Good morning dear readers! I'm so sorry for the wait, I had the worst writers block, but I'm back now! I'm on holidays so expect more frequent chapter uploads. Maybe two or three a week? Please forgive me for being such a horrible person and leaving you all hanging. Next chapter will be up tonight or tomorrow so I hope you like it!

*Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and stuff*


The wind howled outside, rattling the windows of the dingy pub. Few people remained in the tavern - two woman wearing long, black veils that covered their faces, a hulking, gap-toothed man sipping a drink alone, several vaguely humanoid-shaped creatures crowded around a table in a shadowy corner, and an oddly dressed man, tapping a restless tune on the polished top of the table he was seated at by the fireplace. The pub-owner stood behind the bar, polishing glasses with a dirty rag.

The door creaked open and the harsh wind blew around the room. The humanoid creatures muttered angrily and the women hissed before the door was slammed shut again. The pub-owner's gaze moved to the newcomer and a welcoming smile spread across his face.

"Hunter, my good man!" he exclaimed as the man made his way over to the bar. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Must I need a reason to visit an old friend?" Hunter replied, glancing around the room before his eyes fell on the strange man, who now sat quietly fiddling with his fingers. The pub-owner noticed where he was staring.

"That man's here for you," he muttered. "Says his name's 'the Doctor'. You know him? Is he another one of your clients?"

"More of an old friend, you could say," Hunter murmured, placing a large, gold coin on the counter top. "Thanks for your services, mate."

"Anytime."

He made his way over to the table by the fireplace, sitting down across from the Doctor with a sigh. He looked up and smiled.

"Hello Hunter."

"Do you know who I am yet?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor replied after a pause. Hunter smiled.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"You sound like River," he grumbled. "And when I did find out, she tried to kill me and then we got married. Excuse me if I've got mixed emotions about discovering your identity."

"Trust me, I'm not your wife."

"That's what they all say... or maybe I say that? Though I'm their husband, not their wife. I mean not their husband-"

"You're babbling," Hunter interrupted. "Why did you come here?"

The Doctor exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair. He glanced around the room and noticed the curiosity in the pub-owner's eyes as he watched the two of them. "Let's go for a walk."

"In this weather? Why can't we just go to the TAR-" The Doctor shook his head minutely.

"Let's go," he said forcefully. Hunter stood and followed him out the door, shielding his eyes against the buffeting wind. They trudged along the empty road and down the hill where Hunter could see the edge of a police telephone box peeking out of an alleyway. He smiled. Vortex manipulators were a handy way to get from A to B but they sure as hell didn't beat traveling through time and space in a TARDIS.

"Well, in you pop," the Doctor said tiredly, pushing the door open. He glanced around, checking for anyone watching them, before going inside.

"Why are you acting so furtive?" Hunter asked as he took a seat by the console.

"It's all River's worrying," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "She's putting me on edge."

"What's she worrying about?"

"Did you ever get told what happened to River when she was born?"

"I heard.. snippets but never the whole story."

"Well, you know River's part Timelord. When her mum - one of my companions at the time, Amy - discovered she was pregnant, some people were interested. A newborn timebaby. If captured and raised under the influence of someone else, it could become a powerful weapon.

"The religious order called the Silence were interested in a weapon like her. Just think what it would be like to have a part Timelord at your disposal, an assassin that was stronger and more... evolved then the average human. A mercenary that couldn't die."

"But who did the Silence want dead?"

"Didn't you ever hear the story of how River and I met?" the Doctor questioned, smiling wryly. Hunter's eyes widened.

"They wanted her to kill you?" he asked incredulously. "Your wife was your assassin?"

"Yeah, that obviously ended well for the Silence. But anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. River was stolen from her parents as a baby and I failed to get her back. She was raised to be my murderer, lived her life running from the Silence and her inevitable future."

"So why is River worried?"

"The woman who took her, Madame Kovarian, is still out there and... River's pregnant."

"She thinks that this Kovarian lady is going to take her baby like she took River?" Hunter asked, an odd expression on his face.

"Correct."

"Why don't you go after her yourself?"

"Don't have the time."

"You've got a bloody time machine."

"I know, I know. I just don't like leaving her, okay?"

"So you want me to go after her," Hunter stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "What makes you think I can find her?"

"Your name's Hunter, isn't it?" he asked tiredly. "Then do just that: hunt her."

They sat in silence for several minutes, Hunter biting his lip while the Doctor fiddled with the various switches in front of him.

"Why me?" he asked quietly. The Timelord stopped, his back hunched over the console. "I'm sure you have plenty of other friends who could find this woman for you."

"It's not their job to find people."

"It's just my name," he mumbled grumpily. "When did names become a job description?"

"When you picked the job you were named for," the Doctor answered, patting Hunter on the back with a bright smile. "What sort of payment do you want?"

"Don't worry about it," Hunter mumbled. "Just give me an extra big Christmas present this year."

"This year for you or this year for me?"

"Either one." He stood up, moving his hand to the vortex manipulator on his wrist. "Goodbye Doctor. If future you wasn't lying then this is the last time I see past you."

"When will I see past you?"

"Spoilers," he grinned, disappearing in a spark of time energy. The Doctor smiled, shaking his head as he turned back to the console, punching in the buttons that would take him home to River.

. . .

"Nebula!" Hunter whispered, looking up at the second story window of the stately brick mansion. "You awake?"

"No," she grumbled in reply, poking a head of sleep-tousled hair out the window. "Why didn't you just come in the front door?"

"I dunno," he answered, smiling stupidly. She rolled her eyes.

"Give me a moment."

Hunter paced back and forth impatiently as he waited. He sighed loudly when he saw her come around the corner after several minutes.

"Took you long enough."

"Where are we headed?" she asked.

"A past Doctor has given me a job to do." Nebula raised an eyebrow.

"A past Doctor? Did you not listen at all when your father explained to you how tricky it is when you run into someone you know from the past?"

"Of course I did!" Hunter replied indignantly. "He knows I did."

Nebula exhaled, frowning at the boy she'd been commissioned to look after. The older he got, the more difficult her job became.

"Okay, okay. As long as you didn't say anything. Not even what gender his baby will be!"

"I didn't, I swear!"

"You're an idiot," she muttered, her voice bending in a way that didn't seem humanely possible as the syllables spilled out of her mouth almost like singing. Hunter turned his head to the side and frowned. He really wished he knew more Gallifreyan.

"Come on, where are we going?"

"No idea!" Hunter replied happily. "We're apparently looking for a woman who wants to take River's unborn child away from her and use him as a weapon against the Doctor."

"Madame Kovarian? River used to worry about her years ago."

"Why'd she stop?"

"The Doctor told her that he sent someone after her... oh lord, that's you, isn't it?" Hunter simply smiled in return. "This is weird."

"Well, get over it. We've got a timebaby to protect."

Nebula rolled her eyes. "Geronimo?"

"Geronimo."


Huzzah! Next chapter has a bit of story progression... just a bit.

Please review if you enjoyed!