Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Doctor Who.
Annabella ©2011-2016 MamaBunyip
Everything else and story line by me but of course they're set in the Dr. Who Universe so I still hold no rights to them.
Story takes place somewhere in the 11th Doctor Era. I hope you enjoy it!
Rating: It's perfectly safe for the whole family, like the show. So don't worry.
EPILOGUE
A blue police box materialized in an alleyway in Ayr, Scotland. The date was 1977. The Doctor waited for a few minutes to hear a knock on the door.
He approached the door with a gloomy and jaded face. Upon reaching it, he breathed in, to ready himself. Then he opened the door.
"River I,"
"Excuse me, darling," River unceremoniously pushed past him, carrying something on both her arms. He didn't catch what it was, however. He closed the door in mild confusion and trailed after her.
"River? What is that?"
"What? You don't recognize her?" River turned around, and the Doctor had to look straight at it, realizing River had placed a perception filter on it. He recognized the nice year old Annabella, deep in sleep.
"Wha—what? Is that Annabella?!"
"Annabella Christie, imbued with the life-energy of the Bleak planet," River said, proudly, "sound asleep and covered by a perception filter. Proud of me?" She grinned, teasing.
"Proud o'?!" The Doctor had lost his words, "but she died. It's a fixed event, how did you fake a-" He opened his eyes, shocked at the brilliance of it in the exact moment he realized it. He was about to ask a question he had recently found an answer for. She had most likely used the very same trick he had used to cheat his own fixed death. "But how did you arrange for the replacement?"
"Oh, I always keep close those who try to kill me. And I marry those who don't," she winked.
The Doctor looked down at Annabella again, she was sleeping like the peaceful little angel that she looked to be, with her creamy white skin. Sleeping, safe and sound.
He looked up at River with a wide and amazing grin.
"Brilliant! Absolutely fantastic, River!" he opened his arms in celebration, "I could kiss you!"
"Why don't you?"
He did.
He carefully hugged her and they embraced Annabella at the same time as they exchanged the affection.
"This is amazing," he pulled a bit back, feeling little Annabella's hair, "all that's left is to travel 20 years into the future, wait for the Bleak's shield to go down, and destroy it."
"We can send her back, then?"
"No," the Doctor replied, "she can't inhabit planet Earth during this time period. She's supposed to be dead, that's what her parents and, more importantly, the Bleak believe. Right?"
"We could fake a coma," River suggested.
"You know that's not enough. She can't live on Earth in this timeline for that matter. Which does leave the question…what do we do with her?"
"Well…" River shrugs, lightly suggesting, "seeing as how we put her in this situation, we should maybe consider taking responsability?"
The Doctor was confused. She glared at him suggestively and that odd psychic link between them informed himof what she meant.
Parenting.
The Doctor opened his eyes in her direction, awkwardly. "Uh…"
"Not forever, of course. And we'll never tell her we're her parents or anything, but we did this to her, we can't just abandon her somewhere in Earth's future like this. We should raise her until she's of age, and then give her a choice," River proposed.
"Adoption, then?" The Doctor pointed out. River smiled, replying "yes."
"But…I'm always in danger," he awkwardly pointed out, backing away, "I hardly manage to keep my friends alive, how will I manage a little kid?"
"Who says she has to accompany you like they do?" River questioned, approaching him while slowly spinning around, "she has the Tardis, the best home anyone can wish for, really, and the safest.
"Apart from when it's being blown up…" the Doctor pointed out, but River ignored that point, stopping to face him.
"It's not that she'll never leave, but you know what I mean. It's just she's too old to just leave with some family on a completely different world, and wiping her mind would do more harm than good. And she's also too young to make a life of her own."
The Doctor paused, and looked at young Annabella. He approached River again.
"And she is quite the brilliant girl," he remarked, "you know she actually kept up with all my explanations? The Empress herself: her abilities were simply an extension of Annabellas'."
"Well then?" River asked. "After all, on a more selfish note, it would be good to spend some quality time together. We've been married a while now, and we've yet to spend a consecutive day together."
The Doctor scratched his chin, considering it.
"Perfect training for when we decide to have some of our own?" She suggestively pointed out.
The Doctor goofily giggled, blushing. "I suppose that's a commitment we can do," he agreed, making River smile really wide.
"Yeah?"
"Absolutely." They both looked down at Annabella with fondness in their eyes. The Doctor then looked at River, caressing her hair. "I wonder if she'll turn out alright," the Doctor asked.
"Whatever she turns out to be, darling," River assured him, "it will undoubtedly be amazing…and totally human."
He nodded, now really comfortable with the idea of having a family.
His mouth spread into his excited grin.
"This is going to be a whole new adventure."
Part End: Thank you for reading, please consider leaving a review if you have the time.
And there we go. Thank you a lot for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it.
Take care and see you on the next tale :)