River's Birthday Gift

The Doctor had just delivered River back to her prison for what felt like the millionth time. She sighed in disappointment as she looked to her cell wall. It had been more than a month since River had seen her daughter, Kayla, and on this day it made her even more upset. Being her birthday, River felt it may have been more complete if she had been around. The Doctor had taken her Ice-Skating towards the end of the Great Frost Fairs in 1814 and had Stevie Wonder sing for her under the London Bridge. A man stood in Roman dress at her door, she sniggered and said "Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos."

The man looked confused but continued with his thought, "Doctor Song. It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams. I'm not quite sure where we are."

River stood back exasperated and replied, "Yes. Yes, we've met. Hello, Rory."

"What's wrong?" Rory asked, unsure about River's exasperated looks and hoped for a straight answer.

"It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge." River replied quite happy that her father was standing in front of her on her birthday.

Rory took another deep breath "I've come from the Doctor too."

"Yes, but at a different point in time." River added.

"Unless there's two of them." He plainly said.

"Now, that's a whole different birthday." She smiled at the thought of the previous birthday.

"They've taken Amy. And our baby. The Doctor's getting some people together. We're going after her, but he needs you, too." Rory babbled. River knew this was the day of Demon's Run and it wasn't her time to help.

"I can't. Not yet, anyway."

Rory looked angry and confused, "I'm sorry?"

River started to cry, the memory still very fresh in her memory. Her parents found her, but it still wasn't for years after she was taken away, "This is the Battle of Demon's Run. The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further, and I can't be with him till the very end."

Rory still confused and angry that Dr Song was not going to help couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"

River, tears still streaming down her face managed to say, "Because this is it. This is the day he finds out who I am." Rory quickly left after River's final statement, making her throw herself onto the bed and she sobbed harder into her pillow.

Hours past; and finally the mail was tossed through the prison bars. A small parcel sat on her bed, and River wiped the tears from her face. Inside was a sapphire encrusted heart-shaped necklace and box set. River smiled when she saw the engraving on both the box and necklace.

Mum, I love you with all my hearts and on your special day I am thinking of you. K xxx

So she remembered, River thought as tears of joy ran down her face.

"Baby girl, where are you?" She whispered as she held on tight to her daughter's gifts.