AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello sweeties! I had some of you asking me to update soon, so I thought I would do it tonight so that you had the second part. I hope you like it, R&R and tell me what you think. Enjoy! :)

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic and I do not own Doctor Who. Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and this is purely for fun and non-profitable purposes!

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: An end to this torment

(18 Weeks [5 months] Pregnant)

"It's time to make a choice Melody"

"No, it's not. You really don't understand the bond between mother and child do you? You see, Kovarian, when you threaten that bond, instincts kick in, powerful instincts that know no bounds. A parent will go to great lengths to protect their child and no way am I letting you get away with what you've done" River growled as she stepped forward, getting very close to Kovarian and holding the gun to her head.

"Put the gun down" Kovarian said assertively, but River could hear the nerves in her voice.

"You kidnapped and tortured my children and tried to take my baby away, don't think I wouldn't use this"

"You wouldn't dare" She hissed.

"Wouldn't I?" River whispered in her ear.

River stepped back and turned away from her. The Doctor tried to catch her eye, but couldn't and in a split second she had spun back around and pulled the trigger, shooting one of the soldiers dead. The Doctor flinched, but he knew it was coming. The other solider swiftly raised his arm to threaten River with his gun, but River didn't move and just stood her ground and stared him down. But the Doctor quickly stepped forward.

"You can't shoot her!" The Doctor shouted, the worry filling his voice. "Because if you kill her, you kill the baby, and that would be the end of your plan"

The soldier lowered his gun and Kovarian scowled at him, scolding him for his stupidity. River didn't bat an eyelid and shot him too. She turned to Madame Kovarian, intimidating her with her malicious stare. Kovarian watched closely, eyeing River's every move carefully. Her heart was pounding in her chest and when River raised her eyebrows as she turned the gun to her, she nearly leapt out of her skin.

"Wouldn't I?" River said again, her voice sounding more dangerous than before. "Don't threaten me Kovarian. Don't play games with me. You'll lose, I guarantee it"

"Please..." She whimpered, begging for her life as River looked set to shoot her dead. "Melody...please...no...no..."

When Kovarian realised River was going to show her no mercy, she decided to make a run for it. But the split second she turned her back on River and began to run for her life back across the bridge, River pulled the trigger and executed her, ending the torment she had been conflicted with since she was a child. River's clothes were dashed with Kovarian's blood, but she didn't think anything of it. She just closed her eyes solemnly and burst into silent tears. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her as the gun slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor. He pulled her into a hug as she broke down in his arms. He kissed the top of her head reassuringly and held her tight to his chest.

For the Doctor, violence was never the answer. But River had made it clear she would fight to the death for her children, and the Doctor couldn't disagree. He comforted and rocked her for a while before he took her by the hand and they walked solemnly past the lifeless bodies that lined the corridor and went to rescue their children. They dealt with the rest of the soldiers in a less brutal manner, and when they saw their children, they raced to them, running so fast they thought their legs would fall off. They unchained them quickly and began to soothe them. River enveloped Lily in her arms, whilst the Doctor helped and comforted Jenny, who, despite being the elder of the two, was just as terrified as her younger sister. River let Lily cry as she cradled her in her arms for a while, rocking her, kissing her and reassuring her in an attempt to calm her down the best she could. River's clothes were torn and covered in blood, her skin was battered and bruised and her emotional pain was ten times worse, but she didn't let any of it show, for her daughter's sake. She tried desperately to put on a brave face for the sake of her daughters, pushing past the torment she had endured at Kovarian's hand because she knew her daughters needed her, they were her first priority and compared to them, her own pain was irrelevant. Eventually she helped her daughter to her feet and the four of them walked sombrely back to where the TARDIS had been kept by Kovarian.

...[LATER]...

The Doctor put his daughters to bed, spending extra time tucking them in and reassuring them that they were safe. He told them if they needed anything, they could come to him at any time in the night and he wouldn't be angry. He knew how they felt. His hearts were still racing even though he knew it was all over. But his first priority was to protect and care for his family.

The Doctor walked swiftly down the dark corridors to his bedroom in search of his wife. When he reached the bedroom door, he gently pushed it open and scanned the room for River. He couldn't see her. He sighed as he strolled into the room and flopped backwards onto the bed. He rubbed his temples and breathed deeply for a while, calming himself down after one of the most stressful days of his life. He sighed, she could be anywhere in the TARDIS and he didn't have a hope of finding her. But suddenly he heard muffled sobbing through the darkness and he instantly sprung to his feet to investigate. He pushed open the door of their en-suite and was shocked by what he saw. The room was dark, but he could see River cowering in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest the best she could with her bump, her body trembling and her hair covering her eyes. She looked up, peering at him through her matted curls. The Doctor quickly advanced to his wife, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't move, just shivered in his arms. His concern for her evidently showed on his face.

He stood up, and held out his hand for her to take, which she did, and he helped her up. She had scratches, grazes, cuts and bruises all over her skin, which he wasn't entirely sure how she acquired, but he could see she was in absolute agony. But nevertheless, he asked if he could help look after her, and she nodded weakly. He sat her gently on the lip of the toilet and examined her injuries. She had a cut lip, a black eye and scratches all over her legs and her knees were grazed, but somehow she still managed to look beautiful. He kissed her knees gently and traced his thumbs over her cuts, careful not to hurt her. Then he pushed up her top with his fingers to check her bruises. Down her right side she had a big purple bruise from where she had fallen, and he traced his fingers over it lightly, examining the damage. There was a sharp intake of breath as he accidently pressed too hard on the bruise, and he moved away from it, pressed his forehead to hers and apologised quickly. He kissed her nose softly and moved away from her and towards the bath tub. He turned the taps and ran the hot water for her, adding soaps and bubble bath. He wanted to care for her, so he thought bathing her to sooth her wounds would be the best thing to do first. But she couldn't do it herself as she was so shaken up, so he would have to help her.

When the bath was filled, he rolled up the sleeves of his light blue shirt and tested the temperature of the water, and then he moved back over to where she was sitting. Tears were streaming down her face, but she was trying desperately not to cry out loud. He knelt down in front of her, resting his hands over her shaking hands. He gestured to the bath and she nodded hesitantly. He began undressing her slowly, carefully lifting her blood-stained top over her head and helped her to her feet as he helped her out of her shorts, ridding her of each piece of tattered clothing carefully. She stood there naked, shivering in the cool air, so he quickly lifted her up into his arms and lowered her into the hot bath to warm her up. She didn't move. She just sat there with her arms around her body and the water tranquil around her. The Doctor sat on the edge of the bath and began to help her. He cleaned her wounds gently and washed her soiled skin, he washed her hair to the best of his ability and then he stopped, hoping she was feeling better and would try to do the rest on her own. She didn't do anything, just sank down into the water and closed her eyes, trying desperately to relax. He leant over the bath and kissed her forehead softly. He sat there with her, holding her hand while she soaked.

A little while after, he lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a warm, fluffy white towel. He carefully dried her skin and her hair, and then pulled one of his loose shirts over her head. He kissed the top of her head and lifted her into his arms again, carrying her from the bathroom through to their bedroom. She held onto him tightly, her arms draped over his shoulders and her head resting in the crook of his neck. And as they entered their bedroom, he gently laid her down on the bed and wrapped the duvet snugly around her. She smiled faintly and quietly thanked him for his help in a frail voice. He simply smiled down at her, brushing the back of his knuckles over her cheek and kissed her nose, cheek and forehead. Then he lay down next to her, fully clothed, and pulled her close to him. She cuddled him and he smiled into her curls, then she nuzzled her face into his chest to stifle tears she could no longer contain. He tried his best to comfort her, but he gave up and thought it best to let her cry.

River was distraught. Madame Kovarian had tortured her all her life. She had tormented her mother and father, and her husband, and now had tried to take her daughters and her baby, and River had had enough. But it was over now. Kovarian was dead. But surprisingly, River wasn't basking in her victory. Shooting people wasn't something she shied away from, but shooting Kovarian and ending her torment, had really shaken her up. But it was all over now, and she could move on with her life knowing she could never hurt her again.

The Doctor and River lay together in the darkness as the minutes ticked by silently. River was curled up in his arms and he held her closer than ever before. He pulled her even closer to his chest and she buried her head between the both of them. The Doctor kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her hair lovingly as he stroked his hand up and down her back. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she was still awake, there was no way anyone could sleep so easily after such a traumatic experience, not even River Song. The Doctor brushed a loose curl off her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. He nuzzled her nose with his affectionately and began tracing his thumb back and forth over her cheek. He suddenly felt small tear drops spill from her tightly closed eyes and he swiftly brushed them away.

"It's alright my love" He whispered softly, placing another kiss on her forehead reassuringly. "It's over now...it's over. You're safe"

Neither of them slept that night, they just lay together silently in the darkness, holding each other close all night.

Please leave a review, you know you want to ;)

[NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON]

EXTRA AUTHOR'S NOTE: I really hope that was worth it! It's only short, but any feedback is greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it xx