** A/N: This one's short, sorry guys. Kinda angsty. Thanks for all the great reviews! I love you all and I'll have the next chapter posted really soon. Please keep the reviews coming – they mean a lot! **
The Doctor had already made it all the way down the stairs before Amy could recover enough to follow him. She ran down the steps on shaking legs, desperate to catch him before he could leave the house. "Doctor, wait!"
He had already made it to the back door and was reaching for the handle when Amy's pained voice stopped him in his tracks. His grip on the picture tightened as he turned to face his friend. Rory had also risen to his feet and the couple was looking at him with determination as the rest of the group looked on. Amy's voice broke the tense silence, "We're coming with you."
The Doctor made a move to protest, but Rory spoke first, "Don't. Don't even try and tell us to stay because you know it isn't going to work. She's our kid and we're coming and that's final."
"No, Rory!" the Doctor was raising his voice now, "This is too complicated and I won't have you involved! Let me handle this!"
"You know we're gonna go one way or another. Better to let us go with you then sneak over, don't you think?"
It was clearly a challenge and the Doctor didn't know how to respond. He was almost shaking with frustration when he regained his composure enough to speak again, "Damn it! Fine. But you listen to me. I'm not going to lose you two because you feel the need to go and do something stupid."
Amy reached over to clutch her husband's hand, hoping the Doctor would realize they would be helpful. The rest of the group watched the exchange with concern written all over their faces, but no one dared speak up. The Doctor was only going to let Amy and Rory go because they were River's parents and they'd be safer going with him than sneaking out on their own. The rest of them had no legitimate reason to go, as they would only get in the way.
The Doctor clutched the faded picture tighter as he stormed out of the house and straight to the TARDIS he had brought to park near Rose's house. He turned around reluctantly as he reached the door, waiting for the Ponds to catch up. They looked resolute, and not at all hesitant about the dangerous mission they were about to embark on. Every fiber of his being was telling him this was a bad idea, but if they stayed with him he had a better chance of keeping them safe.
When the three were gathered around the console, Amy and Rory started asking questions. Rory didn't hesitate to confront him, "Where is she, Doctor?"
"I'm working on it."
"You mean you don't know?"
"Amelia, give me a minute."
He fiddled anxiously with some knobs on all sides of the console, keeping his eyes on the screen and dodging the Ponds who were trying unsuccessfully to follow his sporadic motions. Finally, he looked at them; "I implanted a tracker in River's vortex manipulator a while back. She got it right before the Pandorica, so she already knew who I was. From her point of view, we were already married. I put the tracker in so that if I needed her, I could get to her at a point in her timestream when she would be willing to help."
"Because she would know who you were?" Rory clarified.
"Exactly."
"But you can find her, right?" Amy questioned.
"Hopefully. River's life is complicated. She's had the manipulator for a while, and she will have it for a while too. I have to find the moment in the vortex manipulator's timestream that corresponds to where we are now. That is, if she's even in sync with us and if it's with River. I suppose… they could have gone back and taken her before she got it… I really don't know."
"Just try ok?"
"Of course."
He poked around at some more controls and input the data for their current location and time before something started beeping. "Ponds! I think I got her!"
"How can you be sure?" Amy and Rory sprinted over.
"I know where the vortex manipulator is. It's in this universe, and it's in this exact time, in sync with us. I'd say it's a good bet that's River."
"Doesn't it seem a little too easy?"
"Yeah, it's a trap. But it's River. Your daughter and my wife. I don't think we have any choice but to go.
Amy and Rory teared up, but nodded in agreement. They both placed hands on him in comfort and attempted comforting smiles, "Let's go."
He adjusted the controls to lock onto the location, and with the pull of a lever the TARDIS jerked and they were off. The journey was short and silent – nobody dared speak and they were far too nervous. When they heard the familiar materialization noise around them, everyone's stomachs clenched and Amy had to sit down to stop herself from throwing up or passing out. When she had recovered, only letting a few tears fall, she let Rory support her and the Doctor led them out the doors. They were greeted by the too bright sunlight of early afternoon and not a building in sight. Only a large, ominous hill with silver doors built into the base. Definitely a trap. There was a noise from the forest behind them that Amy recognized all too well from the Byzantium and the three barely glanced at each other before the Doctor hid the TARDIS and they sprinted toward the hill.