(It took ages for me to get this one and the next one beta'd (there's probably still something wrong) but here it is. I'm working really hard on getting this story finished. Credit to my brother, DreamWeaver1985, for beta reading this for me.)


The Doctor, Amy, Rory, River, and Lyra had all gathered in the TARDIS. The Doctor was doing his usual dance around the console, flicking levers and pushing buttons. "1969. That's an easy one. Funny how some years are easy. Now, 1482, full of glitches." said the Doctor. "Now then!" he exclaimed, his expression faltering when Amy left in favour of the area beneath the console. "Canton Everett Delaware the Third. That was his name, yeah?" he asked. "How many of those can there be? Well… three, I suppose." he quipped, once more feeling like all was not ok when River left to join Amy. "…Rory, is everyone cross with me for some reason?" he enquired.

Rory raised his finger and opened his mouth, wondering for one moment whether or not he should say yes. However, he wasn't entirely sure if Amy and River were mad or just confused, so he closed his mouth and lowered his finger. "I'll find out." he said, leaving to join Amy and River.

The Doctor turned and smiled at Lyra. "Well, at least you're still here. Guess I can always count on that." he murmured. He turned away from her and leaned over the console, closing his eyes.

Lyra watched him, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The Doctor turned back to her, wearing his usual smile. "I just mean you seem like the type who's always there for people." he explained.

Lyra raised her eyebrows. "Do you always make those kinds of judgements about people you barely know?" she enquired, smirking.

"Always." he said, his smile growing when Lyra laughed.

Under the console, Amy once more requested an explanation for the confusion with the Doctor. "Explain it again?"

"The Doctor we saw on the beach is a future version two hundred years older than the one up there." River explained quietly.

"But all that's still gonna happen? He's still gonna die?" asked Amy.

River smiled softly. "We're all gonna do that, Amy."

"We're all not going to arrange our own wake and invite ourselves." observed Rory. "So the Doctor, in the future, knowing he's going to die, recruits his younger self and all of us to… to what, exactly? Avenge him?" he asked.

River shook her head. "No. Avenging's not his style."

"Save him." suggested Amy, hoping she was right.

"That's not his style either." said Rory.

"We have to tell him." Amy stated.

"We've told him all we can." River said. "We can't even tell him we've seen his future self. He's interacted with his own past. It could rip a hole in the universe." she explained.

"Except he's done it before!" insisted Amy.

"And in fairness, the universe did blow up." Rory countered.

"But he'd want to know!" Amy growled, growing impatient.

"Would he?" questioned River. "Would anyone?"

The Doctor suddenly stuck his head under the console. "I'm being extremely clever up here and there's no-one to stand around looking impressed. Lyra's not giving me anything! What's the point in having you all?" he asked, disappearing again.

"Couldn't you just slap him sometimes?" River asked.

Lyra popped her head under the console. "Just so you know, he's really not being all that impressive." she said.

"Oi!" the Doctor yelled angrily as Lyra popped her head back up.

River turned to Amy and Rory, her trademark smirk on her face. "I like that girl!"

"River, we can't just let him die! We have to stop it. How can you be ok with this?" she asked.

"The Doctor's death doesn't frighten me. Nor does my own." River confessed. "There's a far worse day coming for me." she added, leading Amy and Rory up to re-join the Doctor and Lyra.

"Time isn't a straight line." the Doctor began explaining, clearly glad to have an audience again. "It's all… bumpy-wumpy." he said, throwing a glare that seemed to mask a smirk at Lyra when she scoffed. "There's loads of boring stuff. Like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays. Big temporal tipping points when anything's possible. The TARDIS can't resist them. Like a moth to a flame. She loves a party, so I give her 1969 and NASA 'cause that's space in the 60s. And Canton Everett Delaware III. And this is where she's pointing." he said, showing the monitor to everyone.

"Washington D.C. April the 8th, 1969." read Amy. "So why haven't we landed?" she asked.

"'Cause that's not where we're going." the Doctor answered.

"Where are we going?" asked Rory.

"Home." he replied. "Well, you two are. Off you pop and make babies. Lyra, you return home and finish college. And you, Dr Song, back to prison. And me, I'm late for a biplane lesson in 1911, or it could be knitting. Knitting or biplanes, one or the other." he said, sitting in the jump seat. "What?" he asked when he saw four very confused faces looking at him. "A mysterious summons? You think I'm just going to go? Who sent those messages?" he asked. "I know you know." he said when nobody answered. "I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that."

"You're going to have to trust us this time." urged River.

"Trust you." began the Doctor, standing and approaching River. "Sure. But first of all, Doctor Song, just one thing. Who are you? You're someone from my future, getting that, but who?" he asked. When River didn't answer, he tried a different approach. "Okay. Why are you in prison? Who did you kill, hm? Now, I love a bad girl, me. But trust you? Seriously?"

"Trust me." Amy said, making the Doctor turn.

"Ok." he responded, walking over to her.

"You have to do this, and you can't ask why." she told him.

The Doctor remained silent for a few moments, observing her closely. "Are you being threatened? Is someone making you say that?" he asked.

"No." replied Amy.

"You're lying." stated the Doctor.

"I'm not lying!" she insisted.

"Swear to me." demanded the Doctor. "Swear to me on something that matters."

Amy didn't respond right away. She searched her mind for something important to her. And then she found it. The one thing that was just hers and the Doctor's. Her lips curved into a warm smile. "Fish fingers and custard."

The Doctor returned the smile. "My life in your hands, Amelia Pond." he murmured, slowly turning and walking away from Amy.

"Thank you" River said quietly.

"So!" the Doctor exclaimed, his child-like demeanour returning. "Canton Everett Delaware III. Who's he?"

OoOoOo

"Who wants to know?" asked Canton, who was sat in a dark bar. He didn't bother turning to look at the two men in trench coats who'd said his name.

"Your boss." one of the agents answered.

"I don't have a boss anymore." Canton said, downing a shot.

"Maybe you wanna tell that to the President of the United States." countered the agent.

OoOoOo

"Ex-FBI. Got kicked out." River said, looking at his file.

"Why?" asked the Doctor.

OoOoOo

Canton was sat in the back of a car, the two agents driving as Canton spoke on the phone to Richard Nixon. "I understand you have a problem with authority." said Nixon.

"Thank you." Canton replied.

"It's not a compliment, son." responded Nixon.

OoOoOo

"6 weeks after he left the bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting." said River.

"Yeah, 1969. Who's the President?" enquired the Doctor.

OoOoOo

"This is a personal matter." said Nixon, still on the phone to Canton. "I need someone on the outside. Someone with FBI training, but is not in contact with them."

"I'm flattered." responded Canton.

"You were my second choice for this, Mr. Delaware." Nixon said firmly.

"That's ok. You were my second choice for President, Mr. Nixon." he countered.

OoOoOo

River continued to read from the monitor. "Richard Milhous Nixon. Vietnam, Watergate. There's some good stuff too."

"Not enough." the Doctor said somewhat coldly.

"Hippy!" exclaimed River.

"Archaeologist." the Doctor retorted.

OoOoOO

Canton was now sat in the office of Richard Nixon, listening to him explain his problem. "Every day, wherever I am, I get a phone call."

"People can't just call you, Mr President." stated Canton.

Ignoring Canton, Nixon continued. "It's a direct call every time. Every day for the last two weeks. Usually late at night."

"Man or woman?" asked Canton.

"Neither." Nixon said, reaching for the recording of one of the calls. "Listen."