A Good Man Goes to War
Evy stood in the TARDIS, watching the monitor closely as the screen divided into two, one screen showing the Doctor sneaking about, planting the bombs she had created, while the other featured Rory, sealing off the doors on his way to the control room of the CyberShip. She'd hacked into the ships security feed and was speaking to both men to warn them of any dangers lurking around the corner.
She watched as Rory walked past a door lock, his cape billowing, using her sonic to lock the door, making it slide shut before another Cyberman could enter. She glanced at the Doctor's screen to see him heading back towards the TARDIS, just as the alarms went off.
"Intruder," she heard a Cyberman call over the comms. which she'd also hacked into, "Level Nine. Seal Level Nine."
The TARDIS rocked along with the ship, making her grumble in Evy's mind, as small explosions went off behind the Doctor, set to timers to distract the Cybers till Rory could get to them.
"Intruder, Level Eleven. Seal Levels Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen. Intruder, Level Fifteen. Prepare to engage."
She watched as Rory stepped through the doors to the control room, wearing his centurion outfit, which made the TARDIS giggle a bit, to stand before the CyberLeader and the other Cybermen. She glanced up as the door to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor rushed in, joining her at the console, as they began to set the controls, piloting the TARDIS, invisibly and silently into that very control room, just behind the Cybermen.
"I have a message and a question," Rory said on the monitor, "A message from the Doctor and Evy, a question from me. Where. Is. My. Wife?" the Cybers didn't answer, "Oh, don't give me those blank looks. The 12th CyberLegion monitors this entire quadrant," he walked forward, into the room, to stand before a large window, the fleet floating just outside, "You hear everything. So you tell me what I need to know, you tell me now, and I'll be on my way."
"You ready for this?" the Doctor looked over at her as he reached for a lever.
She took a breath and moved beside him, taking the lever as well, "Ready as I can be."
"What is the Doctor's message?" a Cyber asked.
They pulled the lever and the ships outside exploded in a burst of fire and metal.
"Would you like me to repeat the question?" Rory asked.
Evy couldn't help but smile, "I told you he'd be brilliant."
'And very pretty!' the TARDIS agreed in their minds.
~8~
A fat man and a thinner man in army garb walked across the hanger of the base Amy Pond was being held in, just as a ship came in for a landing.
"A whole CyberLegion though!" the fat one extolled, "They just blew them all up. To make a point!"
"We're being paid to fight them," the thin man reminded him, "Not praise them. Praising costs way more!"
They stepped into the lift, passing two Headless Monks, "Level Minus 23. Transept," the doors slid shut.
~8~
"Digger says they once chased the Atraxi off a planet," the fat one continued as they stepped off the lift onto Level 23, "And then he called them back for a scolding!"
"Fight them. Not praise them."
They passed by a young female soldier, sitting on a crate, sewing, with a small smile on her face.
"Reminder," an announcement came over the speakers, "This base is on Yellow Alert. This base is on Yellow Alert."
~8~
The fat man and thin man stood off to the side of a corridor, checking readings off a machine later in the day as two Headless Monks walked past, hands clasped before them.
"Reminder: do not interact with Headless Monks without designed permission. Do not interact with Headless Monks without designed permission."
The thin man leaned a bit out to watch them go, "You're not supposed to stare at them," this time it was the fat one who did the reminding, "And if they think you're trying to see under their hoods, they'll kill you on the spot."
"But why are they called the Headless Monks? They can't really be headless..."
"They believe the domain of faith is the heart and the domain of doubt is the head," the young woman who'd been sewing stated as she turned from moving a few items, "They follow their hearts...that's all."
"You're Lorna Bucket, aren't you?" the thin one looked at her.
"Yeah. Hello!"
"I'm the Thin One, this is my husband, he's the Fat One."
"Don't you have names?"
"We're the thin, fat, gay, married, Anglican marines," the Fat One laughed, "Why would we need names as well?" and then he caught sight of two Monks standing behind Lorna, "Oh! Looks like I'm off! Time for my conversion tutorial. See you in a bit," he headed off with the Monks, "Do you lot have Lent? 'Cos I'm not good at giving things up..."
Lorna shook her head at him while the Thin One eyed her, "Lorna Bucket. You've had an encounter, haven't you? You've met them."
"I was just a kid," she smiled, getting back to work.
"But what're they like? The Doctor and Evy?"
"He said 'run.'"
"Just 'run?'"
"He said it a lot…and then Evy smacked him in the back of the head."
He laughed at that, "And this was in the Gamma Forests, yeah? Because you're a Gamma girl, aren't you? What are you doing here? The forests are heaven-neutral."
"Yeah, and 30 seconds of the Doctor and Evy is the only thing that ever happened there."
He nodded, hearing a hiss behind him and slid the panel of the wall closed, "So, what do you think? If the Doctor and Evy are really coming here, where are they?"
"He's the Doctor, she's Evy. They could be anywhere in time and space," she loosened a hose, letting out some steam.
~8~
"Hello Vastra," Evy greeted as the Silurian woman stepped through the door of the TARDIS with a young, dark haired woman carrying bags behind her.
"Evy!" Vastra grinned widely, hugging her tightly before kissing her fingers and pressing them to Evy's stomach.
"You must be Jenny," Evy turned to the young maid, hugging her as well.
"Pleased to meet you ma'am," Jenny nodded at her.
"Are we going to be called 'sir' and 'ma'am' again," the Doctor mock whined from the console.
"Be thankful they aren't saluting you," Evy called to him as she headed back, "Strax certainly will."
He huffed but smiled as Vastra moved to hug him as well, "Now," the Silurian pulled away, eyeing them after she cast a curious look at the Centurion behind them, "What has happened my friends?"
"We need your help," the Doctor told her seriously…
~8~
"Doctor," Strax saluted, "Evy."
"Told you so," Evy mumbled lightly to the Doctor.
"Oh don't salute!" the Doctor truly did whine this time.
"Might I inquire," Strax continued, "What is the nature of this HONORABLE mission?"
Evy rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, yes, your honor will be restored after its completion."
The Doctor frowned, "Don't you like being a nurse?"
"He's a nurse?" Rory eyed the thing he'd been warned not to call a walking baked potato.
"I am a soldier sir!" Strax glared at him.
"So Strax, how do you feel about bringing down an army?" the Doctor asked.
"The odds?"
"We're horrible out-numbered, out-resourced, and out-weaponed."
Evy smacked him on the head and he winced.
Strax grinned, "I look forward to it."
~8~
River swayed back and forth as she walked up to the ringing phone on the wall of Stormcage amidst the alarms blaring, wearing a late Victorian gown with a small hat and muff, "Oh, turn it off," she picked it up, "I'm breaking in, not out. This is River Song, back in her cell...oh, and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you!" she hung up and glided along the floor, stopping when she caught sight of someone dressed as a Roman, "Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos."
Rory stepped forward, into the light, "Dr. Song? It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams, I'm not quite sure where we are..."
"Yes…" she blinked, tears in her eyes, "Yes, we've met," she swallowed hard, smiling sadly at him, "Hello, Rory."
"What's wrong?"
She laughed nervously, "It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great frost fairs, and Evy got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge."
"Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?"
"Yes, he did. But you must never tell him."
"I've come from the Doctor and Evy too."
"Yes, but at a different point in time."
"Unless there're two of them…" he muttered, thinking on the Pandorica incident and the Doctor's Ganger, "…again…"
"Now, that's a whole different birthday," she laughed, heading into her cell as she pulled out her diary from her muff.
"They need you!"
She looked up, stunned, shutting the book, "Demons Run."
"How...how did you know?"
"I'm from their future. I always know. Why on Earth are you wearing that?"
"The Doctor's idea."
"Of course. His rules of engagement. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
"Look ridiculous."
"Have you considered heels?"
"Funny," he muttered, "Evy asked me the same thing."
She laughed, "Great minds…"
"They've taken Amy," he cut in seriously, "And our baby," River stopped, tensing, "The Doctor and Evy are getting some people together, we're going after her, but they need you too."
"I can't," she turned to face him, "Not yet, anyway."
"I'm sorry?"
"This is the Battle of Demons Run. The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further," she swallowed hard, "And this time…he takes Evy with him. And...I can't be with them till the very end."
"Why not?"
"Because this is it," she entered her cell, "This is the day they find out who I am."
~8~
Dorium Maldovar was hurrying out of the Maldovarium late at night, a suitcase in his hand. He paused only for a moment to look around, "Goodbye," and then turned to open the case, rearranging the contents, when someone spoke behind him.
"You appear to be closing down, Dorium."
He spun around to see the woman with the eye patch right behind him, guards all around her.
~8~
"What have you heard?" she asked as she sat across from him at a table.
"That you pricked the side of two mighty beasts, Madam Kovarian, and entirely failed to run," Dorium remarked as he glanced at the guns pointed at his head, "I admire your courage. I should like to admire it from afar," he pushed them away.
"We've been waiting a month. They've done nothing."
"Do you really think so?" he asked, disinterested, as he counted his money, "There are people all over this galaxy that owe that man and woman a debt. By now, a few of them will have found a blue box waiting for them on their doorstep. Poor devils."
"You think they're raising an army?" the dark skinned man beside Kovarian asked.
"You think they aren't? If those two are finally collecting on their debts, God help you, and God help their debtors."
"Why?"
"Colonel Manton, all those stories you've heard about them, about the Doctor and his Link. They're not stories, they're true," he chuckled, "Really, you're not telling me you don't know what's coming?"
"We're wasting our time here!"
Kovarian stood, "Agreed."
"The asteroid where you've made your base," Dorium called, "Do you know why they call it Demons Run?"
"How do you know the location of our base?" Manton glared.
He sighed, "You're with the Headless Monks...they're old customers of mine."
"It's just some old saying," Kovarian shook her head.
"A very old saying. The oldest. 'Demons run, when a good man goes to war.'"
Kovarian and Manton simply turned on their heels and left, Dorium watching them go. He waited till the door shut behind them before getting up and rushing out of the back room, desperate to get away, only to hear the wheezing of the TARDIS as it appeared before him.
"No. No, no, please! Not me! You don't need me!" the door opened and two silhouettes appeared on the wall, "Why would you need me? I'm old! I'm fat! I'm blue! You can't need me!"
~8~
Manton stood on a platform in the middle of the hanger, three Headless Monks behind him, the soldiers all standing at ease before him, listening intently, as Kovarian stood to the side, smirking, "He is not the devil," he called to his troops, "She is not a god. They are not goblins or phantoms or tricksters. The Doctor and his Link are a living, breathing man and woman, and, as I look around this room, I know one thing...we're sure as hell going to fix that."
The soldiers cheered.
~8~
Amy watched Manton through the window of the white nursery she'd been confined to ever since they took her daughter away from her. Lorna slowly entered the room behind her, cautious of the grieving, angry mother, "Sorry," she called, drawing Amy's attention, "I shouldn't be here, I'm meant to be at the thing. I brought you something. Your child's name, in the language of my people…" she held out a small green cloth with beautiful stitching on the center of it, "It's a prayer leaf and we believe, if you keep this with you, your child will always come home to you."
"Can I borrow your gun?" Amy asked her.
"Why?"
"'Cos I've got a feeling you're going to keep talking," she turned and faced the window, "Talking like they're famous. The Doctor and Evy aren't famous..."
"They meet a lot of people. Some of them...remember," she smiled, "Evy's a fairytale and the Doctor's sort of like a...I dunno. A dark legend."
"Dark?" Amy scoffed, "Have you met him?"
"Yeah," Amy looked at her, "But I was just a little girl."
"So was I."
"You've been with them a long time then?"
"No. They came back for me."
"You must be very special."
"Hey. You can wait a long time for the Doctor and Evy. But they're worth it. Ok?" she walked over to Lorna, "The thing is, they're coming. No question about it. Just you make sure you're on the right side when they get here. Not for my sake...for yours. 'Cos Evy can only keep him so calm and I doubt she's very pleased with this either," she held out her hand and Lorna gave her the leaf, "Thank you," she held it to her as Lorna left.
~8~
"On this day, in this place, the Doctor and and his Link will fall," Manton continued as the soldiers cheered once more, "The man who talks, the woman who reasons, the man who lies, the woman who deceives, will meet the perfect answer. Some of you have wondered why have we have allied ourselves with the Headless Monks," Lorna quietly snuck into her position, "Perhaps you should have wondered why we call them headless. It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith. As you all know, it is a Level One Heresy, punishable by death, to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But, by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this one and only occasion, I can show you the truth. Because these guys never can be..." he lowered the hood of the first Monk to reveal a knotted stump instead of a head and neck, "Persuaded! They NEVER can be..." he lowered the second hood, "Afraid," and approached the third, "And they can never, ever be..."
The third Monk threw back his hood to reveal the Doctor, "Surprised!" the soldiers were stunned as Amy smiled from her window, pressing herself against it, "Hello everyone! Guess who!" he walked to the front of the stage, "Please point a gun at me if it helps you relax," all the soldiers, save Lorna, did just that as the Monks drew energized swords, "You're only human."
Manton stepped forward and aimed his gun at the Doctor, "Doctor, you will come with me, right now!"
The Doctor turned and smiled at him, "Evy's issued me a challenge. Three minutes, forty seconds," he turned and shouted, "Amelia Pond! Get your coat!" before pulling his hood back down over him just as the lights went out.
When they came back on, he was gone.
"We are not phantoms," the Doctor agreed, his voice coming over the speaker.
"Doctor?" Manton frowned.
"We are not tricksters."
"Doctor?"
"We're monks."
"Doctor, show yourself!"
"It's him!" a solider turned and aimed his gun at one of the Monks, "He's here!" the other soldiers began to do the same as the Monks charged their swords, "It's him!" the soldier shot at one of the Monks, creating tension.
"Weapons down! Do not fire!" one of the Monks raised his hand in retaliation and fired an energy bolt from it, killing the soldier who fired first, "NO!" the Monks and the soldiers began to fight amongst each other, "Doctor! Doctor! Nobody discharge their weapon in this room! Nobody!"
Lorna looked over to see a figure in a Monk's robe by the door, a small whirring device in his hand that opened the lock.
"Do not fire! Stop, wait!" Manton yelled, "Listen to me!" Lorna quickly snuck out, following the Monk, "I'm disarming my weapon pack," he pulled the pack from his gun, "Monks, I do this in good faith! I am now unarmed," and placed it on the floor, "All of you, discharge your weapon packs. The Doctor is trying to make fools of us...we are soldiers of God, we are not fools! We are not fools!"
"We are not fools!" the soldiers began to mimic, removing their packs as well.
"We are not fools!"
"We are not fools!" they chanted as more and more soldiers did the same, all following his lead, "We are not fools!" the chant continued, until the very last soldier put their pack on the floor, "We are not fools!"
"Oh, of course you're not," a voice said beside Manton. They all looked over, stunned, to see Evy standing there, wearing a Monk's robe as well, her hood down, "Only fools would cast off their weapons and leave themselves vulnerable to an enemy that's not even there...oh, wait..."
And a split second later the sound of teleports echoed through the base and the army found themselves surrounded by Silurians and Judoon while Strax appeared right next to Manton, aiming his gun.
"This base is now under our command," Strax reported to the man.
"I have a fleet out there!" Manton glared, turning to Evy, sensing a greater threat from her than the Sontaran, "If Demons Run goes down, there's an automatic distress call."
"Oh dear," she mock sighed before calling out, "What do you think about that Doctor?"
"I think," his voice came over the speaker and they looked over to see him standing on a raised platform, overlooking the hanger, a comm. in his hand, "That a distress call can't be made if we knock out the communications array," he smirked, "And you've got incoming!"
"Danny Boy to the Doctor Eve," a pilot came over the comm., "Danny Boy to the Doctor Eve."
"Give 'em hell, Danny Boy!" the Doctor ordered, putting his arms out and pretending to be a plane firing at the base.
"Oi!" Evy shouted up to him, laughing, "Don't make me whack you!"
A moment later they got the report of "Target destroyed!"
The Doctor laughed and winked down at Evy.
Manton could only hang his head, "Don't slump, it's bad for your spine!" Strax commanded.
"What do you think?" Evy turned to the soldiers who stood there with their hands behind their heads, "Horribly out-numbered, out-resourced, and out-weaponed…and you've been beaten without us laying a finger on you."
"I think," the Doctor called again, leaning on the platform, "That my Link is brilliant."
She laughed, "I suppose I'm not just good at backup plans eh?"
He blew her a kiss.
~8~
Kovarian walked through the halls, two soldiers carrying a basinet between them, following her. She stopped at the doorway to a ship, "Get back in there with the rest of them. Remember, the Doctor and his Link must think they're winning, right until the trap closes! I'll take my ship from here," she turned and keyed in a code at the door as the soldiers set down the bassinet and left.
"Airlock engaged," the computer said as she turned to look down at the child, "Shuttle ready for boarding."
Suddenly a sword was pressed to her neck as Rory stepped out, "No."
She turned to glare at him, "I have a crew of twenty. How do you expect to gain control of my ship?"
Rory scoffed and the airlock opened. One of the men was pushed through, trussed up and tied, with Captain Avery and his son behind him. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at her, "This ship is ours, m'lady!"
~8~
Strax escorted Manton, by gunpoint, to the communication room where the Doctor was sitting at the main control panel, Evy looking out at the army below, while Vastra, Jenny, and Dorium stood by.
"All airlocks sealed, resistance neutralized!" Strax reported.
The Doctor seemed to ignore Manton and turned to Evy, taking her hand and kissing the back of it, "Sorry, love, three minutes, 42 seconds."
She smiled at him, "I'll let it slide...this time," he returned the smile.
"Colonel Manton, you will give the order for your men to withdraw," Strax ordered the man.
"No," the Doctor turned to him, "Colonel Manton...I want you to tell your men to run away."
"You what?" Manton frowned.
"Those words. Run away. I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Colonel Run-Away. I want children laughing outside your door, 'cos they've found the house of Colonel Run-Away…" he stood and pointed an angry finger at him, "And, when people come to you and ask if trying to get to us through the people we love is in any way a good idea, I want you to tell them your name," suddenly a hand took his. He looked to his side, seeing Evy standing there. He eyed her for a moment as she looked at him, concerned, knowing what his temper could lea to, before she placed his hand on her stomach, the rhythmic kicking of their child soothing him, his anger melting away, somewhat abated. He took a breath and looked at Manton, "I'm really not sure what's going to happen now."
"The anger of a good man is not a problem," Kovarian called dismissively as she entered, escorted by guards, "Good men have too many rules."
The Doctor slowly turned to look at her, stepping before Evy, knowing this woman had no issue kidnapping a pregnant woman, "Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many."
Kovarian glared at him, "Give the order," the Doctor stepped back, looking at Kovarian, surprised, while Evy frowned, "Give the order Colonel Run-Away."
~8~
Amy spun around as there was a knock on the nursery door, "Who's that, who's there?" she scrambled to find some sort of weapon, only managing to find an industrial thermometer to hold up, "You watch it, 'cos I'm armed, and really dangerous, and...cross!"
"Yeah," Rory scoffed from the other end, "Like I don't know that."
"Rory? Rory, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me..." the sonic whirred, "Hang on a minute."
"They took her. Rory, they took our baby away."
The doors slid open and Rory stepped in, holding their daughter in his hands, "Now, Mrs. Williams...that is never, ever going to happen."
"Oh, my God," she gasped as he walked towards her, "Oh, my God," she reached out, checking over the baby, "Where's she been, what have they done to her..."
"She's fine. Amy, she's fine, I checked. She's beautiful," he swallowed hard, starting to cry, "Oh, God, I was going to be cool. I wanted to be cool, look at me."
"You're ok. Crying Roman with a baby, definitely cool. Come here, you!" she pulled him into a deep kiss as the Doctor and Evy stepped through the doorway, hand-in-hand.
"Ugh, kissing and crying, we'll be back in a bit…" the Doctor grimaced.
"Oi!" Evy smacked him in the back of the head for ruining the beautiful moment.
Rory laughed and looked at them, "Get in here. Now," Evy grinned and practically ran into the room as the Doctor hurried to join her, both of them stopping at Rory's side, smiling at the baby, "My daughter. What do you think?"
"Hello," Evy cooed, "Oh Rory, Amy, she's beautiful."
The Doctor nodded, agreeing, "Hello, baby."
"Melody," Amy corrected.
"Melody," Evy smiled at her, "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
"Hello, Melody Pond!" the Doctor laughed.
Rory rolled his eyes, "Melody Williams."
"...is a geography teacher," Amy cut in, "Melody Pond is a superhero!"
The Doctor leaned over, listening to Melody gurgle, "Well, yes, I suppose she does smell nice. Never really sniffed her, maybe I should give it a go. Amelia Pond, c'mere!" he turned to hug her.
"Doctor!" Amy laughed.
"We're so sorry it took us this long," Evy added as the Doctor sniffed Amy.
"It's ok, I knew you were coming," she turned and Evy hugged her as well, "All of you, my boys and my girl."
Melody squealed and Evy laughed, stepping back, "It's ok Melody, she's still all yours."
"And really you should call her 'Mummy,' not 'Big Milk Thing,'" the Doctor added.
"Ok, what are you doing?" Amy eyed them oddly.
"We speak Baby."
"No, you don't!"
"We speak everything," Evy smiled.
"Don't we, Melody Pond?" the Doctor asked her. She gurgled and he straightened his tie, "No, it's not...it's cool!"
Vastra entered the room, leaning on the railing at the top of the small stairs, "Doctor! Evy! Take a look. They're leaving," the duo walked to the window overlooking the hanger and watched as the soldiers marched away, "Demons Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled. My friends, you have never risen higher!"
Rory looked up, startled at the words, though the Doctor and Evy didn't notice.
Evy though, frowned as she looked out at the army. In the moment it had happened, she'd truly thought that everything had gone to plan…but now…something uneasy settled in her stomach as her child thumped against her hand, the same feeling she'd gotten outside the bathroom stall, something wasn't right here. Something was very, very wrong.
~8~
Amy strode out of the TARDIS, comforting her daughter to her chest as she cried, "Hey what's wrong?" Rory ran over to her.
"She doesn't like the TARDIS noise," Amy remarked, "I asked the Doctor to turn something off, but it was all 'I don't want to punch a hole in the space-time continuum.' And then Evy smacked him. But the Doctor just pulled her off before she could do anything about the noise."
"Rory!" Jenny called as she and Strax walked over, "The Judoon have escorted the clerics out of the quadrant, Spitfires have returned to their own time, and Captain Avery and his men...is she alright?"
"Yes, she's just crying."
"Give her to me, human fool," Strax held out his hands, "She needs changing."
"I just changed her. I think she might need a feed."
"A feed, of course. I'll take care of everything," he stepped forward.
Rory blocked his way, "I really don't think you will, actually."
"I have gene-spliced myself for all nursing duties. I can produce magnificent quantities of lactic fluid."
"If only she were hungry Strax," Evy laughed as she stepped out of the TARDIS, holding what seemed to be a carousel of metal objects, "She's tired," she looked back over, holding the door to the box open for the Doctor who stepped out with a very old, purplish-blue, wooden cot.
"Sorry, Melody, they're just not listening," the Doctor sighed, setting it down.
"What's this?" Amy asked, watching as Evy moved to attach the carousel.
"Very pretty, according to your daughter."
"It's a...it's a cot," Rory eyed it.
"No flies on the Roman."
"Amy may I?" Evy asked, holding out her arms.
Amy nodded, gently handing her daughter over to Evy, "There we go."
"But where would you get a cot?" Rory continued as Evy gently set Melody down in it.
"It's old. Really old. Doctor...Evy…have you ever had a baby before?"
The Doctor didn't answer, still feeling the sting of that loss, and looked at Melody, "No, it's real, it's my hair."
"Who slept in here?"
"Doctor!" Vastra called over the comm., "Evy! We need you in the main control room."
"Coming!" Evy called back.
The Doctor turned to Amy and Rory, "Things to do...we've still got to work out what this base is for. We can't leave till we know," he took Evy's hand and tugged her off.
"But this is where I was?" Amy called after them, making them stop, "The whole time I thought I was on the TARDIS, I was really here."
"Er..." the Doctor looked at Rory, sensing Amy was growing more upset, "Centurion, permission to hug?"
"Be aware, I do have a sword," Rory reminded him lightly, not at all perturbed.
"And I've got a vicious smack," Evy joked.
"At all times," the Doctor laughed, before hugging Amy tightly, "You were on the TARDIS too...your heart, your mind, your soul. But physically, yes, you were still in this place."
"And when I saw that face looking through the hatch...that woman looking at me..." Amy trailed.
"That was your reality bleeding through to your conscious," Evy remarked, giving her a hug as well, "I think they might have taken you when you went into the White House toilet," she still felt incredibly guilty about that. She hadn't gone in, but she'd allowed Amy to…and because of her, Amy had been taken.
"And I think they had you long before America," the Doctor countered, walking over to Evy, putting a comforting arm around her waist, hugging her to him. He didn't blame her, neither did Rory, when she'd told them her suspicions. None of them could really pin down just when it had happened so until they knew for sure, he wasn't placing blame.
"Either way...her Flesh avatar was with us all that time," Rory followed along with a frown, "But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the TARDIS. Wherever we were, in time and space."
"Yeah, they're very clever," the Doctor nodded.
"Who are?" Amy asked.
"Whoever wants your baby."
"But why do they want her?"
"Exactly!" he pointed.
"Is there anything you're not telling us?" Rory turned to them, "You both knew Amy wasn't real, you never said."
"We didn't know if they could hear us or not," Evy explained.
"But you always hold out on us," Amy frowned, "Evy less so than you Doctor, but please, both of you, not this time," she looked at Evy, "Evy…it's our baby. Tell us something. One little thing."
The Doctor quickly interjected before Evy could crack, knowing the baby card would get to her, "It's mine."
"What is?" Rory eyed him.
"The cot. It's my cot. I slept in there."
"Oh, my God," Amy smiled, spotting the little stars on the carousel, "It's the Doctor's first stars," she glanced over to see the Doctor with his arm around Evy, his hand on her bump and shook her head, "But we can't use this though, it's for your…"
The Doctor laughed, "Don't worry Pond, we've still got months before Evy's ready to pop, we can get you a proper cot by then. Use if for now."
Amy smiled at them, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled before turning and heading off with Evy.
Rory smiled down at their daughter, "She's…" he couldn't find the words.
Amy reached out and wiped Melody's mouth with the prayer leaf.
"Drop your weapons!" Strax shouted, "State your rank and intent!" they looked up as he marched Lorna over to them, "I found it listening at the door!"
~8~
The Doctor and Evy entered the communication room to see Dorium sitting at the controls before the monitor, Vastra standing in the back, "You hacked into their software already?" Evy asked, pouting just a bit, she really enjoyed hacking into things. The Doctor just smiled and gave her a peck this time. She couldn't help but smile, she could see why the Doctor often faked a pout.
"I believe I sold it to them," Dorium remarked.
"So what have we learned?" the Doctor asked.
"That anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake," Vastra stated.
"Sorry?"
"The words of an old friend who once found me in the London Underground, attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers."
Evy laughed, recalling that advice, "You were..." she cleared her throat, "Very cross at the time."
"As you were today, Doctor," Vastra turned to him, "Point taken, I hope," he nodded, squeezing Evy's hand. He had been very angry, especially when Evy had brought up her theory about when Amy had been taken, just the thought that it might have been Evy instead of Amy, or the both of them, set him off. Vastra nodded as well, "Now, I have a question. A simple one. Is Melody human?"
"What?" Evy blinked, startled at the question.
"Of course she is!" the Doctor laughed uncomfortably, "Completely human, what are you talking about?"
"They've been scanning her since she was born and I think they found what they were looking for," Dorium pulled up a screen.
"Human DNA…" he frowned, eyeing the strand on screen.
"Look closer," Vastra told them, "Human plus. Specifically..."
Evy's eyes widened, "Time Lord. Human plus Time Lord..."
~8~
"I heard her talking...this is a trap," Lorna told them, "Why would I lie to you?"
Rory stepped forward, "Well, you might want to take a look at your uniform."
"The only reason I joined the clerics was to meet the Doctor and Evy again."
"You wanted to meet them, so you joined an army to fight them?"
"Well, how else do you meet a great warrior?"
"Who's a great warrior?" Amy shook her head.
"The Doctor."
"He's not a warrior."
"But, then why's he called 'the Doctor?'" the lights went out, "It's starting. Please listen to me."
~8~
"But she's human," the Doctor shook his head, "She's Amy and Rory's daughter."
"You told me about your people," Vastra remarked, "They became what they did through prolonged exposure to the Time Vortex. The Untempered Schism..."
"But it took billions of years," Evy reminded her, "It can't just...happen!"
"So how close is she? Could she even regenerate?"
"No, no!" the Doctor shouted.
"We don't think so…" Evy frowned.
"You don't sound so sure," Vastra eyed them.
"Because we actually don't understand how this even happened."
"Which leads me to ask...when did it happen?"
"When?" the Doctor shook his head.
"I am trying to be delicate...I know how you can blush and how Evy teases you. When did this baby...begin?" she looked pointedly at Evy's stomach.
"Oh, you mean..."
"Quite."
"Well, how would we know? That's all humany, private stuff, it just sort of...goes on. They don't put up a balloon, or anything," he walked towards a hallway.
Vastra rolled her eyes and turned to Evy, sensing she would look at this the most logically, "But could the child have begun on the TARDIS, in flight, in the Vortex."
"No, no, impossible!" the Doctor walked back, "It's all running about, sexy fish vampires…" he turned to Evy, "Who don't hold a candle to you love…" and back to Vastra, "And blowing up stuff."
"Rory wasn't even there at first," Evy thought out loud.
"Then he was dead," the Doctor agreed.
"And then he didn't exist…"
"Then he was plastic!"
"And we ended up rebooted the whole Universe..."
"So technically the first time they were on the TARDIS, together, in this version of reality…"
"Was on their..." Evy's eyes widened.
"On their what?" Vastra tensed.
Evy looked at the Doctor in horror and he gulped, realizing it as well, "On their wedding night," he shook his head, "But it doesn't make sense! You can't just cook yourself a Time Lord."
"Of course not. But you gave them one hell of a start and they've been working very hard ever since."
"And yet they gave in so easily," Dorium remarked, "Does this not bother anyone else?"
"Amy!" Evy gasped, turning to the Doctor, "She didn't want to tell Rory she might be pregnant because she thought it might have a time head. Remember?"
"Yes but…" the Doctor began.
Vastra rolled her eyes at him, "Only you would ignore the instincts of a mother!"
"Or the instincts of a coward," Dorium added, "This is too easy."
Evy nodded, agreeing with him, "There's something wrong here."
"Why even do it?" the Doctor shook his head, "Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?"
"A weapon?" Vastra guessed.
"Why would a Time Lord be a weapon?"
"Well...they've seen…" she sighed and looked at the Doctor, "You."
"Me?" the Doctor fell down onto the chair behind him, stunned. Evy walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, but he seemed to not notice.
"Mr. Maldovar, you're right," Vastra turned to Dorium, "This was too easy. We should get back to the others," she said it more for the Doctor's sake, knowing Evy would need to be alone with him for a few moments. She and Dorium headed out the door.
The Doctor looked up at Evy with tears in his eyes, "Me?"
Before she could even open her mouth to convey how utterly wrong using 'the Doctor' and 'Weapon' in the same sentence was, the screen flickered behind them and Kovarian appeared.
"I see you accessed our files," she remarked as they stood and turned to face her, "Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry, I'm a long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you. The child then...what do you think?"
"What did you do to her?" Evy asked, "What is she?"
"Hope. Hope in this endless, bitter war."
"What war?" the Doctor demanded, "Against who?"
"Against you, Doctor."
He slammed his hand down in anger, shouting, "A child is not a weapon!"
She mock sighed, "It is a pity that it had to be that child," she looked at Evy, "When a more suitable one was just within reach…"
The Doctor pushed Evy behind him and glared at her, "Leave her alone!"
She laughed, "You have no idea how close we came to getting her do you? If only she had entered that bathroom…we would have had a full-blooded Time Lord and returned your companion," his insides froze, Evy felt sick, they'd both been right in a way. Amy had been taken before she'd even gotten to America, but the Silent in the bathroom had been waiting to snatch a pregnant woman, her, "But this child…oh, give us time," Kovarian smirked, "She can be a weapon. She will be."
"Except you've already lost her," the Doctor spat, "And I swear we will never let you anywhere near her again."
"Oh, Doctor. Fooling you and your Link once was a joy...but fooling you both, twice, the same way, it's a privilege."
Evy's eyes widened in realization, "Melody..." she breathed.
"Amy!" the Doctor ran from the room, pulling Evy with him.
~8~
"Demons run, when a good man goes to war…"
~8~
The Doctor and Evy ran as quickly as they could through the compound, trying to get to the hanger in time.
~8~
"Night will fall and drown the sun, when a good man goes to war."
~8~
Evy winced, feeling a particularly hard kick from their child and pressed a hand to her stomach, holding it as they ran.
~8~
"Friendship dies and true love lies..."
~8~
"Amy!" the Doctor shouted.
~8~
"Night will fall and the dark will rise, when a good man goes to war."
~8~
"Almost there…" Evy breathed.
~8~
"Demons run but count the cost, the battle's won but the child is lost."
~8~
"Amy!" Evy yelled as they reached a locked door, looking for her sonic only to recall she'd given it to Rory.
"Amy!" the Doctor pulled out his sonic instead and flashed it, running in, "Amy, she's not real! Melody, she's a Flesh avatar," they ran to another door just outside the hanger and pounded on it, "Amy!" they ran in to see the fight was over, destruction was all around them, "Amy…"
"Yeah, we know," Rory said as he walked over to a dying Strax. Evy looked over, spotting Amy sitting on a crate, sobbing onto Jenny's shoulder and ran over to her, kneeling before her to get her attention. Amy fell off the crate and hugged Evy tightly, knowing she could relate more closely than anyone else, being pregnant herself.
"It's strange," Strax remarked, "I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped."
"Come on, Strax, don't give up," Rory told him.
"It's alright, I've had a good life. I'm nearly twelve."
"Listen to me. You'll be back on your feet in no time. You're a warrior!"
"Rory...I'm a nurse," he gave one final smile of acceptance before his eyes fell closed.
"They took her anyway," Amy sobbed into Evy's shoulder as the Doctor walked over, "All this was for nothing…"
"I am so...sorry," the Doctor breathed and Amy winced at the sound of his voice, a small part of her blaming him, blaming the both of them. If she had never met him or Evy…she swallowed hard.
Evy looked up at Rory who nodded, kneeling down and taking his wife from the Time Lady, comforting her as the Doctor looked at Evy sadly, both of them heartbroken for what had happened, for what they hadn't been able to prevent.
"Doctor, Evy," Vastra called, "There's someone who wants to speak to you," the Doctor held out a hand, helping Evy up as they walked over to where a young girl in army garb was lying on the ground, sitting against a wall near the stairs, a wound in her stomach, "Her name is Lorna, she came to warn us."
The Doctor soniced her quickly, scanning, as he squatted down before her, Evy kneeling beside him, "Hey," Evy smiled softly as Lorna's eyes fluttered open.
"Hello," the Doctor greeted.
"Doctor," she breathed, "Evy."
"You helped our friends," the Doctor smiled at her, "Thank you."
"I met you once. In the Gamma Forests. You don't remember me…"
"Of course we remember you," Evy reached out and squeezed the girl's hand, "We remember everyone."
Her heart broke.
"Hey, we ran, you and us!" the Doctor laughed a bit, "Didn't we run, Lorna?"
Lorna nodded happily, her head lolling as she did so till, with one final squeeze of Evy's hand, she died.
"We always meet everyone in the wrong order don't we?" Evy blinked back tears. It hurt all the more to meet someone they hadn't met yet, especially when they would meet them later, knowing how they died.
"Who was she?" the Doctor looked at Vastra.
"I don't know but she was very brave," she remarked.
"They always are," Evy nodded, kissing Lorna's forehead.
The Doctor reached out and squeezed the girl's hand as well before he stood up, helping Evy up as well.
"So, what now?" Vastra asked them, "They'd almost certainly have taken her to Earth, raise her in the correct environment."
"They did," Evy nodded.
The Doctor swallowed hard, "And it's already too late."
"You're giving up?" Vastra's eyes widened as the Doctor walked away, without Evy, "You never do that."
"Don't you sometimes wish I did?" he turned to her.
"Not ever," Evy whispered, moving to hug him. He held her tightly, burying his face in her neck.
There was a flash of light and a clap of energy as River appeared, dressed in Evy's olive green dress, "Well, then, soldiers, how goes the day?"
The Doctor tensed in Evy's arm and turned to glare at River, "Where the hell have you been? Every time you've asked, we have been there. Where the hell were you today?"
"I couldn't have prevented this," she shook her head.
"You could've tried," Evy whispered.
"And so, my loves, could you," River told them before glancing at Amy and Rory, "I know you're not alright. But hold tight, Amy, because you're going to be."
"You think we wanted this?" the Doctor asked her, appalled, "We didn't do this. This...this wasn't us!"
"You're right," she conceded, "This wasn't the two of you, but…this was exactly YOU Doctor," the Doctor's eyes widened, "All this, all of it. You make them so afraid by what you bring when you appear, and Evy can only clean up so much of it, but not enough," she sighed, looking at him, "When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the Universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the Universe. Evy told me once that we get that word from you. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word 'Doctor' means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child...the child of your best friends...and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down, and your Link along with you because she's YOUR Link, and you are HERS. You would both tear apart the Universe to get back to one another and they know it. They've done all this my loves...in fear of you."
"Who are you River?" Evy asked her.
River just grinned, skipping back to avoid the question, "Oh, look, Doctor, your cot!" she said lightly, "Haven't seen that in a very long while."
The Doctor advanced, "No, no, you tell us. Tell us...who you are."
River took his right hand and Evy's left, "I am telling you," and placed them on the edge of the cot, "Can't you read?"
They looked down, at the prayer leaf lying in the cot, the words they recognized as those of the Gamma Forest, their meaning clear. They looked at River, eyes wide.
"Hello," they breathed as one.
River beamed, "Hello."
The Doctor laughed nervously, "But...but that means..."
"I'm afraid it does."
Evy glanced back at Amy and Rory, "You're…"
"Yes."
The Doctor let out a joyful laugh, seeing the proof of their success in their next endeavor before them. He straightened his tie and took Evy's hand, "How do we look?"
"Amazing."
"We'd better be," Evy laughed.
"Yes, you'd better be."
The Doctor spun around, "Vastra and Jenny, till the next time."
"Rory, Amy," Evy ran over to them, plucking her sonic from where it was sticking out of Rory's pocket, "We will find your daughter and I swear, on our lives, on the three of them, that she will be safe."
The Doctor held out a hand as Evy headed back to him, "River," he smiled at the woman, "Get them all home."
"Doctor?" Rory frowned as he and Evy headed for the TARDIS, "Evy?"
"No!" Amy shouted, "Where are you going? No!"
The Doctor and Evy held up their sonics, stopping the force field that had surrounded the box and entered. They paused in the doorway and laughed, smiling at River before heading inside and shutting the door.
Amy and Rory watched in confusion and shock as the TARDIS disappeared.
Amy turned to River, glaring, "Where're they going? What did you tell them?"
"Amy, you have stay calm…" River began.
Amy just picked up one of the guns off the floor and aimed it at River, "Tell me what you told them!"
"Amy, no, stop it!" Rory ran over to her.
"It's ok, Rory, she's fine, she's good," River said calmly, "It's the TARDIS translation matrix, it takes a while to kick in with the written word. You have to concentrate."
Amy looked down at the cot, but could only see Gallifreyan symbols, "I still can't read it."
Rory took the gun away.
"It's because it's Gallifreyan and doesn't translate. And besides, that wasn't what I showed them," she reached into the cot and took out the prayer leaf, "This will translate, your daughter's name in the language of the forest."
"I know my daughter's name," Amy glared, snatching the cloth.
"Except they don't have a word for 'pond' because only water in the forest is the river. The Doctor and Evy will find your daughter and they will care for her whatever it takes and I know that…" she glanced down, watching as Amy and Rory eyed the stitching, the words morphing to 'River.' Amy flipped it over, seeing 'Song' on there too, before looking up at River, stunned, "It's me. I'm Melody. I'm your daughter."
A/N: Hmmm...now we know who River is, but who is she to the Doctor and Evy? Time will tell. Such little time though, we only have about two weeks left! Ahh!
In my Academic Series I made the scene with Lorna a sort of...the Doctor has had so many adventures with so many people he nearly forgot who Lorna was. Here, I thought it would be an interesting twist that the timing was wrong and they meet her before they had the adventure in the Gamma Forest. I don't think they specifically mentioned the Doctor asking who Lorna was because he didn't remember her or because he hadn't met her yet in the show, so here's one interpretation of it :)
Today is the second of three days set aside for voting on Time Lord names for a girl, should the Doctor and Evy have one. Don't forget to vote or drop a review, and check back on Saturday for the voting for a boy :)
And I just want to thank you guys (readers, reviewers, poll voters, etc.). Yesterday...not the best day for me. I finally almost might sort of be getting a job and I'm all excited about it (the paycheck part, not the job) and, apparently, it's not good enough for my father. We argued because he thinks I should be making six figures...despite having NO EXPERIENCE at all. So now he's barely speaking to me because I'm planning to accept said job for the experience if I get offered it...not a good day. But then I went to my room and logged on and saw your reviews, and the stats for the chapter, and the poll participation and you guys made me feel much better. So thank you, you guys really brighten up my day no matter what sort of day it is ^-^
Next chapter...something terrible happens to Evy and the baby. The Evy we meet now is quite...different...than the one from Demons Run. How will Evy cope with the Link when the Doctor is poisoned?
