CHAPTER ELEVEN

River blinked. "What are you talking about, Doctor? We're not going to remember … anything? Anything that happened today?"

The Doctor shook his head. "By saving my life this afternoon, we have created the paradox of all paradoxes." He stopped. "'Paradoxes', is that the word? 'Paradoxi'? 'Paradoxies'? … I think it's 'paradoxes', but I can't be sure because once on the desert moon Calliope I was -"

"Doctor?" Rose pulled the Doctor's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Right. Sorry." The Doctor blinked. "Anyway. You all universe jumped and traveled back in time to save my life today because you saw me die. Now that we've altered the past, though, you DIDN'T see me die. I'm still alive. Therefore, you DIDN'T do any of those things you did today because you had no reason to - I didn't die. But because you DIDN'T universe jump and time travel then you DIDN'T save me on the beach, so I DID die, which means … paradox," the Doctor finally finished, making a popping sound with his lips around the 'p'.

"Because this situation is entirely impossible, the universe is trying to work around it," Jack realized. "It's making us forget what happened so that it's as if it didn't at all."

"Exactly," exclaimed the Doctor. "The universe. Brilliant. You know how time and space is – wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey …" This remark was greeted by blank expressions. "Hmmmp," muttered the Doctor. "Martha would have gotten that. I miss Martha."

Amy was terribly confused by the whole situation. "So did we save your life today or not?" she asked. Had all of their efforts been for nothing after all?

The Doctor, however, smiled and nodded. "The Doctor is alive, Amy. You just won't remember it was you who saved him. His rescue is going to be one of those peculiar little things that no one will ever be able to explain, something impossible." He laughed suddenly. "Oh, that is going to drive the other me MAD when he can't figure it out!"

Amy's eyes began to fill with tears. "But we CAN'T forget!" she cried. "I won't forget! I won't let it happen!"

The Doctor watched her solemnly. "You can't prevent it, Amy. It's happening. To all of us."

Amy shook her head angrily. She stormed up to the Time Lord and pointed a finger menacingly at his chest. "Now you listen to me, Spaceboy," Amy growled. "The Doctor once told me that anything could be remembered if you tried hard enough, that anything could be brought back." The tears that had been building up in her eyes began to fall freely down her face, but she made no move to wipe them away. "I've seen a lot of crazy things in my lifetime," Amy continued. "I've seen whales that live in space, babies that turn into jelly and bloody Daleks wearing aprons. I've looked a Weeping Angel in the eye, fought a monster with Vincent Van Gogh and seen this MORON," she said, waving an arm in Rory's general direction, "die more times than I can count! And I remember it," she whispered, a small grin forming on her face. "I remember it all. I remember all these amazing things I've done … and I'm going to remember this one. Because this, Doctor, saving your life, is the most important thing I've ever done, probably the most important thing I'll ever do." Her smile grew even wider. "And it is going to take a hell of a lot more than the entire universe working against me to make me forget it."

The Doctor had stood, motionless, his eyes locked on Amy's face throughout her entire monologue, a serious expression on his face and his eyes dark. Now she had finished, however, something in it changed. A look that almost seemed amused played across his features as the Doctor opened his mouth. "Well, Amelia Pond," he said, a smile finally breaking across his face as well, "I can see why I must like you."

Amy laughed as the Doctor pulled her into a hug. She looked around the TARDIS, trying to memorize every detail, taking in everything she wanted to remember.

She locked eyes with Jack, the mysterious Captain of things unbeknownst to her. She didn't really know much about him, she realized, but she knew enough; she knew he was a hero, that he had saved everyone in the TARDIS earlier in the day. She knew he was a shameless flirt with an excellent sense of humor and a smile that made her a little weak in the knees, even with Rory standing right next to her.

Her eyes traveled next to Rose, the made-up bottle blonde from London who lived in a house with a nine-hundred year old former time-traveling alien. She remembered Rose's laugh, how kindly she had treated Rory despite everything that had happened and the calming effect her words seemed to have on everyone in times of peril. Most importantly, Amy vowed to remember the look in Rose's eyes when she looked at the man she loved, the look full of trust and devotion and even happiness, no matter what type of situation they found themselves in. It was a look that said, as long as I have the Doctor, everything will be alright. Everything.

Amy's eyes finally traveled back to the wonderful man who held her in his arms. He definitely wasn't her Doctor, the silly bow-tied man she had worked so hard to save, but she realized now that he was equally as amazing. As the Doctor released Amy from his affectionate hug, she met his eyes and said, "All right, Doctor; time to go home."

Captain Jack was the first one to be returned. Before he climbed out of the TARDIS, he pulled Amy aside. "So you say you have a decent memory," he said, smiling his toothy grin. "Remember this for me, then – I'm always here if you, Rory or the Doctor need a hand. Don't be afraid to call."

Amy returned his smile. "I'm sure the Doctor knows that already, Jack, but I'll pass on the message."

"I'm not so sure," Jack replied. "He hasn't come to see me since he regenerated. Tell me," he said, his eyes flashing to the Doctor before returning to Amy's, "is he still as gorgeous as this guy here?"

Amy's mouth flapped in surprise for a few times before she managed to stutter out, "Y-Yeah, sure."

Jack grinned. "Fantastic. Put in a good word for me." He winked suggestively and quickly crossed to the Doctor, leaving Amy in a minor state of shock. He raised his hand to his forehead. "Doctor."

The Doctor didn't look up from the control panel. "Are you saluting me right now, Captain?"

Jack laughed."Maybe."

The Doctor's eyes remained locked on the controls. "Jack, if I look up on the count of three and see a salute, I am going to make you regret saving me for the rest of your sorry life. And you can't die, so that'll be a while." He tilted his head and began to count. "One … Two …. Three!" The Doctor looked up – Jack hadn't budged from his original saluting position. The Doctor sighed. "Soldiers."

Jack laughed again. He turned and gave Rose a hug and whispered in her ear, "If you ever get tired of this loser …"

Rose giggled and pushed the Captain away. "Goodbye, Jack."

Jack smiled. He crossed to the TARDIS entrance, threw another salute in the Doctor's direction for good measure, causing the Time Lord to grumble, and flashed a wink in River Song's before pulling the ship's doors to a close.

River shook her head and smiled, amused. "Poor boy doesn't know what's coming to him."

Amy and Rory were dropped off next back at Demons' Run. "I have to use the wrist teleport to get the Doctor and Rose home," River explained to them, "and it'll work better if there are fewer of us traveling at once."

Goodbyes were said as the couple prepared to leave the strange, retro TARDIS behind. When Rose was sure that Rory was deep in conversation with the Doctor, she leaned in and whispered hesitantly in Amy's ear, "So, I have to ask …"

Amy looked up, questioningly. "What?"

"Rory's attire," Rose said, gesturing to Amy's husband's peculiar Roman garb, "Is this some sort of kinky sex thing, or … ?"

Amy abruptly burst out laughing and the two women were soon doubled over in stitches. "Rose Tyler," Amy managed to wheeze between giggles, "You and I are more alike than I thought." She wiped tears from her eyes and continued, "No, it's not, but it is pretty sexy, don't you think?"

"He pulls the look off," Rose allowed. She stifled a giggle and said, "Hey, do you think I should get some similar garb for the Doct – "

Rose couldn't even finish her sentence before the two were once again lost in a giggle fest at the thought of the Doctor in Roman armor. "I'd have to get him a shield!" Rose gasped.

"And the gladiator sandals?" Amy added, gripping her sides as she laughed. The pair of them were nearly on the floor at this point and were holding on to one another for support.

Across the TARDIS, the Doctor glanced away from his conversation with Rory and River to watch the antics of the two women. "Why do I have a sinking feeling they're laughing at me?"

Rory turned to look, too. "Oh, just let them. I haven't seen Amy laugh like that in ages."

"Rose either," the Doctor realized. He smiled and watched the blonde wipe away a glob of running mascara through her tears. He would let Rose mock him for the rest of his life if it meant her laughing like that more often. He shook his head in amazement; what a trip.

Rory walked over to the women and helped Amy steady herself. "Time to go, honey," he said leading her towards the doors.

The couple stopped as they finally reached them and Amy said, "Thank you, Doctor. From both of us. For everything." Her eyes shone with the truth and emotion behind her words as she smiled at one of her favorite men in the universe – well, technically, one of her favorite men in any universe.

Rory was smiling, too. "Good luck, you two," he said to Rose and the Doctor. Being with Amy was what made Rory happier than anything in the world. He hoped things would continue to work out that way for them as well. "And you," he said, pointing at River and adopting a teasing tone, "I want you home by curfew, yeah?"

River laughed. "Right," she said affectionately, watching her parents leave.

Amy and Rory both had one foot out the door when Amy turned back suddenly and said, "Hey Rose – don't forget the little cape!" She swiftly pulled the door closed behind her. The TARDIS occupants could hear her laughter through the closed doors as she and Rory set off.

Rose squeezed her lips together and was nearly successful in holding in the laughter brought on by this new image until she heard River say, "A cape? Ooh, MAJOR spoilers." The laughs suddenly exploded out of Rose's chest and River, too, soon found herself joining in uncontrollably.

The Doctor stood at the control panel of the ship, watching them with a most bemused expression on his face. "Women," he muttered and once again put the TARDIS in flight, sending them off into space.

The TARDIS had been successfully returned to the high school storage room and the unpleasant trip from one universe to another had passed. A strange feeling of calm was in the air; the adventure was over. After one final goodbye and a few mere minutes, the stress of the day would melt away into nothingness as everyone involved forgot the actions they had performed that afternoon.

The Doctor was fiddling with River's teleport, making sure it could survive the trip back to its rightful universe. He had already seen River be lost while trying to protect him once before; he was going to do all he could to make sure that didn't happen again before her time.

River and Rose were standing shoulder-to-shoulder a few feet away, watching the Time Lord use the other Doctor's sonic screwdriver one last time before it had to be returned. Rose was trying to memorize as much of this moment as possible; she could handle her Doctor not having a TARDIS. After all, they had nearly lost the bloody thing multiple times before. The one thing she had a hard time adjusting to, though, was seeing him without his screwdriver.

The Doctor had relied on his screwdriver for everything before – he had never had a reason not to. His sonic screwdriver had always been handy, ready for any job the Doctor could throw at it (unless it involved wood, of course.) After being sealed in this world, however, he had been forced to adapt and use other tools. She remembered the first time he had used a regular screwdriver, one without the marvelous electric settings he was used to. "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'this could be a little more sonic'?" the Doctor had mumbled, repeating Jack's words from years prior. "Anyone with a BRAIN does, Captain. This is rubbish." Rose smiled at the memory.

River's voice suddenly interrupted her stroll down memory lane. "I'm sorry?" Rose asked, having not heard her friend's words the first time.

River turned her face from the Doctor and her eyes met Rose's. She looked almost … sad. "What is it like … having him? The Doctor?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Having him? I don't understand what you mean, River. You have a Doctor, too. Back home, right?"

River sighed and returned to watching the Doctor. "I've known the Doctor my whole life," she began, "and he was absolutely brilliant from the beginning. The things he did, that we did together; we saved entire worlds, brought down armies, reversed disasters, saved hundreds of lives …" She trailed off and her eyes flicked back to Rose. "Of course you're familiar with all that."

Rose smiled softly and nodded.

"We're different than the two of you, though," she continued, gesturing from Rose to the Doctor. "You were the Doctor's companion. The two of you spent every moment together, traveled together. Became close… My Doctor and I aren't like that. We keep meeting, meeting out of order with what feels like an eternity between each encounter. We've never experienced the same things as the other, we never feel the same way when we meet. That's a privilege reserved for the Doctor and his companions. Especially so for you." River's eyes flicked to the ground.

Rose's heart went out to the curly-haired woman before her. "River … Why didn't you ask Amy about this?" Rose inquired. "Amy is the Doctor's current companion, right? She'd probably be better at recounting how it feels – I haven't been a companion in that sense for years. Amy is living that life now."

River was silent for a moment, her eyes still locked on the ground. At last, she looked back at Rose. Her eyes seemed moist, as if she were holding in tears. "No. She's not." River sniffed a little. "You still don't get what I'm asking, Rose." She looked back at the Doctor, who at this point had dug out his glasses and was peering through them anxiously at the teleport's interior. "We meet out of order. Never feel the same way … "

At last the true meaning of River's words clicked. "You're in love with the Doctor."

River said nothing, but Rose could feel the truth of her statement hanging in the air between them. River loved the Doctor … but he didn't love her back. The phantom emotion River was feeling when she looked at Rose with her Doctor was heartbreak. Rose didn't know what to say.

River looked back up in the blonde's direction, her eyes shiny. "What is it like, Rose? To be with the Doctor like you are?" Tears began to fall down River's cheeks, slowly but surely pooling around her collar. "What is it like to travel through not through time hand in hand, but through life? To wake up every morning and see the Doctor smiling his stupid cocky grin back at you? What is it like … to have the Doctor?"

Rose stood, mouth agape, as she watched the grown woman cry silently before her. She felt her own eyes becoming moist as she smiled slightly and said, simply, "Fantastic."

River laughed, one short sound chuckle that was nearly lost among her tears. "Thank you, Rose," she said, and Rose knew that she had said the right thing. River brought her hands up to her face and wiped away the drops of salty water that rested there. "It's not the life for me, of course," she said. "This whole 'happy-family-life-in-one-place' thing you two have going here." She genuinely smiled at Rose. "I'd go mad in a matter of hours. I live for danger, excitement. I couldn't settle down like this."

Rose wiped her own tears and nodded encouragingly to River. She didn't feel the need to tell River she had always felt the same way during her old life back home, and enjoying her new life here had been a completely wonderful shock. River had been through enough for one day – Her emotions could be spared just once for now.

The Doctor had finally finished messing with the teleport and wandered back over to the women. "Here you are," he said, presenting it to River. "Good as new. Well, better than new, actually. I modified it a bit. It was complete rubbish before. Well, it still is rubbish, it's a wrist teleport, but it's, you know," he sniffed, "bearable."

River rolled her eyes, amused. "Thanks, sweetie," she said, taking the teleport. Her hand stayed outstretched even after she had the device. "Ahem," she said, wiggling her fingers.

The Doctor sighed and handed back the sonic screwdriver as well. "Rose, remind me to make myself a new screwdriver as soon as our new TARDIS is grown."

River grinned at that. "Well, you two, it's been a blast. Maybe I'll see you around." She fastened the teleport to her wrist and hit a few buttons.

"River, wait," the Doctor said. She paused. "When we meet again … when I meet you for the first time," he clarified, "don't be offended by anything I do. Or say. Or don't say." He locked eyes with her. "Don't take it personally, okay?"

River raised an eyebrow. "Doctor, you know as well as I do that the second I return home I won't remember anything you've said. I won't remember anything either of you have said." She glanced at Rose, who smiled sadly at her in understanding.

"Maybe," the Doctor allowed, "but you just might remember the sentiment, Professor Song." He smiled warmly at her. "After all … you're brilliant."

River grinned back. "Spoilers." She laughed to herself and took a few steps back, pressing more buttons on her wrist. "There's something I want you two to remember as well," she said seriously, glancing between them. "You have each other. You're lucky. Never forget that."

The Doctor nodded. He reached over and took Rose's hand. Rose smiled at River, a warm smile that River knew meant that the blonde understood. "Don't give up, River," Rose said suddenly. "What you said before, about what you feel?" She glanced at her Doctor before speaking again. "I thought the same thing, for a long time … and, luckily, I was wrong. Don't wait until it's too late to find out like I almost did."

River felt her eyes tearing up again. Not wanting the Doctor to see her cry, she said stiffly, "You two should stand back – this teleport can be a bit unpredictable sometimes." She reached to press the final button, the one that would send her home, and flashed a final grin of thanks at the couple before her. "For what it's worth, Rose," she said, "I'm glad this life happened to you. It's about time one of us had a happy ending."

The last thing River saw before being blasted back home was Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth, and the Doctor, the last child of Gallifrey, the couple who shared a life River would never have or even remember once she was gone, smiling at as if she had never spoken truer words.

And in that moment, River knew that to be true.

And then she was gone.

Hello everyone!

It's been a while, again - Apologies galore! I do have a legitimate reason, though; this chapter was so hard to write! First it just wasn't emotional enough, then no one seemed to be in character, then it all just seemed remarkably cheesey .. Not to mention I've become so attached to this story I don't want to see it end, so writing was somewhat painful. THAT SAID, I do believe I fixed up this chapter and it should have been a decent read.

Just an epilouge left for this story, now, so we can get a glimpse at the events that follow everyone's forgetting. It should prove interesting ...

Q&A TIME:
Last chapter, Gangstamuppet asked if I had seen the Torchwood "Children of the Earth" episodes. Sadly, I have not. I watched the first season of Torchwood, LOVED IT and then couldn't find season two anywhere. At last I do have it, and once I have finished it I will be moving on to season three. I apologize if Jack didn't seem quite as believable because of this - it was completely unintentional. Perhaps after I watch those episodes I can rewrite the Jack portions of the story and repost so it will be more canon. Thank you for your review! It was very helpful :)
Also, a shout-out to ceeare about your thinking River Song won't be the girl in the suit when the show returns - I'd thought of that as well, but perhaps the Silence made her forget? ... I'm just grasping at straws here. I have no idea what will happen, but I really hope Moffat makes it something wonderful and surprising! Thanks for the review!

Thank you all so much for sticking with the story this long (or for making it this far if you've just discovered it now!) Your praise in the reviews has been lovely and I feel very blessed to have so many great readers.

Speaking of reviews ... any chance you can give me a few more? It'd be fabulous )

I'll try to get the epilouge written and uploaded as soon as possible!