Let's Kill Hitler: River
"Now look at that!" Melody grinned, trying on clothes before the mirror, piles and piles of clothes from the patrons she'd stolen from, "Now that's fun. From every angle," her gaze flickered to the reflection when she saw Amy run in, blank-faced, unaware it was the robot, "Now dear, you should know better than to follow me."
~8~
Rory looked around, concerned, as he and Amy were deposited in one of the glass tubes of the robot, "Ok…ok…" they stood, "I'm trapped inside a giant robot replica of my wife. I'm really trying not to see this as a metaphor."
"How can we be in here?" Amy looked around, "How do we fit?"
"Um…miniaturization ray?"
"How would you know that?"
"Well there was a ray and we were miniaturized."
"Alright…"
"Welcome," one of the Antibodies called as they rose from the ground, "You are unauthorized," they turned to it, "Your death will now be implemented."
"Um, what's that?"
"Uh, I don't know, it's in YOUR head," Rory remarked as they backed up, him moving in front of Amy in the process, intent to protect her.
"Please remain calm while your life is terminated," the Antibody continued.
"We come in peace!" Amy held her hands up.
"When has that ever worked?" Rory laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, that worked just about as well as yelling 'it's ok we're nice!' at someone trying to attack them.
"Oh shut up!" they turned and ran around the corner, coming face-to-face with another one.
"Please cooperate in your officially sanctioned termination," the Antibody requested as they ran to another corner, seeing one more, "It is normal to experience fear," until they were cornered by a wall, "During your incineration."
"Stop or I sonic!" Amy threatened, pulling out the Doctor's sonic.
"What are you doing?" Rory asked.
"Ah, I don't know."
"Ok, psychic interface, just point and think," he told her.
"I know but what do I think?"
"I don't know!"
Suddenly the doors behind them slid apart and the young man from the control room appeared, "It's ok, just stay still, don't move," he slipped two wrist devices onto them, "Privileges activated. See," he held up their green wrists, "Activated."
"You are authorized," the Antibodies turned to leave, "Your existence will continue."
"You can put your hands down. This is Justice Department Vehicle 6018. You're not guilty of anything. Welcome aboard the Teselecta."
~8~
"Oh, I missed this," Melody remarked as she tried on a jacket, "I haven't seen myself since I was seven! Do you believe that!?"
It had been SO long since she'd seen what she really looked like. She'd had to wear that device non-stop, she couldn't risk forgetting to put it on in the morning or having Amy appear at her house at night or some sort of emergency occurring that needed her to run around. She'd looked like 'Mels' since she'd been allowed to go and officially meet Amelia Pond. She had gotten used to looking like 'Mels' but she really did prefer her natural appearance and was just happy to be able to take that disguise off for good now. Shimmers could be rather restraining and uncomfortable. They had to keep being adapted to fit the person wearing it and, especially during puberty, it had been even more awkward to try and keep adjusting it as she grew a little nearly each day.
"You killed the Angel," Robo-Amy stated from behind her, her voice in monotone, something Melody didn't seem to notice.
"Oh, yes I know dear. I hope you're not going to keep on about it," Melody put on a hat, examining herself with it on, "Oh, I've got a whole new coloring to work with now," she took it off and primped her hair.
Robo-Amy moved to stand beside the mirror, looking at her, "You were meant to kill the Doctor on the orders of the movement known as the Silence and Academy of the Question yet you killed the Angel instead. You accept and know this to be true?"
"Quite honestly I don't really remember. It was all a bit of a jumble," Robo-Amy shoved the mirror away and shot the blue-white beam at her, making Melody stumble back in pain as they tried to capture her, "No! Get off me!"
"Sorry," the Doctor's voice called. Robo-Amy stopped and turned to face him as Melody looked, stunned and surprised, to see Angel standing beside the man himself, both wearing rather formal clothes, the Doctor in a black tux while Angel wore what she had during Amy's wedding, "Did you say she was supposed to kill the Doctor?" he looked up from leaning against the side of the TARDIS, holding a cane, "The Doctor? Doctor who?"
~8~
"You said she was dying!" the captain shouted, seeing Angel still standing, looking stronger...if a bit pale and trembling slightly, her body rigid.
"She is!" the young woman called, that woman must be remarkably strong to be able to stand so...sturdy when they all knew what the effects of the Judas Tree poison was like...pure and utter agony.
"When you're done here your memories will be wiped," the young man was telling Amy and Rory as they entered from the lift, "And you'll be able to…"
"Doctor!" Amy gasped, seeing them on the monitor.
"Angel!" Rory's eyes widened, he could tell, he could tell just looking at her that the Doctor hadn't managed to cure her yet. He could see the strain on her face, the reflectiveness in her eyes as she tried to hold tears back, how stiff she was, that she was doing all she could to keep the pain in, either to not worry the Doctor and distract him, or to try and just appear strong, he didn't know.
~8~
"You're dying…and you stopped to change?!" Melody looked at them, stunned.
"He insisted," Angel sighed.
She had agreed for one reason only...she knew it was a distraction technique for him. He had to be able to pretend that everything was fine...until it wasn't, until he couldn't anymore. He was trying to fool himself into thinking she'd survive, that she'd be ok, that she'd survive somehow…if she looked fine and acted fine then she was fine. But she knew, as much strength as thinking of her daughter gave her...it wouldn't hold the effects of the poison off for long. So she tried, as hard as she could, to stay still, to stay standing, to stay 'fine.' Because the moment she let on how badly she was hurting, she knew the Doctor would lose it. Right now she was focusing on two things, staying strong and keeping the Doctor from feeling her pain.
The Doctor put his arm around her waist, closing his eyes a moment to rest his forehead to her temple, able to feel her shaking in effort, feel her stiffening beside him, and kissed her temple as well, before they walked down the steps, playing with his cane in his other hand, "You should always waste time when you don't have any, right Amelia?" he looked at the robot, ignoring Melody as her eyes narrowed, her gaze flickering to his arm around Angel, "Time is not the boss of you. That's Rule 408 Rory!" he called a bit, eyeing the Robo-Amy, "Amelia Pond, judgment death machine. Why am I not surprised?" he opened the top of his cane to reveal a sonic end, "Sonic cane."
"Are you serious?" Melody eyed him.
"Never knowingly," he murmured, his jaw tensing, only Angel's reassuring squeeze around his middle keeping him from turning around, he had to focus on the robot, that was where the sonic blip was coming from, where the TARDIS had tracked Amy and Rory to and Angel would want them safe...and...he wanted them with him, the Ponds had proved invaluable assets and...if there was any chance to save Angel, he would need them with him, "Never knowingly be serious, Rule 27 Rory," he eyed the robot's eyes, "I hope you're writing these down," he looked down at his cane, if only for an excuse not to deal with the woman who looked like River that he could see in the reflection of the robot's eyes and her questions.
He knew Melody hadn't done any of the things that made him furious with River, but still, knowing she was capable of killing Angel, of doing so so brutally and easily...to poison her and not show a shred of regret...that she was, for all intents and purposes, killing her right now, and that she would do much worse in the future...it made it hard for him to even look at her. But Angel had insisted they help her, had grabbed his lapels and begged him before they stepped out of the TARDIS NOT to hurt her.
She really was far too forgiving.
"Oh, it's a robot, with 423 life signs inside. A robot worked by tiny people," he looked at Angel, "Love it," and back at the robot, "But how did you all get in there though? Bigger on the inside?" he peered at it a moment before looking at his cane, "No…basic miniaturization sustained by compression field. Oh, watch what you eat it'll get you every time. Amy, if you and Rory are ok, signal me," a moment later a second sonic device was picked up on his cane, "Thanking you."
~8~
"How'd you do that?" the captain looked back at Amy as she held the sonic in hand.
~8~
"AH!" Angel grabbed her leg, the Doctor moving instantly to scoop her into his arms as he had in the TARDIS to keep her from falling to the floor.
"Sorry!" he called, lifting her, "Her leg went to sleep," he shouted to the others, "Just had a quick left leg power nap," he moved her over to the steps, "Forgot you had one scheduled, didn't you eh?" he smiled at her tensely, gently placing her onto the steps, "Better sit down," he cupped her cheek a moment, kneeling before her, looking at her intently, his back to Melody, "I think I heard the right one yawning," he dropped a kiss onto her forehead when...
Melody made a break for the doors and Robo-Amy turned, firing another blue-white beam at her.
"Stop!" Angel shouted, rubbing her chest as she pleaded with the robot, "Please, don't...dont hurt her!"
The robot stopped but the blue-white field around Melody remained, keeping her frozen in place as the robot turned to the Time Lords, tilting its head to eye them, "Why would you care? She's the woman who kills you."
"I'm still...here," she wheezed, the Doctor moving to sit beside her, his one arm around her, taking her hand in his other, squeezing it as he felt her panting to breathe.
"You're dying."
"Well, at least she's not a time-travelling, shape-shifting, robot operated by miniaturized cross people!" the Doctor glared at it a moment, when Angel closed her eyes, squeezing his hand, calming him, "Which…I have got to admit…I didn't see coming."
"Me either," Angel tried to joke, glancing at Melody and then the robot, "Why are you...trying to hurt her?"
"She's Melody Pond," the robot replied, "According to our records..." it was silent a moment, before sighing, "The woman who kills the Angel."
The Doctor tensed, feeling himself starting to shake at those words. He couldn't help but think back to Octavian's words in the forest, how River would kill someone very special, a hero to many…he closed his eyes a moment, disgust filling him, he'd been so daft then, so...stupid. He'd thought Octavian meant HIM, and then remembering Angel...he'd assumed that River would try to kill HIM for choosing Angel over her, had hoped that was what it was. Because River hadn't killed him or Angel yet, not in the adventures they'd shared and, remembering Angel, he had sworn he would never EVER let River get close enough to do that, to kill Angel, so it HAD to be him.
And that was another thing he smacked himself about, seeing it now...he hadn't known Mels was Melody/River, he'd let her get too close and Angel was suffering because of it. And he felt sick, truly sick, to know that this...this was the moment the Teselecta was talking about, this was the moment River killed Angel, or tried to or something because he HAD to stop it! He could barely breathe thinking how he'd basically allowed his Mate's murderer to travel with them, to wander the TARDIS, to get so close to him…
He dreaded to think this was the moment that River killed the Angel, why else was the Teselecta still there? Why else would they be so after Melody? They had gone after Hitler, clearly they were after terrible people, and they were gunning for Melody now...this HAD to be the moment where Melody tried to kill Angel! And he had to stop it, he could completely agree with them needing to stop it...
"But I'm the Angel," Angel's voice cut into his thoughts, "Not YOU. Why...do you care?"
"Throughout history many criminals have gone unpunished throughout their lifetimes," the robot replied, "Time travel has responsibilities."
The Doctor frowned at that, he thought the Teselecta was just a robot that was trying to stop the bad events from happening...but this, he was not expecting this, "What? You got yourselves time travel so you decided to punish dead people?"
"We don't kill them, we extract them near the end of their established timelines."
"And then what?" Angel frowned, a pit forming in her stomach as she curled up a bit, wrapping her hands around her stomach, the Doctor's arm moving to her back, rubbing it comfortingly.
"Give them hell."
The Doctor tensed, feeling Angel flinch at that, and glared at the robot, he felt this, every time humans proved how much potential they also had to do evil instead of good, it was one thing for HIM to want revenge on Melody Pond, it was HIS Mate that was under attack, it was another for those who had nothing to do with it to get involved and take it upon themselves to alter time.
"I'd ask you who you think you are but I think the answer is pretty obvious," he said, a hard edge in his voice, "So who do you think I am? Huh?" he shook his head, "Better question, who do you think Angel is? You think she'd want this for anyone, even her murderer?"
No, she would not. It was being proven even now.
He pointed at Melody, "The woman who killed the Angel," well that settled it, he was never ever letting the woman near Angel ever again, "It sounds like you've got her biography in there, I'd love a peek," and he did, because he wasn't about to lose her so soon, not again, not ever, timelines be damned. If they had anything in there that could help him save her, he wanted to see it.
"Our records office is sealed to the public," the robot replied, "Foreknowledge is dangerous."
"She'll be dead in 3 minutes! There isn't much foreknowledge left," the Doctor glared, he only had 3 minutes to save her before it was too late for him to do anything except end Melody before he himself died. Yes, Angel would NOT want that sort of violence against even her murderer, but HE was NOT Angel and when she wasn't with him...he wasn't himself.
He wasn't the Doctor.
He was something...else, something darker, something uncontrollable without Angel there.
"Psychic," Angel wheezed, "Might be something...I already know."
"Sorry can't do that," the robot replied.
~8~
Inside the robot, Amy spun the captain on his chair to face her, "That man is my best friend, the dying woman is my husband's, and that woman who killed her is somehow our daughter..."
"So you give them anything they want, do you understand?" Rory glared from behind Amy, rising to his full height.
"If they're family, they have privileges," the young man called.
The captain sighed and typed something into Amy's wrist device as she was closest, "Say: access personal records the Angel."
Amy lifted the wrist device, hesitating only a moment, not sure if she wanted to know what was in those files...when Rory put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. She took a breath, "Access personal records the Angel."
~8~
"Records available," the robot stated.
The Doctor looked up, a bit surprised, before glancing at Angel. She nodded and he wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her up and over to it, "Question," he began, moving Angel so that she was before him, resting against him, his arms around her, keeping her standing up and strong, "Someone's trained Melody Pond to kill me, got a bit skewed, another good word, in the middle though, but the point still stands, the question is...who? Who gave that order?"
The robot blinked, "The Silence."
"What is the Silence?" of course they knew who the Silence were, those aliens, they remembered them but...what were they exactly, "Why is it called that? What does it mean?"
"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked."
"What...question?" Angel wheezed, starting to shake as the Doctor wrapped his arms around her more.
"The first question. The oldest question in the Universe. Hidden in plain sight."
"Yes, but what is the question?" the Doctor asked.
A moment later the robot replied, "Unknown."
"Oh, well, fat lot of use that is you big ginge," he glared, growing frustrated, none of that was helping him save Angel, "Call yourselves a record…"
"AHHH!" Angel slumped forward suddenly, nearly hitting the floor as she grabbed her stomach, only his arms managing to keep her from falling completely, though he did end up sinking to the floor with her, "Ahh…" she whimpered in pain, "It hurts..."
The Doctor scanned her quickly with the sonic, "Kidneys are always the first to quit," he whispered, kissing the side of her head, tears in his eyes, feeling himself starting to shake at how much pain she was in, it was starting to break through to him now.
And still...Angel tried to smile at him, "At least it...wasn't the lungs...this time."
~8~
"Ok, she's finished," the young woman reported.
"Oh my God," Amy gasped, turning to Rory and hugging him tightly as he stared, stunned, at the monitor, watching as the Doctor cradled Angel in his arms.
"Well then, let's do what we do," the captain replied, "Give her hell."
Rory closed his eyes, knowing what was likely coming...and honestly not sure if he wanted to stop it, as terrible as it was...
~8~
The field around Melody turned red and she cried out in pain, twitching in agony as she was tortured.
The Doctor glanced over from the woman in his arms, his jaw tight, making not a move to help Melody though his grip on his cane tightened, sorely tempted to strengthen the beam…his Mate was dying in his arms, she wouldn't regenerate, she would truly die...and it was all THAT woman's fault! He just...
"Rory!" Angel gasped, breathing hard, tears in her eyes, "Amy...can you...hear me?"
~8~
"Yeah?" Amy looked up.
"You can talk to her," the captain handed her the microphone they'd been using.
Amy snatched it up, "What do we do? This is me, this is me actually talking, what do we do?"
~8~
"Stop them," Angel pleaded, half-sobbing as she heard Melody screaming.
"Angel…" the Doctor began, looking down at her, he knew she'd try to stop this...but...Melody...everything she'd done...
Angel shook her head, "This isn't right," she told him, looking up at him actually starting to cry, "She's their daughter," the Doctor closed his eyes at that, understanding now, understanding why Angel was so hell-bent to save Melody, to make them stop...not only was the woman someone's daughter, but she was suffering, like their own daughter...and what's more...she was their companions' daughter...that wasn't just Melody Pond, that was Amy and Rory's daughter being tortured, "Stop them!" she begged, closing her eyes tightly, "Amy, Rory...stop them please!"
She couldn't bear it, the screams, the pain she'd seen in Melody's expression. All she could think about was Ayla, what had the Silence done to her? Why was Melody there when Ayla had been taken? What if what happened to Melody was...something Ayla hadn't survived? All she could see was someone's daughter, her companion's daughter, her niece...being tormented and hurt...her own daughter had been taken, had probably had horrible things done to her, and now someone else's daughter was suffering. It was too much, she just wanted this to stop!
She didn't want her death to turn the people she cared about most into murderers!
"How?" Robo-Amy asked, "How is she our daughter!?"
Angel's eyes snapped open and the Doctor's widened in horror, seeing the golden swirling of the Vortex in her, as she gasped, the energy consuming her, "DNA was extrapolated from the dropped pistol Amy used in the warehouse and a torch Rory had left behind. The DNA of our companions, artificially combined and grown to create Melody Pond, someone we couldn't harm due to her parentage..."
"What?" the Doctor breathed, shaking his head, not sure what was happening, "How do you know that?"
"Melody Pond was created due to the disappearance of the Silence's prime subject," she groaned, a pained expression on her face as the swirling grew brighter, "Ayla…" she breathed, closing her eyes tightly, shaking worse than before, "Doctor help! Make it stop!"
He pulled her closer, recognizing the tone of her voice, the same one that she had used on Mars. And he realized what had just happened...
Angel was seeing the past.
She was accessing too much of her Vortex power too quickly. The poison was breaking down the natural barriers that kept her powers in check till she was ready to use them, the part of her power that allowed her to see the future...it was allowing her to see the past as well, Melody's past…the past that could have been their own daughter's he realized if her words were true, which he did not doubt they were.
"Amy stop them!" he shouted, knowing he had to stop them hurting Melody to get the Vortex to stop hurting Angel, knowing she was reacting to the situation, the sonic was going to be no help, the frequency would either blow up the robot or trap Melody in pain forever.
"How?!" Amy called.
"Just do it!" he snapped as Angel started to spasm in his arms, Melody's screams were getting to her, they were affecting her, making the subconscious part of her mind want to use the Vortex to help but she couldn't focus enough to actually use it...
~8~
"What are you doing?" Rory asked as Amy pulled out the sonic.
"Pointing and thinking, just get ready to run," she aimed it at her wrist device, disabling the green and making it red.
The Antibodies started to rise in the room, "You are unauthorized," they stated, "Your death will now be implemented."
"Ok captain, release her now or I take down the whole Teselecta," Amy threatened.
"Amy…" Rory began.
"You can't," the captain nearly smirked.
She leaned forward, "They can," she hit the sonic again and all the wrist devices turned red, "Rory go!" they turned and ran.
"All privileges withdrawn," the Antibodies stated.
"What have you done!?" the young man shouted as the crew struggled to get their devices to green again.
"All life forms prepare for immediate decease," Amy and Rory entered the lift, "You will experience a tingling sensation and then death," one turned to the young woman and strangled her.
"Shut it down!" the captain ordered.
"I'm trying!" the young man called.
"Shut everything down!"
Everything shut down...and Melody was released.
~8~
"Please…" Angel called out to Melody as she lay weakly in the Doctor's arms, the golden glow fading as Melody was freed and no longer in danger, "Amy and Rory...need help..."
The Doctor swallowed hard, knowing they would need Melody's help to get their companions back, Angel was in no state to do anything, "Don't run," he whispered to Melody though he couldn't bring himself to look at her, if he did...he honestly wasn't sure what he would do, "We know you're scared, but never run when you're scared, rule 7."
"Please…" Angel closed her eyes tightly as a tear fell from them.
~8~
"Remain calm," an Antibody called as it worked on a struggling black man, "While your life is extracted."
Amy ran out of the lift, past Rory who had stopped short, "Run! Keep running!"
"Where?!" he demanded.
"I don't know, just run!" she pushed him on.
~8~
"Mother ship!" the captain called into the comm. from the control room, "Mother ship, get us out of here. Emergency beam up now. Every one!" they were all beamed up.
"Only two life forms remain," an Antibody reported, "This will be rectified."
~8~
Amy stopped running, looking around the corridor, now empty, "Where did everyone go?"
"How can they just disappear?" Rory asked.
Amy's eyes widened, seeing the Antibodies approaching, and held up the comm. she'd kept hold of, "Doctor can you hear us? Angel?! Doctor help us!" they backed away, "Angel help us! Doctor, Angel, please!"
~8~
Angel looked at the Doctor who was holding her tightly as she gasped for breath, Melody just sitting on a chair, looking bored, uncaring of her 'parents'' plight. The Doctor wasn't sure if her complete disregard for the situation was from the fact that she had apparently been created from DNA taken ages ago so what need was there for her parents now? Or the fact that she was trying to stay there and make sure Angel actually died this time. He couldn't see why she would still be there with the robot unable to stop her leaving?
"Help them," Angel breathed, her voice weaker as she squeezed the Doctor's hand that was curled in her own feebly, barely able to muster the strength to move, "Please…"
He shook his head, tears in his eyes, "I'm not leaving you alone with her," he glared at Melody, really having Angel in his arms and not wanting to leave her alone as she...died...like he had in the Crucible last time...being the only thing keeping him from going after the woman.
"What's the...worst she can do?" she tried to joke, her thumb stroking the back of his knuckles, feeling faint scars on them like his last self had, trying to keep him calm, "Kill me?" she swallowed hard, "We both know...it's too late for that."
"Don't say that," he shook his head, a tear falling from his eyes, "Please don't say that, please," he begged, sniffling, "I can't lose you Angel."
She could only give him a small smile, "Save them," she whispered, "Please..." she tilted her head to the side, trying to keep her eyes open and on him, "There's nothing...you can do for ME...but you...you can save THEM."
He nearly cried, hearing the words she had used last time she was dying, when the Earth had been taken and he'd nearly given up, "I'll save you this time," he swore, cupping her cheek, stroking her cheek.
"Look at you," Melody remarked, rolling her eyes, "You're dying and you still care about them."
"Doctor help," Robo-Amy called, "Angel help us. Please help us."
"It's impressive I'll give you that."
"It's not impressive," the Doctor snapped, even though it was...Angel dying and still caring about others, but in a way, it wasn't impressive because that was HER, "It's called being a decent human being!"
Melody scoffed, "She's NOT a human being."
"And what does that say about YOU?" he glared, "You're biologically more human than her, and she's got a FAR more human soul than you will EVER have!"
If Angel's words were to be taken literally, which he did, Melody was like...like Jenny, someone created from the DNA of someone else. Whereas Jenny was only from HIS DNA, Melody was created from Amy and Rory's DNA.
Melody started to smirk, "And how do you know I'm not part Time Lord?" she raised an eyebrow, "My caregivers DID have access to Time Lord DNA after all."
"No," Angel swallowed hard, squeezing the Doctor's hand, feeling his anger rising at the mention and reminder that River Song in the future had been well aware of what was happening to their daughter and hadn't said, "She's lying..."
Melody rolled her eyes, "And how would YOU know?"
The Doctor, believing Angel entirely, being psychic, just grabbed his sonic cane and flashed it at Melody, smirking and holding it up, the readings proving it, "100 percent human."
Melody's eyes narrowed at that.
Angel bit her lip, holding in another groan, "River please..."
"Again!" she got up, exasperated, "Who is this River?"
"Please help...save Amy and Rory. Just...help them."
Melody shook her head, "Why should I?" she had already been created, already been raised, it wasn't like she needed them.
Angel just looked over at her, tears blurring her vision, "They're your parents," she ground out, "Do you need...another reason?"
Melody looked at her long and hard, not happy with the girl actually managing to get to her like that, "Oh fine," she grumbled, unable to help thinking about all the times Amy had been there for her growing up, "If it'll stop your whining," she turned and strode towards the TARDIS, reaching out to the doors which were open a crack only for them to slam shut in her face. She let out a frustrated breath and turned to the Doctor, "Well, what's this about then?"
"She doesn't like you," the Doctor replied, throwing her a hard look, "And with good reason…"
"Doctor," Angel took his hand again, "Go...help her..."
"I'm not leaving you," he told her.
"Well then get the doors open," Melody rolled her eyes.
"You just poisoned my Mate and shot our TARDIS!" he glared at her, not even able to register in his mind that all his shouting all the things he'd been saying from the beginning, how close he'd been to Angel...it meant River in the future would have always known that Angel was his Mate, "You think I'll just let you back in there?!"
"Well it's either you leave her with me or I go and get them since you're so adamant about not leaving her," Melody countered, moving to squat down across from the Doctor, beside Angel even as the Doctor pulled her closer to his arms. He seemed torn about that, seeing the point, as Melody smirked, "You'd best head out, I don't know how to pilot that stupid box anyway."
"I won't be able to teach you all that in an instant!"
Angel groaned, a ripple of pain hitting her, before she reached out a weak hand towards Melody.
"What are you doing?" Melody shied away.
Angel took a pained breath, "Trust me...just...once," she pleaded, resting her hand on Melody's forehead and closing her eyes, concentrating on all she knew about piloting TARDISes and letting it drift over to Melody's mind. It was similar to when the Doctor head-butted Craig...there were subtler methods but only when one really knew the topic at hand in enough detail to send a large enough chunk of it to someone else but it had to be done with enormous focus.
She could only hope that she had enough time…
~8~
Amy and Rory reached the eye of the robot, hitting the button on the wall but the shields didn't open. Antibodies appeared behind them, "You are unauthorized," they slowly turned, "Your death will now be implemented," electricity crackled from prods extending from their tentacles.
"I love you," Amy turned to Rory.
"I love you too," he told her, hugging her tightly...when a wheezing sound started and the TARDIS appeared around them.
"Doctor?" Amy called, looking around, "Doctor you did it. He did it!" they started to laugh but stopped when they saw Melody step out from behind the console.
"I seem to be able to fly her," she said quietly, "Angel…she showed me how. She taught me. The Doctor said, as a sister of the TARDIS, Angel could share the information more easily."
"Where is she?" Rory asked her, tensing and moving in front of Amy protectively, Melody just gave him a look, "Where?!"
Melody actually flinched at the sound of his voice and just turned, ready to try and fly the TARDIS back...when the console sparked, "Ow!" she glared up at the rotor, "What's wrong now!? You worked before!"
"It's because she had to," Rory remarked, rushing up to the console, Amy frowning as she followed him, watching as he flicked a few knobs and twisted a few buttons...actually looking like he knew what he was doing.
It was the only reason the TARDIS had let the woman pilot her given the natural dislike the box had for 'River Song,' because she had to have known that the woman was flying her to save THEM. But they were back now and they didn't need Melody to help any longer, her temporary truce was over.
"Hold on," Rory muttered to them, not looking at Melody at all as he grabbed a lever and pulled it.
He didn't know how to fly the TARDIS exactly, Angel had actually offered to let him know everything about the TARDIS when she first started teaching him how to fly the box. She had apparently made that offer to all the past companions, to essentially download the information into him, but he'd refused, he...he wanted the bonding experience between them, her actually taking the time to teach him how to fly the box properly and had been a bit worried that she'd be mad at him for it, that she'd think he was being stupid or that he'd prove to be incapable of learning or something. And Angel, he'd realized how foolish he'd been to think that, as Angel had just squealed and hugged him tightly, cheering about how happy she was that he'd said no! She was always surprising him like that, but she'd been thrilled that she got to actually TEACH him to fly too!
So he didn't know exactly how to fly the box, but he knew enough to get the box to the point where she could fly herself with just a bit of guidance from him. Which was what he was doing now, the box working with him, probably happy that her 'pretty one' was handling her instead of Melody...
~8~
Amy and Rory knelt on one side of Angel as she laid on the steps inside the restaurant, the Doctor half-lying beside her on the other side with her wrapped in his arms, Melody standing a few feet away, "You can't die now," Amy told her softly, "I know you don't die now."
"Doctor, what do we do?" Rory asked the man, tears in his eyes as he held Angel's chilled hand, it hurt to look at her, to see her struggling to keep her eyes open and herself breathing, "Come on. How do we help her?"
"I'm sorry...Rory," Angel breathed, "You can't..."
"No one can help us," the Doctor agreed with a nod, his head right beside Angel's as he looked at her intently, unwilling to take his eyes off her, unwilling to let anything but her face be the last thing he saw.
"Us?" Melody called, stiffening, a bit startled at that word.
Rory frowned a moment when Amy gasped in realization, "The Mating…when she dies…"
"I die," the Doctor nodded, sounding...accepting, almost...welcoming...of that.
"No…" Angel whimpered.
"Hey, hey," he smiled down at her, tears in his eyes at her suffering, "It's alright," he gently stroked her cheek, turning her head to look at him, "It'll be fine."
"Ayla…" she breathed, "She...needs...you..."
"She needs you too."
Angel just shook her head, this wasn't what she wanted, this was the one thing she did NOT want from the Mating. She did NOT want him to die because of her, because she wasn't strong enough to keep herself safe. Groaning, she reached into a small pocket on her dress and pulled out a small band with ancient writing on it, a bracelet she'd kept on her person ever since seeing the Doctor kiss River.
The Doctor's eyes widened, seeing the engravings, recognizing what the bracelet was, "Where did you get that?!"
"What is it?" Amy asked softly, hearing the horrified tone in his voice.
"It's a Dampening Bracelet," he replied, glancing at the band Angel was trying to put in his hand, "It blocks the Mating bonds…it's the only time a Mate can last without the other…" they had been banned on Gallifrey, considered practically sacrilege, "Where did you get this?"
"Standard issue...for all Daleks...in the War," she said, her words starting to slur, "For those taken…as slaves and hostages…didn't need the Mates to realize…" she pressed it into his hands firmer, as firmly as she could, "Take it."
"No," he shook his head, frantic.
He didn't want to think about what it meant that she had one of the bracelets, nor about the fact that she carried it on her as he was sure she hadn't before he'd regenerated. He squeezed her hand, he had to remind himself that while she had it, she hadn't worn it…which, to be honest, made him feel worse as she was privy to everything he'd thought and felt, few of which, he admitted with loathing, concerned her since he'd regenerated and before he'd remembered.
"Please," a tear fell from Angel's eyes, "I don't want you…to die…because of me…"
He smiled at her again, tears falling from his eyes as he stroked her cheek, his voice breaking with emotion, "You're dying. You're going to die. And I'd rather die with you than live without you. Not for anyone…"
Melody rolled her eyes at that.
She blinked, "Ayla…"
He sniffled, knowing that he just...couldn't. No matter how much he loved his daughter, he...he had too much to make up for, he just...he couldn't, he couldn't leave Angel, he couldn't. It would hurt too much. He wanted his daughter back yes...but right now...living on past Angel...he couldn't do it. It would hurt too much to live on without Angel, he wouldn't be able to do it, Mating bonds blocked or not, he wouldn't be able to survive that. The bracelet may block the Mating bond but it didn't block the emotion behind it, the love. He'd make it all of one minute (if he really pushed himself) before he ended up ripping that bracelet off him and joining her. He just...he'd left her for too long, he couldn't leave her again, no now, not right now, not ever probably.
"Ponds?" he looked at them, pleading with them silently.
Amy and Rory nodded, "We'll find her," Amy promised.
"We'll take care of her, I swear," Rory agreed. They had no idea how they'd do it, but they would if it was the last thing they did. They'd get to Jack and Martha and the others, and they would not stop till they found Ayla again and took care of her and raised her with all the love her parents had between them. The love that even now was keeping them together.
Melody frowned, watching them, watching the Doctor's breathing slow as Angel's eyes fluttered closed, her hand that was holding the bracelet slackening its hold, dropping the metal band to the floor...before his eyes shut as well. She had been told of the Time Lords, of the dangerous Doctor, the infamous Time Lord by her caregivers. How he was dangerous and needed to be stopped, she'd been trained and raised to kill him, had found herself all too willing to save the Universe from the madman.
But then...she'd met Amy. Her caregivers had known that Amy would one day travel with the Doctor, that she would be their best way to get to him, to get closer to him. They had intended for her to get close to Amelia, knowing the girl would have issues letting go of the Doctor, of meeting him, that she'd talk about him, reveal secrets even as a child. That she'd reveal more once she had grown up and travelled with him, and who else would she brag to but her best friend? But in knowing Amy, in hearing those stories...her views on the man had changed.
Yes, he was dangerous...but she lived for danger. He brought chaos and destruction, just as she knew she could bring, as she found herself loving creating. Her caregivers had done a perfect job, too good a job, in raising her as a psychopath, who else would she come to associate with? Who else would she obsess over? Who else would she want all for herself but a man just as mad as her? Hearing all those stories Amy had said...hearing Amy herself dreaming of the man, talking of him, making games around him...she'd found herself obsessing over him too, wanting him badly, more than she wanted anything in her life.
And there was one issue standing in the way.
Angel.
She knew about the Doctor's precious Mate, had been told all about her by her caregivers. Ever since she had begun her training, they had been a pair, the Doctor and the Angel, according to her caregivers inseparable, but the DOCTOR was meant to be her target, his Mate too much of a pacifist in their eyes. Well, that was ridiculous, wasn't it? Why would she kill the man she wanted? No, it made much more sense in her mind to target the Angel instead. ANGEL was the one standing in her way, with Angel gone...the Doctor would be hers. So she had gone along with the plans of her caregivers, pretended that she'd kill the Doctor, and gone for poor Angel instead.
And now it seemed like it was all coming along perfectly! Ohh, only a few more moments and the Angel would be no more and then the Doctor...well...he'd be heartsbroken, and she'd be right there to pick up the pieces. He'd be mad, yes, she didn't doubt it, but she was sure she could persuade him to see that she'd done him a favor. All she'd heard about HIM growing up...well...he deserved a woman that was more...well, more than Angel was. And then maybe, just maybe, SHE could be his Mate as well. Because really, what did that even mean? To be Mated? That they were married? She could live with that, she could certainly live with that, it was all she had dreamed about, marrying him.
Amy frowned, tears in her eyes, as they watched the Doctor pull Angel to him, and clutched his hand more, feeling the hearts beat in his wrist slowing. She looked at Rory who shook his head, Angel was either gone or very nearly. She took a breath and closed her eyes, feeling the tears falling, shaking her head...before she felt anger course through her.
She turned around, glaring at Melody, "How could you?!" she demanded.
Melody rolled her eyes, though something about all this was starting to not sit right with her, "I see I'm not the only one with a flair for dramatic," she remarked, eyeing the Doctor as he laid there beside Angel, his eyes closed, "What's he done? Fallen asleep?"
Amy shook her head, slightly disgusted with this girl who claimed to be her daughter, "He's dying!" she stood up to face her.
"How?" she frowned, confused, "I poisoned her."
"They're connected," Rory told her, standing beside his wife, "When she dies, he dies."
Melody's eyes widened at that bit of information, she hadn't been told that…
"Oh my God," Rory shook his head, seeing the expression on her face, "You're only worried NOW aren't you?!" he looked truly sick at that, that she was only starting to be concerned now that the Doctor was in danger too and not Angel! It was disgusting, "If you're really our daughter then that woman," he pointed to Angel, "She's your aunt and you..."
"She ISN'T my aunt," Melody spat, glaring back at him, "She's NOT your sister, she's not even the same species!"
THAT was disgusting to her, that her 'father' had deemed the Angel of all people to be his 'sister.' She knew that her 'parents' saw the Time Lords as family, but she did NOT see it like that at all. They were her parents, technically, biologically yes, genetically. The Angel was NOT related to her at all, the Doctor was NOT related to her either, they were aliens, her parents were humans, she was human, therefore they were NOT related to the Time Lords in any way.
They were NOT family to her, the Doctor was HERS, and Angel was just the girl that was in the way.
"Family doesn't end with blood!" Rory snapped, feeling truly angry at the woman, "God, how could you possibly be OUR daughter!?" he was just...he was disgusted, truly, at how little she cared for Angel, aunt or not, his sister or not, it didn't matter, "Angel is a good person! She doesn't deserve this!"
"She tried to keep me from existing!" Melody shouted back at him, making him frown in confusion, "I was supposed to be conceived on your honeymoon," she told them, "Why else do you think my caregivers were scanning you, mummy dearest?" she shot a glare at Amy.
Amy blinked, startled, realizing now...the Silence, when they'd taken her...those scans they'd been looking at when she'd woken up in their hold...had been pregnancy scans. They had WANTED her baby...but she hadn't had a baby to give, that was why 'she wouldn't do.' She let out a breath, realizing that...Angel had kept them too busy to do anything on the TARDIS, yes...she'd kept River or Melody or whoever she was from being conceived in that way but...equally...she'd kept HER from being the target of the Silence instead.
And as a result...Angel had been taken, Ayla kidnapped, instead of her and Melody. Her daughter, the true child that she would have conceived and carried inside her, had been spared that fate. SHE had been the one they'd been talking about, SHE had been the one that was of no use to them not pregnant.
Amy shook her head and strode up to her, "She did that to save you," she said, but Melody scoffed, "And after everything she's done…" she swallowed hard, "Everything she will do for you?" she shook her head, "She saved your life just before, she got them to stop hurting you! You were killing her and she stopped them hurting you!"
"And River Song," Rory nodded, "Everything she's done for River too…"
Amy nodded, looking back at Melody, "She's forgiven her for everything. Everything! When the Doctor couldn't remember he'd Mated to Angel, when River tried to manipulate him, when she was in danger, Angel did everything to help her, she got stuck in an exploding TARDIS nearly 6 billion times and you…you're just going to let her die!?"
"Who's River Song?" Melody asked, almost dreading the answer.
Amy turned to the robot of herself that was still just standing there, knowing Melody wouldn't believe her or Rory if they didn't show her entirely, "Are you still working 'cos I'm a relative. Access files on River Song."
"Records available," the robot replied.
"Show me her. Show me River Song."
They watched as the robot turned into Melody, though in the garb they had on file of her. Melody's eyes widened as she looked between the robot and the Time Lords on the ground. She shook her head, thinking about what they had called her, all of them had called her River Song...that meant...that meant they knew her in the future as River Song...she was there in the future...as this River Song person and, thinking about the future she realized something. They already knew her as River...which meant those adventures were in THEIR past but HER future...and if she met past versions of them in the future...maybe there would be future versions of them as well...
And that couldn't happen if the Doctor died because of Angel.
Melody slowly reached into another pocket of her vest and pulled out a small vial.
"What's that?" Amy eyed the clear liquid warily.
"A premade cure to the poison of the Judas Tree," she replied, looking at it to Angel, she had been given it because of her nail polish. If she accidently nicked herself...she needed the cure. It took ages to make, but...every good assassin was always prepared.
"Well give it to her!" Rory shouted, his eyes wide.
Melody was silent, slowly walking to the Time Lords' sides and kneeling down. She reached out, feeling Angel's weak pulse, barely there, and then the Doctor's, just as weak, just as slow…it was true, they really were connected…
Now she realized, if Angel died, the Doctor HAD to die as well, he had no choice in the matter. It was something that couldn't be helped. And if she wanted the Doctor...he had to be alive. And for him to live...as much as she hated to admit it...Angel had to live as well.
She looked at the vial, "Well then…can't marry him if he's dead can I?" she reasoned with a small smile.
She'd just have to find another way to get rid of the girl.
She tipped the solution into Angel's mouth, managing to get the last of it down the girl's throat and setting her hand down on the ground, her fingers curling around something metal right by Angel's hand...when she collapsed back onto the ground in agonizing pain.
"River!"
~8~
Amy and Rory leaned over Melody as she blearily woke up to find herself in a very white room, "Hey," Amy said quietly, "Hey."
"Where am I?" she squinted.
"Your safe now, stabilized."
"Apparently your nerve endings seized up from the Teselecta's beams, cutting off the pain receptors," Rory explained, his mouth in a thin line, trying to be calm and rational about this, trying to be considerate of the fact that the woman had given Angel the cure just in time despite being the one to have poisoned her in the first place, "Once you calmed down, they opened up and flooded your system with all the pain you'd been ignoring."
Melody nodded, blinking a bit...when something caught the corner of her eye, she looked over to see the Doctor sitting on a bed beside hers, Angel lying on it, the girl unconscious, his gaze intently on the Time Lady, holding her hand.
"I said everything would be alright," he whispered, squeezing her hand, "Rule 1…" he sighed, rubbing his forehead, sounding just...devastated, "The Doctor lies."
"Rule 3," Angel spoke quietly as she slowly woke as well, "Never to me."
The Doctor smiled down at her, reaching out a hand to stroke her cheek, moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "Hello," he whispered to her.
"Hi," she murmured, blinking as she tried to wake up more.
"They just need to rest," a young nurse in an all white habit called, not even managing to draw his attention away from his Mate, "They'll be absolutely fine."
"No," he looked at Angel with such a soft, loving look in his eyes, "She will be amazing. Just...divine."
Angel laughed sleepily at that, "I prefer fantastic."
He just laughed as well.
~8~
Angel was sitting up in the bed of the hospital, the Doctor beside her on the bed, her leaning against him as Amy and Rory sat at the foot, all of them talking quietly...as Melody Pond slept soundly in the bed on the other side of the room, something the Doctor was NOT happy about.
"So…what are we going to do about her?" Amy asked, glancing at Melody, "She tried to kill you Angel."
Angel sighed, "We'll...continue to journey with her, just as in her timeline."
She couldn't help but feel like...it was her fault. It was ALL her fault. She had been trying to prevent this fate for River Song, prevent her kidnapping and her upbringing by the Silence...and it had happened, it had happened worse than she felt it might before she had done anything. Because of Ayla, because of her having been taken first, because of her disappearance, they had needed a back up. River had been created anyway and she could tell that the training and the conditioning was probably worse for the woman because of that. Everything River suffered...it had been because of her actions.
River had suffered twice as much because of her.
River had the life she had, because fo her.
She knew that River hated her, had gathered as much from past words and this experience, because SHE was the Doctor's Mate. She was the woman he was with instead of River. She had what River wanted. Because of her, River's life had been hell, that was another reason. And...yet another reason...River clearly knew that she had tried to keep Amy and Rory from conceiving her, but not for the reason she thought. She was trying to spare her companions the sorrow and pain of losing their daughter, like she had, she was trying to spare River the fate she'd seen in her other vision. River saw it only as her trying to keep her from being born.
And she knew...that wasn't the only reason River would hate her in the future, she could just tell...the woman would find so much more to come in the future.
"Why?" Rory frowned, "Angel, she tried to KILL you."
The Doctor sighed, "We have to stick to the established chain of events," he was really starting to hate that rule, "We know we have adventures with River Song in the future…more than what we've seen of her…" he rubbed his forehead, not liking the thought that his Mate's supposed murderer would be travelling with them.
"Yes but…" Angel leaned on him, "Remember what she said in the Library, the last time she saw us, I was there."
"Yes, but," the Doctor mocked just a bit, "She also said you weren't sick in her timeline."
"Yes but," she laughed a little, "She only said we never mentioned an illness to her," she leaned back down on his shoulder, "We can hope."
He let out a little laugh and shook his head, "You really are an angel."
Amy and Rory couldn't help but smile at them. Amy had suspected the Doctor and Angel being closer than they appeared ever since Bracewell, but Rory had known they were closer since the Silurians. Both of them knew just how close and how much it killed Angel since 1969. And they had only glimpsed a bit of this when they'd found her in Demons Run, to see them both like that now, warmed them. Amy put her head on Rory's shoulder. Neither of them seemed to notice Angel tense just a bit at the small saying.
"So…River, uh, Melody," Amy began after a bit, "She's Rory and my daughter, but…not really right?"
"How do you figure she's not?" the Doctor looked at them, his arm around Angel, having felt her tense.
He had tried as hard as he could to get the rooms changed, to get Melody out of there but...when the administration refused, he'd sworn to not leave Angel's side at all, not that he was going to anyway. Melody was in NO state at all to attack Angel or try anything, but he wasn't going to risk it.
"You said she was created from my and Amy's DNA," Rory reminded them, "So…Amy was never pregnant with her, never gave birth to her…we…we never got to raise her…" he supposed it made sense why, even being around Melody after having realized she was their daughter, they didn't feel a real...closeness to her. They hadn't conceived her, they hadn't carried her to term, they hadn't given birth to her or held her as a baby or...anything.
"There was once a man, a very wise man," Angel cut in gently, "Who said that you can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident. And you know what?" she smiled, "He was wrong. SO wrong. River IS your daughter, you ARE her parents. It doesn't always have to happen in the right order or even in a natural way but it still happens. And it doesn't change a thing."
Amy nodded, thinking about that, thinking about the young blonde woman they had met when they'd gone to Torchwood for help getting Angel back, the girl, Jenny. She'd gotten to talk to her for a minute or two, had really talked to every single person there really. She had heard her story of how she was the Doctor's daughter from some sort of DNA machine, how she viewed Angel as her mother even without the shared DNA. She reached into her pocket and felt the Prayer Leaf Angel had given her still there, she'd carried it with her everywhere since Angel and the Doctor had rushed off, hoping that...if she never wrote 'Melody Pond' on it that maybe...the luck could still be used for its original intended baby, Ayla.
"Angel…" she looked up at her a moment, "Can you help me with something?"
Angel smiled, seeming to know what she was going to ask, and held out her hand.
~8~
The Doctor stood by Melody's bedside, reminding himself once more that she was still Melody, not River. That despite poisoning Angel, she had cured her as well. While that did NOT cancel anything out in his mind, only served to make him more wary of the woman...Angel was still there with him, they were both still alive because Melody had given them the cure to the poison. They were still there, still able to go find their daughter, because of that.
Angel put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his arm as he looked at her. He smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Angel's forehead, resting his head to hers a moment. She was already up and about, standing strong...while Melody was lying in bed, a human, not a strong as a Time Lady as terrible as it was to think. He sighed, stepping forward and placing the bright blue, new, TARDIS journal on the bedside. It was only the fact that it would help keep the timelines straight in the future that he gave her that much.
He stepped back, allowing Amy and Rory to look down at their daughter a moment before Amy placed the Prayer Leaf with 'Melody Pond' sewn into it in the Gamma Forest language on top of the book and they turned to leave.
~8~
"So that's it?" Amy asked as she and Rory walked up the stairs of the TARDIS to where the Doctor and Angel were standing by the console, Angel fixing the small hole in the rotor, "We just leave her there?"
"Sisters of the Infinite Schism, greatest hospital in the Universe," the Doctor replied, honestly not able to bring himself to care where they left the girl.
"Yeah, but…she's River…and she's our daughter," Amy said slowly, still trying to get used to the fact that River Song was her daughter.
"It's a mess, I know," Angel walked over to her, hugging her, "She needs time...to herself...to think about her life."
Amy hugged her back, "And we have to find Ayla."
Angel nodded, smiling at her.
"We have too much foreknowledge," the Doctor agreed, they had probably done too much by even calling Melody 'River' so often, creating the woman.
"Even for me," Angel gave a small laugh.
The Doctor looked at a monitor, frowning as it displayed his picture but nothing more, he'd tried to hack into the Teselecta's records, but it seemed the TARDIS hadn't had enough time before the robot completely deactivated, "Dangerous thing, foreknowledge," he sighed.
"Doctor…" Rory said slowly, stepping over to look at the two Time Lords, "River was brainwashed to kill you right…but then she killed Angel instead…"
"Yes…" the Doctor nodded, unsure where this was going.
"That stuff that they put in her head, is that gone now? The River that we know in the future, she's in prison, for murder."
"Whose murder?" Amy asked. They couldn't help but think that Melody wanted the Doctor alive too much to risk killing him by killing Angel.
The Doctor could only smile at that and dash around the console, he was actually...happy. Melody had technically killed Angel, he'd felt it, that one brief moment before death...he'd felt her life flicker...and that flicker...for one brief tiny second, she had been dead. 'River' HAD killed Angel. It was only a matter of time before the authorities caught up with her and threw her in Stormcage for it! He wasn't happy that the child of his companions would be in jail the rest of her life...but he was quite thrilled that the woman who had killed his Mate would be locked away, less chance of her attacking Angel in the future. In the future, with her in prison, she would only get out when they WANTED her out, and he doubted he would want that often, if ever.
No, he didn't ever want to see River Song again, ever, if he could help it. He may be all smiles right now, because his Mate was alive, but the next time he saw River...well, Angel had best hold him back. This adventure...it had only proven a few things to him about the woman. River had known about Ayla, all that time, each and every time they saw her. She knew about Ayla's capture, about her being with the Silence...and that meant she had known Angel was pregnant with her during most of the time. River had known he'd been Mated as well, had tried to steal him away not only from his Mate but his child AND had tried to do it IN FRONT OF ANGEL! In front of his pregnant Mate! That should have been all the proof in the world that he was taken (even if HE hadn't remembered it) and that he was happy, that his Mate was carrying HIS child...but she hadn't cared. She'd treated Angel with no respect, hadn't bothered to help them at all in getting Angel back out of petty jealousy, and she just...the way she treated Angel like SHE had more of a right to be with him than Angel did? It sickened him.
So yes, he was quite glad that River would be locked away fairly soon, he was certain.
As far as he was concerned, the Teselecta's records were right, the warning Octavian had given him had been heeded. He had nothing else to worry about with River Song. She had killed Angel (as much as he wanted to murder her for that), and she would NEVER ever get the chance to hurt Angel again. That was over and done.
Now he could focus on the one thing they still had to be worried about...finding Ayla.
"Will we see her again?" Amy called.
"Maybe she'll come find us one day," Angel replied as the Doctor dashed past her, taking her hand to try and tug her up the stairs.
"Yeah but how? How do people even look for you?"
The Doctor stopped and looked back at her, "Oh, Pond, haven't you figured that one out yet?" and then he continued on, trying to pull Angel with him.
"Go on," Angel ushered him off, "I just want to recheck the hole, make sure the sealant is holding," the Doctor nodded and headed off as Angel walked back to the console, examining the bullet hole. Rory put a hand on her shoulder as he and Amy passed, heading off after the Doctor.
Angel waited till they were out of the room before her smile fell and she closed her eyes, bowing her head as she let out a breath, shaking her head. She took a moment, took a breath, and walked around the console to the monitor, flicking a knob. The image of the Doctor shifted to one of her that the TARDIS had managed to get off the Teselecta, her wearing a black cowboy vest and a blue cowboy hat, standing by a lake, with information that read:
The Angel
Death Date: 22/04/2011
Time: 5:02 P.M.
Location: Lake Silencio, Utah
She reached out and stroked the rotor, "Thank you, for not telling him Sissy."
The rotor hummed slightly, though it sounded quite solemn.
She sighed and got back to checking the Teselecta's records for any mention of Ayla. She supposed there was one good thing that had come out of this encounter with River. She and the Doctor knew now that their daughter had disappeared from wherever the Silence had taken her. She was out there, somewhere, she was alive, she wasn't being held captive, she wasn't being hurt anymore if she had been hurt before, she had managed to get away, escape. But, in a way, that was almost worse, because now, they had no idea where she was in the Universe. Before, they could search for transmissions from the Silence, search for activity from Kovarian, and now...now it was infinitely harder to find one child in the entirety of time and space.
Her gaze flickered to her image and death date, before she closed her eyes, she had seen it...as she was dying, when she'd seen River's past, talking about the Silence, knowing that she was dying...she remembered it, a vision she'd had SO long ago.
She was standing at a lake, there was an astronaut...and she was being fired at...
She swallowed hard, she just wanted her daughter back, to see her once more before it was too late...
~8~
An old man walked around a darkened room in Luna University in 5123, sitting at a desk, "So then, tell me, why do you want to study archaeology?"
"Well to be perfectly honest Professor," River Song leaned forward, smiling, "I'm looking for a good man," she grinned, looking down at the diary in her hands and the metal band on her wrist that she'd grabbed off the floor in Berlin.
An old, metal band just waiting for the day it could be used to free a Time Lord.
A/N: Semi-importantish note: I hope this chapter cleared up a bit for you in terms of River :) River is 100 percent human. She's known right from the start about the Mating and about Ayla }:) We see here a few reasons why River will come to hate Angel, mostly because she has what River wants, she thinks Angel was trying to keep her from being born, and her life was harder because of Angel's tampering :( And as sad as it is...that's not even the MAIN reason she hates Angel, but we won't see that till TWORS ;)
Poor Doctor though :( He truly thinks that the danger of River is past, that THIS is the moment where 'River kills the Angel' :( Oh Doctor, I think he just wants everything to be ok again so badly that he can't see it's not that moment. And, then again...he doesn't know what Angel does, Angel has her vision and the death date information, she knows a worse day is coming and the Doctor has no idea :( So I suppose the question is...would she tell him?
BUT! Did you notice how things have come full circle in a way? There was a line the Doctor gave to Angel, with River/Melody there to hear it, that is an echo of something he said in his past/River's future. The first meeting with River and the last meeting with River will make much more sense now. The line about how he would rather die with Angel than live without her...he said the very same thing in the Library. I like to think that here, the first official meeting for Melody, when Melody hears it, she's thinking that 'he has to die' because of the Mating. But in the Library, when she finds out he's not fully Mated to Angel and hears 10 say the same thing, the LAST meeting, she realizes it's not a matter of him HAVING to die but him wanting and choosing to die, it's THERE that she realizes he really does truly love Angel that much and it's not the Mating forcing him ;)
Lol, I hope this chapter cleared up a lot about River and how she came to be, and...quite a few things about Ayla as well }:)
And, final note, just wanted to give a shout out to two poems by 10Blue10 that were inspired by the HOTS ;) I thought they were both great :)
This Is Fate, (the fanfiction site)s/9706198/1/This-Is-Fate, which is the Doctor's POV on the Mating
This Is Destiny, (the fanfiction site)s/9706201/1/This-Is-Destiny, which is Angel's POV on the Mating
Some notes on reviews...
Mels might not have been serious in the show, you never know, but in this particular story she's very serious :) And here, she sort of did trick them, she disguised herself so that she could get close to Amy and learn about the Doctor and get close to him :) She may not have known why she needed a disguise, but the Silence did and she just sort of went along with it :) I agree completely, it's definitely NOT love that River feels, though she believes it is, I think it's more obsession run wild so her target really is Angel, to get her out of the way since she doesn't know that killing her will kill the Doctor too ;)
If 12 took River as a companion, I'd put a twist to it that he's only doing it to keep a closer eye on her, keep your friends close and enemies closer sort of thing :) It would be very tense and not a fun time for River :)
Nope, no Ganger, no Teselecta on the Lake, it's really 100 percent Angel };)
River is...human, completely human }:) There's definitely more cute moments to come :)
All I can say is...you hurt the ones you love }:)
Yup, River is fully human, no Time Lord in her at all ;)
We found out a little about what happened to Ayla here, something that gives them hope. But WE know she will die don't we ;) But I can say we'll find out the entirety of Ayla's story in the main saga yup :)
I think the only reason Angel will forgive River is because...she blames herself for everything that happened to River to make her who she is :( And I think it's something she'll spend ages trying to make up for, that her companion's 'daughter' suffered twice as much because of what SHE did :(
Lol, nope, I love Angel very much. I think that all this will just make her stronger in the end :) We'll definitely get to a part where she's healthy and the Doctor remembers and River is NOT part Time Lord (which we confirmed here ;))
You can say all you want in reviews I am definitely reading each and every one ;) You are right, the little girl IS regenerating. But RIVER is human...to which all I can say is... }:D
You are right, Melody is NOT a Time Lord at all nor does River have a real/justified reason to hate Angel ;) When you think about it...her reasons, well, the Doctor was already Angel's before she met the Doctor, she still exists despite what Angel did, and it wasn't really ANGEL's fault that her training was harder but someone else just as close to the Time Lords ;) I'm not sure if they'll make the connection, mostly because they all seem to believe that Angel' safe now from River at least, given that she technically 'killed' Angel and that the Doctor won't ever let River anywhere near Angel again :) I was debating having him not help Mels, but he just sort of reacted to the fact that someone had been shot and not who had been shot as I wrote him lol :) Much more of the visions and Vortex to come ;)
I'm glad you liked the chapter, I definitely wanted to bring in a reminder of all the people she'd saved and who would fight for her :) That'll actually be a BIG part of later events in the series, underestimating Angel ;) I agree, I really want River's psychopathy to come out more in how she can't even see how far off she is about everything she interprets, we saw more of it here that she sees Angel as the other woman to a man that SHE herself deserves more than Angel, wrong as that is. River's obsession with him is definitely skewing her perception of the reality that is Angel lol :) And you are SPOT ON about the Library ;) That is when she definitely realizes that it's always only been Angel, especially hearing that line he says here again at that point, to see her finally come full circle and realize that it's not the Mating forcing him to be with Angel but a choice HE is making ;) Lol, I'm glad you liked the smack ;) I could see Amy letting things slip in anger :) I agree, his initial attraction to her is alarming, tiny hints of it here in that…they are slightly (very tiny slightly) alike, in that they both are 'mad' and bring chaos and things, so I think a very very tiny part of him, the darkness in him, saw something similar in River. But that's a part of him he doesn't like at all and one that Angel brings out the best in and makes him regret. Like with the Master, he's mad, completely insane, but she can make even HIM feel guilty, it's like she can get even the darkness in the Doctor to not want to be dark :) Oh River in the future better watch out, after this chapter…she should just run if she ever sees him again :)
Right again lol, she's known right from the start about Ayla, and about the pregnancy as a result ;) Oh she won't be happy to see all that the Doctor and Angel have done throughout history when she studies them ;) I can say her knowledge of the amnesia may be surprising, but we won't see exactly what that might be for a while ;) According to the DW confidential, Demons Run was after she graduated, while she was in Stormcage, but I actually made it a tiny mention in the previous chapter that'll clue her into when the Ponds learn who she is, so here she doesn't know much about Demons Run, that she had been there, only that that was where Ayla was taken :) Oh River is definitely not a good person here, I agree, going after a Mated man is terrible, doing it in front of his pregnant Mate is worse }:) We'll have to wait and see if what River was talking about was something worse or if she was just saying it to freak her out and try to get to her ;) She definitely won't be redeemable to anyone but Angel, and only because Angel blame herself for what happened to River in this story. But the Doctor…oh boy, he's the main man who will never ever forgive her :)
And Happy (belated) Birthday to toomanyobessionstocount! I'm sorry it's a day late, I didn't know it was your birthday yesterday :( I hope you had a brilliant day though! :)
