DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Everything belongs to its rightful owners.
A/N1: Well, here we are. The end of part one.
A special thanks goes to my dear friend "TheTV-Junkie" for being my first audience and helping with the "shower scene".
And another "Thank you!" goes to you my dear reader for reading this story. Without you writing would be for nothing. I hope you had some entertainment.
A/N2: Now I want to use my chance to ask you, if you have ideas for adventures that River and Shadow could go on. With or without songs. I already have one almost completely written. It's where Amy and Rory find out about Shadow and River. The next part that follows after these intermediate chapters will be when River has to leave for the Library. And yes, I have a plan for River to survive that without disturbing the established events much.
But now, enough chatter. Go and read. And afterwards please tell me what you think.
Our Love - Epilogue - I Was Lost Without You
I Was Lost Without You – Sam Hulick – Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack
They had reached Stormcage with relatively small problems.
Shadow had phoned Jack and asked if he could maybe help with some arrangements, namely a shuttle and his Vortex Manipulator. As it had turned out the Captain was still in London. 'Awaiting the fallout.' as he called it. Obviously there had been no fallout. All things were sorted and agreed on, albeit not liked very much.
River and Shadow tried to spend the time that was left without sadness. More or less they succeeded but there was still a melancholy in the air that they couldn't shake. They both hung after their own thoughts, thinking about how they got to the point where they were now in just a couple of hours.
After they had sat back down and relaxed in the company of each other for some while, Sarah Jane came out and asked if they had finally reached a consensus and would like to come in for supper.
They all gathered around the kitchen table. Clyde asked, if they had made up, which earned him a swift, obviously painful, kick to the shin from Rani.
River and Shadow nevertheless answered and explained the situation. This led to Shadow calling Jack after supper. The kids rang up their parents, or in Rani's case went over, and told them that they stayed a bit longer.
It was nearing evening when they had met up with Jack at Sarah Jane's. The Captain was seemingly impressed that none of the women had any injuries to speak of. He had half expected that Shadow would try to forcefully throw River out the door after meeting her again. Obviously he was wrong and something had prevented that. Or the bond between them was even stronger than he thought. Probably the latter, he had to admit after seeing how they interacted.
They all gathered in the attic. Even the kids were allowed in. After all children had the tendency to think so far outside the box that they couldn't even see the box anymore. And that was exactly what they needed right now. Because after the stunt Shadow had pulled at Stormcage, they had probably upped the security.
Shadow said that a shuttle and Jack's Vortex Manipulator was still needed, after all they had to bridge a distance of about 3,000 years and God knows how many light years.
Jack gave the probably tightened security measures thought, but Clyde came up with an idea: Jack could impersonate a Time Agent or so and bring in River after capturing her and Shadow was his partner.
Mr Smith then pointed out that they would need credentials for that. Sarah Jane asked back, if he could fake them, which he answered in the affirmative.
After that was settled, the only thing Mr Smith needed was something to transfer the credential onto. That was something Torchwood had in Cardiff, so the data was transferred there and River, Shadow and Jack got ready to go to Cardiff.
So after an hour and a half they all stood assembled in the driveway of 13 Bannerman Road to say their goodbyes.
After a round, River and Sarah Jane stood opposite each other. River extended her hand in a friendly manner and Sarah Jane shook it. And then she did something no one had anticipated. She drew River in for a hug and whispered in her ear: "Make sure Shadow doesn't do anything reckless. Keep her safe, keep yourself safe. And I swear I will come after you, if you should ever hurt her."
They had stopped by at Torchwood, Jack had called in Tosh's help with the credentials, and as soon as they all had their cover identities, they jumped into the 52nd century.
Jack still knew some people in the area and it didn't even take two hours and they had a shuttle. Jack piloted.
When nearing the orbit, they suddenly found themselves flanked by another ship. That was the moment they all dreaded. If their cover wouldn't check out, they would be faster on the ground and dead then they could react. Jack did the talking and soon they got clearance to land.
And due to Jack's experience with the Time Agency, he could pull off the law enforcer quite nicely. He insisted that his partner, Shadow, of course she had an alias, and he himself brought River back to her cell and personally turned the key, figuratively speaking.
Naturally, the one in charge protested, but Jack knew how to handle the likes of him. He stared him down and then turned up the charm. After all it was the 52nd century and his charm had to be sneaked past the barriers of a trained officer. Nowadays, everyone tried to charm their way in or out.
It worked. Shadow hadn't doubted the Captain for a second, and the officer told them the way and off they were.
Upon nearing the cell, the door was conveniently open, Jack took one look at the two others and covertly turned the video surveillance on a loop, so that it looked as if they hadn't yet arrived there. It gave them some time, although not much. Someone would come looking, if they wouldn't appear on the screens soon.
And that is how they had ended up in the situation they were in now.
River leaned in the door frame and Shadow stood in front of her, unsure of what to do.
"This is...new. But somehow it's not." Shadow said and cracked a small smile.
"Yeah. But let's not end it like last time. I'd rather not have company." River smiled back sadly. "So. I guess that's it then."
Shadow nodded slowly. They looked at each other for a moment and suddenly Shadow launched herself at River and hugged her tightly. River immediately hugged her back. They clung to each other like a life line.
"I really don't wanna leave." Shadow mumbled.
"You have to. You can do more good when you're out there." River reasoned.
Jack was on the other side, leaning against the wall, and watched the couple.
They stood there, not even a sheet of paper would be able to be slid between them. But they had an eerily calm aura. Like the eye of the storm.
He never thought he would see such a bond between two people again after the Doctor and Rose, but again he was wrong. He should really look into what he thought and probably re-evaluate it, he thought grimly to himself.
He would probably have to deal with an emotionally unstable Shadow on the way back home. That was something he didn't look forward to.
He never took Shadow to have emotions, well, not many anyway, or to be led by them. But today seemed like a day of surprises for one Captain Jack Harkness.
Suddenly something unexpected happened. Shadow was enveloped in a bright golden glow; tendrils of the light reached out to River who took a step backwards, an astonished and genuinely surprised look on her face.
Shadow audibly gasped. And as soon as the glow came it vanished again.
"What the hell was that!?" Jack exclaimed.
The glow and accompanying tingle that ran down Shadow's spine surprised Shadow a great deal.
The tingle then concentrated on her lower back, intensifying for a few moments and then stopped, along with the glow.
Shadow looked questioningly and absolutely lost. River, who had felt the glow reaching out to her and seemingly testing her, whispered to Shadow. "Bad Wolf." That was the only thing that had been in her mind when the glow had reached her. But it had been in another voice than her own. She could only speculate what it was, or who. But she guessed that the entity that had taken refuge within Shadow had made a visit to her and had introduced itself.
The Captain's exclamation shook the two women from their reverie.
They both looked at him and then answered in unison "Bad Wolf.".
He looked at them blankly. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Don't know yet." Shadow answered shortly. Then turned around and grabbed River's arm. "I want to show you something."
Shadow dragged her a bit into the cell, then turned her back to River and raised the back of her shirt. "Is there something?"
River gasped. There, indeed, was something.
A wolf, proud and strong, in full run. Stylized a bit but still quite realistic.
It shimmered a bit golden. And under it, between the ground and his legs, were under its chest a small Greek letter alpha and a capital beta.
River tentatively touched the wolf and stroked it from head to tail. She felt a tingle run from her fingertips down her spine and warmth extending throughout her whole body. And as she took her hand away from Shadow's back, there was a small and a capital beta added on the right side of the letters, under the wolf's belly. And then she saw a bright golden glowing line drawing around the two pairs of letters, forming an infinite symbol.
Shadow's quiet groan shook River from her musings and let her lay her hands on Shadow's shoulders, pulling her backwards and hugged her tightly. The Captain's presence was totally wiped from their minds.
Shadow turned around in River's arms and looked at her. "What...?" What is there? What happened? What do you think? Shadow didn't know which question to ask first.
River took a step over to small shelf by her bed and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "Here..." Shadow stepped over and looked over her shoulder, whilst pulling her shirt back into place.
River was sketching the wolf and the markings under it.
"That's impossible." Shadow breathed, when River was finished.
"Nothing is impossible."
"I know. I just meant that it has to be kidding." Shadow said disbelievingly.
"Apparently it wants to tell us something." River joked ironically.
"Yeah. It tied us together...until the end of time. You and me, with the protection and blessing of the wolf."
"That a bad thing?" River asked getting a bit insecure.
"No. And I mean the giant, neon sign 'no' with a trillion exclamation marks." Shadow gesticulated.
"Good." River folded the piece of paper with the drawing and put it under her pillow on the bed. "I want a reminder of who you are. At least until we meet again." She then said and walked back to the cell entrance.
Shadow looked sad again. She knew time was running out. She sighed and walked out of the cell. Turning to River she said "The Captain and I should probably get out of here."
"I agree."
"I trust you can lock yourself back in..." ...because I couldn't. Shadow finished the sentence in her head.
"Yes." River seemed to grow impatient.
"Alright then." Shadow nodded and turned to the Captain. "We need to do something before we can leave?"
"I have looped the camera feed. I will cut the signal to give them static on the surveillance screens. From that point on we have about 2 minutes to get back to the front desk." Jack explained.
"Alright. Then do it now." Shadow ordered.
The Captain typed something in on his Vortex Manipulator and then nodded. "Two minutes and counting." That earned him a "Really?"-look from Shadow.
"So, this is it." Shadow turned back to River. "See you around then." Shadow grinned and turned around, walking down the corridor, catching up with the Captain, who had already started to leave.
And once again River was left to speechlessly gape after Shadow. That one was having no decency at all.
About ten meters down the corridor Shadow halted her steps. Jack questioningly looked at her.
"Oh, for the sake of everything good and holy..." Shadow muttered and turned around jogging back to River and gave her a last thorough snogging, which was gladly reciprocated.
"Sorry. I almost forgot." Shadow smiled brightly.
"But you remembered." River smiled back warmly. "And now go before we all get into trouble." River shoved Shadow slightly.
"Until we meet again...my River." Shadow whispered. River's heart swelled and she just nodded. Shadow then hurried down the corridor.
"Come back soon. I need my Shadow." River whispered after Shadow was out of sight. Then she closed her door and sat down on her bed, retrieved the drawing from under her pillow and looked at it; a defeated sigh escaping her lips.
When they were back in London it was morning of the day after they had left.
Shadow remembered that she still had to write herself the letter. She quickly copied it and put it into an envelope and addressed it to herself. Then she gave it to the Captain with instructions on when exactly he had to deliver it.
After the Captain had left, Shadow walked up to her room and laid back on her bed. Closing her eyes she relived the past 72 hours.
Everything had to happen like it had. And in the end only the future would reveal, if it was worth the pain.
Until next year! Have a good start into it!