Knowing Her
They sent Canton back to Area 51 with the alien to get it treated, though they had stopped and grabbed Nixon just in case Canton ran into any trouble. Thankfully, Amy had left her video phone since Adelaide's didn't have a camera - she made a note to look into getting hers upgraded - so that he could send them a recording of the alien.
Now, they were in the warehouse with a television playing the launch of Apollo 11 while the Time Lords and River worked on the spacesuit.
"It's an exoskeleton," River said, looking at her scanner. "Basically, life support. There's about twenty different kinds of alien tech in here."
The Doctor frowned at it. "Who was she? Why put her in here?"
"You put this on, you don't even need to eat. The suit processes sunlight directly. It's got built in weaponry, and a communications system that can hack into anything."
"Including the telephone network?"
River nodded. "Easily."
"But why phone the President?"
"It defaults to the highest authority it can find."
Adelaide frowned. "A young girl gets scared and the most powerful man on Earth gets a phone call."
"The night terrors with a hotline to the White House."
Adelaide looked up as the Doctor actually licked the envelope they'd received. "Don't dare try to kiss me after that."
River looked up as well. "You won't learn anything from that envelope, you know."
"Purchased on Earth," the Doctor said, which made Adelaide sigh. "Perfectly ordinary stationery. TARDIS blue. Summoned by a stranger who won't even show his face. That's a first, for me, how about you?"
"Our lives are back to front. Your future's my past. Your firsts are my lasts."
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "That's not really what I asked."
She just shrugged. "Ask something else, then."
"What are the Silence doing raising a child?" Adelaide offered.
"Keeping her safe, even giving her independence."
The Doctor stood, walking closer to Rory, who was sitting to the side with the recorder in hand "The only way to save Amy is to work out what the Silence are doing."
"I know."
"And every single thing we learn about them brings us a step closer."
"Yeah, Doctor, I get it. I know."
Adelaide adjusted a bit of the suit, considering it as the Doctor walked over. "It's highly possible she's not a normal little girl."
"Well, I'd say she's human, going by the life support software." River paused after speaking, making Adelaide look up at her.
"But?"
"She climbed out of this suit." River held up a bit of frayed wire. "Like she forced her way out. She must be incredibly strong."
The Doctor nodded. "Incredibly strong and running away. I like her." He glanced at Adelaide, but the Time Lady didn't look at him. She'd run away just as much as he had: run away from the Last Great Time War, run through the universe. But there was so much about her that he didn't know. They'd always said they'd needed to have a discussion about their pasts, but they'd never quite managed to have it.
"We should be trying to find her."
"Yes, I know. But how?"
Adelaide eyed River. "I have the strangest feeling she's going to find us."
"Apollo 11, this is Houston," someone said from the television. "How do you read? Over."
The Doctor walked over to the television. "Why does it look like a NASA spacesuit?" River asked Adelaide.
"It's what the Silence do. They have no need to make anything themselves when they can just get other life forms to do it for them."
"So they're parasites, then."
"Superparasites."
"Standing in the shadows of human history since the very beginning," the Doctor called. "We know they can influence human behavior any way they want. If they've been doing that on a global scale for thousands of years…"
"Then what?" Rory asked, and the Time Lords were thankful the man seemed to be paying attention.
Adelaide nodded towards the television. "Then why did humans suddenly decide to go to the moon?"
"Ten, nine. Ignition sequence started. Six, five, four…"
"Because the Silence needed a spacesuit."
"One, zero. All engines running. Liftoff. We have liftoff. Thirty-two minutes past the hour, liftoff on Apollo 11."
A minute later, Adelaide having walked over to stand beside the Doctor in the interim, River called them both back to see the message Canton had sent them. Now they stood above her, watching, while River continued to study aspects of the suit.
"This suit," she said after the recording had finished, "it seems to be repairing itself. How's it doing that?" River looked up. "Doctor, Adelaide, a unit like this, would it ever be able to move without an occupant?"
The Doctor frowned at her. "Why?"
"Well, the little girl said the spaceman was coming to eat her. Maybe that's exactly what happened."
"I love you," they could hear Amy's voice, Rory still listening to it. "I know you think it's him. I know you think it ought to be him, but it's not. It's you. And when I see you again, I'm going to tell you properly, just to see your stupid fact." The Time Lords walked over to stand by Rory. "My life was so boring before you just dropped out of the sky. So just get your stupid face where I can see it, okay? Okay?"
Amy went quiet, and the Time Lords slid to sit by Rory's side. "She'll be safe for now," the Doctor said quietly. "No point in a dead hostage." Adelaide glared at him for that and the Doctor winced.
"Can't you save her?"
"We can track that signal back, take us right to her."
"Then why haven't you?"
"Because then what?" the Doctor sighed. "We find her and then what do we do? This isn't an alien invasion. They live here. This is their empire."
"This is kicking the Romans out of Rome."
"Rome fell."
The Doctor nodded. "I know. I was there."
Rory looked away from him. "So was I."
The Doctor glanced at Adelaide, waiting until the woman had sighed before speaking again. "Personal question."
"Seriously, you?"
"Do you ever remember it? Two thousand years, waiting for Amy? The last Centurion."
"No."
"You're lying."
"Of course I'm lying," Rory scoffed.
Adelaide nodded. "Of course you are. Not something anyone forgets."
"But I don't remember it all the time. It's like this door in my head. I can keep it shut."
"Please, please, just come and get me," Amy said, sobbing. "Come and get me."
|C-S|
When the Time Lords landed the TARDIS where Amy had been taken, they both ran out instantly, taking in the room around them. Amy was sitting secured in a chair with various Silence around her, and a television playing the moon landing.
"Oh, interesting," the Doctor said. "Very Aickman Road. I've seen one of these before."
Adelaide nodded. "How could it have happened? That one was abandoned."
He shrugged. "Well, I suppose we're about to find out. Rory, River, keep one Silent in eyeshot at all times."
"Terribly sorry, you were in the middle of something?" Adelaide pointed at the television the Doctor grabbed. "Just curious; have you seen what's on the telly?"
"Oh, hello, Amy," the Doctor said, grinning at her. "Are you alright? Want to watch some television?" he put down the television in front of Amy and Adelaide stepped between him and the Silence that started to approach.
"Now, please stay where you are." River pointed her gun at them.
"Because look at me, I'm confident," the Doctor wrapped an arm around Adelaide, spinning them around. "You want to watch that, me when I'm confident because that means I'm impressing Adelaide and I love to do that so I'm just going to get more confident and, well..." He kissed her cheek. "Oh, and this is our friend River. Nice hair, clever, has her own gun and, unlike either of us, she really doesn't mind shooting people. Shouldn't like that, kind of do, a bit."
River grinned at them. "Thank you, sweeties."
"We know you're team players and everything, but she'll definitely kill at least the first three of you."
River shrugged. "Oh, the first seven, easily."
Adelaide looked towards her. "Seven? Really?"
"Oh, eight for you."
The Doctor just laughed. "Stop it."
"Make me."
"Yeah? Well, maybe I will."
"Is this really important bickering? Amy called. "Because I feel like I should be higher on the list right now."
Adelaide nodded at her. "Thank you, Amy." She turned to the Silence. "As he was saying, our friend here is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus that one over there," she gestured towards Rory, who had managed to get over to Amy's side.
"So! Maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz," the Doctor walked around the console. "Or maybe you could just listen a minute. Because all I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then we'll let you go in peace. Yes, you've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes, people have suffered and died, but what's the point in two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving, now and then?" the aliens said nothing. "Oh, the Silence, you guys take that seriously, don't you." He sighed. "Okay, you got me. I'm lying; Adelaide's quite upset with my over that. We're not really going to let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. First," Adelaide hit a switch on the television as he spoke, "you tell us about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for?"
The Silence said nothing.
"Terribly sorry, but you're out of time," Adelaide said. "Would you like a bit of a history lesson? Won't it make you proud to see what you've accomplished?" she extended the antenna. "Do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly?" She pointed at the Doctor.
"Half a billion. And that's nothing, because the human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly. Billions and billions of them, for billions and billions of years, and every single one of them at some point in their lives, will look back at this man, taking that very first step, and they will never, ever forget it."
On the television, the astronaut prepared to take his first step onto the moon's surface.
"Oh," the Doctor pulled out River's communicator. "But don't forget this bit." He held it up as a phone. "Ready?"
"Ready."
The Doctor, walking forward, stood beside Adelaide as they turned to the television.
"That's one small step for man…" the astronaut said, but then the screen cut to the video of the wounded Silent.
"You should kill us all on sight," the Silent ordered.
"You've given the order for your own execution," the Doctor told them, grinning, "and the whole planet just heard you."
"…one giant leap for mankind," the astronaut finished.
"And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence! You just raised an army against yourself and now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day. How fast can you run? Because today's the day the human race throw you off their planet. They won't even know they're doing it." The Silence stepped forwards, forcing the Time Lords to back up towards the television. "I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is…" electricity cracked around the Silence's fingers, "oops. Run!"
Adelaide grabbed his hand. "He means us. Run!"
The Silence gathered the electricity in their hands as the Doctor pulled out his sonic, River beginning to shoot the Silence.
"I can't get her out!" Rory shouted, struggling to undo Amy's restraints.
"Go! Go!"
"We are not leaving without you!"
"Look, will you just get your stupid face out of here!" Rory looked stunned, eyes wide.
"Run! Into the TARDIS, quickly!" River ordered them and the Doctor soniced the chair quickly to release Amy and let Rory help her into the TARDIS.
The Doctor pulled Adelaide behind him, despite the Time Lady's protests. "Don't let them build to full power!"
"I know! There's a reason why I'm shooting. What are you doing?"
"Helping!"
"You've got a screwdriver, go build a cabinet!"
"That's quite rude!" Adelaide told her, pulling the Doctor back towards the TARDIS and into safety. Almost immediately, she hit him over the head with his own sonic. "Sonics are not weapons, they're scientific instruments, Doctor, you idiot!" She dragged him back up to the console, avoiding the Doctor's attempts to snatch his sonic back. Somehow, he managed to twist her around so that she was pressed back against the console and he could look quite proud with himself that he'd managed it.
"I'll take that, thank you," he said, trying to pluck it from her hand.
"Um, no." She hid it behind her back. "What's the magic word?"
"Please?"
Adelaide kissed him, which them prompted the Doctor to deepen the kiss.
"We'll give you alone time later!" River shouted, making the Time Lords separate. "Now, can you help me fly the TARDIS?"
The Doctor pouted. "You can let us fly it."
"Yes, or we could go where we're supposed to." River glanced at Adelaide. "Admit it, even you can't fly this right." Adelaide just shrugged, before tossing the Doctor his sonic and getting to work.
|C-S|
They returned to the Oval Office, the Time Lords shaking Nixon's hand while the companions stood at various places behind them.
"So we're safe again," Nixon said, laughing.
"Safe? No, of course you're not safe. There's about a billion other things out there just waiting to burn your whole world." Nixon's smile started to fail, and the Doctor winced when he realized Adelaide would likely scold him for this, though the Time Lady was pretending to have a bit more self-control at the moment. "But, if you want to pretend you're safe, just so you can sleep at night? Okay, you're safe. But you're not really." Adelaide pulled the Doctor backwards to address Canton. "Canton. Until the next one, eh?"
Canton grinned. "Looking forward to it."
Adelaide looked back at Nixon. "Canton does just want to get married. Doesn't seem worth kicking him out of the FBI for that."
Nixon nodded. "I'm sure something can be arranged."
She smiled. "Thank you, Richard." They turned to walk back towards the TARDIS, but then Nixon called after them.
"Er, Doctor, Adelaide," they'd told him her actual name eventually, "Canton here tells me you're…you're from the future. It hardly seems possible, but I was wondering…"
"We should warn you that we don't answer a lot of questions."
"But I'm a President at the beginning of his time. Dare I ask…will I be remembered?"
The Doctor gave a shaky laugh. "Oh, Dicky. Tricky Dicky. They're never going to forget you."
Adelaide waved. "Say hello to David Frost for us." They turned and walked back to the TARDIS, stepping inside after their companions.
"David Frost?" Nixon asked quietly, but the Time Lords said nothing more, just closing the door of the TARDIS.
|C-S|
The Doctor and Adelaide stood before River's cell in the Stormcage, the woman in front of them. "You could come with us," the Doctor offered, nodding back towards where they'd left the TARDIS.
River just smiled. "I escape often enough, thank you. And I have a promise to live up to." She smiled sadly. "You'll understand soon enough."
The Doctor shrugged. "Okay. Up to you." He and Adelaide stepped backward. "Call us."
"What, that's it?" River laughed, making them pause. "What's the matter with you?"
"Have we forgotten something?"
"Oh, shut up." River pulled them into a tight hug, but instead of being touched the Time Lords just frowned. River was normally very careful about what she said or did, especially when she didn't know if Adelaide was a human or not or where in their timelines they were. When she stepped back, she frowned at their expressions. "What's wrong? You're acting like we've never done that before."
Adelaide shook her head. "I'm sorry, River. Not…not yet."
River's eyes widened. "Not yet?"
The Doctor coughed, looking at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. Must be off. But it was very nice. It was…it was good. It was…unexpected…"
"Doctor," Adelaide said. "Stop."
He went silent, and the pair began to back up again. "Well, there's a first time for everything."
They stepped into the TARDIS and left River standing there, watching them, knowing what would happen soon.
|C-S|
A bit later, after Amy and Rory had some alone time, the four of them had recollected in the main room of the TARDIS. "Rory," the Doctor said suddenly, "I'm going to need thermocouplings. The green ones and blue ones."
Rory nodded, going down the stairs to find them for him. "Okay, hold on."
"Thank you, Rory," Adelaide called after him, before the Time Lords turned to look at Amy.
"So…"
"So?"
"You're okay?"
Amy nodded. "Fine. Head's a bit weird. There's loads of stuff I can't quite remember."
"After effect of the Silence," Adelaide said, nodding. "Natural."
"But that's not what I was asking," the Doctor said. "You told us you were pregnant."
Amy swallowed hard. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was. I mean, I thought I was. It turns out I wasn't."
"No, why did you tell us?"
She shrugged. "Because you're my friends. You're my best friends."
"And did you tell Rory?" Adelaide asked her, making Amy look away.
"No."
"Amy, why did you tell us and not Rory?"
"Why do you think?" the Time Lords just shrugged. "I travelled with you in this TARDIS for so long. All that time…if I was pregnant for some of it, wouldn't it have had an effect? I don't want to tell Rory his baby might have three heads or, like, a timehead or something."
The Doctor frowned. "What's a timehead?"
"I don't know, but what if it had one?"
He laughed. "A timehead?"
"Shut up." Amy turned to face the stairs Rory had gone down. "Oi, stupid face!"
Rory walked back up the stairs, Amy's recorder still in hand. "Uh, yeah? Hello."
Amy sighed. "I'm taking that away from you, if you're going to listen in all the time."
"Okay, that's a fair point. But you should've told me that you thought you were pregnant. I'm a nurse. I'm good with pregnancy."
Amy walked closer to him. "Not, as it turns out, that good. So please stop being stupid."
"Uh, no, never," Rory grinned, wrapping his arms around Amy to swing her around. "I'm never, ever going to stop being stupid."
Adelaide and the Doctor smiled at them, the Time Lord lifting up Adelaide's hand to kiss before clapping his hands. "So, this little girl. It's all about her. Who was she? Or we could just go off and have some adventures. Anyone in the mood for adventures?" He spun Adelaide in a circle. "Adelaide, what do you think?"
She shrugged. "I'm always in the mood for an adventure. You only live once."
They spun each other to the other side of the console, letting their companions think whatever they wanted, to look at the monitor and the scan they'd set running.
It had a picture of Amy and basic information about her. But the most interesting part, the part that had the Time Lords' smiles falling, was the fact it was flickering between a positive and negative pregnancy test.
This wasn't good.
|C-S|
Later, after quite an adventure, the human companions had retreated to their bedroom for a rest and the Time Lords decided to at least sit down for a bit, neither of them really liking not running about, having one adventure or another. They'd ended up on a couch in some random TARDIS room, lying with Adelaide in the Doctor's arms, letting him play with her fingers.
"Let's play a game," she said. "We try to guess something about each other's past and, if we get it right, we get to guess again."
"And if we get it wrong?"
"Whoever gets the most right has to decide the punishment for the other?"
He grinned. "I like this game. Can I start?" Adelaide nodded, adjusting herself against his chest. "You were only child."
"Correct."
"Oh, lucky me. Your favorite color is green."
She looked up at him. "That's not a guess about my past."
He shrugged. "Still got it right, didn't I?"
She flicked his nose for that.
"You lived in the mountains."
"Wrong." The Doctor pouted. "This is the point of the game, idiot. But now it's my turn. You had at least one brother."
"That's cheating."
"Am I right?"
"Yes."
Adelaide laughed. "You had a little sister."
"How did you know?"
She moved so that she could look up at him. "Because I am a genius, Doctor, didn't you know?"
"Oh, I'm well aware of that." He kissed her, and for the remainder of their game there was also an aspect of every time they got a guess right, they got a kiss.
Eventually, that did just become the game, but neither of them was that upset about it.
At least, Adelaide tried not to be that upset about it, because if she were to be honest there was a growing uncomfortable feeling in her stomach that was getting harder to ignore.
A/N: Well, the Time Lords did get a bit distracted, now didn't they ;) These chapters have been some of the sweetest for the pair of them. So much open flirting. Though it does make me excited for what's in their futures...and what's hinted here...
Notes on reviews:
AGBreads: Thank you!