The Angels Take Manhattan - Part 1
It wasn't the Judge's first time travelling to New York City, she had gone once or twice with Jack in the past, some odd business here and there with Torchwood, but it was her first time being there for a 'vacation' or at least as near a vacation as it could get when travelling with the Doctor. He seemed to be trying to keep the running and danger to a minimum for the Ponds' sake. He HAD promised Brian that he would keep them both safe and this time he did intend that, when he finally returned them home, it would be for the last time, whenever that might be. He just…he wanted to have a few 'normal' trips with them, peaceful, ones that they could build real memories on instead of leaving it to them running about and emotions flying high. He wanted a few calm memories of them to keep in his hearts. The Judge wasn't complaining, for as much as she was truly trying to get used to all the rushing about and danger and adrenaline, she really was more used to a calm sort of life than this. The war being the exception. It was good to be able to just relax every so often.
She was thinking of implementing a mandatory 'rest day' where, at least once a month, the Doctor would be forced to go somewhere quiet and restful just to relax. Oh she was sure that he'd go stark raving mad trying to keep that up, but the companions would likely appreciate it and she was sure she'd be able to find ways to help him relax. She did have centuries experience dealing with him after all.
"…New York growled at my window," the Doctor murmured quietly, making her look back at him as he read a small paperback book.
They were currently in the middle of Central Park, New York, sitting on a large rock that they were using for their small picnic, resting next to a large pond with ducks swimming in it. Rory was sitting back, lying on the ground just soaking up the sun while the Doctor and Amy were sitting back to back, Amy working on a word search while the Doctor read his book. She was off to the side, on the edge of the rock, her knees curled up to her chest as she tossed small bits of food to the ducks that swam past, making sure it was safe food for them to eat, the arms of her purple plaid shirt folded up to her elbows.
"But I was ready for it," the Doctor continued to read, unable to see Amy rolling her eyes and growing more annoyed behind him, "My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat-ready, and I was packing cleavage that could fell an ox at 20 feet…"
"Doctor, you're doing it again," Amy cut him off, lowering her own book in frustration.
"I'm reading!" he defended.
"Out loud," Amy grumbled, "Please, could you not?"
The Doctor pouted and turned around to mock-glare at Amy, Amy moving to the side to give him a look right back, her eyes slightly magnified by the round reading spectacles on her nose, "There's something different about you, isn't there?"
"What's the book?" Rory glanced over.
"It's called 'Melody Malone,'" the Judge turned on her spot, shifting about to face them instead, "Apparently it's a mystery/detective novel set in Old New York."
"She's got ice in her heart and a kiss on her lips and a vulnerable side she keeps well-hidden," Amy recited sarcastically.
"Oh, you've read it!" the Doctor cheered, grinning at her.
"No, you read it," Amy huffed, "Aloud. And then went 'Yowzah.'"
"I only went 'yowzah' because she'd broken a lock with a paperclip," the Doctor argued, "It's impressive! Not many locks can just be picked like that without a sonic."
The Ponds and the Judge stared at him, wondering if he knew really just how easy it was to pick a lock without a sonic. He really was ridiculously codependent on his screwdriver, wasn't he?
"You know, only you could fancy someone in a book," Rory teased as he sat up.
"I don't fancy her," the Doctor stuck his nose up, "I am married," he added, as though that should put an end to the argument. The Ponds shook their head but the Judge smiled a bit more, knowing he'd meant that the only one he 'fancied' was his wife by that statement, "I'm just reading. I just like the cover."
"Ooh!" this time Amy decided to tease him and reached for the book, "Can we see the cover?"
"No," he shifted away from her, pulling the book back, "No. I'm busy. It's your hair," he accused, trying to distract her, "Is it your hair?"
It appeared to work as Amy sat back and rolled her eyes, "Oh, shut up."
"I think it's her glasses dear," the Judge called, "She's got reading glasses on," she wasn't entirely sure if that's what the Doctor meant, but her husband did tend to miss the obvious quite a lot, with his luck he WOULD miss the fact that Amy now wore glasses.
"I don't like them," the Doctor scrunched up his face at that, "They make your eyes look all liney," he reached out, frowning, and lifted the glasses off Amy's nose, looking intently at her face, before he quickly dropped them as though he'd been burned and turned away, "No, actually. Sorry. They're fine," he swallowed hard, looking down at his book, silently reading, "Carry on."
"Ok," Rory sighed, standing up, sensing that things were about to get quite awkward, "I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee? Me too! I'll go!"
"Rory," Amy called as Rory turned to do just that, "Do I have noticeable lines on my eyes now?"
The Judge had to give that one to Amy, she had worked out why the Doctor had gone all quiet, why he'd looked away from Amy, he'd seen age lines around her eyes. She hadn't quite thought Amy would work it out though so that was at least one small point to the woman. She did know, however, that Amy likely had no idea why the Doctor had gotten so quiet so suddenly at the sight of it.
She glanced at the Doctor at that thought, her smile growing sad as she saw him half hunched over his book, his eyes fixed on the pages but not quite reading it. She understood his silence. Seeing the lines on Amy's face, all they would do is remind them of something Amy had mentioned before, they were growing older. Amy had worried that their friends would notice that she and Rory were aging faster than the others were. The Doctor had been able to brush that aside because, well, he hadn't seen any signs of them aging, not even when Amy had mentioned that it felt like 10 years had gone by for them of the Doctor on and off in their lives. It was possible that that was how long it had been since Amy had first travelled with him. She had been 19 when Prisoner 0 had appeared, 21 when she really started to travel with him. There was their honeymoon time, then 2 months on Earth, three months running around America, more travels, at least 9 months worth total for her to have a child, then 3 months of summer. Right there that was likely already 2 years. Then the Doctor had left them on Earth once more, for about 2 years, and travelled with them on and off for a number of other odd months. They'd had to have had at least half a year for their marriage to fall apart, a 10 months till the dinosaurs, a few more between then and Mercy. 9 months for the cubes, and all of that coupled with endless weeks in the TARDIS between stops on Earth, it could very well be about 10 years for them.
He hated when his companions grew older, it was harder to be around humans than Time Lords in that sense. Humans grew old, they decayed and they died and they left him. That was why, she knew, he also tended to leave his companions quickly and without looking back. Death was a far more permanent separation and once a human was dead he wouldn't be able to see them again save for cheap tricks and very distant observations. If he could leave them on Earth, in their prime, then that was how he could always remember them. They'd be those youthful humans that had their whole lives ahead of them. He could live for centuries and still keep that belief that that was how they would stay, because he had a time machine and he could appear five minutes after he'd last seen them if he chose to. He didn't though, because he wanted them to be like that in his memory, not to see them age, not to see them growing closer and closer to death and a permanent loss.
Amy's lines around her eyes were signs to him that Amy was aging, that she wouldn't be that little girl he'd met first for much longer. She could tell, after this trip, there might be a few more he'd plan, but he would be bringing the Ponds back very soon, so that he could remember them as they were now and not lose them to old age.
"Yes," the Doctor answered, startling the Judge out of her observations, she'd almost forgotten that Amy had asked a question.
"No," Rory countered instantly.
"You didn't look," Amy told her husband, who still had his back to her from where he'd paused in his goings.
"I noticed them earlier," Rory slowly turned, and winced as he realized how he'd just said that, "Didn't notice them. I specifically remember not noticing them."
Amy narrowed her eyes playfully, "You walk among fire pits, centurion."
"Do I have to come over there?" he started to smile as he walked towards his wife.
"You can, if you like."
"Well, we have company," he crouched down beside her.
"Well they could use an example and refresher then," Amy smirked, reaching out to tug Rory closer to kiss him.
It was truly the only way she could get back at the Judge for some of her remarks, to be closer to her husband. Because while she knew that Doctor and Judge had centuries worth of issues to resolve before they could truly be at a place that a husband and wife should be, she had seen them get closer…but they hadn't actually kissed just yet. She was looking forward to the day they would though. She…she wanted the Doctor to be happy and she saw him, little by little, with each adventure, with each wound being healed, growing happier.
"Oh!" the Doctor grimaced, "Do you know, it is so humiliating when you do that," he huffed, turning back to his book.
Amy laughed though, she could see a bit of pink on his cheeks.
"Coffee?" Rory looked around, standing.
"Coffee," Amy agreed, waving Rory off as he left.
"Can I have a go?" the Doctor glanced at Amy, taking her glasses off and putting them on his face, "Oh!" he grinned, eyeing the book, "Actually, that is much better. That is exciting."
"Are you going to read aloud again," the Judge moved closer to them.
"Hmm…" the Doctor hummed, "Nope," he smirked and held the book out to her, "You are."
"What? Why?"
The Doctor shrugged, "You always did the voices better," he smiled at her. He knew that she would claim HE had read their children bedtimes stories best, but…he loved it when he got to see her do it. He did it more often than not, much more than her, so hearing her tell their children stories was a rare treat and one he loved getting the most out of. And now, now she would be reading the story to him.
"I'm not going to yowz," she warned him, taking the book, but he held it for a moment longer, just enough to rip the last page out and shove it into his pocket.
"Why did you do that?" Amy blinked at the action.
"To keep the story going," the Judge answered, "It was why he read the stories most, he never let it end, just picked up the next night."
"I hate endings," the Doctor defended, "Now, come on dear, read."
The Judge shook her head, but held the book up, open to the page he'd been reading and continued where he left off, "As I crossed the street, I saw the thin guy, but he didn't see me. I guess that's how it began. I followed the skinny guy for two more blocks before he turned and I could ask exactly what he was doing here. He looked a little scared, so I gave him my best smile and my bluest eyes…" she trailed off a moment, her expression growing more serious as she saw the next few words.
"You're not gonna yowz too are you?" Amy glanced at her for her silence, "You said you weren't gonna yowz."
"I'm not yowzing," the Judge swallowed, "Doctor…" she looked at him, seeing him frowning at how she had stiffened from the book, handing it over to him to see what was written there.
Amy started to frown now, "What did the skinny guy say?"
"He said," the Doctor gaped at the page, "'I just went to get coffees for the Doctor, the Judge, and Amy. Hello, River.'"
"They're basically being kidnapped," the Judge told Amy as she got to her feet, pulling the Doctor up as well as Amy snatched the book to see for herself, trying to read it as she hurried after the Time Lord who were half running through the park to get back to the TARDIS.
"What's River doing in a book?" Amy shook her head, reading how Rory and River had been put into a car and driven off, "What's Rory doing in a book?"
"He went to get coffee!" the Doctor said, "Pay attention."
"He went to get coffee and turned up in a book. How does that work?"
"Alright, even I can admit no human would be able to work that out from just that Doctor," the Judge told him as they reached the phone box.
"I don't know," the Doctor muttered, quickly pulling out the key, "We're in New York!"
"Yes, Captain Obvious, we are, but that won't explain how Rory got into a book that takes place in the late 1930s," the Judge countered. She reached out and grabbed the Doctor's arm as he fumbled with the key, "Doctor," she gripped his arm hard, tugging him slightly so he'd face her, "Take a breath, and calm down, you'll need to focus and these jitters…" she shook her head, "You're a doctor," she loosened her hold on his arm, allowing it to drift to his hand, squeezing it, "Steady hands are your specialty right?"
The Doctor gave her a smile for that and nodded, turning back to the door, his hands firm, and unlocked the door with ease, dashing in with the Judge and Amy after him, the two Time Lords heading for the controls as Amy tried to work out more clues from the book.
"Where did you get this book?" Amy called.
"It was in my jacket," he answered.
"How did it get there?"
"Have you SEEN his pockets?" the Judge scoffed, "Half the time I needed a bucket to put all his odds and ends that end up in there when I did the laundry. I don't think HE knows how half of it ends up in there."
"Date," the Doctor mumbled, "Date. Does she mention a date? When is this happening?"
"April 1938," the Judge spoke.
"Yes, but what day?"
"The 3rd," Amy read, frowning as she skimmed the rest of the page, "However Rory got there, River says it couldn't have been the TARDIS."
"Couldn't have?" the Doctor frowned, "What does she mean, 'couldn't have?'"
"Is 1938 TARDIS proof?" the Judge looked at the Doctor, not entirely sure. She doubted that the humans would have the technology to do something like that in 1938, but given all the time travel the Doctor had done before she'd joined him, the damage that could sometimes be done because of it, she wouldn't discount that 1938 might have some sort of temporal scar that would block the TARDIS from entering.
"No…I…I don't know," the Doctor turned to Amy, "Does she say why?"
"She says the city's full of time distortions," Amy read quickly, "She says it would be impossible to land the TARDIS there. Something about a plane and a blizzard," she grew solemn and serious and looked at the Doctor, "She says not even she could do it."
"Well of course she couldn't," the Judge cut in, seeing the Doctor about to open his mouth, putout, "She's only human."
"She's part-Time Lord," Amy reminded her.
"She's a mutated human," the Judge repeated, "She is not, in any way, a Time Lord. It takes more than wonky DNA to make one or to understand what we are. If she were an actual Time Lord, she would understand that time distortions are difficult, but not impossible."
The Doctor started to smile at that, "Not impossible," he agreed, "Just a bit unlikely."
He missed Jenny, they'd contacted her after the Cubes incident, but she'd been busy, helping settle a dispute back on Messaline, it seemed their history had gotten distorted again and they needed her to set the record straight. It had only been for a few minutes, but he really wanted to speak to his daughter a bit more. Actually…he really wanted to just see her speaking with the Judge more. Even though he knew Jenny was an odd case, that she wasn't in any way a sign of infidelity, the fact still remained that she wasn't biologically the Judge's child but she was HIS. He knew that she'd met Jenny before, worked with her, but he didn't know how they really felt about each other. Seeing them talking and laughing and seeing how comfortable the Judge was with Jenny and Jenny with her, it warmed his hearts.
"1938," he murmured, reaching out to grab a control, " Here we come!" and threw it…
Only for sparks to go off, the console to erupt in flames, and the TARDIS to jolt violently, sending the three of them falling back into the rails as the alarms went off, warnings flashing past the monitor until the TARDIS stopped with a large crash.
Amy paused a moment, waiting to see if the TARDIS would move again, "What was that?" she asked.
"1938," the Doctor grumbled, "We just bounced off it."
"Is it all forms of time travel or just the artron energy of a TARDIS?" the Judge wondered, snatching the book from the jump seat where Amy had dropped it, flipping through the pages to get back to the right one, "Vortex Manipulators can make it," she read quickly, seeing River telling Rory that was how she got there, "So we either need a beacon of some sort or we have to go visit Jack."
"Beacon it is," the Doctor decided, seeing that the Judge had given him a choice, and…he wasn't really in any hurry to bring Jack along, he…well, he wanted to spend a bit more time with his wife than spend it with his wife with Jack there too. They COULD do this, he knew it, they could get the TARDIS there and, it would probably be easier to get them all out of whatever was going on if they had the TARDIS, a box with walls and doors and locks, than to leave themselves out in the open and hope River's manipulator worked.
He turned, about to head to the monitor to do that…when the console went up in flames, out of nowhere, as though the TARDIS were telling him not to dare try it at the moment, "Right…best give the old girl a mo," he muttered, taking the Judge's hand and pulling her out the door with Amy, stepping outside to see they'd appeared in a cemetery just outside of New York.
"How did Rory get there then?" Amy asked, taking the book from the Judge to double check, "He doesn't have a Vortex Manipulator."
"The Weeping Angels," the Doctor let out a breath, rubbing his head, it was the only thing he could think of that could send someone into the past like that without use of a time travel capsule.
"The Weeping Angels?"
"It makes sense."
"It makes what?"
"Didn't you encounter them before?" the Judge shook her head, giving Amy a look that clearly said 'THINK about it' before she added, "The Weeping Angels are known across the universe for doing just this. They send you into the past so that you can live out your life there, they feed on the energy of what could have been your life in the present."
"Well, we've got a time machine," Amy remarked, ignoring the very real fact that she HAD encountered the Angels before and yes, she did know how they operated, "We can just go and get him."
The Judge blinked, "Were you not paying attention to what just happened when we attempted to go to 1938? We need more information to get there."
"And now we are back where we started, in 2012," the Doctor huffed, throwing out an arm towards the New York City skyline.
"We didn't start in a graveyard," Amy pointed out, "What are we doing here?"
"Don't know. Probably causally linked, somehow. Doesn't matter."
"Extractor fans on," the Judge worked on the TARDIS, knowing that the flames would likely die down if they gave it time, but wanting to help speed up the process.
"Well, we're going to get there, somehow," Amy muttered, flipping through the pages of the book, "We're in the rest of the book."
"In what?" the Doctor frowned.
"Page 43. You're going to break something."
"I'm what?"
"'Why do you have to break mine?' I asked the Doctor," Amy started to read, "He frowned and said, 'Because Amy read it in a book and, now, I have no choice.'"
"You stupid human!" the Judge quickly snatched the book out of Amy's hand, "You've spent all this time traveling in time and you do THAT?!"
"Do what?!" Amy glared, not appreciating being called stupid so outright.
"You can't read ahead," the Doctor agreed, looking just as serious and disappointed as the Judge, "You mustn't and…and you can't do that."
"But we've already been reading it!"
"In time with what is happening in the story!" the Judge nearly shouted, "We've been keeping parallel to them within the causal nexus what you're doing is trying to broach outside that! And you can't!"
"Why not?" Amy crossed her arms, "It could help us find Rory!"
"And if you read ahead and find that Rory dies?" the Doctor spoke, trying to keep the Judge from going off on her, though he had to admit he was rather upset about what Amy had done as well, "This isn't any old future, Amy, it's ours. Once we know what's coming, it's fixed. I'm going to break something because you told me that I'm going to do it. No choice now."
"Time can be rewritten," Amy said quietly.
"Not for us," the Judge shook her head, "Not when it comes to time travelers and our personal futures. And especially not once you've read it," she held up the book as though it were proof, "This Amy, this book has already happened and, because it was written by a time traveler, this is what WILL happen if we know that it does. Foreknowledge is dangerous."
"We need to get to 1938," the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, turning to the Judge, not wanting to talk about this any longer, "Is there anything in there that can help us get a beacon going?"
The Judge opened the book and looked at the last page she'd read, skimming it for anything that might help, "Not yet, River and Rory are in some…Mr. Grayle's home, looking at vases from the Quin Dynasty…"
"What dynasty?" the Doctor perked up at that, an idea striking him.
"Early Quin."
He grinned widely, "Geronimo."
~8~
The Judge wasn't entirely sure just how well the Doctor's plan was going to work. They'd stopped into a small Chinese vase-making shop in the dynasty that had been mentioned, but that meant there were thousands of vases that would be made and they doubted that all of them would end up with the code words that they'd put in there. But they just needed one vase, just one with a set word on it to make its way to Grayle's home and they would be able to home in on it and take the TARDIS right there, push past the distortions and land in 1938.
"Got it!" the Doctor cheered, seeing 'Yowzah' appear on the monitor when a small alarm went off to alert them of it, "Landing lights," he grinned at the Judge, "We have a signal. Locking on," he quickly moved to the controls, glancing across the way to where the Jude was standing, "Ready for this dear?"
"I'll have to be," she took a deep breath, "It's been…a very long while since I've had to pilot a TARDIS in these conditions," if she ever had before, she doubted she ever had. She knew how to fly a TARDIS, everyone on Gallifrey learned at one point or another, but she had never really had need to use one before. Even when she'd been leaving the planet to try and find the Doctor after he'd taken the Moment, she'd used a shuttle not a TARDIS. She recognized the controls, she knew how they worked, it was just…rusty, like getting on a bicycle though, she was slowly getting the hang of it again.
"Doctor…" Amy gasped, reading as parallel to the book as she could, but she looked up at him in horror, "Grayle's got an Angel."
"What?" he gaped at her.
"The book, it says that Grayle's been trying to collect them, he's got one in his house…River's gotten caught."
"Then there's no time to lose," the Doctor nodded, turning to the Judge, catching her eye before they both started to work on the controls. The lights in the console room started to flicker, the box shaking as the engines groaned, the TARDIS struggling to materialize.
"What does that mean?!" they glanced at the doors, able to hear someone outside them shouting now, a man.
"It means, Mr. Grayle," and the voice of River Song joined his, "The Doctor will see you now."
The trio in the TARDIS took only a moment to make sure that the TARDIS was stable before they turned and ran for the doors. They dashed out and into a rather well off home, clearly one that belonged to a collector…one that would be rather cross that quite a few of his pieces were now shattered on the floors, but that was what the man got for kidnapping.
"Rory?" Amy ran into the room, looking around, before turning to hurry up the stairs and check the second floor, not seeing her husband there, "Rory! Rory?!"
"That's…River Song yes?" the Judge asked the Doctor quietly, pointing towards a doorway through which he could see River standing there, in the next room, her wrist caught in the grip of a Weeping Angel that was chained up.
"Um…yes," the Doctor cleared his throat, glancing at the Judge and then to River, "Um…would it…would it make me a wanker to ask you two not to fight?" he inquired softly, not wanting to come across like he was that sort of fond for River, he wasn't, but just…really not wanting a fight to break out. He'd tried, very hard, to not give the Judge a reason to think that River was a threat to their marriage.
He wasn't entirely sure if he had gone about it the right way. He hadn't really brought up River Song much, mostly because he didn't feel like…he had to. He didn't really bring up his past companions either and what he felt for River was very much what he felt for any other companion, though mixed with slightly more guilt than most. He felt that same guilt for the Ponds as well, because of him their daughter had been taken and turned into River, they'd lost all that time. Yes they'd gotten to 'raise' Mels, but growing up with someone wasn't quite the same as raising them. He felt guilt for all they'd lost, all that trauma, he felt guilt for whatever had been done to baby Melody Pond to turn her into the assassin and psychopath she'd become.
But he didn't feel love for River. Or, he didn't feel THAT sort of love for her. He loved his companions, in a friendly sort, they were all important to him, his best friends, but there was only one woman that he loved in the sense he knew River had wanted from him, and that was his wife. Their relationship had been hard, tricky, but they had grown to love each other from a mutual respect, they had grown to be closer and trust and love and that made it so much more unbreakable of a bond. He loved his wife, in a way he wouldn't love another woman, so it never even touched his mind to even consider River like that.
So he never really brought her up, because there was nothing to bring up about her. The Judge was aware that other companions had had feelings for him, Rose, Martha, Amy, that not many of them knew that SHE existed. She had accepted that the feelings of others couldn't be controlled but it was HIS feelings that concerned her, his lack of reciprocation with the others had proven to her, without saying, that he didn't return their feelings that way. Given that she'd come to the pyramid, she knew that River had feelings for him, she knew that River wanted him…but the fact that HE had called HER there instead had been a show to River that it could never be. She knew that River harbored some sort of feeling for him, but she was also well aware that he had never encouraged them.
He just…he really didn't want a fight to break out between his wife and the daughter of his companions, the last time they'd met, the Judge HAD held River at gunpoint, though it had more to do with setting the timelines right than anything else.
"No it wouldn't," the Judge gave him a small reassuring smile, "And I won't."
"You won't?" he eyed her warily, knowing that they'd both had a bad bout of jealousy in the past.
"I won't if she won't," she amended, "And…" she glanced at River, watched her intently, noticed how River had only looked their way once but turned her attention back to the Weeping Angel and remained focused on that, "I don't believe she'll be a problem."
She could practically feel his apprehension about this. And it was…odd, to think of how she might react, actually being confronted with the woman before her. Of all the people that the Doctor travelled with, she was sure that River had tried to come the closest to being something to him in that sense. With all her foreknowledge at the different points she met him, it was clear that some things she said, some implications, were meant to make the Doctor question himself, but it never happened. She knew of River, the first time that he had encountered the woman, in a Library, he had contacted her, he had been…upset to say the least. He'd feared, for a long time that she was a future incarnation of her and she couldn't deny that it might be possible, though there were things that seemed to go against that. Why not speak in Gallifreyan, why not communicate with him telepathically, why travel and be around humans willingly, why kill someone? It wasn't till he'd found that she was Melody Pond that he'd been relieved of that notion.
He'd kept a distance from River due to not knowing who she was, just because it was possible that she could be a future Judge didn't mean he was going to risk that, especially when she didn't act like her or think like her or go by 'the Judge' or anything like that. It was one very minor possibility but not the most glaring one. She trusted him, she had to, to let him off the planet the first time, she had to trust that he would keep true to his marriage vows and he had, he had never ever given her a reason to doubt him, had been open and honest with all attempts made by women in the past and never lied to her about anything. So she trusted him when it came to River Song as well.
Well, she did now. She knew that there were past incarnations of her that would have reacted differently. That was the odd part about all of this, how she was acting now WAS different than past hers would have reacted. She knew some of her past selves would be cold and distant with River, others harsh, some ignore her, others would try and be overly kind because she could assume River was still suffering in knowing that the Doctor was never going to be hers, while some might try to make it even more clear that the Doctor was HERS. This her…well, if the Doctor saw her as just another companion, she would do her best to treat River just the same. If River tried the flirting she was sure that the woman had inherited from Amy, then there might be issues, but if River was respectful to her, she would be equally so back.
It was the least she could do given that the Ponds would be leaving soon and that was their daughter standing ahead of them.
And speaking of the Pond child…she was still in the grips of a Weeping Angel and probably very uncomfortable, "Come on," she nudged the Doctor and stepped into the room, the study, that River was stuck in.
"Sorry we're late," the Doctor offered, trying to force a smile but it was clear to both women that he was uncomfortable around them.
River rolled her eyes at that, something that made the Judge give a small smile, hopefully this wouldn't be as awkward as the Doctor was expecting. She paused beside Grayle, kneeling down to touch his neck, checking his pulse, "I think he's in shock," she assured the Doctor, "He should be fine in an hour or so."
"Not if I can get loose," River muttered, tugging on her wrist but it was still stuck.
The Judge glanced at the Doctor, seeing him fidgeting, looking between them, and sighed, standing, "We had best get this over with," she told River, stepping over to the woman, "For his peace of mind, where are you in your timeline Dr. Song? Are you still in prison?"
"Pardoned," River answered, her voice sounding very controlled, not sounding like she was controlling her emotions but more so trying to keep too much from slipping through, weighing her words to see what she should or shouldn't say, "Ages ago. And it's 'Professor' Song now."
The Doctor glanced at the Judge as she nodded slightly, understanding what he had, she was nearer to the Library now, "So it's been quite a few years since Berlin, I take it?"
River nodded, "Ages and ages," she glanced at the Doctor, seeing him still hesitating, "Oh do stop that Doctor," she huffed, "I'm not about to try and steal you away from your wife, I have more dignity and self-respect than that."
"I…I wasn't…I didn't think…" the Doctor started to stutter. He knew that there had been something…lacking in the sort of flirting that River did with him in the past, when the Judge hadn't been there. The older the incarnation of River that he met, the more it sounded like she was just going through the motions, like she knew no matter what she said it wouldn't get anything out of him. The younger she was, the closer to Berlin, the more…hopeful? Perhaps that was the right word, it was like the older she got the more she seemed to realize that her life shouldn't revolve around him and that he would never be hers.
"I was a young girl then Doctor," River told him reasonably, "You were, quite literally, the focus of my life, thanks to the Silence," she sighed, "I've had time now though, Doctor, time to find myself and what I want, not what they wanted. I do think you are a remarkable man," she gave him a soft smile, "But I know you need an equally remarkable Time Lady, not just a…mutated human," she held up her other hand to keep the Judge from speaking, even though she knew the woman wasn't going to apologize for saying that to her all those years ago, well years to HER at least, "I've made peace with that and…I'm glad I did," she looked between them, "I've been able to live my own life for ME and be the sort of woman I want to be, not what I thought you might want me to be."
River glanced at the Judge and smirked, "Just to get that out of the way," she winked at the woman.
She wouldn't lie and say that she was entirely over the Doctor, she doubted there was a soul alive that could ever claim the same when it came to the Doctor, he always left a mark on the people whose lives he touched, she was no different. But she wasn't going to flirt, she wasn't going to tease, she wasn't going to get in the way of his life with his wife. She couldn't do that to him. A good majority of her life in Luna University, where she'd gone after Berlin, had been learning about Time Lords and Gallifrey. She knew about the war, about the loss of the planet, she knew quite a bit about the devastation it wrought not just on the Doctor but on the surrounding worlds and people. She knew the Doctor was a father as well, she could remember being a baby, held in his arms and her mother's and father's, had heard them ask if he had ever been a father and she knew, she knew from how much he hesitated, from how he changed the topic, that yes…he HAD been. Which means the Judge had been a mother as well. ALL they had of their planet and their lives were each other and the TARDIS, their lives had ended with the war, their families torn apart, leaving them with nothing but pieces to be picked up.
If she felt any true love at all for the Doctor, she could not begrudge him this, she could not get in the way of him and his wife and an experience that only the other could understand, a loss they shared, a pain they both held. She would not do that to him, she would not do that to the Judge either, they both deserved better given all they'd lost. So she refused to be a problem to them, she refused to cause trouble with them, no. She may not fully get over the Doctor, few would be able to, but she did care for him and she did want him to be happy and right now…seeing his relieved smile, seeing the softness in his eyes when he looked at the Judge, like he was happy that she wouldn't be put in a difficult spot, she could tell…he was happy now.
And that was all she wanted.
She could swallow whatever emotions she might have left for him, if it meant that he was going to be happy.
"You were pardoned?" the Doctor looked back at her, that small smile still on his face.
"Turns out the person I killed never existed in the first place," River smirked, doing her best to keep this light and push any lingering feelings down, "Apparently, there's no record of him. It's almost as if someone's gone around, deleting himself from every database in the universe."
"I got too big," he shrugged, though from the way his gaze flickered to the Judge, both women knew there was more to it than that. He'd gotten too big, yes, he'd tried to do this to keep himself safe but the Judge knew as well that it was also her promise that she'd travel with him when the Ponds left, he'd wanted to make sure it was safe for HER as well.
"And, now, no one's ever heard of you," River added, "Didn't you used to be somebody?"
"Weren't you the woman who killed the Doctor?" he countered, feeling just a little more comfortable, the way River was talking, it wasn't flirty, it was more…friendly this time.
"Doctor who?" River joked, proving it more.
The Doctor shook his head and scanned the Angel as the Judge stepped closer to look at its grip on River's arm, reaching up to gently wiggle the woman's wrist, testing the grip, "She's holding you too tight…"
"At least she didn't send me back in time," River spoke, though her voice was slightly quieter. It was one thing to try and be amicable with the woman that was the Doctor's real live wife, but it was another for it to actually happen, for the other woman to be just as…considerate of her as she was trying to be for the Judge.
"Given Grayle's treatment?" the Judge shook her head, "I doubt she'd be strong enough."
"Well, I need a hand back. So which is it going to be," she glanced between them, "Are you going to break my wrist or hers?" the two of them fell silent and glanced at each other, hearing the echo of Amy's words, the words she'd read, coming back to them. River frowned, seeing their solemn looks, "Oh, no. Really? Why do you have to break mine?"
The Doctor looked back, seeing that Amy had come to the doorway, "Because Amy read it in a book and, now, I have no choice," he recited the same words as well and gave Amy a look, "You see?"
"This is why Humans shouldn't time travel," the Judge told him quietly, "They muck it up nearly as much as you do."
The Doctor pointed at her as though he were about to say something, but turned back to the Angel's grip, examining it quickly, knowing he couldn't exactly argue with that. Some of his past companions had nearly caused the end of the world by interfering with time.
River frowned at that, "What book?"
"Melody Malone," the Judge held a hand back to Amy, the ginger girl having not let go of the book since the TARDIS had tried to land, and took it from her as Amy gave it over, "You wrote it apparently. But since the events of it are still happening…"
"We can't read it," River sighed, the Judge nodding at that.
She had to wonder though, if mutated humans were only slightly more clever than humans, Amy hadn't grasped that concept while River had. But, then again, this River had obviously had years of time travel on her own and had to have learned the rules of it by now.
"I don't like the cover much," River tried to lighten the mood.
"But if River's going to write that book, she'd make it useful, yeah?" Amy tried to make it up to them, tried to help them think.
"Well, I'll certainly try. But we can't read ahead. It's too dangerous."
"I know, but there must be something we can look at."
"What, a page of handy hints, previews, spoiler-free?"
"Isn't that the Table of Contents?" the Judge wondered, thinking of the page that gave hints of what the chapters might relate to.
The Doctor's eyes widened and he looked at the Judge, "That is brilliant!" he quickly took the book from her, "I could kiss you dear."
The Judge's eyes flickered to River only a brief second, seeing her look away at that, focusing on the Angel again, "Maybe later," she told him quietly, not that she really had to, he was already focused on the book and skimming the titles.
"He's in the cellar!" he declared.
"Gimme!" Amy held out a hand and the Doctor tossed her the sonic for the locks and a light before she ran off.
"Oi!" the Judge called, "Honestly," she turned to hurry after Amy, "You humans and your rushing off without a thought!" she could hear the Doctor laughing softly behind her as she gave chase after Amy.
All this had started because Rory had somehow wandered into a nest of Weeping Angels, and now Amy was rushing off…into a house that had at least one Weeping Angel in it already, a Weeping Angel which, if its open mouth was to be believed, was likely calling to the others to help it.
"Amy wait!" she called, seeing Amy disappear through the door to the cellar, calling out for Rory, "Amy!" she hurried around the corner of the door and gasped when she saw what the light of the sonic had fallen on, three small cherub statues at the base of the stairs, "Amy no!" she gasped, grabbing Amy's arm and pulling her back.
"Rory!" Amy struggled, trying to head down the stairs.
The Judge winced as one of Amy's elbows caught her ribs and when she looked back, the statues had moved, "Amy stop it!" she pulled Amy back with more force, "Those statues there are Weeping Angels," she told her, finally getting Amy to stop struggling, "They're baby Angels and we need to get out before more come."
"Did they get Rory?" Amy started moving back, the light falling on a box of matches and burned out ones on the floor next to the statues, "Where is he? Did they take him?"
"I think that would be obvious, dear," the Judge muttered, getting the two of them up to the door. She pushed Amy through and quickly slammed the door shut, hearing giggling and thump on the door, signaling that the statues had indeed been baby Angels. So she quickly locked the door.
"So is this what's going to happen?" Amy asked as the Judge turned and began to walk back towards where she'd left the Doctor and River, "We just keep chasing him back in time and they keep pulling him further back."
But whatever answer the Judge was going to give was cut off when she saw the Doctor stalking by the TARDIS, pacing, irritated and tense, "Theta," she called in Gallifreyan, ignoring Amy for a moment, knowing from how his fists were clenching that English would likely not get through to him, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he muttered, his gaze still locked on the floor.
The Judge let out a breath and stepped into the path of his pacing, putting a hand up on the center of his chest to stop him, "Tell me husband."
She knew it had to be serious when even calling him husband didn't get a reaction out of him.
He swallowed hard, "The last title," he picked up the book and showed her it, "Amelia's Last Farewell."
"That could mean anything," she reminded him, "It could be her last to…to Rory. Or to River. It could be her last to us, to travelling…"
"Or it could mean she dies," he cut in, tears in his eyes, "I don't want her to die."
"You never want anyone to die," she murmured, "But it DOES happen Theta, it always does. No matter how hard we try, even WE die."
"But for humans, it's more permanent," he shook his head, "I promised Brian…"
"I know," she murmured, "But until we actually know what it means, we can't assume anything," she ducked her head slightly, catching his eye, "Ok?"
He swallowed hard but took a breath, "Ok."
"Good," she smiled, switching to English, "Now…where's River?"
He winced at that.
"Doctor?" she gave him a look.
"I told her to break her wrist out without breaking her wrist," he admitted.
"That would be impossible," she shook her head, "She broke it in the book, she'll break it now."
"I know, I know," he ran a hand through his hair, "I just…"
"You wanted her to change the future," she nodded, "Because you thought, if she did that, then the other titles would change as well. But that's not how it works, you KNOW that."
"I know," he repeated, "I…"
"I've got readings," River called, interrupting him as she stepped into the room, a long jacket on, her right arm hanging at her side, a handheld scanner in her left hand, "Rory isn't back in time. I'm reading a displacement, but there are no temporal markers. He's been moved in space, not in time, and it's not that far from here, by the look of it."
The Doctor stared at her with wide happy eyes, "You got out," he breathed, not seeing the Judge frowning at River, both of them knew it was impossible, but…she'd done it, hadn't she?
"So where is he?" Amy asked, more concerned with that then how River had done anything.
"Well, come on, come on, come on, where is he?!"
River gave him an unamused look, "If it was that easy, I'd get you to do it."
"I don't understand," the Judge eyed her, stepping closer, "You couldn't have gotten your wrist out without breaking it."
"He asked," River shrugged, "So I did. Problem?"
"Yes," the Judge nodded, cutting off the Doctor's happy laugh, "If you did that…then you just changed the future."
"I've done it before."
"And that worked out so well," she deadpanned, "River the events we've read are already fixed points, if you've changed that…"
"Rory's within a few blocks," River cut in, clearing her throat and looking back at the scanner, "There's a car out front. Shall we steal it?"
"Geronimo!" the Doctor cheered, hoping beyond hope that, because River had altered a fixed point, no matter how small, and nothing had happened, time hadn't fallen apart, that maybe, just maybe, the rest of it wasn't fixed points either. He dashed for the door, just past River, knocking into her hanging right arm…
Only to make her hiss in pain and mover her arm to her chest, clutching it, the sleeve falling down to reveal River's wrist was bruised and swollen, obviously still broken.
~8~
It was a solemn air that had fallen over the group as they huddled in the main foyer of Grayle's home a short while later. River was sitting rigidly on the steps, her gaze on the floor, as though knowing that, by lying more to the Doctor she hadn't exactly won any points, even as friends, with the man. Amy was standing against the wall, too restless to sit with her husband trapped out there somewhere. The Judge was moving around the room, checking the artifacts that Grayle had collected, wanting to make sure he hadn't started to collect any other alien things that he hadn't realized were alien while the Doctor soniced the vortex manipulator and the scanner, syncing them and handing them to Amy.
"Ok," he told Amy, "When all those numbers on both units go to zero, that's when we've got a lock, ok? That's how we find Rory."
"Got it," Amy nodded and focused on the scanner intently.
The Doctor glanced at the Judge a moment, catching her eye, seeming to silently be asking her something, not even needing to ask her in his mind for her to understand what it was. She gave him a small smile and nodded. He gave her a smile in return and moved to sit beside River, "Why did you lie to us?" he asked her.
River took a breath, "When one cares for an ageless God who insists on the face of a 12-year-old, one does one's best to hide the damage," she offered, choosing to be honest this time.
The Doctor nodded absently, understanding that there had been more damage done to her over the years than just the wrist. She'd given up her regenerations for him, because she cared for him, she'd tried to protect him, she would die to save others in the Library, and all the flirting, the hope that chipped away little by little when he wouldn't return her flirting, but still she did all she could to help him, because she did care, "It must hurt."
"Yes," River swallowed and sighed, "The wrist is pretty bad, too."
The Doctor reached out and took River's hand and wrist in his hands, concentrating till a soft golden-orange energy began to drift over her wound, healing it even as River protested loudly against it. But he ignored her, waiting till he'd finished, keeping a firm but gentle grip on her wrist, and placing it down when he was finished, "There you are," he patted her wrist, "How's that?"
River eyed her hand, "Well, let's see, shall we?" and then promptly slapped him with it, "That was a stupid waste of regeneration energy. Nothing is gained by you being a sentimental idiot!"
"River!" the Doctor frowned.
But River jumped to her feet, "No! You embarrass me!" she snapped and turned to stride out of the room.
The Judge looked back from the Doctor's frown to Amy's shock, and then to the slam of the front door that River had disappeared through, before she sighed and moved to follow River outside.
A/N: Hmm...I wonder what River and the Judge will say to each other without the Doctor there to hear }:) I really debated what to do with this, with how River would act around the Judge, I had done one where she was the best friend of the child, the goddaughter, the daughter, and the rival, so I wanted to sort of have one where she was normalish. Where she was sort of the interested party that matured as time went on. She still has feelings for the Doctor, but here she's choosing to be mature and think about what the Doctor wants and what makes him happy. So...like just a good and decent friend :)
Some notes on reviews...
I'm glad you liked the little title :) I thought I'd try and be a bit different for this story and, instead of making it an entire elaborate process, making it sort of like a base for a marriage :)
Clara, I think, will call the Judge 'Judy' or 'Plaidy' for now though ;)
That's awesome :) I'm glad you and your sister are enjoying the stories :)
I can't say about the kids just yet. I can say that in a general sense, they are dead :'( I don't think the Doctor and Judge will really know 100% whether one of them might have survived or if the Judge felt the regeneration or 'death' but the child survived till Gallifrey returns though }:)