A/N: So here we are, you and me, on the last chapter.
Sorry! I couldn't help myself. Anywho, thanks to all the responses from the last chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, its characters or the story lines from the show. It belongs to the BBC and those who put it together.
(P.S. I'm going to start this chapter with the last to paragraphs of the last chapter for context. So if something seems strangely familiar you have probably read it before and if not, you might want to quickly review the last chapter. I'll be quiet now)
"When… how long ago did this happen for you?" Brian asked.
Rory sighed, thinking of what to say. "Um… Amy met River for the first time soon after she started traveling with the Doctor and I met her soon after, so that would be about 10 years ago now. But Amy was not…" Rory's demeanor changed slightly to a more pained expression as he went on. "Amy was not kidnapped until almost a year later. That's when Melody was born and that's when we found out River was our daughter. About two years later we found out that she was also Mels. But it's only recently that she has started coming to visit" Rory finished.
Though this was obviously not easy for Rory to say, it took noticeably less struggle to explain then it would for an everyday person but Rory Williams was no longer an everyday person. This led Brian to ask, "How do you cope with this?"
Rory sighed once more but this time not because he was thinking about what to say but rather, he was thinking about how long it took them before they could even cope this well. It had been a long journey. He remembered when River took both him and Amy home after the Doctor had left them on Demon's Run.
When River had finally thought they were well enough for her to leave, though he wanted some time alone to grieve, Rory could not stand the thought of her leaving so soon. As she reached her hand out for the door knob, he grabbed it. "River… Melody," he said, trying out her birth-name for the first time. It felt strange but yet somehow just felt right, like it belonged there. "Please... I…. I can't. Please don't leave yet. I don't want you to leave yet." She turned to him, a small smile spreading over her lips. "Of course I'll stay. However long you need." She slowly slipped her hand into his and together they headed back into the house.
He remembered the first time she came after that. She was so young. It was a shock to Amy and Rory and a shock for River as well when she found out how new the idea of her as their daughter was to them.
It was a hot summer's day. So hot in fact that no one was in the mood to do much of anything. Amy and Rory were both sitting in the kitchen, trying to stay cool when they heard someone at the door. There was no knock and no bell but what sounded like a key trying to open the door. Rory got up to see what was going on. Who would be trying to come into his house without knocking? He approached the hall cautiously, ready to defend himself and his wife if need be. As he turned the corner to see the door, he jumped. There he saw a woman with a mass of curls sitting atop her head tuned away from him, shutting the door. River! Melody… he thought, but the words refused to come.
When she turned she was clearly surprised to see Rory standing there. "Hello Dad" she greeted him as she had a hundred of times before. But his response was not one she had received a hundred times before. He stood there staring at her, with a slight twitch in his lip. Dad… he had never been called that before, at least not by his 's face fell to one of distress and confusion but it was quickly hidden as she moved toward her father. "Sorry, you caught me by surprise. I thought you were someone else" she half lied. She was expecting him, just a different him. "Hello Ror…"
But before she could finish greeting her father once again, he closed the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms. "I… I know who you are" Rory choked out. "You've… you've just never called me dad before."
River stiffened in her father's embrace. How early is this, she wondered. "Do you mind me calling you that?" she asked never having thought to ask before. Did he mind? Rory slowly slipped out of the hug, sliding his hands down to hold both of her arms. He stood there for a moment just thinking.
Was he ready to accept that this woman was his daughter? That this time traveling archeologist from the future was his little girl… that this no longer little girl was the life he helped to create? As his gaze finally met hers he saw the little bits of anxiousness and fear she could not hide caused by his pause. "River… Melody," he started, words coming easier now. "You are and will always be my daughter. And now that I know that, I would be honored if you called me dad."
He remembered when he found out that Mels was River, that he grew up with his daughter. He remembered watching her die. He remembered leaving her at The Sisters of the Infinite Schism, not wanting to leave, yet having faith that she could make it on her own.
There were days of joy, holidays, birthdays full of smiles and fun and family. There were days of pain, when Amy's arms longed for the baby she would never be able to hold again, when Rory blamed himself for their lost days with their daughter. At times both Amy and Rory would proudly hang pictures of both River and Mels throughout the house. Other times, those pictures were taken down due to the sorrow the missing baby pictures brought. On days when one of them was feeling the pain of not being able to have a baby, the other would kindly remind them of the amazing life they had created together, their daughter. But through it all, no matter how crazy or broken it may appear, they had come out a family.
So, how had they coped?
"Time" was Rory's simple response.
Just then, as Rory looked up, he caught a glimpse of curls from the archway followed by River hesitantly entering the room. "Is everything alright?" Rory asked after making eye contact with his daughter.
"I came to ask you the same thing" she replied.
"I think we're getting there. We'll just need a few more minutes" added Rory, remembering his father's current state of mind.
River nodded understandingly and turned to leave. But before she made it out she was stopped by someone calling her name. It was Brian. She turned to him, "Yes Brian".
"Could you actually come in here for a moment?" Brian asked.
This threw Rory off. What did his father want River here for? He wanted his father to understand this and maybe River could help. But at the same time, he didn't want River getting hurt. Though he knew Brian could in no way harm his daughter physically, he also knew that she had dealt with enough emotional and psychological pain to last more than one life time.
As River approached Brian, Rory watched them carefully. He was ready to step in, if he had to, in order to keep those he loved from pain. But neither Rory nor River were prepared for what happened next.
Brian quickly got out of his seat to meet River. Once he reached her he did not stop. He kept going until she was engulfed in his embrace. River quickly accepted this sign of acceptance and returned it as well. After a few moments, Brian reluctantly pulled out of the hug to look his granddaughter in the face. With all the millions of things that were running through his head at the moment, there was only one thing to say, "Hello Melody".
River smiled and, grabbing his arm, relied, "Hello Granddad."
Rory stood aside, watching this moment unfold. He was truly in awe. Why this was affecting him so much, he had no idea. But there it was, his dad… his dad holding his daughter. And for once there was no confusion, no spoilers, no worries. There was only family.
A/N: So there it is, the conclusion. This chapter got away from me a bit and became a bit River/Rory centric. I hope you don't mind. Let me know what you thought about both this chapter and the story as a whole. Did I leave anything unresolved? I would love to know if I could make ether this or my next story any better.
Thanks again for the amazing response. I never would have guessed so many would enjoy this. You guys keep me going and have encouraged me to keep writing.