Chapter 22

A/N - The first Elise has a face-claim now! I've chosen Alexandra Daddario (as a brunette).

The Doctor entered the art room the TARDIS had created for Elise. It was much like her bedroom with a large window at the back that let her look at the stars or wherever they had landed.

Elise was sitting on a huge canvas, her hands a flurry as she painted.

He cleared his throat and she finally looked up. There was a smudge of blue paint above her right eye.

"I have something for you," he told her.

"What happened?"

"What makes you think I did something?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I swear nothing happened," he said, pulling out a record from behind his back.

Elise dropped her paints and ran over to him. The white sleeveless cardigan she wore was splattered with different colors of paint, but she didn't seem to notice or care. She was also wearing a light blue tank top and skinny jeans. All she was missing was a flower crown in her hair.

She took the record from him. It was by some obscure artist she'd never heard of.

"I know it's not Bob Dylan or something like that."

Elise kissed his cheek and said, "It's perfect." She walked over to her record player and set it on the turnstile. She placed the needle on the record and soft music started to play. Elise closed her eyes as she listened to it, lightly swaying to the beat.

Elise had flourished in last few years. When they weren't looking for Melody, they took frequent trips to the 70's. Elise quickly learned that it was her favorite decade. The fashion, the art, the culture. The only thing they had to be careful of was running into some of his past regenerations.

"Finish up what you're doing. We've got Ponds to pick up."

"Amy and Rory? But we haven't seen them in forever."

The Doctor showed her a newspaper. The headline was about a crop circle, created by Amy and Rory no doubt.

"You going to wear that coat?" Elise asked.

The Doctor played with the longer coat. It wasn't as long or flowy as his tan one, but it fit him. "Why? What's wrong with it?" he asked.

Elise shrugged. "Nothing. Just like the tweed one is all."

The Doctor clapped his hands. "Chop, chop. Finish up."

Elise rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll meet you in the control room."

The Doctor smiled as he left the room. Elise was slowly becoming his best friend. He still saw her as a daughter, but he was trying to let up on his overprotective tendencies. She was a teenager now and she'd be wanting more independence soon.

The Doctor bounced up to the console as Elise came into the control room. She'd traded her sleeves cardigan for a simple TARDIS blue hoodie.

They exited the TARDIS as a car stopped in front of them.

The Doctor held up the newspaper in his hand and pointed to it. "Seriously?"

"Well, you never answer your phone," Rory told him.

"Okay, you've had all summer. Have you found her? Have you found Melody?" Amy asked. She looked at the brunette standing next to the Doctor. "Elise?"

Elise gave her a small wave. "Hi Amy."

The last time the Ponds had seen her, she looked to be around 10 years old. Now she looked like a human teenager. She was small though, only hitting the Doctor's chest.

"Wow. You've grown! And look at you!" Amy said, "With those blue eyes, the Doctor is gonna be beating the boys off of you with a stick!"

Elise blushed as the Doctor rolled his eyes. The Doctor turned to Rory. "Permission?"

Rory took the newspaper from him. "Granted."

The Doctor threw his arms around Amy, hugging her.

Rory awkwardly walked up to Elise and cleared his throat. "So…how have you been?"

Elise laughed and hugged Rory.

Rory flipped through the newspaper. "Hang on. What's this bit?"

Elise looked and saw a line going through the design in the photograph that hadn't been there before.

The Doctor and Amy joined them.

"That wasn't us," Amy said.

The Doctor snatched it from Rory's hand and walked around with it.

Then they all heard a motor.

The Doctor lowered the newspaper to see a bright red car driving towards them.

They all screamed and ran out of the way.

"Dad!" Elise said, running to his side. She helped him up as the car skidded to a halt about an inch from the TARDIS.

A young black woman stepped out. "You said he was funny. You never said he was hot," she said. She looked at Elise. "And hello, Blue Eyes."

Elise had heard that somewhere before. But where?

"Mels!" Rory scolded her.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"Following you," Mels told them, "What do you think?"

"Er, where did you get the car?" Rory asked.

"It's mine. Ish."

They could hear police sirens.

"Oh, Mels, not again," Amy whined.

"You can't keep doing this. You're going to end up in prison," Rory told her.

"Sorry. Hello. Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost," the Doctor said, "You never said I was hot?"

"Is that the phone box? The bigger on the inside phone box?" Mels asked. She walked over to the TARDIS and ran her hands down the doors. "Oh, time travel. That's just brilliant."

Elise grabbed her wrists and pulled her away. "Yes, but please don't touch her."

Mels smirked at Elise. "Easy there, Blue Eyes. I've heard a lot about you." She looked the Doctor. "Both of you. I'm their best mate."

"Then why don't I know you?" the Doctor asked, "I danced with everyone at the wedding. The women were all brilliant. The men were a bit shy."

"I don't do weddings."

The sirens were getting closer.

"And that's me out of time." Mels pulled a gun on the Doctor and Elise jumped in front of him. "Aren't you daddy's little girl?" Mels taunted her.

"Mels!" Amy yelled, "What are you doing?"

"For God's sake!" Rory yelled as well. What on earth was she thinking?

"I need out of here, now," Mels said.

"Anywhere in particular?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, let's see. You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell. Let's kill Hitler."

They all ran out of the TARDIS, coughing from the smoke.

"Out, out, out! Everybody out. Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!" the Doctor yelled.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"A room."

"What room?" Rory asked.

"I don't know what room. I haven't memorized every room in the universe yet. I had yesterday off. Mels, don't go in there."

The Doctor grabbed Mels' gun.

"Oi!" she snapped.

"Bad smoke. Don't breathe the bad, bad, smoke. Bad, deadly smoke because somebody shot my TARDIS!" the Doctor yelled.

Elise did not like this Mels person.

Rory walked over to a man lying on the floor. "Doctor. This guy, I think he's hurt. No, hang on. No, he's fine."

The Doctor placed the gun in a fruit bowl on the desk as someone stood up. "Ooo, hello. Sorry, is this your office? Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about…"

The person straightened up.

"It."

"Is that? No, it can't be, Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Thank you, whoever you are. I think you have just saved my life," Hitler told them.

"Believe me, it was an accident," the Doctor said.

"What is this thing?"

"What did he mean, we saved his life?" Amy asked him, "We could not have just saved Hitler."

The Doctor stalked over to Mels, where she was standing by Elise. "You see? You see? Time travel, it never goes to plan."

"This box. What is it?" Hitler asked.

"It's a police telephone box from London, England. That's right, Adolf. The British are coming."

The man on the floor stood up.

"No, stop him!" Hitler yelled.

The Doctor ducked as Hitler shot the man.

Rory punched Hitler and grabbed his gun. "Sit still, shut up," he snapped.

Amy went over to the man. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes. Yes, I'm fine. I think he missed," he said.

"He was going to kill me," Hitler told them.

"Shut up, Hitler!" Rory yelled.

"Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there. Now. Do it," the Doctor said.

"Right. Putting Hitler in the cupboard," Rory said, "Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard. Come on." Rory grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the cupboard.

"But I am the Fuhrer!"

"Right, in you go!" Rory shoved him into the cupboard.

"Who are you?"

Rory slammed the door shut.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked the man.

"Oh, I…" The man then fainted.

"I think he just fainted," Rory told them.

"Yes, that was a faint. A perfect faint," the Doctor said.

Amy looked over at Mels, who had her had on her stomach. Elise was on the floor next to her, looking at her with a shocked expression.

"Mels?" Amy asked.

"Hitler…"

"What about him?" the Doctor asked.

"Lousy shot." Mels collapsed and Elise was by her side in a second. Mels had shoved Elise out of the way to prevent her being shot.

"Mels! Mels!" Amy yelled, running over to them.

The Doctor and Rory followed.

"Rory!" the Doctor yelled.

"No, no, no, no! I've got to stop the bleeding," Rory said.

"How bad is it? Rory, what can we do?" Amy asked.

"Just keep her conscious. Stay with us, Mels."

"Hey, look at me. Just hold on," the Doctor told her.

"I used to dream about you. All those stories Amy used to tell me."

"What stories? Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice. That's a belter."

"When I was little, I was going to marry you."

"Good idea, let's get married. You stay alive and I'll marry you, deal? Deal?"

"Shouldn't you ask my parents' permission?"

"As soon as you're well, I'll get on the phone."

"Might as well do it now, since they're both right here."

Everyone went still, suddenly realizing who she was.

"Penny in the air."

Golden energy started to emanate from her body.

The Doctor and Elise realized what was about to happen.

"Penny drops."

The Doctor grabbed Elise and pulled her away from Mels.

"No!" she screamed, "Let me go!"

"What the hell's going on?" Rory asked.

"Back! Back! Back! Get back!" the Doctor yelled as he dragged his struggling daughter away from her.

"Let me go!" Elise yelled.

Mels stood up. "Last time I did this, I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York."

"Okay, Doctor, explain what is happening, please," Amy said.

"Mels," the Doctor said, "Short for…"

"Melody," Mels supplied.

"Yeah. I named my daughter after her," Amy told him.

"You named your daughter after your daughter."

"It took me years to find you two. I'm so glad I did. And you see? It all worked out in the end, didn't it. You got to raise me after all," Mels said.

"You're Melody?" Amy asked.

"But if she's Melody, that means that she's also…" Rory said.

"Shut up, Dad. I'm focusing on a dress size," she snapped. She threw her arms out as she regenerated into a woman they all knew.

The woman Elise called her mother.

River Song.