John handed Amy and Rory a cup of tea and then sat down at the table with his own. Sherlock was lost in thought in the other room while Rose and the Doctor were off having a chat, which left him, Amy and Rory to their own devices.

"Thanks," Amy said. "For the tea."

"Yeah, it's nice to sit around, like, you know, normal folk," Rory said.

"You don't get to sit around much?" John asked.

Amy laughed.

"The Doctor really isn't one for sitting around. Running for your life on the other hand, he's got that covered in spades," she said.

"Why do you travel with him then? Sounds a bit dangerous."

"You don't know the half of it," Rory replied.

"Well, it's not all running for our lives. It's seeing something you never thought you'd see. Some distant planet or meeting someone who was just a name in a history book. There was one time the Doctor took me to meet Vincent Van Gogh."

John paused, cup to lips, catching her eye. He lowered the cup.

"You met Vincent Van Gogh?"

"Yep," she smiled.

"What? I mean, what was he like?"

"Bit flirty."

Her husband sat his cup down.

"Hang on," Rory cut in. "You never said he flirted with you."

She gave him a completely innocent look. One that John didn't even buy and he hardly knew her.

"Didn't I?"

"Um…no, think I'd remember that."

"Oh, well, don't get like that. It was all one sided…well, mostly."

Rory narrowed his eyes.

"Mostly?"

"You can't blame me. I forgot about you? Remember? You didn't exist?"

"Still-"

She took her husband's hand, giving him a smile.

"Oh, come on husband, you know you're the only man for me."

John watched the display, not entirely sure what was going on. Didn't exist? What the hell did that mean?

"Yeah, well, all right," Rory conceded.

John's mind kept turning back to that odd thing she mentioned when they first arrived. That bit about her daughter.

"So…um…you two have a daughter?"

Amy dropped Rory's hand and flashed John a smile, bit of a motherly smile.

"River, yeah," Amy said.

"Where is she…I mean, if you don't mind my asking," John said.

"I'm not really sure," he gave Amy a quizzical look and she continued. "She pops in when she wants to see us."

"Pops in?"

"She's a time traveler, like the Doctor."

Time traveler? But she couldn't have been very old. Four maybe, six if they were young when she was born."

"Time traveler?"

"Last time we saw her was…what? A few weeks ago," Amy asked, turning to Rory.

"For your birthday. She was upset with the Doctor for not showing up, then she called him an idiot man, you know, like she does and then she left," Rory added.

She didn't sound like a child, but she had to be.

"She must have found him, which is probably why he wasn't as late as usual."

"Before that it was the day after her anniversary, remember? You both talked for…what was it? Two hours."

Hang on. Anniversary?

"You're just upset because we shooed you out of the house."

"I was watching something."

"Some things a girl doesn't want her dad to know."

All right, that definitely didn't sound like a child, teenager maybe, but not a little girl.

"What…" Rory shook his head. "Never mind I don't want to know."

"See?"

"Hang on," John interrupted. "Anniversary? Your daughter's anniversary?"

"Hers and the Doctor's," Amy said, turning to him.

What?

"Sorry…what?" John asked.

It sounded like she was saying…but she couldn't be. That would be…there were so many things wrong with what that would be.

"Their wedding anniversary."

The gears in John's mind screeched to a halt. It…that…what the hell?

"They're married?"

"Yep," Amy said, giving him a smile.

"The Doctor and your daughter?"

"Yep."

That was…so many things wrong with that.

"And…I mean…you're all right with that?"

"It took some getting used to, especially that whole mother-in-law bit, but she's happy and after everything she's been through she deserves that."

He shook his head. How could she be all right with that?

"But your daughter…I mean, she can't be more than-"

Amy laughed, cutting him off.

"She's not a little girl, though I'm not entirely sure how old she is," she turned to her husband, "Mid-twenties, you think?"

"Maybe…she was in her early twenties before she changed. You know, back when we called her Mels."

"Mid-twenties, that sounds right."

"Hang on…what the hell are you two going on about?" John asked, mid-twenties, there was no way. Time traveler. The words came back to him.

"Sorry," Amy said. "It's a bit confusing. I know. I lived it and it still confuses me sometimes. Rory more so, but he's Rory."

"Hey, I am sitting right here," Rory shot.

"You know I love your stupid face," she said, giving him a quick peck. She turned back to John. "When I was pregnant with River I was taken by a group called the Silence. They wanted our daughter."

"Why?"

"Because she was different. Rory and I were on the TARDIS on our wedding night, if you know what I mean?" she raised her eyebrows.

John needed no further explanation in that area.

"Ah, got it."

"Anyway because of that her DNA was different. After I had her they did things, changed her more."

Changed her? Why would they take Amy's baby and change her…something to do with her DNA obviously, but he couldn't figure out why someone would do that.

"What did they want her for?"

"A weapon. They wanted to use her to kill the Doctor."

Hang on. They took her child to turn her into a weapon? That was the most horrible thing he'd ever heard.

"They took your child to use her to kill the Doctor?"

"Yes, that was their intention, but River, well, she's always been strong willed. Gets that from her me."

That was horrible. Obviously she got her daughter back, but still, to lose her, even for a time, was awful.

"You got her back though."

"No, well, not like you think. She found us when she was little, only we were young too, about the same age. We grew up with our daughter without realizing who she was."

That…well, that was beyond strange. So they lost their daughter, but they grew up with her. He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept.

"So, she escaped and found you?"

"No, they let her go, but not fully. They allowed her to be on her own, but they were always there, programming her. She tried to kill the Doctor the first time she met him, but then she saved him."

He still couldn't get over the idea that the Doctor was married. He didn't act like it, at least, he didn't around Rose.

"Even though she tried to kill him he still married her?"

"That was after the second time."

River tried to kill him twice?

"There was a second time?"

"She refused to kill him that time, but she almost collapsed the entire universe by doing that. I did mention she's a bit stubborn?"

John shook his head. It was almost too much. Basically the Doctor was married to their daughter, who wasn't a child and she tried to kill him, twice. And this was the man Rose loved? John wondered how much she knew about the Doctor, about who he was now.

The door opened and the Doctor entered the flat, looking…well…stricken. Amy seemed to have noticed because she was on her feet, crossing the room in the next moment.

"Doctor, what happened? What is it?" Amy asked, concern evident in her voice.

That's when John noticed what was missing. The Doctor had come through the door…alone. Where the hell was Rose? Had he left her alone?

"Where is she?" John asked, standing up and striding into the living room.

"She…" the Doctor began in a broken voice, "She's gone."

"Gone?" John asked in disbelief.

Their conversation pulled Sherlock from his thoughts. The detective stood up, looking murderous as he faced the Doctor.

"What the hell happened?" Sherlock yelled.

"I'll get her back," The Doctor promised.

"No, you've done enough!"

The Doctor's face fell. John might've felt sorry for him if he wasn't as upset as Sherlock.

"I…there wasn't anything I could do."

His eyes misted over. Amy was at his side in the next moment.

"Nothing you could do? Really? You have no injuries, your clothes are in immaculate condition! Tell me, Doctor, did you simply stand there while she was taken or did you help James abduct her?" Sherlock shot.

Amy's eyes turned fierce.

"You have no right talking to him like that," she yelled, hands on hips.

Sherlock turned his withering glare on her.

"I have every right!"

She returned her own fiery glare.

"It wasn't the meta-crisis," The Doctor said, but his eyes were hard and his voice cold as he stared at the detective.

Every eye in the room turned to him.

"Who?" Sherlock demanded.

"It was someone I never thought I'd see again."

"What do you mean, someone you never thought you'd see again?" John asked.

The Doctor began pacing.

"Rose and I met him on our travels. She wanted to bring him along. I wasn't so sure, but that was mainly because of the way she looked at him. Not that it matters now-"

"Who is he?" Sherlock cut in, irritation apparent in his voice.

The Doctor stopped, eyeing the detective.

"Adam. His name's Adam."

Sherlock grabbed his coat and pulled it on as he crossed the room to the door.

"Sherlock," John called. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. Instead he pulled the door open and hurried out. John ran after him. He could hear the Doctor, Amy, and Rory on his heels, but he was more intent on finding out exactly what his friend was up to. He'd gotten the look that told John he'd figured something out. Sherlock wasn't going to go chasing after a serial killer on his own, at least, not if John had anything to do with it.


Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers!

If you have time reviews are always welcome. :)