"Where do you wanna go?" He asked sensitively. They stood round the console, waiting for River to come down. "Come on, me and you, time and space. Were getting rid of your mother, just us having fun eh?" He winked at her, elbowing her in the side as she chuckled at him, but the pain was still in her eyes.

"There's one place I really wanna go." She said, quietly walking round the console, pulling levers and typing away. She looked back at The Doctor as he watched her, frowning. "You keep forgetting you taught me didn't you? Sorry, just this time. First off though, StormCage."

...

"I'm sorry I'm going as soon as your back sweetie." River said as she pulled out of her hug with Mai.

"It's ok Mum." She said quietly.

"It'll be fun next time we see each other though yeah?" River said, heading back into her cell. "We'll go to Darillium! Your father's been promising for ages!" She grinned.

Then, hearts missed a beat in that room. The Doctor's and Mai's happiness died down, because they knew. It was nearly time for River to come to the library.

The towers sang and you cried...

"Come on Pond Song, time for time and space!" The Doctor grinned fasley, grabbing Mai's wrist and headed towards The TARDIS.

"Don't call me that." Mai sighed, rolling her eyes. "Bye Mum!" she called back, walking into The TARDIS. She shut the doors behind her and leaned against them, as The TARDIS materialized.

"It's all messed up." The Doctor whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see her again soon."

"Yeah but it'll be a time before I was travelling with you, before she realises who I am. Or even, a time before I was even born. That's my mother we've just left, I'm never gonna see her again."

"She'll always be your mother."

"Not my River though." She said, turning round, facing him. "Her whole life was based around you. There isn't a time when she doesn't know who you are. There's a massive part of her life where I'm not in it. So I've just said goodbye to my mother, River Song, Melody Pond, and I never get to see her again."

"I know, I know." The Doctor sighed, pulling her into a hug. "Fancy some ice cream?" He whispered into her hair.

...

"Feburary 2021, Mr Manopolo's ice cream empourium is opened, one little branch in Sheffield and by May, they're nationwide! And in 3 months time, just ready for Christmas, America buy into it and then on January the 1st, 2025 Mr Manopolo's ice cream empourium is named greatest dairy products producer this century." Mai walked over from the counter, plonking two bowls of ice cream on the table, sitting opposite The Doctor. "Fish fingers and custard, yum!" The Doctor grinned, digging his spoon straight in like a excited child.

"I can't believe they even had that flavour!" Mai chuckled, tucking into her plain mint choc chip.

"Mr Manopolo's was the first ice cream company ever to make any flavour of ice cream, no matter what your request."

"So from what I can guess..." Mai said, looking round the room. "2026? Yeah, late 2026, between October 14th and 17th I'd say."

"Your getting the hang of it." He grinned at her.

"There's something I didn't tell you."

"Oh."

"When I was in the time war, I met Nanna." He stared blankly at her. "And she helped me. She taught me how to use the gift."

"Really? That's brilliant." He grinned. "Time lord males never learnt how to use the gift, but the women did. Your very lucky young lady." He smiled, tapping her on the nose before eating his ice cream again.

"What is it with you and fish fingers and custard anyway?"

"I like them, they're my favourite food!"

"What about something normal, like... bananas?"

"I actually used to love bananas!"

"What and you don't now?"

"Haven't tried one in this body."

"You've been in that body how long? Including the time waiting for Lake Silencio? 203 years? And you haven't ate a banana?"

"Never found the time."

"203 years and never had the chance to eat a banana? Your life must have been so boring without me."

"And your life must have been so boring without us." A woman snapped. They looked round and saw another woman sit opposite Mai and a man next to her. They both stared in confusion, not knowing who they were. "And of course you don't look a day older do you?" The woman interupted before they could say anything. "We thought you were dead, and then we heard you wasn't! You didn't even come and see us so we knew you were ok! And you abandoned your daughter, how could you do that?"

"Mum can we get a ice cream?" A young boy said as he appeared at the woman's side with a young girl next to him, staying silent.

"There you go Harely love." The man said, passing him some money. "Go with The Doctor. This is The Doctor by the way." He said, half smiling at The Doctor as he got up and walked over with the kids to the counter.

"Oh my god." Mai whispered.

"You don't look a day older than when we last saw you. Demons Run and then you died." Sadie said, a little calmer.

"That's because I'm not. For me it's only been about a month, I escaped the time war just the other day. But really? 10 years and I didn't visit?"

"Why did you leave him? You left him to raise her."

"How is she?" Mai whispered.

"Spoilers." Charlie muttered, smiling. "We can't tell you that."

"I hate you guys." She chuckled.

"He renamed her." Sadie sighed, squeezing one of Mai's hands. "We all agreed that wasn't the right name for her. Even Sarah-Jane."

"What did he call her?" She looked at Charlie as he called back to the children at the counter.

"Melody love, don't get the fish fingers and custard, you know your father doesn't like you eating that."

"But I like it." She said sweetly, trotting over beside him. "Why doesn't Daddy like me eating it?"

"It's a bad memory, but I'll tell you what, you can have it this once, our little secret yeah?" Sadie smiled at her, giving her a wink.

"Yay!" Melody grinned. "Thank you Aunty Sadie!" She giggled and ran back off to the counter.

"You called her Melody..." Mai whispered, wiping a tear quickly from her eyes.

"He only just let us see her. We took her out and snuck her to see Amy and Rory, he refused to let them see her! Sarah-Jane argued with him and Rani and Clyde, all of them did, but he wouldn't let them. We only just managed to be able to see her, as long as she never told him who we took her to see. So every other weekend, we bundle up in the car and drive down to Leadworth. And then occasionally, Martha and Jack and Mickey might be there, because they knew that The Doctor would appreaciate it."

"What did you say about me to her?"

"Luke says nothing. Rani and Sarah-Jane and Clyde always argue with him about it, they don't hate you, they understood. They spent the last 10 years believing that you'd come back, and they still do. Amy and Rory don't know what to say, neither do we. So when she asks, we just say your Mummy was a special lady who done everything for you."

"And Harley?"

"We show him pictures and talk all the time. All we knew is you left in The TARDIS, we didn't know if you came back. You could have been dead for all we knew!"

"Mummy, that's the lady in all the pictures at home!" Harley said as he plopped onto the table next to them with The Doctor. "That's Mai!

"You've got so big Har!" She grinned, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Where's Melody?" Charlie asked.

"She's just grabbing her ice cream from the counter-" They all span round as they heard a crash from the counter, and saw a Goverhype, with it's long hand wrapped around Melody's mouth, her blonde hair falling to her shoulders. Glass shattered from the sneeze guard and the whole shop screamed as Melody wriggled.

"Melody!" Mai screamed.

Please Review!