Avalon had found absolutely nothing except soldiers' unconscious bodies lying on the hallway ground. She had ran as fast as she could to get to that baby but there was no conscious around. She did find a weapon on one of the soldiers that she would take...for security reasons of course. She made her way into the bridge where a collective amount of people had gathered.

"Amy?" she blinked when she saw the familiar set of ginger hair in the midst of the group. And she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her when she saw Amy carrying her baby. "Oh my God! Amy, is it really you!?"

Amy had just turned around with her daughter in arms when Rory ran to Avalon, cutting the woman off. "What are you doing here!?"

Avalon would give him credit for his genuinely scary, angry face. She hardly saw that bit but this was all about his wife and daughter so...it was only fitting. "Oh don't act so surprise. We all knew my 'lock down' wasn't going to last."

"Lock down?" Amy called from where she stood, shooting eyes on her husband. "You put her on lock down?"

"You bet your ass he did!" Avalon scowled. "He and the Doctor! Bloody ganged up on me!"

Rory moved to end that conversation and stand directly in front of Avalon again. "Avalon, this isn't a joke! You're in danger!"

"Really? Cos I didn't see anymore soldiers," Avalon gestured to the place that was left with only a few of their allies. "It's over, we won. Or rather you guys did considering I didn't get a piece of the action."

"But-"

"Rory," Avalon put her hands on his shoulders, leveling his worried gaze, "C'mon! You've won. You got Amy and your child back!"

"Daughter," Rory corrected in a blurt, making Avalon gasp in delight.

"Oh, a baby girl! Congratulations!" she threw her arms around Rory's neck for a tight hug. She flashed a smile at Amy, letting the woman know she was next in the hugging session.

Rory couldn't possibly not accept the 'congratulations' when it came to his daughter. "Thank you," he hugged Avalon back then sighed. "And I am sorry we locked you up. You know I always worry about you."

"Yeah, I know," Avalon squeezed him a bit more. "Always me...but now you've got a daughter to look after. Never mind me!"

Rory could only bob his head at that. "I'd always worry about you, Ava." He would never understand what it was that made him so protective over Avalon, but he certainly wouldn't question it. He'd always protect her.

"Oi! When do I get a hug!?" Amy called, shooting them both a frown. "I'm the one who birthed a human being!"

Avalon laughed as she pulled away from Rory. "A completely admirable doing, Miss Pond. I don't think I could ever do that!"

"Never say never," Amy gave her a pointed look. "You never know when we might have another mini-Avalon around!"

"I don't think the world could take that," Rory mumbled and promptly received an elbow on his side.

Avalon started making her way to Amy when Jenny, Vastra's human wife, walked into the room. "Everyone has left," she announced. "It's just us now." Melody began to fuss and cry in Amy's arms then. "Oh, is she alright?"

"I think she's tired," Amy gently bounced Melody to soothe. "Avalon, you don't mind taking over the singing lullabies thing, do you?"

Avalon chuckled. "Not at all! I look forward to it, actually."

"Great, because I cannot sing 'A little fairy comes at night, her eyes are blue, her hair is brown' for another second!" Amy shuddered just thinking about how many times she sang that lullaby.

"What?" Avalon completely froze in her spot. Amy stopped muttering about it when she saw Avalon's face. "The-the...the Dream Fairy poem?" Amy nodded silently. "Where...where did you hear that poem from?"

Amy didn't understand why it was so important but she answered nonetheless. "My Mother used to sing it to me when I was a kid. Why?"

Avalon couldn't understand how that was possible, much less why the TARDIS - when she was in the body of Idris - would sing her that poem as if to remind her something when Amy already knew it. Why would the TARDIS want her to remember a poem?

Before Avalon could think further, they heard the wheezing of the TARDIS as the blue box materialized in the room. "What?" she frowned at it.

A few seconds later, the Sapling poked his head. He beamed when he saw his mother amongst the group. "Mother!" he hopped out and ran up to Avalon, throwing his arms around her waist.

"Is that a tree?" Jenny whispered.

"No, this is my son," Avalon chuckled and patted the Sapling's back. "Sorry kid for leaving like that. There was another kid to save."

The Sapling gasped and pulled away from his mother, turning to Amy with the baby. "There's a baby now! Can I hold it!?" he left Avalon and ran for Amy to see the baby for himself.

"She," Amy smiled at him, slightly lowering so he could see Melody's face. "Her name's Melody. I guess you're sort of like cousins now."

"I have a cousin," the Sapling's eyes twinkled with delight. "Hi cousin Melody." Melody didn't seem afraid of the Sapling. Instead, she reached out with her small hands to touch him, making the Sapling laugh.

"Oh c'mon, I have to hold her," Avalon walked towards Amy to finally see the child. She barely got a glimpse of Melody before they all heard the Doctor's screams.

"AVALON! AVALON!"

"Oh God I'm in trouble," the woman shut her eyes with a sigh. She had it coming, she knew, but she wasn't looking forward to it either. She turned around just as the Doctor and Lena came in. "Lena, you left the TARDIS-"

"Don't touch her!" the Doctor yanked Avalon away from Amy, more specifically from Melody.

"What-" Avalon's eyebrows knitted together as she stumbled back. She probably would have fallen if the Doctor wasn't holding onto her arm.

"You can't touch the baby!" he said frantically. "You can't be in the same room as her!"

Avalon immediately scowled at him. Without context of his words, she didn't have much choice but to be angry with him. "Well, that's frankly offensive."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Amy asked, scowling herself. "She can touch my daughter-"

"-no, she really can't!" the Doctor continued to shout his responses, shaking his head from Avalon to Amy and then to Rory. He was far too frantic to stay still.

"Would you let go of me!" Avalon fought to get his hand off her arm but he had a killer grip on her. "Doctor, you're hurting me! Seriously!"

He wouldn't listen until she was a safe distance away from Amy and Melody. He had made a huge mistake letting her come here and now he had to fix it. "This is wrong! You can't be here! You can't both be here!"

"I'm going to slap you if you don't-"

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" he shouted in her face, easily sending her into silence. He made a mental note to apologize for making her flinch but right now he needed to be extra careful. He physically smacked his forehead twice before Avalon grabbed onto that hand. "I'm stupid! I'm so incredibly stupid for not seeing it! And now you-"

She was staring at him with wide, blinking eyes and a touch of genuine fear for his unexplained frantic state. He was breathing heavily but Avalon wasn't sure if it was from running or if it was for whatever reason he was looking at her like that. He was scared but that didn't make sense. He had just won, he'd won against Kovarian and the Silence, why would he be scared?

"What's going on, fairy tale man?" she gently asked him. She noticed that his hand she was holding had somehow shifted so that he was now holding her hand.

"Just listen to him, Avalon, please," Lena suddenly said, almost pleading too.

Avalon glanced at her sister to see her wearing more or less the same face as the Doctor. "Okay, what is going on?"

"Yeah, Doctor," Rory felt something churning in his stomach. "What's going on?"

"I, um, I...there's been a new development," the Doctor settled for the easiest words to use first. He let go of Avalon but still watched her in case she tried getting close to Amy and Melody again. "New discovery and Avalon...I'm so sorry for not figuring it out sooner."

"What?" the ginger frowned. "Figured out what?" she noticed Vastra and Dorium coming in, both seeming nervous of her. "Okay, why is everybody looking at me like that? All scared and...sad." The only ones without those expressions were Amy and Rory. They were just as confused as she was.

"Amy, Rory, I'm so sorry," the Doctor apologized to them next. He ran his hands down his face, wanting to smack himself again. "I-I should have...I should have noticed! I should have scanned her!"

"Doctor? What do you mean?" Amy asked him. She couldn't help feel scared herself with how he was acting.

Rory even moved over to her side and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. "Doctor, you better start talking now," he warned the Time Lord. "What do you mean 'scan' her'? Do you mean Melody?"

"Your daughter," the Doctor exhaled a shaky breath. He glanced at Avalon sadly, making her even more nervous. "I should have scanned you whether you liked it or not. Then we could've avoided this. Your past would've been better."

"Scan me?" she brought her arms around herself, suddenly self conscious as if he would do it right now. "Why on Earth would you ever want to do that?"

"Because I should have. I knew there were things about you that were off and I should've done more but I didn't. I didn't because you asked me not to but the thing is...sometimes I have to make the hard decisions and I would've taken this one if it meant helping you."

"Okay Doctor, now you're really scaring me," Avalon briefly glanced at her sister and saw Lena was close to crying. "Just tell me what's going on!"

"Avalon," the Doctor gently took hold of her and because she had no idea what was going on, she easily slid between his arms. "I know who your mother is...and your father..."

Avalon's face immediately fell, but two seconds later the anger was writing itself across her face. "I told you I didn't want to know."

"I know," the Doctor whispered, letting himself be closer to her. He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes for a moment. "And I didn't look on purpose, it just came up. But you know what? Your parents, your real parents, they are wonderful. And they love you so much." And if things went the wrong way again, she wouldn't be able to grow up with them...grow up with the best parents on Earth. Amy and Rory.

"I don't want to know," Avalon pulled away from him, her frown deepening by the second. "They abandoned me."

"I suppose they did, but that was all on your Mother, not us," a new voice rang throughout the room, but it was a voice that the Doctor knew very well.

On instinct, he pulled Avalon to his side and kept his arm wrapped securely around her. At the same time, Rory tightened his hold on Amy's side and kept her and Melody within his reach.

Koavarian appeared on a large screen above them. She was smirking with pride, knowing she was about to take her win. "Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry, I'm a long way away, but I'm not done yet. The child then...what do you think?"

"You are never touching her again," the Doctor promised her and held Avalon impossibly close. She didn't mind resting against his chest but surely there could be a better, more private, time for this. She fixated a deeply puzzled look on him. There was a darkness in his eyes settled on that woman but Avalon dared to think it wasn't out of just anger, it was for her. Avalon didn't understand why he was so protective over her right now. If anything, he should be focusing on Melody right now. She was the one in danger!

Kovarian's smirk just widened. She knew exactly what the Doctor was thinking. "Really? Because you did see some of our videos right? I have done far more than just hold 'Melody' captive. I've gone above and beyond to make sure this war is won by us."

"War against who?"

"Against you, Doctor."

"That child is not a weapon! She could never be!"

"With time, she will be."

"Except you've already lost her, and I swear I will never let you anywhere near her again." The Doctor turned slightly away, shielding Avalon from Kovarian's sight. He pressed a kiss to Avalon's head, murmuring an 'I'm sorry' to her that she heard perfectly. "I'm sorry, Avalon. I'm really sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Avalon was tired of asking the same question without getting an answer.

"Oh, Doctor," Kovarian laughed mockingly. "Fooling you once was a joy... but fooling you twice, the same way, it's a privilege. And this time, I get to take a gift with me too. My rightful gift."

"What is she talking about?" Amy dreaded the answer by the look of evil in the woman's eyes. She held Melody closer to her. "What have you done?"

Kovarian smirked just before the lights suddenly went out. Everyone went into panic wondering what was coming for them now.

"Sapling!" Avalon thought of her tree child but she didn't make one step towards him when she felt the Doctor's grip on her tighten. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

"Lena!" he instead called for.

Lena hurried to get the Sapling on her side and just when she did, she began to hear a soft song, a hymn that was getting closer and closer. A white light appeared around the TARDIS like a ring.

"A force field," Vastra realized just before they heard the sound of locks clicking. "And I'm assuming those are the doors. Lovely."

"Is that the Monks?" Rory had caught sight of the swishing robes after the lights came back.

"Oh, dear God. That's the attack prayer!" Dorium cried hysterically.

They were trapped. Yet another trap.

The Doctor sucked in a sharp breath and continued to hold Avalon, despite not knowing how they were going to get out of this one. He couldn't understand what Kovarian wanted now but he wasn't letting Avalon out of his sight and much less out of his arms.

Avalon screamed first when she saw the jet of energy coming their way. She ducked and pulled the Doctor with her. "I need my gun, stat!" she yelled on the floor.

"You need to hide!"

"No!" she promptly refused and used the chaos to get free from him. She jumped on her feet and picked up her weapon she'd stolen earlier.

"No! Avalon, no!" the Doctor scrambled to get up and catch her, but he was spiraling again. There were bullets being fired all around. He had Lena and the Sapling crying to dodge the deadly fires. He had Avalon putting herself in danger and then baby Melody crying in her mother's arms!

"NOOO!" Amy let out a blood-curling scream from her spot, Rory doing practically the same when he realized what had happened.

The Doctor turned to them to see baby Melody had turned into a Flesh puddle. As he took a step towards them, he heard Avalon scream and spun around again. However, she'd witnessed Dorium getting his head cut off by one of the monks.

Amy continued to sob. Her baby had turned into Flesh right in her arms. Rory was paralyzed in his spot; all he was able to do was stare at the puddle that was once his daughter - a copy of his daughter. Chills ran through his body when he realized that if Melody wasn't there with them...she was somewhere else, somewhere no doubt far away from them.

Amy cried and shook her head. "They have her! They have her!" She had held her daughter all this time and never once realized that she was a Flesh ganger. What kind of mother was she!?

"I've been wounded!" Strax the Sontaran yelled with a grunt to follow.

A few feet away from him, Vastra had also been detained with a sword to her neck.

Jenny soon followed.

The only one left was Avalon but she knew when to call it. She lowered her gun and glanced at the Doctor, then to Amy and Rory. "Maybe we lost."

"The Reynolds girl, we need her," cane the familiar hiss of the Silence.

Lena gasped when she saw one lone Silence make its way through the Monks. She pulled the Sapling behind her but when she stared at the Silence, she began to remember the favor she asked. "I remember! You were on the monitor!"

"I told you!" the Sapling exclaimed. "You told me to remind you!"

"I did, I'm so sorry!"

"What do you want with me?" Avalon scowled. Behind her, the Doctor was carefully making his way towards her. He still had one chance to save her and he would do it even if it cost him his life.

"You will complete your part in the war."

"Yeah?" Avalon raised her gun again. "Make me."

The Doctor took his chance and pulled her behind him. "Now you listen to me and you listen well: you are never going to touch her. Do you understand that? I don't know where you took her younger version but I swear to you that I will find her. And when I do, you better run because I will not hesitate to end you."

Avalon blinked at him. She'd never heard him so...furious. And it wasn't the shouting type of angry that he got every so often, it was the eerie quiet anger. It was the one that, honestly, could scare her. There were stories about him when he became the Oncoming Storm, but she'd never actually seen him. Of course, then there were his specific choice of words that caught her attention. "What did you just say? Younger version?"

The Doctor wouldn't look away from the Silence, but he did nod at her. "I'm sorry, Ava. This is my fault. Melody...she's...she's..."

"The Reynolds girl, or you all die."

"Never," the Doctor reiterated, teeth gritted.

"Then you will all die and we'll still take the girl."

"W-wait!" Avalon scrambled to get in-between the two groups, each of her arms held out to keep them back. "You want...you just want me?"

The Silence gave a nod of his head big, gray head. "We have no necessity for anyone else."

"...will you take me where Melody is? Will I be with her?"

"In a sense."

Avalon's eyes gazed over to Amy and Rory, both hugging each other in distraught over their missing daughter. She had an opportunity...

"Avalon, no," the Doctor warned her once he realized what she was thinking. "You can't do that."

She briefly smiled at him, but it was a facade to hide her fear. "She's all alone, she's just a baby. Rory's done so much for me, he's always tried protecting me...now it's time I do something for him. I can try to protect his daughter."

"Avalon!"

Avalon ignored his cries as she turned to face the Silence. She swallowed hard as she took a few steps towards it and the Monks. "I surrender."

"Lower the weapon," the Silence commanded.

Avalon slowly lowered her gun to the floor then immediately raised her hands. Her body trembled as the Silence walked towards her. Did it look bigger or was that just her? She wasn't sure.

"Avalon, please don't do that!" Lena wanted to run towards her sister, but that would be no use. The Silence might hurt Avalon right there and then.

"Mother!" the Sapling cried like a true child seeing his mother in danger. Lena kept a good hold on him too, but she doubted she could handle the Sapling if he decided to grow again.

"Avalon, you get away from that thing!" Rory snapped, bringing out his sword as if he would duel the Silence right there and then.

"It'll be fine," Avalon assured them all contradicting watery eyes. "I'll be fine." But just as she said those words, the Silence lowered its head far too close to her face, making her audibly whimper. She turned her head slightly in hopes of not having to look at the ugly creature.

"You should have the good sense to be afraid," it warned her.

"Oh don't be fooled. I am very afraid," she whispered. "But I can't be more afraid than Melody is and that's why I'm surrendering. That and because you swore you would spare their lives. Right?" she found the last bit of courage inside to glare at the creature.

"Of course."

"Avalon, you can't go with them! She's you!" the Doctor blurted as a last resort to get her back. "Melody! She's you! You're Melody!"

Avalon cried when the Silence spun her around to face the others. She was terrified.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" the Doctor screamed just as loud as her and charged for them, only stopping when the Silence threatened Avalon by the neck. Electricity sparked over its long fingers. "You can't take her. You can't have two of the same person in the same room! Listen to me!"

"Doctor, what do you mean she's Melody?" Rory asked from his spot next to Amy. "She's Avalon..."

"He doesn't know what he's saying anymore," Avalon reasoned, trying to give the Doctor a little smile. "It's okay, it's okay...I'll get her back."

"No, you can't," the Doctor dejectedly said. "Because you're her. She's you. You're Melody Pond."

"Doctor don't say that," Avalon wanted to laugh but his earnest face made her go still. Her eyes flickered to Amy and Rory and looked them over. "I can't be..."

"She's not," agreed Amy, though she swallowed a lump as new tears threatened to rise. "Because if she's Avalon then they really get to keep her."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor told all of them, bowing his head in shame and guilt. "It's my fault. I didn't look...I let it happen. I'm really sorry-"

A flash of light blinded the group for a moment and when it faded, River Song appeared holding every big gun in her hands. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" she screamed and strode, sprinted, towards the stand off.

"River!" the Doctor angrily called her name, forgetting momentarily what he'd been saying. Seeing the woman reminded her that they could've had a far different ending if she'd bothered to show up. "Now you choose to show up!? Where the hell have you been? You know, every time you've asked, I have been there!"

"I didn't have a choice!" River barked almost in the same tone he used on her. She came to stand next to him, only a step ahead, and took aim on the Silence. "I told you to keep her inside the TARDIS. This could be rewritten."

"Don't blame him, River. I do what I want," Avalon said but soon lost her courage when she felt the Silence put one of its long hands on her shoulder. She cringed as she felt the coldness from it prick her skin.

Seeing that made River frantically take aim again. "You let her go right now or so help me I will shoot you. I want blood for what you did to her."

"River put it down," the Doctor's tone was dark but there was no mistaking the fear underlying his words. One wrong move and she could accidentally shoot Avalon. He tried lowering the gun for her but she bad quite the strength too. Actually, it was a bit too strong.

"Doctor, you know that I don't blame you for any of this but..." River was gritting her teeth as hard as she was holding her gun. "This has you written all over it."

Well, it was hard not to take offence. "This - this wasn't me!"

"Of course it is!" she snapped. She kept her eyes locked on Avalon, torturing herself to see how terrified Avalon was. "This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor?"

"River you stop that right now," Avalon scowled at the woman. "This wasn't him. It's not his fault - Doctor, it's not your fault. We all make choices and this is my choice."

"LET HER GO!" River's scream echoed throughout the room, her body trembling more as she yelled. But still nothing happened. Avalon was still in their clutches.

"River, let that go!" the Doctor still argued with her. "You're going to hurt her!"

River's eyes glistened as she humorlessly laughed. "I wouldn't ever hurt her, never her."

"This has gone long enough," the Silence spoke up. "We are done. As are you, Doctor. The next time you see us, it will be on your deathbed."

River knew exactly what was going to happen. She needed to act. "LET HER GO NOW!"

"Doctor, before I go, if it's the last time I see you..." Avalon licked her lips nervously, both from the Silence with her and for the words she was about to say.

"It's not the last time," the Doctor promised her. He discreetly took a step towards her and then another, hoping that he could reach her - he just needed one hand of hers - and pull her to his side where he could protect her. "Don't be silly Ava, you'll be just fine..."

The only reason Avalon still smiled was because she was given the chance to have one last look at him. "I really do feel the same. I'm just terrible at expressing myself 90% of the time."

"You don't have to say anything, we'll have loads of time to talk," the Doctor's last step was taken before the Monks aimed their swords at him. He froze with a gulp, eyes switching between them and Avalon. She was still too far away.

"Your ganger said it all, don't worry," Avalon continued, biting her lower lip. Her cheeks were red - it was probably the last time she would have the luxury of having that feeling - and chuckled. "I'm happy I heard it once. That's all I wanted. Doesn't matter who I am...if it's true...I mean what I said. Thank you."

"Avalon, please stop talking like that," the Doctor begged her to just stay quiet. He would be able to think quicker on a way to take her back.

"This is the last time I'm saying it: let her go!" River prepared to finally shoot the Silence and the Monks. She hated the way Avalon was talking - like this is where her life would end - and River would not let those bastards have the satisfaction of breaking her down.

"Lower your weapon before you are killed as well," the Silence's warning towards her was the last straw.

River clicked the back of the gun, giving it her last warning that now was the moment. "Try me!"

"RIVER!" the Doctor had enough time to yell her name before she fired. "No, no! Avalon!" he made a beeline for the woman even if it meant getting hit himself. He heard Lena and the Sapling cry after him to stop. He saw Avalon shouting at him to stay away, but he couldn't process their orders. He could mostly hear the pounding of his blood in his ears. Nothernothernothernother. His mind was all jumbled up but he knew his goal: keep Avalon safe. Always her. She couldn't be on that list too; the list that too many people he cared for ended up in. But his legs weren't fast enough to get him to Avalon. Before he could reach her, she disappeared with the Silence.

"NOO!" he fell to his knees, stunned that he'd been so close and yet she was so far away now. And now she was gone. She was out of his reach and God knew where they'd taken her.

The noise that came out of River behind him was completely incomprehensible. She took aim again and shot down every remaining Monk until Rory was able to snatch her gun.

"Avalon! My Avalon!" River felt herself go down but Lena was at her side suddenly, helping her stay on her feet.

"River, you gotta stop," she said, but River shook her head.

"They took her, they took her...they took my Avalon," River brought a hand to her face. She tried being here just at the right time, when Time would allow her to be, to save Avalon...but she failed. She had failed at so many things in her life but she honestly thought that this one time she could change things. She thought she could save Avalon from what was to come and...and finally do one good thing for her. But, she didn't. She failed.

She broke down.

That sight was a huge novelty. It was what pulled the Doctor out of his own trance. He turned his head back and watched her cry, her body nearly convulsing from the strength of her sobs. She almost sounded like Amy a couple minutes ago. Like a mother.

The Doctor got up fairly fast and took one stride towards River. He swiped the gun Avalon had left behind on the ground and came straight up to River...and pointed the gun at her. The mere act had all his friends gasp. "Get up now," he ordered darkly, leaving no room for questioning. River obeyed but that didn't stop her tears. Still, she raised her head to meet the Doctor's gaze, and the gun that was only a couple inches from her face.

"Big brother, put that down," Lena whispered as she did her best to shield the Sapling from such a view. She'd never seen him do that, none of them had, and she wasn't interested in seeing it start now.

The Doctor did not listen. Instead, his hand curled tighter around the weapon. He was heartbroken and furious like he'd never been before. Such an incredible woman had just been taken from his grasp and despite it being his fault, he was sure that it was also River's fault. He should have listened to Octavian's words back on the Byzantium. The man had warned him to keep River away from Avalon and he hadn't listened. "Who the hell are you?" the Doctor demanded from River, his tone ice cold. "And this time you better answer because I am done saving your ass every time you call. I've allowed you into my home, I've allowed you to be around my friends even when I had no idea who you were. I've tolerated your cryptic comments, your snide comments, your sarcasm. I've tolerated everything about you, but no more. The one time I asked for your help you stayed away and now my Ava is gone. Melody is gone. She's gone. Who. Are. You?"

Anyone else would've shrunk under his intense, dark glare, but River had seen much worse. She had seen him do the same thing to others for endangering Avalon, but the stare was always worse. This...this was just where it began. It didn't scare her; it reminded her that Avalon was in good hands. His gun had no effect on her because she knew that he would never use it. He was just as upset as she was. They shared the same pain, whether he realized it or not.

River looked at Amy and Rory, even more distraught to find that their friend and daughter were gone together. "Melody will come back," she told them. Their gazes immediately fixated on her. Their confusion and hope was all too familiar. "Just not in the way you hope. She will be fine, eventually. And I'm so sorry that I couldn't do anything but now you can do something for her. You can do something for Melody."

"But...but is Melody really Avalon?" Amy chewed on her lower lip. Something about it wasn't settling right. "Is she...has she always been my daughter and I never saw it?"

River smiled softly. "You always noticed. Just like Rory always noticed. It's so funny how blood calls blood."

"START. TALKING!" the Doctor roared her, but she still didn't flinch.

"I am," she assured him. "Just listen. And keep holding that weapon if you'd like. Amy? Do you have that, um, that prayer leaf that the soldier gave you?"

"How do you know about that?" Amy arched an eyebrow at her. She reached inside her pant's pockets and pulled an emerald green fabric that'd been sewn into a leaf. A soldier had given it to her just before everything started. Her name was Lorna, Amy wanted to believe.

"River," the Doctor's tone warned her that he wasn't going to stand for much longer.

"I'm getting there, I swear," she told him before reaching to take Amy's prayer leaf. "This was made by the soldier, right?" Amy nodded. River gazed down at the alien words written in a beautiful golden thread. "She's from the Gamma Forests. And do you know that they don't have a word for Pond? Because the only water in the forest is the river?" She met Amy's gaze with a soft smile. "That's my name. Pond. Melody Pond. I'm your daughter."

Amy's eyes widened but of course she wouldn't believe that nonsense so quick. "That's not...that's not...Rory!"

At her frantic call, Rory was at her side and he was giving River the same disbelieving stare. "But the Doctor just said she was Av-"

"A natural guess," River turned slightly to the Doctor and held the prayer leaf for him to see. The TARDIS translator matrix had kicked in. The golden thread read 'River Song'. "But she's not."

The fury on the Doctor's face had to falter once he saw it. His eyes looked her over with the briefest of suspicions. His TARDIS did not lie to him, ever. The gun in his hand slightly lowered to better see her. "You're...?"

River nodded. "Hello," she offered a smile, a clean smile that could start their record clean. But it was mixed with a crestfallen feeling that nobody could deny.

"But I thought...Avalon was..."

"Me?" River chuckled. "Thank God, right? She's like me, but not all and that's good because the world can barely handle us how we are. She's better than me, the best of me."

"I don't understand, I thought Avalon was Melody," Lena said, close to crying herself. One moment they were under the belief that Avalon was Amy's and Rory's daughter and now..."

"She's my daughter," River finally said, and proudly too. She loved being able to say it out loud, because there were plenty of times that she wasn't able to due to the time lines. "Avalon's my daughter. All those times you've wondered why she could remember things that nobody else could, why she felt like things moved too slow for her...this is why. She's an impossible girl, a girl who doesn't make sense. Her mind works differently because she's the first of her kind. The duck pond?"

A small noise slipped through the Doctor's mouth. "The duck pond..." he whispered. The bloody duck pond. No one else in Leadworth questioned why a pond was called a 'duck pond' if there were never any ducks around. The very first clue that Avalon wasn't like the other humans and her evolutionized species.

"She's your daughter?" the Doctor asked, but it was mostly to say it out loud and see how that fit. And to his surprise, it did. It explained the reasons why River was so hellbent keeping her secrets, secrets. He had no doubt that the way Avalon was born wasn't a linear thing; the time lines had to be lived in a specific way for Avalon to continue existing. Those moments of River's protectiveness over Avalon was just another clue that the Doctor hadn't noticed. All this time Avalon had been next to her mother and none of them had ever realized.

And then there were the traits in Avalon.

Avalon had River's love for adrenaline, the danger. Countless times Avalon had proved that it called to her and that she was ready for it. She was a force to be reckoned with and it stemmed from the fact that her mother was like that too.

She had the curly hair. That alone should have been the Doctor's first clue. The same mess! He inwardly chuckled. Plus, Avalon loved weapons. She loved wielding them and she had a knack for them too. And the smugness. My God did Avalon love being smug around him whenever she got the chance.

And yes, she was a bit like Amy and Rory too. All those times when she and Amy shared the same glares it's because they were the same glare. The Doctor wanted to smack himself because once again, he had everything in front of him and he didn't notice! He did carry the whole family in the TARDIS. He carried the grandparents and their granddaughter.

"She's your daughter," he finally declared, no doubt left in his mind. He suddenly blinked at the gun in his hand as if he'd only just now realized he was holding it. He let it drop to the ground.

River nodded. "Yes, she is. And despite your reservations about me you have to know that I love her. She is the only thing that keeps me sane after everything I've gone through. And you have to understand that she's the reason I was always so cryptic around you. I had to be very careful about what I said and what I did around you all. One wrong word and Avalon goes poof!"

The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm. "No poof! Absolutely no poof!" If all this was true - which it probably was - then River was right. She had to be severely careful how she acted around their younger versions and what she said to them. One wrong move or word could rewrite history and suddenly Avalon would cease to exist. A world without Avalon Reynolds is a world the Doctor didn't want to live in! Ever!

"Exactly," River smiled knowingly. "The only other person who loves her as much as I do is you, although not right now suppose. Not yet." Her smile turned into a smirk when his face turned red.

"But I, I..." the Doctor thought to all of the moments he shared with Avalon, some of them the ones where he nearly kissed her. "She's your daughter..." River would've laughed if they weren't in such a situation.

"Now wait a minute!" snapped Amy. "First of all, you all thought Avalon was our daughter!? Doctor!"

"How could you think that!?" Rory chimed in next.

"Can you blame them, father?" River chuckled again and missed the way Rory looked at her for calling him 'father'. That would definitely take some getting used to. "You always doted on her too much, you know? Plus, she has the signature Williams eyes. They're my eyes because they're your eyes."

Rory was speechless as was Amy. He wanted to say so many things but he couldn't string the words together. There were too many revelations right now. "Hold on, this is what the TARDIS meant. The TARDIS - when she was Idris - she said all of this! And we didn't see it! The only water in the forest is the river and that Harmony is part of the Melody."

"I gave her that name," River chuckled. "Harmony. I thought it'd be nice to keep the the music theme going. A little part of the Ponds."

"Oh my God," Rory shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Avalon is our granddaughter."

"But I just became a Mother," Amy was in a similar predicament.

"Congratulations, you're a grandmother now too," River flashed them an apologetic smile.

"No, this is wrong," Lena snapped and surprised them with it because she hardly ever snapped. She stormed up to River and glared her very first deepest glare. "If you're my sister's mother then you abandoned her! You left her!"

"Lena," it was now the Doctor who had to calm her down.

"No!" Lena snapped at him too, waving his hand off her. "You know this whole time Avalon's always thought that her birth mother abandoned her because you didn't want her!?"

"That's not true," River's eyes garnered new tears. "That was never true. I didn't abandon her, I gave her up because she couldn't live the life that I had to. And giving her up was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. But you know what? I don't want to explain that right now - what I want right now is for somebody to bring me my daughter back!"

"Oh I'm on it!" the Doctor was quick to volunteer.

"What about Melody?" Amy swallowed hard, looking more or less like River in regards to tears. "What happens to her?"

The Doctor paused to think about things. Now he would have to be extra careful in how he managed things. There was to be no 'poof' on his watch. "Right, right, to have Avalon I need to strategically extract Melody-"

"-no, you have to leave me be," River said fast, urgently too. "My story is already written and it needs to stay exactly the way it is."

"But River-" Amy hurried towards her, but River refused.

"No, mother," she gritted her teeth, "If you find Melody before the proper time then the timelines would be rewritten and my daughter would cease to exist. She's not a human like you nor I, she wasn't born on Earth, her father isn't from this Earth. The timelines are crucial. If one thing about my past changes then Avalon ceases to exist and I would rather die than see that happen."

Amy slightly winced at the last part and the tone used, such certainty and...well, love. A mother's love for their daughter. A love that she herself felt for a month with her own baby. She could see the urgency and plead in River's eyes, the necessity for things to be done this way just so that her own daughter could return safely. "You really are a mother," Amy concluded with a small, proud smile. New tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I haven't been a good one but I do try," River took a deep breath and looked at the Doctor, "Will you do it, please? Bring back my daughter?"

"You mean my feisty Ava?" the Doctor smirked, "You just watch me," he headed for the TARDIS, taking down the white barrier around it, "River, get everyone back home and-"

"I'm coming with you," Lena declared earnestly as she walked towards the blue box, "And before you tell me anything I'll stop you right here. My sister has been taken and I won't take no for answer."

"And me too!" the Sapling scurried after the Doctor. "I want to help find Mother and bring her back!"

"Oh God the Sapling's technically our great-grandchild," Rory whispered with widened eyes. He'd gone from a father to a grandfather to a great-grandfather...

"Oh alright, fine," the Doctor wasn't in any mood to argue a lost battle. He'd lost too much already. "Come along! River, get everybody home!"

"Doctor, you can't leave us like this!" Amy meant to run after him but River caught her by the arm.

"I'm coming back, Pond. I've got two Ponds to find!" he suddenly laughed at when he realized something new. He raised four of his fingers and threw his head back with the excitement only he could have right now. "I've got four Ponds now!"

"And one Reynolds," Lena raised a finger. She supposed technically speaking, Avalon was a Pond. That would be interesting to explain. "Wait, River, who's Avalon's father?"

River's eyebrows raised together, her mouth opening for a brief second before closing it. "You know what, Lena, if you don't mind...I think I'm going to hold off on that. Avalon will find out on her own."

"And what about you, then? When does she learn about you? Does she ever learn who you are?" Lena watched River lower her head. "Oh, fine, don't say anything then!"

"Spoilers," River could only leave it at that.

"And the letter, then?" the Doctor called after opening the TARDIS door for the Sapling and Lena. "If the cards are all on the table, will you admit to that now?" Because there was no reason for her to continue lying about it since they all knew her secret. "You wrote it, didn't you?"

"What letter?" Lena asked them and expected a full answer. She was done with secrets around her sister.

Before the Doctor could answer, River explained with her eyes fixated on the Doctor. "Somebody left a letter for Avalon outside of Amy's and Rory's wedding reception. It warned Avalon that something was coming for her - all this - and that she should stay with the Doctor to be safe. And of course the Doctor think that I wrote it."

"Did you?" the Doctor pressed for the answer.

"No, I did not," she answered without ever taking her eyes off him.

As much as the Doctor looked at her and studied her eyes, there was nothing that would make him consider she was lying. She was telling him the truth. "But if you didn't write the letter, who did?"

River just smiled lightly, indicating that she knew alright who was behind the mysterious letter. "You'll eventually know...you'll just have to wait a couple centuries."

"River..." Lena scowled.

"It doesn't matter!" the Doctor waved it off. He had two Ponds and he wouldn't waste time on some letter-writer! "I gotta run!"

"Yes, you do," River nodded him to go. "Keep her safe."

When the TARDIS disappeared, River exhaled a shaky breath then turned to her parents. What else could they do besides awkwardly smile at each other with the same tears in their eyes? She shrugged her shoulders just to do something because she had no idea what to do now.

Amy didn't speak at all. She just pulled her daughter into a tight hug. There was nothing else to do but wait - the rite of passage for a Pond.


Author's Note:

BAM.

I have been waiting to reveal that ever since the last story! Been my longtime secret! Avalon is not Amy's and Rory's daughter, she's their granddaughter! River is her mother! I've been waiting to see if anyone guessed it and I don't know if it was good that nobody noticed it?

And has anyone come up with a guess for who wrote that letter? Tee hee, another of my secrets!

Next chapter we'll get a closer look at who Avalon is! Plus, the return of two old faces! Can you guess?

For the reviews:

Alikai: Yup, poor Avalon! She's got a bit of a while before she can be happy-ish again!

zsdjk: Well, mystery solved! Hope you liked the twist! And thanks so much!

afionna262: Thanks! And yup, she kinda is like a Time Lady+ but at the same time she's something uniquely different! And guess now they're truly a little family who love each other huh? ;)

Titieli: Thank you so much! I hope you're doing well too!

P. S: I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's also a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.