A/N: A little heads-up before reading this chapter: this is a very emotional one, so have your tissues nearby. Also, before reading this chapter, be sure to read my prequel story "Arising: A Nova Sue Prequel," as there is a particular scene that is referenced in this chapter. If you haven't read the prequel yet, the reference might be confusing to some of you.

All of that said, on with the story :)

WARNING: major character death.

Chapter 7: Love and Loss

"MOM!" I cry in absolute horror at what I've done.

I immediately drop the gun and run to her side. I drop down on my knees and lean over her to assess the damage. There is a large gun blast across her chest, and her entire front is stained with dark-red blood, and it's spreading fast, forming a pool on the floor around her.

"Oh my god!" I gasp in shock, feeling sick to my stomach. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"

"Don't worry about it…Sydney," she chokes out in pain. "Just…call my husband."

"Okay…" I say as I take out my cellphone from my pocket, fumbling with it due to the intense shaking in my hands. "Um…" I scroll through my 'Contacts' list for the Doctor's (technically the TARDIS's) number, but I can't find it. Of course, I think to myself, because this isn't my world. Of course I wouldn't have it since I never properly knew the Doctor in this world, even though I did in my 'other world.' Instead, I take a few seconds to try and recall what the exact number was, but I can't seem to remember it either; and even if I did, who's to say it's not the same number as in my other world? "I don't have his number!" I groan after a minute, eventually giving up. "I don't remember what it is!"

"Use my communicator…" River grunts as she struggles to pull out the specific device from her pocket. She hands it to me with bloody hands, staining it with red. "Send him…a message… Tell him…I'm hurt and…I need him…"

"How do we know whether he'll respond to it right away?" I ask in a worried tone, thinking about how bad my father is at his timing (which is quite ironic, especially for a time-traveler). "How do we know whether it'll be sent to the correct Doctor?" I add, highly doubting that any other Doctors before my father's specific variant will respond to the message since they wouldn't know who River is.

"It will be sent to the correct Doctor," River assures me. "I've…programmed it to do so. He should respond to it right away…as long as you word it just right. Don't…worry about including the time and coordinates. It…should adjust automatically…when you send it. Please…hurry."

"Okay…" I say again, this time with a nervous sigh, before focusing on the communicator that River had given me. Even if the message would be sent to my father's specific variant, I seriously doubt he would take it very seriously if it's sent from me, so I decide to word the message exactly like my mother would, knowing he'd take it more seriously if it's worded in a way like my mother had written the message herself. I make sure to type in as few words as possible, not knowing how much time River has left to live. I type the following message: 'Hurt badly and bleeding out. Please come quickly. -RS', before sending it off, hoping it would reach my father in time and he responds to it in time as well. "It's sent," I assure my mother immediately after as I set her communicator aside and turn my focus back on her wound. "Tell me what I can do to help you. I need to stop you bleeding out, or at least try to slow the flow."

"There's…nothing you can do…" she shakes her head apologetically, "except to wait… He'll be here…soon…"

I bite my lips together, both nervous and anxious to find out how my father will respond once he sees my mother—his wife—in this condition. I sincerely hope he won't automatically blame me for what's happened, even though I partially blame myself. Deep down, I know that this was all the Silence's doing, but I was stupid to fall for their schemes, despite being taught by the Doctor in my other life to never do this, but I seemed to let it happen anyway, even when I never meant to. Would he even believe me?

"Tell me more…" River asks suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, after a long minute.

"Tell you more what?" I ask her when she doesn't immediately clarify.

"About her…" she finally does clarify after another few seconds. "About my daughter… About you… Tell me more about her life… About your life… What else was she—you—like?"

"Well…" I pause, thinking. "I—uh, she—saved your life…" I'm not sure whether it's more appropriate to describe 'Nova's' life in first or third person, but I decide to stick with third person for now.

"You saved my life…" Mom smiles, and I can't help but notice that her voice sounds significantly weaker now, which increases my concern to the millions. "How?"

On the plus side, at least she prefers—or at least seems to prefer—that I describe her daughter in first person (i.e. from my own point of view), which clearly shows how much she believes me to be her true daughter. "Well, it was more like I gave my life to save you," I say with a shrug.

"And yet…you survived. Tell me how."

"It's a long story…" I sigh.

"No matter," River says, shaking her head. "Tell me everything. I want to hear…the entire story."

I sigh again, ultimately deciding to continue my story from earlier. "When we found out my guardians were kidnapped by the Silence, you decided to search for them in Dad's and my place, but the Silence—" I suddenly pause mid-sentence when I feel the room grow colder and windier seemingly without reason.

Weird… There shouldn't be any wind in here. There're no windows in this part of the building.

"But the Silence what?" my mother questions me when I don't continue; though she seems unbeknownst to the inexplicable breeze in the air. "Tell me."

"Sorry…" I say slowly as I look around, trying to determine exactly what's causing the strange phenomenon. "Can you feel that? That wind… Where's it coming from?" It feels almost…paranormal.

No…Extraterrestrial, I correct myself in my head as I begin hearing a faint whooshing sound in the air as the wind gradually picks up, swirling dust from off the floor around us.

"It's him…" River smiles as the faint sounds become increasingly louder, and they sound much more alien yet familiar at the same time. "He's here… My Doctor…" She says those last words as she slowly closes her eyes as she seemingly begins to lose consciousness.

"No, no, no!" I cry in panic as I gently shake her shoulders to keep her awake. "Mom, don't close your eyes! You need to stay awake; do you hear me? Stay with me! Come on, don't die on me! You can't die; this isn't where it happens! You have to stay awake! Come on, Mom, wake up!" I fruitlessly continue begging for my mother to stay alive as an all-too-familiar blue box materializes next to us, and for the first time in my entire life I am legitimately scared to see it.

The TARDIS doors creak open, and my father steps out, clad in his usual tweed jacket and bow tie. "Alright, River, I got your message! What seems to be the trouble this t—RIVER!" he gasps upon seeing the growing pool of blood covering and surrounding River's body. "Get away from her!" he yells at me as he pushes me away and immediately gathers my mother's body in his arms, completely ignoring the blood staining his clothing. Once he sees the grisly wound on her chest, he immediately places his hand over it to stop the blood flow, but it's no use; she's lost too much blood. "What the hell did you do to her?!" he screams at me in disbelief before he turns his focus on his dying wife and begins caressing her cheek to attempt to rouse her. "River! River, can you hear me?"

"I-I-It wasn't my fault!" I stammer, not knowing any believable words to say to ease the growing tension. "I-I-I didn't mean to… The Silence—they made me do it!"

"The hell they did!" he snaps back at me, not believing me in the slightest. "You are the only one still here!" He turns his focus back on River once again. "River, come on! Don't do this to me! I'm not losing you today or any other day! Wake up!" When she doesn't immediately wake, he deepens his voice to a growl toward me. "I'll deal with you later. Right now I want you to leave. Now. Go! Leave me!"

"Dad, let me exp—" I attempt to protest, but he cuts me off.

"NO! DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I AM NOT YOUR FATHER! I AM NO FATHER TO ANYONE! GO! LEAVE ME, AND DON'T EVER CALL ME AGAIN! GO NOW!" Hot tears begin streaming down his cheeks as he says this.

"Dad—" I attempt to protest again.

"NOW!" he screams so loud that his outburst can be heard throughout the entire building and all the way to my neighborhood.

Not having any other choice but to do what he says, I get up on my feet and begin walking away when I suddenly hear my mother's weak voice speak up from behind me.

"Sweetie…" she whispers joyfully toward her husband.

"River! You're alive! Don't worry; I'm here. I've got you," he gasps in relief as he grips her body tighter before looking back up at me and screaming once more, "I SAID GO! GET OUT OF HERE! DON'T EVER COME BACK! GO!"

This time, I rush out of the room entirely, but not before stopping on the other side of the wall in the adjacent hallway. I lean against the wall and slowly peek around the corner as I silently watch my parents and listen to their final conversation to one another—their final goodbye.

"Doctor…" my mother begs him in a weak voice. "Don't be too hard on her. This wasn't her fault…"

"Of course it was!" the Doctor snaps angrily. "The Silence put her up to this. I said she was their pawn all along. I said she could never be trusted."

"Sweetie… No…" she shakes her head. "You've got it all wrong. She's not a bad person. It was my idea to come here. It was a mistake. Sydney absolutely can be trusted. I talked to her…got to know her. She wants to help us. She wants to help her. Please… You must give her another chance."

"I can't. There's no one else in the universe I can trust anymore. Not even…" He pauses and bites his lip to punish himself for what he's about to say next. "Not even our daughter. There is only you, River. I've told you time and time again, she can never be saved. Not ever again."

"But Sydney can. She knows her—the real her. She is her. If you just give her another chance, you'll begin to see that. I see it in her. I see her in her. Please…my love… Talk to her… Listen to her story. You'll see they are the same person. Help her to save our daughter. She's the only one who can save our daughter. It's the only way she can return home."

"She's not from another universe. The TARDIS already confirmed that."

"As I said, if you just take the time to listen to her story, things will be much clearer. As I said, you don't have to believe her, but you should at least try to trust her. Trust that that girl can save our daughter and bring her back to us. Bring her back to you." She pauses before lifting her palm up to caress her husband's tearstained cheek. "Please, Doctor… Do that for me while I'm gone."

"'While you're gone?'" he echoes in an incredulous tone before vigorously shaking his head and gripping her body tighter. "No! No, no, no, you're not dying! Don't talk like you're dying! Don't you dare, River Song! Don't you dare leave me!" He says all of this as more tears flood his eyes. "I'll heal you! I'll use up the rest of my Regeneration Energy, like you did for me! You'll be alright!"

"Sweetie… There's nothing you can do for me now. Not even Regeneration Energy will help me; you don't have enough left to use. I'm sorry, my love."

"No! Stop saying that! You're not dying! You can't die! Not here! This isn't where you die! You die at The Library!" He reveals this spoiler without really meaning to, but he doesn't seem to care as he continues. "You die saving me and many others! That was how it all started for me—for us—and that's how it ends for you! Please, you can't die here!"

"Time can be rewritten, sweetie," she sighs in response.

"No!" the Doctor snaps again. "Not that time! Not Darillium! Not any of those other places and times I planned to take you! I won't allow any of those times to disappear! 'Not one line,' remember? That was always our promise! I will not break it! Come on, River Song! Don't give up on me now! Stay with me!"

"I'm sorry, my love," she sighs again. "I'm afraid…I can't be helped. But you can help our daughter. Help Nova. She needs you. Help her find herself again—her true self. Let Sydney help you. She knows her…and she knows you. Everything that'd happened with our daughter has torn you apart. Let Sydney mend you back together again. She knows who you are; who you really are. Before you help Nova, you must find yourself again first."

"River…" he sighs again as he begins to sob uncontrollably, and I begin doing the same behind the wall, knowing that this is the legitimate end for my mother…at least in this world.

"Please…my love… My Doctor…" she whispers as she slowly begins losing consciousness. "Find yourself again… Find Nova… Reconnect with her… Teach her to love again…like I have always loved you…"

"River Song… Melody Pond…" Dad whispers back. "I have always loved you since the day I first met you. You are seared onto my hearts for all eternity." Hearing these words makes me sob more, remembering how my Doctor had said those same words a thousand times to me in my other world.

"Kiss me…" my mother whispers barely loud enough for me to hear behind the wall, wrapping her fingers around the back of her husband's neck and pulling him down to her level. "One last time…"

"It won't be the last time," he shakes his head as he accepts her request, leaning down to her. "I will kiss you forever, from now until the end of Time."

And he immediately does just that. I watch as my father kisses my mother with every ounce of his being, putting all of his love into that single, final kiss. He doesn't stop, not even as her hand falls from his cheek and she falls still and silent in his arms.

I stifle back a choked sob as I cover my mouth with my hands, seeing that my father hasn't acknowledged the fact that my mother has just died, yet he continues to kiss her like she hasn't passed at all in his mind. Like he can't lose her as long as he holds their kiss between them. Eventually he does release the kiss, and once he puts his focus on his now dead wife, who lays peacefully and contently in his arms, he automatically wails in anguish as he rocks her body back-and-forth and buries his face in her blood-soaked curls. At this point, I can't help but wail with him, having just watched my mother die from a distance rather than physically be with her like I originally planned to.

After a second, I see my father's head immediately shoot up at the sound of my cries, and before he has a chance to yell at me again, I immediately rush away, this time completely out of the building and into the pouring rain outside. Once I've exited the building, I collapse on my knees and continue wailing into the gale, not caring about my clothes getting soaked and muddied in the process. After several minutes of this, I eventually hear the TARDIS's dematerialization noises from deep inside the building, and I take this as my cue to make my way back home. Unfortunately I have to go back home on foot, as I don't have my mother's Vortex Manipulator nor my bike with me, so it will take twice as long to get home. I continue to cry during the entire journey home.

Thankfully I make it back home in the nick of time as the thunderstorm worsens. Once I lock up the house, I immediately go to my sofa and collapse on it and continue sobbing uncontrollably into one of the pillows. I feel so ashamed of what happened at that damned factory and how much I completely botched any chances I had of returning to my world, knowing that my father will have no interest whatsoever in helping me now. I feel even more ashamed of myself for creating this world—however the hell I created it in the first place—that I now refuse to live in anymore, but have no choice but to live in it now anyway. I feel now more than ever to return home back to my world, but I might not ever get that chance now after what I've done. I'm stuck here forever, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it now.

I am completely unaware of how much time that passes—it must've been hours, or possibly minutes; I'm really not sure—as I hear my father's voice unexpectedly whisper my (fake) name from behind.

"Sydney…"

I involuntarily gasp upon hearing his voice, and I immediately jump up from the sofa and see him standing there on the other side with a remorseful look on his face. "W-What're you doing here?" I ask him nervously, thinking he's here to severely punish me for the death of his beloved wife. I briefly wonder how he came into the house at all, as I remember locking every door and window the instant I came home. I also notice that he seems to have changed his clothing, this time wearing a long dark-green overcoat, and he seems to have aged slightly, though I can't tell if he's physically aged due to general time or from extreme mourning.

"Please…" he says as he raises his hands up in a peaceful manner. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just…" He sighs heavily before shaking his head and admitting the purpose of his intrusion. "I just want to apologize." From the tone of his voice, he sounds honest.

I also notice that my mother is not with him, which mercilessly gives me the indication that she is truly gone. However, for some odd reason I don't want my father knowing that I know this, that I secretly watched her die, even though he demanded that I leave them alone. "River…" I hesitantly ask. "Is she…?"

He almost doesn't have to say anything at all—the rueful look on his face and his puffy eyes 'speak' for themselves—yet he decides to speak aloud anyway, albeit in a volume that I almost can't hear. "Yes…" he says in a shaky voice while bowing his head in shame. "She's gone." This makes me sob more. "I didn't have enough—" he adds before abruptly stopping himself from saying the word 'energy,' as in 'Regeneration Energy.' "I couldn't save her," he says instead, closing his eyes in regret, and I see another tear trace its way down his cheek, but he ignores it, barely seeming to register its presence.

I can't prevent myself from breaking down in endless tears again. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! This was all my fault! We should never have gone there! I should never have made that stupid mistake to create this world! I should never have done this to her—to you! I don't know what I was thinking to make that choice! I should never have made that choice! I never meant for any of this to happen! I never meant for her to become that! I never meant for Mom to get killed! I never meant for you to be going through all of this! I never meant for you to lose her—lose me! I am so sorry, Dad!" I decisively call him 'Dad,' no longer caring how he would respond to the title; I've got more than enough problems to worry about than that. This time I completely lose strength in my legs, and I collapse to the floor.

The Doctor immediately responds by doing something totally unexpected. He rushes to me, falls down to his knees, and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug, just like he always did in my other world. Surprisingly he also begins sobbing, burying his face in my hair, and I automatically wrap my own arms around him, refusing to let go; for if I do, even just slightly, he might surely disappear from me just like River.

Thinking of River, I briefly wonder where the Doctor had sent her body. Perhaps he took her somewhere/somewhen beautiful (The Singing Towers of Darillium, perhaps?), and he buried her there. I also wonder how much my father's timeline has changed because of her death. Originally she was supposed to die at The Library, and that was also the same place where my father first met her. Since she died before The Library, Time would change in a way where the expedition never happened; therefore my father never went there either, since River was the one who summoned him there to begin with. With this happening, how would this affect my father's timeline? Would he completely forget who my mother even is? Or would Time adjust where the second time he met her would become the first time (in this case, The Crash of the Byzantium), and everything else following that event (i.e. their Judas Tree poisoning in 1930s Berlin, their marriage to one another, my birth, etc.) would stay the same? Would their love for each other still remain as strong as the very fabric of Time itself?

Eventually, once we've calmed down enough, the Doctor leads me to the sofa, and we collapse on it with our arms still wrapped tightly around each other, just like old times. This makes me feel like I've genuinely gotten my real father back, and I couldn't be more content to be back in his arms again.

If only my mother was here too…

"I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you," the Doctor speaks up after several minutes. "It wasn't like me at all to treat you so horribly."

"I get it," I assure him. "You were angry. Anger can make you say a lot of shitty things."

"Oi. Language," he snaps at me, nudging me lightly in the arm with his elbow.

"Sorry," I shrug back. "I'm not wrong though."

"No, you're not," he admits with a sigh. "You are absolutely right. I've had a lot of things to be angry about lately, and I know I shouldn't be angry, but I can't help but be angry anyway. I'm sorry for some of the things I may have said that upset you. I promise, I didn't mean to say those things at all. I swear."

"It's fine. You're here now." I then pause before admitting, "This may sound a little weird to you since you don't know me, but…I've missed you."

"'Missed' me?" he frowns, puzzled.

"I mean as a father," I confirm, sitting up slightly so I'm facing him properly. "My father. I know you don't believe me when I say I'm your real daughter, but it's true. I really am your daughter, Nova. Or I'm supposed to be. As I said before, it's complicated."

"River said just before she—" he starts but then stops, refusing to say the 'D' word out loud. Instead, he says, "River said you had quite the long story to tell me. She said it would help makes things clearer for me to understand your situation and to learn more about Nov—" He pauses again. "About her. About you. About what her life should've been like."

"It really is a long story…" I admit with a heavy sigh. "But if it will help you learn to trust me properly, then I'll be willing to tell you everything—literally everything. As long as you're willing to listen to every word."

The Doctor pauses for a few more seconds before giving me a small smile, showing his true willingness to listen. "You have my full attention, Sydney Marie Elise."

"Thank you," I smile back at him before sighing nervously. "Okay… Where do I even start…" I begin telling him my entire life.

I begin telling him about my mostly safe life on Earth with my guardians. I include my first Regeneration when I was four years old due to aspirin and my Aikido classes with 'Master Kang' (if that was even his real name) whom I didn't know was secretly a member of the Silence. I briefly describe my side hobbies of singing and acoustic guitar playing throughout my childhood. I recall some instances when I saw River from a distance, how curious I was to know who she was every time I saw her, and how strange it was every time I would try to approach her for answers but she would shake her head and walk away like it wasn't the right time yet to talk and disappear shortly thereafter, which aggravated me for years. I even describe times while I was coming into my 'superpowers,' I had felt alone, but my best friend Hazel was always around to support me even after I told her my secret not long after we were attacked by the Sontaran at the arcade (I point out this event happening differently in my world and describe how it was like then).

I then explain how while I was coming into my 'powers,' I began feeling like my family was no longer safe around me, and I decided to leave them after high school graduation, which ended up being a massive mistake later on. I explain how my leaving them gave the Silence an opening to step in and kidnap them, and they did the same to Hazel when she went with me to London to help me find my bio-parents as well as study abroad together (the latter of which wasn't as important to me at the time). Around this time, I met River properly when she saved me from a group of Silence members who cornered me in an alley, and she brought me back to the TARDIS to meet the Doctor.

After they explained who they were and why they gave me up, everything changed after that. I explain how much of a struggle it was to accept who and what I was—that I was far from human and was destined to be something even greater. I learned from my father all about my ancestry as one of the last surviving Time Lords, and I was born to take up my father's mantle of traversing all of Time and Space, saving planets, rescuing civilizations, and defeating terrible creatures that would do harm to all things that are good. After we saved my kidnapped family from the foul clutches of the Silence, I continued my travels with the Doctor, and I grew to trust and love him as a father and River as a mother.

I then go on to tell the story of how I saved River's life at the cost of my own. Before telling the story, I mention that I was going to tell River this story as she was dying, but I never got the chance to once the Doctor showed up and shooed me away. I explain how the Silence took over River's mind again while she was trying to save my kidnapped family, but she ended up being captured. River was stuck under their mind-control until I entered her mind, using my telepathic abilities that the Doctor had taught me, and I was able to temporarily break River free from the mind-control, but the damage had already been done before River realized what was happening. She ended up stabbing me through one of my hearts, which almost killed me if not for my ability to regenerate. Meanwhile, River was put into surgery to remove the 'Inhibitor Chip' in her head (which was performed by my grandfather, Rory Williams), which she survived without additional problems. Once we all recovered, Mom went back to teaching at her university on the moon in the future, and I went off to study abroad in London in the Present Day with Hazel as we initially planned, and I would continue my travels with the Doctor every other semester.

"But something must've happened while we were on one of our adventures," I say as I finish my story. "I don't remember much, but I do have this vague memory of being offered the chance to change my life, and I must've agreed and changed it to the point where it changed my entire being; in other words, it changed me from a Time Lord to an ordinary human, and it changed you and River as well where you guys are no longer my parents. Though at the same time, you were given a 'new' daughter in my place, but she became a murderous psychopath just like what River became after Demons Run." I pause, suddenly realizing. "I suppose I chose two ways to change my life. Aside from giving myself a human life, I also gave myself a life with the Silence as my guardians. In other words, not only am I seeing what my life would've been like as an ordinary human, but I am also seeing what my life would've been like as a member of the Silence." I gasp, shaking my head in shame. "Oh, God… Why would I do that? I couldn't even imagine it before, but now…"

I involuntarily think back on my 'fear' self's words: "There's still time for you! You can still become this! They'll never stop hunting you! You'll have to stop running eventually! Everybody does! You can't run forever!"

This gives me a sudden thought. "River said you failed to save me—her. Nova," I say, turning to the Doctor with a frown. "How could you have failed? That should've been impossible." What could possibly have happened to make him lose me so easily?

"You're right," he snaps suddenly, and I realize his snap is geared toward himself and not me. "It should have been impossible." He stays silent for a minute before admitting in a regretful tone. "I did something stupid. No, I did something selfish. Something unforgivable. Something that I will never forgive myself for. I swore to myself that I would avoid confrontation, but… I was so angry for what they did to her! What they were turning her into! I couldn't let them get away with what they were doing! I couldn't control myself! I had to do what I did…at least at the time." He then lowers his voice to a growl. "But it was all for nothing; they took her away anyway."

"What did you do?" I ask nervously, feeling, deep down, like I already know the answer.

My father closes his eyes in regret before admitting shamefully, "I killed someone."

"What?!" I exclaim in absolute shock. He actually killed someone?! How? Why?

"It wasn't the first time I've done that," he shrugs in response to my outburst. "I wiped out my own people—my entire home—to end the Last Great Time War."

"No, I know that; you told me that story before. Who did you kill while trying to save me—Nova? Was it Madame Kovarian?"

"No, that was Nova," he shakes his head. "She killed Madame Kovarian much later. I killed one of the soldiers. He taunted me."

'One of the soldiers?' From that Silence ship, when he was trying to save me with my grandparents and the Paternoster Gang? That one soldier he encountered when he found out what the Silence were doing to me? The one he threatened to kill, at least in my world? He actually killed him this time round?

"So you shut him up by shooting him in the face?" I scoff in disbelief.

"Yes! That's exactly what I did!"

"And you felt pleased with yourself shortly after?" I don't realize this was a dumb question until after I'd asked it out loud. It's absolutely insane! How could he? Why would he?

"YES!" the Doctor screams automatically before pausing and shaking his head with a groan. "I mean, no." He stays silent for several seconds while burying his face in his hands before admitting with a heavy sigh, "Yes and no."

"So you were pleased that you'd eliminated a Silence member as a way of getting back at them for what they did to me—Nova," I say with a raised eyebrow. "But you were not pleased with what you did since it made—"

"It made me lose her," he finishes with a shameful nod. "Exactly. If I hadn't wasted all that time, I could've saved her without issue. But I was selfish. I decided to take revenge on my enemies once and for all, rather than focus on what was really important. I let my recklessness get the better of me, just like always. I will never forgive myself for that. Not even Amy and Rory will ever forgive me now…not after what I let happen to their granddaughter. Not even after what happened to River…" He chokes back a sob at the mere mention of River as he buries his face in his hands again. "This is what happens to people when they get too close to me. I end up ruining their lives in some form or another. Every single time. Rose… Martha… Donna… Amy… Rory… River… And now Nova. This is why I'm better left alone. I can't hurt people as long as I'm alone."

"You're wrong," I shake my head. The Doctor looks up at me in seeming offence, but I continue anyway. "That's the literal last thing you should do—be alone, I mean. You're not yourself when you're alone. That's why you need someone to travel with you. Someone who prevents you from making bad decisions. Someone who will always be there to love you and support you through your hardships. Someone who will always be there to remind you who you are…who you really are. Someone to tell you to never be cruel…to never be cowardly…to never give up…and to never give in. Someone to tell you who 'The Doctor' really is." I pause to let my words sink into my father's brain before I continue once more. "Nothing is ever truly impossible, even when things seem that way. There's always a way, even when it's one we haven't thought of yet. A very wise old man recently taught me this. I bet you can guess who." I say this last phrase while smiling at my father, and he smiles back once he's realized who I'm referring to. "We will save your daughter. Together. I have a way."

"How?" he asks, seeming doubtful.

I shrug like it should be obvious. "How else? With words. Another thing the wise old man taught me is that words always win wars. He even admitted that that was one of my greatest talents; that was something I 'inherited' from him. That was how I helped a young boy to conquer his fear of spiders. That was how I saved River when she was under mind-control. That was how I saved you when the Shadow Demons forced you into a coma. In the 'dream,' when you were about to set off the 'galaxy-eater' that would end the Time War, I told you that you weren't alone and that I was there with you and would never leave you, and I proved it by placing my hand over yours in preparation to detonate the bomb with you. Thankfully we never had to actually set off the bomb, but just making physical contact with you was enough to wake you up and show you that you weren't alone—that I was there for you and always would. I would never ever let you be alone, Dad. Not ever again. I promise. As I said, we will save your daughter together, and no matter what may happen, we will never give up. You may be tired of running, but in the whole time I've known you—the real you, I mean—one thing that's absolutely certain about you is that you never give up, no matter what happens. You always keep trying, even at your last breath." My words instantly make me remember the adventure he told me about, when he used his literal last breath to tell River (or rather, Melody) who she really was to him—how she wasn't his killer but rather his lover. "Do for Nova what you did for River back in Berlin," I add softly. "Teach her who she truly is to you and who she truly is to herself. Tell her how much you love her."

"Sydney…" he sighs after a minute. "I really don't think it'll be that simple."

"Trust me, it will work," I say confidently. "I've done this exact thing before—uh, minus the 'telling her I love her' part; that would've been weird. That's something you can do later when it's the right time. Let me talk to her first. As I've said a million times now, I know her. She is me. I know who she's supposed to be, deep down. I can use what I know to get close to her; convince her that her current life was never the life she was truly meant to have; show her who the real enemy is. Show her what her life was truly meant to be like. The life I described—that was the life that she was truly meant to have. Once I've explained everything properly, she has to change her mind, change her ways. But further most, she has to see that you were never truly the enemy; that you were meant to be a family. You were meant to be her father. Show her what it truly means to be her father, and she'll come around. I guarantee it."

Seeing that the Doctor still seems unsure about all of this, I add, "As River and I have said, you don't have to believe me, but you should at least trust me. Please, Doctor. This may be the only way I can get home. The only way you can get your family back, including Amy and Rory. You're not 'The Doctor' without your family. You need them to keep you on the right path. You need them to keep you running." I remember him mentioning how he was tired of running, but, deep down as well as from past experience, I know his family are who keep him from getting tired and encourage him to do the right thing and to never give up, no matter the cost or how tired he gets. "You need all of us. Please, Dad…trust me."

The Doctor spends several minutes contemplating my words before he reaches out and hugs me tightly, burying his face in my shoulder. "Thank you, Sydney," he whispers tearfully. "That's just what I needed to hear. You really do have a way with words…just like me." He pauses once more before admitting, "You really are your father's daughter."

Wait… Did he just say what I think he just said?

I pull away from him and frown at him, unsure of whether he truly meant what I think he said. "You mean…you actually believe me? About me being your daughter, I mean?" Why else would he have said what he said?

He nods with genuine honesty. "Yes. I'm beginning to, at least. I'm starting to see traits in you that mirror my own. I see a lot of River in you as well. Your heart is very strong-willed, just like River's, and you share my strong thirst for adventure and determination to do what's right. Every single one of those traits are exactly what I always wanted my daughter to possess."

"She does," I nod vigorously. "Deep down, I think she does possess all of those traits. The problem is, they're so deep within her that they are unable to be accessed because of everything the Silence put her through. What they made her become. Like I said, if we can get close to her—preferably alone—we can help her access those 'traits' and help her realize who she really is, who she's supposed to be. I truly believe we can do it; we just have to get her alone somehow. Only then would she actually be willing to listen to us. Properly."

"Getting her alone will be incredibly difficult," the Doctor points out. "There'll be Silence everywhere. We'll have to keep them away from her long enough to be able to fully get through to her. Plus, the second they see me, they'll shoot me on sight."

"Not unless we shoot them first. You'd be surprised at how well I am with a gun. You'll be surprised to know that in my world, River has taught me quite a lot of techniques outside of my normal college classes. I can eliminate over ten targets in under twenty seconds now; I'm that good. Would you rather you do the talking while I do the shooting?"

"I would rather we avoid violence entirely if possible, but if we must commit to it, then I would appreciate not being the one who shoots first. Certainly not at her."

I shrug. "Like I said, I don't mind if I'm the one who does all the shooting—when it's necessary, of course—and you do all the talking. You know my story now. Our story. I would suggest that I still be the one who talks to her first, just to put her in a calmer and more peaceful mindset before you show yourself."

"Yes, I'd have to agree with you there…regrettably so," he nods before sighing sadly. "If only River was here… She'd know exactly what to say to her."

"She would say exactly what I would say to her," I say confidently. "Trust me, I know the perfect words to say to her. I've told them to her before, and they've worked." Sort of, I add in my head, thinking back on when I faced off with my corrupt self during our 'fear' adventure.

"Are you absolutely sure this will work, Sydney?" my father asks hesitantly like he heard my thought anyway. Some things never change.

"It has to. Otherwise, she'll never be who she was always meant to be. She'll never learn to love again unless you show her love first. Show her who the real enemy is. Show her who her true family is."

"You're right," he nods after a minute. "Her family was never with the Silence. Her family was always with me. With us—Amy, Rory, River, and me."

I smile as I rise to my feet. "Let's get your daughter back…together." I then pause and add, thinking of my mother and her dying wish for us to save my corrupt self, "For River."

For Mom.

"Yes," my father smiles and agrees, rising to his feet with me. "For River."

A/N: TO BE CONTINUED!

Sorry for such an emotional chapter. I did warn y'all that it was going to get worse before it got better. Please don't hate me too much. That said, I hope you enjoyed it all the same :)

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