"I wish I could tell you that you'll be loved," Amy whispered. She gazed down at the little baby in the glass bassinet, born just a few weeks ago. A small smile crossed Amy's lips despite the tense situation she and her child had been unwillingly thrust into. "That you'll be safe and cared for and protected. But this isn't a time for lies." She reached down and gently picked the little girl up, cradling her in her arms the way one of the more kind-hearted nurses showed her how to do. "What you are going to be, Melody, is very, very brave."

The Eyepatch Woman, Madame Kovarian she'd been told, stepped forward out of the line of guards blocking the door to the completely white nursery. "Two minutes."

Amy glared at the woman but continued speaking. "But not as brave as they'll have to be. Because there's someone coming. I don't know where he is, or what he's doing, but trust me. He's on his way."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Twenty-thousand light-years away, Cybermen stomped through the corridors of their ship. Their eyes, or what counted for eyes in their metal bodies, stared straight ahead. This unfortunate design had the effect of causing them to completely miss the caped figure walking alongside them in the shadows.

In the main part of the spaceship, the Cyber-Leader and another Cyberman looked up from their monitoring instruments as an alert came through. "Intruder, level nine," the Cyberman reported.

"Seal level nine," the Cyber-Leader ordered.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"There's a man who's never going to let us or your Aunt Alex down." Amy swallowed thickly at this last part. Despite a bunch of inquiries, Madame Kovarian refused to tell her where Alex was or let her see the girl. She was probably under the impression that the girls would somehow conspire an escape together, even if they were surrounded by a bunch of soldiers. Which, Amy had to admit, wasn't wrong.

Pushing those unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind to be thought about later, Amy turned and stared out the large window that made up part of one wall of the nursery. Outside in the hanger of their asteroid base – because where else would they be? – a large army was gathering, all of them coming together for what she thought was a ridiculous reason.

"And not even an army can get in the way."

Her words failed to spook the guards and Madame Kovarian. Instead, the woman marched forwards, her arms out. Two guards followed along behind her, just in case any trouble arose.

Amy backed up. "Leave her, you just leave her!" she cried. "Please leave her! Leave her!"

But they ignored her. Instead, the guards moved to Amy's side, holding her back as Madame Kovarian took little Melody out of her mother's arms.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Back on the Cybership, the whole place was shaking as a series of small explosions went off everywhere.

"Intruder, level eleven!" a Cyberman cried.

"Seal levels twelve, thirteen, and fourteen!" the Cyber-Leader commanded.

"Intruder, level fifteen!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Fortunately for Amy, Madame Kovarian hadn't taken Melody away completely, just put her back in the high-tech bassinet.

Amy darted forwards and leaned over to peer down at her cooing daughter. "He's the last of his kind. He looks young, but he's lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. And wherever they take you, Melody, however scared you are, I promise you, you will never be alone." She pressed a kiss to Melody's forehead. "Because this man is your father. He has a name, but the people of our world know him better as . . . the Last Centurion."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Prepare to engage!" the Cyber-Leader instructed the Cybermen flanking him on either side of the control room.

The doors to the control room slid open. In stepped none other than Rory Williams, dressed in his Roman Centurion garb. The Cybermen aimed their weapons at him, but Rory merely stared at them.

"I have a message and a question," he began, giving the Cybermen a hard look. "A message and a question from the Doctor and me. Where. Is. My. Wife. And. The. Doctor's. Ally."

No response.

"Oh, don't give me those blank looks," Rory scoffed. "The 12th Cyber-Legion monitors this entire quadrant." He calmly strode into the room and over to a large window that overlooked the several Cyberships flying out in space. "You hear everything. So, you tell me what I need to know. You tell me now, and I'll be on my way."

"What is the message?" the Cyber-Leader demanded.

Rory remained completely unfazed as outside, the entire fleet of Cyberships exploded.

"Would you like me to repeat the question?"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"A whole Cyber-Legion though!" a short, fat man exclaimed as he and a tall, thin man, both in army garb, walked towards an elevator. News had just reached the base about the total destruction of the 12th Cyber-Legion and who had been responsible. Needless to say, it was all anyone could talk about. "He just blew them all up. To make a point!"

"We're being paid to fight him, not praise him," his partner reminded. "Praising costs way more!"

"But think about it though!" the fat man persisted. "If he did that to a Cyber-Legion. . . Come on, do we really stand a chance?"

"I'm trying not to think about it. And we're being paid, does it really matter? He won't go after us, we're just doing our jobs."

The two men stepped into the elevator. "Level Minus 23," the fat man called out after two figures in dark red robes stepped out. "Transept."

A few minutes later, the two reached their destination. "Digger says he once chased the Atraxi off a planet, then called them back for a scolding," the fat one continued as he and his partner exited. "Even claims that's when he first met Ally!"

"Fight him, not praise him." The two continued on, passing a young woman with dark brown hair perched on a crate. A small smile was on her lips as she sewed away at the edge of an olive-green piece of cloth.

"Reminder," the speakers above her blared. "This base is on Yellow Alert. This base is on Yellow Alert."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Is she sewing?" a soldier said incredulously. He and his partner were holed up in the base's security booth. Monitors were spread out all along the wall in front of them, showing different areas of the base. All the screens showed soldiers walking around and performing maintenance, except for the one with the sewing girl.

The man's partner shrugged indifferently. "She's on a break. She can do what she likes. Now, try again," he instructed. He held up two pieces of paper, one of them blank.

The soldier peered at each one closely. "That one," he decided, pointing at the blank one.

"No, that's the psychic. You've got to look for the fractals."

The first soldier just rolled his eyes.

"Don't look bored!" his partner scolded. "We're on Yellow Alert!"

"We've been on Yellow Alert for three weeks!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A little while later, two more figures in dark red robes walked past some soldiers on Level -23, their hands clasped before them as if they were praying.

"Reminder," the speakers called as the fat man and the thin man turned to watch them pass. "Do not interact with Headless Monks without divine permission. Do not interact with Headless Monks without divine permission."

The fat man turned away from the monks and started to resume getting the readings off a machine when he saw the thin man still staring. "You're not supposed to stare at them," he warned. "And if they think you're trying to see under their hoods, they'll kill you on the spot."

"But why are they called the Headless Monks? They can't really be headless. . ."

"They believe the domain of faith is the heart, and the domain of doubt is the head," a female voice answered. The two turned to see the young female soldier from before, her sewing nowhere in sight now. "They follow their hearts . . . that's all."

The thin man eyed her. "You're Lorna Bucket, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Hello!"

"I'm the Thin One. This is my husband." He gestured towards the fat man. "He's the Fat One."

"Don't you have names?"

"We're the thin, fat, gay, married Anglican marines," the Fat One laughed. "Why would we need names as well?" He then caught sight of two Headless Monks standing behind Lorna, 'looking' at him. "Oh! Looks like I'm off!" he cheered. "Time for my conversion tutorial. See you in a bit." He turned and headed off with the Monks. "Do you lot have Lent?!" he joked. "'Cause I'm not good at giving things up. . ."

Lorna shook her head at the Fat One's behavior while his husband looked at her thoughtfully. "Lorna Bucket," he repeated. "You've had an Encounter, haven't you? You've met him."

"And Ally," Lorna nodded. "But I was just a kid."

"But what're they like?" All of the soldiers were immensely curious about the couple, especially Ally. She was being kept in a specially isolated part of the base under heavy sedation after . . . well, incidents would be putting it lightly. She'd apparently come out of her sedation a few times when it was too light and lashed out. In a span of just three weeks, she had managed to give two surgeons broken noses, a guard a black eye, and several other people an excessive amount of scratches, bite marks, and bruises. Two weeks on, Madame Kovarian herself still sported some nasty marks around her throat from where Ally had apparently tried to strangle her. "The Doctor and his Ally?"

"He said 'run'."

"Just run?"

"He said it a lot. And his Ally, well, Alex as she prefers to be called by anyone other than him, told me things were going to be okay and calmed me down."

"And this was in the Gamma Forests, yeah? Because you're a Gamma girl, aren't you? What are you doing here? The Forests are heaven neutral."

"Yeah," Lorna said ruefully. "And thirty seconds of the Doctor and his Ally is the only thing that ever happened there."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Oh, this is nice!" the Fat One exclaimed as he was led into the Headless Monks' conversion chamber. It was a small room completely decorated in red. Red walls, red floor, even the light cast a dim red glow. Some more Headless Monks stood at the head of the room.

"I like this," the Fat One continued. His eyes darted around the room, trying to take everything in at once. "I mean, quite a lot of red. I hope it's not to hide the stains!" He watched a Monk go to one of the shelves lining the walls and select a medium-sized box. The box was identical to the ones sitting on the rest of the shelves. "What's in the little boxes?" the Fat One asked.

Instead of one of the Monks giving an answer, a recording started to play. "Welcome, applicant, to the order of the Headless. It is traditional for visiting armies of other faiths to offer individuals for conversion to our order. You have been selected."

The Fat One suddenly began to find himself nervous. He watched as the Monk passed the box to another. The Monk opened it and held it out to the Fat One.

The box was empty.

The recording continued. "Are you ready to make a donation?"

The Fat One's eyes widened as the Monk slowly approached him, lifting the box towards his head.

Later, when the story around the battle of Demons Run, both before and after, was recounted, many said that for not listening to the common sense in his head, the Fat One got exactly what he deserved.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

At Lorna's remark, the Thin One nodded in understanding and turned around, hearing a hiss that allowed him to slide a panel of the wall closed. "So, what do you think?" he asked. "If the Doctor's really coming here, where is he? His Ally is supposed to be, like, the most important person in the universe to him."

Lorna shrugged and loosened a hose, letting out a bunch of steam. "He's the Doctor. He could be anywhere in time and space. But I'm sure he's coming for her." She shivered, remembering the words the girl had uttered upon waking up, the words that had made their way all around the base, words that were the reason for them being on Yellow Alert.

He's coming you know. The Doctor. He knows what you've done to me and Amy. And boy, is he mad.

She was almost afraid for his arrival. Because if he knew what Madame Kovarian had been doing to his Ally and companion. . .

No one was safe.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

It was late evening in London, year 1888. A carriage pulled up to the door of a nicely-sized house with a brilliant blue door. "Whoa!" the coachman called to the horse, forcing it to a stop.

The carriage's passenger stepped out. It was a figure dressed completely in black with a hood pulled up over their head. "Thank you, Parker," the figure called, revealing a female voice. "I won't be needing you again tonight."

"Yes, my lady." Without further ado, Parker and the carriage continued on while the woman went and pushed the door to her home open.

A young dark-haired woman in a maid's uniform came up to her as she closed the door. "You're back early, ma'am! Another case cracked, I assume?"

The woman placed a long, shiny Samurai sword on a rack next to the door, sliding it in a holder between a few other similar weapons. "Send a telegram to Inspector Abberline of the Yard," she instructed. "Jack the Ripper has claimed his last victim."

The maid gasped in amazement. "How did you find him?"

Her mistress flipped back her hood, revealing a green-scaled Silurian face. She licked her lips. "Stringy, but tasty all the same," Madame Vastra smirked. "I shan't be needing dinner."

"Congratulations, ma'am," the maid beamed, but her smile didn't last long. Her expression turned into one of apprehension and nervousness. "However. . . A matter has arisen in the drawing room."

Vastra eyed her a moment before hurrying into the adjacent room. Sitting almost in the center of the room was a large blue box labeled POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX. Vastra's eyes widened. She knew what the box was and, more importantly, why it was here.

"It just appeared," her maid explained, following her into the room. "What does it mean?"

"It means a very old debt is to be repaid," Vastra breathed as she slowly approached the box. She turned and smiled. "Pack the cases, Jenny. And we're going to need the swords!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

It was the height of the Battle of Zaruthstra in 4037. An officer in a long coat reminiscent of nineteenth-century men's coats dodged a bunch of laser fire as he made his way towards a medical tent. "Nurse! Nurse!" he yelled. "Damn it! Where's the nurse?!"

Inside the tent, a woman in a long old-fashioned dress was kneeling beside a stretcher. A young boy lay atop it. "He needs help!" she shrieked.

"Madame President, I'm sorry, but we have to go now! Those things could be here any minute!"

Just then, a short, blue armor-clad figure entered the room. It removed its helmet, revealing a Sontaran head. "Did somebody call for a nurse?" Not waiting for an answer, he walked over to the boy and began scanning him with a high-tech scanner.

The boy coughed. "Will I be okay?" he rasped out.

"Of course you will, my boy," the Sontaran confirmed as he finished his scanning. "You'll be up and about in no time. And perhaps one day, you and I shall meet on the field of battle, and I will destroy you for the glory of the Sontaran Empire."

The boy stared at him, but ultimately said, "Thanks, nurse."

The Sontaran nodded, using his whole body to do so, and headed out. The officer followed him. "Commander Strax!" he called. "I just have to ask. A Sontaran nurse?"

Strax sighed resignedly. "I serve a penance to restore the honor of my clone batch. It is the greatest punishment a Sontaran can endure, to help the weak and sick."

"Who came up with that one?" the officer wondered. At the same moment, a wheezing-groaning noise filled the air.

Strax froze at the sound. He peered beyond the field to see a large blue box sitting on a spot it hadn't been on a few minutes ago. "Tonight, though, perhaps my penance is over," he mused. He grinned and turned to the officer. "Captain Harcourt, I hope someday to meet you in the glory of battle, when I shall crush the life from your worthless human form. Try and get some rest." With that, he headed off towards the box, leaving the bewildered Captain Harcourt behind.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

River Song swayed back and forth to a tune only she could hear as she walked through the halls of the Stormcage Containment Facility. She wore a long, dark blue Victorian gown, complete with a little hat and fur muff. She waltzed up to a ringing phone, not at all perturbed by the alarms blaring overhead. "Oh, turn it off," she said breezily once she picked up. "I'm breaking in, not out. This is River Song, back in her cell. Oh, and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you." She hung up and resumed her dancing across the floor. Just as she was about to near her cell though, she caught sight of a figure in Roman dress standing at the end of the hallway.

"Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now?" she called, coming to a stop. "I thought nobody read my memos."

The figure stepped into the light. It was Rory. "Dr. Song?" he said nervously. "It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams, I'm not quite sure where we are. . ."

"Yes. . ." River breathed. She stared at him, her expression caught between shock and sadness. "Yes, we've met. Hello, Rory."

Rory frowned at her downcast expression. "What's wrong?"

River laughed nervously. "It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice-skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge."

"Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?"

"Yes, he did." She put a finger to her lips, smiling conspiratorially. "But you must never tell him."

Rory was silent for a moment. "What about Alex?" he asked, almost choking out the words. "Was she there, too?"

River started to frown at Alex's name, only to remember who, exactly, was asking the question. She forced a small smile across her lips. "Yes, she was there, too. Didn't come out of the TARDIS though. You know how she is about water, even frozen water."

Rory let out a sigh of relief. Alex was still alive in the future, apparently recovered from whatever the hell she was currently undergoing on Demons Run. "I've actually just come from the Doctor. . ."

"Yes, but at a different point in time."

"Unless there's two of them."

River smirked. "Now that's a whole different birthday." She turned towards her cell as she pulled out her diary and began flipping through the pages.

"He needs you."

River stopped at one page and examined it. Her eyes widened. "Demons Run," she gasped.

"How . . . how did you know?"

"I'm from the Doctor and Alex's future. I always know." She eyed Rory's Roman getup. "Why on Earth are you wearing that?"

Rory shrugged self-consciously. "The Doctor's idea."

River nodded in understanding. "Of course. His rules of engagement. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

"Look ridiculous."

She swiveled back to her cell. "Have you considered heels?"

"They've taken Amy," Rory told her, his voice serious. "And our baby. And Alex. They're doing . . . well, I don't really know what, but the Doctor says they're experimenting on her and . . . he's getting some people together. We're going after them, but he needs you, too."

"I can't." She turned back to face him. "Not yet, anyway."

Rory gaped at her. Was this about River's apparent rivalry with Alex? He had seen the two act civil towards one another and that knowledge had been what led him and the Doctor to consider asking River for help. Rory seriously doubted that the woman would willingly put Alex in danger. If she did that, the Doctor would tear her limb from limb.

"I'm sorry?" he finally gasped. "Is this about Alex and whatever you have against her—"

"No! This is the Battle of Demons Run. The Doctor's darkest hour and the beginning of Alex's destiny. The Doctor will rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's all to do with Alex. And I can't be with him . . . with them, till the very end."

"Why not?"

River walked into her cell but answered anyways. "Because this is it. This is the day the Doctor and his Ally find out who I am."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

It was late at night in the Maldovarium nightclub. Dorium Maldovar hurried through the empty club, a suitcase in hand. He paused and placed the case on a table. He looked around the large room for a moment, allowing himself to think back on the various deals he'd made here, the artifacts that had been brought in here, and the happenings that became legends as soon as they occurred.

"Goodbye," he murmured. He turned back to the case and flicked it open. He was just beginning to rearrange the contents when a voice spoke from behind him.

"You appear to be closing down, Dorium."

He spun around to see a curly red-haired woman with an eyepatch standing before him, along with a black man in an officer's uniform. Several guards were lined up behind them, blocking the exit.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A few minutes later, the three were sitting at a table across from each-other.

"What have you heard?" Madame Kovarian demanded.

"That you pricked the side of a mighty beast, Madame Kovarian, and entirely failed to run." Dorium glanced at the guns pointed at his head, waved them away, and resumed counting his money. "I admire your courage. I should like to admire it from afar."

"We've been waiting a month. He's done nothing. It seems the legends surrounding the Doctor and his Ally are quite exaggerated."

Dorium held back a snort at her naivety. "Do you really think so? Time Lords, by nature, were very possessive and selfish creatures. The Doctor is no different, especially when it comes to Alex Locke. She's far too important for him to leave there, especially as he knows what you're doing to her." He gave Kovarian and the officer a meaningful look. "There are people all over this galaxy that owe that man and/or woman a debt. By now, a few of them will have found a blue box waiting for them on their doorstep. Poor devils."

The officer tensed. "You think he's raising an army?"

"You think he isn't? If that man is finally collecting on his debts, God help you, and God help his debtors."

"Why?"

"Colonel Manton, all those stories you've heard about him and his Ally, they're not stories, they're true. The connection, the influence over each-other, the possessiveness, jealousy, and anger. . ." He paused to take a pointed look at the red scratches around Kovarian's throat from where Alex's nails had inadvertently scratched her as she attacked. Kovarian averted her gaze and covered the marks with one hand.

Dorium nodded as though her actions had proven his point which, in essence, they did. If only these two could see that. "Really," he pressed, "you're not telling me you don't know what's coming?"

But instead of taking Dorium's words to heart and doing the smart thing, Manton stood up and declared, "We're wasting our time here!"

Kovarian stood as well. "Agreed."

The two moved towards the doors but stopped in their tracks at Dorium's next words. "The asteroid, where you've made your base." Kovarian and Manton spun around, both looking startled that he knew the location of their secret base. "Do you know why they call it Demons Run?"

Manton eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know the location of our base?"

"You're with the Headless Monks. They're old customers of mine."

"It's just some old saying," Kovarian attempted to dismiss.

"A very old saying," Dorium corrected. "The oldest. 'Demons run, when a good man goes to war'."

Kovarian and Manton merely turned on their heels and left.

Dorium sighed. Well, at least he had warned them. What happened next would be on their own heads.

He waited until the door shut behind the last guard before getting up and grabbing his case full of money. He rushed into the back room, desperate to get away before the closest thing to the apocalypse happened.

He was just steps away from the exit when a wheezing-groaning noise filled the air, followed by a familiar blue box slowly materializing into existence before him.

"No! No, no, please!" Dorium begged as the TARDIS fully appeared. "Not me! You don't need me!" The door opened and a male silhouette in a bowtie appeared on the wall behind Dorium. "Why would you need me? I'm old, I'm fat, I'm blue! You can't need me!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Lorna crept along the dark corridors of the specially-isolated part of Demons Run. She looked around nervously for any guards that could still be hidden in the shadows, but she didn't see any. She was fairly positive that any and every soldier was down in the main hanger of the base for the . . . well, Colonel Manton had called it a briefing, but it sounded more like a pep rally in her opinion. A rally to get morale and spirits high so that they could fight the Doctor when he inevitably came to free Amelia Pond and his Ally.

A few more halls later and she reached her destination. Lorna stared at the steel door before her, the one she knew from soldiers' whispers was three feet thick, deadlock sealed, and could only be opened by a select few people.

Fortunately, Madame Kovarian hadn't considered pickpocketing as something her soldiers would be skilled in.

Lorna slid the gate-card through the slot in the spot where a knob would normally be. The door slid open with a small hiss that sounded as loud as a gunshot in the otherwise quiet hall. Lorna looked around, making sure that some silent alarm hadn't summoned anybody. Once she was satisfied that no one was around, she stepped into the room.

Like the halls outside, the room was dark with only a few dim fluorescent lights providing illumination. The walls were gray cinderblock, the floors a matching gray and white tile. No pictures, decorations or anything lined the walls. The grimmer the better, in Madame Kovarian's opinion.

On the wall directly opposite the entrance, Lorna could see another steel door. Beyond it was the operating room where the occupant of this room had been spending a lot of time since she arrived at Demons Run. On the far wall sat a high-tech hospital bed, surrounded by an IV and a few life monitors.

Lorna slowly approached the bed, taking in its unconscious occupant. It was dressed in a white hospital gown, part of it covered up by a simple white sheet. The figure breathed steadily in their sleep, aided by the IV cord attached to their wrist.

Lorna stepped closer to better see the figure's face. She looked so different from when Lorna had last seen her. Back then, she had blonde highlights, making her hair appear more blonde than brown. Now her highlights had faded. Even her eyes looked a little dimmer than they had last time. . .

Wait. Her eyes?

Lorna gasped as Alex Locke's hazel eyes narrowed in on her. They looked just as menacing as they had back in the Gamma Forests when she had narrowed them at an enemy. They were dark green hurricanes, threatening wrath on whoever they looked at. And unfortunately for Lorna, that was her.

Before Lorna could blink, Alex ripped her IV out, gasping in pain as she did so, and lunged at her. Lorna hastily side-stepped her and hurried towards the door. She had seen the harm Alex had managed to inflict in her brief moments of lucidity and she had no desire to end up with a black eye or a broken nose.

Just as Lorna reached the door though, she heard a thud from behind her. She warily turned around, absently wondering whether Alex was playing a trick to try and lure her into a trap.

But it wasn't that. Instead, Alex was lying on the floor. She coughed and panted weakly and rolled onto her side. She struggled to breathe from such strenuous activity. How long have I been here? she wondered. It had to be many months, as she felt like she could barely move.

Lorna rushed to her. "Here, let me help," she offered, crouching down beside the girl. Alex eyed her warily, but ultimately allowed Lorna to help her up and guide her back over to the bed.

"Here, you need to rest." Lorna pushed Alex up onto the bed by her armpits, though she had a feeling she could have picked the girl up instead. She was terribly thin. Lorna knew she had to be receiving vitamins and such through her IV drip, but it didn't appear like they had made much of a difference. Alex had probably lost ten or fifteen pounds since her arrival. She was pale too, with a slight gray pallor coating her skin.

"I can't rest," Alex argued. She shoved Lorna's hands away from her. "I need to go find Amy and her child and then make that eyepatch woman's other eye blind as well."

"Madame Kovarian," Lorna provided.

"Whatever." Alex took in Lorna's army camo. "But I suppose you'll try and stop me, won't you?"

"Oh, no!" Lorna shook her head adamantly. "No, I swear, I wouldn't. Actually. . ." She blushed a little, her expression turning bashful. "Um . . . I don't know if you remember, but I met you once. In the Gamma Forests."

Alex blinked. The Doctor had mentioned the Gamma Forests to her once, but they had yet to go there. "Oh," she said slowly. She stared at Lorna. If she and the Doctor had helped this woman, then why was she here, helping to keep Alex herself, Amy, and her baby hostage? "Sorry, it's just that—"

"I look different than I did back then," Lorna assumed. "I was just a little girl then."

Alex merely nodded. No need to upset the girl and make her, the Doctor and Alex's only ally, turn against them. "Yes, that's it. Sorry again."

"It's alright." Lorna glanced back at the door. "Truthfully, I'm not even supposed to be in here. I have to be at. . ."

"At a little powwow for all the soldiers so they can get pumped up to kill the Doctor?"

"How'd you know that?"

Alex gestured to the IV bag. "Apparently, my last nurse didn't mix the sedative very well. It's too light. I've been drifting in and out of consciousness, hearing bits and pieces of things for . . . well, I'm not sure how long. A few days, at least."

"The Doctor's coming. No one knows when, but he is."

"Of course he is." Alex titled her head. The way she eyed Lorna made the girl feel as though Alex was trying to see into her soul. "But you don't want to see him dead, do you?"

Lorna shook her head. "No," she whispered.

"Then why are you here?"

"I just . . . I wanted to meet him again. To meet you both again."

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Alex thought but she bit her tongue before she could berate Lorna. "Well, half of your wish came true. But, since the Doctor is coming as well, here's a word of advice. Pick a side. I can tell you, he won't be so happy to see you if he sees you with the rest of these trigger-happy idiots." Alex coughed again but forced herself to continue. "Pick a," cough, "side, not f-for," cough, "my sake, b-b-but," cough, cough, "yours!"

"You really need to rest," Lorna told her, though she nodded at Alex's words. There was a lot of truth in them. She gently maneuvered Alex back into bed. The girl struggled to get up a little, but it was obvious all the action of the last few minutes had worn her out. Her arms struggled to hold her weight and her eyelids fluttered.

"I can't," Alex murmured as her head flopped back onto the pillow. "I need to . . . Amy. . ."

"I'll check in on her," Lorna promised. She had planned on doing that anyway, after she looked in on and re-met Alex. She pulled the sheet up over Alex, then crossed to the other side of the bed and picked up the IV bag. She could dispose of it on the way to the nursery.

She glanced back down at Alex. She was fast asleep, a slight smile on her lips.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A/N: No Dalex reunion in this chapter, sadly, but I wanted to try and show a 'before the battle' chapter, focusing on everyone involved in it and kinda summarizing what's been going on in those three weeks. Lol, Alex definitely hasn't been inactive all that time! :D

Notes on reviews. . .

bored411 - Oh, the Doctor is DEFINITELY pissed off much more here than he was in the show. We'll see that in the next chapter. :} There are some twists, such as Madame Kovarian being an unfortunate victim of Alex's. I always wanted someone to hit her or something on the show for everything she's done, so she got a little payback here in this chapter. Which isn't to say she won't get more later one. :} Yep, unfortunately, Alex does not feel very good in this chapter. We'll find out more about what they've been doing to her in the next few chapters. Lol, don't worry! There's DEFINITELY going to be happiness and fluff between the Doctor and Alex when they're reunited. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

TheBlueRiver - Lol, I think a lot of people are ready to go full Doctor now, possibly even more after this chapter. :)

The Oncoming Sto - Oh my gosh, I did that too! It's had NOT to do that sometimes! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

Sam Fraser - Oh, I can't wait to get into the Bristol gang's reactions to the Dalex pairing and, eventually, Daffy. And good news! We'll see Kendra's take on Alex's relationship with the Doctor in this story as well! :)

NicoleR85 - Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

Thank you to everyone that reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story! Please, please review and see you tomorrow! :)