...Yes I know I said that I would have this chapter up next weekend. Well, I lied. *shrug* Rule One, right? ;) I will warn you though, that this is not a happy chapter. If you happen to be feeling a bit down today, I recommend you wait to read it.

They were going to walk through the remaining three pavilions, but Amy was having trouble walking, so they stopped in the garden area of the France pavilion and sat on one of the benches. The Doctor was distracted by something in a store- Oh god, not more hats...-, which left the three Ponds sitting together on a bench. Well, two were sitting; Amy was leaning for support on Rory more than sitting.

"You know, I do like this place," Rory said after a few moments. "It feels nice, just... happy. I know some people say it's too happy, but it really isn't. It's dark too, and sad, (I mean, of course it was for us, nothing is ever normal for us when we're with the Doctor), but it is nice here."

River looked around and shrugged a bit before conceding, "I suppose it is. I mean, it's a little... well... what is the word I'm looking for? ...Innocent, I guess? It's just... everything is so..." she trailed off as she gestured around her.

Throughout this conversation, Amy had been half listening and half watching a family waiting for some princesses to come out for meet and greets in the garden. It was just a small family: mother, father, daughter. The daughter looked to be about four or five, and she was bouncing around excitedly while her parents looked on in content, albeit tired content. While she was happy to see this ideal scene, it sent a pang of pain through Amy. Why do they get that when we never did?... Usually, she had these feelings under control. True, she and Rory didn't get to properly raise River, but they did all grow up together, so they did raise her in a way. She was still ridiculously proud of her daughter, proud of the strong woman she had become, but there were times when it really hurt to see other families having the times together that she, Rory, and River never got to have. Of course, the Doctor had told them that first night at the hotel about that being exactly his reason for bringing them all here. To be a family... some semblance of a normal family... but it wasn't working as the Doctor had planned. Things never did. Between the alien earlier in the week, and the fact that River was still guarding herself, it was not the bonding experience the Doctor or any of them had had in mind.

Amy was envious of that family on the other side of the garden. Her reason was clouded slightly by the alcohol that had been making it so hard for her to walk in a straight line just before, and it was also bringing up emotions and thoughts that were normally either buried or not applicable or true on a normal basis.

When she heard River say the parks were too innocent, she looked over at her daughter. "And what is wrong with that? There are so many children here... at least there's this one place in the world where they can be just safe and happy and together. Why not let it be innocent?" The words came out slower than Amy had intended and with a bit more bitterness in her voice too.

River heard it and sighed. "I know this isn't what the two of you had in mind. I know it's not what the Doctor had in mind-Yes, I know why he brought us here, and no I don't think it's really working either. I mean, we're all having a good time and all, but it's not what he intended," she passed a hand over her face. "And I know it's not what you wanted. But that's the thing. I cannot just act like those children over there," she gestured over to the little girl and a few other kids who were running up to princess Belle and princess Aurora. "I know those aren't real princesses. I know these aren't real countries. I know that none of the stuff here is real, except for that alien that almost killed us two days ago!"

Amy looked River straight in the face, "You could have tried."

"That's just it though. I can't. There is no way that I can let myself do that! So please, let's just all spare ourselves the disappointment, and just leave tonight." She looked between Rory and Amy. "You two can come here some day with another child and be like that family over there. I actually don't know why you haven't yet!"

Amy was crying now. "BECAUSE WE CAN'T. RIVER, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, WE CAN'T. Don't you think we've tried? It can't happen! Our chances for that ever being able to happen were destroyed at Demon's Run..."

"Amy, that's enough. Stop. It's not her fault." Rory said as he gripped Amy's shoulder.

"She was going to have to find out some time, and this is as good as any." She turned back to River. "We are trying so hard to make this as normal as possible, trying to make this like anyone else's family vacation, but you are doing nothing to help with that! You've complained in the parks, you've made no attempt to let go of these barriers you always have up around yourself-"

"Because that creature USED THEM AGAINST ME. Two days ago! You were there, you know what happened, that thing used any weakness I have against me, even through the barriers! I can't tear them down, I have no choice. Because otherwise, I have too much missing in my life. How can I act like a child when I never had the chance to be one? How can you expect me to just be able to let go when it's taken me my entire life to be able to hold on? How-..."

River stopped when she realized the Doctor was standing by the bench, looking at her and her parents with a crushed expression on his face. He had come back to find Amy in tears, River nearly so, and Rory trying to calm both of the women down. How can things go so wrong so quickly all the time? he wondered to himself. He went to move closer to the bench and maybe sit down to talk with all of them, but River stood up abruptly.

"I'm going back to the hotel... I'll be there if you need me." She then brushed past the Doctor and walked quickly away.

The Doctor looked back at Amy and Rory. Rory looked up at the Doctor. "You didn't know yet, did you?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I had no idea."

Rory looked away and pulled Amy closer to him. "Now you do."

"Is there anything at all I can do to help?"

"...You've done enough already."

Told you it was angsty. I am still holding myself to finishing this story next weekend, while I'm in Disney World, so things will be resolved soon. If I don't update again this weekend or before Wednesday (which I intend to, but I'm not sure if I'll get to it), then Happy Halloween to everyone!