away. "What was that?"
"Telepathy," the Doctor answered.
"It doesn't require hitting people! I can do better than that and I'm half human."
"It's a perfectly good form of telepathy," the Doctor insisted.
"Maybe if you want a concussion," John said.
"Let's move on, shall we?" River said. "It won't matter what kind of telepathy you use if you're dead."
"She has a point," John said. "Before your memories, I would have bet my money on Father Stone being the Master. As it is... I have no clue."
"That's so helpful, John," the Doctor griped. "I have no clue either."
"That's because you're not looking," Rose said, half smiling. "You could just look at River's memories of Father Stone. Problem solved."
"Not necessarily," the Doctor said hesitantly. "It's a dangerous place in River's head. If either of us glimpse the wrong memories by accident the entire time and space continuum could shatter. No. It would fracture. Slight difference, but where River is concerned even a fracture could be disastrous."
"Not if I look," John said. "It won't matter what I see and I only have one memory worth protecting. Not to mention my style tends to be more precise, easier to control what passes between us."
"Fine." The Doctor was anything but happy to relent to John. He went to John's previous seat beside Rose who patted his arm while trying not to laugh. River nearly smacked them.
"Ready?" John asked as he stepped towards her.
"No head-butting?" River asked.
"No head-butting."
"I'm ready then."
The light touch of his fingertips on River's temples startled her. They were firm but terribly gentle against her skin. She let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding just as his mind made contact with hers. His presence was cool and flowing, skimming lightly through the lakes and trees of her mind.
Taking a deep breathe, she delved into his mind. She was working under very limited time as he knew exactly what he was looking for, and she... she was just searching for something, anything to answer the questions that always plagued her. His mind was designed like the Tardis with glowing corridors winding forever in the depths. She started down the hallways glancing at the labeled doors. She still didn't know quite what she wanted most to know, but she would decide when she found it. The one labeled Rose in Gallifreyan caught her eye. Curiosity burned in her chest and she tried the knob. Locked. She wasn't surprised.
In her own mind, John was still searching. Chronologically ordered on purpose it might take him awhile to get to the last memory of Father Stone. But when he felt her trying the door, he started, pulling almost entirely from her mind.
Cut it out. His voice was impatient but it was terribly soft, hardly loud enough to hear. She wondered if that was the human side of him interfering. Human... she still didn't understand that. Yet another mystery of the Doctor's life. Just show me the memory I need.
Don't know how, she lied, turning back to the door before her. Father Stone had taught her essentially everything she needed in life, including how to break into the Doctor's memories. Picking the lock wasn't easy, but it was possible. With a triumphant smile, the door swung open before her.
River stood her ground as a torrent of memories crashed before her. Each were only a second long, staying only long enough for her to blink.
Rose trapped in a basement fearful and scared. Beautiful and free as she twirled her sun dress in a meadow of wildflowers. Crying and screaming as she felt into a brilliant white light. Unafraid and sweet beyond measure as she kissed him in the dull light of the console room. And the last memory of all was hard to make out in the flash that she saw it. Light. Blinding golden light. And Rose, but different. Almost Godlike. She clung to the memory begging to see more, unfortunately that was the moment John realized she had broken in. A roar so furious and strong flung her from the room and into a new area of unending heat and sand. Without a doubt, his human limitations were not present now.
I doubt you have training for this setting.
He was right. River now found herself in a scorching desert seeming to go on forever. Oasis's dotted the horizon though and she headed towards them, figuring they held the memories. Each time she neared one it disappeared into the sand, merely a mirage. Sighing in frustration, she sat down in the sand, angry for being tricked. She had training in many mind styles but never had she heard of a mind set up like a desert. This was impossible.
She turned her attention back to John who was now laughing at her. He carefully sorted through the file folders in her mind, pausing now and again to peek. When nothing proved helpful, he continued to flip through them.
What year, River?
Still mad at him, she ignored him.
You promised to help. What year?
What happened to Rose? Why was she... glowing?
He growled, clearly not happy with her.
Answer me please, she said.
Not until you tell me the year, came the reply.
That wasn't such a hard deal. She told him the year easily, she was planning to all along, but now she got something along with it.
His fingers flipped faster through the files, not that he didn't need to pause anymore. He spoke slowly, hesitantly.
We were in trouble. As in inevitable death kind of trouble. I tricked her into going home to save her life. But she was determined to save my life no matter what.
He reached the correct file then, but River reached out, stopping him from opening it. Finish please. You'll forget once you open it.
He nodded, pulling his hand away. She forced open the Tardis and took the time vortex into herself. Using that power she came back to me and saved my life. She was... she was brilliant, but the power was killing her. I absorbed the energy and took away her memory. To this day, she doesn't realize to what lengths she went to save me.
River watched him, finally understanding the powerful connection between the Doctor and Rose. Even in the quick simplified version of the events, she could see how each decision was driven by love for one another. They were two completely different people, different species even, but they would give everything and had given everything for the other.
That's why it's locked away. To protect her.
John shrugged. That's part of it I suppose. Mostly it's just that my memories of her are too dear. I don't share them with just anyone. I imagine the Doctor is the same way.
He still loves her then? Strangely, River was less saddened by that than before. If she couldn't have that deepness of love with him that Rose seemed to have, it wasn't worth it after all.
You can be sure of it. He smiled gently at her. You'll love someone like that someday. Then you'll understand.
Thank you, John. For letting me in.
And thank you. You've kept him safe more than you yet realize.
The moment of shared understanding ended as John turned back to the task at hand. He took a deep steadying breath and allowed the memory to soak over him. River watched as John's eyes widened and his breath turned ragged. Abruptly he tore free of the connection, throwing them both back into real life.
River shook her head to clear it, glancing quickly at her watch to see only a matter of seconds had passed in real world time. Next her eyes flew to John, still locked in complete shock.
"Who is it?" the Doctor asked, sliding forward on the couch. "Do you know him."
John turned to him, his face a perfect picture of horror. "It's Rassilon."
A/N How's that for an ending? Just curious... did anyone see that coming? I didn't really foreshadow for it, so you might not have. Back in the early days of brainstorming he wasn't actually going to be in the story. It was going to be the master. But then I kind of fell in love with the Master so that plan went kaput. Anyway, this chapter was hard to write hence the reason it took so long. I figured out I really don't like writing from River's view. It got better as I went along I thought. Still... it will likely never be in her view again if I can avoid it. Sorry to my 100 songs people. I've got one in the works. Hopefully, I can get it up tomorrow.
