Disclaimer: Error 404. Ability to care about ownership not found.

Ch. 37:

"You're dying and you stopped to change?" Melody marveled.

"Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any." The Doctor told her, walking down the steps and spinning his cane. "Time is not the boss of you – Rule 408." He turned to 'Amy'. "Amelia Pond, judgment death machine. Why am I not surprised?" He lifted his cane and the ball on the top popped open. "Sonic cane!"

"Are you serious?" Melody demanded.

"Never knowingly." He replied. "Never knowingly be serious. Rule 27. You might want to write these down." He checked the readings from the cane. "Oh, it's a robot! With 423 life signs inside. A robot, worked by tiny people. Love it! But how do you all get in there, though? Bigger on the inside? No. Basic miniaturization sustained by a compression field. Oh, watch what you eat, it'll get you every time."

He looked into the eyes of the fake Amy.

"Amy, if you and Rory are okay, signal me." He ordered.

A moment later, a signal reached the sonic cane.

"Thanking you."

He cried out in pain and Jenny pushed past Melody to run to her father's side.

"Ta, love." He said, leaning on her. "Sorry, leg went to sleep. Just had a quick power nap, I forgot I had one scheduled. Actually, better sit down, I think I heard the right one yawning."

Jenny helped him to the steps. Meanwhile, Melody made a break for the door and RoboAmy opened her mouth, emitting a containment field.

"Don't you touch her!" the Doctor shouted. "Do not harm her in any way!"

RoboAmy closed her mouth, but Melody was still caught in a field.

"Why would you care?" it asked. "She is the woman who kills you."

The Doctor removed his top hat.

"I'm not dead."

"You're dying." It told him.

"Well, at least I'm not a time-travelling shape-shifting robot operated by miniaturized cross people, which, I have got to admit, I didn't see coming." He pointed at Melody. "What do you want with her?"

"She's Melody Pond." It replied. "According to records, the woman who kills the Doctor."

"And I'm the Doctor, what's it to you?" he shot back.

"Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes." It told him. "Time travel has…responsibilities."

The Doctor laughed.

"What? You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?" he asked. "The Phoenix would have a field day with you."

"We don't kill them." RoboAmy told him. "We extract them near the end of their established timelines."

"And then what?" the Doctor asked.

"Give 'em hell."

The Doctor's face fell.

"I'd ask you who you think you are," he told it, "but I think the answer is pretty obvious. So, who do you think I am?" He pointed his cane at Melody again. "The woman who killed the Doctor. It sounds like you've got my biography in there. I'd love a peek."

"Our records office is sealed to the public." It told him. "Foreknowledge is dangerous."

"Yes, well, I'll be dead in three minutes." The Doctor shot back. "There isn't much foreknowledge left."

"Sorry, can't do that." RoboAmy replied.

The robot went still for a moment and then…

"Records available."

The Doctor stood with great difficultly, leaning heavily on Jenny.

"Question: I'm dying…who wants me dead?"

"The Silence." RoboAmy replied.

"What is the Silence?" he demanded. "Why is it called that? What does it mean?"

"The Silence is not a species." It replied. "It is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked."

"What question?" Jenny asked.

"The first question." RoboAmy answered. "The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight."

"Yes, but what is the question?" the Doctor asked.

The RoboAmy was silent for a moment.

"Unknown."

"Well, fat lot of use that is, you big ginge!" the Doctor whined. "Call yourself a Records – argh!"

He fell, only avoiding hitting the ground as Jenny grabbed him.

"Dad, what's happening?" she asked frantically.

"It's okay." He told her. "Kidneys are always the first to quit. Your mom once kept hers running by sheer force of will. I always felt it was cheating."

The field around Melody turned red and she started to scream. Jenny held tight to her father as he became too heavy to hold up.

"Amy!" he shouted. "Rory! Amy, can you hear me?"

"Yeah." RoboAmy replied. "This is me. This me actually talking. What do we do?"

"Just stop them." He told her. "She's your daughter, just stop them."

"How?" she demanded. "How? How?"

"Just do it!" he shouted.

RoboAmy went still again. After a moment, though, Melody was freed. The Doctor pushed Jenny towards her, breathing heavily. The blonde stumbled but faced the other woman.

"You have to save them." She told Melody. "They're your parents. I would do anything to save mine. How 'bout you?" She studied her for a moment. "Don't run. Dad has a rule about that too, rule 7: Don't run when you're scared. I know you're scared, I am too, but for the sake of both our parents, please don't run."

Melody looked at Jenny for a moment before looking past her to the robot of her mother.

"Doctor, can you help us?" the real Amy called. "Doctor? Doctor, help us!"

Jenny glanced back at her father to find his eyes closed.

"Doctor, please!"

The Doctor pulled himself up and tried to head for the TARDIS, only to fall on the steps. Jenny spared a glance for Melody before running to him.

"It's okay, Dad." She told him softly. "I'll do it. I can fly her well enough to do this."

"No." he said softly. "Please, Jenny, stay with me. Don't leave me alone."

"Doctor!" Amy yelled again. "Help!"

"Dad…" Jenny whispered helplessly, but she stayed where she was.

"Look at you." Melody said in wonder. "You still care."

"Doctor! Help! Doctor, help us! Please help us!"

"It's impressive," she continued, "I'll give you that."

"River, please." The Doctor said softly.

"Again?" She exclaimed. "Who is this River? She's got to be a woman, am I right? If I felt remorse, I'd let it go if I find out you're cheating on the Phoenix!"

"Help me." He begged. "Save Amy and Rory. Help me."

Melody studied him.

"Tell me about her." She told him. "Go on."

He cried out in pain again and Jenny started to cry, holding his hand tightly.

"Please, Dad." She whispered. "You can't leave me too."

He gently cupped Jenny's cheek before looking at Melody again.

"Just…help me." He said weakly.

Inside the robot, Amy and Rory were out of options.

"I love you." Amy told her husband, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I love you too." He replied, holding her just as tightly.

Suddenly, the TARDIS materialized around them.

"Doctor?" Amy said, laughing with relief. "Doctor! He did it! He did it!"

Both she and Rory laughed, but it died out when Melody came around the console, looking scared.

"I seem to be able to fly her." She said weakly. "They showed me how, they taught me. She says I'm the child of the TARDIS." She looked behind her. "What does that mean?"

"It means…"

Amy and Rory watched in shock as the Dark Phoenix, the real Dark Phoenix, walked up behind their daughter.

"That you are very special." She concluded. "And very powerful. And the only one who can save the Doctor."

Jenny sat by her father, waiting for the TARDIS to return, as the Time Lord inched ever closer to death.

"Just hang on, dad." She said, tears slipping down her face. "Please, you have to hang on."

The wind picked up as the TARDIS rematerialized.

"See?" she said softly. "Just hang on."

She watched as first Amy and Rory stepped out and then Melody, and finally…

"Mom!" she shouted.

The Doctor squeezed her hand tightly.

"That's not your mother."

The Dark Phoenix pushed past the others to kneel next to the Doctor.

"You came." He said weakly.

"Of course I came." She replied briskly. "I will always come when you need me."

The Doctor shook his head sadly.

"You're not Lily."

"No." she agreed. "She sleeps deep inside. But I can do what she cannot. I can save you."

"Like you and Bad Wolf saved Jack?" he shot back with a humorless laugh. "No, thank you."

"No, not like Jack." She disagreed calmly.

She stood and walked to Melody, who looked like she wanted to shy away, but held her ground.

"Do you remember me?" the Dark Phoenix asked her.

Melody nodded.

"Are you afraid of me?" she asked her.

"No." Melody answered immediately.

"Why not?" she asked. "I'm sure Kovorian taught you to fear me."

"She did." Melody agreed. "But you were there, that night in New York. You helped me. You brought me to them."

"I haven't done that yet." The Dark Phoenix said thoughtfully. "But that's neither here nor there right now. Right now, all that matters is the Doctor."

"I can't do anything about that." Melody told her.

"You are the Child of the TARDIS." The Dark Phoenix told her. "You were born to save the Doctor, not kill him." She cocked her head to the side. "The Doctor is unconscious. He needs River Song."

"I don't know who that is!" Melody protested, genuinely upset.

"Amy." The Dark Phoenix said, turning to the other woman. "You can show her who River Song is."

Amy nodded and turned to the RoboAmy.

"Are you still working because I'm still a relative?" she asked. "Access files on River Song."

"Records available." The robot replied.

"Show me her." Amy ordered. "Show me River Song."

The Robot changed its form and suddenly, it was Melody. Or rather, River Song.

She stared at it, her eyes growing teary. She turned back to the Dark Phoenix, who looked at her impassively.

"Please." She begged. "Just tell me, is he worth it?"

The gold in the Dark Phoenix's eyes seem to recede slightly.

"He is." She said softly. "He is worth everything."

Melody nodded and gold light started to gather in her hands.

"What's happening?" Amy demanded. "What are you doing?"

"Making this right." Melody replied.

The Dark Phoenix held her hand out to Jenny and her daughter reluctantly went to her, leaving her father. The light grew stronger and Melody put a hand on either side of the Doctor's face. He inhaled sharply and his eyes opened.

"River?" he whispered. "No! What are you doing?"

"Hello, sweetie." She replied.

She leaned over him and kissed his forehead, transferring her regeneration energy to him. After a moment, the energy dissipated and Melody fell to the side, unconscious. Amy and Rory ran to her side and Jenny pulled away from the Dark Phoenix to throw herself into her father's arms.

"She's okay." He said over her head to Amy and Rory. "She used all her future regenerations to save me."

"I have no idea what that means." Amy said, glaring.

"It means she'll be okay." The Doctor told her. "She just needs to rest."

He sat up and looked at the Dark Phoenix, who stood impassively by. He started to stand up, but he grabbed his head in pain at the same moment that the Dark Phoenix doubled over.

"Dad!" Jenny yelled, grabbing him.

"I'm okay." He said breathing heavily. "It's the bond. It's angry."

He took a deep breath and stood to face his mate.

"I want my Lily back." He told her angrily.

"My work is not done." She told him calmly. "I still hunt for the child. She is mine and I will have her."

"Hey, she is not yours!" Amy protested angrily. "You may be one of my best friends, I'm not actually sure at the moment, but Melody is my daughter, not yours!"

The Dark Phoenix turned and looked at her impassively.

"I am the Avatar of the Vortex." She told her. "She is the Child of the TARDIS. She is mine."

Amy opened her mouth to argue.

"Don't bother." The Doctor cut her off. "That's not Lily and the Dark Phoenix doesn't care." He turned back to his mate. "We know you find her in New York." The Doctor argued. "Give me back Lily and we'll go get her and bring her home."

"It's not good enough." She told him. "She will grow up in the arms of her mother. I will do this."

"You can't!" the Doctor said, horrified. "We know the shape of events, so we're a part of it. These are established events! Changing things will break the laws of time!"

"I am the Dark Phoenix." She told him. "I make the laws."

"I've heard someone say those words before." He told her softly. "And as I recall, it led to my death." He stood and walked over to her. "Please. Please, give Lily back to me. Let her come home."

For a second, it looked like the grey was fighting the gold, but then she clenched her fist and then there was only gold.

"Goodbye, my Doctor." She said softly.

There was a flash of gold and she was gone.

Melody opened her eyes slowly and saw Amy and Rory above her.

"Hey." Amy said softly.

"Hey." She replied. "Where am I?"

"You're safe now." Her mother told her. "Apparently, you used all your remaining regenerations in one go. You shouldn't have done that."

"Mother, I had to try." Melody replied.

"I know." Amy agreed.

"He said no one could save him but he must have known I could." She continued.

"Rule one."

She looked over to the window to see the Doctor and Jenny.

"The Doctor lies." He finished.

"She just needs to rest." A nurse said. "She'll be absolutely fine."

"No, she won't." the Doctor disagreed.

He walked over to the nightstand and set a TARDIS journal down on the side table, tied with a red ribbon.

"She will be amazing."

The Doctor stood outside the TARDIS with Jenny.

"Are you going to keep looking for mom?" she asked.

"I have to." He replied. "She's going down a dangerous path. I have to find her. I have to stop her."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're not coming with me, are you?" he asked softly, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"I think I'm going to stay with Melody." She told him. "I remember what it was like to be on your own, not knowing anything about what it meant to be Gallifreyan. I know she's not really one of us, but I can help her figure out what she really is."

The Doctor nodded and hugged her tighter.

"I love you, Jenny." He told her softly.

"I love you, too, Dad." She replied.

She pulled away and took his hands in hers.

"Find mom quickly, dad." She told him softly. "The damage from the bond is getting worse. If you don't fix it soon, you're both going to die."

"I know." He agreed.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek before letting him go. He gently cupped her cheek for a moment before heading back into the TARDIS. She stood back as it disappeared, and when it was gone, she took a deep breath and turned back to her new duty.

"So that's it?" Amy asked. "We leave her there?"

"Sisters of the Infinite Schism, greatest hospital in the universe." The Doctor told her.

"Yeah, but she's our daughter." Amy protested. "Doctor, she's River and she's our daughter."

"Amy, I know." He told her softly. "And my daughter is staying with her to make sure she stays safe. We have to let them make their own way now. We have too much foreknowledge."

He moved around the console to look at the monitor where his death information was showing.

"Dangerous thing, foreknowledge."

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Nothing." He said, turning off the monitor. "Just some data from the Teselecta. Very boring."

"Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you?" Rory asked.

"Well, she was." The Doctor agreed. "And then she used her remaining lives to bring me back. Mixed signals to say the least."

"But that stuff they put in her head, is that gone now?" he pushed. "The River that we know in the future, she's in prison for murder."

"Whose murder?" Amy asked.

The Doctor just smiled.

"Will we see her again?" she continued.

"Oh, she'll come looking for us." He said, heading up the stairs.

"Yeah, but how?" she demanded. "How do people even look for you?"

"Oh, Pond!" he replied. "Haven't you figured that one out yet?"

"This isn't good, is it?"

Shawn and Donna stood outside one of the Weevil cages.

"No, it isn't." Donna answered her husband's question.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

Inside the cage, Lily sat huddled in the corner, gold waves of power rolling off her as her eyes darted from side to side, not seeming to actually see where she was.

"We find the Doctor." Donna replied.

"How?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't know."

A/N:

So…what do you think?

Abbey