Ryland Reynolds was distraught when he learned that his daughter had been taken by the very people he worked so hard to hide her from. He didn't even care that the Doctor and Lena - and everyone else for that matter - discovered who Avalon's mother really was. He only knew that Avalon was gone.

"I thought letting her go off with you would be a lot better than keeping her here!" he shouted at the Doctor, although it wasn't to show anger towards the Time Lord. He was angry at the situation. "But how the hell was I supposed to know that you two-" he let a hand wildly gesture at Amy and Rory, "-were going to turn out to be her grandparents!? What kind of...?" he couldn't even finish the right words to describe how ridiculous this entire situation was.

"Daddy," Lena said once his father had fallen back on their couch. He was overwhelmed, and with good reason too. After a few days of searching for Avalon and Melody, the Doctor decided to go back to the beginning - the very beginning - in Avalon's timeline for some helpful resources. And who knew about the very beginning of Avalon's existence?

Ryland Reynolds.

As of right now, he was the only person they could talk to about Avalon's background. River was too much of a complicated space-time event to get information from. As she pointed out, she had to keep the timelines just the way they were in order for Avalon to exist.

"Believe me, it was a shock to us too," Rory muttered lowly. He held Amy beside him, just like he had from the moment they'd been dropped back on Earth by River. They were at a loss for words and the only thing(s) that could make it better was to find Melody and Avalon.

"So let me get this straight," Ryland rubbed his forehead a bit too hard that Lena physically lowered his hand, "You two are River Song's parents? And she was kidnapped by the Silence? The Silence Order or whatever they're called."

"Yeah," Amy muttered just like Rory. "So if there's anything you can tell us, please do. I'm begging you."

"Anything will do," the Doctor agreed. He was taking a look at the pictures adorning the fireplace. They were the same pictures he saw the first night he had come back for Avalon. How quickly things changed. "I need anything you have to conduct a thorough search."

"Well, like what?" Ryland asked.

"Maybe start with how you got Avalon in the first place?" Lena softly asked. It was the burning question she had all her life. "Is she your daughter? Or are you her adoptive Dad too?"

"Lena..." Ryland sighed and brought his hand to his ginger hair. "I think that's a conversation I need to have with Avalon first."

"No, it's really not," the Doctor turned away from the fireplace with a picture frame in hand. "Because as I said, anything you have I need to know in order to find Avalon and Melody. And I know for a fact that she-" he showed Ryland the frame he held which turned out to be Emmalina Reynolds with both Avalon and Lena as toddlers, "-is not Avalon's mother. I should have seen it the first time I was here."

"But she is Avalon's mother," Ryland took the frame into his hands and gazed fondly at the picture. "Emmalina didn't care that Avalon wasn't hers. She treated Avalon the same as Lena and Gavin. She was her mother."

"No, she really wasn't," Amy glowered at the man although just like him earlier, she wasn't mad at him but at the situation. River was Avalon's mother and like herself, River didn't get the chance to see her daughter grow up. She swallowed hard when a new thought came to her mind: who did Melody call Mother right now? Did she have anyone around who was like a Mother?

Ryland seemed to understand where Amy was at. "I'm sorry. I don't personally know River Song. I knew of her back then. But I promise you that Emmalina was a good Mother to Avalon."

"And you?" the Doctor eyed Ryland studiously. "Were you a good 'father'?"

"Apparently not since I let her get captured anyways," Ryland shook his head. "Look, you want to know the truth? Fine, I'm not Avalon's father. She's not my daughter but I love her as if she was."

"But Mum didn't know," Lena said quietly, her voice frail as she remembered the argument she once overheard her parents having when she was young. "That's why she was mad at you the day I heard it all. She was asking you if Avalon was your daughter and you didn't tell her."

"I wish you hadn't heard all that sweetheart," Ryland sighed. "I loved Emmalina but I couldn't tell her anything about Avalon's background. It was to keep her and Avalon safe. That way if the Silence ever found us, they'd only want me."

"Daddy, no..." Lena scooted closer to her father, terrified at just the idea of the Silence coming for her father too. "So then...so then Avalon really is adopted. She get to grow up with either of her parents."

"Not exactly," the Doctor suddenly said, sounding too certain for someone who was meant to be searching for information on the matter. He had returned to the fireplace and picked up a specific picture frame.

"What do you mean?" Rory practically demanded. "Doctor, you promised anything you learned you would tell us."

The Doctor nodded. He remembered and he would keep his word. He turned around again and showed them another picture: a teenage Avalon and Lena with their younger brother Gavin. "The nose."

"What?" went the Ponds and Lena.

Even if the Doctor had an inkling of doubt, he got the confirmation from Ryland who hadn't looked remotely surprised by his two words. "She has the nose," he came back to the group and carelessly tossed the frame over to Rory. "She doesn't have your nose."

Rory's face went flat. "Are we really going to do those jokes again?"

"No, no, look closer," the Doctor scurried over like a child to show him what he meant. He snatched the frame from Rory and specifically tapped at Avalon's nose then Lena's and finally Gavin's. "She has their nose."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Amy took the frame with a sigh. "She's got whose nose?"

"Lena's and Gavin's," the Doctor gestured back to Lena who was now touching her nose questionably. "Avalon has the same nose as Lena and Gavin. They're not siblings but they are related." His eyes flickered to Ryland for the last confirmation. "Aren't they?"

Lena's eyes widened as she glanced at her father. Ryland had on a straight face when he nodded. "Daddy, what do you mean?"

"She's my niece," he finally confessed. "Avalon is my niece. She's my brother's daughter."

"Brother...?" Lena whispered then gasped. "Uncle Oliver! He's your only brother! Is Avalon his...?"

Ryland nodded again. "Oliver was my younger brother," he tarted to explain for the other's benefit. "He was studying at a university in the 51st century..."

"Your native time," Amy realized. Like she always said, it was hard to remember that Avalon and the Reynolds weren't from the present Earth. They were all from the 51st century.

"And let me guess," the Doctor came around the coffee table to stand in front of Ryland, "That's where he met Melody - no, sorry, River."

"Yeah," Ryland sighed. "I never met her but from what Oliver used to tell me, she was a wild one. I told him to stay away cos he wanted to study. He wanted to be a musician. Go figure."

A small smile spread across Lena's face as a new realization struck her. "That's where Avalon's singing voice comes from. Uncle Oliver."

"Oliver used to sing all the time, it was unbearable," Ryland groaned but laughed at the memories. "Every time I heard Avalon sing, it was like I was hearing Oliver...only Avalon sounded a better." The tears were quick to form in his eyes.

"What happened to him?" the Doctor asked. Avalon didn't seem to know much about her 'uncle' when she described him from the photo album the Sapling had been looking at a while back. "Avalon said he passed away but...that was all she knew."

"Because that's all I knew," Ryland admitted with guilt. "To this day I still don't know how it was that he died. The university said it was some break in or something. He got caught in it. But I know that something else happened to him."

"Kovarian?" Amy's eyes flickered to the Doctor. "You think it could've been her?"

"At this point," the Doctor sighed. "It very well could be."

"Oh my God," Amy gripped the frame in her hand. "They killed Avalon's Dad. She never even got to meet him." And if they didn't hurry, who knew who else might get caught up in the crossfires of the Silence and Kovarian.

"So Avalon is my cousin," Lena said but even as she said the word it didn't sound right. Avalon was her sister. She always had been even after Lena discovered Avalon was adopted. They grew up together, their entire lives - up until the Doctor showed up 14 years later - had been devoted to each other, Avalon more towards Lena of course.

"No, she's your sister," the Doctor told her, softly smiling at her when he read her distasteful expression. "She always has been and she always will be."

"Yeah, well, she's our granddaughter and we'd like her back," Rory spoke through the moment without caring if he cut it short. Time was of the essence. "Along with Melody."

"Yes," the Doctor snapped his fingers at him. "So Ryland, I need you to tell me how it was that you got Avalon in the first place. You never met River, so who gave you Avalon and when did you get her?"

Ryland was staring at him oddly, puzzled. "Well...it was you, Doctor. You brought Avalon to me as a newborn."

The Doctor's eyes blinked fast for a few seconds while the words fully processed in his head. While the others were naturally shocked, the Doctor was thinking. "Oh..." he said a minute later. "You know what, the TARDIS once told me that too."

"What?" Amy arched an eyebrow at him. "How do you know-"

"Shhh!"

Amy closed her mouth but it was only because the quicker he thought, the quicker they could find both girls. And indeed the Doctor was thinking, thinking back to when the TARDIS had been placed into a human body. Her jumbled words were beginning to make a lot of sense now.

"Of course!" Idris waved him off and moved for the exit, "You brought her in when she was just a little baby," she mimicked the rocking of a baby.

"She did tell me that," he concluded a few minutes later. "I brought Avalon into the TARDIS when she was just a newborn...meaning I have to be there when River eventually gives birth. Oh, that should be interesting."

"Doctor!" Rory hissed. "Focus!"

"Right! So Ryland, I bring Avalon to you sometime in your past - in the future I presume?"

Ryland nodded. "Yeah. Emmalina was, um, ready to give birth herself to Lena. I think you brought her in maybe like, two weeks before Lena was born?"

"And did I say anything? Maybe leave myself a little message?"

Ryland scrunched his face. "Actually, yeah. Well, first you warned me that there would be a time when you would come back and...have this precise conversation with me."

"Yeah, that's how time travel works! Anything else?"

"He said that things would turn out okay." And as Ryland spoke those words, he did feel a bit of a relief washing over him. In the end, Avalon would be okay and she would come back. The same feeling went for Lena and the Ponds. "And he was very adamant that I warn you about...a poison? Not to let..." And suddenly his face fell flat, almost scary like a Dad. "He said not to let Avalon kiss you in Berlin."

"Oh, funny how time travel works," the Doctor cleared his throat and looked away with flushed cheeks. Why would his future self be so adamant about that?

"Dad," Lena gently shook her father's arm until he dropped the accusing face on the Doctor.

"It's what he said!" Ryland exclaimed, gesturing at the Time Lord. "So don't let her do it!"

"Anything else?" the Doctor asked fast in hopes of moving the conversation along.

"No," Ryland shook his head. "I mean, you just said that I had to hide Avalon. That-that people would want to find her so I had to hide her really well. So I did. I came here."

"You mean that's the reason why we left New Earth?" frowned Lena. "Do you realize how bad of a move that was for Avalon?"

"I wanted to make sure that nobody found her," Ryland sighed then threw Amy and Rory a look. "How was I supposed to know that I'd end up moving next door to her grandmother?"

"Ditto," Amy returned the favor with a sour tone.

"Okay, okay, okay," the Doctor began to pace back and forth along the fireplace. "So I give you Avalon and then you move here. She grows up and she meets me again? Twice..."

"Did you ever get the feeling that you were being watched or something?" Rory question a few seconds later.

"Oh yes! Good question!" the Doctor once again snapped his fingers at Rory. "Well? Was there?"

"Not really," Ryland shrugged. "I did what you asked, Doctor. I kept her safe and away from the big cities. That's why we chose Leadworth. Nobody wants to come here."

"Yeah, good job," the Doctor made a face when he thought about the small town. He remembered Avalon complaining how nothing ever happened in the damn place. "But still, anything strange? Maybe somebody staring oddly at you or Avalon? Somebody who said something strange?"

Ryland thought long and hard about anything that could be helpful in the search. "Well..." he wasn't sure if this precise memory would be useful but it was better for the Doctor to know just in case. "One time...there was this...girl, a woman. I, uh, I had an argument with Avalon. She was 15 and we shouted a lot. Avalon ran away and I went looking for her after a while."

"Giving her time to cool off, I know the feeling," the Doctor admitted. "So, what happened?"

"I found her in the park, she was on a swing - she loves the swings - but she wasn't alone. There was this woman with her. Brown hair-" he mimicked the hair on the side of his head, "-and brown eyes. Kind of petite. Round face, maybe? She was talking to Avalon and the way she did it made it sound like she knew Avalon."

"Was she a friend?" the Doctor asked and glanced at the others to see if they knew some woman by that description.

"Avalon barely had friends," Ryland sighed. "She had those two," he nodded at Amy and Rory, "That Mels. And that's pretty much it. This woman...I only ever saw her that one time and everyone knows each other in Leadworth."

"That's true," Lena agreed with a nod. "No one does anything here without somebody else knowing about it."

"Well, what was this woman saying to Avalon?" the Doctor pressed for more details. At this point, he would take anything if it meant being closer to finding Avalon.

"Avalon was angry with me because I wouldn't let her work with Torchwood. I didn't want her anywhere near all those guns and especially not when she was supposed to be in hiding," Ryland explained as if he was just waiting for the group to reproach him for being unfair.

"She was 15?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow as he began making the mental calculations of the year that would be. "2004? Oh yeah," he let out a wolf whistler, "Dodged a huge bullet there. I closed that place down years later."

"But we ended up going after it was re-opened by Jack," Lena reminded her father, beginning to get confused with their trips to that place.

"That was after it was purged from all the anti-alien idealists," Ryland said. "But Avalon insisted on going there. I guess she always felt like she was different and when I said 'no' she lost it. That woman, though, she kept telling Avalon that she wasn't the only one out there in the world. She shouldn't feel alone."

"Maybe it was just somebody trying to be nice?" Amy offered but Ryland seemed certain that it was all wrong.

"No, because she said something that I didn't pick up until now. She told Avalon that her waiting time was almost over. Avalon would just need to wait a few more years."

"A few more years for what?" Lena whispered.

"For you," Rory suddenly pointed at the Doctor. "Four years later you came back to Leadworth and then 2 more years later you came back for her."

"Interesting," the Doctor straightened up and wondered who this woman was and how she knew that precise information. "You never saw her again?" he asked Ryland.

"No. Never again."

"So what do we think? Could she be involved with Kovarian?" Lena asked the Doctor.

"No, because Kovarian detests me. If that woman was involved with her, she would've brought Avalon right to Kovarian at that moment. Instead she offered Avalon comforting words. Sounds to me she was more of a friend."

"That's all I have, Doctor," Ryland rose from the couch, frustrated with himself over the little information he had. "We've truly lived the way you - the future you - told me to."

"I believe you," the Doctor put a hand over Ryland's shoulder, nodding with reassurance that he had no doubt everything had been done according to his future self's instructions.

Ryland could relish in that at least someone knew the extents he'd gone to, to protect his niece. "But between you and me, I always knew that Avalon wouldn't stay here. Leadworth is too small for someone who...moves too fast." A smile was quick to come to the Doctor's face. "And I don't think she got that from either of her parents. I think that's all Avalon."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed with a fond sigh. "Ava's meant to be up there," he pointed up, indicating the sky and the stars. "And I'm gonna get her back so I can take her to all those places."

"Big brother, I was thinking..." Lena began suddenly, "Would it be easier - or at least helpful - to find Avalon if you know exactly what you were looking for?"

The Doctor gave her a tilted stare for her odd question. "Baby sister, I know who I'm looking for..."

"Yes, of course of you do. I just meant maybe if you had the exact profile of my sister - cousin..." Lena momentarily closed her eyes, willing herself to get used to that term. It seemed very far-fetched, honestly. "If you had her exact scans, her biology, maybe you could use it to pick up a trace of her."

"I do, actually," the Doctor nodded once he understood what she was getting at. "I took the ones from Kovarian."

"But we have more," Ryland chimed in when he got what Lena was hinting at. He should've thought about it earlier! "We took her to Torchwood years back. Believe you know Jack Harkness?"

The raspberry the Doctor threw answered it pretty well. "That guy!"

"He's funny," Lena chuckled but the Doctor wagged a stern finger at her.

"You stay away from him, baby sister!"

"Avalon liked him..."

"Oh, of course she did," the Doctor rolled his eyes. He didn't want to think how those two were when they got together. Jack Harkness was a ridiculous flirt. Avalon had her flirty ways too. Those two must have had some goes with each other...

The Doctor fervently shook his head suddenly, earning himself some odd (and concerned) looks from the others. "Sorry. Do you have those profiles?"

"I don't, but Jack does. I asked him to keep it confidential because the last thing I wanted was for someone to find them here."

"Good thinking. I'm gonna have to go retrieve them then."

"Don't have to, I can give Jack a call to bring them here," Ryland volunteered instantly and headed for his cellphone to do the job.

"You really think that could help find Ava?" Rory asked when Ryland left. "And Melody?"

"I can only hope," the Doctor admitted. "I don't quite understand Avalon's and Melody's biology but if there's something unique - which there has to be, given what they are - then just maybe I can trace them."

"You make them sound like experiments," Amy's voice shuddered. She remembered when she and Avalon had been taken by the Silence back in America. She had woken up several times and in one of those Silence mentioned they had examined Avalon. Of course at that time Amy didn't make much of it. She was terrified and angry with those creatures. But now she thought that maybe if she had paid more attention this could have been avoided. She could have had Melody with her and maybe Avalon too.

"They're not experiments," the Doctor quietly said. He figured where Amy's thoughts had gone to. "But...Melody, River, was a bit engineered when we talk about the Time Lord abilities. Ava was just a lovely surprise for everyone, including River I imagine." A big grin came to his face. Avalon would come as a surprise. She always knew how to make an entrance. She'd just been making them from the start of her life. But my what a surprise she was, is. She's a miracle. Her existence wasn't planned and it most certainly couldn't have been easy for River to carry her to term given her situation.

No wonder Avalon believed in fairy tales and the impossible - she was quite an impossible girl herself.

~0~

Young Gavin Reynolds sat on the floor of his sister's bedroom with...his sister's tree child. As he tilted his head to the left, so did the Sapling. When he tilted his head to the right, the Sapling did the same. If he was any other ordinary human, he night have been terrified. But it was actually pretty cool, and so Avalon.

"My sister just can't be normal for like 1 minute, can she?" Gavin rolled his eyes.

"Mother is very unique," the Sapling announced, his tone giving a warning for Gavin not to argue the opposite.

Gavin only shrugged. "You're going to be fun at family reunions."

There was a light knock on the open bedroom door. "Sapling?" the Doctor stepped inside and immediately found the two boys on the floor.

The Sapling instantly jumped to his feet and rushed up to him. "Did we find Mother!?"

"No, we just needed to come here to get some information..."

The Sapling paused and tilted his head up. "What kind of information?"

Before the Doctor answered, Gavin jumped in with a fairly calm explanation. "He wanted to know about Avalon being adopted." At the Doctor's questioning face, Gavin rolled his eyes and looked at the Sapling. "Dude, if you want to be part of this family you gotta get good at the eavesdropping."

"That's not very nice," the Doctor said, though there was no scolding in his tone.

"Yeah, neither is what happened to Avalon."

The Doctor shifted on his feet, clearly waiting for something and it only took Gavin a few seconds to realize what it was.

"I'm not blaming you. First of all, Avalon would kill me. She's like in love with you or something."

The Sapling giggled. "Not yet, but I think she will be very so-" the Doctor had covered the Sapling's mouth and nervously smiled.

Gavin smirked. "Right. So, my sister is really my cousin? And the reason we live here is because Dad needed to hide her? Who's that interested in her?"

The Doctor sighed and pulled his hand off the Sapling's mouth. "Some very bad people, Gavin."

"Can I help? Avalon and I fight sometimes but that's just what siblings do."

"But Mother is your cousin," the Sapling pointed out for technical terms.

"No, she's my sister," Gavin corrected calmly but with certainty.

The Doctor smiled at the teenager. "And I'm sure when she gets back she'll say the same thing about you. But I would really prefer for you to stay here. Who else is going to watch over her things?"

"Yeah I guess," Gavin shrugged. "But I'm here too, alright? Only I can be mean to my sisters. Anyone else I'll kick their ass."

The Doctor laughed. Now that sounded a lot like Avalon. "Right."

"I'm going to see my Dad," Gavin headed for the doorway but stopped just by the Sapling. "You're pretty cool, tree kid, probably the coolest thing Avalon's done."

The Sapling giggled. "Mother gave me her memories. She didn't actually birth me, not like aunt Amy gave birth to Melody."

"Still, see you around, Gavin gave him a high five. "Hey, when you get older, I'll teach you how to skateboard."

The Sapling's eyes dazzled with excitement. "Oh yes! That would be so much fun!" Gavin laughed as he walked out the room. "I like him!" the Sapling exclaimed after Gavin was gone. "But he did say he read Mother's diary when they were younger. Is that was siblings do?"

"Uh, humans are complicated," the Doctor decided to leave it at that. Although he was curious how furious Avalon must have been when she found Gavin with her prized possession.

He looked around the empty room and felt a new layer of heavy guilt taking place over his hearts. It felt like time hadn't passed and that it was only yesterday when he saw Avalon's room for the first time. It was the night she brought him back to show him all her fairytale books. She was safe and sound, showing off what she loved most...

How things changed.

Avalon's room remained exactly the same as when the Doctor first saw it.

The room was still stocked with fairy tale books of all origins. There were even piles of books left on the floor because they couldn't fit on the bookshelves. Her bed was still neatly made with her pink and gold covers. There was a Tinkerbell cushion sitting in the middle of the two pillows. The walls, unlike Amy's childhood bedroom, wasn't filled with kid's drawings. Avalon had decorated her walls with flower stencils - some bright sunflowers, red and pink roses, and a few daffodils. There were various magazine clippings of fashion runways she probably idolized.

Now I see her insistence on runways, the Doctor mused after noticing one prominent clipping near the door. It was of Milan, announcing the brand new fashion week that year experienced.

"Mother really likes to write, huh?" the Sapling had wandered over to Avalon's desk that was full of papers and sprawled pens. A white lamp sat on the right corner. Her chair had been left facing just a bit away from the desk, like someone who had finished working for the moment.

"Yes," the Doctor came over and skimmed some of the papers left behind. It seemed like Avalon had been working on a few short stories. Contrary to what everyone might assume about her writing, none of the stories were about him. They were completely original.

The Doctor's hearts swelled as he started to thoroughly read one draft. He had never actually seen her writing. They'd joked that one day he would take a peek at her journal but the moment never came. It was always about running and danger and...

Things had moved too fast. The irony wasn't lost on him. It's what Avalon wanted from the start. Things were too slow in Leadworth and outer space was definitely the cure. But sometimes, sometimes going slow was good too.

There were moments that could only be savored if they were slow.

Like this one.

Avalon's writing was eloquent and beautiful. Her imagination was incredibly vast. In one paper she'd created an entire new world that sounded like one of the places he would end up travelling to. Anyone who read this draft would be enthralled.

"What's this, Father?" the Sapling called, pulling the Doctor's attention off the paper in his hands. The Sapling had found a folded letter on the floor next to one of the desk legs. "

The Doctor took the paper thinking it would be another draft, perhaps one he might take with him to reread whenever he wanted. He gave it a skim and realized it was an application. A job maybe that Avalon was thinking of applying for before he popped in?

No. He blinked in surprise when he realized it was an application for a publishing shop in Leadworth. And then his hearts swelled all over again. Avalon had been trying to present one of her stories to the local book shop.

She would've gotten it, no doubt, he concluded.

But the application was only halfway finished before big, ugly pen lines crossed off her written information. The Doctor's hearts broke. Avalon had changed her mind but knowing her, she probably decided her writing wasn't good enough. He then realized that the story she'd been ready to submit was the folded paper behind the application.

"Father, what is it?" the Sapling reminded the Doctor that he was still waiting to know what the paper was.

"It's, uh...your mother was trying to get one of her stories published. But it looks like she changed her mind."

"Why?" frowned the Sapling.

"She probably thought her story wasn't all that good."

"Well that had to be wrong! Mother's an excellent writer!"

"She is, actually," the Doctor said, now completely certain about it. He let the application fall to the desk and read through the draft she abandoned. "Maybe when she gets back we can convince her."

The Sapling beamed. "Oh yes!"

"Doctor?" Amy had poked her head into the room, a few seconds later Rory did the same. "Your, uh, friend is here?"

"Is he?" the Doctor lowered the draft in his hand but he didn't let go. "That should be interesting then."

"God this room looks weird now," Rory crinkled his nose at the bedroom. "This used to be my best friend's room...now it's my granddaughter's."

"Imagine me," Amy folded her arms, her nose crinkling in the same way Rory had. "I swore that Avalon used to like you." Rory's entire face scrunched. "I used to think my granddaughter was in love with her grandfather."

"Yeah, uh, let's never talk about that again," Rory resolved. "Let's just think that she'll be back soon, along with Melody."

Amy nodded fervently. They would get them both back.

Neither of them witnessed the Doctor's expression go grim for a moment. He couldn't let them believe everything was going to be completely normal. That would just be cruel. "Ponds, I have to, uh...warn you...about something. Things." Amy turned sideways, her eyes narrowing as if asking him 'what more?'. "I understand that you want baby Melody back...but do you remember what River told us? Back on Demons Run?"

Amy looked away, but Rory gave a small nod. "The timelines..." he whispered.

"Yeah," the Doctor swallowed hard. "Look, the girl in the astronaut suit...given what we've learned, there's a good chance that it was Melody or, if the time lines are changing and the one we lived is the changed one, it's Avalon."

And the first thing that both Amy and Rory thought about was the astronaut they'd seen at Lake Silencio. Could it be that Melody was the same astronuat? Or Avalon?

Amy didn't say anything but the small noise that came out of her mouth said it all. No, no, because that would mean...

"It's established history. Melody has to grow up a certain way, in certain parts, in order for Avalon to exist."

"But that doesn't mean I have to give her up," Amy suddenly snapped and when she realized it she took in a deep breath. "I understand what you mean, alright? But can't we just make sure that Melody goes to that university when she grows up? She'll meet Oliver Reynolds and then we'll have Avalon?"

"Yes and no, it's complicated Pond..." the Doctor himself wasn't even sure how things could work best. He would definitely have to go and consult with River soon. "River made her choices because of what she lived through. She became what she did, because of her choices. And if we take those moments away..."

"She might make a choice that leads her down an entire new path where Avalon is never born," Rory said quietly. It was clear that he had already thought about this before.

"So those are my only two choices?" Amy frowned deeply, her eyes glistening with tears. "I have to choose between my daughter and my granddaughter?"

"Amy..." the Doctor tried to touch her arm but she stepped away. It was hard not to feel hurt by the action but the Doctor reminded himself that on a level, she was right. It was his fault.

"They should've just taken me instead," Amy muttered and stormed out of the room.

"Aunt Amy, come back!" the Sapling ran after the woman. He didn't want more arguments when things were already so bad.

"Don't take it personal, Doctor," Rory sighed.

"But I should, because the choice I'm giving her isn't entirely fair. And the only reason this is happening is because of me. You should hate me."

"I don't..." Rory was all for denying that statement, but something inside him stopped him. "Doctor, I do not hate you. You have to know that. Amy doesn't hate you either. We're just...we're in pain."

"I should've avoided it, though," the Doctor sighed. "I should have worked harder. I-I should have...listened to you." He turned to the bookshelves lining the side of the room.

Rory watched where the Doctor was looking at. He knew exactly what the Doctor was trying to say and couldn't help the layer of guilt that started inside him too. "Look Doctor, if there's something you need to know before you go off searching for the girls...it's that I shouldn't have pressured you into staying away from Avalon. I-I should have listened to Amy and just stayed out of it." His drive to protect Avalon had always been too much and now he knew why, but it didn't excuse him.

"No, Rory, you did exactly what you were supposed to...what your parental instincts told you. You saw danger and you wanted someone you loved to be safe," the Doctor side-glanced him with sad eyes. "You were just too late."

"No, no," Rory shook his head. "Because maybe if I hadn't stuck my nose into yours and Avalon's business, you would've had enough trust between each other to confide in Avalon and let her know that you wanted to keep her safe. I messed up Doctor, and I'm sorry. So, when this all over, please don't listen to my words anymore. Forget about everything I told you because the safest place for Avalon, the happiest place, at your side. I'm sorry, Doctor."

"You're fine, Rory," the Doctor promised him. Of course he wouldn't blame Rory for trying to keep Avalon safe. Rory had been right all along. He was too dangerous for everyone around him. It'd been naive of him to think that he could change the story with Avalon - and the Ponds - into something that wouldn't end tragically.

Nobody was safe with him.

~ 0 ~

It was truly an interesting moment meeting Jack Harkness again after a long time, even more so now that the Doctor had regenerated. Jack had his go - it was just something he couldn't deny himself - at the Doctor's new face. He started out with 'what a baby face!' and then moved onto the bowties (that were so dorky, apparently) and it ended with an exaggerated comment about his chin.

He was still Jack alright.

"I can't believe you picked up the only other girl who's remotely close to your biology, Doc," Jack rolled his eyes as he set his things down on the Reynolds' kitchen table. "Actually, why'd it take you so long? Should've done this with your last face!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes now and motioned for Jack to hurry setting up his things. "Yeah, yeah. And you know, you could've helped by pointing out to me that there was somebody living on Earth with Time Lord biology."

"I was under oath not to say anything," Jack made a gesture at the group coming into the kitchen. "Ryland here told me that future you sent those instructions. What was I supposed to do?"

The Doctor really hated himself right now, literally. "Fine, fine, just get on with it."

"Right," Jack nodded but paused when he caught sight of Amy and Rory. He could immediately tell they were the parents of Avalon's mother. "I'm sorry for what's happened," he told them earnestly. "But if anyone can find that baby and Avalon, it's that guy right here," he nodded at the Doctor, giving them all his most faithful smile.

"What did you bring?" Lena curiously eyed the computer on the table.

"Everything we ever got on Avalon," Jack shrugged. "Even my own chicken-scratch notes. I figured anything was useful."

"Thanks," the Doctor nodded as he picked up a few of those papers. "How long have you known Avalon?"

"Uh, couple years?" Jack struggled to remember the exact date he'd first met the Reynolds.

"Avalon was about 18," Ryland helped out with the detail. "I knew that Torchwood was a safe place now and I thought if anyone could help Avalon, as well as the rest of my family, blend in...it'd be them."

"And what exactly did you do to Avalon?" Rory raised an eyebrow at Jack, the accusing eyes being a part of him that just came out.

"Nothing hurtful," Jack promised him and the others. "We just ran several tests, gave her things to do. I even had some help. She'll be popping in a few minutes."

"Who did you call?" the Doctor immediately frowned. "You weren't supposed to-"

"-easy there, Doc," Jack warned him to calm down. "I know that this is all new to you but I've come to really like Avalon. I wouldn't put her in harm's way. Besides, you know her too. Just wait a few minutes for the surprise."

"Can we get this moving, please?" Amy's tone was laced with impatience and a bit of anger, though that anger wasn't directed at anyone. "This is supposed to help find Melody and Avalon."

"Right," Jack turned his laptop on and started to explain how it was that Avalon came to them. "I didn't believe it at first, when I read the results and saw that Avalon carried biological traits that only Time Lords were supposed to have. I thought her Dad was pulling a joke on me."

"I didn't even know what Avalon was," Ryland pointed out. "That's why I brought her there."

"And Avalon never realized what these tests were for?" Lena raised an eyebrow at them. She couldn't see Avalon being that ignorant.

"Well, she never remembered them," Jack shrugged. "We wiped her memory each time. Otherwise, she'd find out what she was and who knows what that could've done."

"You wiped her memory?" the Doctor scowled as a new flash of anger ran across his face. "Repeatedly? Do you know the long term effects of that!? Jack!"

"That's why we ran as many tests as we could in one day, for a few days each year. I know the effects," Jack promised him that he wasn't that stupid. But if Jack was being honest, he detected that no matter what he would say, if something was inconvenient for Avalon, the Doctor would be furious. He'd make a note for that later.

"Well, what kind of tests did you run?" Rory's tone was no better than Amy's or the Doctor's.

"We started out with her strength," Jack surfed through his computer to pull up a video of that precise test. "One of the first days we saw her."

Avalon had been instructed to resist the closing of a simple door, but that door was made of a denser material than most doors. She pushed her hands against the door (that was being pushed in the opposite way by an automated system) and to everyone's surprise, she was succeeding. The door had almost opened.

"Yeah, that was our first clue that she wasn't completely related to the family," Jack remarked towards the end of the video. "We ran the same test on Ryland and a much lenient one on Lena."

"I don't remember that," Lena blinked and quickly shot her father a look. "You wiped my brain too!?"

"I had to sweetheart," Ryland sighed.

"We tested Avalon's endurance to temperature differences," Jack went on and pulled up a result for one of those exams. "She's pretty adaptable to heat and cold." The Doctor had moved in to see for himself, his eyes racing over each line. "I mean, she's not up to the same level as you, Doctor, but she's pretty advanced."

"Yeah," the Time Lord agreed. "Did it hurt her?" he asked after a moment, raising his gaze from the laptop screen to see Jack already smiling at him.

"Of course not. Everything was completely monitored."

There was a sudden door bell that froze everyone in their spots.

"Dad!" they soon heard Gavin's voice from the foyer. "There's some weird lady asking to come in! She says she knows Jack!" there was a quiet whisper that was followed by Gavin's voice, "And the Doctor!"

"Who did you bring?" the Doctor suspiciously looked at Jack. He was grinning mischievously.

"Come on in! We're in the kitchen!" Jack called for the mysterious visitor.

A few moments later, a dark-skinned woman walked into the kitchen with a nervous smile. "Hello," she gave a small wave of her hand.

The Doctor's mouth might have hit the floor in shock. "M-Martha!?"

Martha Jones was just as surprised as he was. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to take in his appearance. "Don't tell me...Doctor?"

"Oh yeah," Jack's laugh promised for some new remarks later on. "Isn't it hilarious!"

"Oi!" went the Doctor with a huff.

Martha laughed and walked up to the Doctor with open arms. "Oh come here you! And give me a hug!" the Doctor did obey and hugged her tightly. He didn't realize how much he missed her. "I thought I'd never see you again," Martha confessed after giving him a tighter squeeze. "After you showed up at the hunting ground...Mickey and I just knew..."

The Doctor pulled away with a saddened smile. "I may have been a bit over dramatic back then..."

Martha smiled at him but she noticed that despite his happiness to see her, there was a heavy pain sitting in his eyes and it had nothing to do with what happened with Donna, the Daleks, or even Rose. That's when she noticed the gloomy air around the others. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Reynolds, Lena," she gave the two a nod. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Thanks for coming," Ryland gave her a quick hug.

Martha then turned her attention to the two people she didn't know yet. She presumed them to be the Doctor's current companions. "Martha Jones," she stepped towards them and held her hand out.

"Amy," the ginger went first, but her weakened shake told Martha just how upset she was.

"Rory," went the man next. He seemed to be fighting the urge to frown like his wife.

"I'm so sorry," Martha sighed and looked at the Doctor. "So, Miss Reynolds? How did you find her? Mr. Reynolds-" she nodded over to Ryland, "-was very keen on no one finding out about her existence."

"You know me, Martha. I always find a way," the Doctor shrugged, sighing deeply. "How did you come across Avalon?"

"He called me," Martha nodded to Jack who agreed to confirm. "Told me there was a girl who could be a Time Lady. She wasn't, but, she's in that area."

"So what did you do to her, then?"

Martha paused to process his rather accusing tone, as if she'd done something wrong. "I just asked her some questions for a few tests," she answered slowly, eyes meeting his accusing ones. "I didn't harm her, if that's what you're assuming."

"What did you do?"

Martha checked for Jack's expression and when he gave another nod and a look that said 'he did that with me too', Martha sighed and moved over to the table. "Look for yourself."

A younger version of Avalon appeared on the screen sitting behind a metal table with her arms crossed and an expression warning everybody in the vicinity of her growing agitation. "I already told you," her tone was a snappy one as she glared at whoever was sitting on the opposite side. Their back was to the camera. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"It's just a few questions." It turned out to be Martha herself conducting the exams. "Why are you so upset?"

"Because I have a date I need to get to," Avalon snapped hard for a teenager. "And I don't feel like explaining why I was late. I mean, how do I fit 'weird creepy alien institution examining me' into a normal conversation?"

"She got you there," Jack whispered to Martha who then elbowed his side.

Avalon Reynolds turned out to be quite difficult sometimes. Martha could still remember the wicked headaches she got each time she had to run tests on the girl.

"Let's just answer these few questions and then you can go," Martha was saying.

"You know what? Why don't you just bite me?" Avalon smirked knowing she got a rile out of Martha.

In the present, Martha still scowled. "No offence, but she has a mouth on her."

"Hasn't changed," the Doctor murmured.

Martha caught his rather proud smile. Oh, she should've known. Not even surprised, she smiled to herself.

"Listen, if you answer my questions maybe I can answer yours," the Martha in the video continued to try her luck with the resisting Avalon.

She scoffed. "What could you possibly have for me?"

"Jack told me that you're a huge admirer of the Doctor. I happen to know him."

It was fairly adorable watching Avalon's eyes blink once and go wide. "...you do?"

The Doctor would never get over her utmost devotion to him, her belief in him. He didn't deserve it at all. Look where it got her?

Once Martha proved to Avalon that she had traveled with the Doctor, Avalon's demeanor changed completely! She was completely enchanted with Martha's story of her first trip with the Doctor.

"You actually met Shakespeare? He's an amazing writer!" Avalon gushed.

"So then, a story for an answer. You ready?"

Avalon nodded fervently. "Shoot!"

"Alright, out of the 7 days of the week, how many nights do you sleep?"

Avalon tilted her head to the side. "Um, it depends. Sometimes I sleep 3 days? Sometimes 4?"

"Have you ever slept every day of the week?"

Avalon snorted. "Nope! I have terrible insomnia! The most days I do sleep it's only for a few hours. Maximum I sleep 5 hours on a good day."

"And...5 hours does it for you? You don't feel a bit tired or something?"

"Nope!"

"So how many nights do you go without sleep?"

"I've gone 5 days without sleep."

"And how do you feel when that happens?"

Avalon shrugged. She didn't seem very concerned like Martha was sounding. "I'm okay. I mean, sometimes I do feel like I could do with a nap but it doesn't kill me if I don't actually do it."

Martha paused the video to address the first question she'd asked Avalon. "What Avalon described is not Insomnia. Insomnia makes people weary, irritable, tired. She said she didn't feel tired."

"Except she did sometimes," Lena chimed in. There were various times where Avalon was in desperate need of sleep and it made her far too cranky, even for her. "She got mad way too easy."

"Time Lords don't sleep every day, but they do sleep occasionally," Martha laid eyes on the Doctor so he would take over.

"I sleep maybe 2 days a week?" he shrugged but still looked doubtful that he'd presented the right amount. "Perhaps 3 but that one's when I'm extremely exhausted...or lazy. If Avalon and Melody have this ability then they would sleep less than an average human would but still more than what a Time Lord would. I'd say maybe she needs 3 days a week if we schedule it the right way. I suspect that Avalon's never really had a good handle on her sleeping schedule. It's all over the place."

"That's why she never slept then," Amy muttered. She and Rory had been on the receiving end of Avalon's countless sleepless nights. She'd call them in the middle of the nights just to talk!

Martha let the video continue but she went ahead and skipped to a new part of a test.

Video-Martha was asking Avalon a new question. "Find the next number in this sequence: 313, 331, 367…"

The Doctor's eyebrows knitted together at the familiar numbers, but he couldn't figure it out in that moment. Teenage Avalon did.

"It's 379," she answered without looking remotely troubled. "What?"

Martha had said nothing but merely looked over her shoulder - presumably to the person video taping them - and bore her stunned eyes.

"I don't get it," Amy frowned and expectantly waited for somebody to start explaining.

"Why do I know this?" the Doctor pointed at the screen, shooting Martha the same expectant stare as Amy.

"Because it's one of the questions I couldn't figure out when we were stuck in that spaceship scooping out a sentient sun," Martha folded her arms. She herself didn't like remembering that stressful trip. "Remember? I had to figure out the answers to some stupid security questions. This was one of the questions that you solved in like 2 seconds flat."

"Recreational mathematics!" the Doctor blinked when the memory came back to him. "Right! Well, that's child's play!"

"For you," Martha frowned. "For a human, this would take a serious amount of time to come up with a proper answer. Avalon didn't even blink before she knew the answer."

"Could you explain how you got that answer, please?" the Martha in the video kindly requested.

"Of course," Avalon shrugged. "Any number which reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and you continue iterating until it yields one is a happy number. Any number that doesn't, isn't. A happy prime is a number which is both happy and prime. Can I know another story, please?"

"Okay, Avalon was good at school but this is just...too weird," Rory rubbed the side of his neck. It was true what Martha had said. It didn't appear like Avalon had thought too much about it. There was more of an automatic instinct for her to give the answer. "Is that what you think like, Doctor?"

The Doctor bobbed his head. "Somewhat."

"How did you never pick up on that, big brother?" asked Lena.

"Well, I didn't exactly go asking Avalon math questions." The Doctor left the computer and turned to Martha with an expression begging her to answer him. "How close are we talking here?"

"She thinks a lot more than we do - as humans - and she can see things that none of us can. Her endurance is phenomenal. She can go hours doing a task without break. But you know what? I dare say that Avalon isn't like her mother either," Martha looked at Jack who was agreeing with a fervent nod.

"We thought Avalon was the first of her kind. We left it at 'Unknown hybrid' which you can replace with a better label later," Jack said. "Parts of her brain aren't like her mothers nor her father's. They're not even Time Lord. It's like there's something new inside her. I, uh, I took a reading of it and..."

"Jack," the Doctor wasn't in the mood to hear rambles, not today. "What is it?"

"It's weird but it's the Time Vortex. That's impossible right?"

The Doctor's head turned at Amy and Rory who both blushed red at the same time. "Not if her mother was conceived when the TARDIS was in flight."

"Doctor!" his companions cried in embarrassment.

"That happens?" Martha's eyes widened at the pair but the moment she realized what she asked she shook her head and apologized. "Not important, sorry!"

"Except it did and it passed through Melody to Avalon which means..." An odd laugh slipped out of the Doctor's mouth suddenly, earning himself strange looks. "Well, I finally figured out why the TARDIS loves Avalon so much. Avalon carries a little bit of the TARDIS inside her. She's more than just a granddaughter."

"Has that ever happened before?" Lena asked, slightly afraid despite how cheery the Doctor was looking with the new information. "Because you once said that the Time Vortex is very dangerous-"

"When you take it directly in," the Doctor clarified. "My friend Rose did that and it cost me one life but that's not what happened with Avalon. She carries a tiny bit of the vortex inside her and it's mixed with what New Earth civilians are - what your people are, Lena - and it's created something new...Avalon. Jack's wrong-"

"Thanks Doc," Jack said with a flattened expression.

"-Avalon's not a hybrid, she's just new. She's entirely new - the first of her kind! I don't even know what to call her - well," the Doctor smiled to himself, "Ava. She's Ava."

"So...she's not a Time Lady?" Amy tried her best to keep following all this information. "She's not like you?"

"Nope! She's similar but she's her own kind! Isn't that amazing!?" the Doctor was too cheery for something like this but, to his credit, it was him. "Jack! Martha!" He turned to the two with newfound excitement. "What else is there to know about my Ava - I-I mean...Avalon?"

"We did find she's got some low-level telepathic abilities," Martha said, smiling at his slip up but she wouldn't torture him right now. There was too much already going on. "Untapped though, imagine she'll have to work on that."

"Anything else?"

"We, uh...we were curious about her regenerative abilities," Jack's eyes flickered to Ryland as if asking for him to step in before the Doctor went ballistic. By now, Jack had concluded there was a bit more than just natural friendship the Doctor felt for Avalon.

It was too late, though. The anger that etched across the Doctor's face was an unnerving one. "You did what!? Did you make her use her energy!? You know that's completely limited - it could especially be limited for her!"

"Calm down, Doc, we didn't make her regenerate obviously," Jack snapped. "And like I said before, I wouldn't hurt Avalon."

"What did you do?" the Doctor's voice had dropped to a low, dark tone.

"Minor cuts," Ryland was the one to answer. "Surface scratches."

"Daddy," Lena whispered. "Why would you do that to her?"

"After Jack told me about Avalon's biology, I was nervous. I thought I had someone like you, Doctor, and I had no idea what to do with her. I was afraid that Avalon might accidentally show off those powers in public. This way, if she did have them, we could help her control them."

"And did she?" the Doctor demanded from the trio involved with the exams. "What did she show?"

"She does have a cycle," Martha was the one to answer. "I compared it to one of the scans from that hand you lost? Before the metacrisis..."

"I had examined it before bumping into you," Jack further explained. "I had all the results saved and Martha compared it to the results we got from Avalon."

"And?"

"Her regeneration abilities are just as strong as yours," Martha said, surprised even now that it had been a long time since she first concluded. "She doesn't really know how to bring them out, though. The scratches were only minimally erased."

"And Avalon never saw this energy or what?" frowned Rory. "Or did you wipe her memory again?"

"She was a little scared but she also thought it was her own New Earth immune system acting up," Jack explained, and it did make perfect sense. Her regeneration energy could be mistaken for her immune system. "She didn't suspect what it really was."

"You tampered with something extremely delicate," the Doctor's tone was still bordering a low darkness that no one wanted to be on the receiving of. It was hard to believe he'd been laughing only a minute ago. "Avalon is different, we just established that, so her regeneration could be even more limited than mine, than her mother's. You should have never messed with that."

"They only did it because I asked them to," Ryland stepped in to save the pair from further scoldings. "I needed to know exactly what Avalon was in order to know how to best protect her and hide her."

"I know that, but still..." the Doctor knew none of this had been done with malicious intents, but they couldn't grasp how delicate that matter was. "Jack, Martha, how many times did you perform that exam?"

"Only once," Martha promised him. "We knew it could be limited and we didn't want to hurt her. But that's something you can use to trace her and her mother. Both of them can regenerate. You can trace that type of energy, right?"

"I don't know, theoretically." The Doctor wished he could sound more sure of himself but the truth was that he had no idea what he was getting himself into in regards to Avalon and Melody.

"It's something," Jack pointed out. "Better than nothing. And you can have all the scans we took, though they might be a little different now that she's almost a mature adult. How old is she?"

"Twenty-two," Ryland answered. "She's a year past the stopping point of New Earth citizens' aging. How does that work for Time Lords?" he asked the Doctor curiously.

That was certainly a question the Doctor would have to extensively research. "Well, look at me, I'm 909."

"Will my sister be like that too?" Lena shared her father's curiosity. "Because New Earth humans have a longer lifespan than regular humans but it's still not as long as yours."

"I'd have to ask River how old she is in order to compare between her, myself and Avalon," the Doctor said after a moment's thought. "But for sure Avalon would have a longer lifespan." He let a minute of silence pass by before he turned back to the table and started putting everything away. "I'm going to take this and don't expect any of it back." Jack nodded but his expression indicated he'd foreseen this. "I can't have you holding onto to this profile. It's far too dangerous to have on Earth." He didn't want to say it but he didn't want to leave the information out so that someone else could pull a Kovarian and create yet another version of a Time Lord, a whole new species too.

"What do we do in the meantime, Doctor?" Amy stepped forwards while he crammed the last of the papers into Jack's backpack. "Just wait here?"

"Yes, Pond. You and Rory, and Ryland, have to keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity around here."

"But nothing ever happens in Leadworth!"

"Exactly. Kovarian might be hiding them right under our noses," the Doctor tapped her forehead, relishing in the fact she hadn't pulled away this time.

"We could do that," Ryland nodded. "We could go through the neighborhood, lurking for anything that doesn't seem right." He looked over to Rory and hoped that the man would agree. They all needed to do what they had to for Avalon and Melody. "We'll be the eyes on Earth."

"Yeah," Rory agreed despite his deep desire to go search for his daughter and granddaughter with this Doctor. He knew how it went. They could get in the way and instead of focusing on the girls, the Doctor would have to stop and save him and Amy. They couldn't do that. They couldn't waste time.

"I can go," Lena volunteered again. "And before you say anything big brother, I won't go out. I can stay in the TARDIS and look after her while you go outside. Plus, somebody needs to watch after the Sapling and we all know that he has to stay in the TARDIS. Wouldn't want to be surprised by the Sc..." Lena suddenly stopped when she realized she didn't know what she'd been about to say.

Without realizing it, she'd forgotten all about the Scream - the reason behind the Sapling's very existence.

After some reluctance, the Doctor gathered the Sapling and Lena to bring them into the TARDIS parked across the street from the Reynolds. Amy and Rory had been sent off home with the promise that Lena would handle their calls, making sure that somebody would answer since they knew the Doctor was horrible at that stuff. All that were left was Ryland, Martha and Jack.

"Please take care of Lena," Ryland said after his daughter had gone into the TARDIS. "She's being strong but her health..."

"I swear she'll be safe," the Doctor said. He had already lost Avalon, he was not going for the second Reynolds, not his baby sister.

"And...the Sapling," Ryland added with some clear hesitant to fully believe the Sapling was real. "Avalon can explain that to me when she comes back."

The Doctor's face went a mild red at the mention. He would not like to be there for that conversation.

"Can't believe you had a tree child," Martha chuckled once Ryland had returned home.

"Actually, we can," Jack corrected her. Martha bobbed her head until she was inclined to agree. Jack got serious afterwards and gave the Doctor an affirmative nod. "Good luck, Doc. If you need anything, give me a call."

"Me too," Martha nodded. "Mickey and I are always ready to help." The Doctor could briefly smile at the mention of another of his companions. "But listen, now that it's just...this girl, Avalon? Is she the new...for a lack of a better word, Rose?"

The Doctor stiffened but very soon began to smile. "Oh, she is nothing like Rose." And he meant nothing condescending towards Rose. She would always be a sweet memory of his past life, somebody he'd never forget, and somebody he would always be thankful for. "Avalon is a beautiful, impulsive woman who would go the end of the world to save me and the others. She has an exquisite imagination and a reckless way of doing things." A smirk played at the corners of his lips when he thought about how reckless Avalon could be sometimes. It was too attractive, coupled with her gentle aura, he was in too deep. "She's pulled me into so many games that are just..."

"Alright, alright, save it for the wedding vows," Jack dramatically waved a hand at the flushed Time Lord. "Sheesh." Martha giggled beside him.

"I'm happy that you found someone," she said, patting the Doctor on the arm. "After everything that happened, it was only fair."

The Doctor was flustered at the assumption. "Oh no! We're not...we are not a couple. She's a very good friend!"

Martha raised an eyebrow, almost asking him what that entire description of Avalon was for then. "Okay. Call us when you find her, then. I'd love to meet her properly and not in an alien facility."

"I think she'd like that," the Doctor nodded. "But thank you for everything." He gave each friend a tight hug and was bound to the promise to pop in again. They wouldn't let go of him now that they had seen his new face.

Martha and Jack watched him go into the TARDIS, letting the nostalgia hit them when they heard the TARDIS wheezing. There was only a minute of silence before Jack asked Martha an important question.

"How long you give them?"

Martha smirked. "That description? Soon as she gets back. Your wager?"

Jack was smirking just as wide as she was. "Our Doctor boy is still an idiot when it comes to women, or anyone for that matter. I say...3 months after she's back? 20 quid?"

"Your on," Martha laughed.

~ 0 ~

3 Weeks after Demon's Run. Location Unknown.

Avalon cradled the month-and-a-half Melody in her arms. She outright refused to put the baby down in the bassinet or practically anywhere that Kovarian ordered. Everything belonged to that woman and the Silence. Nothing was safe, everything could be a trap.

Three weeks it had been since they were taken and so far nothing had happened. The only thing Kovarian had done to her - and just her and not Melody so far, thank God - was inject her with some type of device that allowed Avalon to remember the Silence. Avalon was also pretty sure it was a tracker, in case she wanted to run.

However running wasn't an easy task to do considering Avalon had no idea where they even were. They were in a ship, inside a room, locked in. There was a restroom in the corner built with everything she could possibly need. Hell, the room itself was furnished with everything they needed to live nicely and comfortably.

It was unsettling.

The bed was primped nicely so that a nap could be taken at any moment. The pillows were like marshmallows, and Avalon knew that because at one point exhaustion from her insomnia had gotten to her and she'd fallen asleep for a few hours.

There was a nice closet stocked with clothes and it was one of the things that scared her most about the room. The clothes were all her size and her style. How on Earth could they get that information? They were supposed to be focused on Melody (which did not mean that's what she wanted). Why would they bother to stock the room with things for her? Why?

She was sure that she was not Melody like the Doctor had thought. If he'd been right, Kovarian would've taken her somewhere else away from Melody. Plus, if she held Melody, Avalon was sure there would've been some catastrophic event. But nothing happened. Avalon cared for Melody all this time without problem.

None of it made sense.

And that's what Kovarian relished in each time she came into the room. Avalon would ask dozens of questions and Kovarian would give zero answers. How Avalon wished she could wipe the smirk off the woman's face. But one wrong move and Melody might pay the price.

Melody started fussing in Avalon's arms. Avalon quickly checked her over to make sure she was fine. Avalon had no idea how to take care of a baby but in the past 3 weeks she became an expert. She could be a real mother now too.

First try to get out of here before you start coming up with future plans, dumbass, she berated herself.

"Hey, hey, Melody, you'll be fine," she whispered to the baby girl. "Cos guess what? This won't last long. Your parents are coming and so is my Fairy Tale Man. They're coming for us, I promise."

She gently rocked Melody side to side until she finally fell asleep again. It was silent for all but 2 minutes. The bedroom door burst open to let Kovarian and two soldiers inside.

Avalon immediately stood up and tried retreating but her back was already against a wall. There was no place to run and hide.

"Oh, she's asleep," Kovarian said after taking a peak in Avalon's arms. Melody had her eyes closed and was truly sleeping soundly. "You've got a good hand, you know. Almost as if you truly were her mother. Ironic."

Avalon's eyes narrowed on the woman. "You're going to be so sorry."

Kovarian's lips curled into a smile doubting Avalon's promise. "Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because not only have you pissed off the Doctor once, you've done it twice. Have you read the stories of what happens when you cross him?"

Avalon wanted to believe she saw a brief fear flash across Kovarian's face but the woman had a perfectly unreadable expression. She always did and if she didn't then it meant she was being smug. Avalon hated them both.

"My dear, we have already seen what he's capable of and that is the reason this all started. It's the Doctor's fault we're here-"

Avalon shook her head. "-no, it's n-"

"-it's his fault we had to take Melody-"

"-absolutely not!"

"-and it's his fault we had to take you too-"

"NO!" Avalon screamed and unintentionally made Melody cry.

"Oh, look at what you've done? You've woken the baby up." Kovarian leaned closer but Avalon turned her body away to shield Melody from such an ugly sight. "I don't know why you're so upset. I've only spoken the truth. Everyone thinks the Doctor is such a hero when the truth he's going to bring us into destruction. You have no idea where I come from, child. I've seen the battle in the fields of Trenzalore. I am doing the world a favor. And Melody and you will have the honor of helping us."

"I will never do anything for you. You'll just have to kill me."

Kovarian reached a hand for Avalon's and when the ginger turned her head away, Kovarian gripped her chin and forced Avalon's gaze on her. "But that's the thing, my dear, you won't have a choice. In fact, you and your mother will each have your tasks."

Avalon's eyebrows knitted together. "Mother?"

"Why yes, don't you know? Your mother foolishly thought she could hide you from us but the truth is we've always known where you were. We were just waiting for the right version of you."

"I don't...I don't understand...you know who my birth mother is?"

Kovarian nodded, her smile curling into a smug one. She was going to enjoy these next few months. "Take the baby, it's time to bring her to Earth."

The soldier on her right obeyed and reached for Melody in Avalon's arms.

"No! No! You stay away from her!" Avalon shrieked and spun around so her back was to them all. Her arms tightened as she brought Melody to her chest. "Leave her alone! She's just a baby!"

The second soldier came to Avalon's other side and worked to pry Avalon's arms open so his comrade could take the child. It was true what they said about her, Avalon had the strength of a Time Lord.

Avalon cried for them to leave the baby with her. Melody was wide awake now and crying from the scene. Avalon wanted to hold her tighter but both soldiers were working hard to undo her arms.

"Things would've been far more interesting if your grandmother had this sort of intensity," Kovarian's remarked was enough to make Avalon falter for a second and a second was all that the soldiers needed to rip Melody from her.

"NO! NO! STOP!" Avalon whirled around with every intention of fighting for that little girl when the second soldier took aim with his gun. The cool metal pressed against her forehead, effectively keeping her still. Her watery eyes flickered to Melody who was being handed over to Kovarian. "Please, please, I-I'll do whatever you want but give her back. She's just a baby."

"Oh but you have no idea what she will become," Kovarian gently soothed the baby until she stopped crying. "And you want this to happen. You need it to happen."

Avalon sniffled and shook her head. "No!"

"But you do, because it will ensure your existence. Lower the weapon," Kovarian gave the commanding nod at the soldier who obediently retracted.

"What do you mean?" frowned Avalon. "You keep saying all this stuff-"

"-you haven't figured out and that's unfortunate, but don't worry because I'm about to show you the truth. We can start with who this child really is," Kovarian raised her arms slightly to indicate Melody. "You protect her because she's the daughter of your friends when the truth is she grows up to become someone dangerous, someone who lands themselves in prison. A prison you are familiar with."

"What?" Avalon felt her stomach churn with dread. Kovarian looked like she was truly enjoying this which only warned her that the next thing she said was going to be hard for Avalon.

"Melody Pond, the girl you're so hell bent on protecting turns into River Song, the woman who failed to protect you...her daughter."


Author's Note:

And there we have more of an insight to what Avalon is. She's like a Time Lady but she's more of a whole new species because she has qualities of a Time Lady with her New Earth biology and a bonus bit of the TARDIS. She's entirely new! Also, did anyone expect Jack and Martha to be popping in? Spoiler alert: it won't be their last appearance!

And hope you guys caught some important future details in this chapter! They'll be a-coming around later on! ;)

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.

For the Reviews:

afionna262: Really? Oooh then I count myself as truly sneaky then! I thought it would be more noticeable so I always tried to downplay things or add in more details to cause doubt.

Karen0610: Well lucky for you we just found that out! Her father's Oliver, her uncle...father...!

Isabelnecessaryonabicycle: Well I thank you for reading through all this chapters! Glad you've liked them! And yup, guessed right! It's Oliver! Kovarian has her own little game going so you'll see that in the next chapter! And it'll come with time gaps so expect that for our poor Doctor! And as for finding things out I'm going to say this: expect more twists and angst!

isa: Thanks so much! It's always so good to hear when people like my OCs so really, THANK YOU!