A/N: I've decided to post a new chapter early, since I spent the last few days writing outlines for TWO chapters, the previous chapter being my first one of the two I've worked on so far. I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 43: Before the End

"I think I hear them at the other end of the hallway, through that door," the boy says several minutes later as we begin hearing familiar voices in a secluded room on the opposite end of the hallway. And, indeed, they are familiar, as they sound identical to my friends and loved ones—specifically Dad and the Paternoster Gang.

Upon hearing their muffled voices, I rush past the boy, not saying a word, as I'm way too determined to reunite with them. As I get closer to the closed door, the voices become clearer, and I can make out certain words and phrases that relate to us figuring out how to escape the base as well as find and rescue me (not that I need rescuing anymore, which they don't know as of yet, but they will in a few seconds). I step up to the door and push the button on the wall on the side that makes it slide open, and I immediately see my friends and family, all except for my bio-mother, inside.

"You there!" Strax says once I enter the room, immediately pointing his gun at me. Everybody else pause and stare in shock. "State your business before I blow your puny body to pieces!"

"Whoa, chillax, Strax!" I exclaim, putting my hands up in surrender. "It's me, Nova!"

"Nova?" Dad says, hesitantly stepping forward. "Is that you?"

"Dad!" I cry in relief that he is still alive, as is everyone else about me. I immediately drop my gun on the floor and run into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying my face in his shoulder.

"Hey, it's Nova!" I hear Hazel cheer behind us. "She's alright!"

"Thank the Lord," my mother-guardian exclaims in relief. "I thought we'd lost you forever."

"I knew she'd come back," Jenny says. "Didn't we, ma'am?"

"Of course we did, my love," Vastra responds to Jenny. "We all did."

"I didn't!" Strax huffs to the side. "I was certain you'd died a warrior's death and was disappointed that you'd died without me by your side!"

"Shut up, Strax!" Vastra snaps back at him. "She's alive and well and back with us; that's all that matters now."

"I thought you were dead!" I continue sobbing in my father's shoulder, still clinging tightly around his neck. "I thought for sure we… That Mom…"

No! I can't even begin to imagine it!

"Nah, I'm fine and dandy," he chuckles, pulling away slightly. "Just a bit bruised here and there, that's all." In that moment, he begins caressing the side of my forehead at the dried blood where my former Aikido instructor had struck me when I went after Madame Kovarian.

"Me too," I shrug, no longer caring about my personal injuries; not when I'm more worried about my family and the physical and psychological injuries they will have for the rest of their lives. "Where's Mom?" I ask, glancing around as well as chastising myself for forgetting about her unplanned absence, which troubles me greatly.

"We don't know," Vastra shakes her head apologetically. "She separated from us when the army arrived. She could be anywhere in the base."

Hopefully she's out looking for us, I think to myself, but not to kill us. Though the 'not killing us' part seems a bit unlikely, given what's just happened.

Speaking of which, I suddenly feel the need to confess. "Something happened…" I say, thinking back on the previous events over the last hour. "When the army arrived, she pushed me. She shoved me to the floor right as everyone started firing at each other. The moment she pushed me, I felt something in her…like she had momentarily regained control of herself. Then she shot toward Kovarian. I don't know if you guys saw it, but Kovarian…she disintegrated. She literally melted into a pile of mush on the floor. It was the strangest thing." And the fact that Kovarian went down so quickly, that almost seemed too easy, though I don't mention this out loud.

"I saw that too," Hazel speaks up. "Does that mean it's over? The Wicked Witch is dead?" I can't help but snort at her seemingly unintended Wizard of Oz reference.

"She might be dead, but no, it's not over," Jenny says, shaking her head. "We still need to get out of here. There're still loads of Silence members out there hunting us down, and the army may not be able to take them all down. We need to leave this place if we want any chance at staying alive."

"Jenny is right," Dad nods in agreement. "We need to find a way to get the TARDIS to materialize inside the base and pick us up. That's our only way out now."

"And save Mom," I add. "We're not leaving without her." The more I think about her, the more anxious I feel to save her.

Dad nods again. "Yes, that being the number-one priority. That's gonna be a job for you and me. The rest of you go to the Control Room and deactivate anything and everything that prevents anyone from teleporting in and out of the base so Amy and Rory can materialize the TARDIS inside and pick us up. Nova, River, and I will meet you there."

I immediately frown at this. "Wait! You're actually letting me go with you this time?" Since when did he decide to allow me to be a part of the danger, when before, he was very adamant about me staying away from the danger until I was more experienced? Why the sudden change of mind? It doesn't seem like him.

My father turns to me with a heavy sigh and gently grips my shoulders, saying with heavy hearts, "I am. I… I haven't been completely fair with you as of late. I have been very hard on you—too hard—and I'm really sorry about that. I understand that you want to prove yourself to me, that you have what it takes to do anything and everything, and I have been completely blind. I'm getting old. I haven't been a father in centuries, and it has been very difficult for me to get back into that mindset, and I now understand that I haven't been doing it in the way that I should with you. As a father, I'm supposed to protect you, do what I think is best for you, and not allowing you to have that chance to prove yourself—to not grow up—is not the way to go about it. That's what you've always wanted. To prove yourself. To grow up. And I…I'm just not ready. I know you're eighteen now, but you need to understand that I—that we, your mother and me—didn't have the privilege to properly raise you, just like your grandparents with your mother. To watch you grow up like a normal person. I know that's what you've always wanted to be—normal—and I desperately want you to have that life, but it's been hard with everything that's happened with the Silence. But despite all of that, I still want you to have that normal life you've always wanted. And, from now on until the day I die, I will do whatever it takes to help you live that life, whether it's by yourself or with me. The choice is yours, my Nova, and I will always love you, no matter what choice you make from here onwards."

His words leave me completely and utterly speechless. All this time, I can't believe I've been taking his overprotectiveness for granted—thinking that he was always one of those hard-core dads that refuse to let their daughters date until they are twenty-one or whatever—but he's only been acting that way toward me because he cares. Because he's always cared, like a true father should always be. Not just that; he cares because that's who he is in general. He doesn't want the people he cares about to get hurt, and that's why he always insists on doing the dangerous stuff and making those he cares about to stay behind where it's safer.

Like he said, as my father, he wants what is best for me, and what is best is to keep me safe from anything and everything that might be dangerous, but as I've said many times, danger is around us 24/7; literally anything can happen at any given time, and it's always important to be prepared for it by knowing how to face it, which has been a big problem for me my whole life, having been living my life in hiding and in constant fear of these dangers happening to me and the people that adopted me. More than that, I've been living with what I always thought to be the most dangerous secret in the universe, and it had made things much more difficult for me in my entire childhood, and it still continues to haunt me now.

Thinking back on what he said about not being ready himself, he is absolutely right. Before, he's always said that I was the one who wasn't ready, simply because I wasn't experienced enough, which is also true. I may not be ready to face danger head-on yet, but I am ready to learn to face that danger and be prepared for when I do have to face the danger head-on. For Dad, it's different. Despite me being old enough to make my own choices and do things on my own, he's not ready for me to leave the nest; rather, to leave the TARDIS. In other words—rather, in his words—he's not ready to see me grow up. Because of the Silence, he and River Song were forced to give me up for adoption to keep me safe from them, so they never had the chance to properly raise me. They never got to watch me grow up like a normal person, hence why Dad has seemed to treat me like a kid—like the innocent baby he had to give up all those years ago.

Before we met, for me eighteen years have passed, but for him eighteen minutes have passed (at least approximately), only because he had access to a time-machine and could hop-skip-jump straight to the future, while I was taking the slower path like everybody else. When we met, River said he was 'dying' to meet me, like he'd been waiting just as long to see me again, but now I know that wasn't actually true. He didn't want to wait, so he cheated and travelled to the future to a time when I'd be older, and only then would he have the chance to properly meet me, because that was the only time he—they—could.

Also, now that I know my grandparents' side of the story, I realize that my parents have literally been through the exact same shit as my grandparents, and both stories have one thing in common—the Silence.

After putting much more thought into everything, it all makes me so much more emotional. It makes me sad, knowing everything the Silence put my family through, but it also makes me angry, knowing that the Silence did all of this out of spite and hate and completely without mercy.

And they will pay for it. Every single one of them.

With tearful eyes, I wrap my arms around Dad's neck again, saying, "Dad… I love you so much."

"I love you too, my Nova," he whispers tearfully back, burying his face in my frizzy hair.

I eventually pull away again, and this time I address everyone. "I have made my decision, and my decision is you. All of you. I don't want to conquer the universe; I want to save it. I want to heal it. And I want to do it with all of you. I will never be cruel. I will never be cowardly. I will never give up. I will never give in. I will always and forever be me—Nova Susan Song: friend…daughter…Time Lord…savior…" I pause, turning back to my father, and add with a whisper, "Doctor."

Dad smiles, this time being unable to hold back his tears. "Ah, Nova…" he says, hugging me once again. "My Nova…"

I suddenly pause, thinking of my bio-mother, wishing she could've been here to hear my declaration as well.

'Don't worry,' Dad whispers in my head, having heard my thoughts. 'We'll save her, and once we do you can give her that speech yourself. That is a promise.'

'I will never break that promise,' I say, smiling back at him.

"Ah, as touching as this all is," Vastra speaks up after another few seconds, "we should get a move on if we are to get out of here alive."

Dad nods, immediately pulling away. "Right, yes. Good point, Vastra. We're running out of time. We need to find River and get everyone else out. Nova and I will go find River; the rest of you will go to the Control Room and find a way to have the TARDIS materialize inside and pick us up. Once that's done, Strax, you command the army to teleport out to safety. Nobody else dies today."

"As you command, sir!" the Sontaran replies with a firm salute. "I shall not fail you!"

Dad nods again. "Thank you, Strax. And thank you, everyone else. We wouldn't have made it this far without your help."

"That boy helped us too," I point out, suddenly remembering that I had left him outside during our reunion.

"Boy?" Dad asks, puzzled. "What boy?"

"The boy that helped PG everywhere," I explain. "He even saved me when the army showed up; he pulled me to safety and then brought me back to you guys. He may still be outside." I immediately go over to the door, open it slightly and peek outside, only to find the hallway empty, save for a few bodies still littering the floor from the battle, but thankfully none of the boy. "He's not out there," I sigh sadly as I duck back into the room, sliding the door back in place. "He must've left. But he did save me; in fact he saved me twice."

"That's right," Jenny nods. "I was there the first time. Looking back, he seemed like a nice young man. Very protective of us, especially of Nova, which was very appreciative."

Protective and clingy, I add in my head, at least the second time. Honestly, I thought I'd never get rid of him.

Though, at the same time, I can't help but think back on what he said about that said 'spark' he felt when he first laid eyes on me, and how I felt the exact same sensation when my own eyes fell on his dark brown ones. It couldn't have actually been 'love at first sight'…was it? If it wasn't, then what was it?

"What was the boy's name?" Dad asks curiously.

"I don't know," I sigh regretfully. "I tried asking, but he didn't tell me. There was so much happening." Not that I tell everyone this, but I really wish I knew what that mysterious boy's name was. Perhaps I may have recognized it from my past, if it was true what the boy said about us having possibly met in the past, even though I have no memory of any previous encounters with him whatsoever, and I honestly wish I did.

"That's alright," Dad says, rubbing my back soothingly. "Whoever he was, at least he brought you back to me. Now we need to bring your mother back. We should go now." He begins heading toward the door.

That's when I get a strange feeling. A feeling like something terrible is going to happen, and it's one that I may not survive.

"Wait!" I say, stopping him. "I…" I then pause, glancing nervously around at everyone before admitting my fear, "I want to say goodbye first. You know…just in case…"

Dad stares at me in a serious manner, like he wants to protest, knowing that he hates goodbyes (who really does like goodbyes?), but he gives in anyway and says with a sigh, "Alright, but be quick. We're running out of time." He opens the door and stands in the doorway, on the lookout.

I take the opportunity to speak to everyone individually. I decide to talk to Strax first. "Hey, Strax?" I call to him as I approach. "Can I talk to you first?"

"Of course!" the Sontaran says, standing at attention. "Anything for my mighty warrior!"

I snort, feeling somewhat disturbed. "Right. Uh, I'm not really 'yours,' and I'm not a warrior, but whatever." I then shake my head, staying on topic. "Anyway… Um… First off, I would like to say 'thank you' again for saving me from that 'Master' guy the other day and helping me save Dad from the Shadow Demons. And since you've helped me out so much, and I appreciate it just as much…there is one more thing I'd like you to help me with…"

"Of course!" he says again. "What is it you require? Decapitated heads? Severed toes? Hand Grenades?"

"Ew, no," I say in disgust. "I need—" I then pause, thinking better about the third thing he listed. "Actually, yes, your grenades would do the trick."

"Excellent!" he says excitedly like a kid that has been told that he can eat candy for dinner instead of a proper meal. "On what would you like me to use them?"

I lean in closer to the Sontaran and lower my voice to a whisper, glancing every now and then at my father to make sure he's not listening. "I will tell you, but first you must promise me to keep this between you and me. Only between you and me. Don't tell anyone, certainly not Dad. You got it?" Needless to say, if Dad finds out, he's gonna be pissed—like, royally pissed—hence why I'm not going to let him find out.

"I got it!" Strax exclaims joyously, and I fight myself not to slap him. God, he is such an idiot! Luckily, he realizes his mistake, and he says in a whisper that sounds like it could still be too loud, "I got it. Tell me your battle plan."

"Here it is…" I say before telling him my plan to wipe out every Silence member in existence by using Strax's grenades to blow up the base once the TARDIS materializes to pick us up. Again, I don't want Dad to know about this plan, as, like what he did to end the Time War, I am doing the exact same thing where we are now. Like Dad used the Moment to blow up both the Daleks and Time Lords, I—rather, Strax—will use Strax's grenades to blow up the Silence base, taking all Silence members with it, finally ending our 'war' with each other. Sure, this might make me a genocidal maniac like Dad was back then, but at this point I couldn't care less. If it means preventing the Silence from ever targeting us again, I'm willing to do whatever it takes, and this is how I am going to do it. However, since I can't physically do it myself, I'm going to get Strax to instead, since they're going to the Main Control Room anyway; he can place all of his grenades along the way, and Dad won't know a thing since he'll be with me, saving Mom.

"I won't let you down, mighty Nova," the Sontaran says after I finish, thankfully in a whisper. "I shall protect this secret with my life, and if I die, it shall go to the grave with me."

I nod. "Thank you, Strax. I'm counting on you. It's the only way to ensure that they're gone for good."

I approach Madame Vastra and Jenny next, giving them each a warm hug. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me and my family," I tell them, "even calling in the army when we originally thought we didn't need it, but you did anyway. We all really appreciate it. We couldn't have saved them without you."

"And we appreciate you trusting us to save your family," Vastra smiles sincerely. "I also appreciate that you took the time to listen to my story when we shared that time together on the streets of London Town."

I nod and smile back. "Yes, I really enjoyed that talk. You've taught me much about not just yourself but myself as well. We really are very much alike. Thank you again for helping me open my eyes."

"You are very welcome, my dear," she replies. "Like you, even your father needs reminding that he is not alone. We all struggle to accept who and what we are, your father especially. Never be afraid to remind him of that fact."

"I won't," I promise her. "He'll never be alone again. Not while I'm around."

"Thank you again for saving me, Nova," Jenny cuts in. "If it weren't for you, I might still be on that dreadful spaceship…maybe even dead. You saved my life and brought be back to my family. I couldn't be more grateful for your heroism. You have a lot of your father in you, particularly his heroism."

"Thank you, Jenny," I say. "Thank you for being with me when we were navigating through the base. It would've been a lot scarier if I wasn't with you. In fact, I may not have even made it inside without you."

"I'm sure you would've figured something out," she says in a 'nah, you would've been fine' tone. "You have your father's resourcefulness as well. No doubt you would've found a way in without a problem."

I smile, thinking better. "Maybe you're right. I definitely preferred being with you though. You were right; no one should ever have to be alone in anything. We stick together until the end."

Before the end, I correct myself in my head, as that is how it's starting to feel more like, and I'm honestly not sure why.

Lastly, I approach my mother-guardian and Hazel, giving them both even bigger hugs.

"Nova…" my mother-guardian sighs as she tearfully hugs me back. "My baby girl… We're finally back together again, just as it should be. If only your father were still here…"

"Mom, what did I say?" I reply. "You can't think that way anymore." I then smile, pulling away, "And don't worry. They're all gonna get what they deserve for what they did to Dad. Strax is gonna take care of it. They'll never touch you again. I promise."

"What?" Hazel asks, puzzled. "What did you ask him to do?"

I pause, feeling hesitant to tell her the truth in case my bio-father is listening, so I say instead, "I'll tell you later. Or you'll see for yourself. Whichever comes first." She frowns at me but seems to take my word for it anyway. I then say, glancing to my bio-father, "Anyway, I have to go. Mom needs me—River, I mean. I have to save her."

"No," my mother-guardian snaps, shaking her head. "She is 'Mom' to you. She's always been your true mother, so that is what you shall call her from now on."

"You've been my mother too," I say seriously, "even long after I found out the truth. You're still my mother, and nothing is going to change that. Not one thing! I love both of you evenly, and I always will."

"Oh, Nova…" she sighs, hugging me tightly again. "I will love you always."

"Me too," Hazel says. "You've always been a sister to me, Nov, and nothing's ever gonna change that either. I will always love you too, not just as a friend but as a sister as well. I will always be there for my 'sister,' no matter what. Because if you go down…"

"You go down with me," I say, finishing our signature quote, which has become an 'oath' of sorts in recent years. "Friends always stick together, for better or worse."

"Even 'til death do us part," we finish together.

"Haze…" I say, struggling to fight back tears. "Whatever would I have done without you?"

Hazel is about to answer when my father suddenly calls to me, "Nova! Time's up! We can't wait any longer! We have to go now!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" I reluctantly call back. I then say sadly to my mother-guardian and Hazel without really meaning it, and they know it, "I have to go."

"Don't worry about us, sweetie," my mother-guardian says, caressing my cheek. "Go save your mother. We'll be here waiting for you."

"And we know you will always come back for us," Hazel adds in a confident voice.

"I will come back," I say in an equally confident voice. "I promise." I hug them one last time before I join my father at the door. "I'm ready," I tell him.

"If all goes well," he tells everyone, "we'll meet you back at the TARDIS."

"Good luck, my old friend," Vastra says in a hopeful tone. "May the Goddess protect you both." Everybody else follows suit with their own forms of 'good luck.'

"Thank you all," Dad smiles at all of them in turn before saying to me, "Let's go, Nova."

We leave the group for what feels, at least to me, like the final time.

A/N: TO BE CONTINUED!

Will the Doctor and Nova be able to save River? Find out in the next chapter coming soon…