Hello guys! Thanks again Turtle for the lovely review and your concern :) Thanks to all my readers too, do not hesitate to give me feedback!

So this is Chapter 21, finally the end of Closing Time and a Meanwhile in the TARDIS before the rewriting of... the finale! I'm excited about rewriting the Wedding of River Song, the all of Time happening at once thing is fun in my opinion. Oh and for those of you who might wonder, no my fiction won't stop at the end of the finale. ;)

Enjoy! (And let's seeif you get everything in this chappie ;) )

Melody - x.

Chapter 21

Back in the shop, they went to see Val to take Alfie back. Craig held his baby in his arms, kissing him, so relieved to still be there for him.

"I blew them up with love, Alfie we blew them up with love…"

"Well-"

"Yes you did." Melody cut the Doctor in, smiling at the dad and his son.

A moment later, Craig came up to Melody:

"Have you seen the Doctor? he's nowhere to be seen…"

"Oh… Let's head home then."

They came out of the shop and walked up the road, casually talking, until they arrived at Craig's house.

"Hey, whose tidied up all this?" the blonde man asked when they got in, surprised that his house was now all clean.

Just as if the Doctor had been waiting for him to say this, he entered the room by the window door now repaired.

"See, I do come back."

Melody bit her tongue to prevent herself from telling him some words, still a little bit mad at him.

"How did you?"

"Time machine." the Time Lord simply answered. "But even with time travel, getting glaziers on a Sunday. Tricky."

"You went back in time? That means you used up your hours. What about Exedor?"

"What about you being in trouble with Sophie when she comes back? I couldn't let that happen."

"You used up your time for me?" asked Craig, emotional.

"Course I did. You're my mate." said the Doctor before changing subject: "I notice Stormageddon's very quiet and happy. Oh, he prefers the name Alfie now. And he's very proud of his dad!"

"He calls me dad?"

"Of course Craig, I told you, you were a good dad!" said Melody.

"Yeah, I know. He's a bit thick, isn't he?" the Doctor joked with Alfie.

"Oi, shut up, you two."

The Doctor smiled and laughed with his friends before turning serious again. Serious, with a hint of sadness, like he was trying hard to hide it, but could not manage it completely.

"Well, now it's time. I have to go."

"Doctor, I know that something's wrong. I can help you." offered Craig.

"Nobody can help me. I hope Sophie won't mind. I need these." the Doctor cut in, taking a few TARDIS blue envelopes, now aware that he is the one who sent them out. That he is the one who planned all this scenery in Utah.

"Where are you going to go?" asked Craig.

"America." he answered with a small smile.

"Sophie'll be home any second. Are you sure-"

"I can't miss this appointment, Craig. Goodbye, mate."

Craig went silent for a few seconds, taking conscience this might be the last time he will ever see his weird alien friend. Melody kept silent too, not willing to intervene much in their goodbye, and already too preoccupied with what will come next.

"Wait there. One second." said Craig, walking off before coming back to them with a Stetson in his hands, handing it to the Doctor. "From Sean's stag."

"Wow." the Doctor smiled.

Oh he and hats, such a love story, Melody thought.

"You ride 'em, partner."

"Oh, thanks Craig!"

"Bye Doctor..." the dad said sadly. At this moment a knock on the door was heard, and turning around he started: "Doctor, that will be Sophie arriv-" but his voice faded as when he turned back, neither the Doctor nor Melody were there anymore, and just the window door open ajar was to be seen.

Back in the TARDIS, Melody headed to the bottom of the console, sitting on the swing and silently resting a hand on the glass column. The Doctor was up at the console, making her take off and land somewhere else. She was not mad at him anymore, not really. She was just scared of what will happen.

Melody suddenly felt like something was urging her to go to her bedroom. She got up and walked down the corridors of the time machine, letting herself guide her subconsciously until she was in front of her TARDIS blue door. Once again, as she touched the door knob to enter her room, golden Gallifreyan writings appeared on the door, disappearing a few seconds later without her noticing it.

After shutting the door behind her, she turned around to see her wall, her psychic wall on which the circular Gallifreyan writings had changed. She tilted her head, trying to find at least one circle she had already seen before going to her mirror, pulling her t-shirt up to see the markings on her back. It could just have looked like a fancy tattoo if the markings were not so… alien.

As she was observing them intensely, trying again to recognize some circles, the black ink seemed to, somehow, turn into a lighter shade, more and more until it shimmered with a golden glow on her skin, as though painted with gold paint, making her eyes widen.

What was that?

"It is you…" an ethereal voice spoke in her mind, answering her silent question. She should have blenched hearing it but she did not.

"Who are you? Everyday I'm looking at you and I don't understand who you are nor why you are what you are..."

This time, she blenched hearing the Doctor's voice behind her. She let her top fall back down to cover her back and turned around to see him leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed on his chest. He had taken off his tweed jacket and had even untied his bow tie, letting it casually hang around his neck. She did not hear him enter her bedroom. He had said this looking at her, deep in his thoughts.

"I promised you that we would find out, but the more we know, the less I understand, and I have no more time left... Who are you..." he continued, his voice soft but worried of not knowing.

She shivered, lost:

"I don't know..."

"You know what's going to happen, don't you?"

She nodded a yes in answer before saying hesitantly:

"You'll find your way around."

"How?"

"You'll have to remember. Remember when you took me on my first adventure. Remember that day, and you'll find your way around."

He nodded and again, repeated in a whisper:

"Who are you…"

"I wish I knew" Melody whispered back, lost, so much lost.

The Doctor laid his eyes upon her and stepped forward in her room, closing the door behind him.

Let me know what you think and see you next chapter!