It's long… there will be one more after this, a sort of epilogue. And I know how much we all hate epilogues- usually just a waste of time, but this one does have a little bit of excitement in it. Not a whole lot, I warn you, but I didn't just use it to tie the knot all neat and pretty. Anyways… Enjoy! 3 reviews makes another chapter.

"No, stop!" Amy cried, lunging at Izzy. Neil swung the sword down, forcing Amy to freeze. The edge, already bloodied from Neil's hand and Rory's side, pressed against her throat. Rory froze, with Izzy pulling his head back with a handful of his hair. The air was suddenly thick and silent.

"Don't move, or your wife's head will come off," Neil said coldly. Ella watched with wide eyes. The Doctor slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"Listen, it's not in me. I've done nothing incriminating. Just let my friends go," he said slowly.

"Nothing incriminating? You wanted to open the door," Izzy said. Yes, but… Don't kill him! The voice said. Shut up, she thought back. We've got you now.

"And you insist that there's a dangerous creature inside someone here, but won't do anything to find out who it is. You were up in the control room- I bet you stopped the shuttle, so it could get in and get fully inside you," Damian accused. Don't, no, don't… the voice cried, but it was getting weaker. "We're right- it's him. The monster… the voice, it's telling me not to kill him. But it's getting fainter. It knows we have it," he said triumphantly.

"No, I swear-,"

"You won't say your name. You're ageless, and have already been here," Helen put in, joining the fray. He tried to save you. Right? He's not a monster… it's inside Damian! Not him, it isn't him! the voice said, but the persuasive edge was gone.

"Why won't you say your name?" Damian asked.

"I…It's just, I- I don't…" They're coming for me. What if it is me? I'm so scared. He pushed the thoughts away. If it is me… I'll beat this thing. Go willingly. But- No! Fight back! You can't give up and die! But you'll risk others if you don't die. The Doctor knotted his fingers in his hair, the internal argument making it difficult to think.

"See? You can't even tell us why," Neil said. "Damian. Izzy. Helen. Throw him out."

"No!" Amy screamed, but Neil pressed the sword harder, until a drop of blood slid down her neck, staining her white blouse collar.

"Don't hurt her!" Rory bellowed, clenching and unclenching his hands helplessly. "Doctor, what do we do?"

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, trying to push the sword away, but slapped her brutally across the face and she fell back. He pushed the sword back up against her neck.

"Amelia Pond, STOP!" the Doctor roared in a hoarse voice, plagued with angst. Amy and her husband froze, staring at him with shock and fear.

"What… what are you… you…" Amy stuttered, now choking on sobs.

"I leave the shuttle." Both Rory and Amy blinked at him, disbelieving.

"No, you can't!" "Please, no!" Amy and Rory shouted. He shook his head.

"Its okay. I'll go," he said softly. "Just… keep an eye on River, will you?"

"No," Amy whispered. "You don't die here. I know you don't!"

"Time changes," the Doctor said.

"But… if the thing was in him, he wouldn't give up this easily," Helen said thoughtfully.

"It can survive out there. It already has once. What does it care if it kills another body? That's just the monster in your head, anyways," Damian reasoned darkly. Helen hesitated, then grabbed one of the Doctor's arms as Damian grabbed the other, Izzy walking behind to make sure nothing went wrong. They went to the door beside Neil, faces grim. Amy and Rory began shouting in protest, and Damian shouted back, telling them to be quiet and they wouldn't get hurt. Everything was loud and chaotic, spiraling out of control.

"Daddy, no," Ella cried, shaking her dad's leg. "Don't hurt him!"

"Get out of the way, girl," he snarled, shaking her off. She fell on her bottom, looking shocked, and started to cry.

Izzy blinked, but Neil nodded toward the door, face alight with malicious glee. "Hurry up and toss him. The rescue shuttle will be here soon. Do it!"

"No parent would treat a girl that way," Izzy whispered to herself under the shouting, a look of horror on her face. Suddenly, she dove at Neil. NO! STOP!

Amy screamed, and Rory jumped and pulled his wife out of the way just before Neil waved the sword around in pain. Izzy had dug her nails into his face, scoring bloody gouges. He dropped the sword to cover his face and howl. Amy lunged forward and grabbed Ella, pulling her out of the way and tucking her face into her stomach, simultaneously hugging her and covering her eyes and ears. The Doctor shouted as Izzy reached for the sword-

NO, DON'T YOU DARE- grabbed the handle-

NOOO- and swung it at the thing that used to be Neil.

There was a soft sound of impact, then twin thumps as first his head, then his body hit the floor. The shouting in everyone's heads abruptly stopped. Amy held Ella, both of them crying, while Rory wrapped his arms around both of them. Izzy dropped the sword, her face looking suddenly aged and exhausted. Damian pulled her into his embrace. Hanna covered her face, quiet prayers coming from behind her hands, and the Doctor slid to the floor, staring at the body, head in his hands.

Nobody spoke until they all got off the shuttle, as if not daring to give the monster (if there was anything left of it) any more words. But once they got off, they began talking quietly, sitting together in the bay.

"Did you know it was him?" Amy asked the Doctor. He nodded.

"There is no fear like a father fearing for his daughter," he said solemnly, eyes lost in the past. "Not even a husband fearing for his wife. It let the creature in. And he was curled up when the lights came back on. He didn't know which box was first aid- unfamiliar with human customs, still getting used to us.

"The voice in our heads- it was telling you not to kill me, but it wasn't until after he said that the voice was coming from me. Reverse psychology, of a sort. He was… good. Let you get yourselves riled up, step in as the voice of reason, and gently direct your energies. He was pretty subtle, only revealing himself as the creature when he thought you were all too caught up in calling for my blood to notice. Same thing happened last time- when it got truly chaotic, it couldn't help itself and let the façade slip.

"And then, most of all, he was the only one to lose his love. Helen loved God, Damian and Izzy loved each other, you and you," he said, nodding first to Amy then Rory, "loved each other, but Neil stopped loving his daughter. After decades, maybe even centuries, of loneliness, love isn't an emotion the creature was capable of."

"What will happen to Ella?" Rory asked, staring at the little girl across the room where she sat with Helen, staring at her shoelaces.

"She will be sent to an orphanage, most likely," the Doctor said sadly. "But she's a beautiful young girl with much promise- someone will scoop her up quickly. And this galaxy has few orphans that stay in orphanages for long- due to many stars with high radiation emissions, fertility is low and children are revered. Thermogenic waves, and weak, new flesh- well, you, ahm, don't need to hear all the details. You guys know all about reproduction. But children are somewhat rare here. She'll be adopted within two months," he said confidently, returning to his prattling, science-y self.

"Actually, try two days," a voice said. The Doctor turned to see Izzy and Damian walking over. "We've already requested to adopt her."

"Really? You aren't even married yet, and you're a musician. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Amy asked. Izzy nodded.

"Our wedding is in a week and a half. She'll be a beautiful flower girl."

"And once you get married, you don't stay a musician," Damian admitted. "Trying to start a family doesn't work well with that lifestyle. Moving all the time, late mornings and later nights, parties… well, we've been doing it since I was 16. That's when my band started. After the few years it took to get started, we've had almost seven years of non-stop fame and celebration and parties. It's time to settle down."

"Plus, who else could relate to the trauma she's seen today? Who else would understand? We can help her recover. Damian knows a very good grief counselor. Since his father died, she's practically been the family shrink. Both of them just had their fathers die. They can find solace in each other. Also… I'm… well, I'm- um… fertile," she confessed, wincing. "We talked about adopting before. I can't think of anything I would change, anyone else I would care about more than her. I love her," she said fiercely, "and I'll protect her better than her birth parents did. Nobody deserves to go through something like that again."

Rory nodded. "Well… congratulations!"

Amy smiled. "You've already got the protective mother thing down."

"Do you have children?" Damian asked curiously.

"Yes. We have a daughter… and I would do anything for her. Including," Amy said, turning to smile at the Doctor, "Raise an army, cross the universe, and stop time." Rory put an arm around her shoulders.

"What's her name?"

"Melody Pond," Amy and Rory said, at the same time the Doctor said, "River Song." They blinked and looked at each other. "Now that is going to get confusing," the Doctor laughed.

"She has two names?" Izzy said, puzzled. Amy shook her head.

"It's a long story. It changed a little, being translated back and forth in languages… it's just as strange for us."

"Oh." Izzy and Damian waited for a second, but when nobody explained, they shrugged. "What about you, Doctor?"

"What about me?" he repeated distractedly.

"Do you have children?"

"Oh. Um, well…" he started. Everyone waited, but he appeared lost in his thoughts.

"Doctor?" Amy prodded. He blinked, and shook his head.

"Oh, right. Children. Um… yes. A few. My last daughter… she died. I don't really… I mean, it's… I- um…" he trailed off, furrowing his brow, staring at the table.

"Let me guess. It's a long story," Izzy said, laughing. "It's alright. Does it go along with the mystery of your age? Over forty years old, and looking like you're our age? Being all clever? That little glowing, buzzing tool you use?" The Doctor stammered again for a second, blinking. "I'm sorry about your daughter."

An attendant woman appeared at Izzy's elbow. "Excuse me, but the paperwork is ready to be signed," she said cheerfully. Ella was holding her hand, smiling. They all stood up.

"And it's time we were going. I think we've had enough relaxing," the Doctor said.

"Relaxing? I think I need to recover from this relaxing," Amy said laughing, grabbing Rory's hand and heading for the room where they'd parked the TARDIS.

"And I'd like to get this patched properly," Rory said, gesturing to his side where the bandage was visible on his bare chest. "And get a new shirt."

"Right! Let's blow this joint!" the Doctor exclaimed, raising an arm in what he apparently thought was a valiant pose. Amy and Rory stared at him. "No?"

Amy shook her head, trying not to laugh, while grimaced. "No," they said together.

"Well, fine. Let's just go somewhere else. We'll pay a visit to you," the Doctor said to Izzy and Damian. He crouched down to look Ella in the eyes. "And this funny man will keep an eye out for you," he said, ruffling her hair. She giggled, poking him in the chin.