The Kgratin were known as the hoarders of Canes Venatici, a galaxy known from the outside for its whirlpool-like appearance and on the inside from having the most interesting gravity. Every planet had its gravity tweaked just enough that what was considered normal for the Kgratin meant that River Song was standing on her head. Literally.
She hated the helmet she had to wear. Her hair barely fit, and it tugged at her scalp in a not-so-pleasant manner. The Kgratin had natural suction cups that enabled them to pull off the maneuver with no sweat. Not so for wayward humanoids. The headache brewing behind River's temples promised to be vicious, and her legs ached from suspending them above her head for more than an hour. Regardless of this, she smiled her very best at the Kgratin suctioned across from her, a small triangle of a table separating them.
"Very well then," River said in fluent Kgratinese. "We have observed the formalities of our exchange, and I have made you an offering from my native culture." She indicated the small bag of jelly babies hanging in the middle of the table. "Now, you said you had something of interest to show me. You do not allow outsiders in here easily."
"You are River Song," the Kgratin hissed at her. "Your name is spoken from all the corners of this planet, at the hearth of every household."
"Oh, really?" River considered this. Well, at least the Kgratin wasn't threatening her with a weapon. Yet. It was her first trip to Kgrat, so clearly it was something she did in her future. "Well, I'll have to remember that for a later date. Time travel, you see. Ever so messy. I have a feeling I'm a bit earlier in my timeline than you want."
"You are associated with the Warrior of Hours."
Warrior of Hours. Time Lord. Oh, Doctor, River mentally sighed. What have you done now?
"A recording," the Kgratin said and produced a flat metal disc. He placed it in a recessed spot on the table and pressed a finger into it. The other Kgratin gathered in the night club quieted as a mechanical voice filled the air.
"Doctor who ... Doctor who ... Doctor who ... Doctor who ... Doctor who ..."
Her scanner vibrated in her handbag, and River slipped her fingers inside to run over it as her heartbeat doubled at the repeated question. She discretely took it out and flicked what appeared to be a dismissive glance at the readout on the monitor.
25 December 2016, London. Time is 3:47 p.m. The Doctor's in trouble. We need you.
Although her smile remained wide and flirty, River's stomach suddenly threatened to rebel. Amy and Rory. They were the only ones who had access to this particular frequency, and it was different from the normal one they used to contact her. It was set up for emergencies, and River knew her parents. While the Doctor considered the mere thought of boredom to be the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, Amy and Rory took it far more seriously.
"Well, as much as I would like to stay, I really must get to another appointment." Years of well-honed training kept her movements smooth and fluid as River tucked her scanner away and swept beneath her skirts for the blaster she had strapped to her thigh. She drew it fluidly, aimed it at the Kgratin's head. "Now, then I think we can negotiate for ownership of that disc."
Fifteen minutes later, and blissfully helmet-free, River used her vortex manipulator to follow the scanner signal back to its origin. She appeared in her parents' bedroom, Amy and Rory clustered together near the door looking drawn and pale.
"What happened?" she demanded as she made a quick sweep of the bedroom, blaster in hand. A quick out the window revealed the Ponds' car just behind Rory's convertible, but nothing out of the ordinary. "Where's the Doctor?"
"I think he's on Trenzalore," Amy replied. "Please tell me you've done it. I know we haven't compared diaries. Have you been there?"
River's hearts plummeted, and she nearly dropped her blaster. "No, that's not possible. He can't be there."
"But have you-"
"Yes, Mother. What happened?"
Amy hastily explained the past few hours with the Doctor, about the turkey and the spaceship and the cloaked planet. "It was when that message started playing that I realized where we were. He didn't say it, no one did. But it had to be Trenzalore. You knew he was also meant to go back there."
"But not now. Not this soon." River thought about the disc she'd taken from the Kgratin. She wasn't ready. Oh God, she wasn't ready to entertain the possibility of losing him. She didn't think this moment would come for decades upon decades. Instead, it'd come just a few years after she and her parents had wound up on Trenzalore for the first time, fighting the Great Intelligence in the tomb that the TARDIS had become. "Mother, you know what this means."
"It means we've got to get to him right away," Amy replied.
"Let's go." River pushed past her parents, running down the stairs with Amy at her heels. Tabetha Pond chose that moment to walk out of the kitchen with a bowl of mashed potatoes.
She leaped back, nearly losing her grip as River sped by her and out the front door. "Good lord, who was that?"
"Rory, you explain it!" Amy called over her shoulder as Augustus wandered out of the lounge.
"Right." Resigned, Rory faced his in-laws. He clapped his hands. "Well. You remember Amy's imaginary friend from the wedding? Well, we've been traveling in time and space with him off and on for the past six years. That woman is our daughter who was born on an asteroid thousands of years in the future, but for everyone's sake, let's just say March 2011. She was kidnapped, brainwashed, regenerated a couple times, and you all knew her as Mels. She married Amy's imaginary friend, and now he is our son-in-law. So Amy called our daughter, whose name is River, to help find our imaginary friend, the Doctor, because he's in a lot of trouble. Any questions?"
Tabetha and Augustus exchanged a questioning glance. "Well, if you really don't want to tell us, you shouldn't just lie about it," Tabetha finally said. "I think they're reuniting the Downton cast this year for a Christmas special, shall I put it on the telly while we wait for you to sort out the turkey?"
"But … but, I didn't lie," Rory said weakly as they filed into the lounge, and Augustus flipped the TV on. He shook his head and followed Amy and River outside.
"All we know is that the town's called Christmas, but they wanted the same thing that the Great Intelligence did," Amy was explaining as they reached the place where the TARDIS had been parked. "They want to know his name."
"The oldest question in the universe. Yes, I heard it. A distant planet had recorded the message shortly before you contacted me." River took out her scanner and slowly ran it over the area, hoping to pick up residual energy from the TARDIS. "And if you said there's Weeping Angels there, then clearly things are getting through the Papal Mainframe's shields."
"That's the other thing."
Amy lapsed into silence, and River glanced up to see her mother worrying her lip. "What is it?"
"That ship we were on. The Papal Mainframe. It looked just like Demon's Run. All those clerics and Tasha Lem. She reminded me so much of Kovarian in a way. I didn't like her," she admitted. "Not just because she was all familiar with the Doctor and was trying to get him alone with her altar-bed. It felt like I was walking back into my biggest nightmare."
"Oh, Amy," Rory said, rubbing her back.
"The Papal Mainframe is the Church," River gently explained. "You weren't wrong, Amy. Oh, but it all makes sense now."
She waved them to a nearby bench and sat next to Amy. "All of this was drilled into my head growing up, but they kept wiping my memories. Enough was retained though that I did research on it in university and again for my own curiosity not long after I was imprisoned. After all, the Church is one of the overseers of Stormcage. I know you want me to go for the Doctor right away, and I will. But, you need a history lesson first, to understand why the Doctor sent you home."
"You know why he did it?" Rory asked.
"He's the Doctor. His motives are ever so transparent." A ghost of a smile flickered for a moment. "A couple centuries before the Battle of Demon's Run, there was a divide in the Church of the Papal Mainframe. An unscheduled faith change had taken place, ordered by Tasha Lem. The Church became solely dedicated to the cause of the Silence. The Doctor would not speak his name, and war would be averted."
"But, he did say his name," Amy pointed out. "He told you, and the tomb opened."
"That's because when we were on Trenzalore the first time, it was long after the events of this particular war."
"So, he's got to say it again?"
"I don't know," River admitted to Rory. "You said there's a truth field coming out of the crack. Say it in the right way and he'd have no choice. But the Doctor is stubborn and strong. He'd resist it as much as possible."
"How did Kovarian figure into all of this?" Amy asked.
"Kovarian's goal was to keep the Doctor from ever reaching Trenzalore in the first place. We all know now how that turned out. She was a part of the segment of the Church that was displeased with Tasha Lem, who wanted to go about this another way. But they never went into great detail, and I figured it was because in the end, I was still too close to you two when I was growing up as Mels. When I was taken the second time, the Church was fully aware of my relationship with the Doctor. I was told if the war came, it would be the war to end all wars. I thought after the Great Intelligence that it was the consequences of the Doctor's timeline being invaded. But, it's not that." She dragged in a deep breath. "It's the Time Lords. They're trying to prevent a resumption of the Last Great Time War."
The scanner in River's hands beeped, and she pulled herself out of the swirl of thoughts and history and all those suppositions that had been right and wrong at the same time. "There, I've got a trace of where the Old Girl has gone. It's faint, but it's enough for this to work." She pulled out the Kgratin disc and pushed it into a slot on the side of her scanner. "Those traces plus tracing the origin of this should … and there it is. Point zero." She tucked her scanner away and got to her feet, keying in data on her vortex manipulator. "It'll be the space travel version of threading the needle, but I can get through the cracks. I'll find him, Amy."
Amy followed and quickly hugged her. "When you do, give him a right smack for me, would you?"
River grinned and winked at her.
Rory clapped her shoulder. "Be careful."
"You should be telling that one to the Doctor." She hugged Rory. He hesitated a moment, then returned the hug. Puzzled, she pulled back, but he gave her a comforting smile and patted her shoulder. "We'll be back before you know it." She finished the sequence, said a small prayer that her bluff would actually hold, and pressed the button.
She emerged at the very edge of a town square, outside a dilapidated church and a party in full swing. A huge bonfire roared a few feet away, bits of Cybermen and other mechanical alien parts poking out of the flames. It was an eerie mix of Mardi Gras and the end of a very long battle campaign. She glanced around, seeking out the TARDIS, and frowned when she didn't notice it.
At the edge of the crowd, a little boy suddenly pointed in her direction. A figure hunched over the boy straightened, unfolded into a very familiar floppy-haired man. She had to swallow past the sudden wave of relief and love as he abruptly jerked straight and started the walk toward her. He leaned heavily on a cane and slowly waved off the children that started to follow him. The relief turned to worry. Amy hadn't said anything about the Doctor being injured.
"Just what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, stalking up to her.
It took her a moment to process it. The Doctor was much older than she'd ever seen him. There were deep lines in that long face of his, and the scattering of grey hair she'd teased him about on her last visit with him had grown. Relief and worry skidded to anger. "You tricked my parents! What did you think they were going to do, sit down to Christmas dinner?"
"I saved them!" he shot back.
"You didn't even tell them good-bye!" River yelled, clenching her fists in an effort to keep from slapping him. "And what were you going to tell me, Doctor? How was I ever going to find out that you were stuck here? In the pages of a bloody history book? You tricked them, Doctor, of course they were going to send me after you!"
He snarled. "Ponds! All you Ponds! I'm furious with the lot of you!"
She tossed her hands in the air. "Fine then! You just sit there and throw your temper tantrum like the 6-year-old you are!"
"I am at least 1,306, thank you, River Song!" He jabbed his cane at her before tossing it aside and lunging for her. She met him halfway as he flung his arms around her. Her lips found his, and they kissed desperately as they stumbled in the snow, struggling to maintain their footing. When they broke apart, he pressed his forehead to hers.
"Oh, what have you done, my love?" she murmured. "Besides forget an appointment to get your hair colored?"
"There's nothing wrong with my hair," he sniffed.
"There's at least eight … no 80 grey hairs now." She kissed his forehead, and his lips found hers again. This time, the kiss was slow and languid, a simple exchange of complex feelings that not even Time Lords could quite verbalize. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she felt perilously close to tears. He was older than she'd ever seen him, and something about that made her stomach pitch with dread. So when he offered her his arm, she took it and leaned into him as they slowly made their way toward Christmas.
"So, is Amy's turkey done?" River asked conversationally as he led her toward the church where he'd taken up residence.
"Probably. TARDIS isn't back yet." The Doctor's brow furrowed as they lingered at the base of the stairs, his gaze desperately searching the night sky. "She left about a hundred years ago when I sent your parents off."
"A hundred years?" River swallowed past the lump in her throat. "She can't get through the shields?"
"She'll find a way," he replied confidently, and she agreed with him. "Probably leaping about a bit to find the right hole. Needs a bigger one than your vortex manipulator. That's all right. I'll wait for her. Come upstairs with me, River. It's about dawn. Light here only lasts a few minutes."
He led her up a long, crooked staircase. She drew up short as she passed through what he'd turned into his living quarters. Hundreds upon hundreds of drawings were tacked on every available surface. When he'd run out of wall space, he merely layered old drawings atop the new. She recognized the enemies the Doctor had fought over the years. Vibrant red crayon and curls done with shades of gold were stuck on stick figures that represented Amy and River. Others were meant to be Rory. A fire lay in a small grate along one arm.
"So what exactly happened?" River asked softly.
"Classic standoff. They can't attack in case I unleash the Time Lords, and I can't run away, because they'll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords. Hey, after all these years, I've finally found somewhere that needs me to stick around. A town called Christmas. Could've been worse." He adjusted one of the drawings. "That other time, River, when you leaped into my timeline after me, it took place after this. So, that means you can't say my name either. You have to leave me here."
She harrumphed and pushed past him, surveying the room with her hands on her hips. "Single cot. Well, that'll need a change. I'm sure there's a proper bed around here somewhere."
"Are you even paying attention to me?"
"I'm afraid not," River said cheerfully. "You see, sweetie, you married a Pond. We happen to excel in the waiting department."
"There's nothing to wait for! You know as well as I do this is it. The very last of me."
She froze. "What makes you say that?"
The Doctor exchanged leaning on his case for leaning against the wall. "I've known ever since I regenerated. Oh, sure, dismissed it out of hand. New body, felt great."
"But Berlin. I gave you my lives, willingly."
"But, you lacked control," he corrected her gently. He absently picked up a toy and poked at the wheel. "You brought me back to life, healed me from the poison. You even extended this life far beyond what it should be, because your energy is running through my veins along with mine. But you lacked the precision to turn that energy into extra lives. Don't look at me like that, River. You didn't know. You were blameless."
"The hell I was," River shot furiously at him and turned away to gain control over her emotions. She bit her lip and ordered herself not to cry. "And what about the crack in time that the Time Lords are trying to reach you through. It goes both ways. Have you attempted to talk with them?" Her eyebrow arched when he didn't respond, instead turned his attention to the toy in his hand. "Doctor," she said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not exactly their most favorite person in the universe, I'll remind you."
"They wouldn't even exist if not for you." She took the toy and grabbed his hands before he could lunge for it. "The absolute worst they can do is tell you no, then we're no worse off than we are right now." She trailed a thumb over his cheek. "One hundred years. Why didn't you send for me?"
"One hundred Earth years, or as close as I can tell. Planet this far out, we've not even done a full revolution around the sun." The Doctor grabbed his cane and pushed to his feet. "Come on, my dear, I want to show you the sunrise."
She started to slip an arm around his waist, and he waved her off. "I can manage," he growled.
"Indulge me. I have a yen to embrace you." This time, he let her, and she didn't say anything when he leaned a bit heavily on her. "You know, no one can say I look a couple decades older than you now."
"Ha!" The Doctor jabbed his cane at the air. "You just liked being known as a cougar, River Song."
"It was ever so worth it just to see you blush."
As the brief light passed over the town, the Doctor sighed. "How mad is she at me? Amy?"
"More worried than anything when I left. I'm sure she's worked her way over to the mad by now. She never did explain, why did she have a turkey on the TARDIS?"
"Oh, yes. Decided to use the TARDIS as an emergency turkey roaster. Might be done anytime now. Do you have any idea how to make turkey edible?"
"My love, I'm quite sure that will forever remain one of the unknown mysteries of the universe."
As the sun spread over the horizon, she moved into his side a little more and decided to try again. "Why did you send Amy and Rory away? Why didn't you send for me?"
"Because if I hadn't, I'd have buried them a long time ago. You too, most likely. I can't do it, River. I can't stand over your parents' graves. Not when I already stood over your-" He cut himself off, squeezed her tightly. "Truth field. Dangerous thing. No. No, I just can't."
"Really, Doctor, you're underestimating the three of us. I'm disappointed in you." She gripped his hands and shuffled until she filled his vision, doing her very best to ignore that he was trying in vain to say he had stood over her grave. And not just a decoy one. The sun lit her hair like a halo. "What's the real reason? You're not just wanting to protect my parents."
He shook his head. "And this is why I didn't send for you." He bopped her nose. "You always know."
"You're dying right now, aren't you?"
"I'm an old man now, dear. You know what that means when I'm out of regenerations. To most of the universe, this is the eleventh incarnation of me. But you remember the man you saw in my time stream? Can't forget Captain Grumpy. I didn't call myself the Doctor during the Time War, but it was still a regeneration. And, well, number 10 once regenerated and kept the same face. I had vanity issues at the time. You saw the future as well as I did, River. All those graves, and one of them mine."
"And, one of them was mine. Doctor, I'm supposed to be here with you. You can't protect this town on your own forever. It'll end the same way, whatever you do."
"Every life I save is a victory. Every single one, right down to sending your parents home." He started back inside as the sun crested and began to set. He took two shuffling steps with his cane, then leaned heavily on it. "You'll stay? You'll really stay?"
"Did you honestly think I would leave you at a time like this?"
"What, no rocks to uncover? No history to mangle?" He chucked as River rolled her eyes. "Come along! I'll get you familiar with the layout."
The day it all ended started beautifully.
River woke in stages. There was the soft light of the limited daylight pressing against the back of her eyelids. Cool, sweet air wafted in the open windows, stirring the blankets. She heard a rustle next to her, the press of a warm body against hers. She instinctively turned into the arms that wrapped around her and arched her neck when cool lips pressed to the double pulse beating in her throat.
"You are randy this morning," she murmured. She cracked open one eye, and her hearts turned over, one by one, as she stared into the eyes of the Doctor. They were warm and kind, and despite the persistent attacks on the shield surrounding Trenzalore, far more peaceful than she'd ever seen. He was in a place that needed and wanted him, embraced who he was. She didn't think she'd ever see him content to be in one place. She didn't think she would be happy herself. But there was something about Trenzalore, Christmas especially, that domesticated the wild wanderlust in both of them.
Or maybe we're just getting old, she absently thought as she kissed him. Old and settled. Both of them on their final regenerations. As much as it hurt her to know that this was the last of the Doctor, knowing that neither of them would be forced to go on long without the other was a comfort. Younger versions of them would visit her parents, and River would find some way to get word back to them. Time flowed differently here, far faster than it did on Earth. It had a way of melding together into a languorous flow of worry and wonder.
Despite his age, despite having one of his legs go lame, the Doctor was surprisingly agile when it came to certain activities. She wasn't going to complain one bit. She rolled him onto his back, hands skimming over his ribcage and lower. They were both naked, still a bit sleepy, affectionate and wanting. As she moved over him, sunlight shimmered in her curls. His breath caught, his fingers dug into her waist, and it was a perfect moment of beauty in the middle of a tiresome war.
The light was already dimming when they lay sated next to each other. "You are growing increasingly affectionate in your dotage," River mused. "Not to mention you're actually sleeping every night."
"We agreed not to talk about that," the Doctor muttered petulantly.
She smirked and ruffled his hair. "How many grey hairs are we up to?"
"Not even getting started." He pushed into a sitting position. "You've been here 200 years, River Song, and not a single grey hair. Where are you getting the dye?"
"A girl doesn't share her secrets." She kissed his cheek and got up to search for a washrag, then clean clothes.
"Come on, River, please?"
"Absolutely not," River chanted in a sing-song voice. She rolled her shoulders and considered her yoga exercises. They were doing wonders in keeping her limber. She had encouraged the Doctor to try, but he lacked the patience to get through even a single sun salutation. She faced the crack in the wall opposite them, let the repeated hum of the Doctor's name being asked roll over her. They had been careful, very careful, not to use his real name when they were intimate. There had been a few close calls, but River prided herself on her self control in all situations. As for the Doctor … well … there was little a gag couldn't solve.
The sun was already setting by the time River went through a couple of sun salutations, habit winning over the desire to laze about. She was in the middle of locating clothes to wear when she felt the air change. The hair on the back of her arms rose, and for the first time in decades, a wild restlessness she had pushed into the recesses of her mind stilled. She spun just as the Doctor emerged from the cocoon of blankets that made of their bed, hair sticking about every whichway.
"The TARDIS!" he yelped "The old girl's back!"
He shoved all the blankets aside, grabbing his cane as he pushed to his feet. He shuffled toward the stairs.
"Awfully cold out there without clothes," River said to his departing back. "You're not going to church."
"Probably will be today!"
"Well, at least project them for the sake of the children." Securing her gun belt around her waist, River followed.
"They're fine," the Doctor scoffed.
"Oh?" She waved his sonic under his nose. "Without a dose of this? You're too old to go to church naked."
"I'll find clothes in the TARDIS." The Doctor grabbed River's arm and took two steps into the snow. He gasped, hugged himself. "When did it get so cold?"
"Need I remind you the effects of aging on humanoids? Including recalcitrant Time Lords." Deftly, she steered the Doctor back toward the stairs so he could put on clothes.
Minutes later, they stood in the TARDIS console room, letting their neglected time senses drink in the Old Girl. She smelled of the vortex and faintly of overcooked turkey. The Doctor patted the console fondly while River inspected scratches near the door.
"She had a beast of a time getting through that," she observed, absently wiping at the doorway with a rag. "Could use a good paint. Does the light bulb need changing?"
"I just changed it," the Doctor huffed.
"Three hundred years ago."
"Well, they're 700-year light bulbs." He pulled the monitor down, adjusted it. "Ah, look who's woken up, dear."
River abandoned the rag to take a look for herself. A hologram was projected into the dark sky, solidifying into the angular face of Tasha Lem.
"Hello, Tasha!" The Doctor flicked a few controls and pulled out a small microphone. "Nice of you to drop by, it's been a few centuries. Tell me, how's the outside world? Did they find Elvis yet?"
"The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified," Tasha replied, no humor in her voice. "I'll send a transporter."
"Don't bother. Got me motor back. Me and the missus will be straight up."
Tasha didn't flinch, but just enough of a flicker passed over her face to register shock. "Missus? You don't mean to tell me that woman got through?"
"Haven't found a locked planet that could keep you out yet, eh?" the Doctor winged an eyebrow at River.
"Afraid not. They're ever so resistible." River blew a kiss at Tasha's hologram and broke the connection as the Doctor inputted the coordinates for the Papal Mainframe. "That woman? Sweetie, I think you've broken her heart."
"Well, she's always had a bit of a jealous streak."
In short order, River found herself in the same chamber her parents had visited years earlier. Any pretense of seduction was gone. Instead of a bed, a wide table took up the room. Maps and charts spread over it, along with plates of half-eaten meals. River found herself drifting to the table, inspecting one of the plates. She frowned, subtly turning the plate to have a better look at the contents.
"Why did you ever come to Trenzalore?" Tasha said by way of greeting, slamming a large box in front of the Doctor and ignoring River.
"Well, I did come to Trenzalore, and nothing can change that now." The Doctor dropped into the large, ornate chair that Tasha favored and neatly crossed his legs. "Three hundred years, and you haven't aged a day. What have you been doing with yourself while you were trying to stop me from getting here?"
"It wasn't me," Tasha spat. "The Kovarian chapter broke away."
River froze. She closed her eyes and tried her best to ignore the roar of her hearts in her ears. Her fingers twitched, her gun arm jerked slightly. She willed away the impulses that controlled her life for so long and turned toward the Doctor and Tasha.
"They traveled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you ever reaching Trenzalore."
"So that's who blew up my TARDIS," the Doctor mused. "I thought I'd left the bath running."
"They blew up your time capsule," Tasha confirmed. "And tried to blow up their flawed weapon along with it. They were wanting to use the combination of both to create very cracks in the universe through which the Time Lords are now calling."
"The destiny trap. You can't change history if you're part of it."
"They engineered a psychopath to kill you."
"Totally married her." Now the Doctor grinned, his voice boastful. "I'd never have made it here alive without River Song. Say hello, dear."
Tasha stiffened as River's blaster pressed into the small of her back. "Like I said," she murmured, "flawed weapon."
"No," River said calmly, voice cold. "My training was perfect. Shall you keep elaborating on all the ways your actions caused my life, and that of my parents, to be a living hell? Or are you going to tell us what happened here three days ago?"
"You're dead, aren't you, Tasha?" the Doctor slowly got to his feet. "You can smell it in the air. Old food. Blood. Waste. Death. No, not Cybermen. They'd never let you keep your body." He approached her, rubbed a thumb over her forehead. "Hello, Dalek."
A split formed in her forehead, and a Dalek eyestalk emerged. "Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem," it intoned in its mechanical voice. The arrogance in the Doctor's eyes faded, replaced by a deep sorrow for a once friend.
"Sweetie, step away."
"River-"
"I'll take care of this." The Dalek swung about and River sent a blaster shot down its eyestalk. Tasha's corpse crumpled at her feet. Moving a bit slower than she'd like, River swooped down and disabled the eyestalk.
"The puppets are far more vulnerable, but we need to go." She steered the Doctor back to the TARDIS.
"She didn't tell them how to break through the Trenzalore force field," he said as River slammed the door behind them. "It's war now," he added as they walked to the console and began to run tests. "If the Daleks have taken over the Papal Mainframe, it's only a matter of time before the force field goes on its own. Look." He trailed a finger down the monitor. "Breaches in it already."
"What do we do, sweetie?"
Before the Doctor could answer, a bell rang.
"It's done," the Doctor said.
"What is?" River asked.
"Amy's turkey. Either that or it's woken up."
River laughed at the absurdity of it all. Turkey in the middle of all this. "Do you want some?"
"Go on then." He motioned River toward the stairs. "Under the stairs."
She shook her head fondly and kissed his cheek as she started by him. He caught her arm. He initiated the kiss this time, and she hummed with pleasure. She let herself enjoy him for a few precious seconds. She nipped his bottom lip and left him grinning after her.
"Amy and Rory will be cross that we ate their turkey without them," River said as she descended the stairs. She located the panel and rummaged about for oven mitts. She found the ones Amy left behind and slid them on. "We really need to visit them, take them another turkey. A proper turkey, not something you think would be an adequate replacement for one. For one, I'm ready to go some place where there's not an iota of snow."
She carefully carried the turkey up the stairs and found the console room empty. "Doctor?" River asked. She shrugged and glanced at the time rotor. "We're back now, so we need to formulate a plan about the force field while we eat." Something nagged at the back of her mind as she worked the door open while balancing the turkey pan. The door swung open to reveal the shocked faces of her parents. "Amy! Rory!"
"Where have you been?" Amy cried. "You're so much older! Where's the Doctor?"
"The turkey's done," Rory commented.
River shoved the pan in Rory's hands and raced back to the console. Fingers flying, she ran a search for humanoid life signs on the TARDIS. Three lights blinked on. Hers and her parents. With a vicious swear, she shoved the monitor away.
"River?" Amy asked.
"He's gone back." Hands curled into fists, she smacked the edge of the console in frustration before hastily inputting coordinates. "The Doctor's gone back. He went back to Trenzalore."
"Why?" Amy and Rory shouted at once.
"He's dying. For real this time. I'm telling you the truth, I swear it. This is not like Lake Silencio. No spoilers. No secrets. He's dying, and he shouldn't die alone. He needs us."