NOTE: Here we are at the very end! Thank you all who have come along on this journey, I've had a lot of fun! As sad as I am to see this story line end I have a new one in the works already.

Doctor Who: Songbird. When something that is usually only ever lost suddenly starts getting stolen it is up to the Doctor and River to find the thief and stop them. Mystery/adventure/humour story with a touch of angst but a certainly much more light hearted than this series.

ANOTHER NOTE: The end of this story takes into account the events of 'The Name of the Doctor' where in Trenzalore ends up as the Doctor's grave, that doesn't mean Eleven's grave, just the Doctor's...he could have thirteen more regenrations before he ends up back on Trenzalore, but that has to be his final battle or else *nothing* about Clara makes sense.

Epilogue

"River, I don't want to take you back to Stormcage."

"I have to go back." River replied sternly.

"Riv..."

"It's where I keep all my stuff." River interrupted with a chuckle.

The Doctor was forced to smile and River took the opportunity to steal a kiss. The Doctor didn't protest the affection although his hearts were too heavy to properly return it. River noticed the Doctor's mood and took a step back. The Doctor stared at River with an unreadable expression for a moment.

"Doctor?"

"River, I have to go back to the Matrix one last time. I need to...clean a few memories."

"You want me to come with you?" River asked knowingly.

"Please. Even with the Crown of Rassilon entering the Matrix could be dangerous."

"I'll keep you safe, Sweetie." River assured.

The Doctor drew River into a hug and held her close for much longer than a casual embrace. River was just about to ask him if he wanted to talk about Melody when he suddenly released her and turned towards the dais stairs. They had dropped Amy and Rory off on Earth to let them give their other life a run for a few months. The Doctor wasn't looking forward to River leaving and being alone so when she asked if they could make a quick stop at Stormcage before going to the Matrix he didn't ask any questions. River informed him that she just needed to pick up something so the Doctor waited in the TARDIS that he had parked directly outside her cell. Most of the escaped inmates had been returned with the exception of the Realtor who was untouchable now that he was back on his own world.

"He's going to be trouble again someday." The Doctor sighed.

Tinkering with the controls while he waited the Doctor came across the Nova Diamond that he had removed from the Valeyard's belly with the TARDIS teleport circuit. Going into one of the closets he hunted around until he found a new necklace to hang the diamond from. It was still in its silver cage and sparkled brightly on the new delicate chain he'd hung it from. When River returned she had a small back pack with her. The Doctor held out the Nova Diamond for her to take.

"For me?" River asked with excitement as she took the gem.

"I know how much you love expensive shiny things."

"All girls do, Doctor."

River secured the diamond around her throat and it glittered and flashed with all the brilliance of a perfect cut stone. The gem still held some of the Doctor's bio-force but it was no longer very useful for time travel having been mostly drained by Rassilon and the Valeyard. Having given the gift the Doctor turned back to the controls and took them to Kraid's world. Picking up the copper Crown of Rassilon and the box that held the sliver of TARDIS heart the Doctor went over to the doors and opened them for River. Stepping out into the stone tunnel River an unimpressed expression fell across her features.

"You own this rock?"

"I do." The Doctor replied proudly. "LMC-7/11MAH-Zed."

"Terrible name."

"I'm sure Kraid has come up with something better by now."

With the damage from the Timonic Fusion device reversed Kraid and his people had no longer gone extinct. It caused another paradox of sorts which caused both the Doctor and River to feel a little light headed when they left the TARDIS, but it quickly passed. Kraid soon appeared and bowed deeply to the Doctor and River.

"Doctor," Kraid greeted "I was wondering if you would return with the Heart."

"I need to use the Matrix one last time."

"I do not know if that is wise, Doctor. I was fearful for your health after the last time. Even with the Crown you did not fair well."

"About that..."

Kraid listened as the Doctor explained about the Valeyard. Hearing that he had allowed an unauthorized person to use the Matrix Kraid flicked his wings nervously. The Doctor was quick to add that he didn't blame Kraid for anything that had happened. When the story was done Kraid clicked his mandibles.

"If it was not you who last visited then you still do not know that we have finally named the planet."

"You have?" The Doctor perked up.

"Indeed." Kraid nodded. "We have christened the world..."

"No, wait," the Doctor interrupted with a smile "tell me when I get back from the Matrix. I love a surprise."

Kraid bowed once again. River shook her head and rolled her eyes. The Doctor held his hand out for River to take and the pair followed Kraid to the main Matrix control room. While the Doctor replaced the TARDIS heart River fidgeted with the backpack that she had picked up from Stormcage. Once the Doctor had everything in place he walked over to the lounge type chair that dominated the centre of the room and sat down. River walked over and stood next to him.

"This may take a little while." The Doctor warned as he placed the Crown on his head.

"I'll be right here." River assured as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

River watched as the Doctor closed his eyes and stiffened slightly before relaxing as he entered the Matrix. River snapped her fingers in front of his face to make sure that he was out of it. She knew that he wasn't just taking away the memories of Jackel's torments, he had built the Matrix long before he'd been plagued by them. Melody had pulled River aside and explained to her that the Doctor had seen Amy's future while pulling the Minyan ship forward through time. He had briefly mentioned it to her on Eylsiandia and had been obsessed with the Matrix at the time because he felt that if he could remove the memory that he could change it. It hadn't occurred to the Doctor at the time that River already knew exactly what happened in New York, that it was already fixed because she had been there.

"I know you want to change it, Sweetie, but I can't allow that."

River picked up her back pack and opened it. She pulled out a battered paperback novel with a woman in a fedora with ruby red lips and a smoking gun on the front of it. River smiled at the cover art, knowing that it would get the Doctor's attention even if the name 'Melody Malone' didn't. Sighing sadly she looked to the Doctor who was twitching slightly like a dog chasing rabbits in its sleep.

"I hate to give this to you. Don't worry you won't find it for a while." River said as she slipped the book into one of the deep inner pockets of the Doctor's jacket. "Without this book Amy would end up staying with you for the rest of her days, but she would *never* see Rory again, and the Angels would eventually take all of Manhattan. I can't let either of those things happen."

River kissed the Doctor's forehead and took a step back. She looked over her shoulder at Kraid. The humanoid insect was watching her with his multi faceted eyes, but he did not intrude on the one sided conversation or ask any questions. Preparing for a long wait River put her hands in her pockets and felt the black envelope that Melody had left for her. River flushed with embarrassment that she had forgotten about the note. She had been so worried about the Doctor that she hadn't thought of the note.

Knowing that Kraid would mind his own business River pulled out the envelope and tore it open. Inside was a small black card that held a gold thumbprint. River inspected the grooves in her own thumb and compared them to the pattern on the card. It didn't come as a surprise to find that they matched perfectly. Taking a deep breath River pressed her thumb against the gold.

The print on the card was a stored memory that would only transfer to the owner of the same print, kind of like a highly secure psychic flash drive. River had expected to experience a memory of Melody speaking to no one to transmit a message to her. Instead she was thrown violently into her past. Cowering under her bed at Graystark River was momentarily aware that this was just a memory. However when a pair of strangers enter the room she became consumed by the past.

A woman dressed in a dull silver uniform scanned the small room. She wore black lipstick and an unpleasant expression on her cold face. A man in a similar uniform entered behind her, a devastating scar marred his left temple that drove back his hairline where the wound had torn back over his ear. River weld her eyes shut and held her breath in hopes that they wouldn't look for her under the bed. It didn't take long for the woman to motion towards the bed. The man stepped over and knelt down. Reaching under the bed he grabbed a fist full of River's hair and dragged her out screaming.

'The Silence are going to kill us for taking her.' The man fretted.

'We will have her back before anyone knows she's gone.' The woman said as she began to dial in the Vortex Manipulator that she wore.

'What if she tells them?'

'Her memory is already shot, traveling by Vortex Manipulator for the first time is going to scramble it further. Anything she tell anyone will just sound like the ramblings of a frightened child.'

'W...who are you? Leave me alone!' River cried desperately as she fought to free herself from the strange man's grip. 'Please! Renfrew, help me! Renfrew! Don't let them take me!'

'You really think this pathetic creature is going to end the war?' The male asked doubtfully.

'War? I don't know anything about a war! Please, where are you taking me?' River asked in a small voice. 'Who are you? Madame Kovorian, where is Madame Kovorian?!'

'She is a powerful weapon.' The woman replied to her partner, ignoring River.

'She's just a child.'

'She won't stay that way.' The woman smiled as if she'd said something terribly funny. 'Trust me, the Doctor will do whatever it takes to save her...'

The woman grabbed one of River's wrists and set off the Vortex Manipulator. The scenes that followed were full of chaos and fear. Everything jumbled together in a tangled blur as she was forced through a war zone. Most of the time she had her eyes closed tight. She screamed at the top of her lungs until eventually she found a tight cloth forced between her teeth just to try and keep her quiet.

The events didn't last long but she had no hope of understanding them. There was shouting, and the sounds of weapon's fire everywhere. She was forced through endless stone tunnels, one of which held a room off to the side that was dominated by a dust covered and battered lounge chair that looked very out of place. Everything happened so fast she had trouble keeping up. Taken to a small room with an odd glass pillar in the middle there was an eruption of arguing and shouting, demands and threats thrown in tense voices. The woman who had origianly stolen her held a curved dagger that had glowing spiral lines in the handle to her throat.

Hopeless confused by the violent turn her life had taken young River could no longer decipher what was real and what was just a nightmare. In the end there was only one image that she felt would be seared into her memory forever. A brilliant white tree had suddenly exploded into existence. It looked like it was made of pure energy that crackled and twirled as it stretched from glass floor up to the metal ceiling that held strange circular writing that River found she could understand even though she'd never seen it before. She only got a glance at the bizarre light before one of the tendrils lashed out and struck her. Yanked back through time she was thrown back to the floor of her room in the orphanage with her mind spinning.

Waking up with a sharp yell River was back in reality safe in the heart of the Matrix control room. Kraid was hovering over her with his wings buzzing in agitation. Sitting up River looked around as she took a moment to reorient herself to the present. She still had the black card held in a tight grip, she quickly tore it into confetti to keep the memory replay from happening again. Looking around the room she saw it in a whole new light that made her understand why Melody had sent her the powerful memory.

"River Song, are you injured?"

"This is Trenzalore..." River whispered in horror.

"That is correct." Kraid nodded. "Are you okay?"

"The Matrix...it starts the war, the Doctor's last battle...how could I have ever forgotten?"

"War?" Kraid asked.

"Spoilers..." River replied automatically.

Kraid turned his small head to the side giving him a confused expression. River struggled to her feet with Kraid's help. Seeing that the Doctor was still deep in the Matrix she raced over to the large glass interface. Slamming her palm down on the screen caused it to light up with a variety of Gallifreyan symbols. As if she'd designed the computer herself River adjusted the symbols on the screen with quick swipes of her fingers.

The Doctor suddenly clawed at the arms of the chair as he arched back in a powerful convulsion. River didn't turn to look at him struggling she just continued to interact with the glowing blue screen. When the Doctor cried out Kraid vibrated his wings as he clicked his mandibles nervously.

"River Song," Kraid asked in concern "what are you doing?"

"I am taking all of the Doctor's memories of this place. It is too dangerous for him to know the truth. Not now, he can't know about Trenzalore yet, he's too young."

"I do not understand."

"The Doctor can not know that this is Trenzalore, you must never tell him." River said seriously as she turned to Kraid. "In fact your people can not stay here. In another five hundred thousand years this planet will no longer be safe."

"What danger could there be here?"

"I can't talk about it. You have to just trust me on this. Trenzalore is going to burn."

"How do you know?"

River didn't answer right away. She turned and stared at the Doctor as he settled back down from having his memories striped from him. River brushed the tears away from her face that she hadn't even known were there until she'd felt them drip from her jaw. In the end she knew it was for the best, it was what he wanted even if it wasn't in the way he would have like it.

"River Song? How do you know of Trenzalore's future?"

"I've always known, I just didn't remember until now."

"Remember what?"

"I'm not the 'woman who kills the Doctor'...I am the child that he gives his life for."