They were wrong of course about finding the other Timelords being quick. They tracked the first signal for a week before pinpointing the specific planet it was coming from. It took another two weeks to find the source.
On Perrini 7, in the Triangulum Galaxy, over three million years into the past from the time River was living in, there was a small village. In the village there were two people who were considered wise prophets. They had wandered through the deserts in the high country many years before settling in town. So when three strangers appeared in the village, the people brought them to see the prophets right away.
Then it seemed so laughably easy to the Doctor and his companions, all of their hard work was finally going to pay off. Around the necks of both Prophets were pendants with line drawings and stars upon them. Their conversation was complex. They needed to explain why they were there and not frighten the primitive culture, but they also needed to reawaken the two Timelords standing in front of them.
Three days later they convinced the Prophets to open their amulets and the two Timelords were reborn: the Maker and the Muse, a husband and wife who had remarried in every incarnation.
As soon as their memories were restored they looked between one another and at the Doctor with wide eyes. "Doctor, what has happened," the Muse asked.
He shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Long story, what is the last thing you remember?"
The Maker was very grave in his reply. "Rassilon losing his mind and bringing the terrors to Gallifrey. We took our TARDIS to the most forsaken part of time and space we could and hid. What happened to Gallifrey?"
The Doctor froze. He had often thought about what he would say if he met another Timelord who didn't know what he had done. Now that he was in that situation he had no idea what to say. Sophia noticed his fidgeting and answered instead. "Sereialian, descendant of the Doctor. Not too long after you escaped, Gallifrey was placed in a time lock to prevent the terrors from destroying the universe. To all of time and space Gallifrey is gone, but we are trying to find a way around the lock to restore our world. In order to do that we need people like you, shall we return to the TARDIS to talk?"
The Maker and Muse agreed, and for many hours they sat and talked and listened. In the end the couple agreed to travel with the Doctor and his long-lived companions. So together, the four Timelords and the immortal Jack Harkness continued the search for any other survivors of Gallifrey who could help break the time lock.
They searched for two hundred more years and found a total of ten more Timelords throughout time and space. One by one, though some with great reluctance, each of the Timelords joined together on the TARDIS. The next phase was ready to begin.
The truth about the twins was shared to the small group. Sarah Jane, Martha, and Mickey were all told that the babies were the Doctor's and then all sworn to secrecy. The group became quite close throughout the months of River's pregnancy and enjoyed spending time getting to know one another. Sometimes Amy and Rory would go on double dates with Martha and Mickey; it was a relief for both couples to have friends to share their unusual lives with.
As the few remaining months of River's pregnancy were coming to a close they all began to wonder if and when the Doctor would return.
At nearly nine months along, River was not only huge but quite angry at her husband for not having returned. He was a time-traveler and yet somehow he couldn't be bothered to show up at a decent time when his wife was going to have his babies.
Martha was at the Williams home very shortly after she received a call from River saying that she was having contractions. It was the middle of the night so traffic was minimal and she could speed much more easily than in the daytime.
Rory let Martha into the house and to River's room where Amy was comforting her oldest daughter as best she could.
"I'm going to kill him," River growled.
Amy laughed. "Don't you think twice was enough?"
River glared at her mother but there was a hint of a smile as well.
Martha gave them both a questioning look, even after all these months there was still a lot she didn't know about her patient. "Still no word from him yet?"
The other three shook their heads. Martha shook her head sadly. "If it were Mickey I'd want to kill him too. Can't believe the Doctor would do this to you. Have you tried phoning him?"
It took all of ten seconds from the time the words left Martha's mouth for River to get the nearest phone and call the Time Vortex to reach her wayward love.
The Doctor had just finished helping his people settle on an obscure out of the way world that had been abandoned due to the collapse of the native society. It would be perfect for the work his people would accomplish. They named the planet Haven since New Gallifrey seemed tacky. When their settlement was established enough that they would be able to live and conduct their experiments a chameleon device was set up so that the planet would be ignored by anyone who happened to travel nearby.
"Well it looks like my work here is done," the Doctor announced merrily to Sophia and Jack as they looked at the settlement. "What will we do now?"
Sophia shook her head and laughed. "All these years, all this time and you really think we're done? Would you really just leave our people and go gallivanting throughout the universe again?"
He looked at her as though she had suddenly thrown cold water on his face. However before he could manage a reply the phone began ringing inside the TARDIS. He ran inside and after a few moments rushed back outside, prancing like a little child who needed to use a restroom.
"River's having the baby... she's going to kill me... again!"
Sophia laughed. "You forgot didn't you?"
He fidgeted uncomfortably, she knew him far too well. "No... yes... but not really. I never forgot but it did slip my mind. We've been traveling for a long time. I need to go."
She nodded, and a wall seemed to appear between them. "Go to her; she needs you."
He paused, realizing that she wasn't going to come with him. "You're staying."
She let out a long breath. "Finding our people was only step one, we need to keep working on the time fold for Gallifrey."
He forced a smile. "I understand. Well what about you Jack Harkness, are you staying as well?"
He gave Sophia a grin, still just as charming as he had been when the Doctor first met him. "I think I'm staying with you Doctor, but I must say I'll miss the company of your granddaughter, we've known each other for a very long time."
"I'll miss you too Jack." She gave him a hug and he walked into the TARDIS. The Doctor turned to follow him but she spoke again. "Before you go there's something I need from you."
"Anything," he said with no hesitation.
She looked at him without a hint of humor. "I need the key to the Timelock; it's the only way for this to succeed."
He held her gaze for awhile, contemplating all the options. Then he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a round stone with Gallifreyian writing on it. "Be careful and don't show the others."
She nodded. "Come back to me, to our people, and bring your family." She smiled at him and hugged him. "I want to meet your new baby."
"You will," he replied and then with a laugh he hurried into his TARDIS and returned to River Song.
He landed the TARDIS in its usual place in Amy and Rory's yard, and hurried into the house. He was quickly met by Rory who he tried to greet happily but Rory glared at him.
"She's in labor, with your children and you haven't seen her in months!"
Several emotions shot across his face at the same time. He was guilty, anxious, and shocked. "Children?"
"She's having twins. Come on!"
Together the two men hurried upstairs and into River's room. As soon as he saw River the Doctor rushed to her side and held her hand, ignoring the others in the room. "River, my beautiful Melody," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I took so long."
She smiled a little, despite her anger at him. "It's alright, you're here now."
He smiled back at her, his face full of wonder. "We're having twins?" She laughed and nodded. He kissed her forehead gently before finally realizing there were other people in the room.
"Doctor," Martha asked, unsure since she hadn't seen his new face.
He smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Martha Jones! You're pregnant!"
She laughed. "Yes, and it's Smith now not Jones. I've missed you."
"It's so good to see you again."
"I like the new face, you got younger."
"Yes, well the older I get the younger I want to be, what brings you here?"
"I'm your wife's doctor."
"Out of freelance then?"
Martha shrugged. "We left it shortly before I became pregnant. Mickey's working for UNIT and I'm working in a local clinic. Amy and Rory got ahold of me through Sarah Jane, and we've become pretty good friends since. River has been in labor for almost two hours, the question is where are you planning on having the babies?"
He looked over at his wife who for the moment was doing ok. "The TARDIS would probably be the best place. That is if you are ok to move?"
"Sweetie I'm always ok. We can go to the TARDIS. I'm sure the medical bay is suitable more for the birth than my bedroom."
The Doctor helped his wife to the TARDIS while Amy, Rory, and Martha gathered the three younger Ponds and brought them into the TARDIS as well. When the children were safely sleeping in their room on the TARDIS, Rory and Amy went to join their oldest daughter in the medical bay.
River's labor took several hours before the first of the twins came into the universe. She was a beautiful little girl with bright blue eyes and dark curly hair. An hour later her green eyed brother joined the family. After being passed around between all the adults present, the twins were left alone with their parents while the rest went to the kitchen.
The Doctor sat down on the bed beside his wife and they cuddled their children. "They're so beautiful," he said softly. "I'm sorry I was gone so long. I never would have missed this, not for anything in the universe."
"I know. I was scared that you wouldn't come back."
"River, I wouldn't leave you, not ever." He kissed her softly and then asked, "Have you thought of names for them?"
She smiled. "Yes, but I thought I'd ask you first."
He nodded softly. "On Gallifrey a name is considered very powerful, so to keep ourselves safe when a child is born the parents give that child two names. One is their true name and the other is the name everyone will know that child by, the second name changes over time. When I was young I was known as Theta, eventually I became known as the Doctor. My parents and my first wife know my true name; it's traditional at marriages for the bride and groom to privately exchange true names. Given the unusual circumstances of our wedding I haven't told you my birth name, but I can tell you now when we name our children."
"I'd like that."
"Good. Now then, what names have you thought of?"
"Altantsetseg, for our daughter, it means golden flower in Mongolian. Ahtahkakoop, for our son, it means star blanket in Cree, they're a Native American group."
"They are lovely names... Have you thought of any... simpler names? For the names everyone will know them by?"
River laughed. "Father likes the name Callum and mother likes the name Olivia."
"All good names," he proclaimed. Then he proceeded to perform a simple Galllifreyian naming ceremony. He spoke his name as father of the two children and Melody Pond as the mother, and then gave them the names River and her parents had chosen. "Our son will be known as Callum and our daughter as Olivia, when they reach adulthood they may share their secret names with whomever they marry."
"Thank you my love, for everything."
"Thank you, for giving me a family again. I love you Melody."
She whispered his name and said that she loved him as well before falling asleep comfortably against him with their babies on their chests.
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