Chapter 14: Back on the TARDIS

Sorry about running off earlier. Brand-new TARDIS - bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now." – The Doctor

I seem to be able to fly her. She showed me how, she taught me. The Doctor says I'm the child of the TARDIS. What does he mean?" – River

"What did she choose?" Asked River.

"She chose to forget everything. She didn't fight me, but the deeper I went back into her memories the more regret I saw. She asked me to erase everything. She wants a fresh start."

Amy pulled a small black device from a pocket in her leather jacket and pressed it to Kovarian's arm. "I'm injecting her with a subdermal perception filter. It'll masquerade as ordinary red blood cells while it conceals her appearance and projects a new DNA sequence in case the Silence ever scan her."

Before Amy had even finished speaking. Madame Kovarian had morphed into a plump elderly woman. Amy fiddled with the gold watch on her wrist and disappeared taking Kovarian with her. She popped back into existence a split second later with a satisfied look on her face.

"Well that's done. Dropped her in an empty hospital room with enough credits to set her up in a little cottage once she's on her feet. I even disinfected her and burnt her clothes. She doesn't have a trace of this place left on her."

"Where did you leave her?"

"With the Sisters of the Infinite Schism. We left you there once."

"I remember." Said River softly. "It was after I used the rest of my regenerations to save the Doctor. The Sisters were very kind."

"Yes, except you didn't really use up the rest of your regenerations. The Doctor lied. I think he worried you wouldn't be careful enough with your body unless you thought it was your last one."

River's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

Amy clapped her hands. "Time to get a move on. River, this is for you." She handed River a silver stick about the size and shape of a pen that she'd pulled out of another pocket on her jacket.

"What is it?"

"All the information about you that was stored on this base plus a few things I found elsewhere." She turned to Lucy. "You have a few minutes to grab anything you want to take with you."

"I don't want to take anything with me," Lucy said softly.

"River?"

"Nothing I want either."

"Very good then. To the TARDIS!"

Lucy had detached River from the machines while Amy had dealt with Kovarian so all that remained was to move River. Amy bent down to pick her up but Lucy stopped her.

"I'm her mother. I'll carry her."

Amy wasn't sure Lucy would be able to manage. River was a petite woman, but Lucy was thin to the point of emaciation. She held her tongue though and let Lucy pick up her daughter. It took quite a bit longer for Lucy to carry River to the TARDIS than it would have taken for Amy to carry her, but Amy managed to curb her impatience. When they reached the apparently empty corner of the room Amy snapped her fingers and the TARDIS door swung open.

River let out a soft sigh as soon as she was inside the TARDIS. Lucy lowered her onto one of the chairs near the console and sunk down next to her. River felt a wave of peace and encouragement emanating from the TARDIS and her eyes start to droop. She forced them open. She has too many questions to sleep now.

Amy swings the door shut and locks it before taking them into the vortex. River's heart aches as she watches Amy. Her movements are so like the Doctor's and yet so different. They both brush long fingers lovingly on the buttons and levers, but where the Doctor would bounce around with manic energy Amy flowed dancing around the console to music only she and the TARDIS could hear. When Amy stopped moving she remained touching the console for a few seconds her head bowed before she turned to River and Lucy.

"Sleep for you two. I'm going to set you up in the sickbay for now. You both have some recuperating to do."

"But . . ." River tries to object but Amy is having none of it.

"I know you have questions, but they'll have to wait until after you rest. Anyways I have an asteroid to make disappear. Demon's Run is about to vanish from history."

"Are you going to blow it up?"

"Nope. I'm going to push it into a black hole. No fuss, no muss, and no awkward bits of debris floating around. Now no more questions. Bed."

"Wait, just one more."

River had been studying Amy intently ever since they'd entered the TARDIS. There was something different about her. She was dressed as River remembered her dressing when she traveled with the Doctor. She wore a maroon jumper, brown leather jacket, skinny trousers, beat up cowboy boots, her gold watch and a small silver necklace, but it wasn't the same necklace that River remembered.

"Is that a bow tie charm on your necklace!"

Amy grinned. "It is indeed. Bow ties are cool."

And both women dissolved into laughter. As her giggles died down River realized that the difference she detected in Amy had nothing to do with her outward appearance. It was her eyes. The weary, old look in her eyes was the same look the Doctor often had, but before she could contemplate further she felt the TARDIS encouraging her to sleep. She let herself be carried to the sickbay and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

"Goodnight, Amelia." – The Doctor

"You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me." – Amy

"I always worry about you." – The Doctor

"Mutual." – Amy

Demon's run, Amy hated that place hated everything it stood for. An explosion would have been cathartic, but watching the asteroid be sucked into a black hole was its own sort of comfort. When she was sure the asteroid was completely gone she moved the TARDIS back into the vortex and wearily headed down the hallway. She was heading to a room she knew the TARDIS wouldn't let River or Lucy find. She needed a moment to let her guard down, but more than anything else she needed to talk to him.

She slipped into a room through a door that looks like every other door in the hallway and walked up to the glass case opposite the door. She leans her forehead against the glass and the case lights up at her touch. In front of her eyes closed as if he were merely sleeping is the Doctor.

"I found them. I found River and Lucy. They're safe now, and I'll do everything in my power to keep them that way. Why did you have to make it so hard? Why did you let me believe she was my daughter? I know you thought she had to be the one to kill you and that her compliance with the Silence was part of the fixed point, but surely you could have told Rory and me she wasn't our daughter. I would have still grieved for her, but I wouldn't have been so angry with you.

She is brilliant. I wonder if you knew how powerful her mind would be. Did you anticipate that she would create a new timeline to save you? If you hadn't lied to her so the normal timeline could restart what would have happened? Would we have been stuck in her head in a collapsing world? Would it have spread to engulf the entire Universe? She was willing to destroy all of reality to save you. I won't do that. You wouldn't thank me for it if I tried, but I can't give you up either. You really are a beautiful idiot. Did you really think I'd let the TARDIS dispose of your body without a fight? Not that it was much of a fight. She didn't want you to go either. So here you are my Raggedy Doctor in a box inside a bigger box traveling through time and space. And as long as there is breath in my body I will never let you go."

She stood there with her head against the glass telling the Doctor about her time in River's head and the pain and shock she felt having to watch him die again and to watch Rory die again. She kept talking until she'd told him every last detail of her rescue of River and Lucy, the choice she gave Madame Kovarian, and the destruction of Demon's Run. Then she stood and just stared at him tears leaking down her face. She would have stayed there looking at him until her knees gave out if it hadn't been for the gentle nudge from the TARDIS reminding her that others needed her.

As she painfully stretched her sore muscles she whispered one last thing before leaving the room.

"I miss you Raggedy man. I need you."