Disclaimer: Doctor Who is property of the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money off it.
A/N It's not Sunday! But you still get the chapter. This is up a day early 'cos I am super busy tomorrow and won't have time to upload. So, hope nobody is complaining about this being uploaded early. :)
The last chapter was extremely well-received and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Now, in case you couldn't tell from the chapter name, this is River's story. I suggest reading through the chapter carefully and if you still are confused, feel free to ask me to clarify. God, I sound like an English teacher!
Anyway, enjoy! Spoilers for Series 6 and if you haven't seen it yet, then a lot of this might just not make any sense at all. So sorry!
Link to Rose's outfit on profile.
Songs for the chapter: 'A Very Unusual Melody' and 'The Enigma of River Song' from the Doctor Who Series 6 Soundtrack.
Happy Reading!
The Life and Times of Melody Pond
Previously
"Rose, it's time," River told her.
"Are you sure?" Rose asked her.
"Yep, good luck, sweetie."
Demon's Run, 52nd century
Rose waited at the second exit. Downstairs, she spotted her older self fighting a horde of headless monks. She really wasn't looking forward to that particular part in her future. She heard a clatter of feet and squared her shoulders.
"Going somewhere, Madame Kovarian?" Rose asked the woman with a fierce smile on her face.
Madame Kovarian smirked as her guards pointed their guns at Rose who did not even flinch. "Hand over Melody," Rose commanded calmly.
"Is the Doctor so much of a coward that he sent his wolf to do his dirty work?" Madame Kovarian sneered.
Rose laughed but there was no humour in it. "Oh, you fools. You really think that I'm the Doctor's to command?" she asked as she continued to smirk without humour. "You may get away with your victory of giving him the flesh child but the real Melody will always be safe. And the only one to know would be me."
"Oh," Madame Kovarian mocked. "I'm so sorry but I'm afraid you're going to die here."
"This is my last warning, Madame Kovarian. I don't want to hurt you," Rose said sincerely.
Madame Kovarian laughed as her guards cocked their gun at Rose. Rose shook her head sadly. "Remember, you did this," Rose said as her eyes began to glow golden.
Downstairs, Amy cried out as the baby in her arms melted. Rose held the real baby Melody securely to her chest with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Amy," she whispered as she disappeared into a golden shower with Melody in her arms.
Florida, July 1969
Rose emerged behind the old orphanage. She walked swiftly and stealthily to the second floor. She pushed open the door and picked up the girl sleeping there. Tiptoeing through the empty orphanage, Rose carried six year old Melody Pond outside.
She hid behind the post as she watched Canton and Amy walk inside the orphanage. She made sure that they were inside before vanishing with Melody.
New York, January 1970
"Take me home," Melody whispered to Rose as she began to glow.
"I promise, I will," Rose said as Melody began to regenerate.
It hurt to watch the little girl go through it but Rose forced herself to be calm. She was clever and figured it out immediately. Rose watched as Melody regenerated into a small toddler.
Smiling, Rose lifted up the toddler and moved to her next destination.
Leadworth, 1990
"Can you say your name, sweetie?" Alice Cooper asked her.
"Melody," the one-year old answered perfectly.
Rose watched from a distance as Melody was placed as a foster child with Alice and Peter Cooper.
Leadworth, 2007
"Hello, Melody," Rose said.
The dark girl scowled at her. "Listen, Blondie, you have to quit stalking me," she said. "And stop calling me Melody. It's Mels."
Rose raised her eyebrows. "Well then, Mels, hello," she said calmly.
Mels glared angrily and walked over to her. "Listen, whoever you are, either tell me why you keep popping up in my life or leave me the hell alone."
Rose merely raised her eyebrows. "Actually you do know who I am and you know you need my help so it would be better if we stopped arguing and got to work."
"I don't need anyone's help," Mels shot angrily.
"How are your parents?" Rose asked as Mels turned away.
Mels looked back at her, her eyes flashing. "Peter and Alice Cooper are great," she said.
"I didn't mean your foster parents. You know who I meant," Rose said.
"I don't know what you mean. I don't know my birth parents," Mels lied confidently.
Rose lost her patience. "Melody Pond, that is enough," she hissed.
Mels' eyes widened and she walked over to Rose. "Look, whoever you are, leave me alone."
Rose looked sympathetically at her. "Still having those dreams?"
Mels looked suspicious. "How...?"
"The dreams, they confuse you. You don't just see them. You feel them, don't you?" Rose asked.
Mels stared at Rose sitting on the bench casually. She gave a deep sigh and sat down next to her. "Who are you?" Mels asked, her tone a bit vulnerable.
Rose smiled. "You know the answer to that, Melody Pond."
"Bad Wolf," Mels whispered. "But I always call you Rose in my dreams."
"You can still call me Rose," Rose smiled. "And what else?"
"You took me from the orphanage in Florida. You brought me to Leadworth when I...changed...the first time," she said slowly.
Rose smiled. "So you do know who I am."
"But why talk to me now? What's happening?" Mels asked.
"You remember who else you see in your dreams?" Rose asked, instead.
Mels stared at Rose for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah, this man. His face changes and I know it's him but..." she trailed off.
"But what?" Rose prodded gently.
"But at one point, there are two of them. At the same time with the same face but they are different," Mels said, looking at Rose and waiting to see if she would call her mad and laugh. Rose merely smiled and waited for her to go on. Encouraged, Mels continued. "They feel different. One of them feels like he always did but the other one feels...more, somehow."
Rose nodded. "Would you believe me if I said that you were catching glimpses of your future?"
Mels snorted. "No, that's mad."
Rose smirked. "Mad, you say?" she asked and reached into Mels' backpack and pulled out a miniature blue box.
"Oi!" Mels protested as she tried to snatch it back from Rose.
"What's this then?" Rose asked, holding the mini-TARDIS away from Mels.
"I don't know. It's one of Amy's daft toys," Mels said but kept looking at it anxiously.
"Pull the other one," Rose said as she tossed it lightly in the air and caught it back again.
"It's the TARDIS," Mels said, sounding irritated.
Rose beamed at her. "See? That wasn't so hard was it?"
"Yes, yes, very clever. You got me to admit the truth," Mels said sarcastically, snatching back the TARDIS from Rose.
"Melody Pond, that is enough," Rose said sternly. "You know exactly who you are and it's time you stopped wasting my time and admitted it to yourself."
Mels stared at her sharp tone and then inhaled shakily. She was quiet for a long moment before nodding. "I am Melody Pond. My parents are Amy and Rory Pond. I was kidnapped by the Silence but saved by the Bad Wolf. I am a part Time Lord. This is my second body."
Rose nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, are you ready to listen to the rest?"
"So, if I'm the child of the TARDIS and you're the heart, what does that make us?" Mels asked Rose.
Rose smirked. "I would suppose, sisters. We were both created by her for her two Time Lords."
"I thought you said my one was only a part Time Lord," Mels said.
"Well, yeah, but so are you," Rose pointed out.
"I like this TARDIS more and more," Mels smiled.
"Yeah well, she is amazing," Rose returned her smile.
"When will I see him?" Mels asked in a soft, oddly shy voice.
"That's a story for another time, Melody Pond," Rose said as she stood up. "I need your answer now."
Mels stood up. "Count me in."
Rose beamed at her. "Then I have something to give you."
Janus, 4367 A.D.
Mels arrived in a flash of bright blue on planet Janus. She had met Rose almost two years ago when she had first given her the new vortex manipulator and shown her how to travel in time and space. In these two years, Mels had travelled to different places and times.
After boring old Leadworth, the universe was one big playground. She missed her parents but she knew she would see them again in the future. But tonight was about celebration. It was the last day of her freedom. Tomorrow, she was due to start her doctorate in Archaeology at the Luna University in the year 5123.
She sauntered over to the bar and ordered a shot of Crespallion tequila. She threw back the shot quickly and smiled as the warm alcohol flooded through her system.
"I'll have what she's having," she heard a familiar voice say and opened her eyes to see Rose slide into the seat next to her.
"How's it going, sis?" Mels asked her.
Rose smirked as she drank her shot. "Good, good. Just thought I'd come and wish you luck before your big day tomorrow," she said as she gestured to the bartender for refills.
Mels raised her shot in thanks as the two of them simultaneously threw back their drinks. "Oh, that is good," Mels said, licking her lips. "You're wearing the same clothes you did the last time."
Rose smiled as she traced the rim of her shot glass and looked at Mels meaningfully. It only took a moment before Mels caught up to it. "Oh," Mels said. "I took the slow path."
Rose nodded. "Yeah."
Mels looked wary. "Something's about to happen, isn't it? That's why you are here," she said shrewdly.
Rose bit her lip and smiled. "You catch on better than our Time Lords," she said. "They still haven't learned to expect trouble whenever I show up."
"But you're looking after them, aren't you?" Mels asked.
"Well, yeah, but still they are a bit thick," Rose said.
"That's because they're men," Mels said firmly.
Rose laughed. "Yeah, I suppose so. But I'm not here because of trouble," she said. "At least, I don't think so," Rose amended.
"Then why?" Mels asked.
Rose pulled out a photograph from her jacket and showed it to Mels. Mels stared it for a minute. "That's her, isn't it? That's Jenny."
Rose nodded. "Good, you're paying more attention to your dreams then," she said.
"Trust me sweetie, my dreams are all I have had for the past two years," Mels shrugged.
Rose felt guilty. "Mels, I'm so..."
"Don't," Mels said firmly. "Don't apologise. If it hadn't been for you, I'd have been a pin cushion for Madame Kovarian and the Silence. And gods knows what they wanted me for."
"Yes, but I don't want you to think that you owe me, Mels," Rose said. "You're my sister and I love you."
Mels gasped at that and felt the prick of tears in her eyes. She grasped Rose's hand. "I love you too, Rose. And I've talked to you twice, counting this time. How daft is that?"
Rose laughed. "Pretty daft. I mean look at us. Two impossible beings of time and space in love with two Time Lords."
"I think it's brilliant and I can't wait to see him," Mels said, her eyes far away. "I feel like I already know him, you know," she said.
Rose smiled. "You'll see him soon. In fact, that's why I showed you Jenny's photograph. Jenny is looking for the Doctor."
Mels nodded. "So, what am I meant to do?"
"Find Jenny. Your knowledge of the Doctor will help you both to find him," Rose said.
"Why can't you just take us with you?" Mels asked her.
"Doctor's orders," Rose smiled wryly. "He remembers you and Jenny finding him together and it is how John is created," Rose explained.
Mels looked confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Rose shrugged. "I have no idea. I haven't lived it yet, remember? But timelines have to be preserved. The future is too precious to be changed."
Mels nodded. "I agree," she said, remembering her dreams of a familiar scene.
It was the interior of the TARDIS, she knew instinctively. Music flowed through the speakers. Rose twirled around the console and kissed a man with floppy brown hair, wearing a tweed suit and a bow tie. John, dressed in a plain navy blue suit, winked at Mels. But she looked different. Older and with curly golden hair. John smiled cheekily at her as he spun her around and then kissed her. She spotted Jenny being twirled in a complicated dance by a man wearing a long navy coat. Jack, she remembered his name. The three couples were in their own bubbles, a sense of contentment in the air. It was as close to perfection as real life could get.
After a few round of drinks, Rose and Mels stumbled out of the bar, giggling happily. Rose was too busy giggling at one of Mels' travel stories and so she missed it when Mels asked a group of Sontarans if they were on a hens night.
Immediately, all hell broke loose. Rose, grabbed Mels and the two began to run, the Sontarans hot on their tails. The two of them hid behind a pillar as the horde passed them. Rose breathed a sigh of relief but then one of the last Sontarans spotted Mels and fired a shot at her. Mels screamed as the shot hit her in her abdomen and she crumpled to the ground.
Rose grabbed one of her shoes off her foot and lobbed it at the back of the Sontaran's neck. The Sontaran collapsed and Rose rushed to Mels who was moaning in pain. "Mels," Rose said. "Listen to me, you have done this before. You know what to do. Focus on what you look like when you're with John."
Mels screwed her eyes shut as she imagined herself older with golden curls and green eyes. She started to feel the golden heat and got to her feet shakily. She looked at Rose who was calm and encouraging and then let the change happen.
When it stopped, Mels took in a deep breath. "Did I do it?" she asked Rose.
Rose smirked happily. "Hello, sweetie."
"Why River Song?" she asked as she tried on new clothes.
"Melody Pond, River Song, you didn't make the connection?" Rose asked her in amusement as she came out dressed in a blue knit dress. "Try the ivory one."
River nodded as she went back inside the changing room. "I like River Song. Though I can't see why I can't be Melody Pond."
"The Doctor can't know his own future. Your parents travel with him and you are conceived in his future. He can't know who you are before you're born. And especially in light of Demon's Run," Rose explained as River came out dressed in the ivory knit dress. "Ooh, I like that. Buy that one."
River nodded as she put it in the 'definite' pile. "So, I should go and find Jenny, huh?"
"There's no hurry," Rose said. "You have a doctorate to get. You can travel in time, River. It doesn't matter when you do it," Rose explained.
"But I don't want to mess up time," she said as she came out dressed in a green dress.
"I like that one," Rose said. "And you won't mess up time. Just remember, you have to find Jenny before the planets come to the sky."
"Yes, I know," she said. "Anything else?"
"This is for you," Rose said, handing her a wrapped present.
River grinned in excitement as she opened it and found a forest green journal with a light blue stream of water embossed on it. She looked at Rose questioningly. "For you. It's blank. Start writing in it. The life of a time-traveller is rather complicated," she said.
"It's beautiful," River said as she ran a hand over the cover.
"The only water in the forest is the River," Rose smiled gently.
River looked confused but Rose just shook her head with a small smile. "All in due time," she said. "Anyway, I have to be off. See you in a while."
River smirked as she picked up her new pile of clothes and took them to the counter to pay. "See you in a bit."
The Luna University, 5123
"So, Miss Song, why do you want to study Archaeology?"
"To be honest, Professor, I'm looking for a good man."
A/N *Whistles away innocently*
So, yeah, wow. What do you think?
First things first, River was taken by Rose and kept safe from the Silence, so no brainwashing. That's why Melody is not a psychopath and actually shows emotions.
She will be looking for Jenny in her timeline, i.e. after her creation on Messaline.
As for how and when she meets the Doctor, you will just have to wait and see.
She is NOT and I repeat, NOT travelling in the opposite direction to the Doctor like canon. Granted, the Doctor will meet her for the first time in the Library but after that, her story is completely linear to the Doctor's. You will see how that happens.
So, hope that clears it up for now. The sole purpose of this was to show River's past. I suppose this would be her first linear appearance in the story.
Anyway, tell me what you thought of it. And feel free to ask me whatever you need to know.
Link to Rose's outfit on profile.
The next chapter sees Donna Noble back with 'Partners in Crime'. That will be up on Wednesday.
See you then!
Cheers x
