Watching the Doctor

by RedRobyn2

The Doctor is stranded in prison, dealing with the revelations of the Timeless Child and the memories of her time travelling, all alone. Until the Tardis decides enough is enough and gathers her and some of her more recent companions to help her deal with her past and make some amends by watching her adventures. Characters watch the show, set after Timeless Child/Pre-Resolution.

20. Let's Kill Hitler

Hello everyone!

Please ignore the fact that I am late again, to make it up for you this one is pretty long. Hopefully it lives up to all your expectations. Can you believe we're on Chapter 20?

But first a few things: One, I was wondering if any of you could suggest a better title for this story. I've already adjusted the summary to make it better (better not good), as I had written several chapters and decided to post them before realising I didn't have a good title. So suggestions please?

Second my plan for the next few chapters, as I have made a spreadsheet for all your suggestions (there are over a hundred episodes requested, so ...). Next chapter is The Time of the Doctor, then after that I was thinking a lighter episode, maybe Deep Breath for contexts sake and to see more of the Paternoster Gang. Then I plan to do the Magicians Apprentice/Witches Familiar Arc so we have some more Master/Missy action. Then (and this is more wibbly wobbly) likely another lighter video, then The End of Time arc. Sound good?

Third, sorry to any Scottish people (it will make sense later) but it's fine as I am Scottish too so can complain about our weather. Ironically, I am typing this during a rare really sunny day.

As always, thank you for reading and hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think and keep your episode suggestions coming!

(I'll stop talking now)

Robyn

---

The group watched apprehensive as the screen turned the familiar black. They were all wondering what they would be shown this time, would it be as intense as the last video? Or would it be a calmer video? Which Doctor would they see? Which companions would be featured? The Doctor felt foreboding as the video title finally appeared on screen, thinking back to the pattern of videos they'd seen for this next one would likely be related to the one they'd just seen, and there were only a select few adventures she thought could be directly related and none were exactly 'fun'.

The title, 'Let's Kill Hitler', appeared on screen gaining mostly a confused reaction from the group. Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor exchanged a glance - they all knew what this was going to be about and it was certainly going to be another interesting video to watch if they were right. It would make sense, logically to watch if for a better understanding of River but it didn't mean they were excited to see that mess again.

"That's certainly an … interesting title." Martha declared a bit hesitant, glancing at the Doctor.

"Unfortunately, it's pretty accurate." The Doctor sighed, giving River a pointed look, which did not go unnoticed.

"I'm not sure I really want to know." Graham declared shaking his head.

"I don't think we're going to get a choice, grandad." Ryan answered back, more excited than Graham to see what mess the Doctor had gotten themselves into this time (apparently it featured Hitler, because of course she had met Hitler).

"Is there anything we need to know before it starts?" Clara asked, directing her question mostly at River and the Doctor who seemed to be having a silent conversation (based on the Doctor's hands waving around as her face scrunched up and how River rolled her eyes at her wife).

River looked pointedly at her wife to answer the question – her own timeline was too messed up to know for sure as the video seemed to mostly be following the Doctor's timeline (at least more than hers so far). The Doctor seemed to think about it for a second before answering with a glance at Amy and Rory. "I don't think so. If it is what I think it is, then it takes place shortly after the last video without anything major happening in between." Amy and Rory nodded their agreement to her statement.

"Okay, let's just get this over with." The Doctor muttered as the room's attention turned to the screen. It wasn't going to paint River in a good light with all the murder attempts and it wasn't going to be nice reliving her very near-death experience. Oh, that was a sudden thought – the Tardis's emergency programme was going to raise questions. That's something to shove aside until it happened, for now she focused on the start of the video.

[Online Prequel - Tardis]

(The phone is ringing until the answerphone cuts in.)
DOCTOR [OC]: Oh blimey, okay, you probably leave a message at the tone or something. Sorry, I wasn't really trying to do this. I was looking for the mikes. (beep)

"How are you so terrible with certain types of technology still?" Donna asked shaking her head. She wasn't exactly a whiz at it all but the Doctor was hilariously incapable at times for a genius.

The Doctor pouted, "I'm not that bad!"

"Keep telling yourself that Sweetie." River patted her wife's arm in false comfort, making the Doctor turn her offended look on River who only smiled at her wife. They were both apprehensive about the video.

AMY [OC]: Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me? Are you ever going to hear this? You don't even know you've got an answerphone. How can you be so clever and so completely stupid at the same time?

"That's a question we all ask ourselves constantly." Jack nodded in consolidation with Amy who nodded along in false sincerity as the rest of the group dissolved into snickers while the Doctor's protests fell on deaf ears.

If you can hear this, please just pick up the phone. Don't get confused. I'm not invisible or trapped in a space bubble or something. I'm just talking on the answerphone.

"I feel like there is a story behind that." Rose stated, curious eyes turning on Amy.

Amy's grin took on a mischievous, almost evil light. The Doctor quickly scrambled to stop her from speaking, "No! No. Tell them anything and I'll tell them all about the incident." The incident she referred to had occurred during the year she had stayed with them with the cube mess and was agreed to never be spoken about again, even River did not know about the incident.

The blackmail, sorry suggestion, seemed to work as Amy hesitated before shaking her head at Rose. The Doctor turned away pleased, but unnoticed to her (but seen by like everyone else) she mouthed 'I'll tell you later', which satisfied the group.

Just pick up the phone. You said you'd find my baby. You said you'd find Melody. Have you found her? Because you promised.

Amy and Rory both winced at that, they'd never seen their baby again. The closest they'd gotten was in America and they hadn't known at the time. The Doctor had spent time looking for young Melody and she had been right under their noses the entire time. The Doctor also winced, she couldn't help but feel guilty as she hadn't succeeded in finding Melody, or at least not the young version of her she'd been looking for. Instead, an older version had found her (and tried, nearly succeeding in killing her) because that's just how her life worked apparently.

I know she's going to be okay, I know she'll grow up to be River, but it's not the point. I don't want to miss all those years, you know, and I can't stand it. I can't.

The group shifted uncomfortable as the voice message continued, no one was sure what to say in the face of Amy's pleading for her baby. Amy and Rory curled up closer together, in some ways they had missed those years as they hadn't been her parents but in other ways, they had helped raise Mels and had at least been in her life for most of their 'childhood'.

Please, Doctor, please. Okay, phone me back when you know something. Please, Doctor, at least do that, as soon as you know. All right, bye. (beep)
(The Doctor hangs his head.)

"You never phoned them back, did you?" Martha sighed, it was almost expected from the Doctor at this point but it didn't mean it was okay or the right thing. Here was Amy pleading for answers about her baby and the Doctor just listened to it and didn't respond.

"I didn't have any information to tell them." The Doctor answered quietly, guilt lacing their tone. It was a weak explanation and she knew it but she couldn't have gone to them without knowing anything, she just couldn't.

[Car].

(Rory is driving through a corn field very fast. Amy is navigating by tulip symbols, like on a road rally.)

"What are you doing!?" Mickey asked, incredulous. The rest of the room was also watching the pair, bewildered by their actions on screen.

Amy grinned, while Rory sighed. "Getting the Doctor's attention."

"That sounds ominous." Yaz muttered. "I'm going to guess it was all Amy's idea." Amy nodded unrepentant while Rory just sighed again nodding along, he wasn't sure how he was still sane when surrounded by Amy, River and the Doctor.

AMY: Okay, left. Sharp turn! Okay, right. No, no, no, I mean left. No, sorry, right, right. I definitely meant right. Now loop the loop.
(More corn gets crushed beneath the tyres.)
AMY: Stop! Stop!
(And there, in the middle of the crop circle they have just made, is the Tardis.

"It worked at least." Martha snorted, of course that would get his attention.

"Please do not start using that as a way to get my attention. Please." The Doctor practically begged the group at large, she'd noticed several of them had a familiar gleam in their eyes and she wanted to stop any plans before they could fully form.

The Doctor comes out, holding a copy of the Leadworth Chronicle with the headline Leadworth's Crop Circle.)
DOCTOR: Seriously?
(They have made the word Doctor in the field.)

The group burst out laughing at the field and newspaper. "Crop circles! That's brilliant." Bill laughed.

"Technically are they crop circles if they were mad by humans to attract an alien's attention?" Ryan debated, "Aren't crop circles normally made by the aliens?"

"Semantics." Yaz waved her hand, still cackling at the scene on screen. The Doctor just sighed, but everyone noticed the small smile on her face.

RORY: Well, you never answer your phone.

"I mean, he raises a fair point Doctor." Jack grinned, knowing how his comment would annoy the Doctor. Predictably, the Doctor rolled her eyes at him.

AMY: Okay, you've had all summer. Have you found her? Have you found Melody?
DOCTOR: Permission?
RORY: Granted.
(The Doctor gives the newspaper to Rory and hugs Amy.)

"Can I ask about the permission thing?" Rose asked curious; as this was the second time that they'd seen it in as many videos.

The Doctor, Amy and Rory shared a glance and silent conversation before the Doctor burst out with, "Amy kissed me!"

The group blinked in confusion at the sudden declaration while Rory just sighed in long suffering, he'd been hoping to avoid this.

Amy just grumbled, "It's not like you're a particularly good kisser."

"Unfortunately, I'll have to disagree with you there, mother." River interceded, very aware of what she was doing.

Rory rubbed his forehead to try and ward away the oncoming headache, turning to the group at large as the three started squabbling good-naturedly. "It's a long story. Can we please just move on for the moment?" Thankfully, the group took pity on him and collectively agreed to just let the video continue.

DOCTOR: You know who she grows up to be, so you know I will find her.

"More like she'll find us." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her wife who smiled smugly.

AMY: But you haven't yet.
RORY: Hang on. What's this bit?
(There is a line through the middle of their crop design in the photograph.)
AMY: That wasn't us.

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Mickey asked.

Martha nudged him, "More important question – where is it coming from as you'll probably need to get out of the way."

Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor exchanged a look before turning to the rest of the group and answering in sync, "Spoilers."

(Another car is driving towards them through the corn.)
ALL: Argh!

The group burst out laughing at the comedic, almost cartoonish scene. Even Amy, Rory and the Doctor were laughing along at the sight, while it hadn't been funny at the time, they were no longer in any danger and couldn't argue the sight was entertaining (plus, the video wasn't going to stay good-humoured for too much longer so they were enjoying it while they could).

(They dive for safety as the Chevrolet Corvette skids to a halt by the Tardis. A young woman gets out wearing a River Song type costume.)
MELS: You said he was funny. You never said he was hot.

"You know her?" Donna asked, assessing the new person on screen. She eyed Amy and Rory out of the corner of her eyes, who seemed to be glancing at River and the Doctor whenever they thought no one was looking which was interesting.

"Yes, Mels was our childhood friend." Amy answered vaguely doing her best to not keep staring at River (and not really succeeding). Mels had certainly been their childhood friend but that wasn't all she was, they just hadn't known until this video that she'd also been their daughter. The use of the word 'was' did raise a few eyebrows however, all wondering if they would learn what had happened to her in this video.

RORY: Mels!
AMY: What are you doing here?
MELS: Following you. What do you think?
RORY: Er, where did you get the car?
(Police sirens in the distance.)
MELS: It's mine. Ish.

"Oh, I like her." Jack grinned, perking up in his seat. The Doctor's expression turned panicked, she sincerely hoped that young River and Jack never met, that pair would be destructive to say the least. Both of them had semi-mellowed and gained some responsibility with age, but their younger selves were rampant criminals with a penchant for destruction and flings.

"I think she would have liked you too." River winked at Jack, who seemed happy if a bit confused about how River knew Mels.

"You know Mels too?" Graham asked confused, as far as they were aware Amy and Rory hadn't known River until after traveling with the Doctor and Mels fate didn't sound promising from how Amy was acting. Maybe River showed up later in this video?

"You could say that." River answered, purposely vague with a smug grin.

AMY: Oh, Mels, not again.
RORY: You can't keep doing this. You're going to end up in prison.

"Not again?" Jack raised an eyebrow with a smile, "I definitely like the sound of her."

DOCTOR: Sorry. Hello. Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost. You never said I was hot?

"I think there are more important questions to ask Doctor." Rose shook her head but was grinning. The Doctor just grinned back. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed River winking at her, which only meant she was now trying hard not to blush.

MELS: Is that the phone box? The bigger on the inside phone box? Oh, time travel. That's just brilliant. Yeah, I've heard a lot about you. I'm their best mate.

"You told her about the Doctor?" Clara asked, eyeing Mels on screen cautiously.

Rory sighed but was smiling fondly, "I think she told everyone about the Doctor. Mels was just one of the few that believed her."

Amy punched him in the side, "You believed me too."

River laughed while Rory blushed, "It was more the fact that he was crazily in love with you and didn't want to upset you."

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

"I think you traumatised everyone with your terrible dancing." Amy grinned at the Doctor.

"Hey! My dancing is brilliant." The Doctor protested.

"Keep telling yourself that Sweetie." River smiled, only making the Doctor pout.

MELS: I don't do weddings.
(The sirens get closer.)
MELS: And that's me out of time.
(Mels pulls a gun on the Doctor.)

"Woah, that escalated." Bill blinked leaning back from the screen as Mels drew the gun. The tension in the room had instantly heightened at seeing the Doctor with a gun pointed at them by an apparent friend of Amy and Rory. Amy, Rory, the Doctor and River exchanged a look.

AMY: Mels!
RORY: For God's sake!
AMY: What are you doing?
MELS: I need out of here, now.
(A helicopter is coming, too.)

"What did she do to warrant a helicopter?" Ryan asked, watching the screen as everything seemed to keep escalating.

"Probably because of the car." Yaz answered, as the actual police officer she'd be the most likely to know, "It'd allow them to keep a better view of where she was going." Ryan nodded to that.

DOCTOR: Anywhere in particular?
MELS: Well, let's see. You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell. Let's kill Hitler.

"Roll title screen." Bill muttered; this video seemed like it was going to be a roller-coaster already which wasn't promising in the scheme of things.

[Amy's bedroom]

(Back when they were children. Amelia is getting her Doctor toys out of a cardboard box.)

"You had toys? That's adorable." Rose declared, smiling at the young Amy with said toys on screen.

"She had lots." Rory nodded with a fond smile; his comment earned him an elbow to his side from his wife.

YOUNG MELS: Is he hot?
AMELIA: No, he's funny.
YOUNG MELS: But how can he travel in time?
AMELIA: Because he's got a time machine, stupid.

"You guys are so cute. Do you think we're going to get a 'growing-up' flashback montage?" Martha asked, grinning at young Amy. It was easy to see the young girl in the woman in the room with them, even if they hadn't met young Amelia when they saw the video with Chinny's regeneration.

"I hope not." Rory sighed. It would be interesting to see parts of it with the knowledge of who Mels was now, but it could also be embarrassing (not that these videos were often anything else bar embarrassing and emotionally draining).

"I hope so, you were a cute kid." Amy smirked at her husband, knowing exactly his thought process. Her comment only made Rory dread this more while River laughed, she also had an idea of what Rory was thinking about.

(A little boy enters.)
YOUNG RORY: I thought we were playing hide and seek. I've been hiding for hours.
AMELIA: Well, we just haven't found you yet.
YOUNG RORY: Okay. Hi, Mels.
YOUNG MELS: Hi, Rory.
(Young Rory leaves.)

The group burst out into chuckles at seeing young Rory, not much had changed over the years it seemed. The married couple smiled at each other – it had always been the two of them, they'd always waited for each other and chosen the other in the end. They were also both watching the screen and focusing more on Mels than anything else, they'd had several long discussions about Mels/River/Melody after the events of this video.

[Classroom]

WOMAN TEACHER: Mels, did you not understand the question? I'm asking you why the Titanic sank?
YOUNG MELS: Because the Doctor didn't save it. Except you don't know about the Doctor because you're stupid.

Both Rory and Amy groaned having forgotten about this, history had never been a good subject for Mels. The Doctor tried to subtly shoot River a look but didn't really succeed as River was focussed on her parents. The only thing she did accomplish was drawing most of the room's attention to her which was the opposite of what she wanted.

[School]

(Mels leaves the Headmaster's Study.)
AMELIA: Why are you always in trouble? You're the most in trouble in the whole school, except for boys.
YOUNG MELS: And you.
AMELIA: I count as a boy.

The group started laughing again at the series of scenes they were seeing. Amy was smiling softly at the onslaught of memories, Mels and Rory featured in almost all of her childhood when she thought back to it. Her childhood and memories were often confusing with the overlap due to the Tardis explosion/end of time paradox mess but Rory had always been there for her, and now River/Mels was too just in a different way.

(Rory is blindfolded for a game that they were playing earlier.)
YOUNG RORY: Am I getting warm?
AMELIA: Yes, Rory.

Rory gained some sympathetic looks from Mickey at seeing young Rory doing his best while hie best friends weren't actually playing. He just smiled softly, shaking his head at his wife and daughter's behaviour, they may have not gotten to raise River but they and certainly been a large part of Mels' childhood. River and Amy especially, had frequently gotten into trouble just as they still do now. He was there to be the sane voice and patch them up at the end of it, helping anyway he could.

[Classroom]

(The children are now teenagers.)
TEACHER: Mels?
MELS: A significant factor in Hitler's rise to power was the fact that the Doctor didn't stop him.

"She's a bit obsessed with the Doctor, isn't she?" Donna raised an eyebrow at Amy and Rory, completely missing the teasing nudge the Doctor gave River who only winked back.

Donna, and the rest of the group were confused when Amy and Rory just glanced at each other before breaking out into snickers.

"Okay?" Graham muttered, now more nervous than he had been before, "That's not at all worrying."

[School]

(After another visit to the Headmaster.)
AMY: I can't keep doing this.

"And yet you did." River smiled at Amy, who was able to read between the lines and see the thankfulness in her daughter's words.

"And I always will." She promised back with her own smile, it didn't matter if River was technically older than her, she'd always be her daughter and friend. To the rest of the room, unaware of Mels' identity, the exchange was confusing, especially the change of tenses in Amy's words, leaving the group confused by Mels' fate.

[Police station]

(Mels is let out of a cell. They've all left school by now.)
AMY: Mels!

"Even after school, she's still causing trouble." Nardole muttered, eyeing River suspiciously. He was ignored by most, although Yaz was watching the screen with her own narrowed eyes wondering what kind of shenanigans and trouble this Mels had been getting into.

"Always." Rory groaned resigned to it, even after discovering Mels' identity it turned out she never stopped finding trouble.

[Amy's bedroom]

MELS: It was late. I took a bus.
RORY: Er, you stole a bus.

"She stole a bus?!" Bill burst out; eyes wide.

"That's a bit extra." Ryan added, looking a bit in awe of Mels.

Yaz noticed his awe and elbowed him in the side. "Don't get any ideas." Ryan just rubbed his side where she'd elbowed him.

AMY: Who steals a bus?

"You know, Mels is actually the second person I'd met who has stolen a bus." The Doctor mused, drawing the room's attention to her.

"Second? Who was the first?" Rose asked curious and a bit confused. Only the Doctor would meet several people that had stolen buses, it wasn't exactly a go-to thing to steal.

The Doctor gave a one-hearted smile and a shrug, the memories weren't horrible but it did remind her of her time travelling alone after losing Donna, it also edged towards the memories of the Time Lord Victorious when she'd gone too far and lost herself. She sincerely hoped they didn't have to watch that video, as she dreaded the reaction from her companions and the Master, stars he would be ecstatic to see her lose it. Determined to distract herself from those spiralling thoughts she answered Rose's question, "Lady Christina, long story involving travelling planets in a bus which she then flew away to escape the police and UNIT."

"You're making stuff up now, Doc." Graham declared, at her nonsensical explanation.

"Would I ever do that Graham?" The Doctor grinned mischievous, hand to one of her hearts in mock offense.

"Constantly." Donna snorted, not afraid to call out the Doctor on her nonsense.

"I'm confused, was she telling the truth to not?" Bill raised her hand.

The group all turned to the Doctor who was grinning mischievously, enjoying their suspicion (for once over something simple and with no real stakes) and not ready to give them any clues. "We'll likely never know." Ryan decided dramatically.

Yaz rolled her eyes, "We might, depending on whether the Tardis decided it is important to see."

"Kill joy." Ryan answered back quietly, shifting to avoid the elbow she aimed at his arm.

MELS: I returned it.
RORY: You drove it through the Botanical garden.
MELS: Short cut.

Amy and Rory both shook their heads exasperated, glancing at River who shrugged unrepentant. The only person to really notice this exchange was Clara, who was the only member of the group (outside Nardole) to have actually met River (kind of). She glanced at River thoughtfully, the four of them had mentioned that this was set just after the last video, so it might be related to the one they'd just watched, plus River seemed to know Mels. So, maybe?

AMY: Why can't you just act like a person? Like a normal legal person?
MELS: I don't know, maybe I need a Doctor.

River wiggled her eyebrows at her wife, leaning in to quietly purr, "Oh, I certainly need a Doctor."

"River!" The Doctor hissed back quietly, eyes darting to see if anyone had heard even as she turned red.

AMY: Stop it.
RORY: Er, I'd better go. I'm on earlies tomorrow.
AMY: Okay.
MELS: It's all right for you. You've got Mister Perfect keeping you right.
AMY: He's not even real. Just a stupid dream when I was a kid.

"Oh, she wasn't talking about the Doctor." Martha smiled at Amy who smiled back nodding.

The Doctor, however, looked offended having focussed on another part of the conversation. "Stupid dream? It would have been a brilliant dream if it was one."

Amy just rolled her eyes at him, "Not the point, Doctor."

MELS: No, I wasn't talking about him.
AMY: What, Rory? How have I got Rory?
RORY: Yeah, how, how's she got me?
AMY: He's not mine.
RORY: No. No. I'm not hers.

The group was stuck between wincing and grinning at how much Rory looked like a mouse caught in a trap. They couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, he'd always been there for Amy and never pushed despite his feelings for her, respecting her and here was Mels revealing his crush.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her wife, "Of course you pushed your parents together."

"Well, it wasn't like they were going to do anything anytime soon without the push." River argued back, gaining a shrug of vague of agreement from the Doctor.

MELS: Oh, come on. Seriously, it's got to be you two. Oh, cut to the song. It's getting boring.

The room at large took that comment as a friend pushing her love-struck friends together, an innocent if not frustrated comment. Whereas Amy, Rory and the Doctor realised the truth of the statement, of course for Mels there was no other option as Amy and Rory were her parents.

AMY: Nice thought, okay, but completely impossible.
RORY: Yeah, impossible.
AMY: I mean, I'd love to. He's gorgeous. He's my favourite guy. But he's, you know
RORY: A friend.
AMY: Gay.

The group burst into chuckles at the unexpected statement from Rory, it would certainly explain why Amy had never made the connection with his crush on her. Rory just hid his face in his hands while Amy laughed, leaning against her husband in silent comfort.

RORY: I'm not gay.
AMY: Yes, you are.
RORY: No. No, I'm not.
AMY: Course you are. Don't be stupid. In the whole time I've known you, when have you shown any interest in a girl?
MELS: Penny in the air.
AMY: I mean, I've known you for, what, ten years? I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to?
(Rory flees.)
AMY: Oh, my God! Rory!
(Amy runs after him.)
MELS: And the penny drops.
AMY [OC]: Rory!

"You two are adorable." Rose declared, shaking her head as she laughed fondly at the pair. The whole group was laughing at Mels' comments while Amy realised (finally) that Rory had a crush on her. The lack of communication and lots of assumptions had meant Amy hadn't figured it out, and Rory hadn't been brave enough to say anything to Amy.

The Doctor was just shaking her head, mostly at her wife's matchmaking skills rather than the actual couple. It really shouldn't she surprise her that River had ensured that Amy and Rory were together, as that led to her creation to start with, ah the paradoxes of time travel.

MELS: Catch you later, Time Boy.

[Tardis]

(The Tardis is out of control.)

"Oh, we're back to the present." Clara said, at seeing the change of scene. "Or at least present for the video."

DOCTOR: You've shot it! You shot my Tardis! You shot the console!

"She what!" Several people burst out in shock.

"That explains why it looks out of control." Mickey said, the tension automatically rising as they remembered what Mels was currently up to rather than their childhood.

"It's always out of control when the Doctor's piloting." Martha reminded her husband, ignoring the Doctor's protests.

MELS: It's your fault!
DOCTOR: Argh! How's it my fault?
MELS: You said guns didn't work in this place. You said we're in a state of temporal grace.
DOCTOR: That was a clever lie, you idiot! Anyone could tell that was a clever lie.

"That's not a bad lie." Jack nodded approvingly. "Shame you tried it on someone willing to test it."

The Doctor grumbled, glancing at River. Of course, she hadn't listened to him, she probably already knew it was a lie. River's attention, however, was focussed on the screen. This video was going to have revelations for both her parents and wife, the group and her. Things that hadn't made any sense to the younger version of herself, the one who hadn't properly met any of them or been through any of things with them, would know have new meanings. She definitely regretted some of her actions, her attitude towards her parents and trying to kill the Doctor. This was going to be an enlightening video for everyone.

[Teselecta]

(Berlin, 1938. A cleaner turns to watch an Nazi General walking down a corridor in the Reich Chancellory with a creak and click of gears. A man watches through its eyes on a bank of monitors.)

"That's not normal." Rose said.

"Of course, with your luck there's something else going on besides Mels deciding to go wild." Clara sighed. It didn't help that Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor shared knowing looks.

CARTER: Okay, we like him.
ANITA: Costume want to know about the suit.
CARTER: Just colour and shape. Don't need anything detachable.
JIM: Musculature good to go.
CARTER: That was quick.
JIM: They're showing off. Art department want to talk skin tone.
HARRIET: Yes, I do. I don't trust the sensors, I want to take a look myself.
JIM: We're in a hurry. We're not trying to win an award.
HARRIET: Yeah, that's what you said when we made Rasputin green.
CARTER: Okay, get your fat one up there. Run!
HARRIET: Yes, Captain.
CARTER: Harriet's going to eyeball. Everyone else, good to go, please.

"Are those miniature people … in a person?" Yaz asked bewildered. Whatever else was going on was weird.

"Yep!" The Doctor answered with false cheer. The Teselecta had been very helpful and nice during his whole 'death' thing (one of several) but in this video they had been … problematic, to say the least. They'd gotten in the way and went on to torture River, despite providing very useful information.

"So many questions. Just, so many questions." Bill muttered glancing between the screen and the group in the room.

[Office]

(The General is going through a filing cabinet when the cleaner enters.)
ZIMMERMAN: What do you want? What are you doing?

[Teselecta]

ANITA: Musculature online.
JIM: Five foot eleven, confirmed.
(The cleaner grows to the same height as the General.)

"That's, that's just … I have no words actually." Donna declared.

"Donna Noble with no words. That's a very rare phenomenon." The Doctor teased.

"That's Donna Temple-Noble to you, Spaceman!"

CARTER: Harriet, are you up there yet?
(Harriet's wrist monitor goes red.)
ANTIBODY: Welcome. You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented.
CARTER: Harriet, have you updated your privileges?

"Death. Of course, because this has to get worse." Graham nodded with a long-suffering sigh. Amy and Rory exchanged a look and silent conversation, they had gotten very close to dying in the Teselecta.

[Teselecta eye level]

HARRIET: Yes, of course I have.
(The monitor turns green again.)
HARRIET: Look, I'm staff, see? Look, staff!
ANTIBODY: You are authorised. Your existence will continue.

"They do not look friendly." Ryan grimaced.

"What gave it away? The death threats?" Yaz raised an eyebrow at her friend next to her.

[Office]

ZIMMERMAN: I don't understand.
(The cleaner's overalls transform into a replica of his uniform.)

"I don't think any of us do, mate." Mickey nodded in commiseration.

[Teselecta eye level]

CARTER [OC]: Harriet, shift!
HARRIET: Five seconds to eyeball.
(Harriet opens the internal shield and looks out of the pupil.)
HARRIET: Shades forty four to eighty nine, peaking at sixty. Standard density. He's sweating a bit, so compensate.

"I think he's allowed to be nervous in that kind of situation." Martha said. These people were not looking great between the shape shifting and death jellyfish.

[Office]

ZIMMERMAN: What are you?

"Good question. We all want to know too." Rose declared, looking to the Doctor, Amy and Rory for answers. The three seemed to have a silent conversation before they waved to the screen in answer – none of them are going to spoil it yet.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: All hands, prepare for tessellation. Prepare for tessellation.
(The cleaner transforms into a duplicate General Zimmerman. He slumps back against the filing cabinet as the double reaches for him, and takes his glasses.)
CARTER: Okay, clean up.

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Clara sighed, getting more nervous by the second. Of course, they needed more danger just to add to Mels who was possibly River.

"Because you're sane?" Rory offered, confirming their fears.

"I wouldn't go that far. None of us could really be considered sane." Clara shrugged nervous about Rory's confirmation.

(A beam of light from the Teselecta's eye transports the General onto the eye level catwalk.)
ZIMMERMAN: Argh!
CARTER: Who is he?
ANITA: Eric Zimmerman. Loyal member of the Nazi Party. Guilty of Category Three hate crimes.
CARTER: Well, then. Leave him to the Antibodies.

"He doesn't sound like a nice guy, but those death-jellyfish don't look nice either." Bill said, she really didn't want to sound sympathetic to a loyal Nazi, it was more a concern of what those 'antibodies' could do so they knew what kind of threat they would pause.

"Death Jellyfish." The Doctor blinked, before grinning. "That's a brilliant description." The group didn't miss how she avoided the main point of Bill's words.

[Teselecta eye level]

(The Antibodies look like metallic jellyfish.)
ANTIBODY: Welcome. You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented. Welcome. You will experience a tingling sensation and then death. Remain calm while your life is extracted.
(Zimmerman vanishes with a scream.)

The group winced at the death. They didn't know him nor want to mourn him based on what they'd heard so far but that death did not look pleasant despite the antibody's words. It was certainly one way to 'clean up' the evidence.

[Hitler's work study]

HITLER: What do you want? Who let you in here?
(Faux Zimmerman strides forward.)

"Are the miniature people going after Hitler? God, that sounds weird." Donna asked.

"Yes." The Doctor answered.

"But why?" Jack interjected; he was watching with narrowed eyes at the screen. He didn't recognise the Teselecta but did recognise the technology and things weren't adding up yet.

"Spoilers." Amy answered for the Doctor, with a small smile at her daughter.

[Teselecta]

(The Captain's coffee cup falls of the arm of his chair.)
CARTER: What's wrong with the shock absorbers?
JIM: Problem in the knees.
CARTER: Let's hope we don't have to run.

"The Doctor's around, you always have to run." Graham bemoaned but everyone noticed the small fond smile.

[Hitler's work study]

ZIMMERMAN: Do not call for help. This room has been sound screened. You have been found guilty. Justice mode activating.
(White light streams from the Teselecta to Hitler.)

"If the Nazi was left to the antibodies, how bad is this 'Justice Mode'?" Martha asked the room only to receive no answer. None of them prepared to argue Hitler didn't deserve everything but again more worried about the Doctor's penchant for getting involved in everything.

[Teselecta]

JIM: Hang on! This is 1938. We're too early. We need to go later in his time stream.

"1938? That's a bit too early, the war hasn't even started." Ryan furrowed his eyebrows. "Like as much as I hate him, he's kinda important in history. Wouldn't things get messed up if he died now?"

"Exactly. Hitler left a mark on history, not a good one but a mark. If he had been killed then, someone else would have been voted into power and they likely would have been just as bad if not worse to compensate." The Doctor grimaced, she really hadn't liked how they'd invertedly saved Hitler, there was a reason (Several actually) that she always went to the UK when she travelled back during the World Wars.

ANITA: Something else. We've got incoming!
CARTER: On screen. What the hell is that?

"Let me guess, it's the Doctor." Rose grinned. The Doctor's answering grin was all the answer the group needed.

[Hitler's work study]

(The Tardis crashes through the windows of the Chancellery, knocking the Teselecta over.)
DOCTOR: Out, out, out! Everybody out. Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!

Jack whistled, "Talk about crash landings. That's even worse than normal. Impressive."

"Hey!" The Doctor protested as the rest of the group snickered. It had an edge, however, as the group was unnerved by the situation the trio + Mels had fallen into alongside the actual crash landing which wasn't reassuring.

AMY: Where are we?
DOCTOR: A room.

"Aka, he has no idea." Amy snorted.

RORY: What room?
DOCTOR: I don't know what room. I haven't memorised every room in the universe yet. I had yesterday off. Mels, don't go in there.
(The Doctor takes Mels' gun away.)

"You probably should have done that before." Mickey pointed out rather redundantly.

"Gee, I was a bit distracted by the crashing Tardis, Rickey!" The Doctor waved her hands in the air to emphasise her point.

MELS: Oi.
DOCTOR: Bad smoke. Don't breathe the bad, bad, smoke. Bad, deadly smoke because somebody shot my Tardis!

"Well done, Doctor. Very descriptive." Donna snorted while half the group chuckled, though it was still tinted with that urge of nerves about the situation.

(Rory has gone to Zimmerman.)
RORY: Doctor. This guy, I think he's hurt.

"Ever the nurse, Roman." The Doctor smiled at him, Rory had always been trying to help everyone even those that didn't deserve it sometimes.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Transmit normal life signs!
JIM: Artificial gravity holding, but we should get upright when we can.

[Hitler's work study]

RORY: No, hang on. No, he's fine.

"Because that's not suspicious." Yaz pointed out.

"To be fair, we hadn't seen any of what we've seen now. All we knew was we'd arrived in this room and the guy was on the floor." Rory argued with a shrug.

(The Doctor puts the gun in a fruit bowl. It's owner gets up from behind his desk.)

River narrows her eyes at the Doctor, at least this would give her the chance to notice all his attempts to disarm her. The Doctor noticed her watching and turned to smile smugly at her, she may have succeeded in poisoning him but she hadn't been able to shoot him (small victories and all that).

DOCTOR: 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
(Then they sees who he is talking to)
DOCTOR: It.

"You've just released who you're talking to, haven't you?" Jack grimaced, he could guess how the Doctor would react to knowing they'd saved Hitler, however unintentional it was. The Doctor's answering grimace and nod confirmed his thoughts.

RORY: Who?
AMY: Is that? No, it can't be, Doctor?
HITLER: Thank you, whoever you are. I think you have just saved my life.
DOCTOR: Believe me, it was an accident.

"God, this whole thing was a mess." Amy muttered. Between unintentionally saving Hitler, the identity/killing mess with Mels/River and the Teselecta it was a wonder they'd accomplished anything, let alone all left 1938 Berlin alive (although it had been close). The only upsides had been discovering their childhood friend who they'd practically helped raise was their daughter (though that had a tinge of also being a downside – a kind of double-bladed sword), and Rory getting to punch Hitler which was something they could never tell anyone before.

"You could say that again." Rory muttered back, leaning closer to his wife. This was going to be interesting to watch, especially with a young version of River trying so hard to kill the Doctor.

HITLER: What is this thing?
AMY: What did he mean, we saved his life? We could not have just saved Hitler.
DOCTOR: You see? You see? Time travel, it never goes to plan.

"That really didn't answer my question." Amy raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"Well, you know now." The Doctor argued back, "Besides, really you can blame Mels for shooting the Tardis and landing us there."

"Of course, I know now, idiot!" Amy argued back, neither of them glancing at River despite both wanting to. "You're the one who always says the Tardis takes you where you need to go, so clearly no matter what Mels did we would have ended up there at some point."

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way we crash landed because Mels shot her!" The Doctor debated, hands waving in the air.

The pair continued their argument as the rest of the room watched them mixed between entertained and confused (a seemingly ever-present state with these videos). "Are they always like this?" Martha asked Rory, not even bothering to be quiet but neither of the arguing pair glanced their way, too focussed on said argument.

"Unfortunately." Rory answered back, gaining some sympathetic looks from the group. It took several minutes for the pair to finally stop arguing, having dissolved into a weird debate over time paradoxes that was never going to reach a conclusion. In the end, River and Rory had to step in to stop them dissolving further so they could continue watching the video.

HITLER: This box. What is it?
DOCTOR: It's a police telephone box from London, England. That's right, Adolf. The British are coming.

"Are you trying to scare him?" Clara asked the Doctor a bit bewildered by the Doctor's intentions.

"What else was I supposed to say!" The Doctor protested.

(Zimmerman stands up.)
HITLER: No, stop him!
(The Doctor ducks as Hitler shoots Zimmerman.)

"So many guns this video already, yikes." Ryan declared, knowing the Doctor wasn't going to like that. One of the few things that didn't change with regenerations seemed to be their dislike of guns (made even worse after the Time War).

The group missed the exchange between River, Rory, Amy and the Doctor – there was still mor guns to come.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Damage report! Damage report!

[Hitler's work study]

(Rory punches Hitler and grabs his gun.)
RORY: Sit still, shut up.

The group burst out into loud applause at seeing Rory punch Hitler, it served well as a break to the tension and also just as something many of them wanted to do (not necessarily Hitler, but go back in time and punch some idiots/maniacs/dictators).

Jack stood up and started clapping all dramatic and over the top. "Round of applause for the hottie that punched Hitler in the face!"

Rory blushed, both from the applause and Jack's comment while the Doctor protested with her signature, "Jack!"

Amy added in as well, "Back off Harkness, he's mine." Which only served to make Rory blush more and sigh in his long-suffering fashion as the rest of the group burst out into laughter. It took several minutes for the group to finally calm down again enough to continue.
(Amy goes to Zimmerman.)
AMY: Are you okay?
(Carter uses the speaker.)
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, yes. Yes, I'm fine. I think he missed.

"What would have happened if he had been hit? I mean he's kinda a robot with small people inside him, it's not like he would bleed, right?" Bill asked, tilting her head to the side in thought.

"Good question." The Doctor praised, her own head tilting as she considered it. "I don't know what would happen actually. They'd probably make it look like he was bleeding but it would depend on where he was hit as it might destroy some of their systems." Bill nodded thoughtfully at that; it sounded a bit like an assignment the Doctor would have set her during her days as a university student to be honest.

HITLER: He was going to kill me.
RORY: Shut up, Hitler!
DOCTOR: Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there. Now do it.
RORY: Right. Putting Hitler in the cupboard. Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard. Come on.

"You've reached your limit for incredibility for the day, have you?" Mickey laughed, grinning knowingly at Rory.

"Some days are fine, but other days are like this and you have to wonder about your life choices." Rory answered back with his own grin.

"Mood." Bill declared, with Ryan and Yaz nodded along. The rest of the group turned their attention to the younger people in the room, a bit confused by the term but getting the gist (and honestly, not wanting to ask them to explain).

HITLER: But I am the Fuhrer!
RORY: Right, in you go!
HITLER: Who are you?
(Rory shuts Hitler in a large cupboard lined with shelves.)

"It's so sad you can't tell any of your normal friends you got to punch Hitler in the face and lock him in the cupboard." Jack bemoaned, if it had been him, he would have told almost everyone he'd met. He was certainly jealous, after all he'd been around on Earth during Worl War 2 several times at this point and lost friends each time, he would have loved to at the least punch Hitler.

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Are you okay?
ANITA: Sir, what do we do know?
JIM: Suggestion, we should go into surveillance mode.
CARTER: Agreed. Let's faint.

"That explains that." The Doctor muttered mostly to herself. It had been a smart idea from the Teselecta, as it would allow them to watch the proceedings without being subject to the inevitable questioning from the group.

[Hitler's work study]

ZIMMERMAN; Oh, I
RORY: I think he just fainted.
DOCTOR: Yes, that was a faint. A perfect faint.

"You're suspicious." Rose pointed out, noticing the doubting edge to the Doctor's tone. That was good, at last they might not be completely unprepared when everything started going really wring because of the Teselecta, because knowing the Doctor that was exactly what was going to happen. The Doctor nodded in answer, with a small smile, glad to know Rose still knew her well enough to recognise it despite the change in face (and voice and everything else really).

AMY: Mels?
MELS: Hitler
DOCTOR: What about him?
MELS: Lousy shot.
(Mels collapses, clutching her side.)

"Oh god." Martha muttered, immediately going into doctor mode and assessing Mels' state, which wasn't good as even those untrained in medicine could see. Mels getting shot and dying here (which would happen if she didn't get medical attention immediately and didn't seem likely) would explain why Amy had used past tense for Mels and why the whole group was acting weird about her.

Amy, Rory, the Doctor and River shared a glance, all knowing what was about to come next and all curious to know how the room was going to take it.

AMY: Mels! Mels!
DOCTOR: Rory!
RORY: No, no, no, no! I've got to stop the bleeding.

The group watched worriedly as the trio tried to save Mels which seemed a hopeless task. She may have shot the Tardis and threatened the Doctor but she didn't deserve to die, plus she was Amy and Rory's childhood friend!

Rory pulled his hand into a fist, it certainly felt better knowing he'd punched Hitler after finding out he's shot her daughter, they were very lucky River was part Time Lord and could regenerate, otherwise they would have lost her a long time ago (although she may not have been taken in the first place).

[Teselecta]

JIM: Sir, that blue box. I've got a match. We're trying to bag war criminals, we've got the biggest one ever right under our noses. Forget Hitler. If we take this one down, the Justice Department will give us the rest of the year off.

The Master smirked in his corner, having been silent for the duration of the video so far (honestly this was getting boring, he just wanted to see himself on screen again or the Doctor go dark side, all these dramas with her little pet were getting annoying). He did the equivalent of knocking on the door and just barging in anyway without waiting for an answer across their mental link. "Your crimes finally catching up with you, dear? One of your little pets dying and the others in danger, I wonder how you're going to deal with this."

"Oh, don't be so smug yet. You don't know anything about what's going on." The Doctor answered back, her own smugness radiating across the bond and earning the mental equivalent of a raised eyebrow from the Master, which was his attempt to gain answers while pretending he didn't want them.

He wasn't going to like River trying/almost succeeding in killing him (he was very territorial with the whole 'only he could kill the Doctor' thing), almost as much as he wasn't going to like being wrong. Thankfully, she was distracted from the Master by Clara asking a question.

"Please tell me they're not about to go after you too now." Clara asked already sounding resigned to that being the case.

Cheerfully the Doctor smiled, it was sincere for once although it had an edge to it. "Nope! They're not after me." She wasn't even lying (for once), the Teselecta hadn't been after her, they'd been after River.

"Then why do they recognise the Tardis?" Donna asked, eyes narrowing at the Doctor in suspicion.

The Doctor just playing nonchalant shrugged, a fake smile on her face as she answered, "Spoilers."

"I'm really starting to hate that word." Rose decided with a sigh.

"Join the club." Rory grimaced in commiseration.

CARTER: Are you sure?
JIM: There's no question. It's her.

"Her?" Yaz latched onto the clue. "That leaves it as either Amy or Mels." Really either was possible, Amy was more related with the Tardis but Mels seemed to be a criminal. She glanced at the Doctor but she had schooled her face blank as to not give away any clues.

AMY: How bad is it? Rory, what can we do?
RORY: Just keep her conscious. Stay with us, Mels.
DOCTOR: Hey, look at me. Just hold on.

The group watched, tension rising, as Mels got closer and closer to death with seemingly no chance of salvation unless a miracle occurred.

MELS: I used to dream about you. All those stories Amy used to tell me.
DOCTOR: What stories? Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice. That's a belter.

"I … I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Vampires?" Martha asked, bewildered. Not really wanting to interrupt the touching scenes on screen, but her curiously won out. Usually the Doctor was all 'no mythical things exist they're all aliens' but here they were talking about vampires as his companions' childhood friend died after being shot by Hitler (and wasn't that a weird sentence).

"Fish vampires." The Doctor nodded in confirmation like that answered Martha's questions.

Ever the sensible one, it was Rory that actually answered. "Aliens who were basically fish vampires, long story short they tried to flood Venice to bring back their species. Didn't work."

"Why do these explanations always just leave me with more questions than I started with?" Bill asked the room at large, getting no answers bar some commiserating looks. For an experience that was supposed to answer their questions and let them get to know the Doctor and each other better, it often only left them more confused.

MELS: When I was little, I was going to marry you.
DOCTOR: Good idea, let's get married. You stay alive and I'll marry you, deal? Deal?

"You kept your promise." River smiled softly at the Doctor, voice lowered so no one else would be able to hear it, though by the knowing looks her parents were giving them they had an idea of what she was saying.

The Doctor smiled back, her own expression soft even as she prepared for everything about to happen on screen, "Even though you didn't keep your side of the deal. You weren't supposed to die, remember?"

"Technically you said I needed to stay alive, and I did." River answered back, smile turning smug.

"I don't think dying and coming back to life after regenerating counts as staying alive." The Doctor argued back, but her smile still held.

"Semantics sweetie, either way you still married me." The pair smiled softly at each other, squeezing their interconnected hands, no more words necessary for the moment.

MELS: Shouldn't you ask my parents permission?
DOCTOR: As soon as you're well, I'll get on the phone.

The group watched as the situation seemed to get even worse, even as Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor braced themselves for the oncoming reveal and ensuing reaction that would come with it.

MELS: Might as well do it now, since they're both right here. Penny in the air. Penny drops.
(Mels, now obviously short for Melody, begins to regenerate.)

The group watched as Mels began to regenerate in a state of near shock. Clara emerged out of it first, several minutes later, having already started to piece the puzzle together. "Mels, short for Melody. She's your daughter. She's River."

Ethe rest of the room's heads snapped around to the Doctor, River, Amy and Rory for confirmation of Clara's quiet words. The four of them exchanged looks and a silent conversation before River was the one to finally answer, "Yes, I was Mels. Although I wasn't quite River Song yet. I escaped the Silence as a young girl, regenerated and ended up as a toddler before finding Amy and Rory and growing up with them as Mels." She gave a vague overview of what had happened, both because she didn't want to spoil anything they might see later and also because she didn't want to really think about it.

"That explains why you were so obsessed with the Doctor during the scenes we watched." Jack realised, also starting to put a few puzzle pieces together. River nodded in confirmation; she's always gone to blame the Doctor for the wrongs in history as that was what the silence had taught her.

"Wait." Bill spoke up, confused. "I thought you said River/Melody whatever, wouldn't be able to regenerate?"

The Doctor frowned, unhappy about the reminder of how this video was going to end, especially in light of certain recent revelations. "I didn't really know anything; I was just guessing. Its not like anything like this had happened before." Bill nodded to that, looking thoughtful, se knew River died but why hadn't she just regenerated? It didn't sound like she'd used up many of her regenerations here, so whatever killed her must have done such a good job that she hadn't been able to for some reason which was a worrying though.

"I see why we're watching this video after seeing the last one now." Rose muttered, that had been vaguely confusing as it didn't seem linked despite several comments near the start. They were all a bit too much in shock from the revelation, but it certainly explained a few things.

"You really love your dramatic revelations, don't you Sweetie?" The Doctor teased her wife in an attempt to distract them all.

"Pot meet kettle." Rive answered back, shotting her wife a small smile in thanks for the distraction and semi-change of topic.

RORY: What the hell's going on?
DOCTOR: Back! Back! Back! Get back!
MELS: Last time I did this, I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York.

River grimaced at the memory, she'd gone through a lot in her lifetime, but dying had been a horrible experience. Amy, Rory and the Doctor exchanged a glance all thinking about the mess in America and young Melody in the spacesuit wanting help but never getting it.

AMY: Okay, Doctor, explain what is happening, please.
DOCTOR: Mels. Short for
MELS: Melody.
AMY: Yeah. I named my daughter after her.
DOCTOR: You named your daughter after your daughter.

"The joys of paradoxes." Amy's face was pulled into a grimace despite her cheerful tone. It had hurt to find out her daughter had been under their noses the entire time and did beg the question of where the name had come from to begin with.

MELS: 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.

"We did, just not in the way we wanted too." Rory sighed, thinking on all the missed experiences. They'd spent practically their whole childhood and young adulthood together but as friends instead of having the proper parental relationship they'd wanted. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and glancing at his wife she could see she'd had the same thought – had Mels always gotten into trouble just so they could act parental to her? Maybe they'd have to ask River next break.

AMY: You're Melody?
RORY: But if she's Melody, that means that she's also
MELS: Shut up, Dad. I'm focusing on a dress size.

River sighed, she'd cut her dad off, not even noticing how she'd stopped him revealing that being Melody would mean she was also River, retrospect was a funny thing.

"What do you mean you're 'focussing on a dress size', you can do that?" Martha asked, glancing at the Doctor and then reluctantly at the Master as their resident Time Lords and therefore regeneration experts (or Time Lord and whatever the Doctor was apparently, either way she could still regenerate).

The Doctor and the Master exchanged their own glance, having a silent conversation without the mental link for once. Finally, the Maser sighed, aware he was the most knowledgeable on the matter but not wanting to dal with the Doctor's little human pets, but his pride won out. "Most Time Lords have some control on their regeneration and appearance, although it is difficult. The Doctor is the only one we've ever known to have no control at all."

"You think it's because of…" Jack trailed off, waving his hand as an attempt to convey what he was trying to say. None of them had really brought up the Timeless Child mess after seeing it on screen and moving onto the next videos as the Doctor had seemed very sensitive about it (and rightfully so) and none of them were quite sure what to say or even think on the matter (bar the clear torture and experiment of a child, which they were all suitably still horrified by).

The Doctor nodded with a grimace, it would certainly explain her lack of control and how it seemed more painful for her than anyone else she'd met. Romana, her brother Braxiatel, River, and the Master had all shown control over their regenerations and those were only a few in a long list she could name. River squeezed her wife's hand in comfort, regeneration had always been painful and she dreaded to think how much worse it must be for the Doctor.

(And Mels transforms into -)
RIVER: Oh! Oh! Oh! Whoa! Right, let's see, then. Ooo, it's all going on down there, isn't it? The hair! Oh, the hair. It just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that. Everything changes. Oh, but I love it. I love it! I'm all sort of mature.

The group was chuckling slightly at River's reaction to seeing her new body for the first time, they couldn't help but compare it to the time(s) they saw the Doctor regenerate. Even River was laughing along with the group revelling in the good cheer before it would all go wrong shortly.

(She strikes a Mrs Robinson pose.)
RIVER: Hello, Benjamin.
DOCTOR: Who's Benjamin?
RIVER: The teeth. The teeth, the teeth! Oh, look at them.
(River pins the Doctor against Hitler's desk.)
RIVER: Watch out that bow tie. Excuse me, you lot. I need to weigh myself.
(She runs off into a side room.)

"You seem to be struggling a bit there, Doctor." Jack grinned wiggling his eyebrows upon seeing the Doctor almost shut down as River cornered him. She blushed and turned to River for support, which in retrospect was an atrocious idea, River was grinning as well, glad to see the kind of affect she had on the Doctor even back then. The Doctor was left pouting between them, blushing red.

AMY: That's Melody.
RORY: That's River Song.

"Congrats, it's a girl." Jack chuckled, enjoying the chance to cause a bit of harmless chaos.

"More like, congrats it's a criminal." The Doctor mumbled next to River who just smirked, completely unrepentant.

RIVER: Who's River Song?
DOCTOR: Spoilers.
RIVER: Spoilers? What's spoilers? Hang on, just something I have to check.

"Oh god." Rory realised, rubbing his forehead to warn off the headache he knew would be appearing later. "That's another paradox, we gave her the word 'spoilers' too."

The Doctor and Amy both groaned as that realisation settled, they'd spent so long hating that word that it had been almost automatic to say back to young River/Mels, of course it had come back to bite them later.

RORY: Is anybody else finding today just a bit difficult? I'm getting a sort of banging in my head.
AMY: Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard.
RORY: That's not helping.

"That's really not helpful. I see what you mean this video is a mess." Graham sighed in commiseration with Rory, nodding to Amy in reference for his second statement.

"Just you wait." Amy grimaced.

"That's not helpful either." Rose added, not liking how Amy was suggesting things were only going to get more chaotic.

DOCTOR: This isn't the River Song we know yet. This is her right at the start. Doesn't even know her own name.
RIVER [OC} Oh, that's magnificent!
RIVER: I'm going to wear lots of jodhpurs.

A few chuckled at that comment. Donna shook her head, "You three are having a life crisis and River's just debating her wardrobe choices. Honestly, the lot of you." There wasn't much the four of them could say to that.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Well, that's her all right. Melody Pond, the woman who kills the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Jack doubled back, reassessing River as if she was a threat. He knew the Doctor didn't always chose the nicest people to hang around, but he would have thought she'd have learnt better by now. River had hinted that the 'good man' she'd killed to be put in prison was the Doctor but having it said so blatantly like that was another matter.

River and the Doctor exchanged a look, the Doctor choosing to speak up. "That's why the Silence wanted her, to kill me." She reminded the group of what they'd learnt in the previous video. "River went against that training but there were a few close moments. It was safer if everyone thought I was dead for a while and River helped with that." She opted to leave out how close it had been and ow she had actually died, possibly at least, time lines could be confusing.

The group listened to that explanation in silence, still a bit shocked by the series of revelations that kept being unloaded on them. Eventually Clara sighed, "At least we know who the robot thing is targeting now." You always had to look for the silver lining with the Doctor.

[Hitler's work study]

RIVER: Well, now, enough of all that. Down to business.
(She has somehow got Hitler's gun.)

"Oh great." Ryan grumbled, after the revelation of who Mels was they had been hoping she wouldn't keep trying to threaten the group but it seemed she'd moved to actually trying to kill the Doctor.

"Why are you trying to kill the Doctor!?" Yaz asked, frantically glancing between the Doctor, River and the screen. Clearly River wasn't trying to kill River anymore but they were eager to know what was actually going on in this video as it was a mess so far.

River sighed, feeling the weight of the group's eyes and knowing she was going to have to explain further, "I was very young at this point and the Silence's training was still ingrained. I'd been raised to kill the Doctor, of course that's what I was going to try to do." Her expression remained mostly blank as she thought back to her more than unpleasant upbringing. Her guarded expression warded the rest of the room off from asking questions.

She felt her wife squeeze her hand before she leaned in to mutter quietly, "You are more than what they tied to make you." River squeezed her hand back to show she'd heard but didn't turn to face her wife; she really wasn't looking forward to the mess that was starting to unfurl on screen.

DOCTOR: Oh, hello. I thought we were getting married.
RIVER: I told you I'm not a wedding person.

"You made an exception for me." The Doctor whispered to her wife with a soft smile, revelling in having her here with her without a threat of actual danger (compared to emotional).

"I always seem to make an exception for you." River answered back with her own smile, though her voice was a bit more thoughtful, too caught up in comparing her childhood expectations to now. The rest of the group were too focused on the screen to notice the exchange between wives.

RORY: Doctor, what's she doing?
DOCTOR: What she's programmed to.
RORY: Where'd she get the gun?
DOCTOR: Hello, Benjamin.
RIVER [memory]: Hello, Benjamin!

"Please tell me this isn't going to be a series of the two trying to outsmart each other." Martha rubbed her forehead sensing an oncoming headache. This whole video had been a rollercoaster so far between Mels 'dying' then turning out to be River who was trying to kill the Doctor, a robot person made up of other mini people, and Hitler.

Amy and Rory's twin grimace just confirmed Martha's thoughts earning a groan from the room at large. Amy and Rory at least knew the outcome and we replanning to focus on trying to spot everything they'd missed the first time. River and the Doctor just grinned at each other, it might not be great memories being sort of enemies but it had been a great intellectual challenge and both of the revelled on adrenaline.

(She picked it up from the chair.)
RIVER: You noticed.
(She tries to fire it, but the chambers are empty.)

A few people across the room shrieked as River fired the gun, Amy and Rory flinching instinctively like they had done on screen. The room only relaxed momentarily when they heard the lack of bullets being fired. Many fo them sparing a glance for the Doctor and River who were both focussed intently on the screen (a purpose full move on their part to try an avoid questions for the moment).

DOCTOR: Of course I noticed.
(He took the bullets out while she was regenerating.)
DOCTOR: As soon as I knew you were coming, I tidied up a bit.

"Could you keep the flirting for when the parents aren't in the room?" Amy asked the pair with an exasperated sigh; she was hating reliving how terrifying this had been. From her (and Rory's perspective) they'd just lost their baby only to find out she was River, then find out their childhood friend Mels was both Melody and River, and for her to try and kill the Doctor. It didn't help at this point they still thought the older version of the Doctor had been killed at Lake Silencio. She ignored the look Rory gave her, knowing he was fully aware she was attempting to distract herself.

"Sorry mother." River smirked, also glad for the distraction (and the Doctor's practise at surviving impossible situations). "We'll make sure to keep it in private next time."

"River!" Both Rory and the Doctor hissed, the former in exasperation and the latter in embarrassment even as many of the others in the room snickered. They were also semi-glad for the distraction, as it was never fun to watch the Doctor and their companions in trouble, plus it was confusing them to try and compare this young version of River with the one on the room (and even the older one they'd seen on screen before).

RIVER: I know you did.
RIVER [memory]: Watch out that bow tie.
(She spotted the gun in the fruit bowl.)
DOCTOR: I know you know.

"Oh god. This is so hard to watch." Mickey shook his head, initially the Doctor thought he was referring to the tension and danger but then Mickey continued his sentence. "Do you always have to flirt with people trying to kill you?"

The Doctor spluttered as the rest of the group snickered away. "I – I don't – I don't do… When do I do that?"

Several people gave her pointed and doubtful looks, more than one of them glancing quickly at a smirking Master which she tried not to read anything into.

(He turns the bowl and she points a banana at him instead.)

Jack nodded in sympathy at River, "Ah the old banana-fun switcheroo. Good to know the Doctor's tricks don't change."

River raised an eyebrow at Jack and the Doctor who had just rolled her eyes (this was just confirming her point that she never wanted young River and young Jack to meet). "She tried that trick with you?"

Jack smiled in remembrance of fond memories, "First time we met, I started waving around a gun and she switched it with a banana to try and impress Rose."

The Doctor immediately started to process while Rose started laughing, "That's not why I did it!"

Jack just raised an eyebrow, "Sure, Doc." Which earned narrowed eyes from the Doctor, both for the comment and the nickname.

RIVER: Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?

"Unfortunately, she's annoyingly good at surviving even when she shouldn't." The Master drawled from the corner of his room, playing nonchalant.

"I'm sure you have a lot of experience with that." River crossed her arms glaring at the Master who smirked at her, loving the chance to annoy her and the rest of the group.

The Doctor snorted, aiming her own dark look at the Master "You can talk."

DOCTOR: Why? Are you busy?
RIVER: Oh, I'm not complaining.
(She grabs a letter opener and he sonicks it away.)

"Now you're just getting desperate." Jack declared at River's attempt to use the letter opener.

River just smirked smugly, "Oh don't worry handsome, I had a plan." She ignored the Doctor's grumbles about cheating next to her.

DOCTOR: If you were in a hurry, you could've killed me in the cornfield.
RIVER: We'd only just met. I'm a psychopath. I'm not rude.

"No." Donna snorted, "Spaceman over there is the rude one." The Doctor considered that for a second before shrugging, she couldn't really deny it when she'd admitted it out loud to several people in the room before.

(She grabs Zimmerman's automatic, but the Doctor has the clip.)
AMY: You are not a psychopath. Why would she be a psychopath?
RIVER: Oh, Mummy, Mummy, pay attention. I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor.

The group threw sympathetic looks at Rory and Amy who had been watching with frowns as they were forced to remember what their baby girl had gone through. They could all see how much the couple on screen were struggling with everything as River kept trying to kill the Doctor.

DOCTOR: Demons Run, remember? This is what they were building. My bespoke psychopath.
RIVER: I'm all yours, sweetie.
(She kisses him lightly.)

Amy, Rory and the Doctor all shared a glance, knowing the real meaning of that kiss now and all the danger it had led to. The Doctor squeezed River's hand, having noticed he wife's blank expression focussed on the screen. She'd never stopped using that trick, as it worked brilliantly, but she had switched out the poison for a hallucinogenic instead.

DOCTOR: Only River Song gets to call me that.
RIVER: And who's River Song?
DOCTOR: An old friend of mine.

"I think we're a bit more than that Sweetie." River purred in her wife's ear.

The Doctor only grinned back, "Not back then we weren't."

The rest of the group had all instinctively glanced at River when the Doctor mentioned her name, River's lack of knowledge on the matter helping to separate the younger version from the version they knew.

RIVER: Stupid name. Oh, look at that. Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart. Now that's my kind of town. Mum, Dad, don't follow me. And, yes, that is a warning.
DOCTOR: No warning for me then?
RIVER: No need, my love. The deed is done and so are you.
(The Doctor staggers.)

"Wait, no, what?" Rose blinked confused, "I thought the Doctor stopped all her attempts?" The group all nodded along, mentally replaying the last few moments of the video in their heads to try and work out what they had missed.

The four exchanged a glance before the Doctor bit her lip and waved to the screen for answers, they'd just have to watch and see for now.

AMY: Doctor, what's wrong?
DOCTOR: What have you done? River!
RIVER: Oh, River, River, River. More than a friend, I think.

The room was startled by young River's attitude, especially (unknowingly) towards herself. The tensions in the room rising as they realised the Doctor was in serious danger, young River was likely about to cause some form of chaos, and the mini people-in-a-person thing still hadn't been dealt with.

River was holding onto the Doctor's hand like a lifeline even while her expression remained carefully schooled, it was hard watching the younger version of herself like this. The almost complete disregard she had for her parents, despite 'growing up' with them more frustrating than anything else, she'd spent so much time later in her life craving those moments with her parents and here they already knew she was and neither side could enjoy it. It was a waste of time.

DOCTOR: What have you done?
RIVER: It was never going to be a gun for you, Doctor. The man of peace who understands every kind of warfare, except, perhaps, the cruellest.
RIVER [memory]: I'm all yours, sweetie.
RIVER: Kiss, kiss.
(River jumps out of the broken window.)

"Poison." Clara declared, eyes going wide as she made the connection. Her gaze darting to the Doctor who nodded in confirmation.

The tension in the room seemed to rise even further, poison was difficult to deal with in a normal situation let alone stuck without nay help in pre-war Berlin. Jack grimaced, recognising the technique as one he'd used himself as well as one John Hart had used with his Torchwood team, he knew far too well how effective and deadly it could be.

Martha grimaced, "Please tell me it has a cure?"

The grimaces that Amy, Rory, the Doctor and River gave her only made her sigh, the Doctor was never very lucky and River was a good assassin apparently. Just their luck.

RORY: What's wrong with you? What's she done to you?
DOCTOR: Poisoned me. But I'm fine. Well, no, I'm dying, but I've got a plan.
AMY: What plan?
DOCTOR: Not dying. See? Fine.

"You are never fine. Even less so when you are literally dying from poison!" Amy declared; arms crossed and anger palatable. The Doctor winced, it had been excruciatingly painful but she'd tried her best not to worry Amy and Rory who were already struggling with the whole River is Mels/Melody thing. Plus, she never liked to admit to being in pain, particularly to her companions but they were all going to see (thanks to the Tardis and this whole situation to start with).

[Teselecta]

ANITA: Scanning him. He's dying all right.
JIM: But he can't be.

"Is that a disbelieving 'he can't be' or a literal 'he can't be' because they know something that contradicts that?" Bill asked, attempting to mimic the guy's voice each time she copied his words.

The four shared a knowing glance, all unsure of how much to actually divulge to the group at this moment. Bill had narrowed her eyes as she watched the silent conversation they were having, play out.

"Oh, the second one then." Bill theorised, trying to sound confident in an attempt to trick them into telling her the answer. The slightly surprised looks they gave her for working that out, did tell her she was right, which was interesting. What did the robot thing know that was so important?

[Hitler's work study]

RORY: Okay, what do we do? How do we help you?
DOCTOR: Take this. The Tardis can home in on it. Now, go. Get after her.
(The Doctor gives Amy the screwdriver. Rory looks out of the first floor window onto the street.)

"Of course, you don't even consider listening to River and immediately go to follow her." Graham sighed, he couldn't really blame them for chasing after their daughter as he knew he would have done the exact same for Grace or Ryan (or even Yaz at this point as she was basically family).

"She's our daughter, of course we are going after her." Amy declared, giving River a pointed look for every doubting they would.

"What about the Doctor though? They are dying from poison and we all know they are terrible when injured or ill." Yaz pointed out worried for the Doctor, despite the fact she was here in the room with them completely unharmed.

Amy and Rory exchanged a look, they'd been so focussed on River and the Doctor had seemed so determined that they hadn't argued. It was the Doctor that spoke up, "I wouldn't have let them focus on me when they needed to follow River, she was in more danger than I was."

"That's really not a promising statement seeing as you are literally dying." Ryan pointed at the Doctor who just shrugged, it had been the truth (plus she wouldn't have wanted them to focus on her even if it wasn't the truth).

[Wilhelmstrasse]

(An officer and five soldiers stop River at gunpoint.)
OFFICER: Halt!
RIVER: Hello, boys.

The room glanced briefly between River and the screen, not really wanting to feel sorry for the soldiers (as the whole Nazi thing, even though they may not have all been Nazis – they'd learned the hard way during their travel snot to assume anything) but knowing River was absolutely going to come out on top despite how uneven the odd looked.

[Hitler's work study]

AMY: You said the smoke was deadly.

"That is a good point." Rose said, "You don't really need to add deadly smoke to your long list of problems." The Doctor just smiled and waved to the screen. The smoke had been dangerous but it was more the case of wanting them out of an enclosed space with the threat of Mels and the gun.

DOCTOR: No, no, the smoke's fine. The poison will kill me first. Now, get after River!
AMY: I don't understand, okay? One minute she's going to marry you and then she's going to kill you.
DOCTOR: Ah, well, she's been brainwashed. It all makes sense to her. Plus, she is a woman. Oh, shut up. I'm dying.

The woman of the room all turned pointed looks at the Doctor who raised up her hands in surrender, "I was dying, leave me alone. We all know I didn't mean it like that." The group all smirked at her (not really having been annoyed but more wanting to scare the Doctor) before glancing back to the screen.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Extractor fans on! Oh, that works.

"You sound so surprised." Mickey chuckled.

The Doctor shrugged, "A lot of things don't work and other weird things do." She avoided mentioning that was the case because she forgot to fix something, or there weren't any actual parts for Tardises in the universe at that point, and/or that sometimes the Tardis was petty and made sure things didn't work when she got annoyed at her for some reason or another. She ignored the knowing look River gave her.

[Wilhelmstrasse]

OFFICER: What are you doing here?
RIVER: Well, I was on my way to this gay Gypsy Bar-Mitzvah for the disabled, when I thought gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish. I think I'll kill the Fuhrer. Who's with me?

"Were you purposely trying to rile them up?" Rory complained at his daughter, he'd been terrified when they'd all shot her and she's been so blasé about the whole affair.

"Sorry, dad." River smiled with a small shrug, she really hadn't been focused on how her parents would feel about the whole matter, she'd barely known they were there, too focussed on enjoying her knew regeneration and freedom.

OFFICER: Shoot her.
(Rory watches as the soldiers fire lots of bullets.)
RORY: No!
RIVER: Tip for you all. Never shoot a girl while she's regenerating.
(River blasts them with her golden energy then takes their weapons.)

The group watched in near awe and shock as River weaponised her spare regeneration energy, they'd known it hung around for a while after the actual regeneration, having seen the Doctor heal themselves with it but it was a whole new matter to see it weaponised like that.

RIVER: Ah! Now, that hit the spot. Thanks, boys. Call me.
(River gets on a motorbike.)
AMY: What are you doing?
RIVER: New body, new town. I'm going shopping.

"You don't have any money." Ryan said, glancing at River who juts grinned wildly.

Yaz nudged him in the side, "Really? She's just tried to kill the Doctor and taken out those soldiers, do you think she's actually going to pay for anything?"

Ryan blinked feeling a bit stupid for a second, "Oh, yeah."

(River drives away. A soldier come out on another bike.)
RORY: Look, I know how this looks. Let me explain everything from the beginning.

"I don't think an explanation is going to help at all in this case." Martha raised an eyebrow at Rory who sighed; honestly, he'd been grasping at straws back then.

(The soldier starts to try and get his gun from its holster.)
RORY: Heil!
SOLDIER: Heil!
(Rory hits him.)

"And that's another Nazi that Rory's taken down. Great hit." Jack grinned flirtatiously at Rory, earning a pointed glare from Amy.

RORY: Come on!
AMY: Can you ride a motorbike?
RORY: I expect so. It's that sort of day.

"You're so calm but completely done with everything. It's brilliant." Bill grinned at Rory who just smiled back a bit unsure if that was a compliment. Several people in the room all nodded along, they tended to pick up weird skills when around the Doctor and usually during times of high tension/danger.

(They drive off and the soldier gets up. It is -)

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Okay. This time, let's do the bike, too.
(They grow a motorbike and drive off after Rory and Amy and River.)

"Okay, so the robot thing doesn't just do people. Great, things just keep getting better and better." Clara sighed. So far, they had Amy, Rory and the robot chasing after a rampaging River, and the Doctor was dying alone of poison, things were looking great from every angle.

JIM: You see, he can't be dying.
CARTER: But the Doctor is confirmed deceased. We have his records.
JIM: But he doesn't die here. He dies in Utah, by Lake Silencio, April the twenty second, 2011.
ANITA: Time can be rewritten. Remember Kennedy?
JIM: This time can't. It's a confirmed fixed point. The Doctor must always die exactly then. He always has and he always will.
CARTER: Then someone's screwed up, because he's dying right now.

The room's heads all snapped around to face the Doctor for an explanation. The picture on screen showed the regeneration they had been watching on screen which they knew couldn't be the case (as the Doctor was sitting in the room with them two regenerations later).

"Going to explain, Martain?" Donna asked, eyebrow raise high and arms crossed.

The Doctor sighed, glancing at Amy, Rory and River before starting to explain in vague terms. "I died then I didn't. It was a fixed point but I got around it. Don't worry about it, I didn't die and I'm sure if we need to see it the Tardis will show us at some point."

"That's a terrible explanation, Sir." Nardole said. The majority of the group nodding in agreement with the cyborg.

"It's a long story." The Doctor ran a hand through their hair as she frowned, unwilling to actually say much more on the matter.

"How did you get around a fixed point?" Jack asked both concerned and curious, "Time tends to … well, break if you try."

"You have experience with that Captain?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow in question.

Jack narrowed his eyes, "Don't think I didn't notice you try to dodge the question. But kind of."

"It really is a long story; one we don't have time to tell if we actually want to finish this video anytime soon. If it's really that important I'm sure the Tardis will show it to us at some point." The Doctor said, face determined and unwilling to answer anymore questions on the matter at the moment.

[Tardis]

(The Doctor is on his knees.)
DOCTOR: I'm shutting down. I need an interface. Voice interface. Come on, emergency.
HOLO-DOCTOR: Voice interface enabled.
DOCTOR: Oh no, no, no, no, no. Give me someone I like.

"Shouldn't you be more focussed on trying to survive rather than what the hologram looks like?!" Rose glared at the Doctor in concern. "You really need to work on your priorities."

The Doctor had the audacity to grin cheekily, "Wouldn't you want the last face you might ever see to be someone you liked?"

"But you didn't die." Rose argued back, arms crossed.

"But I didn't know I would survive back then." The Doctor pointed out, enjoying the argument as it held off what she knew was about to happen.

Rose opened her mouth, about to shoot back a counter point before narrowing her eyes as a thought occurred to her. "You're distracting me."

"No, I'm not." The Doctor answered far too quickly.

Rose ignored her, "What do you not want us to see?" The Doctor turned quiet, glancing away from Rose and focussing her eyes on the screen. No one knew about her little sort of breakdown in the Tardis as she was dying and she'd wanted it to stay that way, but clearly, she wasn't getting a choice.

The group turned to the screen expectantly, curious what the Doctor didn't want them to see.

(Holo-Rose Tyler.)

"Me?" Rose blinked at the appearance of her hologram, the Doctor studiously avoiding anyone's eyes, well that would start to explain why she was being weird-(er than normal).

DOCTOR: Oh, thanks. Give me guilt.
(Holo-Martha Jones.)
DOCTOR: Also guilt.
(Holo-Donna Noble.)
DOCTOR: More guilt. Argh. Come on, there must be someone left in the universe I haven't screwed up yet.

It was hurting the whole group to watch the Doctor in so much pain, unable to do anything about it. It was rare the Doctor typically showed any sort of pain like that around them intentionally, so seeing them in pain which they'd never intended for anyone to see was heart-breaking. River squeezed her wife's hand tight, tensing up as she realised how much pain she'd actually caused the Doctor. Back then she'd just needed to kill him a bit uncaring about the method, but she was so much older now and knowing she'd hurt (and almost killed her wife) so much was hurting her.

All three of the former companions that had appeared on screen, exchanged a look. That did explain why the Doctor was acting like she was to some degree, though it hurt to know all she associated them was her own guilt (though it was at least partially satisfying to know the Doctor recognised even then than they'd done something wrong).

Donna crossed her arms and stared down the Doctor, waiting for her to look up and finally meet her eyes. It took several minutes before the Doctor wilted under the weight of her gaze and glanced up to meet Donna's furious eyes. "Now listen here, Mrs. And don't even think about interrupting me!" Donna held up a hand to silence the Doctor who had opened her mouth as if to speak before shouting it as Donna continued speaking. "You didn't screw us up. Did you screw up? Yes, at times. But we are not screw ups and we are not your fault. We all chose to go with you and kept making that choice despite everything we saw and went through. You have certainly made mistakes but don't even think for one second that we regret travelling with you! So, stop it with the pity party."

"That's not what I meant-." The Doctor tried to argue, eyes darting back down to the floor, aware that everyone else was watching, not even pretending to give them any privacy.

"I don't care what you meant right now. You were dying and still regretting past mistakes instead of actually doing something about it. You've started now, and that's good but its time to stop with the guilt over other people's choices. It's well past time for that but you're an idiot so you need a bit of extra time to work that out." Donna continued, bulldozing past the Doctor's feeble protests. "Understand?"

"Donna, It's not that simple-."

"Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand." The Doctor sighed, hands fiddling in her lap and feeling like a scolded child.

"Good, now why are you so upset at seeing my amazing face when you're dying?" Donna teased, letting up on the tense atmosphere she'd been radiating. It worked as the Doctor spluttered a protest in an attempt to try and form words, failed again and then just decided to look back at the screen while a few across the room gave feeble chuckles.

HOLO-AMELIA: Voice interface enabled.
DOCTOR: Oh. Oh, Amelia Pond, before I got it all wrong. My sweet little Amelia.

"Excuse me?!" Amy demanded, raising her eyebrows at the Doctor's wording.

The Doctor winced, "I meant before I messed up the timings and arrived too late."

Amy narrowed her eyes at her, "You better have, Raggedy Man."

HOLO-AMELIA: I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface.
DOCTOR: Hey, let's run away and have adventures. Come along, Pond.
HOLO-AMELIA: I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface.

"So, you're dying and you're delusional." Martha summarised with a grimace, feeling her heartbreak a little upon watching the Doctor talk to the hologram version of little Amelia. Amy was frowning at the screen and Doctor in the room, she hadn't known about any of this and was sort of glad about that. Of all the people the Doctor could have chosen to see before 'dying' he'd chosen her, she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.

DOCTOR: You are so Scottish. How am I doing?
HOLO-AMELIA: Your system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas tree. You will be dead in thirty two minutes.

"That's not good." Clara muttered a bit pointlessly, "Would regeneration work?" She knew he hadn't regenerated as she'd met that version of him later but still that was a very small timeframe to try and fix everything as well as find a cure (if there even was one).

The Doctor frowned, shaking their head. It wasn't a lie, regeneration wouldn't normally work as it was prevented by the poison, you needed an outside source for it to work.

DOCTOR: Okay. So, basically better regenerate, that's what you're saying.
HOLO-AMELIA: Regeneration disabled. You will be dead in thirty two minutes.

"Even better. River really did her research on poisons." Jack glanced at River, he felt a bit for her understanding her methods between his training as a Time Agent and time as a con-man, he had certainly done things like this before uncaring. It was just different to see it happening to someone he cared about and knowing he couldn't do anything to help.

River shrugged, playing nonchalant, but her whole body was too tense to play it off properly. "Well, I was a very good psychopath."

The Doctor ignored the mental knocking on the link she shared with the Master, he'd likely recognised the name of the poison (he was into that kind of thing, well anything that caused destruction, death and chaos really) and was either going to go on a rant about how she couldn't die (which she hadn't) or be smug. Either way she really wasn't in the mood to deal with him, building up her mental barriers higher and thicker to prevent him trying to sneak in somehow.

DOCTOR: Unless I'm cured, yeah?
HOLO-AMELIA: There is no cure. You will be dead in thirty two minutes.
DOCTOR: Why do you keep saying that?
HOLO-AMELIA: Because you will be dead in thirty two minutes.

"How do you get yourself out of this one?" Mickey muttered not liking how the odds of the Doctor's survival kept dwindling further and further into the impossible side of things.

The Doctor gave a one-hearted smile, "Spoilers." It was both true and gave a hint of her source of salvation for anyone paying close attention. Noticing the looks Amy and Rory gave her, they at least seemed to have caught her double meaning.

DOCTOR: You see? There you go again. Basically skipping thirty one whole minutes when I'm absolutely fine. Scottish, that's all I'm saying.

"There is nothing wrong with being Scottish." Amy protested with a glare at the Doctor. Those in her immediate vicinity leaned further away to avoid risking her wrath turning on them.

The Doctor held up her hands in surrender, "Absolutely not, you're right Amelia. Met plenty of brilliant Scots in my time, had a Scottish accent at least twice although the weather leaves plenty to be desired. Snow one day and sunshine the next, honestly, they need to make up their mind. Remind me to tell you about Jamie, he was Scottish you know, amazing lad, travelled with my second face, you'd like him." The Doctor rambled, a bit nervous to avoid Amy's ire, though his ramble turned a bit wistful near the end as he remembered Jamie's fate.

The companions all exchanged looks while the Doctor was distracted, apparently the Doctor had opinions on Scotland (though the Doctor had opinions on most things). Jamie seemed a sore point though, despite the Doctor's offer to speak about him, based on how distracted she'd gotten and the wistful look on her face which was one that often appeared when talking about past friends and companions.

HOLO-AMELIA: You will be fine for thirty one minutes. You will be dead in thirty two minutes.
DOCTOR: Scotland's never conquered anywhere, you know. Not even a Shetland. River needs me. She's only just beginning. I can't die now.

"Isn't Shetland in Scotland?" Ryan asked a bit awkwardly.

"It's a group of islands north of the mainland but yes, it is a part of Scotland. They do get a bit annoyed about being put in boxes on maps though, don't ever bring that up with someone from Shetland." The Doctor answered, missing Ryan's actual point as usual.

"Priorities, Doctor." Amy sighed exasperated and worn out at this point. They hadn't seen many videos yet today and she was already being drained of energy and emotional allowance.

River glanced thankfully at her wife, even when she'd tried/was succeeding in killing him, she'd still been one of his main priorities.

HOLO-AMELIA: You will not die now. You will die in thirty two minutes.
DOCTOR: I'm going out in the first round. Ringing any bells? Argh! Okay, need something for the pain now. Come on, Amelia. It's me. Please.
HOLO-AMELIA: I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface.
DOCTOR: Amelia, listen to me. I can be brave for you, but you have got to tell me how.
HOLO-AMELIA: I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface.

The group shifted uncomfortable and heartbroken as they watched the Doctor deteriorate, begging the voice interface to act like the actual Amelia (who was all grown up and chasing after her daughter). Amy swallowed, her mind jumping to the Doctor's words from several days earlier about how she believed in her companions, here the Doctor was begging for the younger version of herself to allow him to be brave for her. She wasn't sure she would have been able to handle that on top of River if she'd seen it in person, even though that thought hurt her. The whole group was practically silently pleading with the Tardis to help the Doctor.

DOCTOR: Amelia. Amelia, please.
HOLO-AMELIA: Fish fingers and custard.
DOCTOR: What did you say? Fish fingers and custard? Oh, Amelia Pond. Fish fingers and custard. Fish fingers and custard!

The group all broke out into wide smiles at seeing the Doctor rejuvenated at the simple words that meant so much. All thinking back to the video they'd watched the other day where this Doctor had met young Amelia. Amy especially was smiling sadly at the Doctor, glad she's found energy out of something that was so simple but meant so much, she didn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't arrived to help them and what it would have meant for either group.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

(The elite of Berlin are wining and dining in style as a string quartet plays. Their pleasure is interrupted by a hail of bullets.)
RIVER: Ladies and gentleman, I don't have a thing to wear. Take off your clothes.

"Bit quick, isn't it River?" Jack grinned teasingly in attempt to escape the tension that had started trying to choke them. River raised an eyebrow with a flirtatious smile.

The Doctor just chuckled, glad for the break from her dying. "You know it's quick when Jack's the one to say it."

[Outside Hotel Adlon]

RORY: Okay, all of Berlin. How do we find her?
AMY: I don't know. Look for clues.
RORY: Clues? What kind of clues?

"Look for the chaos." Yaz summarised, already having gotten a good read for River and in this instance the younger version of the woman wasn't all too different from the older.

"Unfortunately." Rory sighed, the chaos was usually a sure sign they had either found the Doctor or River, or occasionally both in really chaotic situations.

AMY: Shut up.
(Screaming, then men and women running out of the hotel dressed only in their underwear.)
RORY: Okay.

"Yep, you've found her." Bill declared, grinning at the sight of all the normally posh and composed people running away in their underwear.

(The Teselecta pulls up beside them. It is now a replica of Amy.)

"That, however, is not good." Rose muttered. That could get confusing quickly. She missed the silent exchange that Amy and Rory had.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

RIVER: Now, look at that. Now that's fun from every angle.
(Amy enters. But which one?)
RIVER: Now dear, I told you not to follow me.

[Teselecta eye level]

"That's not Amy." Martha said worriedly, of course the robot thing came back to bite them, why wouldn't it? And River had no idea of the danger she was in. The Doctor was watching curious, having missed all of this (due to the whole dying thing) and only received an overview from Amy and Rory later.

RORY: Okay. Okay, I am trapped inside a giant robot replica of my wife. I'm really trying not to see this as a metaphor.

Amy elbowed her husband in the side even as the rest of the room was split between giving Rory sympathetic looks and chuckling.

AMY: How can we be in here?
RORY: Er.
AMY: How do we fit?
RORY: Miniaturisation ray.
AMY: How would you know that?
RORY: Well, there was a ray, and we were miniaturised.
AMY: All right.

Mickey nodded in sympathy, "At some point you just get used to everything and have to accept the crazy."

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains however improbable must be the truth." The Doctor quoted Sherlock Holmes with a grin.

ANTIBODY: Welcome. You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented.
AMY: Er, what's that?
RORY: Er, I don't know. It's in your head.
ANTIBODY: Please remain calm while your life is terminated.
AMY: We come in peace!
RORY: When has that ever worked?
AMY: Oh, shut up!

The group was tense at seeing the married couple in danger with seemingly no escape, although their casual comments and attitude did bring smiles to a few faces and ease the tension slightly.

(They try to run but are trapped.)

"Of course, you're trapped." Clara huffed, wasn't that just typical?

ANTIBODY: Please cooperate in your officially sanctioned termination. It is normal to experience fear during your incineration.
AMY: Stop or I sonic.
RORY: What are you doing?
AMY: Er, I don't know.

"Do we ever know?" Rose declared, gaining hums of agreement from the group.

RORY: Okay. Psychic interface. Just point and think.
AMY: I know, but what do I think?
RORY: I don't know!

"That's a good point." Nardole muttered but went ignored as the tension rose again.

(The lift doors open. Jim is there.)
JIM: It's okay. Stay still and don't move.
(He puts green monitors on their wrists.)
JIM: Privileges activated. See? Activated.
ANTIBODY: You are authorised. Your existence will continue.

"Oh, thank god." Donna breathed out at seeing the pair safe, "Maybe we'll actually get some answers now."

JIM: And you can put your hands down. This is Justice Department Vehicle six zero one eight. You're not guilty of anything. Welcome aboard the Teselecta.

"Justice department? So, what, they go around dolling out justice to criminals?" Bill asked incredulous, "Sounds like a cheesy time travel movie."

"That's basically it, justice for criminals that escaped it." The Doctor nodded with a shrug, honestly, she was surprised she hadn't run into them before now but the universe was a big place.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

RIVER: I might take the age down a little, just gradually, to freak people out.
TESELECTA-AMY: You killed the Doctor.
RIVER: Oh yes, I know, dear. I hope you're not going to keep on about it. Oh, regeneration. It's a whole new colouring to work with.
(River is trying on a Luftwaffe uniform.)

The group grimaced at seeing River in the uniform, it seemed like an awful metaphor about her being the enemy at the moment and none of them were liking it.

The Doctor grimaced, "That uniform does not suit you." Her thoughts couldn't help but jump to seeing the Master in his Nazi uniform on the Eiffel Tower, and she really didn't like that comparison. She knew the Luftwaffe hadn't just been for the war but with the setting of the video it was really hard to separate it from that political climate.

"Normally, I'd argue I suit almost anything but for once I'll agree with you." River muttered back to her wife, tense in preparation for what she knew was coming. The silver lining to this video was finally getting to understand what had actually happened that day, as it had certainly been confusing at points.

TESELECTA-AMY: You killed the Doctor on the orders of the movement known as the Silence and Academy of the Question. You accept and know this to be true?
RIVER: Quite honestly, I don't really remember. It was all a bit of jumble.

"You didn't recognise that I was speaking weirdly?" Amy asked her daughter a bit offended, she thought Mels would know her better than that at least.

"Regeneration, mother, it makes your head a bit funny. Although nowhere to the extent that it messes with the Doctor." River explained, glancing concerned at her wife who grimaced in remembrance – she'd seen both River and the Master just get on with things like the regeneration hadn't been anything major while it normally made her very ill/delusional/knocked her unconscious for a time even if she did normally end up having to save the day in that state, really it didn't seem fair.

(Teselecta Amy opens its mouth and a bright beam hits River's head.)
RIVER: No! No! Get off me!

The group tensed again at seeing the beam hit River even as she tried desperately to shake it off. It was weird to see it have such a large affect on River who was normally so unshakable by anything. The Doctor squeezed her wife's hand tightly in comfort.

DOCTOR: Sorry, did you say she killed the Doctor? The Doctor? Doctor who?
(The Doctor is leaning against his Tardis, wearing evening clothes, top hat and carrying a cane.)

"What are you wearing?!" Martha asked incredulous. The group was glad for the distraction from the mess with River and the Teselecta, but the Doctor's entrance was worrying in its own way.

"What, don't like it?" The Doctor asked, looking a bit put out. Really, she'd been just mentally debating with herself whether she could pull that look off in her current regeneration.

"You have 32 minutes to live and you wasted several of them on getting changed into … that." Donna spoke up, waving her hand at the screen to emphasise her point.

"Yep!" The Doctor answered far too cheerfully, gaining incredulous and disbelieving looks from the whole group. Several of them shaking their heads in exasperation with the Doctor's antics.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: You said he was dying.
ANITA: He is.
JIM: When you're done here, your memories will be wiped and you'll be able to
AMY: Doctor?

The group smiled slightly at hearing Amy interrupt Jim in favour of focussing on the Doctor, even as the tension remined high they knew that the Doctor would save the day and live, somehow.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

RIVER: You're dying and you stopped to change?
DOCTOR: Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any. Time is not the boss of you. Rule four hundred and eight. Amelia Pond, judgment death machine. Why am I not surprised? Sonic cane.
RIVER: Are you serious?

"Unfortunately, he was." River declared dramatically. Shaking her head theatrically she was quietly glad the Doctor hadn't been showing how much pain they'd been in and come out like they normally did, it was reassuring for them to watch and likely had mostly been for Amy and Rory's benefit.

"After the sonic sunglasses, I'm not surprised." Clara smiled fondly at her old Doctor's behaviour. Secure in the knowledge she had met this version of him so he can't have died here.

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Never knowingly. Never knowingly be serious.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: Rule twenty seven. You might want to write these down. Oh, it's a robot.

"How many rules are there?" Graham asked, dreading the answer to the question but curious despite that.

The Doctor opened her mouth to speak, likely about to start listing them all, but River interrupted her. Putting a hand over the Doctor's mouth to stop her speaking even as she answered Graham's question. "They change all the time depending on which regeneration she is on and who she is with. This Doctor likely has different rules to Chinny on screen. A few staples, though, are don't wander off, the Doctor lies, and don't use weapons unless the damage is reparable." The Doctor huffed at not being able to speak even as River took her hand away and the video continued.

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: With four hundred and twenty three life signs inside. A robot

"Four hundred and twenty-three? That's a lot of tiny people in a robot." Rose blinked; they'd only seen maybe a dozen people at the most so where were all the others?

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: Worked by tiny people. Love it. But how do you all get in there, though.

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Bigger on the inside? No, basic miniaturisation sustained by a

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: Compression field. Ooo. Watch what you eat, it'll get you every time.

"Doctor, stop being impressed by their technology, they're still a threat and you're still dying." Martha lectured the Doctor, exasperated. The group all knew how easily the Doctor could get distracted, especially when technology was involved. The Doctor grinned a bit sheepish.

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Amy, if you and Rory are okay, signal me.
(Amy activates the sonic screwdriver, and the cane lights up.)
DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Thanking you.

"I guess you figured out what to think." Clara grinned at Amy who grinned back.

CARTER: How'd you do that?

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: Argh! I'm so sorry. Leg went to sleep. Just had a quick left leg power nap. I forgot I had one scheduled. Actually, better sit down. I think I heard the right one yawning.

The tension in the room sky rocketed at the clear reminder the Doctor was still dying and likely in excruciating pain but putting on a brave face for Amy, Rory and River. The three exchanged a knowing glance, the Doctor had done a good job with not letting them know exactly how much pain he'd been in, which was a scary thought as it meant they'd had a lot of practice during their time travelling.

(River tries to run. The Teselecta grabs her with its beam.)
DOCTOR: Don't you touch her! Do not harm her in any way!
(River is trapped in an energy field.)

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Why would you care? She's the women who kills you.

"That's just the Doctor." River smiled fondly; eyes focussed gratefully on her wife who smiled back sadly. "She protects even those that have hurt her. The only one's she doesn't protect are those that hurt her friends and family."

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: I'm not dead.
TESELECTA-AMY: You're dying.
DOCTOR: Well, at least I'm not a time travelling shape shifting robot operated by miniaturised cross people, which, I have got to admit, I didn't see coming. What do you want with her?

"That is a bit of an odd one, even for us." Rory admitted.

TESELECTA-AMY: She's Melody Pond.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: According to records, the woman who kills the Doctor.

"I prefer the woman who marries the Doctor." River whispered to her wife, frowning at the memory of her dual titles on the matter.

"So do I." The Doctor grinned back, squeezing their conjoint hands.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: And I'm the Doctor. So what's it to you?

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes. Time travel has responsibilities.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: What? You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?

"You're right Bill, that does sound like the plot of a cheesy time travel movie." Yaz declared, it did sound ridiculous when the Doctor said it like that. The Doctor at least was just trying to travel and explore the universe, the saving people bit was usually an accident.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: We don't kill them. We extract them near the end of their established timelines.
DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: And then what?
CARTER: Give them hell.

"That is very non specific and very worrying." Rose sighed, it was good when people explained their purpose (it gave them time to plan an escape or find a weakness usually) but the lack of specifics wasn't particularly helpful.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: I'd ask you who you think you are

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: But I think the answer is pretty obvious. So, who do you think

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: I am, huh? The woman who killed the Doctor. It sounds like you've got my biography in there. I'd love a peek.

"Seeing as their all about 'justice' I doubt they'll just let you see any record they have, Spaceman." Donna said in disbelief at the Doctor's request.

"I can only ask." The Doctor shrugged. Besides, Donna was wrong, they'd gotten the information they wanted and needed.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Our records office is sealed to the public. Foreknowledge is dangerous.

"As expected," Mickey said.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

DOCTOR: Yeah, well, I'll be dead in three minutes.

"Three minutes!" Martha exclaimed, head snapping around to face the Doctor. "How much time did you waste getting dressed!?"

Amy blinked, "I'd forgotten how close it was." And she had, she just wasn't adding in the fact the Doctor had actually died before River saved him. Her statement did give the rest of the group hope at least (false hope, but it was something).

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: There isn't much foreknowledge left.
CARTER: Sorry, can't do that.
AMY: That man is my best friend. That woman is my daughter. You give him anything he wants.
JIM: If she's family, she has privileges.
(Carter taps keys on Amy's green wrist band.)
JIM: Say access personal records, the Doctor.
AMY: Access personal records, the Doctor.

"Go Amy!" Bill cheered, glad to see they might get some more answers to the whole mess behind everything and maybe a way to save the Doctor (if they were lucky)

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

TESELECTA-AMY: Records available.
DOCTOR: Question. I'm dying. Who wants me dead?
TESELECTA-AMY: The Silence.
DOCTOR: What is the Silence? Why is it called that? What does it mean?
TESELECTA-AMY: The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order, or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked.

"What question?" Mickey asked, glancing around the room to see if anyone else had any ideas. The group all seemed as confused as he was bar Clara who was biting her lip, eyes focused on the Doctor who nodded in answer to her silent question. The Doctor just waved at the screen in response to the weight of everyone's questioning eyes.

DOCTOR: What question?
TESELECTA-AMY: The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight.
DOCTOR: Yes, but what is the question?
TESELECTA-AMY: Unknown.

"Are you going to tell us what this question is finally?" Amy asked, arms crossed. They'd gotten a vague explanation of the Silence's reasoning from the Doctor last video but she still wanted more answers.

The Doctor smiled ruefully, "I've already answered that if you listened closely, but if not." She shrugged, "Spoilers." Amy's glare turned fiercer but the Doctor refused to budge on the matter, they'd likely find out soon anyway if they didn't put it all together themselves.

DOCTOR: Oh. Well, fat lot of use that is, you big ginge. Call yourself a Records argh! Argh! Kidneys are always the first to quit. I've had better, you know.

"Beeter kidneys?" Ryan asked disbelieving.

"Absolutely." The Doctor answered as if it was the most normal thing, well it might be to Time Lords who regenerated and got new kidneys each time.

[Teselecta]

ANITA: Okay, he's finished.
AMY: Oh, my God.
CARTER: Well then, let's do what we do. Give her hell.

The group tensed up at that, the Doctor was dying, almost dead and they were going to go ahead and torture River despite him being against it. Amy, Rory and River exchanged a look, all bracing for the chaos they knew was about to erupt.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

(The white forcefield turn to red painful energy around River.)
DOCTOR: Amy. Rory. Amy

[Teselecta]

DOCTOR [on viewscreen]: Can you hear me?
AMY: Yeah?
CARTER: You can talk to him.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

TESELECTA-AMY: What do we do?

[Teselecta]

AMY: This is me. This is me actually talking.

The room winced at how frantic Amy sounded, though not that any of the could balm her. She was trapped in a robot with strangers while her daughter was tortured and her best friend was dying. None of them could say they'd be any better composed in that situation.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

TESELECTA-AMY: What do we do?
DOCTOR: Just stop them. She's your daughter. Just stop them.

[Teselecta]

AMY: How? How?

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

TESELECTA-AMY: How?
DOCTOR: Just do it!

River pulled her wife closer to her, squeezing her hand. She'd missed parts of this the first time around, in too much pain to really focus. Yet here was the Doctor dying because of her and still begging Amy to try and save her, no matter the cost.

[Teselecta]

JIM [memory]: Privileges activated, see?
DOCTOR [memory]: She's your daughter. Just stop them.
RORY: What are you doing?
AMY: Pointing and thinking. Get ready to run.

"You have a plan." Yaz grinned, glad someone was going to finally do something as the video kept deteriorating further and further into chaos.

"I did, it was not a great plan but it was the only plan I had." Amy answered with a grimace, she'd tried to forget how close everything had been in the end but here it was being played out in front of her again.

"Definitely not a great plan." Rory muttered, thinking about how close to dying all four of them had come. Amy elbowed him in the side for his comment.

"Isn't that always the way with the Doctor though?" Rose gave them a small grin.

(Amy zaps her wrist band with the sonic screwdriver. It turns red and alarms sound.)
ANTIBODY: You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented.
AMY: Okay, Captain. Release her now, or I take down the whole Teselecta.
RORY: Amy.
CARTER: You can't.
AMY: They can.
(Anita and Jim's wrist bands turn red.)

"I see what you mean about it not being a great plan." Clara raised an eyebrow. Theoretically, it was a good idea and likely the only plan they could have come up with, but it would only work so long as they didn't know anyway out of the robot.

AMY: Rory, go!
ANTIBODY: All privileges withdrawn.
JIM: What have you done?
ANTIBODY: All life forms prepare for immediate decease. You will experience a tingling sensation and then death.
(Rory and Amy are in the lift. The Antibody lassoes Anita's throat.)
CARTER: Shut it down.
JIM: I'm trying!
CARTER: Shut everything down!

"Where are you going to run?" Martha asked worriedly, they'd already seen the pair's attempt to outrun the antibodies and it really hadn't worked well. This time there was no one else around to save them. Amy and Rory's twin grimaces said everything unfortunately. The Doctor was watching assessing, again she'd only gotten an overview on this part (being too busy dying/dead) and she wasn't liking how close things were getting for the couple. This had not been what she'd meant when she begged them to save River, but what else should she have expected from Amy?

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

(River is released from the hell-energy.)

The group let out a breath at seeing River released from the torture-ray, that was one problem at least solved, despite a new one being created to solve it. It also left River the only one capable of saving everyone, they just had to hope there was enough of her older attitude in her to do so.
DOCTOR: Please. Now we have to save your parents. Don't run. Now, I know you're scared, but never run when you're scared. Rule seven. Please.

"That's a good rule depending on the circumstance." Donna nodded; it was good when travelling with the Doctor for situations like this. But not applicable when running from danger. The group was still tense as the Doctor only got weaker and weaker and River had a choice to make.

[Teselecta body]

ANTIBODY: Remain calm while your life is extracted.
AMY: Run! Keep running.
RORY: Where?
AMY: I don't know. Just run!

"Always with the running." Graham muttered, not really focussed on what he was saying, instead focused on the screen where Amy and Rory were just narrowly escaping death round every corner.

[Teselecta]

CARTER: Mothership! Mothership, get us out of here! Emergency beam up now! Everyone!
(Only the Antibodies remain on the bridge.)
ANTIBODY: Only two life forms remain. This will be rectified.

"Brilliant, now they're all focused on you two." Jack worried, glancing between the pair, River, the Doctor and the screen. This was certainly a lot closer than many of the other videos they'd watched and he wasn't liking how the Doctor was struggling.

[Teselecta body]

AMY: Where'd everyone go?
RORY: How can they just disappear?

"Well, that explains that." Rory sighed, it also explained how they normally got out the robot not that it would have really helped them in the situation.

AMY: Doctor, can you help us? Doctor? Doctor, help us!

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

TESELECTA-AMY: Doctor, help us! Doctor, please!
(The dying Doctor struggles to his feet and tries to make his way to the Tardis. He can't make it.)

The group watched heartbroken as the Doctor struggled and fumbled, desperately trying to save Amy and Rory even as he was proven too weak. Amy and Rory held each other tighter, they hadn't known how the Doctor had still been trying to save them as they begged and just physically couldn't. River was hating watching this now, knowing she was the cause for most of it, how she'd almost lost everything in one moment, which would have left her unaware of everything she'd lost out on.

TESELECTA-AMY: Doctor! Help!
RIVER: Look at you. You still care.
TESELECTA-AMY: Doctor, help! Doctor, help us! Please help us.
RIVER: It's impressive, I'll give you that.

"Please help them." Bill pleaded, half with the River on screen and the other half with the River in the room. The whole group was hating how hopeless they felt, even though they knew the four got out of the situation alive it was getting far too close for anyone to be comfortable.

River smiled sadly but nodded as everyone's gaze focussed on her, silently pleading and asking her if she had helped them. Upon seeing her nod, they let out a breath but the tension was still high.

DOCTOR: River, please.
RIVER: Again? Who is this River? She's got to be a woman. Am I right?

"Oh, that's right. The younger version of you isn't called River yet." Rose realised, that must have been confusing to the younger version of River. River nodded with a grimace, it was so much more heart-breaking knowing the Doctor had been pleading with her, and knowing her spouse now.

DOCTOR: Help me. Save Amy and Rory. Help me.
RIVER: Tell me about her. Go on.
DOCTOR: Just help me.

"When you say 'help me', you mean save Amy and Rory don't you? You don't care about surviving yourself as long as both of them survive." Jack spoke quietly, meaning only for the Doctor and River to hear him even though the others in the room had likely also put that together. The Doctor nodded, expression schooled blank and not at all regretful.

[Teselecta eye level]

(Rory and Amy are at the eyeball and surrounded by lots of Antibodies.)
ANTIBODY: You are unauthorised. You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented.
AMY: I love you.
RORY: I love you too.
(Amy and Rory hug each other, then there is the wind of a materialising Tardis.)
ANTIBODY: You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented.

"Thank god." Martha muttered, eyes to the sky. That had been far too close for comfort. The room let out a breath as the tension eased slightly, the Tardis appearing must been the Doctor was okay, surely? Amy and Rory exchanged a silent conversation, the pair curled up together on their sofa revelling in the other's presence as a comfort from the chaos and emotions in the video.

[Tardis]

(It materialises around Amy and Rory.)
AMY: Doctor? Doctor, you did it. He did it!
(River steps out from behind the console.)

"Doctor?" Yaz muttered, eyes glancing between the screen and the Doctor frantically. The lack of the Doctor in the Tardis was not promising, but it did mean she's managed to convince River to save her parents at least. Now they just had to save the Doctor despite that being impossible apparently. The Doctor gave a weak smile in an attempt to reassure Yaz but from her face it hadn't really worked.

RIVER: I seem to be able to fly her. She showed me how. She taught me. The Doctor says I'm the child of the Tardis. What does he mean?
AMY: Where is he?

"Not the time River." Jack muttered to the woman near him. He understood her need for answers but there was no way Amy or Rory were going to answer them when they didn't know the Doctor's fate.

"I know that now." River muttered back, holding her wife tightly in preparation for what was about to happen. Besides, she understood what it meant now as well; she'd just wanted answers as the whole mess had been confusing even for her.

[Hotel Adlon Restaurant]

AMY: You can't die now. I know you don't die now.
DOCTOR: Oh, Pond, you've got a schedule for everything.
AMY: But it doesn't make any sense.

"How doesn't it make sense?" Donna asked, hoping for answers for once and just relived to see the Doctor wasn't dead yet.

Amy and Rory exchanged a look with River and the Doctor before Amy braced herself and started to explain. "Because we've already seen him die at this point. Lake Silencio that you saw a picture of earlier? That's already happened for us. This is a younger version of the Doctor that we saw die, so he couldn't die here as we sae him die later. Not that he actually stayed dead but you get the point." She threw in the last bit to calm any panic and prevent more questions on how they were alive at all if the Doctor had died. She did, however, throw a small glare the Doctor's way for making them watch him die in the first place.

"So many questions but not the time." Bill muttered, her mind whirling but still worried over the Doctor's fate on screen as they didn't seem to have any cure to the poison.

RORY: Doctor, what do we do? Come on. How do we help you?
DOCTOR: No. Sorry, Rory, you can't. Nobody can. Ponds, listen to me. I need to talk to your daughter.
(Rory and Amy move away from the Doctor, and let River approach.)
DOCTOR: Find her. Find River Song and tell her something from me.
RIVER: Tell her what?
(The Doctor whispers in her ear.)
RIVER: Well, I'm sure she knows.

"I do, I do know." River whispered, knuckles white as she gripped her wife's hand. It had been so close, she had almost rewritten so much history, undone so much of everything. Who would she have been if the Doctor had died there?

The Doctor smiled back, sad but serene, completely at peace with her death on screen. "You know, but she didn't. And I just wanted to tell you anyway."

(The Doctor is dead.)

The room was silent at the realisation that the Doctor had finally given into the poison and died. Most of their eyes were locked on the Doctor in the room, disbelieving and unsure how she was alive when she was so clearly dead on-screen.

"How…" Clara's voice broke slightly as she hoarsely asked the question on everyone's mind. "How are you alive?"

The Doctor smiled serenely, entirely calm despite the raging hurricane of fury bashing away at her mental link. The Master was demanding she opened the link, demanding explanations, ranting out increasingly worrying threats and getting more infuriated by every second she ignored him. She could feel the weight of his furious eyes bearing into her even as she waved to the screen in answer to Clara's question. The group didn't take much convincing to focus back on the screen, eager to know how she'd done the impossible, even as their eyes continued to dart between the screen and her to make sure she hadn't disappeared at any point.

RIVER: Who's River Song?
AMY: Are you still working? Because I'm still a relative. Access files on River Song.
TESELECTA-AMY: Records available.
AMY: Show me her. Show me River Song.
(The Teselecta transforms.)

"That's one way to tell her." Jack whistled lowly; voice mostly emotionless despite his weak attempt to break the suffocating tension.

AMY: What did he say? The Doctor gave you a message for River Song. What was it?
(River starts to glow.)

"That's what convinced you?" The Doctor asked her wife quietly, even as the rest of the room started to connect the dots on what was going on.

River bit her lip for a second, taking a moment to consider her answer. "You said you loved me and forgave me, even when I had just killed you. And you knew me when I didn't know you. I think it was the possibility of a future, an actual life that convinced me to save you. The chance that things could be different, a chance for me to love as much as you seemed too. You had so much love in you, and you weren't what the Silence had raised me to think you were. I wanted to know the real you and see if there was any chance that some of that love could be for me one day. Mother showing me who River Song was only confirmed that there was a chance of that, and I wanted that chance." Her answer was equally quiet, meant for the Doctor's ears only, thinking about and tyring to verbalise something she'd never really had to reveal before.

"Thank you." The Doctor said simply but River could read through the lines. It was a thank you for telling her, for saving her, for choosing that chance, a thank you for everything.

"Thank you too." Thank you for giving me that choice, that chance, for loving me, for saving me, for everything.

AMY: What's happening? River, what are you doing?
RIVER: Just tell me. The Doctor, is he worth it?
AMY: Yes! Yes, he is!
(River pours her golden regeneration energy into the Doctor, and he revives.)
DOCTOR: River. No. What are you doing?
RIVER: Hello, sweetie.
(River kisses the Doctor.)

The room watched in awed silence and relief as River saved the Doctor, tension leaking out of the room as he woke up again. The Doctor however, was frowning at the screen a new terrible thought occurring to her, one she'd been putting off for most of the video.

"You shouldn't have done that." The Doctor said simply, the words slipping out before she'd meant them too and a lot louder than she'd meant them too, the whole room whipping around to face her.

The Doctor could practically see River's hackles rise as the words registered in her wife's mind. River immediately leaping on the defensive, fury leaking out of her, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare say that!"

Realising how the room had taken her words the Doctor put her hands up in surrender quicky back tracking to try and explain. "Not like that! I mean, if I'm the Timeless Child, then you just wasted all your regenerations for nothing."

Her attempts to explain clamed River minutely but the anger was still present and raging behind her wife's eyes. "No, you listen here Doctor. We don't know that. You were dead and your ability to regenerate was disabled, if I hadn't done that you wouldn't have regenerated, Timeless Child or not. And it was my choice, one I don't regret."

"River, you lost all your regenerations because of me. They were wasted." The Doctor pleaded in an attempt to make River see her point.

River wasn't taking any of it. "No, they were not wasted. We don't know how many I would've had; I may not have even had a full twelve. But it was my choice and one I don't regret. If I hadn't done it, you would have been dead so that is not a waste, not in my book nor in anyone else's here."

The Doctor turned her pleading eyes on Amy, "Please, Amy." Begging her former companion to help her daughter to see sense for once.

Amy glared back, anger matching her daughters. "No, Doctor. River's a grown up and can make her own choices. And she's right. It was not a waste, the only thing you should be is grateful not regretful. It was River's choice and you can't take that away from her."

The Doctor swallowed, shifting back in her seat under the twin glares from mother and daughter. She was silent for a moment before she sighed, aware she wasn't going to get anywhere in this argument at the minute, not between the ferocity and stubbornness of mother and daughter. "I'm sorry River. Thank you." She said simply, meaning it but not for the reason the group wanted her too. The way River was eyeing her made it clear she'd figured that out but was letting it go at the moment for the sake of them finishing the video.

[Hospital]

(River wakes up in a bed.)
AMY: Hey.
RIVER: Hey. Where am I?
AMY: You're safe now. Apparently, you used all your remaining regenerations in one go. You shouldn't have done that.

The Doctor perked up about to try and point out that Amy clearly agreed with her, but Amy just glared her back into submission. She'd been worried for her daughter but this was a long time ago and River had made some good points, not that she would have minded her daughter having a few more regenerations with all the danger she put herself through.

RIVER: Mother, I had to try.
AMY: I know.
RIVER: He said no-one could save him, but he must have known I could.
DOCTOR: Rule one. The Doctor lies.

"You knew?" Martha asked quietly. None of the rest of the group had spoken up during the last argument, knowing it was one the mother-daughter duo had to have with the Doctor alone.

The Doctor bit her lip but nodded, "My own regeneration was disabled but that didn't mean someone else's couldn't save me."

"You would just have never asked." Jack said, eyes boring into her soul. She nodded slowly despite it being a statement rather than a question.

NURSE: She just needs to rest. She'll be absolutely fine.
DOCTOR: No, she won't. She will be amazing.
(The Doctor leaves a brand new Tardis-style diary on the bedside cabinet.)

"That's when he gave you the diary." Rose said, recognising the now familiar blue book from several other videos.

The Doctor shrugged with a shy smile at her wife, "Well she needed somewhere to record her amazing adventures."

"And you knew you gave it to her at some point as she's met you before." Clara added, gaining a shrug from the Doctor. That was kind of true but it didn't control when he gave it to her much. River smiled gratefully at her wife, that book was one of her most prized possessions and one of the few things that she took with her everywhere, her own constant companion.

[Tardis]

AMY: So that's it, we leave her there?
DOCTOR: Sisters of the Infinite Schism. Greatest hospital in the universe.
AMY: Yeah, but she's our daughter. Doctor, she's River and she's our daughter.
DOCTOR: Amy, I know. But we have to let her make her own way now. We have too much foreknowledge. Dangerous thing, foreknowledge.

"I'm sorry Amy, Rory." The Doctor sighed, she knew how hard it was on them to have only just found their daughter and have to abandon her again so quickly, but there really was nothing they could do about it.

"It's not your fault, Doctor." Rory answered back, a sad smile in place as he focussed more on River than the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned, whispering to herself, "Yes, it is." Because it was, the whole reason Melody was taken was because of the possibility of something they could have done. The Silence had been so scared they'd bring back Gallifrey that they'd stolen and brainwashed baby Melody. Not that she would ever get rid of River, she just wished her childhood hadn't been so terrible and her parents hadn't lost her.

(His Teselecta biography is on the scanner.)
AMY: What's that?
DOCTOR: Nothing.
(He turns it off.)
DOCTOR: Just some data I downloaded from the Teselecta. Very boring.

"Definitely not boring or nothing." Amy crossed her arms with a pointed look at the Doctor. That would explain how he knew to prepare for Lake Silencio at least.

RORY: Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you, right?
DOCTOR: Well, she did kill me, and then she used her remaining lives to bring me back. As first dates go, I'd say that was mixed signals.

"First date? Honestly, Sweetie. I at least have better standards than that." River teased.

"'You at least?' What does that mean?" The Doctor protested, while River only grinned in answer. Both glad for the distraction from everything that had occurred in the video.

RORY: But that stuff that they put in her head, is that gone now? The River that we know in the future, she is in prison for murder.
AMY: Whose murder? Will we see her again?

"The Doctor's not-murder, and we definitely can never get rid of her." Amy answered herself on screen with a smile at her daughter, who grinned back recognising her mother's teasing.

DOCTOR: Oh, she'll come looking for us.
AMY: Yeah, but how? How do people even look for you?
DOCTOR: Oh, Pond. Haven't you figured that one out yet?

"I still haven't." Amy answered with narrowed eyes at the Doctor, "It's not like we can all draw crop circles in fields until you turn up." The Doctor simply grinned mischievously.

"You know, I'd forgotten you'd done that but t's still amazing." Bill declared with a grin. This video seemed to have gone on for a long time compared to some of the others and it had certainly been an emotional one full of revelations and near death/death experiences.

[The Luna University, 5123]

(A professor is interviewing a prospective student.)
CANDY: So then, tell me. Why do you want to study archaeology?
RIVER: Well, to be perfectly honest, Professor, I'm looking for a good man.

"That seems like a lot of effort to go through to find the Doctor." Donna declared with a look at River.

River grinned with a shrug, "I like learning and university. Besides it worked."

"Good for you but not going to try it myself." Donna answered back with her own grin.

"Thank god that's over." Rory declared upon seeing the screen turned blank to signify the ending of the video. It had not been a fun one to relive at all. Amy, River and the Doctor all nodded in agreement, equally glad for that to be over with.

Sighing the Doctor spoke up again, "Anyone have any questions? No? Good, Let's move on and see what's next." She didn't even give anyone time to ask any questions just wanting the whole mess to be over with and desperately hoping the next video would be nicer to them.