Standard disclaimer. I truly wish it was mine.

A/N: Also, a special thank you to the brilliant SquirrelWho for taking the time to talk through some key plot points with me! Without her help, I might never have figured out how to work certain things in...

Chapter 9

Amy had a lot on her mind as she got ready for bed that night. Her Raggedy Man was back, which was good. He had a new, old?, companion, which was not. He obviously cared a great deal for this Rose Tyler, and they certainly had a history together. But he was married. Not just married, but married to her daughter. No, this just wouldn't do at all.

"Penny for your thoughts, wife?" Rory asked as she got into bed.

"What do you make of her?"

"I like her. She's certainly been through a lot."

"What d'you mean?"

Rory sighed. He felt as though he was being put in an awkward position. Rose had confided in him, but Amy was his wife.

"What? Husband, what aren't you telling me?" Amy eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay…"

"I remember this," the Doctor said quietly, holding up a picture of his ninth incarnation and Rose in Cardiff.

Rose smiled, remembering their final encounter with the last surviving member of the family Slitheen. "That was a mouthful, Raxacoricofallapatorius. But I got there, finally."

"I was very proud."

"Have you seen Jack?"

"No," he replied simply as he continued to flip through the photos, smiling at some memories and frowning at others. Suddenly he came across a collection that he didn't remember at all. He recognized Rose and Jackie, of course. And even his metacrisis. But who was the child in his arms? And, more importantly, why did the Doctor feel tears stinging his eyes?

"What've you got there?" Rose asked, moving to sit beside him so she could see the picture in his hand. She rested her head on his shoulder and stroked the photo with her hand. "Tony, that's my brother Tony. You remember?"

"Yes, of course," he nodded, feeling numb.

"Why'd you do it?" she breathed. He didn't pretend to misunderstand her this time, but then nor did he answer. "Why did you do it?" she asked, this time with more force behind her words.

The Doctor hesitated, unsure of how to respond. And that was not something he was used to. He always had a clever answer ready. But not this time, not for her, not for Rose. How could he explain that it killed him to leave her on that beach with that poor, human excuse of a Time Lord hybrid? How could he tell her that she had awakened a part of him that he never thought would surface again? How could he look her in the eye and say that, even to this day, he loved her with every fibre of his being and yet still walked away forcing her into a life without him?

"You know what?" she said, pulling him from his reverie. "It doesn't matter, not now." She grabbed the pictures from his hands and clutched them to her chest. "I think that Memory Lane is closed, yeah? Goodnight, Doctor."

"Yes," he mumbled. "Quite right. Sleep well, Rose Tyler."

As the door closed behind him, she shook her head. "Sleep. Right..." she trailed off, a familiar glow appearing behind her eyes.

"And then she landed back in this world, ultimately making her way to the lake. And we all know what happened there…"

"So this John Smith, he was the Doctor? But not this Doctor, the old Doctor."

"Apparently. And he was left with Rose and her family in the parallel world."

"That's… that's just awful. But what now? What about River, does she know?"

"I don't know…"

"But Rose knows about her because the Doctor met her when he was younger."

"Yeah, but River hasn't met him yet."

"These back-to-front, front-to-back timelines are starting to give me a headache. I need sleep…"

"As do I," he yawned. "Goodnight, Mrs. Williams."

"Goodnight, Mr. Pond."

The alarm blared as River Song let herself back into her cell at Stormcage Prison. She rolled her eyes as the armed guards came running.

"Really, boys? Must we do this every time? I'm breaking back in, not out!"

The lead guard motioned for the others to stop. "False alarm. The prisoner is confined."

"Yes, thank you. Now if you don't mind, a girl does need her privacy," she winked.

River busied herself with getting ready for bed. She didn't need much rest, but it had been a rather exhausting day. Every time she saw the Doctor it became harder and harder, as she fell more in love with the man that knew less and less about her. She wasn't sure how she would handle the day when he didn't recognize her at all. Something told her it was coming soon, but she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she busied herself with updating her diary.

She saw the light reflecting on the wall before she heard any footsteps approaching.

"What is it?" she asked, sounding bored. "I told you, I'm in for the night."

"Professor River Song."

"Sorry, you're a bit early," the annoyed reply came. "Just River Song still, I'm afraid."

"You have never been just River Song. We have that in common."

"Who are you?" she asked, turning to the front of her cell to see the outline of a woman shrouded in a bright golden light.

"You are a child of the TARDIS, and I am her Wolf."

River was intrigued. "Her wolf?"

"The Bad Wolf formed from within the heart of the TARDIS; I have existed across space and time. And I am here to tell you, Professor River Song, that what you fear most is coming."

"Thanks, but no. Fairy tales are for children, and I'm no longer scared of the Big Bad Wolf."

"This is no fairy tale. I will help you. Together, we will save Him and, in turn, the universe."

River slowly started to back away from the strange woman, shaking her head as she moved. "No, don't say that. I'm not ready for that yet…"

"One never is, but time must keep moving on. Everybody knows that everybody dies."

Lying on her bed in the TARDIS, Rose's eyes suddenly popped open as she gasped desperately for air.

A/N: Thanks again for all of the reviews, follows and favorites! And you know I'd love to hear what you all think of where this is heading...