"Jesus that's not great for my heart," I muttered as I looked between the monitor, the door and River, weighing whether or not to go after him. "As tempting as it is, I feel like I've put him through enough of an emotional ringer today. And he wasn't even there for Dale."

My throat swelled at that and I swallowed harshly before ducking my head to force myself to focus on getting the TARDIS ready to take off as soon as the Doctor came flying through the doors. At my errant thought the doors swung open and I looked between them and the rotor.

"Promise to close those if any Daleks come this way?" I rested my hand on the rotor and waited for a positive pulse before I smiled. "Thanks. Although it is a little alarming that I'm getting as paranoid as him."

I glanced up at the monitor just in time to see the Doctor slam his hand down on a decently sized button before taking off as fast as he could out of the room, ducking Dalek lasers as he went. I turned so that I could see the door with my hand hovering over the final lever that would start the takeoff sequence.

"Emma!" He shouted in worry, probably once he had raced around the final corner and saw that the doors were wide open. How he expected the Daleks to have been able to do that and keep quiet about it I would never know.

"Just get in!" I shouted back before he could panic about it. He tumbled through the doors in a dramatic action roll and I shoved the lever down as the TARDIS slammed the doors shut. He stood up from his action roll straight to me and kissed me before he shifted his gaze around until landed on River in the cot. Relief flashed on his face before he frowned and looked around the console room.

"Where's Dale?" He asked and I burst into immediate tears and threw my arms around him.

"They died to save River and I," I wept into the Doctor's shoulder.

"Oh Emma," he breathed as he hugged me back tightly and rocked me back and forth slightly. He must have rifled through my memories because I heard him suck in a deep breath before pulling me even tighter against him. "Oh Emma."

He didn't say another word beyond that as I cried myself out, simply held me and pressed comforting kisses to the top of my head. Finally, I pulled away from him and wiped at my eyes with the handkerchief he had waiting.

"Did you blow up the ship?" I asked, clearing my throat against the scratchiness of my voice. He nodded.

"Of course, I did. We're officially sitting in the last of Time Lord technology again, with a decent number of Daleks wiped out again. What do you think of the cot?" He asked and jerked his chin towards River. I thought about seeing if he was really doing as okay as he made the words sound but decided that it could wait.

"It's cute." I did really like the blue and the gold and I had always been a fan of the way that Gallifreyan looked when it was written down. "Where did the TARDIS get it?"

"It was mine," he said with a half smile of nostalgia.

"Really?" I asked and he nodded.

"I didn't think it would get any use ever again." There was a distance in his eyes that led me to think that he was remembering his own children and Susan. I pressed a kiss to his cheek as I wondered if any of them had ever used the cot.

"I bet you were a cute baby," I said once I had sat back again, and he laughed.

"Luckily there's no photos to prove you otherwise," he said as he nuzzled into the side of my head. "Were you a cute baby?"

"Don't act coy. I'm very sure Mom showed you all the pictures when we were there," I said as I gave him a gentle shove with my shoulder and with full confidence in my voice even though she usually withheld them until she was sure that she liked you. I was pretty sure that it hadn't taken Mom a very long time to like the Doctor, though she'd been less subtle than Dad, who had immediately roped the Doctor into helping with the bees as a right of passage.

"She didn't. I swear." He crossed one heart and then the other with one hand, since he was still using one hand to keep me steady on his lap. I laughed before I turned my gaze back to River and sobered slightly.

"What are we going to do with River?" I asked because even though I was probably more attached than I should have been, I also knew that we couldn't keep her. The TARDIS was much too dangerous for a baby and I knew that being with us would paint a huge target on her back thanks to her genetics. The thought probably shouldn't have made my heart lurch with pain as much as it had, though I decided to chalk it up to my abandonment issues.

"Don't worry I have an idea." He tapped his finger on the back of my hand. "You okay?"

"If you're asking if I'm going to fall apart if you let go of me the answer is no," I said because I wasn't really sure if I was okay. Everything was still a little too fresh. He smiled at me in understanding before lifting me off his lap and setting me down on the jump seat.

"The real issue with River's genetics is the Time Lord/Dalek/human mix. We just need to supress some of those genetics, and she should fly under the radar." He pulled up part of the floor and started digging around.

"How exactly does one supress part of a person's genetics?" I asked with an arched eyebrow. He held up a little locket with a grin on his face.

"Time Lord technology," he said as he started piling random odds and ends on the floor next to the TARDIS console, and I squinted at him.

"Is this that Chameleon Arc thing that you used with Martha?" I asked and he nodded.

"Slightly different since I am trying to supress two genetics not one, but the same in essence."

"Do you specifically need my help with this?" I asked and held up my hand to cut off his protests before he could voice them. "I'm not ducking Rule Two, I just realized that I am covered in dirt and grime and figured now would be a good time for a quick shower."

"Yes, this would be a good time for a shower," he said with a laugh. I blew him a kiss as I left.

When I came back River was still asleep except now, she had the locket clutched in her little fist. I lifted it up and kissed her hand gently before putting it back and fussing with the blankets slightly.

"You're good with her," the Doctor said from the console. I shrugged.

"I babysat a bit in university," I said. I stared at him for a few moments to see if he was fishing for information of some kind before I brushed it off as a simple statement. The Doctor was generally a pretty forthright person so if he wanted to say something he would.

"We're here."

"Where is here?" I asked as I scooped River up in my arms. He gave me a regretful look.

"Adoption agency in the 51st century," he said, and I swallowed even though I had seen this coming. "Don't worry I made sure that the family who gets River is a good one."

"I trust you," I said quietly. "Sorry I'm being weird."

"Nothing weird about it," he said and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I handed River over because I wasn't sure that I would be able to properly hand her over to the adoption agency without losing my composure.

We were greeted by a very lovely young woman as soon as we stepped out and the Doctor wrapped one arm around my shoulder and tucked me into him once he passed her River.

"Does she have a name?"

"River," I said, and she smiled.

"It's lovely."

"It was one of the names my Mom wanted did I tell you that?" I asked after she had stepped out of the room and towards a waiting couple in another room that we could see through a series of windows.

"No, you didn't mention that." I hummed idly.

"It was her second choice after Stella. My Dad hated both options. Hence the fight when I was born," I said. The adoption agent stepped back in and gave us a smile. "Do you mind if I ask what the new parent's names are?"

"I'm not their usual agent so I don't know their first names, but their last name is Song." I managed to squeak out a thank you as she was leaving the room while the Doctor and I both gaped at her retreating back in shock before turning to look at each other.

"River Song," I breathed as I twisted to look at River again.

"She must have gotten her hair from you in some kind of genetic imprint," the Doctor said weakly as he reached up to twirl a curl around his finger.

"Sometimes the universe really is a small place," I said. "I can't wait to meet her again."

"Again?"

"She knew you in The Library that means that we get to meet her again," I reminded him gently.

"She didn't mention you," he said with a creeping sort of worry.

"I trust that River has enough good sense to notice that there wasn't a girl with curly blonde hair trailing along behind you and figure out that it was too early for that," I said. He smiled and nodded.

"She was an archeologist though. Haven't any idea why she picked that," he said with only a small amount of disdain on the word archeologist. I laughed at the expression on his face and reached down to link my hand in his.

"You seem okay with people who got a history degree and really there isn't that much difference between the two," I said as he pulled on our joined hands to tuck me into his side.

"I am okay with one person who got a history degree," he corrected teasingly as he dropped a kiss to the top of my head before he sighed overdramatically. "So, I suppose that I can learn to accept one archeologist."

"How noble of you," I teased as I tipped my head up to look at him. He grinned and shifted slightly to kiss me.

"She's going to be brilliant," he said, and I nodded.

"Of course, she is." We both looked back at her for a few moments before the Doctor tugged on my hand.

"TARDIS?"

"TARDIS."

That night I outright lied through my teeth to the Doctor for the first time ever and told him that the reason why I woke up crying my eyes out was because of Dale's sacrifice and not having to give River to someone else.