Sure enough the Doctor was absolutely livid when River and Evie materialised in a large, airy building that looked rather like an empty aircraft hangar. He strode purposefully towards the two women, dressed in the same outfits they'd been wearing when he'd seen them; in Evie's case what she'd been wearing on her birthday, during their Pirate adventure. River had persuaded her daughter that she needed to change back into the outfit, though she didn't really give her a reason, just saying that it would encourage them to trust her.

"Well then, soldier, how goes the day?" River asked loudly. The two women stood side by side, keeping their heads held high as everyone turned to stare at them with varying expressions of shock and anger on their faces.

"Where the HELL have you been?" The Doctor demanded, striding towards them furiously. His voice echoed around the huge building, helping to amplify the anger that was radiating off him. "Every time you've asked I have been there. Where the hell were you today?"

"I couldn't have prevented this."

"You could have tried!" He roared. Evie was slightly relieved that he hardly seemed to have registered her presence, instead focusing on River.

"And so, my love, could you." The older woman told him calmly. The Doctor, who had started walking away from them turned and looked back as though she'd physically punched him.

Beside her mother, Evie was doing her best to keep her face expressionless and not show just how confused and lost she was with the situation. She knew barely more than any of the others, perhaps less as she did not know what had happened here, except what River had told her.

"I know you're not alright," River said looking across at her parents, "but hold tight Amy, because you're going to be."

The Doctor strode towards them once more, his face a mask of pure anger. "You think I wanted this? I didn't do this… this wasn't me!"

"This was exactly you." River snapped back. "All this; all of it! You make them so afraid. 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. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean?"

Even Evie was shocked by the amount of venom that was behind her mother's words. She stole a glance at her grandparents, wrapped in each other's arms, and saw that they were staring at the woman in shock. The Doctor looked gobsmacked and was frozen to the spot.

Walking around him, River continued her speech. "To the people of the Gamma Forests the word Doctor means 'Mighty Warrior'. How far you've come." The Doctor turned to her with anger still on burning in his expression, although now it was mixed with intense pain. He turned, walking away from her, towards Evie and the TARDIS. The girl didn't want to look at him, neither was she able to look away. "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 all this, my love, in fear of you."

The Doctor approached River, almost menacingly, stopping just in front of her. "Who are you?" He demanded.

There was a brief moment of silence as each considered the other. Then River smiled, her eyes lighting up as she skipped backwards away from the Time Lord. He moved quickly after her, grabbing at her wrist.

"Oh look, your cot… haven't seen that in a very long while." She said in a far lighter tone, dancing away towards the wooden artefact. A quick glance at her grandparents told Evie she wasn't the only one struggling to understand the situation.

"No, no! You tell me. You tell me who you are." The Doctor demanded, keeping a firm grasp on River's arm. She had one hand on the side of the cot and she was staring into his eyes. Despite the way he was gripping her arm she didn't seem the slightest bit worried. Instead she glanced down into the cot, before moving his hand off her wrist and onto the wooden cradle.

"I am telling you." She told him softly, her voice and expression full of meaning. "Can't you read?"

Glancing down into the cot, the Doctor's expression softened, comprehension dawning on his face. Neither Amy nor Rory seemed to get the message, but Evie felt her heart expanding slightly as the Doctor gazed at River and a small smile appeared on his lips. The girl felt tears springing to her eyes as she saw just how happy her mother was now that the truth was out in the open. Evie didn't think River had ever looked more radiant than she did then. This was their moment; everyone else was forgotten.

"Hello…" The Doctor said, his tone strange, as though he was holding back a laugh. Evie beamed, biting her lip to stop herself laughing as well.

"Hello."

The Doctor did laugh now, the strangeness of the situation overwhelming him. "But that means…"

"I'm afraid it does!" River admitted.

Glancing at Amy and Rory the Doctor pulled a face. "Ooh… But you and I! We… we.. we.. we.. err…" He made kissing noises and Evie snorted with laughter, burying her face in one hand to try and stop the sound breaking the moment between them.

"Yes!" River breathed suggestively, leaning into him and making the Doctor laugh again. He rubbed his hands together before turning to Amy and Rory again and looking slightly nervous.

"Oooh…" He repeated, pulling a face. Then he calmed himself and straightened his jacket and bowtie purposefully. "How do I look?"

The woman looked him up and down, smiling happily. "Amazing."

"I'd better be!"

"Yes, you'd better be!" She agreed, laughing.

"Vastra and Jenny, 'til the next time. Rory and Amy I know where to find your daughter and on my life she will be safe. Evie… Evie…" A look of realisation flashed through his eyes and he glanced at River, who tilted her head slightly as her lips twitched into a smirk. He glanced down again, his eyes widening. "Evie! You be good. River, get them all home." He stalked towards the TARDIS, ruffling the brunette's hair affectionately as he passed and beaming at her. "Oh, Evie!"

"Doctor!" Rory cried as the Doctor removed the shield around his time machine with the sonic screwdriver.

"No!" Amy cried, leaping after him. "Where are you going? No!"

But the Time Lord didn't respond, in fact he didn't seem to have heard either of them. He went into the TARDIS, poking his head through the door to look at River one last time and pointed at her with a wide grin on his face. Then he glanced briefly at Evie, still beaming, before he vanished. The TARDIS dematerialised with its familiar whooshing sound, leaving them all staring at an empty space.

"Where's he going? What did you tell him?" Amy demanded, walking slowly towards River. Evie glanced nervously between her and the older woman, wondering how her mother was going to convince them that she was telling the truth.

"Amy, you have to stay calm."

But apparently the red-head had no intention of doing what River told her. She bent down and picked up a gun off the ground, pointing it directly at the woman. "Tell me what you told the Doctor."

"Amy, don't!" Evie called out, stepping towards the young woman quickly, but Amy turned to face her instead, turning the gun on her.

"Shut up!"

"Amy! No, stop it!" Rory tried to reason with his young wife, but she wasn't in the mood to be pacified.

"It's OK, Rory… Evie… she's fine, she's good." River assured them, completely calm. "It's the TARDIS translation matrix; it takes a while to kick in with the written word. You have to concentrate."

Amy glanced quickly at the circular writing on the base of the cot. Then she shook her head and tightened her grip on the gun which was still pointing at River, now at point blank range. "No, I still can't read it."

"It's because it's Gallifreyan and doesn't translate." River explained as Rory gently prised the gun from his wife's hands. River reached into the cot with one hand and took hold of Amy's hand with the other. "But this will." She pressed a green piece of fabric into her mother's hand. "It's your daughter's name in the language of the Forest."

"I know my daughter's name." Amy snapped.

"Except they don't have a word for pond, because the only water in the Forest is the river." The woman's face was pleading with her parents to believe her words. From the spot where Evie had stayed, she watched unsure whether to be hopeful or not. "The Doctor will find your daughter and he will care for her, whatever it takes. And I know that…" There was a pause as Rory and Amy studied whatever was on the piece of fabric River had given them, before glancing back up at her. "It's me… I'm Melody. I'm your daughter."

Argh! Penultimate chapter times! That's right... there's just ONE more chapter left.

That's it.

Finished.

Finite.

The End.

Can you tell I'm a little sad? :(

Anyway... I have got something in my mind that I COULD work on next... BUT I really want to know your opinions about whether I should because I really REALLY don't know whether you'd want to keep reading about Evie? I, personally, could probably just keep writing her forever. But are you going to get bored if I do that?

My idea is: Evie's diary. Basically a collection of the adventures that Evie's got up to with the Doctor and River and the others. What d'you think? PLEASE let me know! :D

Love, as always! B xxx