Jack watched Song cautiously from the corner of the TARDIS he was leaning against. River had changed to one of her 'usual' adventuring outfits and was currently holding Charlotte on her lap and in an animated conversation. All Jack could make out was that she was talking to the girl about the Doctor as occasionally Song would point over to the two timelords who were squabbling over who should fly the ship, and Charlotte and the war criminal would share a giggle. "I still don't know about her." he said to the group. River must have heard this as she looked at him suddenly, but her gaze wasn't nearly as hard as he had expected. "She almost looks hurt by my comment." he thought. River gently placed Charlotte down and walked over, lacking any form of confidence, she looked child-like as she wrung her hands together. "Jack," she began, the Doctors had both stopped arguing and watched their fiance with a look of concern. "Please, I know you've heard all the rumors, learned all the stories, but that's all they are, I would never...never..." River's clutched her head and stifled a cry. The Doctors both sprinted to her side and the older Doctor lowered her gently to the floor, curling her body gently into his arms. Raggedy smoothed down River's clothes and then stroked her hair, the sadness in his eyes matched by his elder self. "It's alright Riv, I've got you, just hang in there, you can sleep for a bit dear, Raggedy will stay with you." the Doctor cooed. River moaned softly, she tried to push herself upright, "It's fine, I'm fine, I'm..." her hand slipped and she dropped back into the safety of the Doctor's arms. Raggedy turned her face to meet his own. "No Riv. You're not fine, you have never been in so much danger as you are in now. Rest honey," he planted a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering on her brow, "Rest..." River's eye lids blinked slowly, her eyes started to glaze over. The Doctor stroked a finger down her cheek and River turned her gaze to him, her breathing had evened out, "Hey my beautiful Pond, let's go see the stars. You and me," the Doctor whispered, "Sleep easy honey, me and Raggedy aren't going anywhere, you can stand down, my loyal soldier, hush now...shh..." he kissed her lips and she reached up to his face, her eyes near closed from exhaustion, "I haven't slept since I left the Vortex...I...I can't leave you without any defence...the Master...he...he wants something, he has a plan, I need to tell you, I need to...to..." The Doctor kissed her again and her hand fell. When Jack could see her face again, River was asleep. Her face was still etched with worry but her breathing had become much less erratic. The Doctor brought one of his arms under River's legs and lifted her with ease, his eyes studying her sleeping face. Raggedy stood with the Doctor and gently placed River's arms around the Doctor's neck. The Doctor then curled River up so her head was tucked into his neck. "Our brave girl..." The Doctor said smiling sadly at Raggedy. Raggedy nodded in reply and took the TARDIS controls, "In autopilot you go, old girl, I need to be with Riv, not flying round like a mad fool." The Doctor turned to the group, "Amy, Clara, Rory show everyone to the lounge and Kitchen, there are plenty of places to sit and the cupboards are fully stocked with food, I'll return shortly, Raggedy will stay with River, I need to get you all home, this is too dangerous for you all..." Before any complaints could break out from the group, the Doctor walked off into the TARDIS with River in his arms, Raggedy close by his side.
"Poor Professor Song..." Clara sighed "She looks really ill." Amy touched Rory's arm, "I've never seen her look so weak. Oh Rory, our little girl is dying and we can do nothing..." Rory put an arm around Amy's shoulders"Now Mrs. Williams, I promise you, I will never let anyone get away with hurting our child, Melody is in the best care, The Doctor promised he would keep her safe." Amy suddenly looked angry, "And leaving her in a library data base, that's safe is it?! I can't trust him the same way I used to, yet Melody seems to feel no differently than when I first met her. Her blind faith in that man got her locked in prison, lost from her parents and even killed... How can she still love him?" Rory turned Amy to face him, "I waited two thousand years for you, I died repeatedly, I suffered when I thought you loved the Doctor instead of me! I still loved you, i will always love you! Amy, to see my daughter in pain hurts me, but I know that the Doctor will take care of her, I know because in the church, when I looked in his eyes, both their eyes, I see the look I see in my own eyes when I look in the mirror, when I think of you..."Rory cried and held Amy to his chest. Jack huffed.
Rory looked up, angry, "And you can shut up, Harkness, You heard what happened to her, You know she is innocent, you know!" Jack sighed, "I guess...Doesn't mean I trust her... She stole my square gun and she's taken my vortex manipulator." Donna tapped him on the shoulder, "You might want to check the seat over there Jack..." Jack turned and ran over to the pilot seat. The square gun was on the seat, along with a note.
"What does it say?" Clara asked as the group piled in. Jack turned to the group, a soft smile on his face. "I can trust her...I'm sorry Amy, Rory. I can trust her...We all can." Clara repeated her question. Jack handed the note to her and the group all read the message.
"I'm truly sorry Captain Harkness, please forgive me for the theft of this gun, I needed it for an expedition. I was planning to return it before you even noticed it missing; however I went to the Library and obviously you know the rest. Face of Bo, I am truly sorry.
Yours sincerely,
Professor River Song.
P.s.I still need the vortex manipulator, trying to get the Doctor to answer his phone is impossible, how else is a girl to get around when her husband won't come to pick her up!"
It was at this point the Doctor returned, his face was grim, "Doctor are you crying?" Clara asked softly. The Doctor scrubbed his face, his eyes were red and blotchy, "Of course not, just alot of dust in the corridor. I haven't had a good spring clean for a while, probably need to...Anyway, let's get you all somewhere safe, It's far too dangerous to put you harm's way." he began to dance away at the console, though his movements were slightly slurred. Amy walked over and turned the Doctor to face her, "We can't leave her Raggedy man, I won't leave my daughter. She protected me for many years, I'm not about to leave her alone when she needs me!" Rory joined her, "She's my little girl, her dad will always come for her, I am not standing by and doing nothing!" the Doctor nodded slowly but turned away again. Clara blocked his route to the other side of the console. "You really love her don't you." she said softly, the Doctor nodded shyly, his head hanging to the floor. The group looked at one another. "Then we aren't going anywhere!" Rose surmised the group's resolve. The Doctor looked up at each group member and smiled, "Then I guess I need to plan where we go next." Raggedy then reappeared, "I can hear you all from my room! Keep it down, Riv is sleeping!" he whispered in an angry hush. The group all scuffed their shoes like guilty school children. The Doctor walked over to Raggedy, "How is she?" he asked concerned, Raggedy gulped, we don't have long...barely more than five hours at most, anyone else would have slipped into a coma by now..." the Doctor patted his younger self comfortingly, "But Riv is a superhero remember!" he shared a small half smile with Raggedy. "O.k. Gang let's..." The Doctor's cheery disposition fell abruptly and he span angrily to the console screen.
"Tick Tock, goes the clock...how is our little weapon doing? Is she dead yet? I do hope not, I do so like playing with her little head..." Kovarian laughed darkly, the two Doctors growled. It seemed to Jack like the men's hackles were rising like that of a cat. "Leave us alone." Raggedy spat out, his eyes danced dangerously, "We will destroy you." The Doctor added, his eyes stone cold. Tasha Lem appeared alongside Kovarian.
"Is it hard to watch one of your little pets die?" she asked mockingly. "River is not my pet!" Raggedy screamed hastily. "Alright," Tasha rolled her eyes, "Your companion then..."
"She isn't my companion either." the Doctor replied plainly, hanging his head. Tasha's widened then quickly returned to the teasing look they had earlier. "I don't care what she is to you, I'm just glad I can get a reaction out of you. It's more than I got when I was threatening Clara's life." she smiled but her face fell as the Doctor raised his head to the screen. "You have no idea what you have done...She's my wife." he narrowed his eyes.
"You married her in an alternate timeline that doesn't exist, she isn't your wife!" Tasha scoffed.
"That's what the universe thinks, I have many secrets, all of them I have shared with River." the Doctor said proudly. Tasha looked scared all of a sudden. "Wait you mean she's your...your actual wife..." Kovarian whimpered. The Doctor nodded, Tasha stepped back from the screen, as if she was trying to run from the two Doctors. "And you, Tasha Lem, have made a humungous mistake. In a small way, I thank you. Without the silence, I wouldn't have my wife, you gave her the skills to survive, but that is where my thanks ends. When you look back on your plan, are you proud? When you thought taking her, the woman I LOVE!" The Doctor roared and entire audience of his friends and foes shuddered in fear, Charlotte sniffled as tears formed in her eyes. The Doctor noticed her and picked her up, soothing her gently. " I hope you're proud Tasha for if she dies, you will bring all my wrath upon you, your life and all your followers are in the hands of my dying wife. The only reason why I have not acted against you yet is because River is far more important. Tasha Lem, you disgust me!" The Doctor turned away but Raggedy had yet to speak his eyes had not moved since the two members of the order had appeared and the hate in his eyes seemed to radiate all over his body, making his chest heave.
"I feel ill at the thought of when I kissed you, although you were brave then, I am ashamed of you now, you are barely an adversary of mine. You make me sick..." Raggedy slammed his hand on a button on the console and switched off the faces of the two terrified women. He then stomped off back to his room. The Doctor stood against the console, his fists clenched white against the edge. Clara put a hand on his shoulder, "Doctor?" she tried to comfort him but instead the timelord screamed in rage and kicked the console base, receiving an angry whine from the TARDIS, "I'm sorry old girl..." he sobbed and stroked the console softly, "I just don't understand why they always hurt her, they always hurt her to get to me. Why are they such cowards? Why can they not just face me? Hurt me... She has to hide it all from me, if River ever let her past get to her, she would start to cry and never stop. And she really does hide it all, she still keeps going, and for what? For whom?!" he slumped down against the console. It was then Rose pushed away from the wall, she took Martha's hand and then Amy's and strode forward. On the way Amy grabbed Donna's hand who turned and took Clara's hand and the women all surrounded the Doctor who looked utterly defeated. The women all nodded to each other and spoke as one mass, "FOR YOU!" The Doctor looked up at them. "You're the only person she will ever truly love." Rose said, looking at John. "You always come when she calls for you." Martha smiled, waving her phone at him. "You're the man she married." Donna pointed out obviously, putting her hands on her hips. The Doctor had started to regain his composure and had stood up, leaning himself against the console. "You're part of her family..." Amy whispered, he smiled, "I'm part of you're family, Pond." he turned to Clara, but Clara didn't know what to say. She looked around for help from the others but no help came, then something Vastra said popped into her head, "She knows she's the only person in the entire universe that you trust completely. You need her..." Clara said, the Doctor pushed up from the console and brushed down his jacket, "Yes Clara, I need her, but right now, she needs me," he span and started to fly the ship which responded quickly, as if it two wished to help River. "If I can find an old Vortex opening there may be some old timelord technology which can..." The TARDIS shook, sending the passengers tumbling all around the main console room. "Why can't you drive properly?" Clara shouted at the Doctor but he was busy panicking, he replied after checking at least thirty different light bulbs that were furiously blinking. "That wasn't me..." Jack ,who had been flung over one of the railings ,pushed himself off, then helped a very confused Donna to her feet. She slapped him away, muttering some near inaudible curse about how the Doctor was a "Stupid space man..." It was at this point the group heard Raggedy's agitated tone seep through into the console room, "What the hell is going on in there? River is trying to sleep! Luckily she is still out!" Mickey, who had just pulled his head out of a upturned bin, looked confused, "Lucky for who?" he said, looking around the group. "Lucky for the whole lot of us. I woke her once when she was asleep in Stormcage to take her on a adventure, I was bored and I needed some excitement, so I figured River would be up for some fun. I opened the door lock, crept into her cell and I woke her, very gently by the way, just so you all know..."
"What did she do?" Jack asked, "She slapped me..." Raggedy sighed. Amy screwed up her face, "Is that it, she always slaps you when you're being an idiot. She didn't want to be woken up, I can understand why!" The Doctor shook his head at her, "She ate my last jammy dodger when she came with me, then she teased me..."
"About eating your biscuit?" Clara cocked her head at him. The Doctor was taken aback in shock,"No!" then he blushed "She robbed my bow tie and hid in the TARDIS until I apologised...I had to try to seduce her with the promise of an adventure of a lifetime...it didn't work though...she just tied my blue beauty in her hair. So there was only one solution..." the TARDIS chimed like she was chuckling darkly. The Doctor surveyed the group's blank faces, he huffed. "What did you do?!" Clara said, she was on the edge of her seat, River's reputation terrified her. The Doctor turned his back to the group, opened a compartment on the console and took out an object. A wheezing noise filled the room followed by a rubbery squeal. The Doctor turned back and held up a red balloon. Vastra and Jenny raised their eyebrows, "Really old friend?" Vastra said in disbelief. The Doctor popped the balloon in response, "Oh Vastra that wasn't our first time, or by no means the last...But the challenge of getting back my bowtie was far too tempting," he licked his lips, "And the reward was the best I could have wished for..." the group all realised, "And the penny drops!" The Doctor cheered. Amy stomped up to him, "We weren't on board at the time, were we?" the Doctor was about to answer when the sparks flew from the TARDIS and the ship lurched violently, groaning and screeching. Everyone gripped any railing they could find as the Doctor jumped and scurried around the console, pressing any button he could. "Doctor!" the Group all cried. The Tardis span and wailed as it tumbled out of the vortex, sending the travelers into oblivion.