Ch 12

River hurried with the pram and dog to the museum that the girls were visiting, running through the place to try and find them. She was stopped by one of the employees.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm going to have to ask you not to run. And there are no animals allowed in here."

"Yes, I'm aware, I'm sorry, but I need to find my daughters. It's an emergency."

Toby trotted ahead, barking for River to follow. She got after him, finally seeing the girls. She rushed over to them, quickly speaking to their teacher and coming up with a story about an accident and that the girls needed to come home immediately. She whisked them out of the museum.

"Did Daddy really get in an accident?" Freya worried.

River hesitated, "Let's just get home." She shooed her along. They went into the TARDIS when they got to the flat, which was parked in the living room.

"Mummy..." The girl insisted, climbing up on the jump seat. "Is Daddy hurt? Is he okay?"

"Yes," She lied, giving her a smile, "He's alright, but he needs my help with something very important, so Uncle Jack is going to come over and watch you." She was already piloting the TARDIS to Torchwood, Arthur starting to cry in her arms.

"Well why couldn't it wait 'till after the field trip?" Amelia frowned.

Her smiled faded a bit as she tried to think of an excuse, "Because it has to do with saving the world."

"Oh, oh can we come!" This only excited her. "Please, please, please? I wanna help! I can save people!"

"Not this time, my love." She murmured, "I need you to take care of your brother for me, can you do that?"

Amelia nodded, only pouting a little. She knew that her parents considered caring for her little brother an equally if not more important job.

Freya tugged on River's dress for attention again. "Uncle Jack doesn't need our help with that. I want to finish the field trip!"

"Well, I want you here, just in case he needs your help. Because you know what? I think you're much smarter than Uncle Jack. Once I'm finished, I can take you back to your field trip if you'd like."

"Can you get us back when we left so we don't miss any?" She crossed her arms. Last time the girls had been pulled out of school, they had come back and missed an entire month, though that was mainly the Doctor's poor driving.

"Of course, my sweet." She kissed her forehead, "Now, would you like to hold your little brother?"

Freya nodded, feeling more confident that this was only a short break from school. She sat, as it was a rule for getting to hold the baby, and held her arms out. "Where is Daddy, anyways?"

"He's out starting to fix things right now." River put the baby in her arms, giving her another quick kiss before running to the doors to get Jack.

"Can't get enough of me, huh?" Jack flirted as he was dragged into the TARDIS. "River Song, you bad-" He cut himself off when he realized the girls were there.

"I need you to watch them." She whispered, glancing at the girls.

"What's going on." He frowned, knowing that tone.

"It's Missy. She found us while we were out. I don't know where she or the Doctor are now. I had to leave him, I couldn't let her get to the baby." She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Luckily the girls were out of earshot.

"You need me to keep them safe." It wasn't so much of a question, but more of a confirmation that he would do so in confidence. "Your place or mine?"

"The Hub." She murmured, "I may need the TARDIS."

He nodded, looking at the girls and putting on his 'funny uncle' face. "Hey kiddos! I've got a super fun computer game for you if you come in here." Amelia immediately jumped up and ran into the hub, Freya needing to wait until he took the baby. "Don't worry, Riv. I'll call you at the first sign of trouble." Jack assured, patting her arm with his free hand.

River nodded, thanking him as he left. She then took off in the TARDIS, back to the place where she had left the Doctor and only a few minutes after she'd first left. There was nothing there now, the Doctor having left or been taken. Probably the latter.

"Well you certainly that hook easily." Missy was leaning against the TARDIS, fixing her lipstick in the mirror.

"What do you want?" River hissed, glaring at her.

"Oh, that's right. You were too dead to hear that I'm planning to ruin your life." Missy grinned.

"Well, I'm not dead anymore, so care to inform me?"

"Yes, because I really just wanted to take this time to explain to you my evil plan." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "But don't worry. Half the job is already done."

"What half is that?"

"Well, dearie," Her sinister grin returned as she circled River. "Messing with thick people is really quite easy. Change some wind here, talk to some people there…. Think of all the bad things that have happened to you since you and what's-his-face decided to create those little disgraces. Things you might blame on, say, other people. Things you might blame on nature."

River shook her head, "What are you implying?"

"Oh, go on, trollop. Even a half-breed could put it together. Then again, those idiots with the dumb eye patches had trouble with it, too."

She glared at her, still unclear what exactly Missy was referring to.

"Your thick skull is really making this conversation quite boring for me." She pouted. "Do you have any tea?"

"Well I'm sorry I can't read your mind." River snapped, "Most people don't have that ability, you know."

"The Doctor and I used to be able to, before he shut me out at least." Missy seemed to enjoy toying with River.

"Well, now he shares that ability with me." River replied cooly.

"Hardly." She countered. "Whatever you think you have, it's nowhere close to what it could've been if you weren't a mutt."

"At least I'm not a lonely Time Lady who can only get attention by kidnapping and terrorizing her former friend."

"Don't forget allowing the stupid eye-patch-people to track your family, break into your TARDIS on several occasions, putting the Vashta Nerada spores in the books, providing that ghastly woman with that weird drug for you, drowning the thing you call a daughter..." She listed, counting on her fingers. "I think I'm missing a few, but I do love a track record."

River suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. "You drowned Amelia?" She stared at her, startled, before something else clicked in her brain, "You let the Silence into the TARDIS? You're the reason my expedition left only Mr Lux alive? You're the reason my son died?!"

Missy inspected her nails. "It died? Oh good, I was hoping that would happen."

River's expression hardened and she attacked her, taking her to the ground.

"Now, now, there's no need to get temperamental." Missy struggled. "If you kill me now, you'll never find where your dear little hubby is."

She had dealt with Missy enough to know that her games of 'be nice to me and I'll tell you what you want' never worked. She'd need to use force to get information out of her. River grabbed hold of Missy's collar, ramming her head into the ground, "Where is my husband?!"

"Oof, now that's just going to make me dizzy." Missy exaggerated the expression.

She did it again, "Answer me!"

Missy growled, surging up and flipping them over. She grabbed River's wrist and forced her to hold her vortex manipulator as they dematerialized. River didn't even look to see where they were when they landed, forcing another flip so she was on top again.

Suddenly hands were on River, wrenching her off the other Timelady and forcing her to the floor. Missy stood, rubbing her head and dusting herself off.

"Get off of me!" River shouted, struggling against whomever was holding her.

"I believe you've been here before." Missy put her hand on her hip. "Welcome to the Papal Mainframe."

River continued to battle the person holding her, "What do you want?" She shouted at her.

"Well in short, you'll all be dead by the end of the day. Chain her somewhere useful." Missy waved to the orderly to take River away.

"Get off of me!" She shouted again, struggling with all of the force she had. Another person came to help restrain her, dragging her down stairs and to a cell. They chained her to the wall and left with a firm slam of the door.

She struggled against her chains, trying to escape, "If you don't let me out this instant, you'll regret it!"

"Don't I know it." The reply came from behind her, on the other side of the wall.

She froze her shouts falling silent for a moment.

"River?" The man's voice asked. "You still there? You're not a figment of my imagination, are you?"

"No..." She breathed, "I'm here."

"Oh." He seemed a bit disappointed. "So then you really did get captured. Are the girls safe?"

"I hope so..." She murmured, guilt flooding through her when she heard the disappointment in his voice.

"Did you leave them with Vastra?"

"I'm not going to tell you." She shook her head. She wouldn't dare risk someone overhearing and finding out where they were hidden.

He nodded, though she couldn't see him. "Sorry, I should have asked something else. They took my sonic first day here, I'm awfully bored."

"What do you mean first day?" She breathed.

"I mean the first day I was here." He stated.

"How long have you been here?"

"Four days, I think. There isn't exactly a clock in here."

She shook her head, trying to struggle out of the chains again, she fighting so hard her wrists threatened to break.

"River..." The Doctor worried at the sound of clanking metal. "If you're trying to break out, it's not going to work. I already tried." She ignored him, trying harder than before. "You're going to hurt yourself!" He said louder, think maybe she hadn't heard him.

There was a snap and she cried out in pain, the warning coming too late.

"River!" The called out to her, worry taking over completely.

Her breathing was heavy now, trying to work through the pain, "I-I'm okay, I'm alright. I can get out now."

He was silent for a moment. "Is it both of them?"

"Not yet." She murmured, "But it'll have to be."

The sound of one chain falling against the wall came before the tugging resumed. His hearts clenched and if he had been able to cover his ears, he would have. He didn't want to hear her in pain because she was in a place she shouldn't have been in the first place. There was another snap, followed by a muffled mix of a whimper and a cry of agony.

He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm so sorry." She was silent, the sound of the other shackle hitting the wall. He wished he had regeneration energy to give her.

"I-I'm out now." She whispered, though the pain made it hard to concentrate.

"Give yourself a moment, will you?" He begged.

"We don't have a moment." Her breath was ragged, as if she had just ran a marathon.

"Well you need one." He couldn't imagine what pain she was in right now.

She fell against the wall, on the brink of passing out from the pain. One self-inflicted wrist break she could handle, two was too much.

"Just breathe, okay?" He instructed from the other side of the wall. It was all he could do since he couldn't physically comfort her. She nodded, despite the fact that they couldn't see each other.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming back towards her cell. Missy's face soon appeared in the bars of the window in River's door. "Aw, you did the fun part without me."

She ignored Missy, still focusing on breathing.

"Looks like you didn't enjoy it as much as I am. No matter. Did him in doors tell you to do it?"

"No." She growled, still not looking at her.

Missy grinned, "Oh, Doctor!" She called.

"You just stay away from her!" The Doctor shouted, not having heard most of what they were saying.

"You know, I think I'm in the mood to play a bit of operation!" She called, stepping further into River's cell, "And your wife will make the perfect patient."

"Get away from her!" He cried, starting to struggle against his bonds. He was nowhere near as strong as River was, and wouldn't be able to break out like she did, but that wouldn't stop his attempts.

"What shall we fix first, hmm? Perhaps we should remove a few organs to make sure she can't spread her mutt blood again." She snapped, two orderlies came in behind her to grab River. They secured her arms behind her back, holding her wrists rather tightly.

River fought back until they grabbed her wrists, melting in pain.

"Oh, I do love a weak spot." Missy drew a knife from her pocket.

"Doctor!" River called, not seeing a way she could get out of this on her own. She tried to fight, but the grip on her wrists was almost unbearable.

"Yes, call for help. I makes things more hilarious." Missy sneered.

The clanging metal in the other room didn't stop, the Doctor trying furiously to get to River. There was a snap, but this wasn't of bones breaking; it was of metal. River's heart was pounding, the snap making her more nervous as she didn't know if it was the Doctor breaking the chains or something else.

Even Missy paused at the noise. "What does he think he's playing at." She glanced over her shoulder as if she would be able to see through the wall to see what he was doing.

The scraping of metal against the floor started along with footsteps that were coming closer. Missy turned to the door to see the Doctor standing there, utterly enraged that she would even dare touch his wife. The cuffs were still around his wrists, the chains dragging behind him having been broken off.

River was staring as well, relieved to see him again. Missy, though surprised, kept a cool exterior, twirling the knife in her hands, "Well, look who finally showed up to the operating room. Just in time to watch your pet get sterilized."

"You. Will. Not. Touch. Her." He ground out, raising his arm and whipping a chain at her. It wrapped around the arm she was holding the knife in and he yanked as hard as he could.

Missy stumbled, barely catching her balance before yanking back. The Doctor was pulled to his knees, but instantly jumped up and tacked her. She fought back, calling for assistance. She tossed the knife aside, as she wasn't aiming on killing the Doctor. The orderlies idiotically let go of River and went to try to restrain the Doctor.

"No, you idiots!" Missy snapped, "Get both of them!"

The Doctor took the other chain and attacked one of the orderlies before they could move back to River. "River, run!"

River ran behind him, "Come one, let's go." She touched his arm.

"A bit busy, give me a sec." He huffed, getting the chains untangled from Missy and the orderly. "Okay, now run." River grabbed one of the chains, wincing a bit and then taking off.

They sprinted down the hall, Missy close on their tails. "Please tell me you have the TARDIS."

She shook her head, "Missy used her vortex manipulator, but there has to be another way to get out of here."

"We have to assume no one here is our friend. But there's too many to fight." They went around a corner. She nodded in agreement, on the lookout for any immediate threats. "We've got to find somewhere we can barricade ourselves so we can have second to think."

She nodded again, glancing over her shoulder. They took twists and turns in attempts to shake Missy off their trail, pushing themselves as fast as they could manage. They came across a room and darted inside, setting to barricading the door.