Author's Note: And so we end this story.
(To Guest: they could, theoretically, but if River never existed, then how would Seo guess the significance of what the name meant? Or how it answered her question?)
Next up! We get a story with Alison and Seo, called "the Totos and the Vanguard". A lighter story (or it makes me laugh, anyways). It begins a trio of stories, all dealing with... well, you'll just have to find out.
Enjoy!
Epilogue
Lorna Bucket sat, as usual, sewing her little cloth. Trying to make something for the mother they'd kidnapped and experimented on and used for their own ends.
"You don't belong here."
She looked up. To find the blue eyes and wavy black haired face she had seen, before, working so hard to make this venture a success. Now standing right above her chair, looking down at her.
"Professor Grvorai," said Lorna. "I didn't know—"
"I'm about to leave Demon's Run," said the Professor. "Any second now. You can come with me."
Lorna gave a shy smile. "Sorry. I'm staying."
Professor Grvorai looked at her, a long moment.
Then seemed to accept this. Nodded.
And knelt down beside Lorna. Elbows resting on knees. She nodded at the cloth Lorna had begun to embroider. "What's it going to say?"
"Just the child's name," said Lorna. "Melody, I heard. Melody Pond."
Professor Grvorai looked off into the distance. A lost, lonely look on her face.
"That's good," the Professor decided. "Something she can hold onto. Her name." Her eyes dropped. "Maybe it'll help her… connect. Find out who her parents are. Find them, so she can look up to them."
"I wasn't thinking that far ahead," Lorna admitted. "I just wanted to do something for the mother. Amy."
But Professor Grvorai didn't seem to be listening. Her eyes were sad, now. Sadder than Lorna had ever seen them before.
"It was all I got from Dad, the day I was born," said the Professor. "A name. He didn't even come up with it, himself. But every time I wore that name, it helped me remember… what he expected from me. What he wanted me to be. The best I could be, and something better than I was."
"Professor Grvorai?" asked Lorna.
"That's not my real name," said the Professor. "I'm not even a professor. I made all that up." She shot Lorna a sideways smile. "The word Grvorai means 'Traitor' in Ancient Urdosian. And that's what I feel like I am, right now. A traitor to everything I've ever believed in."
"I don't understand."
"My dad died," said the Professor. "A long time ago." The smile grew on her lips. "And Dad was the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful person you could imagine. I didn't get a lot of time with him, before the end, but… so many people loved him. So many admired him."
"He sounds… very nice," Lorna offered.
"You don't know the half of it." The Professor stood up. And sighed. "But the thing is… he's dead," she said. "His life is over. Done. A shut book. It shouldn't be changed."
Lorna frowned.
"Which is why I'm here," said the Professor. "Making sure everything stays the same. Living up to his ideals by going back in time and making sure his friend gets kidnapped, her baby gets turned into a weapon, and his spirit gets completely crushed. The way history says it should go. The way he told me it happened." She spread her arms. "Grvorai sounds about right, doesn't it?"
"His friend…?" Lorna gasped. As she realized. "Your dad… is…?"
The Professor nodded.
Lorna couldn't stop herself from gaping. "Then… why are you here?"
"Because Dad died a long time ago," said the Professor. "His timeline's over. His job is done. His story is sealed away forever. I can't do anything for him — not anymore."
She took a small wrist-strap out of her back pocket, and fastened it around her wrist. Punching some buttons on the display.
"But I've got a sister," said the Professor. "She's still alive. And I plan to keep it that way."
"Why? Who wants her dead?"
The Professor glanced at Lorna. "If I don't stabilize the timeline, you'll find out," she muttered. Gave a little wave. "They don't take chances when Dad's personal timeline is in flux. Not anymore."
Then the mysterious Professor Grvorai pressed a button on her wrist.
And disappeared.
