"Listen to me, Jessica," I begin, and something like a weak, angry smile passes over her face. "No, listen here," and I bring up one hand to the heart of the left, the one she stands a chance of recognizing, "Soul did this. This wasn't a trick. This was nothing to do with what we are or you are or-"

River had been coming to help me, to lift her away somewhere. Jessica sees her approaching and slips along the wall away from me. Stops to reach down and snap off what she can of the stake in her stomach. I take a step towards her and she tries to run, glancing around for her exits and choosing the corridor to her right. But where she intends to take off, Amy and Rory are just helping each other in the opposite direction with their usual impeccable sense of timing.

That was sarcasm. I wasn't sure if it was clear from the tone, what with you reading and not being able to hear it, so I just want to make perfectly clear, I was being sarcastic about their timing.

There's no excuse for it, either; River's been here a good fifteen minutes now.

I stop watching. I hear Rory murmuring, "Jessica?", like it could be anybody else, then all the concerned noises of him going into full nurse mode. The flap of bare feet, and I bet she hasn't realized yet that she has been de-pumped, as Pond charges up to River and I and demands, "What's going on here?"

Which is a fair question. Any other day I'd answer her. But I'm very, very sick of questions right now, and it is easier altogether to keep my mouth closed and instead climb the stairs back to the console. Poking thoughtlessly at the navigation system, and River calls up to me, "Where are we going?"

"Excuse me?" Pond balks. "I asked you two a question; one of you could answer me."

"I don't know," I say to River. "Alpha Centauri sound alright?"

"Doctor!" Pond shouts.

"Don't worry, you don't have to go to Alpha Centauri."

There is the usual jolt when we take off, with an extra added expletive from Rory. My fault, really, I should have checked, but he was just helping Jessica up when I did it, and the start has hurt her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he spits. And again, it's a fair question right now. But it is still a question and I come far too close to spitting the words 'The General' right back at him, and so it is again easier to say nothing.

Anyway, we arrive.

We land, with another jolt and this time Rory just sits Jessica down on the steps. With their backs to us, like a pair of children. And I know for a fact she doesn't blame me as much as he does. Jessica Apple is an altogether more understanding sort than either of the humans present and for that I am very grateful. Whether or not she ever communicates with me again, or comes within twenty feet, for that matter, is a different thing entirely. I'll think about that in a minute.

I go to the door, and I open it. River doesn't move. So I call to her and nod her out. She doesn't understand. She stands there looking at me, all hurt and gormless. But she could ask me, "What?", and I'm grateful for the fact that she doesn't. The next person to ask anything gets beaten about the head with the question mark.

"Alpha Centauri is a hub, you can go anywhere from here and be fine."

"And where am I supposed to be going?" Oh, there it is. There's the hook-nosed little menace. Yes, that was most definitely a question, with which, as previously stated, I am quite through.

"I don't care, River, so long as I am nowhere near it. And before you start asking again all the whats and the whys and the useless questions just to hear it from my mouth when you know it all already, yes, I am throwing you out and yes, it is because you brought Soul here."

Somewhere else, Pond whispers to Rory, "What's Soul?" Which is another fair question and one which I would very much like to have answered myself, but I will not ask.

"Soul, Amy, is a very angry and very dangerous psychic presence who has just had the run of the place while you two were knocked out, and on account of whom we are all now in grave peril. But what the hell, it's Wednesday on the Tardis, that's just what happens, isn't it…"

She comes running to us, and stands by her daughter, both hands wrapped around River's arm. "We can't just abandon her here."

"Oh, but we can."

River has her diary in her free hand. There is, tucked into it, an A4 page folded into quarters, and it is this which she is poring over now. "No. No, my love, this is all wrong."

"You can't do this," Amy tells me. It is, at least, a plain and affirmative statement. "You can't just decide you're finished with somebody and cast them off like one of you stupid bloody hats!"

"I didn't decide, Amy; River did." As an afterthought, "And I have never cast off a hat, they have all been taken from me." As an afterthought, that doesn't go down well. River puts her free hand over Pond's to hold her back. Then slips out from under, and comes up close to me. Close so I can hear the cotton sound her hair makes when she shakes her head and smell that chocolate cupcake and not see her eyes.

Says to me, "Why?"
Which is the only question, really, ever. What else is worth the pain and effort of the answer? Why, River? Because someday Soul is going to take you over, and I believed it when it told me that I would only watch as you killed me. What else will there be for me to do? Because I don't want that ever to happen. And if it never happens, Jessica can never misread the situation and you never end in that dark, violent moment after me, and that's not how we finish, you and I. But if I told you all that, you'd stay. You'd tell me we were stronger than that and that there is always a way. You'd tell me until you made me trust in it. But I know now in the depth of my hearts and in the objectivity of my mind that I just don't know. I can't risk us for this. There are chances you take and there are chances you will tear the world down to stay away from and this is one of those times. So help me, I will put a universe between us to keep you safe.

But if I told you all that you'd stay.

"Because every time I start to trust you, River, you…"

It's alright. I should lie. It's all for her, there is no problem, I should lie.

But it's easier altogether just to keep my mouth shut and say nothing at all.

"You can't do this," Amy affirms again. This time meaning it. Not holding River this time, but reaching out to try and hold me. Her voice is shaking, bordering tearful. When I say nothing, she goes back to River. "Then we're coming with you."

"No," River starts. This is for them. I go to set a new course, away from here.

"Don't argue with me, young lady! We're coming. Right, Rory?" No response. "Rory?"

I stop. Not to listen in, of course, but because Rory is watching me over his shoulder. Waits a good deal too long before he answers her.

"Jessica's hurt…"
"To hell with Jessica!" Pond cries. Edging towards hysteria. Wondering why everyone else has suddenly gone so mad or if it's her. I recognize this because I know the feeling very well. "This is your daughter we're talking about!"

"Go with them," I say. I keep my eyes on the monitor so he won't think it matters to me.

"No," he says back, in just the same tone.

Amy shouts for him, and it could all turn very serious indeed, except that River reaches out and pulls her into her arms. Whispers something to her that I don't hear, but Amy relaxes. She's good at that, you know. She learned that from the very best there is.

Amy breathes out, "Don't."

River tells her it'll be alright. Then calls up to me, "Won't it, sweetie?"

There's that curvy little nuisance again on the end. Licence to say nothing one more time. "Take care of yourself, River."

As an afterthought, I fish a manipulator out from under the console and throw it down to her. "You too," she smiles, and winks. Hugs her mother one more time and shares a sympathetic glance with her father.

And then is gone. And the door shut behind her.

This time I warn Rory before take off. He puts an arm around Jessica and holds her still until we're up. Amy watches all this in disbelief and rage. I could tell her I understand. I could, but I have a funny feeling that might just make things worse.

"Rory," Pond says, "I don't understand. Explain it to me."

"She's hurt, Amy, I took an oath."

"No you didn't."

"Well, a pledge, come on, don't split hairs."

"You're a father!"

He nods. He accepts that, has nothing to offer in retort. But when he stands up, he is helping Jessica along with him. Says, "I need to get her up to the medical room."

"Well, what are you standing there talking about it for?" I say to him. I only just stopped myself from stopping to rephrase that when I realized it was a question. "Hop to it."

"You should come too, Doctor."

"Oh, don't let the title fool you. You'll be alright on your own."

"I mean you're bleeding too."

So I am. Wish he hadn't said that, it hurts a bit now. "Just worry about Jessica, I'll be fine."

Pond, watching all this, can no longer take it. She folds her arms and storms off. Rory calls her back, more than once, but she ignores him. I, for my part, go to my chair, think about sitting down, and then think better of it. Might need to get up at a moment's notice, and that sounds like a difficult thing indeed.

I lean on the rail instead and watch until Rory gets Jessica up the stairs.

They disappear. The console room falls silent. Rather than stand here alone, I decide it's probably time to go and get dressed.

[Gasp-shock-horror. A Tardis divided? No, seriously folks, sorry for the downer ending, but that's where this was headed. I hope you've been able to bear with me through all the talk. Good news is, that's the mythology pretty much out of the way. And next time there will be no downers. Next time there will be voodoo and zombies and loa and kidnap and intrigue, all down in the bayou and on the iron-fringed streets of New Orleans. That is, of course, as per, par for the course, if you all still want me? I'm always ready to go on, but I'm ready to stop when you're not having fun anymore. Drop a line if you're still with me. I'm not truffle-hogging for reviews, I want to know who you mad bunch are.

Of course those of you who have long since identified yourselves…

Hearts,

Sal.

Madis – ignore LosGatos. My brother, for reasons lost to human knowledge, thinks he's funny.

RandomRuth (re: speed of posts) – Time travel, honey!

everybody else – Thank you so so much!]