Note to readers: Sorry it's taking me so long to upload these chapters; there's just been a lot of unexpected business going on. But chapter 21 is finally here! I was reading through the birth scene last night and I so badly wanted to post that and get a move on, but I figured that it would just make the fiction terrible if I rushed it. But things are going to happen: in the next chapter! And thank you again for your support! Cheerio.
There was an awkward pause before Melody got off the Doctor. Then there was a shuffling noise and the sound of the door shutting.
"Doctor, you remember my roommate, Lilly." Melody commented calmly. The Doctor hesitantly opened his eyes. The young Pond was now fully dressed and was stood beside a girl who had what looked like a blonde afro. Her ripped jeans and baggy tie-dye t-shirt made her look a bit like an old-style hippy. He didn't recognise her at all, but nodded anyway.
"Lilly, of course." He said, sitting up and straightening his bow-tie. Lilly didn't look bothered at all by the situation, simply giving the Doctor a quick head nod and sitting down on her bed, which was tucked behind the door. She pulled out several heavy looking folders and began making notes. Melody, who was seemingly put off by the interruption, turned to the Doctor.
"I'm just going to freshen up and then we can go out for dinner." She said, giving a pointed look to Lilly, who basically ignored the gesture and continued working. Rolling her eyes, Melody went into the bathroom.
"It's a good thing I walked in." Lilly commented once her roommate was out of earshot.
"What?" the Doctor asked stupidly. Lilly smiled.
"Well, from the looks of things, I'd say Melody was just about to rape you." She said plainly, looking up at him. The Time Lord smiled sheepishly.
"She's freakishly strong." He replied. Lilly laughed.
"What are you two laughing about?" Melody asked, walking back into the room, tying her hair in two plaits. Neither of them replied and Lilly quickly went back to her work. The Doctor stood up, eager to get out of the room.
"Right, let's go." He said, rubbing his hands together and opening the door, calling after him, "Bye Lilly." She mumbled a similar goodbye, but her following sarcastic comment – which sounded a bit like "good luck" – was cut off by Melody shutting the door behind them.
They walked back out of the dorm and onto the street in relative silence. The rest of the walk to the pub Melody had selected was spent discussing where they were in each other's timelines. The Doctor explained that he had been travelling alone for a while, making sure to miss out any mentions of Merripen. She explained that she was in the middle of her third and final year studying archaeology at University; apparently, it was so big that it didn't need any other name. By the time they had reached the pub, the air was no longer as awkward as it had been before, and the Doctor had almost forgotten his cares from earlier. He probably should have realised that that wouldn't last for very long.
"So, what will you have, sir?" asked the rather bored looking waiter.
"I'll have the full English breakfast." The Doctor said, "With a side of jelly babies."
"It's twenty past six. And we don't sell jelly babies." The waiter replied flatly.
"So? There's no time limit on food." The Time Lord argued, "And what rubbish pub doesn't sell jelly babies?" Melody rolled her eyes and looked to the waiter.
"Just give him the breakfast. Ignore the jelly babies." She said. He opened his mouth to protest, but he was swiftly cut off by her request, "I'll have the same." Completely forgetting about the devastating loss of jelly babies, the Doctor grinned. The waiter took note and walked away as the Doctor looked around. The large pub was warm and friendly and reminded him of the "family" dinner that they had had in Paris, 1872. Many students were sat at the bar, or were just standing around making conversation. There were no sad faces in sight. Well, not many, anyway.
Melody got his attention back by holding onto his hand. Slightly startled, the Time Lord looked back to her with an open mouth. She smiled in response.
"So, do you have anywhere you need to get going to?" she asked, running a finger along his hand.
"Nope." He said with a grin, "I'm all yours." At that, she smiled widely.
"You could stay the night." She suggested. The Doctor's hearts dropped and he pulled away his hand with a sigh. She looked hurt, "What did I do?" He shook his head.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter." He said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"Yes, it does." She argued, quickly becoming frustrated, "You've been acting weird ever since you saw me this afternoon. What's wrong? Tell me." He looked into her pleading eyes and his hearts broke a little. Why should he lie to her? She deserved to hear the truth. And besides, he wasn't in the mood to play games. He would rather just say what he felt. They'd been apart for too long.
He took a deep breath.
"I… I haven't seen you in years." He said, not quite knowing where to begin, "The last time I saw you, you were…" He found himself unable to finish his sentence. Melody studied his eyes in concern.
"I was what?" she asked, attempting to encourage him.
"You weren't you." He said helplessly. She frowned.
"What's that meant to mean?" she asked, "I am me. I will always be me."
"No, I mean, you were older, different." He said, "You weren't little Melody Pond."
"I still don't understand." She replied. By now the Doctor felt like crying. He had no idea how to express what he meant and he didn't have a clue whether this was a good idea or not, but he had to try.
"When I think of you as Melody, I think of the tiny baby that I saved from a terrible fate. I think of a little girl who knew nothing of the horrors of the world. So when you look at me like I'm… like you want me, I just can't… I just…" the Doctor cut himself off with a strangled sob. Frantically trying to control his emotions, he rubbed his eyes, blinking back the tears that he was afraid to cry. Suddenly, he felt Melody pull his hands from his face. Her expression was so understanding, yet at the same time, confused.
"But who else would you think of me as?" she asked gently, tilting her head to the side. Taking a deep breath, he replied.
"River." He said truthfully.
"I swear, if you say that name one more time-" Melody started, pulling away.
"No." The Doctor said, grabbing hold of her hands and evidently taking her by surprise, "You are River."
She simply blinked.
"I'm River?" She repeated slowly. The Doctor couldn't help but smile.
"Yes." He whispered.
"You weren't saying another woman's name?" she asked.
"No." he replied.
"So, when you said that I'm not me, you meant that I'm not River." She said, a frown creasing in her forehead.
"No. You're not quite done yet." He replied. There was a sudden paused. The crease in Melody's forehead slowly vanished as she was hit by a look of overwhelming realisation.
"You're going to leave me, aren't you? You're only going to come back when I'm River." She said sadly.
"What? No!" the Doctor cried in shock, "Melody, of course not. I'm not going anywhere. I'll just need time to adapt. You may not be River, but I still love you."
Melody froze and, as the Doctor realised what he had said, so did he.
"You love me?" she asked, almost disbelievingly.
"I… I…" he stuttered, "Well… Yes." A broad smile covered the young Pond's face as she laughed gleefully.
"I love you too." She replied happily, leaning across the table to kiss him. Oddly, kissing Melody didn't feel strange any more. A part of him still felt uneasy, but now that part was almost gone. His faith had been renewed in her reaction: at first confusion, then anger, and finally, happiness. From then on he knew that she was definitely going to be the River Song he knew from the future. Her future.
After their dinner, they went for a walk through the University and Melody gave the Doctor a tour of the archaeology department. Most of her tour was spent listening to Time Lord's pompous prattle about how archaeology was a load of rubbish. Melody soon became bored with that and so dragged him out and back to her dorm. Lilly was already asleep, so they had to sneak in quietly. To end a perfect night, they stayed up and talked softly, Melody finally falling asleep in the Doctor's arms.
And the best part of the evening? The corner shop sold jelly babies.