The Pros and Cons of Silence

by DarkSideofParis

*SEQUEL TO LIVING THE LIFE OF ALLY* Alex knew her life would never be the same again after she met the Doctor, but she never expected to witness his death, learn of an alien cult gunning for him, nor begin suffering mysterious pain attacks. And, of course, River. But maybe these wild events will finally get them to admit their love? 11/OC AU Season 6. 2nd in the Alex Locke Series.

40. Adjusting - August

A/N: Alex's outfits for this chapter can be viewed on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 1st, 2011

"I heard they had it planned for weeks!" Tonya Coleman declared. Her five-inch nails busied themselves with twisting a piece of foil around some of Alex's hair. "That's what Brenda Galbraithe said her daughter Lydia told her, and you know Grace and Lydia have been friends since they were in diapers!"

Lyssa Devon, the manicurist, looked up from doing Jenna Dupree's nails long enough to say, "I can't believe Lydia didn't say anything! Just let poor Reverend Jeffries and his wife wake up with no idea where their daughter was!"

Gladys Norwell, getting her hair washed in the sink beside Alex's chair, shook her head. "No sense of responsibility in this generation." She paused, then added, "Except for you, Alex, dear."

"Very true," Lyssa echoed. She shot Alex a grin. "If my Dani had half as much sense as you, my hair wouldn't be so gray!" She gestured to her unnatural auburn hair, used to cover up said gray.

Alex smiled politely. Inwardly, however, she couldn't help but think, If only you ladies knew how irresponsible I really am. She highly doubted these middle-aged women would consider traveling through time and space with a self-described madman, then entering into a relationship with said madman, very responsible. But, unable to say any of that, Alex merely said, "Thank you, Lyssa. You too, Mrs. Norwell."

"Gladys, dear. 'Mrs. Norwell' was what I called my mother-in-law." Gladys shot a baleful look towards the floor. "May she rot in hell."

Laughter rang throughout the beauty shop, as it was wont to do. It was rare that laughter wasn't heard coming from Holy Snip.

Once her signature cackling came to an end, Tonya painted blonde lightener onto the last piece of foil sitting on the rolling cart next to her. "Carly!" she called, her big voice booming across the salon. "Get me more foil, will you?!"

Carly Smith, Holy Snip's rather anxious receptionist, jumped a good three feet in the air. "Yes, Ms. Coleman!" she said, a slight shriek in her voice. Even before she spoke, she was already rushing across the salon towards the back supply room.

Tonya carefully applied the foil to another section of Alex's hair. "Now," she said briskly, "back to Arthur and Grace. What happened yesterday? Did they agree to come home?"

The occupants of the salon immediately started talking over each other. Every lady in there, from the customers to the foil-delivering Carly wanted to be the first to deliver the latest bit of news.

It was no exaggeration to say that Arthur Donaldson and Grace Jeffries running off together was the biggest scandal to ever hit Leadworth. Elsie and Edward Temple's affair had been all but forgotten. An affair was huge, but two teenagers eloping? Alex could remember it happening a few times back in Bristol (usually when the girl was pregnant) but something of this nature had never happened in Leadworth. Alex couldn't go anywhere without hearing people gossip. Even her own house wasn't safe. Amy and Rory had consistently gone over the topic since the morning Archie and Veronica came banging on their door.

The facts, so far, were this. At some point during the midnight hours of July 26th, Arthur's truck silently slipped up the Jeffries' driveway. This was corroborated by Carly, who lived directly across the street from the Jeffries. Having been watching the same Downton Abbey marathon as Alex, she happened to see Arthur's truck coasting into the driveway while getting a midnight snack during a commercial break. Grace had subsequently slipped out of the house, pinned her note to the door, and set off with Arthur.

The Jeffries had been absolutely frantic when they found the note. According to Veronica, Mrs. Jeffries spent most of the morning crying inconsolably before finally being put to bed. Reverend Jeffries, instead of comforting his wife, stared out the window for most of the day, frequently scratching his head. No doubt he'd been confused, desperately trying to figure out Grace's motives in eloping with a boy he hadn't even known she'd been seeing.

He hadn't remained that way for long though. Later that day, the Donaldson family was called to the house for a council of war. At least, that was how it started. Nearly every resident of the Jeffries' street reported hearing raucous yelling and accusations being hurled all around not ten minutes after the Donaldson's stepped through the door. This had gone on for about fifteen minutes before every Donaldson came storming out of the house. As they peeled off in all directions, Reverend Jeffries ran onto the porch. His Christianness seemed to have abandoned him in that moment, as he shouted vitriol against Arthur, declaring the Donaldson's "useless ingrate of a son" had corrupted his "sweet, darling Grace".

Since then, neither the Donaldson's nor the Jeffries had been seen within spitting distance of each other. The Jeffries avoided Bello Italiano like the plague. The Donaldson's had stopped going to church. The families had basically turned into Leadworth's version of the Montagues and Capulets.

This cast Arthur and Grace as Romeo and Juliet. The two love-struck teens had eloped almost immediately to Gloucester. At the same time their families were rowing, Arthur and Grace were getting married in one of Gloucester's many churches. A married couple, Lee and Ruth Clayton, acted as the witnesses. Following the quick ceremony, the newlyweds headed off to a Premier Inn. They had remained there celebrating their union until just a few days ago, when Grace finally called her mother.

Alex didn't know how she'd done it, but Mrs. Jeffries had managed to persuade her daughter into telling her where she was. The moment the hotel name left Grace's lips, a full-blown attack was launched. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson and Reverend and Mrs. Jeffries sprinted up to Gloucester, desperate to talk or, in Reverend Jeffries' case, bully the teens into an annulment.

"They're here," Jenna Dupree now reported. She waved her freshly manicured hands in the air as she spoke. "I dropped off a casserole to Olivia last night." She shook her head, tutting. "Poor dear's not up to cooking. Anyway, she told me that Grace was back, but she brought Arthur with her, and they weren't at their homes. Olivia was trying not to cry, but it's clearly devastating to her that Grace won't come home."

"Where're they staying?" Lyssa asked.

Jenna's lips curved into a smirk. It was the kind of smirk that came when you were about to say something particularly juicy. And sure enough, she did. "Molly Reynolds' boarding house."

Audible gasps rang throughout the salon along with a flurry of exclamations and tutting. What was wrong with Arthur and Grace? Didn't they understand just how upsetting this all was for their families? Honestly, Grace was a good girl. She should be more concerned about her mother and her delicate constitution than some random boy.

"They only married because of sex!" Gladys declared. She banged her fist against an armrest of her chair. "Mark my words, that's what it came down to! Arthur wanted sex, but Grace is a good, Christian girl and wanted to wait till marriage. So that boy proposed to her so he could finally get what he wanted!"

Alex bit down on her bottom lip to keep from scoffing. She was pretty sure Gladys' theory didn't hold water. Having watched Arthur and Grace all summer, it was perfectly obvious to her that the couple had gone way past second base a long time ago. They were constantly touching each other, seeking out any opportunity to get close. Alex had even caught them making out rather steamily behind Vernon and Son's Chemists. Arthur's left hand had been glued to Grace's ass. His right was well up her shirt. And Grace hadn't seemed to mind. The teens had definitely not married just so they could have sex.

It really came down to one of two options. Number One, Grace was pregnant. Number Two (the one Alex was rooting for), Arthur and Grace really loved each other and simply wanted to get married. They had eloped because they knew Grace's parents wouldn't approve.

Now, listening to all the affirmations towards Gladys' theory, Alex couldn't not say something. "What if," she said as Tonya wrapped the last foil in her hair, "they're in love and that's why they got married?"

Dead silence. The ladies stared at each other. Alex wasn't sure if they were looking to see if someone agreed with her, or if they were silently agreeing that she was hopelessly misguided. Alex suspected the latter.

It was Tonya who broke the silence. "A possibility," she nodded. It was clear by her tone that she didn't agree, but thankfully she didn't verbalize it. With a flourish, she whipped off Alex's smock. "There we go!" she boomed, clapping her hands for emphasis. She hustled Alex out of the chair and over to Lyssa. "Get that manicure while we wait for the highlights to settle! Gladys, you're up!"

Arthur and Grace continued to be a topic of conversation, but thankfully Gladys' theory on their union wasn't brought up again. The ladies instead took to analyzing just how long Arthur and Grace had been seeing each other. Since the start of summer, certainly, but no one was sure if it had been any longer or not. They recalled that Grace had attended this year's Valentine's Day school dance with Trenton Gadsby, but that didn't necessarily prove anything. Arthur had worked at Bello Italiano that night, the restaurant being a popular spot for teens before and after the dance. Grace may have gone with Trenton because Arthur couldn't get off work.

Alex listened absently as Lyssa did her nails. She had decided to give in to the new crackle trend, choosing blue and black. The colors reminded her of the TARDIS, which subsequently reminded her of the Doctor.

It was only the first of August, but already Alex couldn't help counting down the days. She would finally be reunited with the Doctor at the end of the month. They had agreed that she and the Ponds would resume TARDIS life on the 26th, after the final Earnest performance. The end of the summer, just as he'd promised.

Alex missed him so much, more than she would have thought it possible to miss someone. As much as she loved Leadworth, relished in the normalcy that it gave her, Alex knew she was really meant to be on the TARDIS, traveling all through time and space with the love of her life.

The only thing marring her happiness was that the Doctor still hadn't found Melody. His investigation seemed to have reached a dead end. He'd found very grainy 1969 security footage from a convenience store a few miles away from Graystark Hall that showed little Melody shoplifting peanut-butter crackers and a couple of candy bars. She'd been dressed in nothing but a nightgown and slippers, her brown hair pulled into pigtails. The footage had been taken the same night Melody escaped Graystark. It showed, at least, that Melody had acted quickly, getting supplies before quickly moving on.

Despite the Doctor's best efforts, he couldn't find any more footage of her. Not that this was a great surprise. Melody had probably been trained to avoid security cameras.

Per Alex's suggestion, he had also checked foster system and adoption records. It was possible authorities had found Melody and put her in a foster home. Maybe, if Melody had been really lucky, she'd been adopted. Unfortunately, no such scenario had happened. There were no records of a little girl matching Melody's description being found in Florida or any other state. No foster system records, no adoption records, not even school entrance records. Melody had seemingly vanished into thin air.

The Doctor was hoping that Melody was just lying low, had gone off-grid to evade Kovarian and the Silence. Even though she was only six years old, she had already been trained to operate vicious weaponry, evade capture from the Doctor and others, and had gotten herself out of the seemingly impenetrable astronaut suit. While her psyche may be in question, there was no doubting she was smart. Probably smarter than the average six-year-old. It gave Alex hope, at least.

However, hope wasn't what Amy and Rory wanted. They wanted answers. When they weren't gossiping about Arthur and Grace, Amy was questioning Alex on what, if anything, the Doctor had told her. Even Rory, who'd previously admitted to Alex that he didn't think they would ever see Melody again, had started questioning her. There was a new, wild desperation in his eyes, the kind only a parent felt when their child was nowhere to be found.

The only positive was that Amy had finally come around to the fact that she wasn't getting a baby back. Rory, after catching Amy flipping through a nursery catalogue, had sat her down and reminded her of the little girl she and Alex had encountered at Graystark. Amy had been dumbfounded by the memory, even more so when she recalled that before Graystark, in the warehouse, she'd shot the astronaut figure. Inside was that same little girl.

Amy had shot at her own child.

That realization had made Amy violently sick. She'd spent the rest of the day alternatively in her bed or in the bathroom. Her regretful, fearful sobs, however, remained constant.

The next day, however, Amy regrouped. Her Scottish heritage wouldn't allow her to sit and mope for too long. She started making plans. Alex had found several new magazines specializing in children's furniture strewn around the house. Several items in each had been circled in red pen. If Melody were ever reunited with her parents, she'd be coming home to a sparkly pink bedroom with a Barbie Dream House and a canopy bed.

This made Alex equal parts hopeful and anxious. What if the Doctor couldn't find Melody? If Melody was as smart as Alex and the Doctor thought she was, she could easily evade all attempts to find her. What if she harbored a grudge against Amy shooting her? She had to recognize Amy as her mother, considering the photos that had been in her room. What if it was the last straw that pushed her into accepting her role as assassin? River seemed to like Amy, certainly more than she did Alex, but what if she was faking? What if she actually resented Amy for that one panicked action and had decided the best way to get back at her was to kill one of her best friends and attempt to kill the other?

Alex closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh. Those thoughts wouldn't accomplish anything. Nothing other than making her anxious, anyway.

The Doctor will find Melody, she told herself. Whatever happens after he finds her, we'll deal with it.

"You okay, Alex?"

Alex jumped. Opening her eyes, she saw Lyssa staring at her in concern.

Alex gave her a smile. "I'm fine, Lyssa, don't worry. Just got a lot on my mind, is all."

Lyssa carefully swiped a brush across Alex's pinky nail. "Anything to do with a certain guy waiting for you?"

Alex followed Lyssa's gaze across the salon to Spencer. He was perched somewhat awkwardly on a faded pink chenille sofa next to Carly's desk, pretending to be absorbed in last month's edition of Vogue UK. Although Alex had tried to leave him outside, Spencer had insisted on following her into the notoriously female-dominated Holy Snip. Alex honestly couldn't recall any men venturing into the salon. Holy Snip, with its pink and white decorating scheme, shelves weighted down with countless brands of shampoo, hair dye, and nail polish, and fashion magazines strewn across the coffee table and reception desk, was not a domain men cared to enter. Leadworth's male population preferred Gregory's Barber Shop, full of dark leather and shiny metal, for their hair related needs.

Alex rolled her eyes. "For the one thousandth time, Spencer is not my boyfriend!"

Lyssa just smirked. "So you say."

Alex ignored her. No matter how many times she told various villagers that Spencer was not her boyfriend, everyone continued to be convinced of the exact opposite. Hopefully, when the Doctor came to see her in the play, everyone would realize their mistake.

Once Lyssa finished with her nails, Alex went to Monica Jones, one of the pedicurists, for a lavender-scented foot wash and a pedicure. Alex opted out of the crackle trend here, instead choosing a dark blue polish. During this, she alternatively flipped through old issues of Marie Claire UK and shot apologetic looks at Spencer. He honestly looked as though he would prefer death over spending another five minutes in the pink, gossip-ridden palace that was Holy Snip.

Finally, Alex went back to Tonya. Tonya carefully peeled the foil strips away, revealing brilliant blonde highlights. "Perfect!" Tonya bellowed with a clap of her hands. Her nails clacked together and, not for the first time, Alex wondered how the hell Tonya managed to keep them from breaking off. "Now, let's give you a quick trim because lord, Alex, your fringe is long! I swear, the weeds in my yard don't grow as fast as this fringe!" She suddenly smirked. "Quite banging, isn't it?"

Despite her best efforts, Alex blushed. Tonya would never let her forget the first time she came into Holy Snip and asked her to trim her bangs. Wide-eyed, Tonya had stared at her for several moments before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Oh, honey," she'd declared as she steered Alex towards a chair, "best not be saying that in a salon! You might get a whole different offer than you're wanting!" Since that day, Alex couldn't get her hair done without Tonya making some kind of 'bang' related quip.

But that was alright. For all her gossiping, brash voice, and nails that could poke an eye out, Tonya Coleman was the best hairdresser Alex had ever gone to. Even better than Priscilla Stevens back in Bristol, who'd trained at the prestigious Aveda Institute. Tonya had a knack for knowing what would look good on people. A long-haired woman could walk in expecting a trim and leave with a bob, simply because Tonya said it would best suit them. And she was always right. No one left Holy Snip unhappy.

Well, maybe not everyone. Seconds after Alex finished paying Carly, Spencer nearly charged out the door ahead of her.

"Men," Alex chuckled as she fell into step beside him. "All the same. The two places all men hate most in the world are beauty parlors and Bath and Body Works."

"I go into Bath and Body Works!" Spencer cried, affronted.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Only around the holidays, right? Their fragrances are a big hit with mothers." And mother figures, such as Marigold. She was quite partial to the store's Japanese Cherry Blossom scented products.

Spencer stared at the ground. "Do grandmothers count?" he asked quietly.

Alex stared at him. His expression. . . She knew that look in his eyes, the devastating pain and little bit of shame. It was the exact same look she saw in her eyes whenever she thought about the parents she desperately loved, but barely remembered. "Of course," she said softly. She offered Spencer a small, empathetic smile. "Grandmothers definitely count." Not her own, but that wasn't the point.

She and Spencer headed down the sidewalk. It was a bright, brilliant sunny morning. Summers in England weren't hot affairs (the average temperature for August was only 68 °F) but an exception had been made today. According to The Leadworth Chronicle's weekly weather report, temperatures this week were expected to stay in the late eighties, possibly stretching into the nineties. Though it was only nine o'clock, the sun was already beating down, the air thick with heat and humidity.

Keeping the temperature in mind, Spencer was in the most casual outfit Alex had ever seen him wear: a gray workout tank, black gym shorts, and Nike running sneakers that looked like they had come right out of the box. His three ever present accessories, watch, Sharpie necklace, and gun, remained. The gun, however, had moved from his ankle to a thigh holster. The hem of his shorts just barely covered it.

Alex had also dressed in mind of the weather, but only for appearances sake. Thanks to her altered biology, she could wear her thickest sweater right now and not break a sweat. But that would look very strange, and Alex had no intention of attracting unnecessary attention. Therefore, her outfit consisted of a black, v-neck tank top, an ankle length gray cotton skirt, black wedge sandals, gold hoop earrings, and a gold, charm-studded necklace layered over her sonic one. Wincing from the harsh sunlight, she reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of white, oversized sunglasses.

"So," she said, slipping the sunglasses on, "the beauty parlor really wasn't that horrible, was it?" Despite all of Spencer's reassurances, Alex still felt a bit guilty about his role. Tagging along to work and rehearsal was alright. Going to a hair appointment that wasn't even his own? Not so much.

Spencer, putting his own black sunglasses on, smiled down at her. "Nah," he said easily. "Although," he added, wrinkling his nose, "I could've done without all the gossiping towards Arthur and Grace."

Alex groaned. "I know! It's so brutal."

"Especially that one theory on Arthur only marrying Grace so he could get lucky." Spencer rolled his eyes. "Believe me, if that were the case, he'd have been done by now. Those two are like a couple of cats in heat."

Alex's jaw dropped. "Wait. Have you—"

"My room is right next to theirs." Spencer's voice was flat and deadpan. "I've barely been able to sleep the last few days."

Alex couldn't quite hold back a grin. "Poor you!" she giggled.

Spencer shot her a glare. "It's not funny! If I'm to do my job right, I need to be focused. It's a proven scientific fact that to have a lot of focus, you need a lot of rest. Ergo, at least eight hours of sleep every night." He scowled into the distance. "I've seriously considered banging on their door and, when they answer, showing them my gun."

While Alex continued to giggle (honestly, the idea of Spencer doing such a thing was ridiculously funny), she wasn't without sympathy. "If you want, you can stay at the house. You know Amy and Rory won't mind. Hell, on the nights I don't sleep, you can take my bed." And, truth be told, she wouldn't mind him being there at night.

It had only been a week since her encounter with Mels. In some ways, it felt like a lifetime ago. In other ways, only a few hours. Amy and Rory had had their little talk with Mels, telling her to back off Alex. Alex wasn't sure what, exactly, had been said, but she had a fairly good idea of the gist: Mels was to either stay away from her for the foreseeable future or Amy and Rory might just reconsider their and Mels' friendship. Considering how desperate she was to keep Amy and Rory in her life, it was no surprise to anyone that Mels had immediately agreed to the terms. And, so far, she'd kept her word. While the Ponds had spent a few evenings with Mels, Alex hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since the incident.

Still, that didn't make Alex relax. How could she? When she closed her eyes, not only did she see Kovarian's malicious smirk and the looming threat of the Silence, she also saw that venomous look in Mels' eyes, the wickedly sharp tip of the dagger curling around a lock of her hair. She remembered the terror running through her system as she all but laid on the blacksmith booth's counter, helpless in the face of Mels' rage and deluded jealousy.

And those words. . . I promise you, you will pay for everything you've done to me. I don't quite know how yet, but you will. So keep watching your back. Because I am coming for you. And that's not a threat. It's a promise.

Alex wouldn't forget those words as long as she lived. They were burned into her brain. They ran through her mind late at night, when darkness and shadow hid everything, even from her newly advanced eyesight. Alex had spent more than one night sitting silently in the darkness, clutching her small dagger to her chest, watching and waiting for Mels to creep up. Because despite Mels' promise to stay away from her, Alex knew it wasn't one she would maintain forever.

No, this was not an end to the war. This was a temporary ceasefire. Mels had stepped back, but she hadn't given up in her pursuit of the enemy. Right now, she was recalibrating, strategizing, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Once again, Alex longed for the Doctor. She'd decided not to tell him about her encounter with Mels (after all, he had more important things to focus on than a normal, if seriously deluded human), but that didn't mean he couldn't help her. Once she was back with him on the TARDIS, she wouldn't have to worry about Mels anymore. They would be going to time periods where Mels either hadn't been born yet or was long dead. That particular fear would all too soon be out of sight, out of mind. Kovarian and the Silence? Not so much, but Alex was determined to focus on the positives.

"I might just take you up on that," Spencer said now as they reached the entrance to the Brew & Chew. He paused to open the door for Alex. Once they stepped inside, they slid easily into the long line that had formed at the register. "Because," he added, dropping his voice to a near whisper, "it's not just two teens having enthusiastic sex that's keeping me up. It's all the yelling from Reverend Jeffries, too."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "He's been stopping by?"

"Trying to get Grace to come home. Unsuccessfully, I might add." Spencer rolled his eyes. "I know I'm not an expert in romance, but even I know enough about girls to know that the more someone tries to tell a person their partner is bad news, it just makes that person want them more. Lure of the forbidden, right?"

Alex nodded. "Yep. But in this case, Reverend Jeffries is all wrong. Arthur's a good kid. I'm sure of it."

"So am I."

"And Grace isn't naïve. I mean, she might be, she is only eighteen, but not about Arthur's personality. I'm sure of it."

Spencer grinned. "You gonna do some more matchmaking?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "There's no need to matchmake. Arthur and Grace are already married. If they've got enough courage to stand up for themselves, they'll stay married. No need for me to interfere." She and Spencer took a step closer to the register as Marty Mullins departed with a cup of coffee and a very large ham and cheese sandwich. "Besides," she murmured, "look how well I did with Elsie and Archie. I think it's safe to say my matchmaking days are over."

"I don't believe that." They got another step closer to the register as elderly Mrs. Talbot departed with an extra-large cup of tea. "Elsie just needs a bit more persuasion and some hard-hitting truths."

Alex was silent, considering this. It was true. Elsie was so much of a romantic, it would take a serious dose of realism to pull her out of the love-induced haze Temple had put her under. Despite Elsie's lackluster taste in men, Alex still liked her and wanted to be her friend. And as her friend, wasn't Alex honor bound to be that realist? And, in addition, push Elsie to seek a more appropriate and ultimately satisfying relationship with someone better suited for her? Someone like Archie?

Alex's head fell back, and she let out a loud groan, uncaring of the attention it attracted. "Dammit. You're right."

Spencer did absolutely nothing to hide his smirk. "So the matchmaking shingle is back up?"

"Yes," Alex said with another roll of her eyes. "So you can quit crowing, okay?"

Elsie smiled at them when they finally reached her. "Morning, guys. Usual breakfast, Alex? Scrambled eggs and bacon?"

Alex nodded. "And a spinach frittata for Kendra."

Once Alex paid, Spencer said, "Black coffee and a Spanish omelet."

"You got it!" Elsie beamed. She glanced behind them, making sure they were the only ones in line, before adding in a slight whisper, "Heard the latest on Arthur and Grace?"

Alex and Spencer nodded. "Some of us have heard more than others," Alex said with a smirk at Spencer.

Spencer rolled his eyes but explained when he saw Elsie's confused expression. "The newlyweds are staying in the room next to mine at Molly's."

"Ooh," Elsie winced. "That sucks. Sorry, Spencer. Just for that, your coffee's on the house. Sounds like you could use all the caffeine you can get."

Spencer chuckled, but there was no missing how touched he was. Or how true Elsie's words were. Unless Alex was imagining it, there were dark circles under his eyes. Not very prominent ones, but enough to notice if you were standing close enough or actively looking for them. "That'd be great, Elsie. Thanks."

"The only thing they could talk about at Holy Snip was Arthur and Grace," Alex revealed as Elsie put their orders in and set to getting Spencer's coffee ready. "Gladys Norwell's theory is that Arthur only married Grace so he could get laid."

Elsie shook her head wildly. "No way in hell! Arthur loves Grace. Completely head over heels for her." Setting Spencer's coffee down on the counter, she leaned closer and murmured, "I haven't said anything, but every Monday for the last six months, Arthur has come in and gotten a dozen jalapeño and chocolate swirl bagels."

Alex wrinkled her nose. "No one eats those!" Everyone knew that the Brew & Chew's assistant cook, Walter Todd, was a bit of a food experimenter. His instructors at the Ashburton Cookery School had encouraged it and no amount of discouraging from the villagers could get him to knock off the hobby. The jalapeño and chocolate swirl bagels were just one of Walter's many recipes that had failed to attract significant interest. He'd forced one on Alex once. It had been all she could do to keep from spitting it out. Why, exactly, those particular bagels were still on the menu, Alex had no idea.

"Grace does. I watched Arthur present them to her one day before school. Her whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. Looked like Times Square on New Year's Eve after she took a bite."

"Well," said Spencer with a disgusted grimace, "nothing says true love like jalapeño and chocolate swirl bagels."

Elsie snorted. "Something like that."

Alex peered around the café. It was crowded, which was unusual for a weekday morning. Nearly half of Leadworth was clustered at tables and in booths, all excitedly discussing the Arthur/Grace scandal. However, Alex didn't spot the two people she was looking for. "You haven't happened to see George and William, have you? Maybe talk to them?" The red-headed Donaldson's had been no-shows at rehearsal since the scandal broke. It was honestly getting to the point that Alex was seriously considering going by their house to check on them.

Elsie shook her head, blue eyes wide with worry. "George came in briefly the other day to get some lunch, but he wasn't really talkative. And I saw William this morning, washing Bello Italiano's windows. I waved at him, he nodded, but ducked inside before I could talk to him."

Alex and Spencer exchanged worried looks. There was no doubt that the whole situation was weighing heavily on George and William. But cutting themselves off from friendly faces? That was just alarming. "Maybe I can talk some sense into them," Alex said, with more optimism than she felt.

Hearing Ron ring the ready bell, Elsie spun around and collected the two white to-go bags containing Alex and Spencer's food. As she handed them off, she smiled sadly and said, "Someone needs to."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

As it turned out though, there was no need for Alex to go and talk sense into the Donaldson's. When she and Spencer walked into the school auditorium for rehearsal, they found George and William sitting on one side of the stage, playing cards.

"Well, this is a surprise," Spencer remarked as he settled into his usual seat.

"No shit," Alex agreed. She plopped into the seat beside him. "Wonder what made them come tonight."

Veronica, directly behind them in the tech booth, happened to hear this. "Archie had a little talk with them," she said conspiratorially. She stepped out and walked down the aisle until she was standing at the entrance to their row. The slapdash look she'd sported when she and Archie came banging on Alex's door was nothing but a distant memory. Today, she was her usual put together self in a blue organza sundress, matching espadrilles, and a pair of dangly turquoise earrings in the shape of turtles. "Said if they didn't show up tonight, they were out of the play."

Spencer frowned. "That's a little harsh."

"We're down to less than a month before showtime!" Veronica cried. "There's no time to be nice." She flipped her hair over one shoulder. "Do you have any idea how much hassle it would be to find two new people to do those parts, have them learn their lines and cues, and get their costumes ready? All in less than four weeks?!" The little shudder Veronica gave suggested this was a scenario not worth thinking about. "Besides, yes, it sucks that Arthur up and ran off to elope with Grace, but it's not the end of the world. Better her than someone like Halley Carpenter or Shannon Darcy or Kendra."

It was Alex's turn to give a little shudder. Kendra being married. . . Whoever her husband turned out to be, he'd better have a tremendous amount of patience. And a tolerance for mess and disorganization.

Seeing the shudder, Veronica nodded. "Exactly. They ought to be happy that Grace is their sister-in-law instead of someone like Kendra. Why the families are so determined to have World War Three with each other, I've no idea." And on that note, Veronica spun around and headed down the aisle until she reached Henry's seat. With another flip of her hair, she swung herself into his lap, as though she belonged there.

"Wonder if those two will end up eloping next," Spencer said as he and Alex watched Henry wrap his arms around Veronica's waist and press a kiss to her neck.

"Nah," Alex smirked. "Veronica will insist on a whole big affair. White dress, reception, and all." Veronica was not one to do things by halves. Her wedding – if she did get married to Henry – would be big, bombastic, and expensive as hell. Veronica had probably had such an event planned out from the time she first learned what a wedding was.

Alex had been much the same as a little girl. From the time she was ten years old, she knew exactly what she wanted for her wedding. She wanted red roses and Scottish ferns making up her bouquet, her dress to be a somewhat modern version of Grace Kelly's iconic wedding dress, Lacey to be her maid of honor (though, in light of their conversation regarding Bailey's wedding, Alex would do most of the planning), and no long-winded religious rambling of the likes that occurred when she and the Doctor were married on Yuletide. Alex was okay with some religion, such as being married by a priest and the quick reading of a Bible verse, but she did not want a full-blown Catholic ceremony. She'd attended a Catholic wedding once. All the readings and lectures that had occurred both before and after the bride and groom officially married nearly put her to sleep. Alex had no doubt the Doctor would hotly object to a Catholic ceremony. He would most likely want some Gallifreyan customs. . .

Alex's thoughts came to a screeching halt. Whoa. She was thinking about marrying the Doctor? Where had that come from? They were nowhere near marriage. Far from it. They had only just begun dating!

Technically, you're already married to him though, Alex thought. On Yuletide, she and the Doctor were considered husband and wife. Not that they ever referred to each other as spouses. As they had both established after that adventure ended, the wedding was hardly legal by either of their cultures. Still, the thought wouldn't leave her alone.

The Doctor was, by one planet's interpretation, her husband.

The mere reminder sent a thrum of adrenaline running through Alex's system.

But, Yuletide aside, would the Doctor ever marry? Ever marry, dare she think it, her?

Honestly, Alex thought it highly unlikely. What would be the point really? It wasn't like traveling through time and space hinged on them being spouses. People confused them for being a couple all the time. If ever pressed, they could always lie and say they were married. Never mind not having rings. Lots of married people nowadays didn't wear rings. It was possible that in the far future, the tradition had gone completely out of style. And Alex couldn't really see the Time Lords wearing rings. It seemed too sentimental for a race the Doctor had described as largely unfeeling.

Was she okay with not being married someday? Alex didn't even have to consider it. She was perfectly fine with it. So long as she was with the Doctor, a ring or a little piece of paper didn't matter.

Not that Alex could deny the little sigh her hearts gave. It would have been nice to call the Doctor her husband, and him call her his wife.

Thankfully, before Alex could get caught up in those thoughts, Archie called for the cast to head up on stage.

Time to focus on Gwendolen and her own marriage issues.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

It seemed matrimony was to be today's theme. After finishing her first scene in the play, where Jack proposes to Gwendolen only for the latter to be quickly sent away by Lady Bracknell, Alex headed backstage.

It was a bit crowded. Veronica and Dr. Coggins were in the middle of painting flats that would be used to construct Jack's morning room. Henry was sprawled on the floor next to them studying his script as he waited for his cue to go back onstage. Elsie was in the narrow hallway that led to the dressing rooms, getting fussed over by Charlotte Grayling, the owner of Leadworth's lone tailoring shop and, as a consequence, the Leadworth Dramatic Society's head of costumes. While past productions hadn't had much in the acting department, no one could deny that the costumes were always splendid. That was all due to Charlotte. At the moment, she was fixing pins to various places on the lacy, white, Victorian-style dress that was Elsie's lone costume.

George and William were perched in the large, gray wooden car that had been constructed for a past production of Grease. Crammed into the lone front seat, the brothers were determinedly playing Go Fish. If Alex hadn't known better, she would have thought their very lives depended on playing the game. No doubt they were desperately trying to distract themselves from the scandal caused by their brother.

In the time it took her to observe this, Alex also made a decision. She strode across the backstage area and hopped onto the hood of Grease Lightning. The subsequent thud made George and William's heads snap up.

Alex offered them her most charming smile. "Mind dealing me in?" she asked, nodding to the deck of cards sitting between them.

William shrugged. "Sure." He quickly gathered all the cards and started shuffling. "George was about to win anyway."

George smirked, though it was slightly lackluster compared to his usual smirks. "'Course I was. Will here sucks at Go Fish. Tries to cheat, but you can always tell when he's lying. Has too much of an honest face."

Alex chuckled. "Then I guess playing something like Texas Hold 'Em is out?"

George snorted. "Pretty much."

"Then Go Fish it is."

Once William dealt the cards out, the only conversation for several minutes consisted of the trio repeatedly asking for various cards. Alex gained the four of diamonds off George and the ace of spades off William but lost her three twos to George. The only other sounds to be heard were Charlotte's muttering as she continued fussing over Elsie's dress, Veronica humming Lady Gaga's 'The Edge of Glory', and Archie and Mrs. Warner rehearsing onstage. They were currently running the scene in which Lady Bracknell questions Jack as a prospective suitor to Gwendolen.

"Well, yes, I must admit I smoke," Archie's Jack answered, his tone a touch nervous.

"I am glad to hear it," Mrs. Warner's Lady Bracknell said severely. "A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it is. How old are you?"

Alex listened to the exchange as she continued playing. Just as George was reaching for another card in the deck, having failed to get any kings out of William, Mrs. Warner/Lady Bracknell asked, a bit warily, "Where did the charitable gentleman who had a first-class ticket for this resort find you?"

Archie/Jack was silent for a long moment. When he did reply, his voice was grave, though tinged with nerves. "In a handbag."

Alex braced herself.

Sure enough, just as she had done since the read-through, Mrs. Warner, in a rare display of animation, let out a horrified, piercing yell of, "IN A HANDBAG?!"

And as had occurred every time since, the rest of the cast jumped. Dr. Coggins nearly dropped his paintbrush, Veronica splattered paint on her leg, Henry's whole body jolted, causing him to throw script pages everywhere, Charlotte accidentally stabbed Elsie with a pin, causing the latter to shriek, and George and William lost hold of their cards. Alex was the only one unaffected. Her face calm and serene, she gathered up her four queens and put them into a pile.

George shook his head as he gathered up his dropped cards. "She's gonna give someone a bloody heart attack opening night," he muttered.

"She's gonna give me a heart attack," William remarked with a shudder. "My nerves are already on edge as it is. They'll be frayed to pieces with any more of that."

Alex looked at him sympathetically. "William, if your nerves are frayed, maybe you should just consider dropping out. Archie would understand." She grinned, an idea coming to her. She added, rather mischievously, "I can always drag Rory up here and volunteer him for Lane." Rory would hate her, but with the combined forces of his wife and the woman he considered a little sister, he would go onstage if absolutely necessary.

"There's a picture," George snickered.

William couldn't keep from snickering either. "As much as I would love to see that," he said in-between giggles, "I'm sticking with the play, Alex. I made a commitment to Archie. Wouldn't be fair to back out now. Not just a few weeks away from opening night."

"Ditto," George added. He plucked the six of hearts off the floor near his feet. "Besides," he said, rearranging his cards in his hand, "play's a good distraction from home."

And there's my opening. "Right. . ." Alex said slowly. "I've been wanting to ask you guys about that. Everything okay at home?"

George and William stared down at their cards. For a long moment, Alex thought they weren't going to answer, just go back to the game. But William surprised her. "No," he murmured, so softly that were she still human, Alex would have had to strain to hear him. "Not really."

With those three words, the floodgates opened.

"Mum's a wreck," William revealed. Dropping his cards in his lap, he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "She'll start crying at the drop of a hat. It's insane. We don't know what will set her off."

"Sometimes, it's something you'd typically expect," George explained. "Like a photo of us all when we were kids. Or someone saying Art's name. But other times it's not."

"The other day, she was in the middle of making spaghetti. As she's going to put the marinara sauce in, all of a sudden, she just bursts into tears."

"No idea why," George said with a shake of his head. "Art's not even a big pasta person. And when he does eat it, he prefers angel hair."

"And Dad's not much better," William sighed. His eyes appeared rather tired now, a glimpse of just what all this mess was doing to him. "When he's not trying to comfort Mum, he's ranting about how selfish and crazy Arthur's acting or about Jeffries and his attitude to all this."

Alex winced. Damn. She knew it had to be rough for the Donaldson boys right now, but she honestly hadn't expected this. "Shit," she murmured. Slightly louder, she said, "I'm sorry, you guys. That's rough. But things will get better." She resisted the urge to add 'eventually' to the end of the sentence.

Not that this evasion went unnoticed. "Yeah," William snorted. "Eventually is the word you're looking for, Alex. And I think 'eventually' isn't gonna come for a good decade. Maybe longer."

"This whole thing wouldn't be so bad if Arthur would just agree to come home for a little while," George said. His eyes narrowed and, his brother being absent, he glared down at Grease Lightning's wooden floor. "But he won't! Just dug his heels in and said no. Made a counter offer that he'd come home so long as Grace came with him."

"Yeah. . ." Alex said slowly, resisting the urge to wince. Honestly, what had Arthur been thinking? "Betting that didn't go over well."

"God, no. Mum and Dad went ballistic. Thankfully, not in front of Grace."

"They like her," William clarified. "Think she's a good girl and all, but they don't think Arthur marrying her is a good idea. They say he's throwing his life away."

Alex eyed them. "And what do you two think?"

George shrugged. "Doesn't really matter to me. Honestly, I think Art could do worse than Grace. He's head over heels about her. Has been since we were kids."

"It's true," William nodded. "He used to go around tugging on her ponytail until Mum explained that that wasn't the best way to get a girl's attention."

Alex snorted, remembering the boys who had done such things to her and other girls on the playground. Such tactics hadn't worked on her and Lacey. In fact, Alex could vividly recall an incident where Ben Riley tugged on Lacey's pigtails, only to get a black eye for his troubles. "Yeah, all that results in is a girl not wanting anything to do with you."

"True," William chuckled. "But Grace was an exception. After Arthur knocked that off, she started hanging around him more."

George, after checking to make sure no one was listening, leaned closer to Alex and whispered, "Didn't start dating until last year though. Around Halloween, I think."

Alex's eyes widened. "I knew they'd been dating for a while," she admitted. "But not for how long. The whole village has been trying to figure that out."

"Let them keep figuring it out," William said flatly. "It's no one's business."

Alex made a cross over her left heart. She just barely caught herself before she crossed the right side as well. "Don't worry, boys. My lips are sealed." For extra reassurance, she made a locking motion over her lips, followed by tossing the metaphorical key over her shoulder.

The Donaldson boys chuckled at her antics. Alex couldn't say she was displeased. So long as they were laughing, they were momentarily forgetting their troubles.

"Anyway," George said, "I don't really mind them being married. If they wanted to get married, so be it. I do wish they hadn't eloped though. Maybe just announced they were engaged and let everyone get used to the idea."

"And by 'everyone'," William deadpanned, "he means Grace's dad."

George rolled his eyes. "The man's been ballistic ever since we found out they eloped. Not just to Arthur, either. Thinks our whole family participated in corrupting his precious Grace."

"Like Grace doesn't have a mind of her own?" Alex asked.

"Exactly like that."

"Honestly?" William broke in. "I don't half wonder if the eloping wasn't Grace's idea to begin with. It's not that I don't think she doesn't love Arthur, she does, but I think the way they did it was designed to stick it to Jeffries."

"And they succeeded," George sighed. "He's mad as hell, but I think he knows there's nothing he can do about it. Not that he's going to admit it anytime soon."

"Things will calm down, I suppose," William mused. "But not for a while." He grimaced. "A long while."

Even though she didn't want to admit it, Alex knew they were right. Families, for the most part, had long memories. Small towns had even longer ones. In Bristol, Alex had grown up hearing recitations of events that had occurred a good twenty years before she was born. Leadworth was much the same. Every time she and Amy had lunch with Tabetha, the latter treated them to stories that had happened long before Amy met the Doctor. Alex had no doubt that the gossip surrounding Arthur and Grace's elopement would die hard, if it ever died at all.

She was about to say something reassuring, though she wasn't sure exactly what, when Archie suddenly cried out, "Where's my Lane and Gwendolen?! Is anyone listening back there?!"

"Shit!" Alex exclaimed as she leapt off Grease Lightning. William was right on her heels. So caught up in their conversation, they had completely missed Mrs. Warner exiting, Henry going back out, and the cue lines for Lane to come in to announce Gwendolen's return. By the time the two burst onstage to find Henry snickering and Archie glowering, they had completely pushed their talk behind them in favor of channeling their characters.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

The rest of rehearsal was smooth sailing with no more missed cues or any signs of depression and worry from George and William. The two rather seemed their usual selves again, George wise-cracking and William silent and stoic, alternatively rolling his eyes or suppressing laughter at his brother's antics. As Charlotte moved onto Alex for costume fitting, George and William dealt Dr. Coggins into a game of Rummy. Alex could see them in the right wing, still playing, while most everyone else gathered up their things.

"Gonna have to take this in a bit," Charlotte murmured, squinting behind her glasses as she scrutinized the material around Alex's waist. "And the sleeves are still too long. . ."

"I'm sure it'll come out wonderfully," Alex assured her. Inwardly, however, she screamed, Let me out of this freaking dress already!

The dress was one of two Alex would get to wear the whole course of the play. Her current gown would be worn in Act I, when Gwendolen was proposed to by Jack. It was pale pink with several multi-colored roses pinned to the bodice, a lacy collar and sleeves, and richly detailed rose patterned embroidery on the skirt. Truly, Charlotte had outdone herself. She had gone for a dress that could have come out of 1890s Victorian England, specifically 1895, the year The Importance of Being Earnest premiered. This meant there was no need to try and construct crinoline or a bustle. Those had largely been abandoned by that point. But 1895 style had called for a bell-shaped skirt that was meant to be tight around the hips. Charlotte had promised to let out the material around this area, but Alex still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of sitting down in this dress. If she could even sit down.

Something to be tried later, she thought.

Spencer was sitting on the edge of the stage, watching the proceedings curiously. "Can you even breathe in that?" he asked.

Charlotte shot him a glare, clearly taking offense to the question, but Alex said calmly, "Yeah, don't worry. Probably helps that I don't have to wear a corset in this."

"Corsets were not meant to restrict a person's breathing," Charlotte said severely. She bent down to check the length of the hemline. "That's just a common misconception. They were meant to show off a woman's figure. The ideal female figure in the Victorian age was a curvy one."

Alex looked down at her figure. No one could accuse her of being curvy. Her body was more of the straight, athletic type. Alex was just fine with that. And when she considered the idea of a corset forcibly curving her body. . . She shuddered. Still sounds painful. When the Doctor took her to the Victorian Era, she was going to do her best to avoid wearing a corset. No way was she lacing herself into one of those things, not if she could help it.

After a few more moments of fussing, Charlotte finally declared that Alex could remove the dress. Resisting the urge to cry 'finally!', Alex slid it off, all the while taking care not to dislodge any pins. As she passed the garment off to Charlotte, she noticed Elsie lingering in the very back of the auditorium. Every few seconds, she checked her watch.

Spencer followed Alex's gaze. His brow furrowed as Elsie again checked her watch, then eyed the door apprehensively. "She waiting for someone?"

"Must be," Alex murmured.

It wasn't unheard of for Elsie to get rides after rehearsal. Her cottage was on the very outskirts of Leadworth, closer to open farmland than the village green. Being a cross country runner, Elsie was more than accustomed to long walks and runs, but Alex could understand the desire to just sit back in a car and rest after a long day on your feet. During her waitressing days, there had been times where just walking out to her car in the parking lot felt exhausting and unbearable.

But today, Elsie seemed strangely impatient. Elsie's usual chauffeur, Halley Carpenter, had been late picking her up before. Halley was late for most things. According to Tabetha, this was because Halley had been born a week overdue and her timing hadn't been right since. Elsie knew all this. Usually, she just occupied herself with a romance novel until Halley finally arrived. So why was she so jittery today?

Alex and Spencer weren't the only ones who noticed Elsie's behavior. Archie had, too. As Alex and Spencer watched, he slowly walked up to Elsie.

Alex raised an eyebrow. This should be interesting. Ever since their argument after the football game, Archie and Elsie's interactions had been limited to rehearsal, and only then as an actor-director relationship. Alex, however, had no doubt that Archie wanted to move past that. She'd caught him staring at Elsie more than once with an expression Alex likened to a lovesick puppy. How Elsie hadn't noticed it yet was beyond her. Maybe I can get her to notice, call her attention to it?

As Archie approached Elsie, Veronica and Henry stepped out from the left wing. Both were laughing quietly, and Henry had a smear of Veronica's pearly pink lipstick on his chin. No doubt they had just engaged in their new favorite hobby of making out in the dressing rooms (a hobby Alex only knew of because she'd had the unfortunate luck to walk in on them one day). Their laughter came to a stop, however, when they noticed what Alex and Spencer were watching.

Henry's eyebrows rose. While the rest of the cast didn't know about Archie and Elsie's fight, they had noticed the tension between them the past few weeks. "So he's finally gained the nerve, huh?" He shot Veronica a grin. "You owe me ten quid, Ronnie."

Veronica elbowed him. "Shush! I'm trying to read their lips." Her head tilted as Archie said something, then Elsie replied. "I think he just asked her if she was alright, and she said she's fine."

George and William came up just in time to hear this. "Since when do you read lips?" George asked.

"Since forever. A handy skill to have when the grown-ups are talking about something they don't want you to hear." Veronica squinted as Archie spoke again. "He's asking if she wants a ride home."

Elsie's reply was clear even without Veronica lip-reading. She shook her head, her lips curved into a polite, if hesitant smile.

"Why's she look so nervous?" William wondered. "She doesn't get like this with Halley."

"Wait," Henry frowned. "Halley's not here. She's in Tewkesbury for her great-aunt's funeral."

All eyes went straight to him. "You're sure?" Alex checked.

Henry nodded firmly. "Positive. Rachel had to do a double shift today because of it. I heard her complaining about it when I went in to get Dad's usual coffee this morning."

Alex and Spencer exchanged wide-eyed looks. "Then that means. . ." Spencer said slowly.

His sentence was cut off as, right on cue, the door opened, and Edward Temple came striding in. He was looking very dapper in a navy suit, white dress shirt, and a dark tie. Only now did Alex notice Elsie's outfit. She was no longer wearing the café uniform she'd arrived in. She now wore a burgundy skater dress, paired with matching low-heeled sandals. Her black curls were down, but partially held back by a rhinestone-studded headband. Thanks to her advanced eyesight, Alex could also see Elsie's lipstick, the same shade as her dress, her cats-eye eyeliner, and a pair of small diamond earrings. She was completely dolled up, ready for a night on the town. With Temple, apparently.

"Bollocks," George muttered.

The rest of the cast nodded in commiseration. They watched as Edward approached Elsie, ignoring Archie completely. Leaning down, he pressed a long kiss to Elsie's lips. Archie stood by awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. Finally, Edward and Elsie came up for air. Edward grasped Elsie's hand and led her towards the door, bypassing Archie without so much as a nod. Elsie, for her part, was far more polite. She looked back over her shoulder and, with her free hand, waved goodbye to Archie. A moment later, the auditorium doors fell shut with a dull thud.

Archie stared at the door for several long moments. Finally, raking a hand through his hair, he headed towards the other door.

The cast stayed silent until the other auditorium door shut. The moment the 'thud' rang out, Veronica shook her head. "What the bleeding hell is wrong with Elsie?" she cried. "Archie's a catch! Edward Temple is just. . ." She shook her head again, either unable to come up with or unwilling to say the right words.

Not that that could be said for Alex. "A lying slimeball," she said flatly, "who's just using Elsie for sex."

"Classic midlife crisis," George nodded in agreement. "He'll be with Elsie until the next young thing comes along."

Henry scowled. "And she'll just end up with a broken heart and be the talk of the village more than ever."

Alex pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing in determination. Not if I can help it, she vowed.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 4th, 2011

"The way I see it," Amy said as she pulled a dozen copies of Great Expectations out of a box, "you need to put doubts into Elsie's mind about Temple. George is right; he's going to dump her when he spots the next hot young thing." Dumping the books onto the huge, round, wooden counter before her, Amy wiped some sweat off her brow. "That way, she'll start second-guessing her relationship, start seeing the obvious cracks and flaws in it."

It was almost one o'clock. Normally, at this time of day, Alex would be at the library, handling patrons and Kendra. However, since it had been raining steadily all day, resulting in a distinct lack of patrons, Alex had elected to close at noon. Kendra had taken the decision with no small amount of excitement, just as Alex expected. Spencer had gone back to the boarding house to conduct a conference call with his boss, Kate Stewart, and someone called Osgood. What the conference was about, Alex wasn't sure. The mess in Cornwall had finally been cleaned up. There hadn't been any reports of alien-like activity on the news. That left the highly likely possibility the conference concerned her.

Not that Alex was going to ask about it. She really didn't want or need to know what various military types thought of her and/or her situation.

Besides, she had more pressing things on her mind. Namely, how to get Elsie out of Temple's hold and into Archie's arms.

So, she'd come to Amy's new place of employment, Leadworth Books, seeking advice. And it seemed like she'd scored.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "And after a few days of that, I can start steering her into looking at men who don't do that. Specifically, Archie." She beamed and, unable to resist, did a little bounce. "Thanks, Ames. You're a genius!"

Amy waved the compliment away, but the smile on her face said she was pleased anyway. "Oh, you would've come up with it yourself eventually. Just needed a little talking out."

Alex leaned back against the counter and took a quick lick off her ninety-nine flake. "Yeah, you're right. Still, thanks. I was stuck on how to go about it for days." Technically, it had only been two days, but to Alex, two days was far too long.

"Since I helped you, you think you could help me a little?" Amy nodded to the large stack of boxes piled up behind the desk.

Alex laughed. "Yeah, sure. Just let me finish my ice cream."

As Amy pulled another box of books onto the counter, Alex, still licking her ice cream, wandered around the store. Leadworth Books' grand opening was scheduled for this weekend and, for the most part, everything had been put into place. There were, however, still plenty of shelves that needed books, hence all the boxes Amy was working through.

Leadworth Books was housed in one of those buildings that, every year or so, became the home of a different kind of business. When Alex first came to Leadworth, it was a massage parlor. Six months later, the massage parlor closed after the owners went bankrupt. It was subsequently sold and turned into a cigar store. That lasted for about a year until the owner had a nasty heart attack. One quadruple bypass surgery later, he moved to Yorkshire to live with his daughter and the cigar shop became an upscale clothing boutique. The boutique had been going strong until February when the owners decided to go exclusively online. The building then sat vacant until May when Kendra's cousin, Erin Brinegar, purchased it to fulfill her life's dream of opening a bookstore. Both she and Alex were hoping that the bookstore lasted much longer than its predecessors.

The outside of Leadworth Books was quite simple: a maroon awning with the shop's name written in gold cursive. The interior, however, was nothing short of wonderous.

All the walls were painted in a soft honey-gold color, but only glimpses of it could be seen in between the dark floor-to-ceiling bookcases. The front of the store housed the latest arrivals and new releases. At the moment, George R. R. Martin's latest, A Dance With Dragons, and E. L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey dominated the shelves. Spread out in front of the bookcases were a few cozy red chairs where customers could sit and read for a bit.

Wandering further into the store, Alex passed the young adult, home and gardening, and history sections before reaching a massive oak staircase. It led to a small apartment upstairs that Erin was in the process of refurbishing. As such, a small velvet rope sat at the bottom of the stairs, blocking them off. Erin had, however, wrapped fairy lights around the banister, bathing this section in a low glow. In addition, she'd ripped out the little cupboard beneath the stairs. In its place was a reading nook outfitted with a red velvet couch and an end table, a globe perched on top. Appropriate as this little nook housed the majority of the travel section. Stacks of atlases and travel guides had been crammed into this little space; one stack even acted as a makeshift table, a green gooseneck lamp resting on top.

Past the stairs, Alex went down a short hallway and into a room that had once been a storage closet, but now housed the sci-fi/fantasy section. Posters of popular sci-fi films and TV shows hung between the bookshelves. Erin's collection of Star Wars memorabilia was scattered all around. Alex spotted a little stuffed Yoda sitting next to the Douglas Adams books and a Darth Vader action figure perched on top of a copy of Good Omens. Vintage pendant lights hung from the ceiling and a squishy red chair (complete with a pillow shaped like the Millennium Falcon) sat by the door leading into the next room.

The next room was larger, housing the mystery section. Shelves and tables full of mystery novels were scattered all around. On some of the tables were little magnifying glasses; Alex even spotted a tobacco pipe that could have come straight out of a Sherlock Holmes story. In the corner, next to a bookshelf devoted solely to Agatha Christie, was a large grandfather clock, ticking quietly and unobtrusively. Alex paused to study the intricate sun and moon design on the clock face before moving on.

The final room of the bookstore housed the romance and children's sections. The room had been divided in half by a series of low, white bookcases. One side housed Elsie's preferred romances, the other was cluttered with stuffed animals and Roald Dahl books. A bunch of floral pattered chairs had been arranged in a circle in the middle of the romance section; just a few feet away from this was a small stove with a hot pink tea kettle on top. Alex had heard mention of Erin wanting to start a book club; this was presumably where the club would meet.

In the children's section, various children's literary figures had been painted on the walls. Enid Blyton's Noddy driving his red and yellow taxi sat next to Roald Dahl's Matilda Wormwood, perched on a stack of books, a thick tomb in her lap. Harry Potter was pictured riding his Nimbus 2000, the Very Hungry Caterpillar was eating his way through an apple, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet were having tea, Charlotte the Spider dangled from a 'Some pig' web. . . It went on. So many characters Alex had loved growing up peppered the honey-gold walls. She was rather jealous her childhood bookstores hadn't had sections like this. She could have easily spent hours in a room like this, reading at the little white table by the window or in the rocking chair next to the Noddy mural. I hope the kids here love it, she thought with a sigh.

Suddenly, she found herself imagining bringing Melody here. Coming in on lazy Saturday afternoons, browsing the stacks, Alex spending hours sitting in the rocking chair, god-daughter in her lap, reading whatever book caught Melody's fancy. She could introduce Melody to all the books she'd loved as a child: Paddington Bear, Eloise, The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, and others. Then, when Melody was older, she could start her on the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia series. Should she introduce Melody to Bridge to Terabithia? She'd never quite forgiven Marigold for giving her that book and not warning her of the tragic twist. . .

Alex didn't realize she was crying until she felt a tear run down her cheek and under her chin. She blinked. Why was she crying? Surely not because of Leslie's fate in Terabithia. Alex vividly remembered her ten-year-old self weeping buckets over that.

She looked around the children's section again. Her watery gaze lingered on the rocking chair, its frilly white cushion patiently waiting for a parent to sit there with a child in their lap. Not that Alex was a parent. Melody was the closest she would ever get.

The answer behind her tears came to her. Her imaginings would only come true if the Doctor found Melody. And that was a very big if. Despite all the Doctor's efforts, Alex knew the odds weren't in their favor. River Song's existence and overall personality proved that much. In all likelihood, Alex's imaginings would stay just that. She wouldn't spend hours here with Melody, reading about Alice's many adventures in Wonderland or Anne Shirley's life on Prince Edward Island. She wouldn't gift her with books for birthdays and Christmas. She wouldn't take Melody out for lunch dates where they ate nothing but ice cream and pinky-swore not to tell Amy and Rory. There would be no Disney-themed movie nights, no building of blanket forts on cold, rainy days, no long summer afternoons spent playing Monopoly. . .

More tears poured down Alex's cheeks. These plans were all things she had hoped to do with her children someday. She hadn't realized that, in the absence of children of her own, she had transferred all those plans to Melody. But she had. Probably from the moment she delighted in Melody's laughter as she flicked the planet and star charms on the Doctor's cot back on Demons Run. Back when things had seemed hopeful, no hint of their current circumstances on the horizon.

Absently tossing the mostly melted remains of her ice cream in a nearby trash can, Alex furiously wiped her face. Honestly, she hated crying. Not to mention, but she couldn't let Amy see her like this. Alex knew getting Melody back was not a definite possibility. Amy didn't. She still had so much hope and Alex was loathe to break it. No, she thought decisively. Better for her to reach that on her own. Then I can help her through the grief.

Speaking of Amy. . . "Alex!" she hollered. "Haven't you finished that ice cream by now?"

Alex jumped. "Coming, Ames!" After making one last swipe at her cheeks, Alex took a moment to compose herself. By the time she rejoined Amy, there was nothing to suggest she had been crying.

Even if she hadn't managed to lock away her emotions, Amy probably wouldn't have noticed. She was completely focused on the pile of boxes waiting to be unpacked. Her determination and focus were rather impressive. Amy had made it clear upon being hired that she could only stay until the end of August but in the small amount of time since, she had done quite a bit in getting Leadworth Books up and running. She had assembled bookshelves, somehow managing to make sense of the complicated instructions, painted most of the murals in the children's section, assisted with ordering, and had come up with the idea for a store-run book club which she was also co-running with Erin. Alex had no doubt that at the end of the month, Erin would be begging Amy to stay on.

Amy heaved a large box onto the counter. Grabbing a pair of scissors, she slid the blades through the packing tape. "Annotated copies of Jane Eyre," she reported as she dug through the packing peanuts. She put a stack of books onto the counter. "Just grab a box and start pulling stuff out, Alex. Then we can put the price stickers on."

With Alex's help, the boxes were quickly reduced to flat pieces of cardboard. Erin had ordered a bunch of classic literature, as well as copies of the next book in the Fifty Shades series, Fifty Shades Darker, which wouldn't be released until next month. Alex eyed this latter stack disdainfully. "Remind me to keep Elsie far away from these," she said, tapping one of the covers with her nail.

Amy grimaced. Like Alex, she had only made it a quarter of the way through Fifty Shades of Grey before tossing the book aside. "Yeah, don't get a copy of that for the library if you can help it. Though I bet half of the village's female population already have requests put in."

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "They have. Really, Ames, if I had any idea how problematic those books are, I never would've gotten the library copies."

Amy patted her shoulder. "You can't read every book that comes through the library, Alex." She gave her friend a smile. "Not even with your new Time Lord perks."

"Watch me," Alex muttered. Louder, she said, "Seriously though, you should see the hold list for Fifty Shades. It's at least two pages long! I'm pretty sure every woman in Leadworth over twenty-one is on it!"

"Elsie on it?" Amy asked as she put a price sticker on a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird.

"She was. She got it yesterday." Alex grimaced. Though she hadn't read the book all the way through, she knew there were a lot of racy acts in it. Just the other day, she'd seen a report on Good Morning, Britain that credited Fifty Shades of Grey with an increase in sales of BDSM paraphernalia. Alex wasn't against BDSM (she was actually rather intrigued by aspects of it) but Fifty Shades' portrayal of it didn't seem very accurate. More like abuse. If the Doctor ever tried to make her do half the things Christian Grey tried to do on Anastasia Steele, he'd be lucky if he escaped her wrath without regenerating. Not that Alex thought this was a possibility. The Doctor viewed her as the most precious thing in the universe. Not something that could be said in regards to Christian and Anastasia. Nor Elsie and Temple, for that matter. Alex honestly worried Elsie would fall for the B.S. romance. And what if she tried some of it out with Temple?

Amy, sensing her thoughts, hastened to reassure her. "Try to think positively, Alex," she urged. "Elsie may be just as repulsed as you and I were."

Alex worried her bottom lip. "God, I hope so."

At that moment, the bell over the door chimed. Amy's eyebrows shot straight up. "Speak of the devil," she murmured.

Alex spun around. Sure enough, Elsie was standing in the doorway, wearing a yellow rain-slicker over her diner's uniform. "Ah, I was wondering where you were!" she called to Alex. She propped her umbrella beside the door. Hurrying up to Alex, she smiled and said, "I was going to return some books, but the library was shut."

"Sorry, Elsie. There didn't seem much point in staying open. No one came in this morning."

Elsie glanced out at the still pouring rain. "Yeah, can't say I blame them. It's brutal out there."

Gesturing for Elsie to take a seat in a nearby chair, Alex hopped up on the counter. "What books were you wanting to return?" She swung her legs back and forth. Her baby blue platform sandals, paired with a long-sleeved multi-color blouse, mildly distressed skinny jeans, silver hoop earrings, and a silver multi-strand necklace layered over her sonic one, thudded against the underside of the counter.

A sudden blush came to Elsie's cheeks. Checking to make sure Amy was preoccupied with her price tags, she leaned closer to Alex and whispered, "Fifty Shades."

Amy was right! She didn't like it, thank God! Inwardly jumping up and down, Alex kept her features calm and without judgment. "You didn't like it?"

"Not really," Elsie said with a shake of her head. "I mean," she added, leaning back in her chair, "it started off rather promising. But the writing. . ." She winced. "I'm no professional, Alex, but I write better than that. If I had to read about Ana's inner goddess one more time, I was gonna scream."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, the writing put me off, too. But . . . was that all you didn't like?"

"No. The relationship was very. . ." Elsie paused, trying to think of the right words. "Well, it's supposed to be romantic and all, but just flipping through it, it's the exact opposite. Christian is always trying to manipulate her. I mean," she scoffed, her eyes going wide, "saying she needs to sign an NDA before they can sleep together? How does Ana not think that's a red flag?"

"Very true," Alex said sagely. Had she been Ana, she would have all but run out of Christian's apartment and never looked back.

"I didn't finish it," Elsie admitted. "I got about a quarter of the way through before finally deciding to just skim through the rest." She let out another scoff. "Really, how could anyone think that's romance? He's always stalking her, tries to boss her around with that ridiculous contract, and that end scene. . ." She and Alex shuddered at the memory of the violent belt-whipping scene. Elsie shook her head. "God, I really don't understand why the hell Ana was so devastated. She ought to have filed an assault charge against him!"

"Or beaten him with the belt," Alex said dryly. "See how he likes it."

Elsie chuckled. "That's more your style, not mine. I would've just gotten out of there as fast as possible." She was silent for a long moment. She bit her lip and Alex got the impression she was trying to figure out whether or not to say something.

Finally, Elsie made up her mind. "Can I tell you something?" she asked. She glanced over Alex's shoulder at Amy and added, a touch quieter, "In confidence?"

In response, Alex hopped off the counter and settled on the arm of Elsie's chair. "Go on," she murmured.

Still worrying her bottom lip, Elsie leaned closer and whispered, "The relationship between Ana and Christian. . . I, I couldn't help but see some . . . similarities to me and Eddie."

Alex's eyes widened. Wasn't expecting that! "How so?" Oh, please, God, don't let it be the sexual stuff! She could not be held responsible for what she would do to Temple if that were the case.

Elsie, however, seemed to sense what direction her thoughts had gone. "None of the sexual stuff!" she whisper-shouted. "No, more of the controlling behavior and the. . ." She swallowed heavily. "The putting me down, especially about my writing." Grabbing her messenger bag, she pulled out the notebook Alex had read from the night of the pub quiz. Elsie clutched it to her chest, the way a young child clutches their favorite stuffed animal during a bad storm. "Eddie was spending the night at my place. We were sitting on the couch, watching TV, or at least he was, but I was daydreaming. I kept thinking about this plot point I was struggling with for Elsa and Mac, and then it suddenly came to me!" Her eyes brightened at the memory, but only for a moment. "So I grabbed my notebook and started writing. I just had to get it out right there and then. But Eddie. . ." She grimaced and glanced away.

"Please tell me he didn't grab this and tear pages out," Alex pleaded. Again, she couldn't be held responsible for what she'd do if Elsie confirmed this.

Thankfully, Elsie shook her head wildly. "No, no! But he did say it was very rude of me to focus on my 'scribbling', as he called it, instead of focusing on him, since he came over specifically to spend time with me."

Alex shook her head, disgusted. "What an asshole." She hadn't quite meant to say that out loud, but she was glad she did. Elsie really needed to hear it.

"Certainly not one of his finest moments," Elsie sighed.

Alex resisted the urge to physically shake her. How the hell could Elsie still defend him? "Elsie, don't defend him," she said in her stern librarian voice. "He shouldn't have done that. If my boyfriend did that, I'd knock him upside the head." She eyed Elsie critically. "What did you do after Edward said that?"

Elsie seemed to physically shrink under her gaze. "Put the notebook away," she said softly. At Alex's groan, she cried, "But I ignored him the rest of the night! Didn't sleep with him either."

"Well, that's something, I guess," Alex grumbled. Then, something occurred to her. "Wait, you said he's also controlling. How's Edward controlling?"

"He doesn't like me hanging around Archie. Says Archie is just trying to point out his flaws and steal me away."

So Temple's not clueless to Archie and Elsie's mutual attraction, Alex thought. And he's trying to put a stop to it. Interesting. . .

"Archie and I got into a bit of a fight after the football match a few weeks ago," Elsie continued. "I told Eddie about it, and he said I needed to stop being around Archie. When I pointed out I couldn't do that because of the play, he suggested I quit." She rolled her eyes. "Obviously, I'm not doing that, so Eddie said to simply ignore him outside of rehearsal."

Well, that certainly explained the tension between Archie and Elsie the last few weeks, though Alex hadn't been expecting Temple to have orchestrated it. He's almost as clever as me, Alex thought with a smirk. Almost. Now was the time to utilize Amy's advice. There were already seeds of doubt in Elsie's mind. Planting a few more could only prove beneficial.

"It's all so confusing though." Elsie rubbed a hand over her face. She suddenly looked about ten years older. When she looked up, Alex could see the haggardness in her big blue eyes. "I dunno. What do you think, Alex?"

Showtime. Clearing her throat, Alex slowly started planting her seeds. "I think," she said calmly, "that it seems like your dreams and desires aren't as important to Edward as his own. He doesn't take your writing seriously, he thinks watching TV is more important than working on it, and he makes you feel bad and guilty about it. And, well, it kinda sounds like he's trying to control your life."

Elsie's jaw dropped. "Oh no," she said, shaking her head. "He's not—"

Alex cut her off. "You just told me that he tried to convince you not to be around Archie. Why? Just because you two got into an argument about your relationship? Why didn't he go to Archie himself and ask him about his concerns?"

Elsie didn't have a response to that.

"He also suggested you quit the play." Alex raised an eyebrow. "Does Edward like you being in the play?"

"Of course he does!" Elsie cried. "But. . ." She visibly drooped. "Well, he did say once it seemed to be taking a lot of my time."

Classic manipulation tactic, making her feel bad about not spending 24/7 with him. Alex refrained from saying this though. From the contemplative look on Elsie's face, she was starting to reach that conclusion herself.

And now, for the most important seed. . . "Has he said anything more about marrying you?" Alex's voice was soft and gentle. Carefully, she put an assuring hand on Elsie's shoulder.

Elsie stared off into the distance. "He says there are complications with the divorce," she murmured.

Unseen by Elsie, Alex rolled her eyes. Figures. Still keeping her tone gentle, she said, "What do you think that means?"

Before Elsie could reply, the front door banged open, nearly demolishing the little bell in the process. Erin Brinegar unceremoniously shook her jacket off before flinging it over a nearby chair. "Bloody hell!" she exclaimed with a grimace. "It's like the end times out there!"

Erin Brinegar was the exact opposite of her sister and cousin. Whereas Leslie and Kendra were blonde, blue-green eyed, and rather buxom, Erin's hair, cut into a sleek pageboy, was brown with a hint of auburn, her eyes were a piercing, cat-like green, and she freely admitted to only wearing Victoria's Secret Miracle Bras. But Erin was undeniably pretty. And smart as a whip. A decade older than Amy, Alex, and Rory, Erin had graduated as her class valedictorian, received a full scholarship to the University of Cambridge where she studied business and marketing, and currently held the record for most quizzes won at The Queen's Garters. It was Alex's opinion that Kendra could stand to learn a lot from her cousin, if only she showed a decent amount of interest.

With Erin's arrival, it seemed Alex and Elsie's discussion was at an end. Not that Alex minded. On the contrary, she was pretty sure she'd sowed plenty of seeds. Now it was time to step back and wait for them to grow.

"Afternoon, girls!" Erin said with a wave to Alex and Elsie. Her Doc Martens thudded dully against the heavily carpeted floor as she approached the counter. "How's my favorite employee doing?"

Alex smirked. Yeah, Erin definitely wouldn't be coping well come September.

Amy beamed at the compliment but was quick to get to business. "So far, so good. Pricing these books now."

Erin surveyed the stacks. "Good, good," she murmured. Her eyes fell on the Fifty Shades Darker box. "Just put those in the back room, Amy. I'll price them later."

"Have you read the first book, Erin?" Elsie asked.

"Not yet, though I hear it's pretty good. Claudia loved it."

Alex ignored this revelation in favor of asking, "How is Claudia?" Claudia was Erin's long-term girlfriend. They'd met at one of the college parties at Cambridge their first year and immediately hit it off. While they had been together for years, Claudia and Erin had never actually lived together outside of sharing a dorm room. This was due to Claudia's studies. She was currently in Cambridge working as a paralegal while studying to become a lawyer.

"Great!" Erin beamed. "She finally starts law school in October and she's coming to visit later this month. You'll have to come see her."

"I will," Alex promised.

"Also, she's given me a suggestion for the book club!"

Alex and Amy exchanged quick grimaces. Much like Elsie, Claudia Emerson's taste was primarily limited to romance novels. Namely, ones that involved dukes falling in love with commoners or knights with servant girls. Not that Alex and Amy were against those novels (Alex had raided Marigold's stash as soon as she was old enough) but they wouldn't have selected that type of book for a book club.

Amy, knowing better than to question her boss, smiled widely. "That's great!" she chirped. "What'd she suggest?"

Erin reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a black paperback. On the cover was a handsome, shirtless man gazing off into the distance. The Stranger, Alex read. By Portia da Costa.

Taking it from Erin's grasp, Alex read the back blurb aloud. "'When a mysterious young man stumbles into the life of the recently widowed Claudia, he reignites her sleeping sexuality. But is the handsome and angelic Paul really a combination of innocent and voluptuary, amnesiac and genius? Claudia's friends become involved in trying to decide whether or not he is to be trusted. As an erotic obsession flowers between Paul and Claudia, and all taboos are obliterated, his true identity no longer seems to matter'."

"Bit of a mystery there," Elsie enthused.

Alex, on the other hand, wasn't quite convinced. "Did Claudia only like this because the main character shares her name?"

Erin snorted. "Maybe, but she also said it'll appeal to the Fifty Shades demographic. I think that's our primary target with the book club, women ranging from twenties to. . ." She trailed off and shrugged. "Well, all women above twenty, at least."

"You can count me in," Elsie said. She had taken the book from Alex and was studying the cover intently. "I didn't really like Fifty Shades, but this definitely sounds interesting."

"I dunno, Erin," Amy said slowly. "Not to deride Claudia's taste, but. . . Well, if it's romance we're doing, why not something more well-known? Something that can be discussed more?"

Alex nodded eagerly. "Yeah, what about a classic like Pride and Prejudice? Or Sense and Sensibility?"

"Or if you want something more modern, maybe Outlander?" Amy suggested. "Alex read that and liked it. Or The Time Traveler's Wife?"

Unseen by Amy, Alex grimaced. She'd read The Time Traveler's Wife not too long ago and while it was a great book, it had the unfortunate side effect of reminding her of the Doctor and River. Namely, River showing up unexpectedly and dropping hints about her and the Doctor's relationship that may or may not be true. At least, Alex hoped they weren't true.

But Erin just shook her head. "Those are good suggestions, guys, but I think I'll stick with this." She gave them a smile. "Maybe we can alternate though? A contemporary romance one month, a classic one the next?"

"It sounds lovely," Elsie said as she got to her feet. "When's the first meeting?"

"This Saturday at four. A bunch of people have already signed up. We'll do a little introductory, explain how it all works, then go into discussion. First five chapters. I've got a bunch of copies already ordered. Should be here tomorrow." She turned to Amy and Alex. "And you girls will be there, right?"

Unable to reply in the negative, Amy nodded. "Yep!" she exclaimed with no small amount of forced cheer. "Looking forward to it!"

Erin and Elsie looked expectantly at Alex.

"Yep," Alex said calmly, popping the 'p'. She fell back on her acting skills to give them a very convincing grin. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

At the same time this was going on, Spencer was in the midst of his own conversation. Sadly, it wasn't over something as simple as possible selections for book club.

"You're positive, Oz?"

Osgood's bespectacled face glared at him. Spencer was surprised by its ferociousness. Osgood was not, by nature, a glarer. "For the third time, yes, Spencer, I am sure. There is no record of a Melody Ukuthula existing prior to her appearing in Leadworth in early 1996, age seven."

"Or at least appearing seven," Spencer grimaced. He leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak loudly, and threw his head back against the headrest. His gaze wandered over the dropped ceiling above him. There were approximately sixty-two tiles (he'd counted one night when Arthur and Grace's marital bliss had been keeping him up), all in the same shade of dirty white. There were cracks in tiles 2, 17, 34, and 56. Tile 13 had a smoke detector.

Ceiling tiles and dropped ceilings can be traced back centuries, Spencer recalled. They were used during the Muromachi Period in Japan, which lasted from 1336 to 1573. In 1596, the Blackfriars Theatre installed a drop ceiling to improve acoustics. The U.S. patent for modern dropped ceilings was applied for by E. E. Hall on May 28th, 1919, granted on October 16th, 1923.

Spencer shook his head. Recalling facts about the history of ceiling tiles (of all things) wouldn't help matters. It certainly wouldn't help distract him from the glaring truth Osgood had just presented him with.

Melody 'Mels' Ukuthula was undoubtedly Melody Alexandria Pond.

In some ways, it wasn't very surprising. It certainly explained her close relationship with Amy and Rory, not to mention her possessiveness towards them. Of course Mels would want to be close to her parents. From what little Spencer knew about Madame Kovarian, he highly doubted the woman was maternal. Mels had probably been abused since she was a baby, never knowing love or care. Her relationship with Amy and Rory, as messed up as it was, was probably the only instance of love in her life.

It would also explain why she felt like Alex was taking her place. By Amy and Rory's own admission, since befriending Alex, they had spent a bit more time with her than with Mels. They had also encouraged Mels to try and act less like her wild, authority-can-take-a flying-leap self in favor of emulating model citizen Alex. To Mels' mangled, brainwashed mind, this would look like Amy and Rory were seeking her replacement or had decided that their daughter (even if they didn't know she was their daughter) wasn't good enough, that Alex was in favor of their love and attention instead.

Hell, it even explained her last name. 'Ukuthula' was the Zulu word for 'silence'. Also 'peace' and 'calmness', but Spencer was pretty sure those words hadn't crossed Mels' mind when choosing a last name.

This revelation didn't, however, explain her strange love for the Doctor, someone she had been brought up since birth to kill. Then again, that didn't really need explaining. Mels was a walking, talking textbook definition of a psychopath. In her mind, it all made sense.

Spencer just wished it would make sense in his mind.

He was jarred out of his thoughts by Chief Stewart calling his name. From her aggravated tone, it wasn't the first time she'd called it.

Spencer sprang back into a sitting position and fixed all his attention on the laptop in front of him. On screen, Chief Stewart and Osgood were seated in the former's office at London HQ. The UNIT insignia was just visible behind Chief Stewart's head, hanging on the wall above the credenza where she kept pictures of her children, Gordon and Lila. Chief Stewart's expression was grim behind her glasses, the ones she only wore when needing to be on the computer for a long amount of time. Osgood's face was contorted into a similar expression. The young scientist was crammed into a small chair next to the chief, wearing a colorful monstrosity of a coat similar to the one the Sixth Doctor had worn. Had the topic of conversation not been so dire, Spencer would have cracked a joke about it making his eyes hurt.

"Sorry, Chief," he said, resisting the urge to chew the inside of his cheek. His spine straightened and he drew his shoulders back. Time to be professional, he thought.

Chief Stewart's grimace was momentarily replaced by an understanding smile. "Don't worry about it, Spencer. The news certainly is shocking."

More like depressing, Spencer thought. Mels Ukuthula being Melody Pond meant that the Doctor's quest, already a fool's hope to being with, was pointless. There was no chance of Amy and Rory getting their child back. Melody had been fully brought up and prepared for her role as the Doctor's assassin. Even with a lifetime's supply of therapy, she wasn't going to be their sweet little girl ever again. Kovarian had made sure of that.

With a sigh, Spencer focused on Osgood. "What else do you have, Oz?"

Osgood peered down at the file in her lap. "Well, going off Mels' description as an apparent seven-year-old, I did some digging. As it turns out, from January 1970 right up to her arrival in Leadworth, there are reports from various states in the U.S. and several counties here in the U.K. describing a young girl of that description being involved in a wide variety of crimes. Mostly shoplifting, but there's also a few instances of vandalism, physical altercations, and verbal abuse. She spent most of 1989 in a juvenile detention center in Cheltenham after she attacked a random bystander, apparently for praising some 'doctor' for helping her."

Spencer's eyebrows rose. "As in the Doctor?"

Osgood shook her head. "No, she was referring to a Dr. Hargreaves who diagnosed her brain tumor and subsequently removed it."

"So the name 'doctor' is a kind of trigger, then," Chief Stewart mused.

"It seems to be, ma'am. Nearly all of the altercations I found were because of someone mentioning a 'doctor'. I've only been able to find one instance of it referring to the actual Doctor though." Osgood flipped through a few pages. "Ah, an altercation where our very own Jo Grant was bitten by this child while in line with Captain Mike Yates at the greasy spoon that used to be right across the street from here. It was in May 1972."

Chief Stewart's expression was troubled again, her lips pressed into a thin line. "So, Melody Pond was within the vicinity of UNIT while the Doctor was here as active scientific advisor." Her voice was quiet and a bit strained as she processed this disturbing revelation.

Spencer couldn't keep from shuddering. The implications were worrying. "Did she know Jo Grant was a UNIT employee? If so, did she know she worked with the Doctor? And was she actively looking for the Doctor at the time?" So many questions, he thought, but not enough answers.

"But the Doctor working at UNIT back then doesn't match the description of the Doctor present at the Battle of Demons Run!" Osgood cried.

"To a psychopathic seven-year-old – or however old she is – I doubt something as trivial as description is very pressing," Chief Stewart said dryly. "I have no doubt she tracked the Doctor to UNIT." She let out a snort. "Wouldn't have been hard. That version was hardly inconspicuous."

Neither Spencer nor Osgood could quite keep from chuckling. They had seen photos of the Third Doctor. With all those velvet smoking jackets, cravats, frilly shirts, and capes, not to mention that white bouffant, that version of the Doctor stood out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Melody Pond would have had absolutely no difficulty in tracking him down.

Which brought them back to the point. . . "What happened after she bit Jo?" Spencer asked. "And where was the Doctor at the time?"

Osgood studied the file again. "Captain Yates restrained the child until authorities arrived. Jo Grant was taken back to UNIT HQ, where she received a small variety of tetanus shots. Melody Pond was put into child protective services, but they lost track of her about a month later. The next place she pops up is Woking in Surrey, caught shoplifting in March 1973."

"So if she moved counties, she probably wasn't trying to kill the Doctor," Spencer mused.

Chief Stewart nodded in agreement. "Wanted to get a good look at him, I suppose. 'Know your enemy' and all that."

"Doesn't seem like she succeeded," Osgood broke in. "At the time of the incident with Jo Grant, the Doctor was on holiday at his cottage in Wales. He took a full two weeks off from UNIT."

"Wonder if Jo ever told him about it?" Spencer found it quite mind-boggling to learn two people connected to the Doctor, both widely separated from each other in terms of time, had intersected for one brief moment. Especially in such a violent moment.

Chief Stewart, however, didn't seem to care whether or not the Doctor had ever learned of the random attack on his companion. She looked at Osgood expectantly. "Osgood, what do we know of Mels Ukuthula's life since arriving in Leadworth?"

Osgood hastened to oblige, flipping rapidly to another section in the file. "Well, ma'am, in regards to school, quite a bit. Her school reports are rather interesting. There are multiple write-ups for disorderly behavior in the classroom and disrespect towards teachers. The reason behind most of the write-ups is because she failed to answer questions correctly."

"Let me guess," Spencer cut in. "Stuff like, 'the Titanic sank because the Doctor wasn't there to stop it'?"

Osgood's eyes widened. "Yes, exactly! How'd you know about it?"

"Alex told me. She learned it from one of Mels' former classmates, and Amy and Rory confirmed it when I asked them about it." He let out a weary sigh. "Kovarian/Silence conditioning, I suspect."

"No doubt," Chief Stewart agreed through pursed lips. "What else, Osgood?"

"She held the school record for confiscated property. There was an incident where she had Amy and Rory create a distraction so she could sneak those items out of the teachers' supply closet. Mels escaped discovery, but they knew it was her. Didn't find any of the items on her though, so they couldn't really punish her." Osgood flipped a page. "Her grades are interesting though. The normal in primary, but in secondary, she was passing classes with flying colors. She held the school's highest GPA and was her year's valedictorian, but she didn't give a speech at graduation. Never showed up." Osgood shook her head. "Quite a wonder, really. She held the tardiness and absentee record in secondary."

"She's human plus Time Lord," Spencer pointed out. "Minus the brainwashing, her brain is easily more advanced than a regular human's."

"So she's insanely smart," Chief Stewart summarized. "Probably equal to you, Spencer, if not more so." Letting out a heavy sigh, she leaned back in her chair and tugged her glasses off, rubbing her temples wearily. "Which, combined with her assassin training, means she's more than likely prepared for any kind of action from us."

"What kind of action are you wanting to take?" Spencer asked.

"Ideally, I've love to drag her into an interrogation room and question her about Kovarian, the Silence, all of it till she breaks. Then keep her in a cell and let our psychiatrists deal with her." She sighed once more and replaced her glasses. "But that's not feasible. We don't know what kind of training she got in those six years with Kovarian."

"If it was six years," Spencer pointed out. "We don't know if she had any contact with her after that."

"True, but I find it hard to believe a woman like Kovarian would let her precious assassin run all around the country, randomly biting people and getting into mischief. It's just too risky."

Spencer grimaced. Yes, that was a factor. Melody Pond was too valuable an asset to Kovarian. Such an asset would never be allowed to roam the country, drifting from county to county. There was too much risk of her escaping Kovarian's clutches. Really, if anything, Melody's frequent traveling between 1969 and 1996 had been a strategy to avoid capture. She couldn't settle down anywhere for very long, not without attracting attention. Even without the Kovarian threat, she wouldn't do it anyway, as her parents hadn't been born yet. Aside from constantly moving to avoid being recaptured, Melody had been biding her time until the decade when her parents were born, and she could go and integrate herself with them.

Then, something occurred to him. Mels had come to Leadworth to befriend her parents, but who actually raised her? "Hey, Osgood, where has Mels been living the last fifteen years?"

Osgood ran her finger down a page. "She resided as a ward of Reverend Halliday at the Leadworth Parish Church until she was sixteen. The reverend was already pushing eighty when he took her in, so when he died in his sleep in 2005, it really wasn't a huge shock to anyone."

"Leadworth Parish Church?" Spencer repeated, his brow furrowed. That name hadn't come up in his research. "The only church here is St. George's Chapel."

"Hold on." Pushing her chair to the side, and subsequently making only her ponytail visible to the camera, Osgood started rapidly typing on her laptop. Less than a minute later, she let out a triumphant "Aha!" and wheeled herself back into the frame. "The parish church was shut down after Reverend Halliday suffered a bad fall in 1998 that required him to undergo a total hip replacement. The villagers seemed to have viewed him as this beloved relic though, because he was allowed to continue living in the parish house until his death."

"Hope Mels wasn't the cause of his fall," Spencer muttered.

"You should ask Amy and Rory how Mels and the reverend got on," Chief Stewart suggested. She glanced at Osgood. "What happened after Reverend Halliday died?"

Osgood flipped through a few pages of what looked like school transcripts. "Well, the address for her last year at school is given as 17 Dreamer Lane, the same address where Amy Pond was living at the time." She smiled sadly. "So she got to live with her mother for a while. That's nice."

"Don't forget, Oz, she's after the Doctor and Alex, her parents' best friends," Spencer said flatly. Sure, it was nice that Mels had been able to live under the same roof as her mother and grandparents for a while, but that didn't change anything. She was still a perfectly formed psychopath, hell bent on destroying Alex and the Doctor. She made Alex, one of the toughest people Spencer had ever come across, scared and paranoid. He hadn't forgotten how Alex clung to him after Mels sped away from him at the fair, her shaky voice, or how her eyes glistened with unshed, but clearly terrified tears. How pale her skin was, how her legs shook so bad she was unable to walk to him, or how she now carried a dagger in her pocket, so desperate to feel even a fraction of safety.

He held absolutely no sympathy for Mels. Not after what she'd done to Alex, his charge, his friend.

"Where does she live now?" he demanded.

"She rents a small cottage just outside of Leadworth. 192 Dragon Road."

Chief Stewart sat up a bit straighter. "Spencer," she said with no small amount of authority, "you need to go to that cottage. Find some way in there when Mels is gone. It might tell us what her next move is."

Spencer nodded. "Got it." He'd been planning on going to the house anyway. While he highly doubted Mels would be careless enough to leave possible clues or plans laying around for anyone to see, there had to be some kind of clue in there. At the very least, it would be an opportunity to see just how Mels lived. Assassins, Spencer was sure, did not live like regular people.

But sneaking into Mels' house was the easy part. Spencer swallowed heavily. Just thinking about his next step was enough to make him ill.

He was going to have to tell not just Alex, but Amy and Rory, who Mels really was. He was going to have to reveal to those two desperate, hopeful parents that their sweet, innocent, perfect baby girl was long gone and there was no getting her back. Instead, they had their supposed best friend, a record-setting delinquent with no small amount of abandonment and possessiveness issues.

Spencer waited until he'd signed off with Chief Stewart and Osgood before slumping back in his chair. His head hit the headrest with a thump. Once more, he stared blankly at the ceiling tiles.

The popularity of acoustic ceiling tiles reached its peak in the 1960s up through the early part of the 1980s. Since they originally contained asbestos, the ban on it greatly affected the production of acoustic ceiling tiles in 1978.

If only reciting facts about ceiling tiles could help him here.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"I mean, he's been acting a bit strangely ever since his conference call this afternoon." Pulling her knees up to her chest, Alex nestled further back into the mound of pillows she'd stacked against her headboard. When she did this, she could almost pretend she was leaning back against the Doctor's chest, not just listening to his voice over the phone. "All . . . well, worried is the best way I know to describe it."

She was referring to Spencer. Leaving Amy, Erin, and Elsie coming up with refreshment ideas for Saturday's meeting, Alex had gone to the boarding house to meet up with Spencer. She'd ignored Molly Reynolds' less than subtle jibes about 'afternoon delights' as she climbed the stairs to Spencer's second floor room, as well as the tell-tale sound of a headboard hitting the wall in Arthur and Grace's room next door. She really hadn't been thinking about anything other than seeing Spencer and asking how his conference call had gone.

By this point, Alex was plenty accustomed to simply going into Spencer's room unannounced. It had been one of the first things Spencer established with her. He wasn't going to keep his door locked to her. After all, what if there was an emergency? What if she was being followed? She couldn't be held up by a locked door if that was the case. And in any event, knowing Spencer as well as she did now, Alex knew it was highly unlikely she'd catch him in some awkward or embarrassing situation. The closest she'd come to that was when she walked in on him enjoying a cup of coffee in bed, wearing nothing but a pair of Superman pajama pants. That had been more funny than awkward or embarrassing though. Alex would have thought Spencer to prefer Batman.

Upon entering, things initially seemed normal. Like her, Spencer was a bit of a neat freak. There was never any danger of his room being in disarray. His bed had been made, including the hospital tuck corners Alex had never been able to master, his dirty clothes sat in a small laundry basket outside the bathroom door, and there was a slight hint of French Roast coffee and Stetson cologne in the air, Spencer's signature smells. All in all, perfectly normal.

Except for Spencer himself.

Alex had found him slumped in his desk chair, head pressed back against the headrest, staring blankly at the ceiling. He was chewing the inside of his cheek and the gray in his eyes had been more pronounced than usual. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Spencer was anxious and worried about something.

Not that Alex knew what it was. The moment Spencer registered her presence, he'd sprung up, pasted on a grin, and asked her how things had gone at the bookstore. Had she not witnessed the complete 180° turn in his emotions, Alex would have fallen for his act. Unfortunately, no amount of polite questioning or intense probing could get Spencer to drop it. He simply said nothing was wrong, then hastily changed the subject.

Alex was sure she'd wear him down eventually. If whatever was troubling Spencer had something to do with her (and Alex was 99% sure it did) then she would learn of it soon enough. Problem was, she didn't want to wait. She wanted to know now. She just hated not knowing things, especially things that pertained to her.

Though there would be no such luck in learning it tonight. It was already past nine o'clock, the sky outside her bedroom window completely dark. Amy and Rory had already gone to bed and Spencer, having decided that taking up Alex's offer was a good idea for a guaranteed eight hours of sleep, was sprawled out on the air mattress in the living room. When Alex had left him, his eyes were fluttering shut as the muted TV played a rerun of Fawlty Towers.

"I suspect it had something to do with his conference call," the Doctor said thoughtfully. Alex could just picture him stroking his chin as he leaned back against the TARDIS console, utilizing that massive Time Lord brain of his to try and work out this latest problem.

"Me too. I'm just not sure what." She worried her bottom lip. "Maybe they want to pull him out of Leadworth?"

"Definitely not!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I stressed that an operative be there until I returned, Alex. Trust me. No one's going to tell Dr. Grayson to leave."

Alex released her bottom lip as she considered this. "Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "And I'm pretty sure Spencer would sooner quit than leave if someone ordered him to." Sitting up a bit straighter, she stretched her legs out in front of her. "Still," she sighed, "I'd like to know what's on his mind."

The Doctor let out a sigh of his own. "Me too." He was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, he sounded much more jubilant, something Alex knew meant he was changing the subject. "Now, then!" he cried, and Alex could easily see him rubbing his hands together. "Enough worrying. Something more enlightening, I think. You said earlier that a book had been chosen for the new bookstore's book club?"

Alex chuckled. As much as she would like to continue pondering over what Spencer knew that she didn't, she and the Doctor both knew it wouldn't do any good. Better to focus on other things for the time being. "Yeah, Erin's girlfriend chose it. Erin's going along with it because one, she's in love, and two, she thinks this book will help appeal to the Fifty Shades demographic." She smirked at the Doctor's disgusted snort.

"Ugh, I hate those bloody books. I don't even keep them in the TARDIS library." He paused and somehow, Alex knew he was wincing. "Not anymore, at least. One time, I forgot a copy was in there and Victoria stumbled across it."

Alex's eyes widened. The Doctor had told her Victoria Waterfield had only just turned fifteen when she started traveling with him and Jamie. As a young girl from the Victorian Era, and an impressionable teenager to boot, she was exactly the kind of person who should be kept clear of Fifty Shades. "And how did that go?"

"It was painful," the Doctor muttered. "Thankfully, she only got about halfway through it before I found out she had it, but when I took it away from her, she wanted to know why it was so horrible and did people really do things like that. In her defense, she really didn't know anything about . . . that, really only heard bits of gossip from older female relatives about 'laying back and thinking of England', only natural she should be curious, but. . ." He groaned. "Rassilon, I had to explain it to her and honestly, it wasn't the greatest conversation for us both. . ."

"I think I get it, Doc," Alex giggled. She could easily see Victoria, so sweet and innocent, awkwardly trying to ask her older, wiser friend about a topic that would have been kept well away from her until marriage. She could also see the Doctor flustering, face turning red as his hands fluttered about, stuttering madly as he tried to answer such frank, intimate questions, all while resisting the urge to bolt. "Anyway, getting back to your question. Erin's girlfriend chose The Stranger by Portia da Costa."

Alex couldn't say how she thought the Doctor would react to hearing the book's title. But she certainly didn't think his reaction would be to drop the phone.

A loud clatter rang out and Alex yanked her phone back from her ear. Though with her advanced hearing, it really didn't make much difference. A bunch of scrabbling noises echoed out over the line as the Doctor scrambled to pick up the phone.

Finally, he came back on. But when he spoke, his voice came out rather high-pitched. "Really?" he squeaked. "That, that, t-that's interesting!"

Alex's eyes narrowed. She knew that tone. It was the Doctor's nervous, rather panicked tone, typically only used whenever someone started pressing him on things he didn't want to talk about. Embarrassing things. Alex had heard that voice more times than she could count, usually when she was asking for his side of the funny stories Sarah Jane told her. But why would the Doctor be embarrassed about the title of a book?

"Yeah," she said slowly. "Interesting' is one word for it."

The Doctor coughed a few times to clear his throat but wasn't very successful. "H-have y-you read it yet, A-Ally?"

Alex's eyes narrowed even further. "No, not yet. Erin won't get them in until sometime tomorrow."

"Ah. W-well then, I guess you'll have to let me know what you think?" Before Alex could ask him why he'd phrased this as a question (she always told him her thoughts on books), the Doctor was chattering, "Well, I have to go, Ally! Don't worry about Spencer, he'll admit it eventually, and the b-book. . ." He let out an audible swallow. "Y-yeah. Um, love you!"

And with a click, he was gone.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 5th, 2011

The Doctor's bizarre reaction to The Stranger and Portia da Costa plagued Alex the rest of the night and continued to do so the next day. Honestly, it was so baffling! Why would he react all jittery and embarrassed like that?

The best reason Alex could figure was that perhaps Portia had been a previous companion of his and that the Doctor's embarrassment stemmed from the fact that she had gone on to write explicit novels. It made a certain kind of sense. The majority of the Doctor's companions had gone on to try and better humanity by running various charities, like that Dorothy woman with A Charitable Earth, or by investigating civil injustice, like Sarah Jane, or by actively protecting the Earth, like Jack Harkness and Torchwood Three and at least half of UNIT. Of course, this reason made the Doctor awfully shallow, but everyone had their faults. Maybe she could get him to see reason. Assuming, of course, that her reasoning was right.

Whatever the reason for the Doctor's behavior though, Alex didn't have time to dwell on it now. Alex hadn't thought rehearsals could get more intense but ever since the calendar hit August, Earnest preparations had been turned up to eleven. Costume fitting was nearly done, Charlotte having spent many nights burning the midnight oil so the cast could get used to moving in them. Set decoration was still being fine-tuned. Most of the wooden flats had been painted and the bushes for Jack Worthing's garden assembled, but there was still the matter of gathering furniture, decorating the painted flats with curtains and paintings, and then making sure none of these things fell off or broke whilst being assembled onstage between scenes.

This latter point was especially important considering how the dramatic society's usual tech crew were, more often than not, inept. Alex had heard plenty of stories about their wild variety of disasters from Archie and Veronica. The most memorable had been during the opening night of Little Shop of Horrors when they dropped one of the Audrey II plants while transitioning to the second act. For the rest of the production, that particular version of the giant plant was noticeably covered in duct tape. The running joke had been that Seymour had managed to fatally injure the plant, only to be dismayed to find that Audrey II had easily repaired itself with humanity's favorite fix-it tool.

In an effort to make sure such an incident didn't happen again, Archie had assembled a brand-new tech crew. It was comprised of various villagers whom Archie had judged to be both strong and able to take direction. At the moment, he was instructing them on how to assemble Jack Worthing's drawing room in less than two minutes.

The rest of the cast were consumed in their own tasks. Veronica stood at the head of the stage, getting a final fitting done. Charlotte fussed with the hem of Veronica's plain black dress while Veronica fussed with the large calico cameo pinned to the base of her throat. Elsie was helping Arthur and Grace, who'd been recruited for tech crew, hang a pair of blue velvet drapes to a flat that would help make up part of Algernon's front room. Dr. Coggins and Mrs. Warner were seated at a table in the front row polishing the tea service to be used in the second act. Henry and George were sprawled out near them, Henry studying his lines and George doing the crossword puzzle in today's issue of The Leadworth Chronicle. Alex, Spencer, and William sat next to them, playing a round of Go Fish.

"Any eights?" Spencer asked Alex.

Alex shook her head. "Go Fish."

"A Hebrew name meaning 'high' or 'elevated'," George read aloud. "Three letters."

"Eli," Spencer answered as he drew a card.

George scribbled in the answer. "Thanks, mate. Okay, um, how about 'Femme fatale keeps heads of idiotic rich earls in tin'? Five letters, second letter 'I'."

"Try 'siren'," Alex suggested. She turned to William. "Got any queens?"

William passed her the queen of hearts. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Any sevens?"

"Go Fish."

"Hey, that fits!" George said cheerfully. "How about one that just says, 'subtracting'?"

Up on stage, Veronica shook her head. "George, why are you doing that if you don't know any of the answers?"

"I know some of them! I knew the one about Disney's lucky rabbit! It's 'Oswald', just so you know."

Before Veronica could respond, the auditorium doors slammed open. Alex (and everyone else) jumped a good foot in the air while Spencer scrabbled for his gun. However, it quickly became apparent that nothing threatening had come in. Not towards Alex and Spencer, anyway.

Reverend Jeffries stormed down the aisle towards the stage. Alex hadn't seen him since the Arthur/Grace scandal broke, but it was immediately apparent his daughter's elopement was taking its toll. His normally grizzled face was less grizzled, more bearded. He seemed to have made some efforts to shave, as there were several spots where the hair was shorter than everywhere else. His skinny frame was skinnier than usual, his faded Arsenal F.C. tee resembling more of a tent than a shirt. His blue jeans were also baggy and were only kept up by the thick black belt at his waist, tightened to the very last hole.

However, it was also clear that the scandal had pissed Reverend Jeffries off. Deeply. His face was red as a tomato and his eyes dark. They darkened even further when they landed on Grace and Arthur, standing close together as they tried to untangle a drape from its plastic covering. Jeffries' hands clenched into fists, knuckles tightening in a way that suggested he would love nothing more than to punch his new son-in-law in the face.

"Uh oh," Henry muttered.

Alex and Spencer exchanged quick winces. Things were about to get interesting and not in a good way.

"Grace!" Reverend Jeffries barked.

Grace and Arthur (and everyone else in the auditorium) jumped once again. But only the two married teens paled and instinctively backed away as Jeffries made his way towards the stage.

Archie hastened to intervene. "Uh, M-M-Mr. Jeffries," he stuttered as he tried to block the older man from coming up one of the stage's side steps. "We're in the middle of rehearsal and—"

Jeffries, in a very unchristian move, shoved Archie to the side. "Grace!" he snapped again, crossing the stage unhampered as everyone scrambled to get out of his way. "Grace, get over here now! You're coming home!"

Anyone else might have caved in the face of such anger. But not Grace. Instead of slumping in defeat, she straightened her shoulders back and gave her father a defiant look. However, this didn't quite mask the obvious embarrassment she felt at having her father unleash their family drama in public. Her cheeks turned a darker pink, even as she narrowed her eyes at her apoplectic parent. "Dad, we've talked about this," she hissed, glancing sideways at the rest of the cast and crew. "Now please leave."

"No." His voice was quiet, but no less angry and uncompromising. "Not until you come with me away from. . ." He paused long enough to give Arthur, standing slightly behind his wife, a dark look. ". . .that."

Any cowering instinct Arthur held in that moment died. As Grace bristled, he stepped forward until he was right beside his wife, standing toe-to-toe with Jeffries. "What does that mean?" he demanded, giving Jeffries a dark glare of his own.

His brothers, having sprang to their feet when Jeffries burst in, gave the reverend dirty looks of their own. "Yeah?" George challenged, clambering up onto the stage. "What does that mean?"

"Our brother's a bloody prize!" William snapped as he strode up the side steps. "You should be glad Grace married him."

If it was possible, Jeffries' face reddened even more. Alex wondered if they were all about to witness a heart attack. "Glad?!" he thundered, the excellent acoustics causing his voice to ring clear all across the auditorium. "You think I should be glad my little girl is throwing her life away on some restaurant cook?! He isn't even applying for any A-levels!" His eyes narrowed at Arthur who, to his credit, stood tall in the face of this character attack. "Just going to laze around that restaurant and mooch off his parents forever, aren't ya?! And dragging my poor Grace along with it!"

"Arthur is not mooching off his parents!" Grace snapped, her brown eyes flashing.

"It's true, sir," Arthur said calmly. "I applied to a trade school in Gloucester and will start next month." He smiled, his cheeks flushing with pride. "I'm going to be a chef."

But Jeffries was not swayed by this news. "So you simply plan on staying at that restaurant?" he cried, shaking his head in disbelief. "Going to school just to do the same thing you've always done?!"

"No, I intend to open my own restaurant someday."

"A new family restaurant," George broke in with a grin. "Between us three brothers. Art will handle the food, I'll handle the business end, and William will handle all the advertising and social media."

"And I'll take care of the staff," Grace smiled. "I've plenty of experience handling church events. A restaurant won't be much of a challenge."

Alex grinned. This was the first she'd heard of this plan (in fact, she suspected it was a fairly new idea) but that didn't take away the brilliance of it all. With the skills and techniques Arthur, George, and William would learn, they would be more than capable of running a successful restaurant. And Grace was skilled at running and planning church events, having overseen the Christmas pageant and the Halloween Carnival for the past few years. She might need a little training, but she would do perfectly at handling a bustling restaurant staff. It would take a few years for the Donaldson's to get their dream going, but Alex was confident they could do it.

And just in case they needed a little help, she'd be happy to provide it. She'd be in control of her inheritance by then. If a bank wouldn't give them capital, she'd happily offer to invest.

But while Alex was enthusiastic, Jeffries was the exact opposite. He gaped at his daughter as though she'd just announced she was going to run around Leadworth naked every Saturday night. "R-run a restaurant?! That, that's—"

"Cool!" Veronica jumped in, her eyes shining. "Put me down for a reservation opening night."

"Same!" Henry cheered, smirking defiantly when Jeffries gawked at him.

"I'm with them," Alex added. She kept her voice cool, knowing Jeffries was just a few seconds away from bursting, but her copper eyes shined brightly. "It's a wonderful idea, you guys. I have no doubt you'll do brilliantly."

"Brilliantly?!" Once again, Jeffries' voice thundered across the room. His eyes swept from person to person, all of whom seemed eager to support the Donaldson's plan. "It's not bloody brilliant! It's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!" He turned back to Grace, his jaw clenching in determination. "No daughter of mine is going to throw her future away to be some restaurant hostess!"

"And what future did you want me to have, Dad?" Grace challenged. She crossed her arms and stared her father down. "Go to school and study something interesting, but that wouldn't get me a real job? Then come home and marry the son of one of your and Mom's friends, someone who thinks just because he goes to church, he's automatically better than everyone else and can judge them? Just like you do?"

She might as well have slapped him. Jeffries stumbled back, clearly not expecting this. However, he rallied quickly. "Grace Katherine Jeffries, I don't judge people and never have!"

"It's Grace Katherine Donaldson and yes, you have. Remember that God-awful sermon you did on Jezebel a few months ago?"

"Do not take the Lord's name in vain with me, young lady—"

"First off, it was grossly inaccurate! Alex told me all about how Jezebel never cheated on her husband, nor was she promiscuous! That it was just a misinterpretation formed from popular culture!"

Instead of pretending to study her crackle nails, as some might have done, Alex smiled serenely when Jeffries shot her a look.

"And," Grace continued, "you added that Jezebel part in because you saw Elsie in the congregation and wanted to shame her!"

Elsie, not having expected to be brought into this tense family argument, flinched. She flinched again when Jeffries darted a glance at her, a glance full of contempt.

"See?!" Grace cried, waving a hand. "That look you just sent her proves my point exactly!"

Jeffries, already full of rage, seemed to grow even angrier at this. "And why shouldn't I?!" he exclaimed. He flung a hand out at Elsie, uncaring of how she jumped at the gesture, nor how she visibly paled when he spun his head to stare her down. "She was running around with a married man like a floosy! She ought to be ashamed of her behavior and be reminded of how demoralizing it was!"

"Hey!" Alex snapped. Her dark green eyes, now bordering on black, flashed dangerously. She'd stood aside while Jeffries, Grace, and the Donaldson boys fought it out, figuring it best not to intrude on a family argument, but now Jeffries had attacked Elsie for no good reason. Upset as he may be about his daughter's elopement, that wasn't an excuse to attack an innocent young woman.

She scrambled over the front of the stage, a task made difficult by her brown platform sandals, paired with a long-sleeved gray cotton body suit, dark jeans, gold stud earrings, and a bunch of brown and gold bangles, but she managed. All too soon, she was standing right in front of Jeffries. Despite her shoes giving her an extra three inches, Jeffries' six-foot frame towered over her. His red, glowering face stared down at her. His eyes were wild, even a bit unhinged. But Alex, who had faced Weeping Angels, fish-vampires, too many Silence to count, that bitch Kovarian, and the Doctor at his angriest, was not intimidated. Her now black eyes once again resembled those of a snake as she narrowed them at Jeffries.

"You leave Elsie out of this." Her voice came out in a low hiss. Just like at the pub quiz, when she'd gone after Gretchen Temple, Alex resembled a deadly cobra. Her posture was tense, but the shoulders were relaxed, ready to pounce if need be. It was unnerving as hell and Alex knew it. If she hadn't, Jeffries' suddenly pale face would have confirmed it.

Not that Jeffries backed down completely. "Why?" he asked, his pale face contorting into a grimace. "Someone ought to be pointing out what she did was wrong, instead of constantly defending her like you and everyone else here have done!"

"We're her friends," Alex retorted.

"Damn right we are!" Archie burst in. He'd been quiet so far, presumably of the same mind as Alex to let Jeffries and the Donaldson's duke it out without outside input, but the attack on Elsie was too far. He stepped forward, coming up right beside Alex. Unlike her, he was of the right height to stare Jeffries down. "And as one of her friends, I'm going to ask that you leave before you upset her any more than you already have done."

Alex took a quick look at Elsie. She stood stock still, her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. In her diner's uniform and a ratty brown cardigan, she didn't look like a Jezebel. Far from it. With her pale face and wide, panicked eyes, she more resembled a scared kid witnessing their parents fighting, unable to understand what was going on or extract themselves without incident. Alex's hearts pained at the sight, and she gave Jeffries an even fiercer glare, her lips curling into a snarl.

"Go," she hissed, a bit of a growl to her voice.

Jeffries looked around, searching for someone to defend him, only to be met with stony glares and, in Archie's case, a pointed look towards the door.

"Go," Spencer added darkly. At some point, he'd snuck up on stage to stand right behind Alex. In black slacks and a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his muscled arms, Spencer screamed intimidating. That didn't even factor his expression, which was just as dark and dangerous as it had been when he threatened Mels. Spencer's stormy, blue-gray eyes stared hard into Jeffries' angry, desolate face. He added, a touch quieter, but no less threatening, "Before I make you."

That was enough for Jeffries. With one last, desperate look at Grace, he rushed off the stage. All eyes watched his sunken shoulders slink back up the aisle. His exit was just the opposite of his entrance: quiet and rather sad, almost pathetic.

The doors shut behind him with a dull thud.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Alex all but collapsed into bed once she got home.

After Reverend Jeffries left in shame, the rest of rehearsal had been spent comforting Grace and Elsie. Well, Grace hadn't needed that much comforting. She was resigned to the fact that her elopement had created a divide between her and her parents that may or may not ever be bridged. Elsie, on the other hand, with her still very fragile self-esteem, needed a bit more. Thankfully, Archie had been more than happy to step in. Alex smiled, remembering how Archie had tugged Elsie into a hug the moment Jeffries left. Elsie hadn't even protested, simply pressing herself against him. When Alex had left, the two were sitting on the edge of the stage, talking quietly with their heads bent close together.

Truly, Archie and Elsie making up was the silver lining to that whole mess. As much as Alex schemed and plotted, she had to admit that more often than not, it was the unplanned and unexpected moments that really helped set things in motion.

Still, even though something good had come out of the mayhem today, Alex wanted nothing more than to forget about it all. Fortunately, she had the perfect distraction. And with Amy and Rory out for one last dinner with Mels before she set off for a business trip to France in the morning, she knew there was no way she was going to be interrupted.

Dragging herself from the comfortable bed, Alex washed off her makeup and changed into a white tank top, white socks, and gray pajama pants patterned with the Central Perk logo from Friends, a present from the Doctor. They had shown up in a package a few weeks ago that also contained several books Alex had mentioned as wanting to read, such as the still-not-released sequel to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and the next also yet-to-be-released title in the Mary Russell Series, Garment of Shadows. Alex suspected the package, as well as the one the Doctor sent her back in June, was a kind of belated 22nd birthday present, since she hadn't been able to celebrate her actual birthday, being held and experimented upon at Demons Run and all. Not that she was complaining. Although it was a bit annoying that she had to hide the books that technically hadn't been published yet. But it was a small price to pay for getting to skip the waiting period.

After pulling her hair up into a messy bun, Alex made a bowl of popcorn and Red Hots and plopped back into bed. She turned and grabbed The Stranger off her nightstand. Erin had delivered her copy to the library this morning, although Alex had yet to read the minimum five chapters for tomorrow's book club meeting. Fortunately, with Time Lord biology, she had more than enough time to get through not just five chapters, but possibly the whole book.

It was high time she see just what the Doctor's deal was with this book and its author.

Popping a handful of popcorn and Red Hots into her mouth, Alex cracked the book open to the first chapter, 'The Man in the River'.

Within the first few pages, Alex knew this was not going to be the book for her. It began with the heroine, Claudia, walking through her backyard, having finally regained some happiness after the death of her husband eight months prior. It was during this walk that she happened upon a naked, badly injured man bathing in the river that ran along her property. And then instead of bathing, the man took to doing more . . . intimate activities. Instead of doing the sensible thing, like running back to the house and calling the police, Claudia elected to spy on the stranger/trespasser. It made Alex roll her eyes, but she continued to read. After all, she needed to contribute something to tomorrow's discussion other than 'I didn't like it and by the way, the main character is an idiot'.

Her eyes rolled once more in the second chapter when Claudia, after treating herself to some self-pampering, opened the door to the stranger during the middle of a thunderstorm late at night. Honestly! Even though Claudia considered the fact that the man could be dangerous, such as being an escaped convict or mental patient, she still opened the door and let him in her house. Really, Alex thought. I had better sense when I was seven!

Maybe this was why the Doctor had gotten so flustered. Aside from the very graphic sex scenes, it was because his companion had written a novel where the main character was a complete dolt.

Still, Alex read on.

'What she had taken for a jacket was in fact a long Edwardian frock coat in black crushed velvet, which he wore with soft grey trousers, a black and grey striped brocade waistcoat and a wing-collared shirt that was unfastened to show his chest. Slung around his neck was a rather mangled length of heavy grey silk which appeared to be the remains of a cravat. The whole ensemble was crumpled and dusty – especially the shirt – and there were grass stains on the pale cloth of his trousers, but he still projected an aura of forlorn elegance. He couldn't be a New Age traveller. He looked more like an escapee from the Victoria and Albert Museum, or a Tussaud's mannequin, touched by God and come to life.'

Alex frowned. That sounded familiar. Why did that sound familiar?

She flipped back to the first chapter, reading the physical description of the stranger again. 'Tall and young looking, he had a longish mop of curly mid-brown hair. . . He was very handsome, she quickly realized. Quite beautiful, in an eccentric sort of way. But there was something wrong, something disturbing or distressing him. He had obviously been responsible for the splashing she had heard, because his pale skin was gleaming with water, but now he was staring, in a fugue, at his own reflection. His angular but boyish face was certainly one Claudia would have happily stared at for as long as he would allow, yet the manner in which he was contemplating himself was in no way narcissistic. More than anything, he looked worried to death – almost afraid of his own attractive features.

'And you've taken a beating, haven't you, stranger? thought Claudia, noting that the young man's smooth, lightly muscled body sported several spectacular bruises in the area of his ribs and thighs. As he put up a hand and brushed his soft, wild hair back off his brow, she saw that there was also a nasty red graze on his temple. When he touched this gingerly and winced, she winced with him, but when, after a pause, he rose slowly and gracefully to his feet, what she saw made her forget all thoughts of pain.'

Again, Alex frowned. That physical description. . . She knew it from somewhere. But where?

Alex went back to her original spot. Maybe if she read on, she'd find a clue?

She didn't have to wait long. When Claudia asked if the amnesiac stranger wanted to go to the hospital or needed a doctor, he flipped out. "Treated like a freak!" were his exact words.

Was this man somehow connected to the Doctor? Maybe an enemy, like that Master bloke he had mentioned once? And if this person were an alien, it would explain why they were so anxious to avoid the hospital or anything medical related. Still, that didn't quite explain the Doctor's bizarre behavior towards the book, nor why Alex found the stranger's physical and clothing descriptions so familiar.

Being an erotica novel, it wasn't long before Claudia and the stranger (whose fob watch identified him as 'Paul') were doing the horizontal tango. While Portia da Costa wouldn't be getting awards for her plot structure, she sure could write a love scene. Alex's cheeks reddened and her skin became a few degrees warmer as Claudia and Paul happily experimented with one of the two things Paul remembered how to do (the other being how to make tea).

All too soon, Alex had flown past the first five chapters. When she finally got up for a bathroom break, she was over halfway through the book, and it was past midnight. Amy and Rory had more than likely long since returned, but she'd been too engrossed in her reading to notice.

In the bathroom, Alex eyed her flushed cheeks in the mirror. Her eyes, a deep, dark emerald green, so much like the Doctor's own, were wide in arousal. God, what I wouldn't give for the Doctor to be here right now! Alex thought with a wistful sigh. He could definitely help me with some of this arousal. . .

Suddenly, Alex's thoughts came to a screeching halt. Without her even realizing it, a distant part of her mind had been puzzling the Doctor's reaction to The Stranger out, taking all the little clues buried in the text and adding them up to a shocking conclusion. Shocking, but it also made sense. She had no definitive proof, only a bit of speculation and educated thinking, but Alex was sure she had hit the nail on the head.

The stranger, Paul, was the Doctor.

Alex recalled the photos she'd seen of the Doctor's past incarnations. One of them, his eighth incarnation, fit Paul's description to a tee. The long, curly dark hair, the angular, but definitely boyish face, and the Edwardian attire. . . It all fit. As did the eccentric manner and air of mystery that should have made the most sensible of people turn and walk the other way, but instead made them compelled to investigate, to get closer to this strange but intriguing man. No wonder Claudia hadn't rushed away from the river to call the police. She hadn't stood a chance, not when it was the Doctor she was admiring and watching. . .

Alex gripped the edge of the countertop. Her hearts threatened to beat right out of her chest. Her breath came out as though she'd just run a marathon. She'd been reading about the Doctor doing . . . and having. . .

Alex swallowed thickly. Oh, God. No wonder the Doctor had gotten so turned around. There was a whole erotic novel out there with him as one of the main characters. And she'd told him she and a bunch of other women were going to be reading it!

At this reminder, Alex frowned. "Shit," she hissed. Tomorrow, she was going to have to listen to a bunch of hormonal women swoon over the mysterious Paul. They'd be making vulgar jokes and comments, all expressing wishes to be the ever so lucky Claudia. Alex could feel the jealousy and anger rising within her just thinking about it. It would take all her strength not to snap at everyone, to keep her possessiveness under wraps, to smile and laugh when she would rather grimace and growl.

Well, that settles that. Definitely can't go there. She'd have to come up with some excuse to explain her absence. Her period was coming up. She could always say she was experiencing pre-menstrual cramps. No one, especially a group of women, would question that. What she would say for the rest of the meetings for The Stranger was yet to be determined, but Alex was confident she could come up with something.

Heading back to her room, Alex paused to listen to the stillness around her. Ever since the encounter with Mels at the fair, Alex had made sure to stop and listen every now and then, especially at night. After all, you never knew what could be lurking in the dark, waiting to make an appearance.

Her newly advanced hearing caught traces of Rory's snoring coming from upstairs, crickets chirping outside her bedroom window, and the still rapid fire beating of her hearts. Had this been any other night, Alex would have tried and failed to dismiss the bodily reaction as fear, her body waiting for something – Mels, Kovarian, a Silent – to jump out at her. But not tonight. Tonight, her hearts were racing for a much better reason.

With a smile, Alex raced back to her room. Ripping her Blackberry from its charger, she leaned back against the pillows stacked against her headboard and dialed number one on her speed-dial.

She didn't even wait for the Doctor to call out a hello before she said, smile still in place, "So did this Portia da Costa exaggerate your lovemaking skills or am I in for one hell of a time twenty-one days from now?"

There was a long silence. Finally, the Doctor let out a long, low groan. "Oh, I should've known you'd figure it out!" he grumbled.

"Well, you can hardly blame me for trying to figure out your weird reaction to Portia's name. You weren't exactly subtle."

"You caught me off guard," the Doctor admitted, still grumbling. Alex could picture him slumped in the console room's jumpseat, a hand covering his eyes as his cheeks burned red. A bit louder, he added, "I thought you'd be reading something like Jane Eyre or Station Eleven, not. . ." He hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before ultimately blurting out, ". . .that!"

Alex hummed, but she was distracted by something else he'd said. "Station Eleven?" she repeated. "I've never heard of that."

"Oh, right," the Doctor said after a few moments of thinking. "Sorry, that particular book is a few years away. Though I can send it to you if you'd like. About a traveling theater troupe twenty years after a massive pandemic has wiped out most of Earth's population."

"Sounds intriguing," Alex smiled, "and definitely send it to me, but don't think I don't notice you trying to change the subject." She raised an eyebrow, even though she knew the Doctor couldn't see her. Not that this really mattered. Just as she was able to visualize him, he was able to visualize her.

Sure enough, he complied to her unseen expression. "Alright," he sighed. "I, um, well, what do you want to know?"

"You met Portia da Costa in your eighth incarnation?"

"Actually, Portia's just a pseudonym. It's really Claudia Marwood. She couldn't exactly use that as her writing name when it's the same name as a character. But, yes, I met her in my eighth incarnation."

Alex picked up the book and studied the publisher's description on the back cover. "During one of your many bouts of amnesia, I'm guessing?"

During her two-week recovery aboard the TARDIS, after discussing the full effects of regeneration, the Doctor had taken to telling Alex stories featuring various past incarnations. While interested in all of them, Alex's curiosity had been really piqued by his eighth self. Life during the Doctor's eighth incarnation had been . . . eventful. Which, for the Doctor, was saying something. Aside from particularly mad events such as the Doctor being possessed by an anti-time creature, being exiled to a so-called Divergent Universe due to still being infected by the anti-time, and literally traveling inside one of his companions who had evolved into a TARDIS after the main TARDIS was seemingly destroyed, there was also the bizarre fact that this Doctor had been weirdly susceptible to bouts of amnesia. Her Doctor had tried counting how many times he had suffered amnesia during that period. He'd used all ten fingers almost twice before ultimately giving up. When Alex had dryly asked if this incarnation wound up regenerating from massive head trauma, the Doctor flatly denied it but refused to disclose just how, exactly, he had ended up regenerating into his ninth body. Alex suspected the Time War had played a part, but she knew better than to press.

"Yes, while I was stuck on Earth for a hundred years because. . . Well, that's too long a story to get into right now."

As he spoke, Alex flipped through the remaining pages of the book, skimming the text. At one point, her jaw dropped. It was another love scene between the Doctor and Claudia, but which also included Claudia's friend, Melody (Hopefully not Melody Pond, Alex thought with a grimace), and some . . . well, Alex would sooner chew broken glass than reenact any of those activities, even if they were with the Doctor.

She coughed uncomfortably as she skimmed over the scene. "And, um, just . . . just how much of the book is accurate?"

Alex had no doubt the Doctor would rather fight a horde of Daleks, Cybermen, and the Silence simultaneously than answer. But he did. Quietly and with more than a bit of sheepishness, granted, but he did answer. "Maybe about . . . ninety, ninety-five percent?" Words began flowing from his mouth like bullets out of a machine gun. It was a skill of his that came in handy when blurting out a plan under immense gunfire or just because he wanted to end an uncomfortable conversation as quickly as possible. "She changed the time period, first of all. It was 1976 when all that happened, not the '90s, and I really don't remember why and how I ended up on her doorstep." Alex pictured him scratching his head. "Honestly, Ally, it's a wonder I remember most things from that incarnation. It was a very exciting time."

"So I've gathered." Alex cleared her throat before asking her next question. "So is the, um, mud scene accurate?"

She could practically hear his cringe. "Maybe, possibly?" he squeaked.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the saints. . . Suddenly feeling the need for a cool drink, Alex shifted her Blackberry into the crook of her shoulder, allowing her to fan herself with one hand while continuing to flip through the book with the other. "And the, er. . ." She swallowed heavily. Good lord, why did she have to be such a prude about this?!

Thankfully, even through a telephone line, the Doctor was able to sense what she was thinking. "I don't know where the Comte d'Aronville parts came from," he said firmly." That I know didn't happen."

"Good to know." Alex was relieved that her voice came out steady. Considering how much the rest of her body was shaking at all this information, she would have expected her words to come out shaky, too. Desperate to remain focused, she continued to skim through the last few pages. Another scene stood out and made her jaw drop, only it wasn't a shocking love scene. "What's this about a fiancée coming to claim you?" she exclaimed, her tone coming out a bit more possessive than she would have liked.

"I don't know. Honestly, Alex!" he cried, sensing her oncoming scoff. "I really don't know who that woman was. Dark hair, purple clothes, that's all I can recall. The next thing I remember is waking up in the house I was living in at the time, in Derbyshire. I lived there for most of the 1980s raising—"

Alex, while immensely curious as to the accidental flub (raising who, exactly?), pretended not to have noticed. The Doctor would tell her sometime, she was sure. Besides, she was far more interested in what he'd said before that. "A mysterious woman claims you as her fiancée and then you just find yourself in Derbyshire?" Honestly, if it had been anyone other than the Doctor, Alex would have been skeptical of such a thing actually happening.

"Believe me, Ally, I know how mad it sounds, particularly for me, but it is the truth."

"I'm not accusing you of lying," Alex assured him. "You wouldn't do that to me."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you, Ally."

"You're welcome. Now, any idea who this woman was?"

"None. Truth be told, I can't quite recall her face. She kept it in shadow, as though she didn't want me getting a good look at her. I've since come to the conclusion that she was someone from my future, someone who knew that I still needed to be in Derbyshire and came to fetch me."

Alex tilted her head thoughtfully. "Do you think it could've been me? I mean, I'm a brunette and my favorite color is purple."

The Doctor thought this over for a few moments. "It's a possibility," he mused. "Certainly would make more sense for you to turn up claiming to be my fiancée than some other companion. And if you kept your face in shadow, I wouldn't have been able to see your eyes. Believe me, Ally," he said, his tone suddenly dropping to a lower register, "I could never forget your eyes."

Goosebumps broke out across Alex's arms as she shivered. Good lord, this man knew how to press all her buttons, there was no doubt about that. When she spoke, her voice came out in a breathless whisper. "Thank you, Doc." Clearing her throat, Alex hastily turned the conversation back to its original topic. There were still a few things she wanted to know. "Now, um, just one other thing. The book says you went back to Claudia even after the fiancée showed up?"

"I did," the Doctor said slowly, "but not for the reasons listed in the book. It was after I got my memory back; it was quite a few decades for me, only a few weeks for Claudia. I went back to basically clear some things up, explain who I was, that kind of thing. Nothing," he said with no small amount of firmness, "in . . . well, that way happened at all. Claudia did flirt a bunch, but I wasn't interested in picking up where we'd left off."

Alex would be lying if she said she didn't feel more than a bit of relief at this. Obviously, she couldn't begrudge the Doctor's past relationships. They were, after all, in the past, whereas she was the Doctor's present and, hopefully, future. Still, that possessiveness in her was happy that Claudia hadn't gotten the chance to know the Doctor intimately again.

Not saying any of this, though she was sure the Doctor had an idea of her thoughts, she asked, "Why did she decide to write a book about all of it?"

The Doctor let out an aggravated sigh, as though he had considered this question before but had been unable to come up with a good answer. "I haven't the foggiest. Money, I suppose. Claudia did have some financial difficulties relating to her husband's passing. I did help sort that, but it's possible that by the '90s, the money was tight again. She was one to like the finer things in life."

"It's also a good story," Alex pointed out. "Definitely worthy of a book. And no one would ever suspect it of being true."

"Except you, Ally girl."

Alex smiled broadly, basking in the warmth of his admiration. "Can't help that I'm brilliant, Doc."

"No," he laughed, "you can't, but I'm glad of it. So! Anything else you'd like to ask me about? If it's in regards as to whether I've thought about destroying all copies of that atrocious book, the answer is yes. Many times, and in many graphic ways."

"I figured that much!" Alex laughed but she sobered quickly. "Actually," she said slowly, lowering her voice so that it was huskier than usual, "there is one thing."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice matched hers to a tee, all low and sinful-sounding. "Go on."

"I asked you before if Claudia was exaggerating your skills in the bedroom or if I'm in for a really good time twenty-one days from now." She arched an eyebrow, her lips curving into a smirk. "So, which is it?"

"Oh, Ally," he hummed, and never did her nickname sound so dirty. Coming out of his mouth in that low, whiskey-smooth tone, sending shivers down her spine and goosebumps forming on her arms, it made Alex wonder how she had gone her whole life without this. "Remember when you confided to me that lovely dream of us in Smyrna? You weren't sure if you'd be a screamer, but I said you would be. You will be."

Her breath coming out in shallow pants, Alex struggled to think of a reply. "Well. . . As I said then, I look forward to it."

"As do I." He paused for a moment, then asked in a slightly normal tone, "Are you alone? What time is it there?"

"After midnight," Alex blurted, her hearts nearly skipping a beat. She knew what he was about to suggest. And God, did it sound like a good idea. "And yes, I'm alone."

"You know, we never were able to alleviate all that . . . tension we felt back in June."

Alex swallowed thickly. "I remember. And that was a damn shame, wasn't it?"

"Yesssss. . ." he hissed. Vaguely, Alex could hear him walking down the TARDIS corridors, no doubt in search of a more comfortable place to have the rest of this conversation. "It really was."

Still breathing heavily, Alex forced her voice into a lighter, innocent one. "So," she said, sugary sweetness dripping from her words. "What should we do about that?"

A low growl came over the line and Alex heard a doorknob turning. "Well, love," he said, all confident and no-nonsense, "I suggest you get comfortable if you aren't already, because we are going to do something about it." He paused, then said, a bit hesitantly, "If that's all right with you?"

"Oh, I'm all in, Doc."

No sooner had her consent been uttered, the Doctor's domineering persona was back. "Excellent," he murmured as the sound of bed springs squeaking echoed behind him.

Grinning, Alex laid back.

This was going to be a very good night.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 6th, 2011

"I know something you don't know!" Alex sang the next morning.

Over her shoulder, Amy shot her a glare. Alex, already peppy to begin with, was even more so today. It could be because Alex had decided to close the library today in order to steer people towards the grand opening of Leadworth Books, but Amy wasn't so sure. Nobody was this peppy over getting a day off work.

Also, she had a strange glow about her. If Amy didn't know any better, she'd have said Alex had gotten laid last night. However it had happened though, it was annoying.

"Will you quit singing that?!" she snapped. She turned back to the stove where she was in the process of making pancakes. Rather lopsided pancakes, but pancakes, nevertheless.

Alex bit into a piece of sun-dried tomato, one of several from Dr. Coggins' garden that he had given to the Earnest cast. Once she swallowed, she said, "I'll quit singing when you ask me what it is I know!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Knowing you, it could be just about anything. You know lots of stuff."

Alex preened at the accidental compliment. "Very true."

"Stuff people really don't need to know or care about."

The smile turned into a frown. "Hey!"

Amy stabbed at a bit of pancake batter. "Oh, ease off," she said with another roll of her eyes. "You know it's true. Rory and I can't play Trivial Pursuit with you anymore, especially when we're teamed against you and the Doctor. You two always win!"

Honestly, it was a wonder that she and Rory had managed to get even a few questions right. After the Doctor and Alex viciously beat them on the Saturday Night Live edition of the game (seriously, no one should know that much about a sketch comedy show), Amy and Rory put their foot down: all editions of Trivial Pursuit were hereby banned from game night. Not that Monopoly or Scrabble was much better. Alex had proven herself adept at snatching up prime properties and plopping hotels on top of them before anyone had made a full go around the board. Scrabble nights inevitably devolved into shouting matches between Amy and the Doctor over why the latter's use of some strange alien word didn't count.

"So," Amy continued as she flipped a pancake, "why should I ask?"

"Because. . ." Alex paused long enough to pull out her Blackberry, pull up the camera feature, and smile for a quick selfie. ". . .it involves someone we know."

Amy glanced back. This time, instead of expressing annoyance for Alex's antics, her eyes were wide in intrigue. "Archie and Elsie hooked up?"

"I wish," Alex scoffed. Eyes still on her phone, she pulled up her text conversation with the Doctor and inserted her selfie. Good morning! she typed beneath. "I'd have bought them the necessary items myself. But no. Guess again."

Amy flipped a bit of lopsided, but very fluffy pancake. "Spencer and Kendra hooked up?"

Sending off the text, Alex let out another scoff. "Not to my knowledge, and Kendra would have called already if that happened. Try again."

"I suck at guessing games!" With a quick flourish worthy of a stellar contestant on MasterChef, Amy transferred all of the pancakes onto two plates and set them on the kitchen table. Grabbing the syrup bottle from the counter, she flopped into the chair opposite Alex. "Just tell me!"

Alex set her phone down and eyed Amy carefully. Her best friend didn't notice, too concerned with pouring the perfect amount of syrup out. Amy was very particular on how much syrup she had with her pancakes. This was a stark contrast to Alex, whose philosophy could best be summed up as 'the more syrup, the better'. "Well, Ames," she said slowly, unable to keep from delighting in the suspense, "that could be a bit difficult."

Amy darted a quick glance away from measuring her syrup-pancake ratio. "What do you mean?" she asked, brow furrowed.

Alex didn't reply right away. A text from the Doctor had just come in. Morning, Ally. My, you seem to be glowing this morning.

Alex smirked. Got a good workout last night. Guess it shows.

Yes, I believe it does. Now imagine how glowy I must be! :)

"Alex, for the love of God, stop flirting with the Doctor and tell me!" Amy snapped. "What do you mean by. . ." She changed her voice to a very poor imitation of Alex's. ". . .'that could be a bit difficult'?"

Shooting off a quick Oh, I am text to the Doctor, Alex set her phone down. "I mean," she said slowly, giving Amy a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile, "once I tell you, I can't untell you."

"Oh, for God's sake!" With a huff, Amy slammed the Tate & Lyle bottle down. A bit of syrup escaped as she did so, landing on the table near her elbow, but Amy was too annoyed to notice or care. "Just tell me! And if it's something dirty, get it out now before Rory gets out of the shower. You know how he blushes."

Alex glanced at the kitchen doorway. "Okay, okay." Truthfully, Rory didn't need to hear what she was about to tell Amy. He'd never be able to handle it. Taking a deep breath for dramatic effect, Alex leaned across the table. Amy obligingly tipped her head closer. "Here it is. You know that book, The Stranger, we're reading for book club?"

Amy smirked around a bite of pancake. "How can I forget? I read the first five chapters last night before bed and the sex scenes kept popping up in my dreams. I was tempted to wake Rory up and act some of them out."

Alex's smug expression curled. "TMI," she grimaced.

Amy chuckled. "So, what about it that's so important?"

Alex took the Tate & Lyle bottle and started dumping syrup over her pancakes. "I know who it's about."

Amy frowned. "About? Alex, it's fiction. It's not about anyone."

"Incorrect, Ames. I know for a fact that it's about someone, someone we know."

Setting her fork down, Amy tried to puzzle this out. The Stranger was about someone? Someone they knew? Now that she thought about it, Claudia's physical description did match that of Kim Randolph, her next-door neighbor when she was a little girl. And like the fictional Claudia's husband, Gerald, Kim's husband, Jerome, had been about twice her age. Though he'd died in a car accident, not from an illness. But Kim moved away not long after the funeral. She and Alex had never met. So, who was Alex referring to?

After a few more minutes of Amy thinking, Alex's patience reached its limit. "Oh, for the love of God, Amy! Let me just tell you."

"That's all I wanted in the first place," Amy grumbled.

Ignoring this, Alex gave her a Cheshire cat grin. A small part of her wished for a drum roll. "The titular stranger, the mysterious Paul . . . is the Doctor."

Amy blinked. "What?"

"This Portia da Costa, aka Claudia Marwood, knew the Doctor back when he was in another incarnation." Alex had educated the Ponds on the full effects of regeneration after revealing she was now a genetically-engineered Time Lady. She had also taken care to describe each of the Doctor's past incarnations. She had, admittedly, gotten a bit too carried away in her descriptions, since Amy and Rory kept having to tell her to quit daydreaming and get to the next incarnation already. "His eighth one, to be specific. The one I said looked like Mr. Darcy?"

Amy stared at her for several moments, silently processing this revelation. And then. . . "OH MY GOD!" she shrieked, jumping a good foot in her chair. Her eyes went wide in horror, her mouth dropping into a perfect o-shape. "Y-you mean . . . P-Paul is. . ."

Alex bit back her smile. Now was not the time to tease Amy about her interest in 'Paul'. Amy certainly wouldn't appreciate it, amusing as it was. "Our favorite Time Lord. I figured it out last night and he confirmed it."

"Oh my God." Amy stared into space, her cheeks turning as red as her hair. "I dreamed about him."

Alex calmly stuck her fork in a bit of pancake. "You've been dreaming about him since you were seven, Ames. You fantasized about marrying him!" She looked at Amy significantly. "And I'm sure those dreams evolved, dare I say matured. . ."

Amy's cheeks burned harder at the memory of those teenage dreams. They had been all passion and dominance, a silly young girl's idea of romance. It wasn't until Rory that she saw what love was really like, that her Raggedy Doctor could never compare to her Lone Centurion. But her dreams last night had been. . .Well. . .

She was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts by Alex patting her hand. "Relax, Amelia!" she laughed. "It's okay." She paused. "Well, if you were still fantasizing about him after this conversation, it wouldn't be okay, but I know you, so it's okay."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't, not any. . ." Trailing off, Amy shook her head. Maybe that would clear it up? No, still muddled and shocked.

Unable to hold it in anymore, Alex chuckled. "You'd better get over that shock quick, Ames." She chewed a bit of pancake, swallowing before adding, "Otherwise, you're gonna attract quite a few stares if you're sputtering and blushing during book club today."

"Oh, God!" Amy groaned. She slumped back in her chair, a hand coming up to cover her eyes. "I didn't even think about that!" Suddenly, she dropped her hand and eyed Alex suspiciously. "Wait, why aren't you more upset over this?"

Alex stared at her. "Why would I be?"

Amy struggled for the right words. "Well, it's your . . . whatever you call the Doctor and it's, it's a whole book. . ."

"We didn't exactly know each other when it was written," Alex said dryly. "Certainly not when the events in it were being played out." Grabbing the syrup again, she poured another generous amount on her remaining pieces of pancake. "Contrary to what you may think, Amy, I am aware the Doctor had a whole life before me. Certainly other love interests before me. Same goes with me. I had a whole life before I ever heard the word 'TARDIS'."

"Well, that's a mature attitude to have. But what I meant was, aren't you more upset that in a few hours, you're going to have to hear a bunch of women shamelessly swooning over and saying naughty things about the Doctor?"

"Oh, yes," Alex nodded. Her dark green eyes turned just a shade darker. "That part I'm not so cool over." She leaned back in her chair and took a bite of freshly syruped pancake. "Exactly why I'm not going."

"You can't leave me there by myself! Listening to. . ." She reddened again, this time remembering the dirty things a bunch of her girlfriends had discussed her doing with Rory on their honeymoon during her bachelorette party. "Well, you know!"

"Amy, I'm sorry, but you've seen the Doctor and me. I'm liable to start snapping at everyone." Alex smiled sympathetically. "Just keep yourself busy during the discussion. Dust the shelves or work in the back room. Besides, it's grand opening weekend. You'll probably be too busy guiding customers towards the latest Stephen King novel to hear anything."

Amy had to admit, she had a good point. The bookstore officially opened for business at ten o'clock today. While book club was at four, Amy was sure that there would still be a steady stream of visitors to keep her occupied. And if not, Alex's idea of keeping herself busy during the discussion had merit. "That could work," she said slowly. "Erin will be leading, so there's no reason for me to stick around."

"There you go! And if anyone tries to ask for your thoughts on something, just lie and say you didn't have time to read the book."

"Yeah," Amy nodded thoughtfully. "I can do that."

The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, Alex finishing her breakfast and Amy continuing to plot over how she could avoid raunchy book club discussions. Then, something occurred to her.

She studied Alex from under her eyelashes. Alex was still very peppy, humming some country song under her breath as she scraped up syrup remnants with her fork. And there was that glow about her. Amy knew Alex hadn't gotten any loving last night (even in a deep sleep, she would have heard the TARDIS engines), but that didn't count out something else. . .

"So!" Alex jumped at Amy's exclamation. She looked up to see the redhead leaning back in her chair, smirking knowingly. "How did you react to the revelation of the Doctor's bedroom skills last night?"

Shit. Of course Amy would suss it out. Then again, Alex supposed her 'glow' wasn't helping matters. But could her body really be blamed? It had been quite some time since she'd done anything like that. Keeping her tone bland, she said, "You really want to hear the dirty details, Amelia?"

"Probably not," Amy conceded with a grin. "But it's fun provoking you."

Before Alex could respond, her Blackberry chimed with a text.

Amy's grin only got wider. "Another lovey-dovey text from the Doctor?" she asked, picking up her fork to resume her breakfast.

"Um, no, actually."

Hearing the strange note in Alex's voice, Amy looked up. Alex was staring at her phone screen, her brow furrowed. "Alex? What's up? Who is it?"

"It's Spencer." Before Amy could say anything else, Alex chirped, "Well, looks like I've got other plans today! Sorry, but I've gotta go meet Spencer. Tell Rory bye for me!"

Snatching her purse from where it was hanging on the back of her chair, Alex sprinted out to her car. Once safely behind the wheel, away from Amy and her questioning gaze, Alex studied Spencer's text again.

It was simple and to the point. It also made Alex want to scream, cry, and smack herself for not coming to Spencer's conclusion a long time ago.

Meet me at boarding house ASAP to talk about Mels. She's not who you think she is. She's actually Melody Pond.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Spencer knew that at the rate he was chewing the inside of his cheek at, he would be tasting blood before long.

Not that he really cared. The cautionary warnings he'd received all his life about his nervous habit were the least of his concerns right now.

His main concern sat right in front of him, staring blankly into space. Alex had been like that for the past several minutes now. Not that Spencer blamed her. She had a lot to process.

Alex had made lightning-fast time in getting to the boarding house. Less than three minutes after sending her the text (he'd counted), Alex had come barreling through the door. She'd barely paused to drop her purse on the ground before plopping on the end of the bed and giving him a critical stare. "Tell me everything right now," she demanded, her tone brokering no room for argument.

So Spencer had. He'd told her all about him requesting Osgood to dig up background information on Mels after the incident at the Leadworth Fair. He stressed that he hadn't thought Mels and Melody Pond were one and the same at the time; he just wanted to know more about Mels' life, learn everything about her so he could better protect Alex. Alex had nodded, but the look in her eyes expressed her true thoughts: Hurry up and get to the point.

So, he'd quickly divulged everything Osgood had found. How there was no record of a Melody Ukuthula existing before arriving in Leadworth in 1996, no birth certificate, NHS number, or any other identification papers. How there were numerous reports from the U.S. and here in the U.K. involving a girl that matched seven-year-old Mels' description committing a wild array of petty crimes, including biting one-time companion, Jo Grant, from 1970 until right before her arrival in Leadworth. He even told her the meaning of Mels' last name, silence. There was, Spencer admitted, no concrete evidence of Mels being Melody Pond, but these new facts, combined with everything else they knew about Mels, all added up to a very good, and most likely accurate, theory.

Throughout Spencer's recitation, Alex's face grew paler and paler. Her bottom lip trembled. At one point, her eyes watered. She'd successfully pushed back the tears, but not before one lone teardrop slipped out and snaked its way down her cheek. At the Jo Grant revelation, she'd murmured, "I'll need to call her and ask her about that." But now, she was simply silent, staring blankly out the window.

Spencer had no idea what she was feeling right now. No doubt she was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. Alex had told him Amy and Rory had named her and the Doctor Melody's godparents. Even though she knew as well as he and the Doctor did that getting little Melody back was impossible, she had likely held out some hope of being reunited with the little girl. Spencer could already tell that Alex would make a great mother; she'd be an awesome godmother.

Unfortunately, her chance had come and gone a long time ago, her godmother role being compressed into the short hour she'd known baby Melody on Demons Run. And with how Mels was now and what he knew about River Song in the future, Spencer didn't think the probability of a second chance was very high.

The taste of iron on his tongue forced Spencer out of his thoughts. Releasing the inside of his cheek before he could do any more damage to it, Spencer leaned forward in his chair. He reached out and gently shook Alex's shoulders. "Alex?" he called softly. "You okay?"

Alex blinked. Slowly, she looked away from the window and towards him. Her eyes were a very fragile shade of light green. They looked as though they could shatter at any second. "I'm okay," she whispered. Nudging Spencer's hands away, she cleared her throat. "Really," she said at normal volume. "I'm just. . ." The fragility in her eyes seemed to intensify. "Well. . ." She let out a laugh that contained far more sadness than humor. "It's all a lot to take in, you know?"

Spencer nodded, his expression somber. "You know," he said slowly, "there is the chance I could be completely wrong about this." He highly doubted that was the case but suddenly, for once in his life, he wanted to be wrong. For Alex's sake, as well as Amy and Rory's.

"But it makes so much sense." Alex shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure you've hit the nail on the head with this, Spencer."

Honestly, she couldn't imagine anything else being the truth. Mels being Melody Pond/River Song made complete and total sense. Mels' bizarre antics, reckless, defiant behavior, and borderline obsession with the Doctor could be perfectly explained if she had spent the first few formative years of her life under Kovarian's manipulating thumb. It would explain why the Doctor had not been able to find any trace of a little girl resembling Amy and Rory; being human plus Time Lord, Melody must have regenerated at some point after escaping Graystark. Alex's hearts pained at the idea of that little girl becoming sick or injured enough that she had to undergo such a thing. Not to mention, but she had probably regenerated alone. No one would have been around to help her with the after-effects or explain to her what, exactly, she had just gone through. It would have been up to Melody herself to figure it out and deal with it.

Tears welled up in her eyes again, but Alex shoved them down. No, now was not the time to cry. Now was the time for action.

Taking a deep breath, Alex focused back on Spencer. "Now," she said firmly, "we've got this really good theory, but we need to prove it. What's our next move?"

Spencer eyed her a bit warily, a little alarmed at her sudden turn in mood, but complied. "Chief Stewart wants me to get into her house, see if I can find anything detailing her next move. I'd also like to get some DNA, test it against Amy and Rory's just to be sure."

"Well," Alex said with a wry smile, "I did need an excuse to get out of book club today."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

If Spencer had to pick a location for a break-in, he couldn't have picked a better one than 192 Dragon Road.

For a start, it was on the very outskirts of Leadworth. In fact, Dragon Road wasn't even in the Leadworth village limits. Driving down, he and Alex had seen only a handful of houses and cottages scattered about. Woods and farmland made up the rest. It was perfectly secluded, the ideal place for a psychopathic assassin to bide her time.

And a spot of burglary. The secluded road was perfect for that, too.

According to Alex, Mels had left for a business trip to Paris early this morning. Hacking into the airline records, Osgood had confirmed this. With Mels being a whole country away, there was no fear of her catching them. She didn't have the slightest idea that her identity was about to be completely exposed.

At the moment though, there wasn't so much 'exposing' going on as 'surveillance'. Even with Osgood's assurances that Mels was nowhere near Leadworth, Spencer still felt the need to be cautious. He'd had Alex hide her very conspicuous '56 in an abandoned barn nearly three miles down the road. They had walked the rest of the way, ducking behind overgrown bushes and trees the two times a car came along. Now, they were crouched behind a large honeysuckle bush at the end of Mels' driveway. While Mels may be an entire country away, Spencer discounted the possibility of her being completely unaware of what was going on in her hometown, much less her own house. He would put money on there being at least one booby trap somewhere on the property.

From the outside, the average person on the street would never suspect something nefarious being hidden on the property, much less that it belonged to a certifiable assassin from the future. Mels' cottage was a small affair, made of gray stone, and tucked into the middle of a small clearing in the woods. The only way to reach it, without wandering through the woods, was a gravel driveway going right up to the front door. Two large apple trees shielded the front half of the cottage, casting it in shadow. The only part clearly visible was the large living room window, covered by blue gingham curtains.

That's a bit funny, Spencer thought. Mels didn't seem the blue gingham type. Though he supposed psychopaths could have layers.

Spencer's reverie was interrupted by Alex grousing, "How long are we going to sit here?" He looked over just in time to see her slap at her right knee. "I'm getting eaten up by mosquitoes here!" She swatted at another by her left ear. "I've never been bitten like this," she muttered. "I think they like this new Time Lord blood. . ."

Alex really didn't mind Spencer being cautious. On the contrary, when it came to Mels, they couldn't afford not to be. She didn't mind hiding her car (Alex was well aware of the fact that it stood out), nor did she mind the three-mile walk. But she did mind crouching in the bushes for twenty minutes, getting eaten up by mosquitoes, and looking for otherworldly traps she was pretty sure weren't really there.

"I told you," she hissed, smacking at another bug on her elbow, "she left a key with Amy so she could water the plants! She's not going to set up traps for her best friend slash mother!" Muttering a vulgar Spanish curse, she slapped a mosquito away from her pulse point. "Besides, I used my necklace to scan for stuff when we arrived! There was nothing."

Spencer's blue-gray gaze swept over the house once more. Alex did make a good point. Her sonic necklace hadn't detected anything and Mels wasn't going to risk her mother accidentally getting caught in a trap meant for intruders. "Okay," he said with a decisive nod. He moved to a standing position. "Let's go."

Alex wasted no time in bouncing up. Brushing off her bare knees, she eyed Spencer's black khakis and polo combo. "Should've gone home and changed," she said wryly. "You look like a burglar. I don't."

Spencer smiled. She wasn't wrong. Alex was wearing cutoffs, black Converse, and a slightly faded t-shirt from the Dixie Chicks' Top of the World tour. Not stereotypical burglar attire. "Pure luck with me," he said as they headed up the drive. "Besides, you look fine. Not like we want people to see us."

Alex snorted. "True."

"You actually go to a Dixie Chicks concert?"

"Yep!" Alex smoothed a wrinkle crinkling part of Natalie Maines' face. "Marigold got me and Lacey tickets for their Louisville show for Christmas." She gave a sudden grimace. "Though she almost took them back after Natalie's comments about President Bush."

Chuckling, Spencer stepped up onto the small concrete porch. On either side of the door were large, red clay flowerpots full of drooping plants that resembled weeds more than flowers. He held one vine up for examination. "Circaea lutetiana," he murmured. At Alex's confused expression, he said, "Enchanter's nightshade. Named after Circe—"

"An enchantress from Greek mythology. Daughter of Helios and, depending on the legend, either ocean nymph Perse or goddess Hectate. Best known for her appearance in The Odyssey, where she demonstrated her most notable power, transforming those that angered or annoyed her into animals." Alex laughed at Spencer's dumbstruck expression. "What? I'm really into Greek mythology."

"So I see." He stared down at the enchanter's nightshade. "Fitting plant to keep here, I suppose."

Alex hummed in agreement. "I imagine Mels would happily utilize that power if she had it."

Spencer eyed the flowerpots. "She doesn't really strike me as the gardening type."

"Nor the type to have gingham curtains," Alex said with a nod towards the living room window. "I guess appearances are deceiving."

"Clearly." Taking a deep breath, Spencer dropped the enchanter's nightshade and focused on the doorknob. It was time to get down to business. "Care to do the honors?"

Alex withdrew the spare key from her pocket. Wanting to avoid any awkward questions, she'd waited until Amy and Rory left the house before rushing inside and snatching Mels' spare key from the hook in the pantry. Alex had no idea what she was going to tell Amy and Rory about her and Spencer's break-in, if anything. At the moment, she was playing it by ear.

Her hearts racing, she stuck the key in the lock and turned. The lock gave easily and with little hesitation, Alex opened the door.

She and Spencer peered inside.

"Weird that she doesn't have an alarm system," Spencer murmured. "Then again, with her training, she basically is an alarm."

Alex didn't respond. An old quote had suddenly come to her. '"Will you walk into my parlor?" said a spider to a fly. "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever did you spy.'

She rolled her eyes. Good grief, Alexandria, don't let Mels get to you! Shaking her head, she took a determined step into the house. Once Spencer joined her, she let the door fall shut.

They were inside Mels' living room. Considering who lived here, it was actually a pretty ordinary space. A large faded blue couch took up center space, facing a flat screen TV tucked into the corner next to the fireplace. The couch, along with most of the furniture, had been left to Mels by Reverend Halliday when he died. This explained the matching floral chairs on the other side of the fireplace, along with a beaded floor lamp, a massive oak coffee table sitting before the sofa, and a huge, gilded mirror that hung on the wall catty-corner to the door. All of it was distinctly un-Mels, yet she had kept it all these years. Some would say this was Mels expressing sentimentality for Reverend Halliday; Alex was of the opinion that Mels didn't want to bother with furniture shopping.

The rest of the living room's décor was largely more in line with Mels. Vintage rock and roll posters, everything from AC/DC to Led Zeppelin, hung on the robin's egg blue walls. Mels' plants, mostly pots of ferns and sunflowers, were neatly lined up on the windowsill. On the mantelpiece, various photographs of Mels with Amy and/or Rory were on prime display. One photo showed Mels and Amy, both appearing around seven years old, eating popsicles at a previous Leadworth Fair. Another from around the same time showed the girls doing handstands in Amy's backyard. Just visible in the background was the ruined shed from the Doctor's first encounter with little Amelia. Another photo, this one taken circa 2005, made Alex laugh. It was actually a copy of one that sat on the mantel in her and the Ponds' house.

The photo in question showed sixteen-year-old Amy, Rory, and Mels sitting on a bench outside their school. Mels and Amy were both dressed in their school mandated white button-downs, gray pleated skirts, and red and white striped ties, although both had their own takes on the uniform; Amy's shirt was un-buttoned almost to where it showed off her bra while Mels' tie hung undone around her neck, her skirt's hem folded up a bit higher than fingertip-length. Between them sat Rory, wearing an untucked white button-down and gray khaki slacks. However, it was his hair that always made Alex laugh whenever she saw this photo. Rory, like many men during the early 2000s, had styled his hair in frosted liberty spikes. It was a poor, poor look for him and, according to Amy, absolutely no one had let him forget it. Mels had begged multiple times for her to be allowed to shave his head, arguing that him being bald would be a much better look compared to what he was currently sporting. As much as Alex couldn't stand her, she had to side with Mels on this. She would have happily helped the woman hold Rory down and get rid of the atrocious hairstyle.

Turning away from the photos, Alex saw that Spencer was rooting through a large cabinet that sat beneath the gilded mirror. "Anything?"

Spencer shook his head. "Just a bunch of rock records and CDs." He shut the cabinet doors with a thump.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. Just something that proves her identity as Melody Pond. I figure we'll know it when we see it."

"A diary would be helpful," Alex mused. She didn't really think Mels was the diary-keeping type (River Song's diary, she was sure, was more for keeping track of her encounters with the Doctor than for recording personal thoughts), but you never knew. The gingham curtains and the abundance of plants certainly proved that Mels was capable of more than threats. Keeping a diary wasn't much of a stretch.

The two quickly set to work in systematically ransacking the cottage. Spencer found that there was nothing behind the mirror, nor any of the framed posters. Alex learned Mels kept nothing but discs in her DVDs (and that she was really partial to the James Bond films, owning every movie plus the collector's editions). There was nothing incriminating to be found on the coffee table, just a collection of magazines, a box of Kleenex, and the TV remote.

The kitchen didn't reveal anything illuminating either. Nothing had been stashed in the fridge except for some milk close to its expiration date and the freezer revealed nothing but a large collection of frozen pizzas. The cabinets contained nothing but cereal, a jar of peanut butter, some dishes, pots, pans, and a half box of Oreos. The drawers were much the same, housing nothing but silverware and various cooking utensils. Alex was happy to see that Mels had a junk drawer but was bitterly disappointed to find it contained nothing but a bunch of rubber bands, pens, a pair of scissors, and some coupons for a Chinese place in Gloucester. The pantry revealed nothing but some non-perishable items and a plastic bucket full of cleaning supplies.

"There's nothing here!" Spencer groaned as he finished examining the calendar hanging on the wall. The calendar's theme was 'Places All Around the World'; August showed a picture of the Sydney Opera House lit up at night. Unfortunately, nothing along the lines of 'Kill the Doctor' or 'Meeting with Kovarian' had been written anywhere in August, or any other month. All Mels had marked off were Amy and Rory's birthdays, hair appointments, and her current trip to France.

Alex shut the last cabinet door. "Well," she sighed, "let's hope for something in the bedroom and bathroom."

"I'll take the bathroom," Spencer said, leading the way down the small hallway. "There should be a hairbrush or something in there that will give me DNA."

Mels' bedroom was far less neat than the rest of the cottage. Clothes had been strewn all across the floor. Various pairs of shoes were intermingled amongst the piles while a bunch of bras hung from one of the posts to the four-poster bed. The nightstand, aside from containing another photo of Mels, Amy, and Rory in their youth, housed a small collection of empty water bottles and soda cans.

Alex wrinkled her nose. Even if there is proof in here, I'll probably never find it! Cursing Mels' sporadic cleaning habits, she quickly set to work. She rummaged under the piles of clothing, ducked under the bed, ransacked the drawers, and poked through the closet. In the end, she came away with nothing but dust on her face and clothes.

"Come on, Mels," she muttered as she examined the top of the dresser. Nothing was up there except for a small fortune in cosmetics and hair products and a jewelry box. This latter item seemed promising, but Alex was disappointed to find it contained only bits of cheap jewelry and no false bottom.

She groaned. "For God's sake!" Was finding a clue really too much to ask? It didn't have to be anything big. She just wanted something that would give her an idea of what Mels' endgame was. What was she planning? How much did she know about the Doctor? Was she patiently waiting for Lake Silencio or had that already happened for her? If it was the latter, why did Mels shoot at her? And if Mels had already shot at her, what did she mean that someday Alex would pay for everything she'd done to her? Had Mels been unhappy that Alex had avoided getting shot and was now plotting another death for her?

Alex was only pulled out of this haze of questions by Spencer shouting from the bathroom, "Find anything, Alex?"

Shaking her head, Alex called back, "Not yet!" Doing her best to ignore the frantic beating of her hearts, she turned her attention to the room once again. One of the few spots she hadn't checked was underneath Mels' mattress.

Alex really hadn't expected to find anything there. After all, she hadn't hidden anything underneath her mattress since she was ten. So, color her surprised when she discovered a thick notebook stashed between the mattress and the box-springs.

Alex let out a little shriek. "Spencer!" Grabbing the notebook, she straightened the mattress back to its original position and hopped up on the bed.

Spencer ran in. In his hand was a black plastic hairbrush. "What? What is it?" he cried before his gaze fell on the notebook. His eyes widened. "Is that a diary?"

"Not sure." Alex studied the faded cover. The word 'journal' had originally been printed in gold on the front. Now only the 'J' and 'A' were visible, the rest of the letters nonexistent. "It's pretty old, whatever it is."

Setting the hairbrush on the nightstand, Spencer moved to sit beside her. "Well, let's find out."

It only took a quick examination of the first couple pages to learn that this book was part diary, part dossier. In between recounts of her time with Amy and Rory, Mels had glued multiple newspaper clippings to the pages. While the diary itself only went back to 1996, the clippings stretched all the way back to the '70s.

PLASTIC DUMMYS COME TO LIFE! ATTACK LONDON CITIZENS! boasted one headline. Directly beneath it was a slightly blurry snapshot of a bunch of plastic dummies in 1970s clothing heading down a largely abandoned street.

"Autons," Spencer remarked. He examined the date at the edge of the clipping. "Unless I'm mistaken, this is from their first attack on London decades ago."

"Trying to invade?" Alex guessed.

Spencer snorted. "What attacking species isn't? But yes. The Doctor and Liz Shaw stopped them."

Alex pursed her lips. "How much do you want to bet that all these clippings are from invasions the Doctor stopped and they were Mels' way of tracking him? Making sure she didn't go after the wrong incarnation?"

Further examination of the clippings proved that this was the case. Spencer identified various articles concerning UNIT missions that were still very much classified to the public, including another attempted invasion by the Autons, an invisible dome-shaped barrier briefly surrounding the village of Devil's End, the sighting of giant maggots near the Global Chemicals plant in South Wales, dinosaurs wandering across London, the destruction of oil rigs in Scotland coinciding with a sudden uptick in Loch Ness Monster sightings, and more.

Mels had even managed to get a few quick snapshots of various incarnations of the Doctor. One shot, dated Paris 1979, showed the back of a man and woman holding hands as they ran across a street. The man's mop of brown curls and long, multi-colored scarf identified him as the Fourth Doctor. Alex wasn't sure who the woman, blonde and wearing a schoolgirl's uniform, was. Something to ask the Doctor later.

Further snapshots showed quick, fleeting glimpses of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. Spencer determined that the Ninth Doctor's photo had been taken during the Slitheen crisis in London whereas the Tenth Doctor's had been taken in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Canary Wharf. His slumped shoulders and red-rimmed eyes showed just how devastated he was at losing Rose Tyler to a parallel universe. Alex's hearts simultaneously ached for her Doctor being in pain and burned at the knowledge of him being stalked through time by a psychotic assassin in training.

"Damn," Spencer whistled as he came across another snapshot, this one showing the Tenth Doctor and the back of Martha Jones' head walking down a street. For some reason, the Doctor was carrying an old-fashioned bow and Martha a quiver of arrows. Written on the back was 'June 2007'. "She really did her homework."

"Yeah," Alex murmured, but she was far from impressed. Every alarm bell in her head was ringing at an almighty volume.

This dossier made one thing completely clear: Melody Pond was a serious threat. She had been around far longer than any of them had initially thought. Skulking in the shadows, carefully stalking the Doctor through the past four decades, compiling evidence of his travels and interactions with Earth. She'd even gotten photos of him! And it was all to make sure she didn't go after the wrong version.

In that moment, any lingering affection Alex had for Melody died. Alex would always adore the little baby she'd flicked star charms for on Demons Run, but it was clear now that Mels would never be that innocent little girl again. River Song certainly wasn't. It seemed like the little girl stuck in the astronaut suit and River were two completely different people. Truthfully, Alex couldn't help viewing Melody/River as just that: two separate people, each with their own distinct thoughts and feelings and opinions. One person was sweet and innocent, stuck in a terrible situation with no hope of getting out of it. The other was a full-blown psychopath who cared for nothing but her own desires, who relished in the chaos and confusion that surrounded her.

"What do we do with this?" Alex asked.

"I'd like to take it with us, but we can't do that. When Mels comes back, she'll notice it's missing." Getting to his feet, Spencer pulled out his phone and flipped to the very front of the journal. "I'll take photos of all the pages though. Then we can examine them more thoroughly later."

"Makes sense." Then another problem occurred to her, one that wasn't nearly so easy to solve as what to do with the journal. Her voice very quiet, she said, "And Amy and Rory? What do we tell them?"

Spencer didn't reply. He may be a genius, but there were some things even he couldn't answer.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Alex honestly didn't know why she thought food would help soften the blow she'd given Amy and Rory. Maybe because it worked when she told them about being a genetically-engineered Time Lady and being descended from a Time Lord?

Well, whatever her reasoning, it had been wrong. Very wrong.

Alex nibbled at a garlic knot, even though her appetite had faded a long time ago.

Specifically, the moment she and Spencer walked through the door, carrying most of Bello Italiano's menu. Amy and Rory had been sitting at the kitchen table, chatting about their day. Their eyes were bright, Amy happily discussing the bookstore opening and book club (though conveniently leaving out any Doctor-related tidbits) and Rory relating the latest hospital gossip. They were so blissfully happy, unaware of the bomb she was about to drop on them.

Sitting across from her, Spencer rubbed his tired eyes. "Well," he said, fiddling with a pizza crust, "I think that went well."

"About as well as it could have gone," Alex agreed. She leaned back in her seat and set the half-eaten garlic knot back on her plate.

After carefully restoring Mels' house to the way they found it, including putting her carefully photographed dossier back in its hiding place, Alex and Spencer made their way back to the boarding house. From there, it was the first of many conversations where they had to tell certain people who Mels really was. Spencer conducted another conference call with UNIT, Alex sitting just out of frame as he related his findings to his superior. Chief Stewart, a take-charge woman Alex found herself liking almost immediately, quickly elected to have a French UNIT operative tail Mels. The moment Mels got back to the U.K., she would be intercepted. In the meantime, she stressed that Spencer should continue to remain in Leadworth. Mels, she had reminded them, was very slippery. It was highly probable that she might evade efforts to intercept her. If that proved to be the case, Spencer had to be on his guard.

While Spencer briefly departed to send off his DNA samples, even though they were all 100% certain of what the results would be, Alex called the Doctor. After all, she needed to tell him that his futile search was at an end. As well as a few other things.

Like Mels' threat against her. She hadn't told the Doctor about it when it happened because she didn't want him worrying. Having thought Mels to be a perfectly normal, if mentally delusional, young human woman, Alex had rationalized that the Doctor couldn't do much about it. But even without him, she was sure that with Spencer, Amy, and Rory backing her up, she could handle Mels just fine. No need to get the Doctor involved when he had far more pressing things to be concerned with.

Needless to say, the Doctor hadn't shared that view. "For the love of God, Alexandria!" he'd snapped. "If someone bloody threatens you at knifepoint, you TELL ME! Worrying about you is not a distraction, it's what I'm SUPPOSED TO DO!"

After a good ten minutes of that, he finally got around to the fact that Mels Ukuthula and Melody Pond were one and the same. "Makes a lot of sense now why I've never met her, even though she's supposed to be obsessed with me," he mused. "She's obviously been waiting for our timestreams to match up. That's why she wasn't at the wedding. With her mind, the temptation might have been too much to resist."

Even hours after he'd said those words, Alex still shuddered at them.

After a bit of back and forth, the Doctor had decided that he would not land in Leadworth just yet. Though he could no longer search for Melody, there was still plenty he could do in regards to tracking Kovarian down. As he'd pointed out, even if UNIT did manage to capture Mels (something the Doctor didn't sound particularly confident about), it was highly unlikely they would get her to talk. Mels had likely been brought up not to answer probing questions, maybe even take her own life if necessary. Only Kovarian could answer just why she wanted the Doctor dead and why she had altered Alex's body. The dark tone in the Doctor's voice as he spoke about how best to track her down almost made Alex feel sorry for Kovarian. Almost.

The Doctor finished up their conversation by warning Alex to stay out of Mels' way. "Don't try to be a hero, Alex," he warned. "Melody is clearly dangerous and clearly hates you. We don't want to see what she's capable of. If Spencer suggests you go to a UNIT safehouse, go there. I don't want you on her radar at all."

While he didn't say it, Alex knew he would rather be Mels' sole target. She wanted to snap at him not to be a hero either, to not turn himself into a Time Lord shield for her, but she didn't. She really didn't have the energy or desire for a screaming match. Long-forgotten memories were starting to float back to the surface. Her nightmare of that horrible Doctor corpse, blaming her for his death. And the Silent in 1969 New Orleans. . . You were meant to be the one at Lake Silencio, not the other one. Those words were on a continuous loop in the back of her head, no matter how much Alex tried to block them out.

Fortunately, temporary distraction came in the form of deciding what to tell Amy and Rory. Really though, there was no decision to make. Alex couldn't keep something like this from them. And the Doctor had agreed the Ponds needed to be told the truth about their daughter.

So, hoping that the painful conversation could be softened with lots of pizza, garlic knots, and wine, Alex and Spencer waited until the Ponds had downed a glass of wine each and eaten a few bites before dropping the bomb.

They hadn't believed it at first. Not that Alex could blame them. She was living this and there had been moments where she'd stopped to think, Is this really happening? But unfortunately, it was, and she needed to make them see that.

She told them all about the dossier she'd found, Spencer showing them the photos he'd taken. For several minutes, Amy and Rory had silently studied the photos. When they were done, Rory's eyes were glassy, but Amy's were blazing.

"She could've tracked these down from archives!" she cried. "Hell, I went through a phase when I tried to track the Doctor the same way!"

"What about the snapshots?" Alex challenged. She held out the photo of the Doctor and Martha Jones for Amy to examine again. "Clearly amateur, one's dated Paris 1979, and in any event, why snap a photo of two random people on a street?"

"They're holding a freaking bow and arrows! People notice that kind of thing!"

While Rory had sat silent, absorbing everything, Amy continued to poke holes in everything Spencer and Alex brought up. Again, Alex couldn't blame her. This was her child they were talking about. No mother wanted to think their child was capable of such things. She rolled her eyes at the reports of Mels' antics from the seventies to the nineties, arguing that all of those crimes and attacks could have been committed by any number of children, not just one individual child. She dismissed Mels skipping her wedding with the excuse that "she just doesn't do weddings. Doesn't see the point of them".

"Not to mention," Amy snapped, her face as red as her hair, "I grew up with her. I think I would've noticed if she had two heartbeats!" She waved wildly at Rory. "And he certainly would've, with all the times he's had to patch Mels up!"

But Alex had fully prepared for this. "Not necessarily." She pulled up an email the Doctor had sent her for this specific purpose. It contained Melody's files from Demons Run. While Alex couldn't say much for Kovarian and her team, she had to admire their meticulous record-keeping on Melody's anatomy. "According to the scans from Demons Run, Melody only has one heart. She's also got a respiratory bypass system, though it's not as sophisticated as a full-blown Time Lord's. The Doctor estimates she could only hold about a minute or two of air in it. Plus, as you said, you grew up with her." Alex smiled sadly, her voice softening. "The Doctor told me about regeneration. A Time Lord could control whether or not they aged in an incarnation save their final one. It's how the Doctor's first body died; he chose to age until that body was too old to go any further. After regenerating, Mels stayed in the body of a little girl until the timing was right and she could come and find you. She wanted to see her parents, grow up alongside them."

"And guarantee her existence." Rory's voice held a hint of recognition in it. He turned to Amy, gripping her hand tight. "Remember when we were kids? She was always saying that your crush on the Doctor was silly, that you should focus on human boys. And when we were teens. . ."

Amy reddened even more. Alex knew what she was remembering, even though she hadn't been around when the event happened. It was the time Amy had suggested that Mels date Rory. Mels, quite understandably, had expressed nothing less than sheer horror at the idea. Once she had finished gagging, Mels firmly stated she had zero interest in Rory that way but, if Amy was so concerned about Rory dating someone, Amy herself should date him.

Of course, Amy hadn't taken to the suggestion, merely laughing it off. It wasn't until Alex came around that Amy and Rory's relationship upgraded from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend.

Not that Mels had sat back and done nothing until Alex came along. On the contrary, Alex now recalled Amy mentioning that there had been an uptick in Mels' antics shortly after that conversation. If Alex had to guess, she would say that Mels was playing matchmaker by forcing Amy and Rory to spend time together scolding her when she got busted. Not a completely horrible plan, especially for a psychopath. At the very least, it gave Amy and Rory something to bond over and complain about with each other.

Thinking all of her interactions with Mels over and studying all the evidence Spencer and Alex had compiled, it was finally impossible for Amy to ignore the truth. Her baby was gone and was never coming back. That baby had instead grown up right alongside her, carefully influencing her to end up with Rory, encouraging her belief in the Doctor . . . all so that one day she could kill him, uncaring of how devastated her parents/best friends might be by it.

The realization hit Amy like a freight train. With a sudden wail, she'd burst out of her chair and ran upstairs. Rory followed, tears running down his cheeks. The last Alex had heard from them was the slamming of their bedroom door.

Now, Alex looked around at all the food. The group had only made it through half a pizza and there was a whole other box that had gone untouched. The container of garlic knots was still more than halfway full. The wine bottle was only a quarter empty. With a sigh, she got to her feet and began packing and clearing everything up. After a moment of watching her, Spencer helped.

Soon, they found themselves sitting on the couch in the living room. The TV was on, currently tuned to an entertainment news program. The hosts were speculating on a topic that had dominated the news for months: When was Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate Middleton, going to announce a pregnancy?

Alex quickly muted it. She could honestly care less about Royal Baby Watch. Partly because the Doctor had promised to introduce her to Prince Harry and his wife, claiming that Alex would get along better with them. Something about Meghan what's her name being American and an Oprah interview? But mostly because she didn't want to think about another baby tonight, or any baby at all. She just wanted to forget this night the best way she knew how.

With the TV silently playing on, she tipped the wine bottle back and took a big swig.

"Good thing you've got a high alcohol tolerance," Spencer joked, though his attempt at humor was marred by the sadness in his eyes. A bit quieter, he said, "What do we do now?"

Once more putting the bottle to her lips, Alex shrugged. It was a good question, but even with how brilliant she was, she didn't know the answer.

She was pretty sure no one did.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 12th, 2011

The week passed slowly for Alex.

Amy and Rory, of course, weren't doing great. Monday morning, Alex called their workplaces and lied about them having caught summer colds. Both Erin and Dr. Ramsden bought it, though the latter made a wry comment about Rory having developed a remarkably weak immune system this summer.

As she'd done at the beginning of the summer, Alex did her best to keep the Ponds from completely unraveling. She brought home food every night (the last thing Amy and Rory needed right now was a bout of food poisoning derived from her cooking), did the laundry, and did all the household chores. Thankfully, unlike at the beginning of May, Amy and Rory were eating regularly now, Rory wasn't drinking, and they were able to say the Doctor's name without any anger. The Ponds were also relying on each other now. There was no worrying of if the other blamed them for Demons Run or, in this case, not noticing something was up with Mels a long time ago. But that didn't mean they weren't pondering the latter a lot.

More than once, Alex had caught them studying photos of Mels. Individual shots, group shots with Amy and Rory, no photo that included Mels was deemed unworthy of a thorough examination. Alex suspected they were searching for some hint of Mels' true identity, some little, miniscule thing that would truly identify her as their daughter. If they had found any proof, they hadn't told her yet. Neither Pond was currently inclined to conversation.

Alex really wasn't sure what to do or if there was anything she could do. When reporting on how Amy and Rory had taken the Mels revelation, the Doctor had advised her to simply leave them alone for the time being. "After all, Ally," he reminded her, "it's a pretty big revelation to process."

He had a point there. Aside from having to process that their best friend (who had already proven to have psychopathic leanings) was their daughter, they also had to process that they weren't getting their daughter back. Not really. That baby they had admired and cooed over on Demons Run was long gone. There would be no buying any of the girly furniture Amy had circled in all of her magazines, no princess themed birthday parties to organize, no Christmas pageants for Melody to participate in as her proud parents sat in the audience with video cameras, no taking her trick-or-treating for Halloween and scolding her for eating too much candy, no first day of school to simultaneously look forward to and dread. . . So many wonderful milestones the Ponds had been looking forward to experiencing, all of them snatched away by twisted people for their twisted purposes.

If Alex hadn't hated Kovarian with a burning passion before, she did now.

Still, as much as she knew the Doctor was right, Alex hated sitting back and doing nothing. She wanted to help her friends, not watch them sit around depressed. But as she really didn't know how to help them, all she could do was make sure the grocery shopping, laundry, and household chores were done, bring home food, and give them soft, encouraging smiles that hopefully said more than words ever could.

So busy doing this, she had forgotten the quick vacation she had planned on taking this weekend.

In fact, she was only reminded of it this morning, when Amy asked, "You all packed for Sarah Jane's this weekend?"

Alex had frozen in the middle of pouring coffee. Shit, she'd thought, followed by a quick sense of sadness.

She and Sarah Jane had gotten quite close since their first Shansheeth-manipulated meeting. They'd had many conversations on the phone, ranging from their various encounters with aliens to more mundane subjects, like the latest movies and TV shows, how Luke was doing at Oxford, and Kendra's antics at the library (a topic that amused Sarah Jane to no end). However, they had yet to actually meet up again. Alex had been too busy with TARDIS travels, then dealing with all the problems that came in the aftermath of Demons Run. Sarah Jane had been plenty busy too, although her focus wasn't on dark, dreary things. On the contrary, adopting a new alien daughter was something to be celebrated.

However, around the middle of July, in one of their weekly phone calls, Sarah Jane mentioned she would really like to see Alex. Luke was home on break, and she knew Rani and Clyde would like to see Alex before summer was over and they started university (not that they'd be very far away; Rani and Clyde were both attending the University of West London's Ealing campus). Not to mention, but she would really like to introduce Alex not just to Luke, but to her daughter Sky as well.

Alex jumped eagerly on the idea. She and Sarah Jane selected the date in August, deciding that Alex would stay from Friday to Monday. When she told Spencer her plans, assuring him he didn't have to tag along, he surprised her by being wildly enthusiastic on going with her. As it turned out, he was a big fan of Sarah Jane's (both because of her connection to the Doctor and her career as an award-winning journalist and author). Wild horses, he had declared, couldn't keep him from going, nor could Alex's stubbornness.

Alex had been hoping the trip would allow her to regain a sense of normalcy. No longer would she be spooked about walking on her own in a city she was unfamiliar with. Her mild-PTSD was going to be conquered, she was sure of it.

Then the whole Mels-being-Melody-Pond revelation happened, and Alex forgot all about the trip.

With Amy and Rory being how they were, Alex was fully prepared to call Sarah Jane and ask for a rain check. But neither Pond would let her. Amy and Rory had all but frogmarched her back to her bedroom to pack, flatly shooting down all of her protests as Rory dug out her duffel bag and Amy began packing up her toiletries.

"You've been looking forward to seeing Sarah Jane for weeks, Alex," Rory had argued. He gave her a soft smile. "Don't let us be the reason you don't go."

"Yes, please don't," Amy begged. Her light brown eyes, still slightly bloodshot, had also been filled with a fierce fire Alex knew she wouldn't be able to put out. "Really, we'll be fine. Go, or I'll just have to club you, put you in a sack, and drag you there." She smirked. "And I don't really want that to be my first encounter with Sarah Jane."

So, Alex had given in. And as much as she didn't want to leave the Ponds, she was also quite happy they wanted her to go. After all, she really did want to see Sarah Jane, Luke, Rani, Clyde, and Sky.

And who knew? Maybe without her hovering around them, Amy and Rory would be able to recover a bit more, at least enough to where they could go back to work.

Now, Alex sat in Sarah Jane's living room, a glass of exquisite 44th century Althusian wine in hand. According to Sarah Jane, the wine had been a gift from a very thankful Althusian who'd become stranded on Earth after her ship malfunctioned and crashed just outside of Ealing. Sarah Jane helped conceal her and the ship until they could get it working again. Having tasted Althusian wine during her travels with the Doctor and, with it being so difficult to get in the 21st century, Sarah Jane explained that she only brought this bottle out on special occasions, giving Alex a wink as she uncorked it.

Needless to say, Alex was quite honored. She also vowed to get Sarah Jane more of this wine once she resumed life on the TARDIS.

"Now then," Sarah Jane said as she poured her own glass. "Let's get reacquainted. What's new with you, Alex?" She leaned back against the couch cushions, though her casual recline didn't match the shrewd look in her eyes. It was undoubtedly the same look she had given countless uncooperative interview subjects. "Starting with the man currently in my attic geeking out over Mr. Smith?"

Reddening, Alex took a large sip of wine. While she knew Sarah Jane was surprised by her unexpected guest, Alex hadn't thought she would start asking questions this soon. How she had come to that conclusion considering she was dealing with an award-winning investigative journalist was beyond her. "Ah, well. . ."

Sarah Jane struggled not to grimace. "He's not, for example," she said slowly, "your boyfriend?"

Alex hurriedly set her glass down before she dropped it. "Spencer?!" she cried, eyes widening to the size of saucers. "What, no, no! Definitely not!" She gave Sarah Jane a bright, reassuring smile. "Actually, as of about six or seven months ago, I've been dating the Doctor."

Sarah Jane let out a cry of delight. "That's wonderful!" She pulled Alex into a quick hug. "I did hope you two would get together," she said softly as they pulled away. "I saw it the day we met. He completely adored you and vice-versa."

Alex's smile turned a touch shy. She well remembered Sarah Jane questioning her on if she realized the Doctor was in love with her and then if she loved him. At the time, Alex had been completely in denial to the Doctor's feelings towards her and disinclined to discuss hers with a total stranger. But Sarah Jane had hit the nail on the head back then. She, like so many others, had seen just what the Doctor and Alex had been too scared to admit. "Well," she murmured, "thankfully, it all worked out." Her eyes turned from dark chocolate brown to honey. "Believe me, Sarah Jane, I've never been happier than I am right now."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sarah Jane smiled. "However," she stressed, her expression becoming concerned, "that still doesn't answer my question as to who Spencer is, why he's with you, or why he's got a gun strapped to his ankle." She held up a hand before Alex could protest. "I was around soldiers for years, Alex. I know how to identify one, even if they're not wearing a uniform."

Alex sighed. There was no getting out of this. "He's from UNIT," she began. "And he's currently acting as my bodyguard."

Sarah Jane's eyes widened. "Bodyguard?" What the hell did Alex need a bodyguard for? Sitting up slightly, she eyed Alex worriedly. "Alex, are you in danger? Is someone threatening you? Because maybe I can help."

Alex shook her head. "I'm not sure you can really do anything about this, Sarah Jane."

Without any further encouragement, she launched into her tale. Alex was surprised at how easily the words poured out of her. Then again, she had been longing to talk to someone about all this, someone who hadn't lived these events, someone she didn't have to watch her mouth around, like Amy and Rory. She was too scared to confide in Lacey, Marigold, or any of her Bristol friends. But Sarah Jane was different. She had been the Doctor's companion. She knew what it was like traveling with him. Granted, Alex was pretty sure nothing of this magnitude ever occurred during Sarah Jane's tenure on the TARDIS, but at least Alex could predict how she would react. Sarah Jane wouldn't judge her.

Throughout Alex's tale, Sarah Jane's jaw dropped lower and lower. What the hell?! she thought, along with a few choice words she never said around Luke, Rani, Clyde, or Sky.

Some alien cult was gunning after the Doctor. There were creatures called the Silence that had been around since before she was born, but no one could ever remember encountering them. These creatures evidently belonged to the cult, led by some bitch called Madame Kovarian. Said bitch had kidnapped one of the Doctor's companions in order to get her baby and raise it to become the Doctor's assassin.

Sarah Jane had to admit, the plan made a certain amount of sense. The Doctor would never hurt a child of his companions, not even if said child was pointing a gun at him.

But that certainly didn't explain why Kovarian would also kidnap Alex, experiment on her, and turn her into a Time Lady.

Sarah Jane took a huge gulp of wine. Alex was a Time Lady now. And she was descended from a Time Lord.

Maybe that explains why she's a fixed point? Sarah Jane hadn't forgotten what the Daleks had said back on the Crucible. Ever since first hearing Alex's name, she had wondered who this girl was and why she was such a powerful point in time. Becoming the universe's first genetically-engineered Time Lady would certainly explain it, though Sarah Jane couldn't be a hundred percent sure. She wondered if Alex knew why the Daleks had said such things, or if she was even aware of that event.

But there was still far more pressing information for Sarah Jane to focus on. Such as why Alex needed a bodyguard.

It sent shivers down Sarah Jane's spine. To think, Melody Pond had been right under her parents' noses for the last fourteen years. She'd grown up alongside them, urging them together to ensure her own existence while patiently waiting for the right version of the Doctor to show up. Despite being around her parents all her life, Melody was a full-blown psychopath and, according to Alex, showed no signs of wanting to be rehabilitated. Who had, in fact, promised Alex that she was going to pay for her supposed transgressions.

"Oh my God, Alex," she gasped. Setting her wine to the side, she pulled Alex into a tight hug. She thought Alex might resist (she well remembered seeing the girl lock down her emotions when they'd first met), but she was pleasantly surprised when the young woman flung her arms around her.

Clinging tightly to her, Alex buried her face in Sarah Jane's shoulder. The soothing scent of Sarah Jane's lavender perfume, and the feeling of arms wrapped around her, clutching her tight, caused all the walls Alex had built since May to collapse. Tears ran down her cheeks and a sob wrenched its way out of her mouth. Burning red at her sudden lack of emotional control, Alex started to pull away, but Sarah Jane held her in place.

"Shh," she murmured. One of her hands reached up to cradle the back of Alex's head. "Just let it out, let it all out. . ."

So Alex did. She hadn't realized how much she was bottling up, especially in the last couple of weeks. It wasn't just Mels' threat or discovering her true identity. It was coming to terms with the fact that her goddaughter was now someone she hated, someone she wouldn't hesitate to destroy if the Doctor's life was hanging in the balance. It was fearing that she would always be this scared of crowds, of the dark, of someone taking her away again. It was worrying that some people close to her might not be so compassionate and understanding of her altered body. But most importantly, it was remembering the Doctor's death at Lake Silencio, knowing that Melody had succeeded in her ultimate mission, and understanding that one day, the Doctor would truly be dead and gone.

Not that she told Sarah Jane this last part.

Alex had no idea how long she cried in Sarah Jane's arms. All she knew was that when the tears finally stopped, her back ached from her bent over position.

"Sorry," she whispered as she sat up. Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, she wiped some leftover wetness away from her eyes. God, I must look awful now! Puffy skin, bloodshot, neon green eyes. . . Trying and failing to avoid Sarah Jane's gaze, Alex let out a humorless little chuckle. "Really, I didn't mean to just . . . bawl all over you."

"Don't apologize," Sarah Jane said, her tone soft but firm. Those shrewd eyes stared straight into Alex's, unflinching even at the sight of the unnatural neon green orbs. "Something tells me you've needed to let that out for quite some time now."

"Yeah, you're right. It's just . . . there's not really been anyone I can talk about it to. Unfiltered, I mean."

"I understand." Sarah Jane gave her a smile that was tinged with sadness. "It's . . . hard to talk about life with the Doctor to those who aren't participants in it. Especially when it changes you so much. Although, not as much as it's changed you, in this case."

Alex let out a half snort, half sniffling sound. "Amen to that." She fiddled with her ring. "I know I should tell Lacey and Marigold about it, but. . ." She grimaced. While she could admit to herself that she was scared, it was difficult to admit it out loud.

Fortunately, Sarah Jane got it. "It's definitely difficult," she nodded, "but at the same time, they are your family, Alex. And if they love you half as much as I think they do, they won't judge you or cast you out." She picked up her wine glass. "So, I would definitely tell them, sooner rather than later. Because it's doing you no good bottling all this up." She smiled wryly. "You bawling all over me, as you put it, just proves you've been carrying all these burdens alone for far too long."

Alex nodded wordlessly. She knew Sarah Jane was right. Still, there was a big difference between knowing something and actually doing it.

Desperate to turn the conversation in a lighter direction, Alex grabbed the wine bottle and topped off her and Sarah Jane's glasses. "So!" she said with no small amount of forced cheer. "There's all the insanity in my life."

Sarah Jane took a sip of wine. "I wish I could say that anything that's happened to me in the last few months has been even more insane, but I'd be lying."

Alex tucked her ripped jean-clad legs underneath her. She'd paired them with a black halter top imprinted with a mandala design, black Converse, gold hoop earrings, rope bracelets, red lipstick, and her usual ring and sonic necklace. Far more casual than Sarah Jane's blouse and slacks set, but Alex wasn't worried. She felt very comfortable in Sarah Jane's presence (as evidenced by her bawling) and she was confident the same could be said vice-versa. "I don't know about that. I mean, adopting a daughter, especially one able to manipulate electricity, that's pretty big."

"Only a small amount now," Sarah Jane corrected. "Thank God."

Alex giggled. "Fair point. You'd be constantly changing the bulbs here otherwise!"

"And Mr. Smith would absolutely refuse to come out, whether Sky was in the room or not." Remembering just who was upstairs with Mr. Smith forced Sarah Jane back to her original train of thought. "You know," she said, leaning closer to Alex, "why don't you stay here for the rest of the summer? Just until the Doctor gets back."

Alex shook her head. "Sarah—"

"No, listen! You'd be safe here. This Mels wouldn't be able to locate you so easily in Ealing."

"Sarah Jane, that's very sweet of you, but I don't want to put you or the kids in danger." Alex held up a hand before Sarah Jane could argue. "Look, Mels is obsessed with the Doctor. She tracked him down at UNIT and a whole bunch of other places. That diary I told you about? Spencer and a bunch of other people at UNIT have been examining the photos he took of it all week. They found a list of most of the Doctor's known companions." Alex swallowed heavily. "Sarah Jane, you were on it."

Sarah Jane struggled not to express any alarm. "Is my address on it?"

"No, but think about it. If I mysteriously vanish from Leadworth, Mels is gonna wonder where I went. She knows I'm connected to the Doctor. Since Amy and Rory would still be there, she probably won't assume I went off with him, but went to someone for help. It's not that big of a leap to guess that I went to a former companion and with her list, all she has to do is cross off every name till she gets to the right one."

"Mels may be a psychotic assassin," Sarah Jane agreed, "but I doubt she's an idiot. She wouldn't risk drawing attention to herself by attacking a former companion. Aside from the regular police, she'd get on UNIT and Torchwood's radar."

"Perhaps," Alex conceded. "But all the same, you really don't need to get involved in any of this. I don't want to take the risk." She smiled warmly, her now topaz eyes twinkling. "You're one of the Doctor's best friends, Sarah Jane. He wouldn't want anything happening to you because of something he's dealing with and neither do I."

"And I don't want anything happening to you." After a moment, Sarah Jane let out a long, resigned sigh. "But I can understand your reasoning. The offer still stands though, if you change your mind."

Alex grinned. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. But I don't want to hide from Mels, not if I can help it." She swirled her wine around in the glass. "To me, that feels like it's giving her the upper hand, that she's won." Her eyes turned a dark shade of green that bordered on black. When she spoke again, her tone was a touch darker as well. "And I'm not going to let her feel that way."

Before Sarah Jane could ask anything else in regards to Mels, Alex suddenly said, "But enough about all that! I was actually wondering if I could pick your brain on these riots. . ."

Sarah Jane obliged with Alex's unspoken request to get the conversation off her. Over the rest of the wine, the two discussed the riots that had occurred over the past several days, sparked by the police killing of Mark Duggan last Thursday. The epicenter for the riots was London, but several areas of England had also been affected. Ealing was one of them. Monday night had seen several local businesses (which had been asked by police to close early) vandalized, cars set on fire, and even a few residential properties burgled (though thankfully not anyone on Bannerman Road). Being a natural-born journalist, Sarah Jane had gone out to report on the rioters' motives. Alex was stunned that she had gone out into the chaos alone, but Sarah Jane assured her that she was perfectly safe.

"Besides," she said with a wide grin, "compared to facing Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans, interviewing some protesters while not getting myself injured hardly qualifies as a challenge."

Alex had to admit she had a point.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 13th, 2011

The next day, Alex woke to bright sunlight streaming through Sarah Jane's guest bedroom window. Based on how much sunlight there was, Alex suspected it was closer to lunch time now than breakfast. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand confirmed this. I must've been more tired than I thought. Though she probably should have expected that. Such a conversation with all its crazy revelations was enough to make anyone feel drained afterwards, especially the person who had experienced all the crazy stuff.

Flinging the covers aside, Alex hastened to get ready. After a lightning-fast shower and an even quicker drying and straightening of her hair, she threw on a red and white striped t-shirt, jean shorts rolled at the cuff with a black belt threaded through the loops, and white Converse. Finishing this ensemble were a pair of dangly intertwined hoops earrings and a swipe of shiny pink lip-gloss.

"Sorry!" she called as she rushed down the stairs. "Didn't mean to oversleep!" Skidding into the kitchen, she found Sarah Jane seated at the table, a pair of glasses on her nose as she flipped through the local paper.

Sarah Jane offered her a smile. "Oh, that's alright. I daresay you needed the rest."

Alex made her way to the partially filled coffeepot. "You might be right," she admitted as she grabbed a mug. "It was. . ." She struggled for the right words. "Well, I had a lot to get off my chest."

And there's still quite a bit you need to divulge, Sarah Jane thought. She wasn't an investigative journalist for nothing. She knew when people were telling the truth, lying, or holding something back. Alex had definitely been telling her the truth last night, but not all of it. Sarah Jane's impression was that there were some events Alex was purposefully leaving out, though for what reason she had no idea.

Not that she was going to confront Alex on it though. The poor girl had been through enough these past several months without someone pressing her for details. If and when Alex wanted to make a full confession of things, it should be of her own free will.

"Of course you did," Sarah Jane said now. She slipped off her glasses and folded the newspaper before setting them both off to the side. "And now, you can just relax. No worrying about Mels or anything while you're here. I insist on it."

Alex smiled softly. "Thanks, I will." She took a sip of coffee. Not her preferred Starbucks House Blend, but it would do. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"Writing some articles, mostly," Sarah Jane said with an apologetic smile. "Every paper in England wants scoop about the riots and they want it yesterday. So I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you company today. But!" she added brightly. "I understand the kids want to take you and Spencer out, show you around Ealing."

"Sounds great." Alex glanced at the clock. It was almost one. "What time?"

"They're all up in the attic actually. Luke brought K-9 home from Oxford and Spencer's been drooling over him ever since."

Snorting, Alex hastened to finish her coffee. "I'd better go rescue K-9 then."

"Good idea. Oh! And we're going to be having a guest for dinner tonight."

Alex tilted her head curiously. "Who is it?"

Sarah Jane gave her an uncharacteristic smirk. "It's a surprise. But don't worry, you'll love it."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

The center of Ealing, known as Ealing Broadway, was bustling. A bit surprising after the riots a few days ago, but Alex put it down to tensions easing and everyone wanting to get back to normal. Cars and buses cluttered the streets and people littered the sidewalks, enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Most of the shops and restaurants on the High Street had their doors and windows flung wide open, allowing customers to slip in and out with ease. It rather reminded Alex of summers back in Bristol. Once they were able to drive, she and Lacey would spend many sunny afternoons driving all around Bristol's main business section, browsing through stores even if there wasn't anything to buy. Every other hour, they would grab ice cream or a root beer float with extra cherries from Blondie's, eating their treats quickly before they could melt in the hot sun.

There were no such restaurants in Ealing that offered root beer floats, but there was ice cream. Alex happily licked her cone of Milk and Cookies, courtesy of a new Ben & Jerry's on the corner, as she and Rani walked down the street.

Rani, through a bit of Chunky Monkey, asked, "Anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"Not off the top of my head." Alex hastily licked a drop running down the side of her cone. "What are some of the hot spots?"

Rani pushed some loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her topknot behind her ear. "Well, there's the Waterstones down the street. Since they installed this new coffee bar, it's always packed there. Oh! And there's the Ealing Theatre. The dramatic society is brilliant. I think they're doing a running of Brigadoon today."

"I'm always up for books and live theater," Alex grinned.

"Me too, though I think Luke and Clyde will want to poke around the electronics shop instead. Luke's been trying to build this massive radio telescope for the last few weeks."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that! Why's he want to build a radio telescope though?"

Rani took a quick lick of ice cream. "He wants to try and use it to scan the sky for alien radio waves. That way, if there's some kind of hostile alien heading towards Earth, we can hear the radio waves before it arrives and have time to prepare to stop it or contact UNIT and let them know what's coming."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. And it's quite impressive. But can't Mr. Smith already do that?"

"Yes, but he usually only notifies us when it's heading towards Ealing 'cause, you know, that's where we are. With the radio telescope, Luke hopes to be able to notify us or UNIT when hostile aliens head towards anywhere in the world, not just Ealing or England."

Alex's eyes widened in amazement. "Impressive!"

"It is," Rani acknowledged with a smile. "Still, it's a long way off from being built. He's still in the planning stages really."

"Well, I bet Spencer will be more than happy to help him out." Alex glanced over her shoulder at the rest of their group. About three feet behind her and Rani, Spencer was walking alongside Clyde, Luke, and Sky. Anyone looking would have thought him to be very absorbed in his chocolate fudge brownie cone, but Alex saw how his eyes went from her and Rani to the surrounding area. "As soon as he's out of bodyguard mode, that is."

Rani worried her bottom lip. Sarah Jane had told them about Spencer acting as Alex's bodyguard for the summer, though she'd been a bit vague as to why. All she would say was that Alex had been in a pretty perilous situation a few months back and while the Doctor was off-world doing his own tasks, he wanted Alex to be protected. Hence the UNIT-trained bodyguard/scientific advisor currently crashing on Sarah Jane's sofa. Sarah Jane had also warned them not to ask Alex or Spencer any questions about the situation.

Unless it was Rani's imagination, Sarah Jane had been looking more at her when she said that than anyone else.

Though Rani supposed she couldn't blame Sarah Jane. She knew she was inquisitive and had a distinct lack of tact. They were qualities that would serve her well as a journalist. Not so much as a friend to a woman clearly recovering from a traumatic event.

It wasn't outwardly obvious, but to someone who had encountered Alex before, the signs were there. There was a noticeable tension to Alex's limbs. Her eyes were a bit sharper, not as open and trusting as they had been the last time she and Rani met. Overall though, her whole demeanor was different. Alex was still wonderfully friendly, kind, and quick to smile, but her bearing rather reminded Rani of someone who had just come back from war. A bit tired and much older emotionally and mentally, having seen and experienced things most people couldn't fathom.

Whatever had happened to Alex, Rani hoped that whoever was responsible paid the consequences.

"I'm sure he'll help during dinner," Rani said now, carefully bouncing over the bodyguard part of Alex's sentence. She would listen to Sarah Jane. Maybe, hopefully, someday she'd find out what was going on, but not right now. "We're ordering pizza and eating up in the attic while you and Sarah Jane are downstairs with your guest."

"Speaking of this guest," Alex said, pausing only to dump the remnants of her cone in a trashcan, "do you have any idea who it is?"

The impish grin Rani tried to bite back gave Alex her answer. At Alex's raised eyebrow, she blurted, "Okay, yes! But Sarah Jane made us swear not to tell you. She wants it to be a surprise."

Alex tried and failed not to groan. "I hate not knowing things!" As Rani laughed, she cried, "Can't you give me a hint? Just a little one? Please?"

Rani considered. "Okay. . . It's someone the Doctor knew. And that's all you're getting out of me!"

Someone the Doctor knew. . . That pretty much narrowed it down to one of his past companions. Those that were still living and resided in this time period, at least. Alex quickly wracked her brain for any and all companions the Doctor had mentioned who might fit the bill. Rose Tyler's stuck in a parallel universe with her very own Doctor clone, so it can't be her. Martha Jones? Possibly. Probably not Donna Noble. Based on the Doctor's reaction, she's most likely dead. Jo, maybe? Alex smiled at the thought. It would be nice to see Jo again, especially under peaceful circumstances. She'd love to hear more about the woman's travels, her family, and her time with the Doctor. Not to mention, Jo would be thrilled to learn the 'lovely couple', as she had called them, was a proper one now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Sky bouncing up to her. "Alex!" she chirped. "Are you having a good time?"

Alex smiled wide. She had fallen in love with Sky within the first two minutes of meeting the girl. She was just so adorable! Not to mention incredibly smart. Even before being told Alex had recently undergone a traumatic experience, Sky seemed to have figured out something along those lines had occurred. Right after introducing herself to Alex, Sky had proceeded to tell her several jokes Clyde had taught her. When Alex burst out laughing at a very creative one involving Switzerland, Sky gave her a triumphant grin and cried, "Yay! You're not sad anymore!"

Honestly, if Sarah Jane wasn't careful, Alex might be tempted to stash Sky in her suitcase and take her back to Leadworth.

Alex bent down so that she was at Sky's eye-level. "A great time," she promised. She eyed Sky's empty hands. "How was that ice cream?" Sky had been a bit skeptical of the food, until Alex said it was a favorite of hers.

"It was great!" Sky exclaimed. "It was cold, sweet, and I ate too fast and got a headache, just like you said!" She tilted her head in thought. "Next time, though, I think I'll get something other than vanilla. It's too plain, especially compared to what everyone else got."

"We wanted to ease you into it," Rani explained. She held out the remnants of her cone. "Hear, have some Chunky Monkey. Just don't tell your mum we let you have this much."

"I think the sugar rush she'll soon have will tip Sarah Jane off anyway," Alex said dryly as Sky eagerly devoured the rest of the cone.

Swallowing the last bit of sugar cone, Sky's brow furrowed. "What's a sugar rush?"

"It's when you have a lot of energy after eating too much sugar," Alex explained. She took Sky's hand as they continued down the sidewalk. "You feel very hyper and like you can't sit still."

Sky considered this. Then, turning to Rani, she asked, "Is that what Clyde had last week after we went to the movies? He ate two whole boxes of those weird Raisinets."

Rani snorted. "No, you'd have to eat a lot of Raisinets to get a sugar rush. Clyde was just happy that his crush, Miranda, talked to him."

Sky frowned in confusion. "Crush?"

"Someone you really, really like. Someone you have romantic feelings for and want to kiss."

Sky's expression curdled. "Kissing?!" she shrieked. "That's gross!"

Alex and Rani howled with laughter. "Nobody you're thinking about kissing, Sky?" Alex teased.

"Absolutely not!" Sky exclaimed with an adamant shake of her head. Her lips curled and she made a little 'urgh' sound. "That, that, that's . . . yuck!"

"Well, Luke will be happy at least," Rani quipped through gasps of laughter. "He won't have to chase any boys off anytime soon."

"Why would he want to do that?" Sky wondered, her disgust quickly replaced by her natural, eager curiosity.

As Rani launched into an explanation about protective older brothers, Alex allowed her thoughts to wander. She had been much the same at Sky's age regarding kissing. At twelve years old, she was still playing Barbies with Lacey, as well as being completely ignorant to the idea of training bras. Kissing was something that happened on soap operas, and nearly always between adults. It was just such a foreign concept, too adult and, quite frankly, kind of disgusting, too. Especially when it came to thinking about which one of her peers she'd potentially want to kiss.

Things started changing shortly after she turned thirteen. Alex wasn't sure what, specifically, had caused this change in attitude (hormones probably) but suddenly, kissing didn't seem so bad. Actually, it sounded rather fun. Alex eagerly devoured stories of her friends' first kisses, learning all the dos and don'ts of kissing etiquette. Sticking your tongue in someone's mouth? Yes. Kissing someone with braces when you also had braces? Something to be avoided less your teeth get stuck together, a lesson Emmy learned the hard way.

So, when Alex had her first kiss with Nicholas Dawes behind the auditorium after eighth grade graduation, she'd expected it to be something thrilling, something amazing, the kind of thing she could look back on in later years with fond nostalgia.

The kiss was . . . fine. That was all Alex could really say about it. Lacey had pressed her to be more specific, but Alex couldn't come up with anything else. It hadn't been bad, but it hadn't necessarily been good, either. As far as first kisses went, it was perfectly average.

It was the same story for every other kiss Alex shared with someone. Her high school years had been spent in one short-lived relationship after another, desperately hoping this new romance would be the one where she finally felt something other than fine. Her practiced kisses with Ross were fine, kisses with Victor Davies were fine, kisses with every one of her other boyfriends were fine, but nothing more. They never made her giddy. She never felt sparks or flames. She certainly didn't get a swirling sensation in her stomach at the mere thought of kissing or doing other things with them. For a long time, she wondered if there was something wrong with her.

It wasn't until she met the Doctor that Alex realized she had nothing to worry about. There was nothing wrong with her. She'd just been kissing all the wrong people. Her body was meant specifically for the Doctor and the Doctor alone. No one else could ever compare.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Her thoughts turned to her scintillating phone call with the Doctor last week. Alex's cheeks burned at the memory. The things he said! The things he did! Honestly, Alex still couldn't quite believe the whole thing actually happened. Phone sex with the Doctor! If someone had told her she would be engaging in such an activity with him when she first started traveling in the TARDIS, Alex would have laughed her head off. It would have seemed too unlikely. Impossible, even.

Fortunately, she thought with a smirk, it's very much possible. Though next time I'd rather leave the 'phone' part out of it.

Only thirteen days to go until she saw the Doctor again. Less than two weeks until she could properly kiss him again, as well as move things to the next step. . .

Her mind focused on these lovely thoughts, Alex almost didn't notice the very appropriate shop they were about to pass. The moment she did see it, she came to a quick stop. Spencer nearly slammed right into her, but Alex didn't pay him any attention. Her eyes were glued to the storefront, her brilliant mind suddenly recalling something she'd wondered a few months back after a much more innocent conversation with the Doctor. Would he like to see me in fancy lingerie?

It seemed this Victoria's Secret, with its hot pink awning and window displays of lacy undergarments and nightgowns, was the universe's way of saying yes.

Alex turned to Rani and Sky. "You two go on ahead to Waterstones, I'll catch up in a little bit."

Rani didn't need any encouragement. The smirk on Alex's face told her exactly why she wanted to go into Victoria's Secret. As much as Rani liked Alex, she really had no interest in helping her pick out pieces to excite the Doctor. Frankly, Rani didn't even want to think about them doing anything more than kissing. "No problem!" she smiled, quickly snatching Sky's hand. "Take your time!" With that, she bustled off down the sidewalk, hauling Sky in her wake.

Not that she escaped completely unscathed. The last thing Alex heard before they got out of earshot was Sky asking, "What's Victoria's Secret and why can't we go in there with Alex?"

Giggling, Alex turned to Spencer. Her giggles increased upon seeing the bright red spots on his neck and cheeks. "Maybe you should wait out here and finish your ice cream," Alex suggested through her laughter.

Spencer nodded quickly. While he didn't have a lot of experience in this area, it hadn't taken him very long to figure out what Alex was thinking. He was pretty sure anyone, even a total idiot, could have come to that conclusion fairly quickly. Didn't make this moment any less embarrassing though. "Yeah, yeah!" he cried, his voice a bit higher than normal. "I'll, I'll just. . ." He looked down at his ice-cream, which was starting to melt, as though it were his salvation. "I'll just finish this!"

Alex nodded slowly, her pursed lips twitching at the corners. "Good choice."

Despite the heavy foot traffic outside, Victoria's Secret was pretty quiet. The only people Alex spotted were a middle-aged woman checking out the Spanx section towards the back and the cashier, a young blonde woman not much older than Alex herself, dumping a bunch of change into the cash register. The interior was identical to the ones of every other lingerie shop Alex had been in. Tables were scattered around, piled high with various articles of undergarments. Mannequins modeled matching bra and panty sets, athleisure suits, and several racy negligees. Racks and drawers along the bubblegum pink walls housed more items of clothing while a large section near the register was devoted to various makeup and fragrance products.

Alex didn't know what she was looking for. She really didn't have any experience with this kind of lingerie. Her knowledge was limited to its appearances in romance novels (where they were inevitably torn off in the heat of passion) and the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Not that that was going to deter her.

For several minutes, Alex aimlessly browsed. While she wasn't sure what she was looking for, she was pretty sure she would know it when she saw it. Anything feather-trimmed was quickly dismissed, along with anything that looked painful to wear, such as G-strings and pasties. She bypassed several elaborate bra and panty sets. After all, the Doctor had expressed an admiration for her beloved black lace. No need to change that.

It wasn't until she was all the way at the back of the store, flipping through a clearance rack, that Alex saw a scrap of blue fabric. Specifically, TARDIS blue fabric.

Shoving a bunch of discount French knickers to the opposite end of the rack, Alex came face to face with a TARDIS blue slip-style nightgown. Its hem and neckline were trimmed in delicate black lace. When she held it against her body, she saw that the hem ended several inches above her knees. The perfect length. And, as though to reiterate that this was the garment for her, it was in her size.

Alex made quick work of checking out. Emerging into the bright sunlight, she found Spencer leaning against the side of the building, his expression perfectly bland. He was just tossing his empty cone into a trashcan when she came up to him.

He eyed the pink-striped bag in her hand. "Find something?" he asked, careful to keep his voice casual and his tone even instead of nervously high.

Alex chuckled. "Yes, but don't worry, I won't show you. I think you've been shocked enough today."

"Just a little," Spencer blushed, but he was smiling as he said it.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Ealing Broadway. The group ducked in and out of shops, sometimes buying stuff, but more often than not just browsing and chatting. Rani and Clyde discussed what they were majoring in when uni started (journalism for Rani, concept art for Clyde), Luke answered all of Alex's questions about Oxford (assuring her that the Bodleian Library was just as incredible as everyone said it was), and Sky became even more enthralled with Alex after the latter told her that she and the Doctor had actually helped to end the war between the Fleshkind and Metalkind.

Spencer, for his part, did his best to remain unobtrusive. While the kids and Alex's conversations were incredibly interesting, he was far more concerned with keeping a lookout for any unsavory or suspicious characters.

Mels, in particular, was high on his 'watch out for' list. While the UNIT operative tasked with following her had reported just a few hours earlier that Mels was busy with meetings, Spencer didn't put it past the psychopathic assassin to somehow slip out of France and back into England undetected. Truthfully, it was exactly what he was expecting to happen.

A more in-depth analysis of Mels' journal had revealed that she was well aware the events of Demons Run had already occurred for her parents. 'Mum's finally given birth to me!' was the exact phrase. In short, Mels knew the time for attacking the Doctor was nigh. When she returned to Leadworth, she would be on the lookout for him. The moment he appeared, she would strike. She would do just as she was programmed to do, uncaring of the devastation she would be bringing on her parents and Alex.

Spencer just prayed that UNIT could get to her first. Not just for the Doctor's sake, but for Alex's and Amy and Rory's.

Now, Spencer sat on the edge of the bed in Sarah Jane's guestroom, flipping through Alex's copy of Julia Quinn's The Duke and I. Just across from him, Alex was at the vanity, carefully curling her hair with Rani's borrowed curling iron.

"You sure you're not going a bit overboard?" Spencer asked as his eyes quickly scanned the page before him. Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, the Duke of Hastings, were concocting their scheme to pretend to be madly in love in order for Daphne to get better prospects and to get social-climbing young women and their pushy mothers off Simon's back. It wasn't Spencer's preferred reading, but he had to admit, he was really intrigued as to how the plot would play out.

Alex rolled her eyes at him in the vanity mirror. "No! I just want to make a good impression." Releasing a newly curled lock of hair, she carefully wrapped a few strands around the hot iron.

"It's one of the Doctor's former companions." Spencer flipped to the next chapter. "I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean you have to don a ballgown or anything."

"No," Alex acknowledged, releasing the newly curled hair, "but that doesn't mean I shouldn't go to the effort of looking nice."

Spencer frowned. "You looked nice today wearing shorts and a t-shirt. And you certainly made a good impression with Sky while wearing that." Setting the book aside, he fixed all his attention on Alex. "Alex, are you alright?"

Alex thought about denying it, but she knew Spencer would see right through it. Sighing, she set the curling iron down. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she turned round to face him. "It's just . . . I'm a little nervous."

Spencer blinked. Not what I was expecting to hear. Why the hell would a simple dinner with Sarah Jane and another of the Doctor's companions make Alex nervous? He asked Alex this.

Alex fiddled with her ring. Her gaze fell to the tattered Oriental rug beneath her feet. "Well," she said slowly, "I don't know if Sarah Jane told this person that I'm the Doctor's girlfriend and if she did. . .Well, it's not like he's had a lot of those, especially ones who are also companions. . ."

Recognition dawned. "I see," Spencer nodded. His worried expression turned gentle. "And you're worried that . . . what, they might not approve of you?"

Alex's cheeks flushed. "Kinda?" She let out a long, loud groan. "I mean, I know I don't need it, but at the same time. . ." She sighed once more and shrugged. "I want it? It's one of the Doctor's former companions. I don't want them to think I'm not . . . well, I guess, worthy of him."

What she didn't confide was the idea that if a former companion didn't approve of her, or thought she was lacking somehow, it was just possible the Doctor might become inclined to think the same thing. Utter bullshit, Alex knew, but the worry wouldn't leave her, no matter how hard she tried to push it aside.

Spencer smiled gently. "That could never happen, Alex. I've only known you about a month, but I think you're awesome. Hell, I was in awe of you before I even met you."

Alex snorted. "You're too sweet," she dismissed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!" Getting to his feet, Spencer strode across the room until he was standing right in front of Alex. He gripped her shoulders and tilted her slightly so that she was forced to look right up at him. His blue-gray eyes were steady, full of compassion and a determination to make her see sense. "Alex, you've been through circumstances I can't even begin to imagine, stuff that would cause most people to have a breakdown, but you stand taller because of it. Yes, you're nervous about the dark and crowds now, no one can blame you for that, but that doesn't stop you. Despite those perfectly natural fears, you won't let a dangerous cult or a crazed assassin who's already threatened you once intimidate you. You just push back and say, 'no, I'm not going to let you affect me anymore'." Spencer shook his head, eyes wide in awe. "Not many people could do that. Plus, you're incredibly compassionate. You've been there for Amy and Rory, you befriended Elsie when hardly anyone else would, you've been helping Archie with his crush on Elsie, and you still have time to be there for Arthur, Grace, George, and William. I could go on, but I think you get the point. You, Alex Locke, are an incredible person. No former companion could ever find a reason to think the opposite."

He grinned suddenly, his teeth gleaming almost as much as his eyes. "And if they do, well. . . Maybe, just maybe, they weren't entirely worthy of the Doctor and are just jealous."

By the end of this speech, Alex's honey-colored eyes were glimmering with tears. His last remark made her laugh, thankfully dissipating said tears. "Thank you, Spencer," she said softly. She hadn't realized Spencer thought so highly of her. His words hadn't quite vanquished her fears, but they did give her a much-needed confidence boost. And really, that was all she needed. Whatever happened next, she could handle.

Standing up a bit straighter, Alex stepped out of Spencer's grasp and back over to the vanity. She turned off and unplugged the curling iron. Almost all her hair was curled anyway. "How do I look?" she asked, doing a quick twirl.

Spencer studied her. While Alex had gone to the effort of curling her hair and dressing up a little, her outfit was still largely casual. She wore a long-sleeved black, white, pink, and gray floral cotton dress, a pair of strappy nude sandals with a two-inch heel, gold stud earrings, and her usual sonic necklace and ring. The crackle polish on her fingernails, as well as the blue toenail polish, both of which had been starting to chip, was gone, replaced by a pale pink borrowed from Sarah Jane's bathroom. The final touch was a dash of Cherry Bomb red across her lips.

"Fantastic. Although," Spencer added with a mischievous grin, "Sarah Jane might get jealous. She'll probably still be wearing jeans."

"A risk I'm willing to take," Alex laughed. Sobering, she said, a touch guiltily, "Though I still feel bad you weren't invited."

Spencer shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about me. I think Sarah Jane just wanted to have you forget everything for a while. Your bodyguard being there wouldn't accomplish that."

"Still. . ."

"No, really, the kids and I have it all planned out. We're ordering pizza and hanging out in the attic." Indeed, Spencer really didn't seem to mind being excluded from Sarah Jane's dinner. His whole face was lit up in excitement. "They promised to tell me about some of their adventures with Sarah Jane if I tell them about UNIT."

Alex chuckled. The kids had been pretty interested to learn Spencer was a member of UNIT. Only the fact that he was meant to be guarding her had prevented them from peppering him with questions all afternoon. "Going to try and recruit them?"

Spencer adopted a casual manner. "Well, if they want to know the particulars of being recruited, I'm honor-bound to answer," he said with no small amount of forced modesty.

"Okay," Alex laughed. "You have fun. Tell me everything later."

"So long as you tell me everything about this mystery guest." Spencer held out his pinky. "Swear?"

Alex linked her pinky with his. "Swear."

With that settled, Spencer flopped down on the bed. "What time is the mystery guest arriving?"

Alex glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 5:32 PM. "Here within the next few minutes, actually. I'd better get downstairs and see if Sarah Jane needs any help."

Spencer took up The Duke and I again. "Go on. Rani and Clyde aren't supposed to come back here till six thirty. Besides, I wanna see what happens with Daphne and Simon."

"You're invested, huh?"

"Not my usual taste, I admit, but it's surprisingly good. Isn't this the one Elsie recommended to you?"

"Yeah, the Bridgerton series is one of her favorites. So far, so good, though she did warn me there's a controversial love scene in the latter half." Alex grimaced. It was a trope all too common in these kinds of romances and she couldn't stand it. She was hoping that Elsie's reassurances about the rest of the series being unproblematic and better proved true.

Spencer grimaced as well. Why authors thought instances of marital rape or dubious consent to be romantic was beyond him. "When I read it, I'll let you know how bad it is."

"Thanks." Then, bidding Spencer good-bye, Alex headed downstairs.

Sure enough, just as Spencer had predicted, Sarah Jane was dressed much more casually than Alex, wearing a gauzy peasant blouse and jeans. Her only jewelry consisted of a matching necklace and earrings made of multi-colored African tribal beads. She was just pulling a steaming chicken lasagna out of the oven when Alex entered.

"Oh, wow!" Sarah Jane gasped upon catching sight of her. "You look lovely, Alex. Although," she chuckled, "might be putting me to shame a bit."

"Never," Alex said with a shake of her head. "You look great, too, Sarah Jane. I just . . . wanted to look my best for this guest, that's all." Her focus went to the lasagna as Sarah Jane set it on the counter to cool. Alex's nose twitched appreciatively. "That smells amazing, by the way."

"Tastes amazing, too." Sarah Jane tugged off her flowery oven mitts and set them to the side. "It's one of our guest's favorites, especially when paired with some excellent wine, which he should be bringing."

"Sounds perfect." Alex surveyed the dining area tucked just off the kitchen. The table had already been set and exquisitely so. A lacy white tablecloth had been draped over the smooth wooden surface and was covered with bluebell patterned china dishes. A vase of bluebells and sunflowers sat right in the middle, bookended on either side by dark blue tapered candles. In addition, the large window sitting directly over the table had been opened, allowing the summer evening breeze to gently flutter in. "I wish you had let me help you get everything ready," Alex said as Sarah Jane carried a bowl of freshly prepared salad to the table.

"Nonsense. You're my guest. Besides," she added, a twinkle appearing in her eyes, "you've told me too many horror stories on your attempts at cooking."

Alex chuckled, hardly bothered by Sarah Jane's words. It was the truth, after all. She just wasn't very good in the kitchen, despite multiple attempts to try and rectify this. It was only by the grace of God and a very talented partner that helped Alex pass the cooking unit in home-ec sophomore year. "Okay, fair point. But is there anything I can help with other than cooking?"

Just as Sarah Jane opened her mouth to respond, the doorbell rang. She grinned. "Go and answer that, perhaps?"

Alex desperately tried to ignore the pounding of her hearts as she walked to the door. Honestly, this was no big deal! She shouldn't be working herself up like this. She had met previous companions before, albeit not in such casual circumstances. Her meetings with Sarah Jane, Jo, and Jack and the Torchwood team had all been tempered by the fact that there was something distinctly alien going on. Any initial impressions or judgements were put on the back-burner while dealing with whatever problem or threat had presented itself. Not the case here, but again, there was no reason for her to be so nervous.

Still, try as she might to reassure herself, as well as remember Spencer's bolstering speech from earlier, Alex's hearts continued to pound erratically as she opened the door.

Alex wasn't sure who she'd expected to see standing on the doorstep. It definitely wasn't who she found.

A large elderly man with white hair, mustache, and beard stood before her. His clothing was typical English country attire: white collared shirt, deep blue tie, blue sweater vest, tweed jacket and slacks, and a beige flat-cap on his head. In one hand, he held a walking stick. In the other was a bottle of wine Alex recognized as belonging to a very popular, very expensive brand.

The man's dark eyes appraised her carefully. Alex, doing her best not to squirm, realized that despite his appearance, this man's mind was far from sedentary. In fact, she was quite positive that this man could be counted on in a crisis and had probably handled more than one in his heyday.

After a full minute of the man studying her, his face suddenly broke out into a grin. "Miss Smith did say that you were lovely. How do you do, Miss Locke?"

The pounding in her chest subsided a bit. Alex offered the man a small smile. "Very well, thank you, Mr. . .?"

The man straightened to attention, and Alex got the sense that he had once been a member of the military. "Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart," he said proudly. "They did give me a knighthood, but I do my best to ignore it."

Alex's jaw dropped. Holy shit! Thank God I dressed up! She knew exactly who this man was. He figured in so many of the Doctor's stories and was someone the Doctor always spoke of highly. "You're Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart!" she gasped. Her wide eyes started rapidly changing colors; honey shifted into light green, then chocolate brown, then topaz in less than a second.

The Brigadier watched this kaleidoscopic performance with intense interest. "Goodness," he murmured. "Sarah Jane said your eyes changed colors, though she didn't specify that they did it so quickly."

Alex forced out a laugh. "Yeah," she said, her voice coming out a little breathless. But really, who could blame her? She was face to face with the Brigadier! Truly, this was the last person she thought she'd be meeting tonight. Not that she was complaining. "They do that. Family trait on my mother's side." Then, remembering that the Brigadier was still standing on the doorstep, as well as spotting Rani's mother peeking out the window across the street, Alex forced herself to focus. "Please come in!" she cried, quickly stepping aside. "And I'll take the wine."

The Brigadier handed off the bottle and, leaning heavily on his stick, stepped into the house. Alex observed his heavy gate as he walked past her and headed towards the kitchen. While the Brigadier didn't seem to be straining himself too badly, his face was pale and his breathing a bit heavy.

He's not doing too well, Alex thought. Her excitement now dimmed a bit, she shut the door and made her way back to the kitchen.

She found the Brigadier and Sarah Jane hugging. "Oh, it's wonderful to see you!" Sarah Jane enthused. Pulling back from the hug, she caught Alex's gaze. "Well, Alex, how did I do with the surprise?"

Despite the somber realization of the Brigadier's health, Alex managed a joyful smile. Really, she shouldn't be so down. This was a thrilling surprise. Just wait until the Doctor heard about it! "Really well!" she laughed. "I'm definitely surprised!"

"You didn't tell the girl I was coming?" The Brigadier chuckled and shook his head. "No wonder she looked so gobsmacked at the door. She was probably expecting some young thing."

"Oh, no!" Alex cried, shaking her head rapidly. "No, no, this is much better, Brigadier. Really."

The Brigadier gave her an indulging smile. "My dear, I haven't been a brigadier in years. Please, call me Alistair."

Alex smiled broadly as her worries about tonight disappeared. "Okay. . . Alistair."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Oh, he was wonderful, Doc!" As she usually did now when talking to the Doctor at night, Alex pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back into the pillows stacked against the headboard. It was a poor substitute for the Doctor's chest, but it would do for now. And even though he wasn't physically here, it didn't damper her excitement. "So nice!" she enthused, her eyes shining in remembrance. "He wanted to know all about me, how I met you, our travels, everything!"

The Doctor chuckled warmly. "Doesn't surprise me. Alistair could be an absolute charmer when he really wanted to be. And of course you'd be the one to bring it out in him."

Alex blushed. "Well," she said modestly, "I'm sure Sarah Jane contributed to that. They're very comfortable with one another, being old friends and all."

"Oh, I'm sure Sarah Jane brought out his charm as well, but I daresay it was mostly down to you, Ally girl." There was no missing the pride in his voice. "You just have that effect on people."

Her cheeks reddened even further, though she wasn't displeased by his assertion. "Thanks, Doc," she murmured. She took a few moments to bask in the warmth of his praise before getting back on topic. "You should know," she said slowly, her tone turning a bit impish, "Alistair told me a lot of funny stories about you."

"He exaggerates!" the Doctor said quickly.

"Oh, really? Was he exaggerating about the time you called him a pompous, self-opinionated idiot, then tried to use the TARDIS console to leave UNIT forever, only to end up in a dumpster a few yards away?"

The Doctor's silence answered that question. Alex nodded satisfactorily. "I thought so."

"Oh, well. . . He started it!"

"That's not the way he tells it!"

As the Doctor grumbled under his breath, Alex glanced at the bedside clock. It was almost midnight now. Alistair had left hours ago, followed shortly after by Clyde and Rani. Sarah Jane, Luke, and Sky were all tucked into their beds while Spencer was conked out on the living room couch. That left Alex to keep herself entertained until morning, but that wouldn't be hard. She was somewhat of an expert now at keeping herself occupied during the midnight hours. Tonight, her plans included reading a steamy romance novel and having a long phone conversation with her boyfriend (or other yet-to-be-determined term).

Naturally, the first thing she'd done was call the Doctor, eager to tell him all about Alistair's visit.

Alex could honestly say that tonight's dinner was one of the best she'd ever had. And it wasn't just because of the food (though that was part of it). The company had been absolutely stellar. All throughout the meal and several after-dinner glasses of wine, Alistair kept her consistently entertained with stories about the Doctor, some of which Alex had never heard before. Alistair told her about his first encounter with the Doctor, a particularly thrilling story involving robotic Yeti in the London Underground, and something called the Great Intelligence. It was actually this event that spurred the creation of UNIT. And even though he tried to play it off as a huge, international effort, Alex got the impression that Alistair was the one most responsible for forming UNIT.

But the conversation didn't solely revolve around the Doctor. Alistair had updated the women on his life, happily showing off photos of his wife Doris, daughter Kate, and two grandchildren, Gordon and Lila. He and Sarah Jane discussed gardening, both complaining about how difficult it was to prune roses year-round. Sarah Jane bragged about Luke's achievements at Oxford and how Sky was quickly adapting to life on Earth. Alex told them stories about Kendra's antics at the library (both found the Mummy Laid an Egg incident to be positively hilarious, Sarah Jane nearly spitting out her wine at one point) and how Earnest production was going. She even talked about Amy and Rory a little, though she tried not to go into too much detail. The last thing she wanted was to bring up the whole Melody/Mels/River fiasco.

However, to her total shock, Alistair was already aware of it, demonstrating so when he asked how Amy and Rory were coping.

"My daughter, Kate," he said apologetically. "She's actually head of UNIT now."

"You mean. . . She's the Chief Stewart Spencer's been reporting to?"

Alistair nodded. "The very same." He smiled widely, the kind of smile only a proud parent could make. "She dropped the 'Lethbridge' when she started there. Said she didn't want any special treatment." The satisfied nod he gave at this indicated he was quite pleased with his daughter's decision.

As he was already well aware of the insane situation, Alex was spared from having to give excruciating details. Nor did Alistair ask for them. All he'd asked from her was that if there was anything he could do to help, she and the Doctor give him a call. It had touched Alex more than she could say. Though she wasn't about to let it get to that point. While she had no doubt Alistair could still give his all in an otherworldly situation, it was abundantly clear that his health wouldn't permit it for much longer.

"He's not doing well, is he?" Alex murmured as she and Sarah Jane tidied up. They had just finished seeing Alistair to his car, having been picked up by his wife. Alex hadn't missed his labored steps or how pale his face was by the time he was settled into the car.

Sarah Jane bit her lip. "No," she whispered. Taking a deep breath, she added, still in a soft voice, "He had a stroke a few months back. Nothing serious, but the doctors say it could happen again and if so, it would be much more severe. There's been talk that he might have to go into a nursing home soon."

Alex sighed wearily. She really didn't want to spring this on the Doctor, not when he was already dealing with so much. But Alistair was one of his oldest friends. He deserved to know before it was too late. "Doc?"

The Doctor must have sensed her change in tone for his grumblings immediately ceased. "Alex?" he called worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Alex let out another sigh. Here goes nothing. "There's no easy way to tell you this, but I think you should know." Taking care to speak gently, she relayed what Sarah Jane had told her.

The Doctor was silent for a long time. Alex didn't try to encourage him into conversation, instead giving him time to process. She knew this wasn't easy for him to hear. He didn't like being reminded of how much frailer his companions were compared to him, the fact that they would all die someday while he'd still be in the TARDIS, fighting injustice and causing trouble for centuries to come. Alex suspected he actively chose not to think about it, saving it for the times he was forcibly reminded of it. Like now.

Alex bit her lip as she heard small sniffles echoing down the line. What I wouldn't give to be there with him. . . "I'm sorry, Doc," she murmured. She bit down harder on her lip to keep it from trembling and fought back the tears trying to form. "I . . . I think maybe you should visit him, before. . ."

"Yeah," he said, so softly Alex almost had to strain to hear him. "That would be a good idea. I, I don't. . ."

Alex smiled sadly. "You don't like endings, I know."

"No," he confirmed sullenly. "But Alistair. . . He deserves a proper goodbye from me."

Alex nodded. "That he does."

"Ally, would you . . . would you come with me when I visit?" Amazingly, the Doctor sounded a bit timid, like a little boy asking for an expensive toy he knew his family couldn't afford. Did he honestly think she would actually say no?

Better nip that in the bud. "Of course," Alex swore. "Cross both my hearts." And even though he couldn't see her, she did just that.

"Thank you, Ally," he whispered after a long, relieved sigh. "I just. . . I, I don't want to be alone."

"I understand that." Then, in an effort to put some much-needed light in the conversation, she added rather cheekily, "Won't be a problem, since he clearly likes me. Maybe even more than you."

"Oi!" the Doctor cried, but he laughed anyway, just as Alex had hoped. "Actually, you're probably not wrong. What did I say once? That you two would get on like a house on fire?"

"And we do!" Alex chirped.

He chuckled. "That you do." He paused for a moment. When he spoke again, his words were laced with wistfulness. "I've always hoped this day wouldn't come. I prevented it once, though obviously it technically never occurred now. . ."

Alex's brow furrowed. "How so?"

"Well, he'd been diagnosed with a terminal disease, but I managed to cure him and restore his youth. 'Course, this was only after we finally got done dealing with Benny's wedding and the Master's attempt to ruin it all."

"Benny Summerfield, you mean?"

"The very same. I really need to introduce you to her someday. Another person you'd get along with. Anyway, as if trying to stop the Master wasn't bad enough, I was running around a village trying to organize this massive wedding and keep the UNIT vets and the Ice Warriors from getting into another bar brawl by forming a cricket team—"

Alex's jaw dropped. Had she heard all of that correctly? "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Doc, did you say there was a bar fight between UNIT members and a bunch of Ice Warriors? And the Master was there? You'd better start at the beginning. . ."

Forget The Duke and I, Alex thought, casting a quick glance at the novel as the Doctor launched into what would undoubtedly be a wild tale. This is a story worth hearing!

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 19th, 2011

Why, why, why did I agree to come to this?

It took Alex less than a minute to remember the answer. Oh, right, because Amy and Rory all but got down on their hands and knees and begged me.

It had been hard to resist such pathetic pleading. Now, however, Alex was wishing she'd had the strength to tune them out and walk away.

Truly, the Pond family reunion wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Leaning against a large oak tree, clutching a bottle of Peroni to her chest, Alex surveyed Augustus and Tabetha Pond's backyard. Just like at Amy and Rory's anniversary party, the place was packed, though the guests this time consisted of various extended members of the Pond family, as well as a few Westwood relations on Tabetha's side. More people than Alex could count rambled across the grass, occasionally threatening to trample through Tabetha's pristine tulip beds. Most of the Pond relations were red-headed, making it next to impossible to pick Amy out in the crowd.

After several minutes of looking, Alex finally spotted her by one of the many picnic tables set up on the patio to hold food and drink. Amy, looking utterly resplendent in a forest green romper, gold gladiator sandals, and her hair pulled back in a braid, was laughing with a group of Westwood cousins. Just a few feet away, Rory was similarly laughing with Amy's cousin Mitchell. Mitchell, as seemed to be his custom at family gatherings, was already three sheets to the wind. This, admittedly, made being in his presence a lot more tolerable. Mitchell was one of those people who became remarkably funny when drunk.

Alex took a sip of Peroni. It wasn't her usual drink of choice, but the bar, run by Amy's cousin Rachel's husband, was sorely lacking in alcohol. The only offerings were a few varieties of beer and several wine coolers. Alex was sure some of the younger cousins had brought the good stuff with them (she'd seen Amy's cousins Rebecca and Olive by their car, pouring what looked like Crown into their Coke bottles) but so far, no one had offered her any. She supposed that wasn't surprising though. The few Pond cousins she knew she didn't get along with. The rest knew her vaguely as Amy and Rory's friend and only gave her passing greetings, along with expressions indicating their bewilderment at her being here.

Truthfully, Alex was also bewildered on why she was here. She'd known about the Pond family reunion for months, as it was a day Amy and Rory had been dreading ever since brunch with Augustus and Tabetha back in June. This would be yet another occasion where the Ponds would face the children question from plenty of excited, nosy relatives. It was a question they'd come to dread after Demons Run but now, knowing who and what Mels was? It was one that easily threatened to send both Ponds into a breakdown.

Hence asking Alex to come along. They didn't want her to run interference or anything like that. No, they just wanted her there for moral support. Alex understood that. Having someone there who knew exactly what they were going through was bound to be a form of comfort, something she was more than happy to provide.

Yet they'd been here for two hours already and neither Pond had sought her out. If any baby questions had been asked, Amy and Rory hadn't been too troubled by them. Instead, they'd simply done what most people did at family reunions; laughed and hugged with seldom seen relatives, gossiped over family matters with the younger members, ate too much food, and drank way too much.

And that left Alex on the outside.

Not that Alex was begrudging them. On the contrary, she was ecstatic Amy and Rory were having a good time. After returning from Sarah Jane's Monday morning, she'd found the Ponds still a bit melancholy, but much better than she'd left them. They had even gone back to work. Rory was happy to report one of the hospital's coma patients whose form had been used by Prisoner Zero had woken up while Amy shared all the gossip from last Saturday's book club (carefully editing out any salacious comments made about the Doctor and Claudia).

Now, it seemed the Ponds had completely shaken off that melancholy, at least for now. Alex was confident something would happen to make it reappear (like Mels coming back to town) but for now, she was happy to enjoy the reprieve.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean she was content to be here, at a reunion for a family she wasn't related to. More than once, Alex had considered simply slipping away. But that would be rude. Marigold hadn't raised her to be rude. So, she'd just have to suck it up.

It probably would have been better if Spencer were here. They could have continued geeking out over Alistair's surprise appearance last Saturday. Spencer had managed to meet him briefly after running downstairs to pay the pizza delivery guy. Her poor bodyguard nearly fainted upon being greeted by the legendary UNIT vet, forcing Alex to hastily grab the food before Spencer could drop it. The next morning over breakfast, Spencer and the kids took turns grilling her, all while Sarah Jane chuckled in the background.

Yes, it would be nice if Spencer was here. Unfortunately, he was currently stuck at the boarding house, giving UNIT another progress report. No luck there.

Just as Alex was contemplating slipping away again, Amy's cousin Rebecca suddenly appeared in front of her. She gave Alex a smile that would have fooled absolutely no one. "Alex," she drawled in a faux caring tone, "what're you doing all by your lonesome?"

Alex pursed her lips. "Oh, just hanging out, Becky. Surveying the party. You?" Never let it be said I can't be civil.

"Oh, just looking for a private spot." Rebecca swirled the contents of her red solo cup, doing her best to act nonchalant. "Ricky and I have been dying to be alone after that three-hour car ride."

Alex hummed, hoping it was noncommittal enough that it wouldn't express her disgust. When she'd told Rory's friend, Ricky the Sleaze, that Rebecca liked him back at the wedding as part of a revenge scheme against the latter, she hadn't thought anything would come of it. But apparently, her matchmaking skills worked even when she wasn't consciously using them. Ricky and Rebecca had hit it off and had spent the past year successfully maintaining a long-distance relationship. Ricky would drive the three hours to and from Rebecca's home in Southport every weekend while the rest of the week consisted of phone calls and Skype dates. They'd even gone on vacation to Paris earlier this summer. Apparently, the saying 'opposites attract' wasn't quite true, at least in Ricky and Rebecca's case.

Alex just hoped that if Ricky and Rebecca ever got married, she wouldn't be forced to attend the wedding.

"Too bad you don't have anyone," Rebecca said with a barely hidden smirk. "Not really your crowd here. No one to talk to or have a shag in the shrubbery with."

"For your information, Rebecca," Alex said coolly, her copper eyes narrowing, "I do have a boyfriend. Cast your mind back to Amy's wedding and think about who I danced with there."

Sure enough, Rebecca's face paled at the reminder of her cousin's not-so-imaginary-friend. Alex had no doubt that Rebecca teased Amy mercilessly about her 'Raggedy Doctor' when they were kids, so this was a nice bit of revenge.

Not that it lasted long. After a few moments spent taking long gulps of her drink, Rebecca regained her composure. She smirked down at Alex, an easy task to do in her three-inch espadrilles. "Not here though, is he?" Not giving Alex a chance to respond, she added, "Really, Alex, I don't know why you're still here. I mean, it's not like this is your family reunion." Taking another sip of her drink, Rebecca muttered around the rim, "As if you've ever been to one."

Alex didn't quite remember dumping her half full bottle on Rebecca. One second, she was dry, smirking around her cup. The next second, her hair and knockoff Vera Wang blouse were soaked in cheap beer, and she was howling worse than a banshee. Someone hearing the wild shrieks would have thought Alex had stabbed her rather than dumped a drink on her. The expressions on some people's faces as everyone turned to see what was going on suggested they thought this was exactly what had occurred.

"Alex, you bitch!" Rebecca screamed. She attempted to fling the remnants of her own drink at Alex, but the latter had already stormed off.

Breathing heavily, Alex stomped through the woods backing up onto the Pond property. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she refused to let them fall. Not yet, at least.

After arriving in Leadworth, Amy had given her a tour of these woods. They were known locally as Gordon Wood, due to the fact that the Pond property had previously been inhabited by Colonel James Gordon and his family for several generations. Gordon Wood was pretty small, as far as woods went, only extending about half a mile in either direction. It also wasn't particularly gloomy. Sunshine filtered through the trees, casting the area in a warm summer evening glow. Crickets chirped all around and Alex vaguely spotted a squirrel rushing up a nearby apple tree. As a child, Amy had spent hours out here, pretending she was the Raggedy Doctor fighting the vicious monsters that inhabited the wood. She'd even made a few drawings of these games. Alex's favorite showed the Doctor fighting what looked like the mythical Cerberus, having abandoned its post at the gates of the Underworld to terrorize the living inhabitants of Leadworth.

Aside from being a place to fight imaginary monsters, Gordon Wood also served as the site of Amy's old swing set. She'd received it shortly after moving to Leadworth, a sort of I'm-sorry-we-abruptly-moved-from-Scotland-to-this-tiny-village-in-England present from her parents. If it had been meant to soften little Amelia's feelings about being forced to move, it didn't work. According to Amy, the swing set had been abandoned after about five minutes of playing with it. And so it had sat, steadily growing rust year after year, until Amy pointed it out to Alex.

Alex, who had always loved swinging, was appalled by its condition, and immediately set out to improve it. She'd used most of her first library paycheck to buy rust remover, wire brushes, and new paint. It had taken almost a week to scrape all the rust off, then a whole Saturday was spent painting it, then she had to go out and get two new sets of chain links, but Alex thought it was time well spent. The swing set had never been better, and it quickly became custom for Alex to come out here with a book on long summer afternoons and just swing gently as she read.

If only that were the case today, Alex thought wearily.

After a few minutes of walking, Alex finally came across the bright red swing set, carefully nestled between two huge oak trees. Tears still threatening to spill over, she stumbled down into the righthand seat.

The moment she sat down, the tears finally poured out.

As much as she desperately wanted to deny it, Rebecca was right. She'd never been to one of her own family reunions. There had never been a Locke family reunion, or even a Docherty one. Alex knew she had some family in New York, but as far as she remembered, she'd never met them. Nor did they seem keen to meet her. Alex was fine with this (why bother getting to know family who had never bothered to send you so much as a birthday card?) but she couldn't deny that it stung a bit. As far as she was aware, the Locke family in NYC and Carla were her only living relatives. Her mother had been an only child. She wasn't sure about Docherty aunts, uncles, or cousins. If she had any, they'd taken a page out of the Locke family playbook.

Sniffling, Alex pondered how little she knew about her extended relations. She had no idea if there were any other grandparents living. She had no idea if there was a horde of cousins out there. She would like if there was. She'd always been jealous of Lacey's seemingly endless sprawl of cousins, all of whom Lacey was close with. Cousins, in Alex's opinion, were the closest an only child could get to siblings.

That was another thing she'd always wanted: siblings. She didn't need a lot, maybe one or two. If she could choose, Alex would have liked an older brother or a twin sister. TV shows always made it seem like siblings were constantly fighting with each other, but Alex was confident that wasn't the case. She liked to think that she and her imaginary siblings never would have fought. Or, if they did, it would be over something silly and quickly forgiven, like someone borrowing a sweater without asking or forgetting to get milk on the way home from school. At any rate, it would have been nice to have someone who knew just as well as her what a pain in the ass Carla could be, someone who knew this because, like Alex, they lived with it.

Alex wiped at her eyes. The tears were still pouring down and they didn't seem like they would stop anytime soon. Crying twice in less than a week, she thought sourly. How freaking pathetic.

She wiped at her eyes again, then rubbed the dampness off on her jean shorts, paired with a sleeveless knotted black crop top, the shawl Lacey had sent her last month, white Converse, a pair of gold, heart shaped earrings studded with red gems, and black rope bracelets threaded with gold sequins.

As she continued to cry, Alex's thoughts drifted away from imaginary siblings and back towards family she didn't know. Specifically, the one person she really wished to know, or at least their identity.

That mysterious Time Lord ancestor, the one responsible for her brilliant mind and the little bit of Time Lord DNA that enabled her to survive and adapt to Kovarian's butchering.

Who was this mysterious ancestor? The Doctor was pretty sure it was one of the Time Lord renegades as, according to him, no proper Time Lord in their right mind would ever lay with a human (which had prompted Alex to smirk and say that for her sake, she hoped he never got into a right mind). Unfortunately, this didn't quite narrow it down. Apparently, Gallifrey had produced quite the number of renegades. The Time Lords had even constructed their own prison planet to house the more notorious ones. Had her Time Lord ancestor been locked up in Shada? No doubt the Time Lords would consider reproducing with a human to be a massive crime.

But Alex didn't have answers. She probably wouldn't get any either. All Time Lords barring the Doctor were dead. The Doctor had explained that the criminals housed in Shada had been released during a particularly brutal part of the Time War. They had been offered pardons in exchange for fighting. None of them lived long enough to see one. There was no way to get any DNA to compare to hers. Whoever her Time Lord ancestor had been, they would forever remain a mystery.

Yet another part of my family tree I don't know. Such a realization caused a fresh crop of tears to form.

Her breath shuddering with newfound sobs, Alex tilted her head back and stared up at the golden sky. It would be sunset soon. As much as Alex wanted to stay out here until the end of the party, she wasn't quite ready to be out at night by herself. Sooner or later, she'd have to head back and face everyone.

But until that moment arrived, she could stay right here, watching the steadily approaching sunset. It was actually quite peaceful, listening to a bird chirping somewhere overhead while watching the sky slowly turn darker. The brilliant gold was softened in places by a light pink. A bit of blue could even be seen in some spots. Several puffy clouds drifted by, their normally white appearance momentarily changed into a color just a few shades lighter than the rest of the sky.

Wonder if the sky was like this on Gallifrey? Alex mused. She had seen plenty of alien skies in her travels, each one more different than the last. One had been an utterly delectable shade of purple, another a bright neon green with pink clouds. Amazing sights, just some of the countless out there, but it wasn't until now that Alex realized there was one sky she would never see.

Alex's brow furrowed. What had Gallifrey been like? Obviously, the inhabitants had left something to be desired, but that didn't mean Gallifrey as a whole was bad. What did it look like? The Doctor had given her a few descriptions, namely two suns, a red sky, and red grass, but not much else. Alex had respected his reluctance to divulge at the time, but now she wanted to know more. And not just descriptions of the scenery, but everything. Considering she was descended from a native of that planet, she felt like she had a right to know.

What had life been like on Gallifrey? Were there movies and TV? A Gallifreyan version of them? What did a person study at the Academy? The Doctor had named a few subjects, but Alex was sure there were many more. How long did one attend the Academy? Centuries, probably, but Alex wanted confirmation. Was there a uniform? For that matter, what did Time Lords typically wear? Did they all wear wacky outfits like the Doctor's various incarnations or was there a more standardized form of clothing? What kind of jobs were there? Did Time Lords have banks and hospitals and restaurants like Earth, or did they have much more efficient systems in place? What did one typically eat on Gallifrey? Were there foods unique to the planet that were now gone? What about animals? And plants?

So many questions! So little answers.

So caught up in these thoughts, Alex almost didn't realize her tears had dried. Wiping away the last bit of wetness, she dug around in her pocket for a compact. She was almost sure she'd packed one and she needed to fix her face before she went back to the reunion. . .

Her fingers didn't hit a compact, but they did hit her Blackberry.

Alex paused, considering. Would the Doctor answer her questions? Should she even bother to ask? Gallifrey, like past companions, was a sensitive subject for him. There was only so much you could ask about either one before he declared that he was done talking.

But it's me. Alex knew she was different from past companions. Hell, she couldn't really be called a 'companion' anymore. She was far more than a simple traveling buddy to the Doctor. Had been from the day they met. Which meant . . . maybe if she brought up Gallifrey and the Time Lords, he wouldn't react to it the same way he did when others tried.

Besides, she was still upset. Even if she didn't get all the answers she was looking for, Alex knew just hearing the Doctor's voice would cheer her up.

He picked up halfway through the first ring.

"Ally?" he called, a bit befuddled. "Is that reunion over already? With how Pond is in getting ready, I didn't think the rest of her family would be much different in spending a lot of time on something."

Alex giggled. "No, it's still going on, but, um. . ."

She could practically see him sitting up straight, eyebrows rocketing up to his hairline. "Alex, what's wrong?" he demanded, his voice a cross between panicked and worried.

"It's just. . ." Letting out a long sigh, Alex figured there was nothing to do but plunge straight into it. "Remember Amy's cousin Rebecca? From the wedding?"

She imagined the Doctor's brow furrowing. "Vaguely," he said slowly. "Was she a tall blonde with very sharp cheekbones? Bit reminiscent of a shark?"

"I've never thought of her like that, but now that you mention it, she does remind me a bit of a shark. But yes."

"The one who called you a 'shallow American Barbie'?"

"Yep, same person."

"What did she do?" he asked, his tone turning dark.

"She said some stuff about how I really didn't belong at the reunion, because it wasn't my family reunion, and then. . ." Alex winced, remembering those horrid, mumbled words.

"And then?" the Doctor prodded, still with that dark tone.

She took a deep breath before replying. "Then she said, 'as if you've ever been to one'."

The Doctor sucked in a breath. "That, that, that little. . ." He continued to sputter for a few moments, trying and failing to search for a better word than the most obvious.

But unlike her boyfriend, Alex wasn't averse to saying it. "That little bitch," she finished. She let out a half-hearted laugh. "Honestly, I don't see how she's related to Amy."

"Oh, Ally. . ." The Doctor's voice was soft now, no hint of its previous darkness. Alex relished in his gentleness, letting it wash over her like a cool spring mist. "I'm so sorry, love. That's horrible. And yes, I can't imagine someone like that being related to Pond." His tone turned thoughtful, and Alex pictured him rubbing his chin. "Maybe adopted?"

"Close. Amy told me she and her sister were conceived via sperm donors, but they don't know that. And anyway, they are blood-related to Amy through their mom. But if it makes you feel better, Doc, I did dump my drink on her."

There was a long pause as the Doctor processed this. Then, a low snicker, closely followed by howling laughter. "You dumped a drink on her?!" he cried through incredulous laughter.

Breaking out into a grin, Alex said through her own giggles, "Yep! Oh, Doc, you should have seen her. Shrieking like a scalded cat! Everyone probably thought I stabbed her the way she was going." The reminder that her actions were undoubtedly being discussed back at the reunion sobered Alex. Her cheeks flushed. She really didn't care what people thought of her but at the same time, she did like to make a good impression. Dumping a drink on Rebecca, even if she deserved it, was not a good impression.

The Doctor must have sensed her thoughts the moment her giggles ceased for he said, "Ally, love, please don't worry about what anyone else thinks. You don't even know most of the people there tonight, right?"

Even though she knew he couldn't see her, Alex nodded. "Right."

"And those you do know. . . Well, you're not really going to see much of them soon, right?"

This brought a smile to Alex's face. "Right," she said softly, her free hand going up to play with her necklace. "Seven days and counting. Only a week."

She could hear the Doctor's grin as he spoke. "Only a week," he echoed. "Focus on that, love. Then instead of attending family reunions, I'll take you to Earnest's opening night, followed by some dancing. How's the Cotton Club in December 1927? Duke Ellington ran the house band then. I admit, you won't much like the club itself – horrendously racist décor and stereotypical depictions of African Americans – but the music is a lovely distraction."

Alex's smile widened. "Sounds like a plan, Doc."

"Excellent! And until then, remember, Ally, Amy and Rory will undoubtedly be on your side tonight."

"True." There wasn't much love lost between Amy and Rebecca. Rory certainly didn't care for her. Alex was confident that both Ponds would be up in arms upon learning what Rebecca had said. Though that did beg the question of where they were now. It'd been at least an hour since Alex left. Surely Rebecca wasn't still kicking up a fuss?

Alex rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? Of course Rebecca was still kicking up a fuss.

"Where are the Ponds right now? In fact, where are you? Not still at the reunion, surely?"

"First question? Don't know. Probably still at the reunion, listening to Rebecca carry on. Second question? I'm at Amy's old swing set right now. It's a little ways away in the woods."

"You didn't just go home?"

"No, I thought about it, but that would just be rude." Alex chuckled ruefully. "I think I've been rude enough for one night."

"Dumping a drink on someone after they insinuate you've never attended a family reunion because you're an orphan is hardly rude. If anything, it's justified."

"To you and me, maybe," Alex sighed, "but probably not to Rebecca and her family and everyone else there."

The Doctor sounded rather petulant as he muttered, "True."

There was silence for a few moments. Alex looked up at the sky. There was significantly less gold and pink now, replaced by a dark purple that bordered on black in some spots. Sunset was rapidly approaching. Almost time to go back. Actually, if she wanted to beat the darkness, she should probably get going now.

Alex remained seated. She didn't want to go anywhere. Besides, she still needed to ask the Doctor about Gallifrey, or at least see if he was willing to answer questions on the subject.

Swallowing nervously, she said, "Hey, Doc?"

"Hmm?"

"Rebecca's comment, horrible as it was, got me thinking." Alex spoke slowly, not wanting to find herself rambling as she had when she asked about being intimate with him. This was too delicate a topic to go off into nonsensical babbling. "I mean, she's right. I've never been to a family reunion. It got me thinking about all the family I don't know, and then that got me thinking about my Time Lord ancestor and then that—"

She was surprised when the Doctor abruptly cut her off. "And that got you thinking about Gallifrey? What it was like?"

Alex nibbled her bottom lip. It was hard to discern the Doctor's tone. He didn't sound upset, but he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic either. Somewhere in the middle, maybe. "Well, yes. I am descended from there, after all."

"Yes," the Doctor sighed, long and low. "That's true." He was silent for a moment, then said, softly and gently, "I'm perfectly willing to answer whatever you want to know, Alex. I rather suspected you would get curious sooner or later, even started pulling books for you to look at. But, um, do you mind if we put a rain check on it, at least till you get back?"

"Of course not," Alex said, her voice just as soft and gentle as his. "I understand it's not easy for you to talk about Gallifrey, so take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."

When the Doctor sighed again, Alex knew it was one of relief, not just from her agreeing, but because she understood why he was asking for it. "Thank you, love," he murmured. "I'll answer whatever you want, even teach you Gallifreyan if you're interested. It's just. . . It just takes a little getting used to, talking about Gallifrey without any inhibitions."

"I get it, and I'm definitely taking you up on learning Gallifreyan." How many times had she wondered what the TARDIS monitors were saying in that beautiful, circular language? Or what was in that book the Doctor was reading the night she told him about her dreamed memory of the Daleks? What the lyrical swears the Doctor occasionally muttered under his breath meant? What all those books in the rarely used Gallifreyan section of the library contained? The idea that she would soon know was positively thrilling.

That made her wonder. . . "Doc? Can I ask you just one question?"

"Sure," he said, sounding a bit puzzled. "What is it?"

"What's my name in Gallifreyan? Assuming there's a translation, of course."

"Hmm. . ." The Doctor was silent for a few moments, presumably as he tried to come up with an answer. After a few moments of thought, he said, "There is a rough translation in Gallifreyan. 'Alexandria' is derived from Alexander the Great – and believe me when I say he wasn't so great, but that's a story for another time – but it does have a literal meaning."

"Defender of mankind," Alex said. She chuckled, imagining the Doctor's surprised expression. "I have Googled my name, Doc. Most everyone does. 'Nicole' means 'victory of the people', in case you were wondering."

"Very impressive names for you, love," the Doctor complimented, a bit flirtatiously. "Rather fitting, too, considering our travels. But to get back on point, there is a translation of 'Alexandria' in Gallifreyan."

Alex's whole body was tense with anticipation. "What is it?"

There was a long, dramatic pause, then the Doctor said, in a beautiful, lyrical tone, "Alissyandreya."

Alex shivered. She couldn't help it. Gallifreyan just sounded so lovely, almost musical. "That's beautiful," she murmured. She tried sounding it out for herself, taking care to remember the nuances and slight lilt the Doctor used to say the deceptively easy name. "Ah-lissy-an-dreya," she said slowly. "Alissyandreya."

Though she couldn't see it, she got the distinct impression the Doctor shivered. "Good job, Ally," he murmured, using that low tone that sent shivers down Alex's spine. "Very rare to get the pronunciation right on the first try, but I didn't expect any less from you."

A rush of pride swept through Alex. "I aim to please," she smiled. She paused, mulling it over, then asked, "Do you think you'd . . . you'd mind calling me that sometimes? Not to say I don't love 'Ally' or 'love', but. . ."

"Maybe something that's just for our ears only?" the Doctor suggested. She could tell by his voice that he was smiling. "Of course, Alissyandreya."

Alex tried and failed to bite back her grin. "Thank you, Doc." Though as she said the name, she wondered if she would ever get the chance to call the Doctor by his true name. Not that she didn't love 'the Doctor', it was a title that fit him perfectly, but at the same time. . . It was a title. Something he had chosen or had assigned to him (another thing to ask about in regards to Gallifreyan/Time Lord customs).

He got to call her by her Gallifreyan name. Wasn't it only fair that she get to do the same with him?

Before she could ask (despite the fact that she'd promised to ask only one question), a voice suddenly called out, "There you are, Alex!"

Alex spun round. Tramping through a pile of leaves (and cursing her choice of footwear under her breath) was Amy. Close behind her was Rory. Interestingly, he was carrying what looked like a few bottles of beer.

"Amy!" Alex cried.

"Ah, they finally found you, did they?"

"Yeah, um, sorry, I'd better go."

"No need to apologize, love. Just remember what we talked about, alright? Love you."

"Love you."

Alex hung up just as Amy reached her. "There you are!" Amy gasped, falling back into the other swing. "We've been looking for you for ages!"

Rory, uncaring of his pristine khaki slacks, plopped down on the grass in front of the girls. "We thought you went back home," he explained as he passed Amy a Peroni bottle. He offered another one to Alex.

Amy quickly popped the top off hers. "Should've figured you'd come here," she said after taking a quick swig. "I think you've spent more time on this swing than I ever did."

"Probably true," Alex said, popping the top off her own bottle. She took a long sip, waiting for one of the Ponds to bring Rebecca up.

She didn't have to wait long. "We heard about Rebecca," Amy said with an apologetic grimace.

"Hard not to," Rory deadpanned. He rolled his eyes. "She was screaming bloody murder for a good ten minutes until Tabetha finally snapped at her to shut up."

Alex's eyes widened. "Tabetha said that?!"

"Come on, Alex," Rory grinned mischievously. "There's not that much difference between her and Amy."

"Oi!" Amy cried, though she was smiling as she said it. "Normally, I'd take offense to that, but in this case, I'm proud of it. If she didn't tell that cow to stop wailing, I would have." Turning to Alex, she adopted a serious expression. "Seriously, Alex, I heard what Rebecca said. She admitted to it, apparently not realizing anyone would take offense to it." Amy's lips pursed, remembering the callous way Rebecca recounted the conversation. She honestly wasn't sure if her cousin was just clueless or genuinely spiteful. Either way, it was no excuse for telling Alex she didn't belong and reminding her of the fact that because she was an orphan, attending her own family reunions wasn't an option.

"But people did," Amy continued. She suddenly grinned. "You should have seen my mum. Verbally whipped Rebecca up one side and down the other."

That brought a smile to Alex's face. She hadn't been sure how Augustus and Tabetha would react (the problem of not having another set of memories, like Amy and Rory) but she was relieved to hear they'd reacted in her favor. "I bet her daughter gave just as good though, didn't she?"

Amy smirked around another sip of beer. "Obviously. Rory, too."

Alex spun her head round to gape at Rory. "Really?!"

"Don't look so surprised," Rory scoffed. "You know I think of you like a little sister." Popping the top of his own bottle, he took a swig before adding, "Besides, Rebecca had it coming."

"Amen to that," Amy said, raising her beer in a mock toast. She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, she was more concerned about her blouse and her hair than that she might have upset you."

Alex, hardly bothered, just shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me." She certainly hadn't expected Rebecca to apologize. She hadn't apologized for calling her a 'shallow American Barbie' at Amy and Rory's wedding. Why start now? "So, what happened after everyone got done calling her out?"

Amy and Rory exchanged eye rolls. "She's currently pouting in the car," Rory revealed. "So upset about her hair and that Tabetha won't let her use the washing machine on her blouse. And," he added with a snicker, "Ricky's avoiding her like the plague. She's probably not happy about that either."

"It's an ugly blouse," Amy said with a shake of her head. "Kept bragging that it's real Vera Wang, but I know a knockoff when I see one. That's what Kendall, Krissy, and I were laughing about right before she started screeching."

"So, what you're saying is, I inadvertently did her a favor," Alex teased, smirking around her bottle.

Amy smirked back. "Something like that."

Taking one last swig of her beer, Alex tilted her head towards the sky. Deep, dark purple had completely overtaken the earlier pinks and golds. One or two stars had already come out, shining brightly against the inky darkness. Way off in the distance through the trees, Alex could just make out the last few rays of the sun slowly sinking over a hill.

Rory followed her gaze. "'Bout time to head back," he said, clambering up. Tilting his head back, he quickly chugged down the rest of his beer.

Amy grimaced. "Much as I love catching up with Kendall, Krissy and the rest, I've had enough of my family for one night." Standing, she looked down at Alex. "And you've had more than enough," she said with a wry grimace.

"Can't argue with that." A little reluctantly, Alex pulled herself to her feet. "I'm making a declaration here and now that I'm not attending any more of your family reunions, no matter how much you beg me."

"Fair enough." Linking her arm with Alex's right one, Amy started back up the path towards the Pond backyard. "How about you let Rory and I treat you to some of Bello Italiano's finest?"

Rory linked his arm through Alex's left one, forming a three-human chain. "I second that," he declared. "No offense, honey, but your family are really lousy cooks."

"Tell me about it," Alex laughed. "The only edible thing on offer was potato chips!"

Thanks to her advanced eyesight, Alex easily saw Amy roll her eyes. "Bunch of comedians, the pair of you!" she cried as they continued back through the woods. "Don't know why I put up with either of you. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 22nd, 2011

"What do you mean, you can't make it?" Alex ran a hand through her hair. Surely, she was mishearing things?

But the Doctor's long, sad sigh told her otherwise. "I'm really sorry, love," he murmured, and Alex's hearts twisted. He really sounded like he meant it. "Believe me, if I didn't think these leads weren't important, I'd be there."

Alex pressed her head back against the brick wall, her eyes glistening with tears she refused to let fall. Overhead, the late afternoon sun shone down on the parking lot across from the auditorium entrance. It was largely empty, though Alex knew that wouldn't be the case in a few hours. All too soon, most of Leadworth would be crammed into the two hundred seat auditorium for Earnest's opening night.

Unfortunately, her boyfriend wouldn't be among them.

They had agreed on this just a few days ago. Instead of reuniting on Friday, as originally planned, the Doctor had surprised her by suggesting he come to Earnest's opening night. Alex was positive her shriek of delight had been heard all over Leadworth. Hell, the Doctor jokingly asked if she was trying to render him deaf. But could she really be blamed for being so enthusiastic? Instead of the original week until they saw each other again, the wait period was dramatically cut down to just a few days.

Since Alex had to perform every night this week, the Doctor said he could either spend the week in Leadworth or just skip ahead to Friday. Alex had lobbied hard for the former. While the Doctor hadn't explicitly agreed, she was confident that he would say yes. After all, he couldn't say no to her. He already planned on attending the Friday night performance as well and then going to the wrap party with her afterwards. Staying the rest of the week just made sense.

After that conversation, Alex started preparing. She carefully handwashed her new nightgown (using gloves because water), tidied the house from top to bottom (much to Amy and Rory's amusement), and underwent a painful bikini wax at Holy Snip. Fortunately, thanks to her advanced body, the pain went away after only an hour.

In short, she had gone all out. And now it was for naught.

"I know," she said now, hoping he wouldn't hear the tremble in her voice. Taking a deep breath, she added, "I know, really, I get it."

And she did. As upset as she was, she wouldn't begrudge the Doctor's efforts to track down Kovarian.

He'd spent the last few weeks trying to track her or any of her surgeons down, hoping to get more information on just why they had altered Alex's body. Unfortunately, he'd been hitting dead ends. Literally. Just last week, responding to a tip from someone he knew at a bar called the White Rabbit on the planet Legion (a place that, based on his tone, Alex suspected she would never see), he'd tracked down one of the surgeons to a particularly seedy part of Legion's main metropolis, Legion City. The Doctor had been vague on details, but he did tell Alex he'd found the surgeon dead. He'd been shot execution style.

You didn't need to have a Time Lord's brain to connect the dots. The surgeon had been killed, either by Kovarian or one of her cohorts, so as to ensure he didn't reveal any information regarding Alex's stay on Demons Run. Or Melody's kidnapping, for that matter.

It was the same for the rest of the surgeons. All six of the people Alex had witnessed upon first waking up in the operating room had been eliminated. Two more turned up in Legion City, while the rest had been found by the Shadow Proclamation during an unrelated raid on a known narcotics manufacturing warehouse on the planet Gurdon. Every single one had been shot execution style and tossed into back alleys or dumpsters like trash. Alex didn't think highly of the surgeons, but they hadn't deserved such fates.

The Doctor theorized that the surgeons had been picked off shortly after Demons Run. He figured Kovarian had kept them around long enough to do an examination of baby Melody, since most of the medical officers aboard Demons Run had been taken into custody. She soon realized that with such a large group of people, at least one of them was bound to get nervous and try to back out, if not go to the authorities and try to get a good deal by becoming an informant. As the old saying went, three could keep a secret, but only if two of them were dead.

There was no doubt that Kovarian had other allies. Such an extensive operation at Demons Run meant there were a lot of individuals involved. Not all of them could be eliminated, not without some of the others noticing and reacting. As there were no reports of a woman matching Kovarian's description turning up dead in an alley somewhere, it stood to reason that she was still alive and kicking. Both the Doctor and Alex figured she was hiding out with one of her allies, patiently waiting for Melody to complete her mission.

This directly led into the leads the Doctor had just gotten. According to some people he knew that were involved in shady business, Kovarian had been sighted on a planet only a few light years away from Demons Run. It was a very weak lead, granted, but it was still a lead. And a weak lead was better than no lead at all.

Hence the Doctor wanting to go and check it out ASAP. There was no time to waste. Kovarian had been seen on multiple planets throughout the 51st century over the last few months, never staying in one place for very long. If the information was correct, the Doctor needed to locate her before she disappeared to parts unknown again.

"You have to go," Alex insisted. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. No, she wasn't going to make the Doctor feel even guiltier than he already was.

The Doctor didn't try to argue. In this situation, there was no counter argument to make. "I swear I'll make it up to you, Alex. Friday night, I'll be there, I promise."

Alex smiled sadly. "I believe you. Just . . . find Kovarian and give her a nice punch in the face for me?"

He let out a slightly hollow chuckle. "I'll do my best, love. Now, please, don't let this ruin tonight for you. You're the star of the show!"

This earned him a laugh. "I'm hardly the star, that's more Archie than anyone else, but I'll do my best."

"You'll do better than that," the Doctor said confidently. "You'll be fantastic. I know it."

More tears threatened to fall, but they were no longer sad tears. Alex wiped at her damp eyes as she smiled and said, "Thanks, Doc."

"Of course, Ally. Now, I'm afraid I have to go, but I promise I'll call you later and tell you . . . well, how whatever happens next went."

"I'll be waiting."

"I'll do my best not to make it a long one. Now, I love you and break a leg!"

And with that, he was gone.

Letting out a long breath, Alex pushed herself off the wall. She glanced at her watch. 5:35. Showtime was at seven o'clock and the doors opened at six thirty. That left her about an hour and half to get ready, not that it would take her that long.

With another sigh, Alex made her way towards the side door that led into the foyer. Turning the corner into a small alley, she wasn't at all surprised to come face to face with Spencer.

Spencer took in Alex's weary, slightly teary-eyed expression. He knew what that meant, had suspected it was coming from the moment Alex's phone emitted the E.T. ringtone during the middle of Archie's pre-show pep talk. She'd told the Doctor days ago what time the show started. No reason to call unless something came up. He smiled sadly. "He's not coming." It wasn't a question.

Alex shook her head. "There was a lead that came up," she said in a soft, slightly dull voice. "Kovarian was sighted on a planet not far from Demons Run."

"Well," Spencer said slowly, not sure how Alex might react, "at least he's got a good reason."

"No, it's a great reason," Alex corrected, running a hand through her hair. "It's just. . ."

"You wish he could be here."

Alex gave him a sad smile. "Yep," she sighed. In a smaller voice, she added, "But that's not going to happen. Not till Friday." She was silent for a moment before suddenly shaking her head. "God!" she cried. "I shouldn't be so upset about this! I mean, it's not like he's missing tonight on purpose."

"No," Spencer agreed. He crossed his arms and grimaced. "But it still sucks."

Alex chuckled. "I forgot I wasn't going to be the only one disappointed. You don't get a cool seat buddy anymore."

Relieved at the slightly humorous turn the conversation had taken, Spencer affected a dramatic sigh. "Indeed," he groaned, using one hand to clutch at his heart while the other tugged the door open. "I will now have to pray I don't end up with a noisy eater or gum-chewer or someone who talks during the show."

"The holy trinity of theater audience don'ts," Alex said sagely as they headed inside.

In the foyer, Grace and Arthur were in the process of setting up the large foldout table that acted as the ticket booth. "Hey, Alex!" Grace called. "Fair warning, Archie's a bit put out you had to take a phone call during his pep talk."

Arthur shook his head. "Pep talk," he snorted. "More like an anxiety driven lecture."

Alex bit back a smirk. Arthur wasn't wrong. While she had no doubt that Archie had the best of intentions, Alex had also been of the opinion that his pep talk was far more reminiscent of the lecture he gave his students before taking them to the library. He had basically reminded the cast that there was a lot riding on tonight, and while he didn't want to pressure them, they should hold themselves with decorum, act like professional actors instead of amateurs. Also, they should do their best not to screw up. Run lines backstage after getting dressed. Listen for cues. Don't talk backstage. It went on and on. Therefore, when her phone started belting out Katy Perry, Alex hadn't felt too bad about giving Archie nothing more than an apologetic glance before rushing outside.

Spencer grinned, his eyes shining in amusement. "Think he's gonna want to scold Alex?"

"Wouldn't put it past him," Arthur shrugged. He quickly ducked into the nearby storage room. When he back came out, he was carrying a folding chair under each arm. Setting them down, he added, "He's gone mental."

"He's just nervous," Grace retorted. She grabbed one of the folding chairs and set it up behind the table. Once she was done with that, she plopped down and gave Alex a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Alex."

Alex smiled back. "I'm not worried, Grace, but thanks."

Leaving Arthur and Grace to finish setting up, Alex and Spencer ducked through another door, entering the backstage hallway. On the right-hand side were doors leading into the men and women's dressing rooms. The opposite wall was completely covered in pictures taken from past Leadworth Dramatic Society productions. As Archie had founded the society during his last year as a sixth former, there was quite the collection. The very first picture showed five sixth formers, Archie and Veronica included, smiling and holding up the scripts for their very first production, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). One of the more recent pictures showed a grim-faced Veronica as Marian Paroo in The Music Man. Her hapless Harold Hill stood beaming beside her, oblivious to Veronica's displeasure.

Alex checked her watch again as she headed towards the dressing rooms. "Almost six," she reported

"You'd better get ready." Spencer slid past her and made his way towards the far door that led to the backstage proper. "I'm gonna go scout a good location for the show." Right before he reached the door, he spun back around long enough to give her a grin and two thumbs up. "Break a leg!"

Chuckling, Alex waited until he'd gone before heading inside the women's dressing room.

The dressing room was in a state of chaos. Not that Alex was surprised. In her experience, dressing rooms, particularly the women's dressing room, were always in a state of frenetic activity on opening night. Still, it was a sight. Various articles of clothing, some modern day, some of them costumes, were scattered all over: on the countertops underneath the Hollywood style mirrors, on the faded corduroy couch shoved into a corner, and on the floor. The countertops themselves were close to overflowing with hair products, perfume bottles, and enough cosmetic paraphernalia to supply a Sephora store. Two curling irons had been plugged in and were sitting on a countertop, perilously close to a silk scarf. Stepping further into the room, Alex hastily grabbed the scarf and set it on the couch.

In the middle of all this chaos was Veronica. She'd cleared off a spot on one of the countertops and was sitting there, pressing her face close to the mirror as she did her makeup. She was in the process of applying a pale pink lip-liner when she caught sight of Alex. "Hey, Alex. Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"

"Maybe a bit," Alex admitted. She set her purse down on the floor, next to Elsie's messenger bag and Veronica's Coach tote. Carefully picking her way over the scattered clothes, Alex headed to the clothes rack wedged between a full-length mirror and the bathroom door. Her first costume hung between Veronica and Elsie's single costumes, housed in a plastic garment bag. "Sorry, I had to take a call."

"Who was it?" Veronica asked as she resumed applying the lip-liner. Despite her mouth being in a perfect o-shape, her words came out crystal clear. "Because Archie wasn't happy about it, I can tell you that." She rolled her eyes. "Not that I blame you. I love Archie, but even I wanted to run like hell out of that lecture."

"My boyfriend, actually," Alex said. She unzipped the garment bag and carefully removed the dress. After a moment spent looking for a free bit of counterspace, Alex resorted to simply tossing the garment bag down on the floor.

"Oh?" Leaning back slightly from the mirror, Veronica studied her face, turning it from side to side. "Called to say he's on his way?"

Despite herself, Alex let out a scoff. "I wish. Something came up, so he can't come."

This made Veronica spin around rapidly, nearly falling off the counter in the process. "What?!" After a moment of gaping, her expression darkened. "What an asshole."

"He is not!" Alex snapped, her light green eyes flashing. Seeing Veronica rear back, Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry," she said quietly. "It's just. . ." She paused, trying to figure out what to say without revealing too much about Demons Run. "Something. . . Something happened to a mutual friend of ours a few months back and he's been trying to find the person responsible. He. . . He got a lead on that person's whereabouts and went to see if that information was true."

"Blimey," Veronica said, her eyes wide. "Well, that's a good excuse if I've ever heard one."

"It is," Alex agreed. "And it's for a good cause, I just. . ."

Veronica smiled sympathetically. "You just wish he were here?"

Alex grimaced. "That, and I wish I wasn't so upset. I mean, I certainly don't want him to blow off a good lead just for me." She shook her head. "Let's just forget about that for now. Where's Elsie and Mrs. Warner?"

Veronica grabbed a pale pink lipstick and started applying it. "Mrs. Warner's already changed and is waiting backstage. As for Elsie. . ." She trailed off just in time for a sudden burst of vomiting to echo out from behind the bathroom door.

Alex's eyes widened. "Elsie?" she called, hopping over clothes and shoes as she hurried to the door. She rattled the knob, but it was locked. "Elsie, are you okay?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "She's fine. It's just nerves."

"She's right!" Elise called faintly. "I'm fine, really."

Ignoring Veronica's self-satisfied smirk, Alex said, "Are you sure? You don't need me to get you anything?"

There was a slight retching sound before Elsie responded. "No!" Her voice was a bit fainter, but otherwise sounded fairly strong. "Really, I'll be out in a bit!"

"She's just worried about performing," Veronica said easily. She set her lipstick down long enough to give a dismissive wave of her hand. "Happens to all first timers."

Alex had no doubt Elsie was nervous about performing, but she suspected it wasn't just that. In less than an hour, Elsie was going to have to go onstage in front of many who, for the past few months, had gossiped about, judged, and derided her. There was no telling how people might react when she came onstage. Alex was optimistic about the majority being civil, or at least being willing to hold their tongue during the performance. But you never knew. Alex wouldn't put it past some of the younger villagers to start booing when Elsie appeared. If something like that did happen, it would seriously damage Elsie's already fragile self-esteem.

Well, Alex thought, if someone does or says anything, they'll have to deal with me.

By the time Elsie finally emerged from the bathroom, Alex had exchanged her dark graphic tee, black leggings, white Converse, watch, and gold hoop earrings for her intricate Victorian dress, a pair of pearl, teardrop-shaped earrings, and white lace gloves. Sitting off to the side were the final two components to the costume; a pair of white, lace-up boots left over from a production of The King and I, and a type of fascinator made up of white lace and ribbon.

Alex paused her efforts to wrangle her hair into a neat bun in favor of studying Elsie. While Elsie's face was a bit pale, she seemed largely okay. "Hey," Alex smiled. She pushed a bottled water she'd fetched from the vending machine outside towards Elsie. "Drink this, it'll make you feel better."

Elsie smiled gratefully. "Thanks." Taking a long sip of the cool liquid, she watched Alex continue to style her hair. "Do you need help with that?"

Alex dropped her hands. "Please. Messy bun I can do, a neat one not so much." When the Doctor took her to Victorian London, there was no way she was putting her hair up. Since he liked it better when her hair was down anyway, Alex didn't foresee it being a problem.

Elsie made quick work of taming Alex's hair into a smooth, sleek bun. As she slid in a bobby pin, she asked, "Where's Veronica?"

"Already changed and somewhere backstage." Alex smirked. "Probably making out with Henry."

Elsie sniggered. "Wouldn't surprise me." She slid another few bobby pins in, then clapped her hands. "There you go!" she cheered. "A perfect Victorian lady."

Alex pinned her fascinator on, taking care not to ruin Elsie's work. "Better be, otherwise Archie will flip."

Elsie wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, he's been a bit much. But you can't blame him. He doesn't want this show to go wrong like all the others."

Alex slid her boots on. With the small heel, they boosted her up about an inch. "True." She turned and checked herself out in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous," Elsie enthused with a wide grin. "Your boyfriend's gonna faint when he sees you!" Her grin dropped when she saw Alex make a slight wince. "Or isn't he?"

"Emergency came up," Alex explained. "He can't make it tonight."

Elsie grabbed her own garment bag and started tugging her dress out. "Can't he make one of the other nights?"

"He'll be here Friday night, then coming with me to the wrap party afterwards." Alex smiled softly. "Can't complain about that, though I did want him here tonight, too."

Elsie, after a moment of hesitation, started sliding her diner's uniform off. Alex, who, unlike Elsie, was used to changing in front of others backstage, politely turned her gaze towards the plethora of cosmetics on the countertop before her. She did need a bit of makeup. After a bit of digging, she managed to find a pale pink lipstick that was almost the same shade as her dress. By the time she was done applying it, Elsie's diner uniform had been cast to the floor and she was working on the zipper to her otherwise period accurate dress.

Alex quickly moved to help her. "Hold on, I've got it."

"Thanks." Elsie waited until Alex was done before asking, "What time is it?"

Alex dug her watch out from where she'd set it in her purse. "6:22."

"Ah, good," Elsie sighed. "Still a bit of time left." She studied her reflection in the mirror. "Though I don't really have much else to do. Archie said Cecily was still young enough that she'd still be wearing her hair down."

"Lucky," Alex said with a mock groan.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as each girl applied final touches. Alex put a heavy amount of hairspray on her hair, making sure it would stay in place, while Elsie worked on her makeup. She was careful not to apply too much though. During costume preparation, Archie had been adamant on recreating Victorian fashion as authentically as possible. Aside from period accurate clothes, this meant very little to no makeup.

Both kept a close eye on Alex's watch as they prepared. Archie wanted the whole cast ready and in place backstage by 6:45. From that point, Archie would give final instructions to the cast and crew, make an encouraging speech (hopefully better than his last one), and the whole group would hold a prayer circle. After that, showtime.

Soon, Elsie and Alex were done. Aside from the makeup, Elsie had also put on the last part of her costume, a pair of dropped, rose gold, flower earrings. Glancing at Alex, Elsie saw her carefully adjusting the collar of her dress so her necklace charm wouldn't show. "You're not going to take your necklace off?"

Alex shook her head. "Nope," she said firmly. The day the Doctor put it on her, Alex knew she would never take her sonic necklace off. The same went for her ring, currently concealed beneath her gloves.

Elsie nodded silently. Courtesy of Kendra, everyone in the village knew that Alex's boyfriend had given her the intricate, jewel-studded necklace, as well as the fact that Alex hadn't taken it off since. "You know," she said slowly, "if it makes you feel better, there's not going to be a boyfriend cheering me on either." At Alex's inquiring look, she added, "Eddie and I got in a fight. He's not coming."

Alex's lips pursed. Honestly, I'm going to throttle that man! "What did he do?"

Her features turning haggard, Elsie slumped back against the wall. "Last week, he said divorce proceedings were coming along nicely and he should be able to marry me by October. Which is nice," Elsie said, a touch dreamily. "I've always liked the idea of a fall wedding. Maybe getting married outside, in an orchard, leaves scattered all around?"

"That sounds lovely," Alex smiled. Inwardly, she was groaning. How the hell had Temple managed to screw Elsie over this time?

"It does, doesn't it?" Elise sighed wearily. "But it's not going to happen. Yesterday, Eddie told me that we couldn't get married in October. There were complications. When I asked what kind of complications, he wouldn't say."

What an asshole, just stringing her along! Biting her lip to keep those thoughts to herself, Alex settled for asking, "Then what happened?"

"I accused him of not wanting to marry me, that he was just stringing me along until the next young, pretty thing came along." Elsie winced, no doubt remembering the reaction that had followed her allegation. "Eddie didn't like that."

"I'll bet," Alex muttered.

"Well, somehow, the argument turned to Archie. Eddie accused him of putting ideas in my head and demanded I quit the play then and there." Elsie's cheeks flushed. "As if! The day before opening night? Can you believe that?!"

I can, Alex thought. Instead, she stayed silent, letting Elsie continue.

"We went back and forth on that for a while. Eddie kept offering to take me somewhere this week, show me how much he loves me. I said no." Elsie rubbed her temples, presumably reliving the headache that must have followed such an awful fight. "Finally, Eddie yelled that if I wouldn't quit the play, he wasn't going to bother seeing it. I stormed out after that."

"As you should have," Alex said firmly, using her stern librarian voice. "Now, I'm all in favor of not walking away from a fight, not if it's possible to work things out and come to a compromise, but you couldn't do that, Elsie. From what you've told me, there's no reasoning with Edward. Everything has to be his way or the highway."

Elsie's whole body seemed to droop. "That does seem like it," she murmured, head hanging low.

"No seem about it, Elsie, it's a fact." Alex paused for a moment, letting this sink in. Then, adopting a much gentler tone, she said, "Elsie, have you given any thought to what I said a few weeks ago back at the bookstore?"

To her relief, Elsie nodded. "Yes, I. . . I've given it a lot of thought, actually. It's just. . ." She groaned. "It's so hard! I know things aren't great with Eddie, believe me. But should I really just give up this relationship for . . . what? The possibility of something with Archie?"

Alex shook her head. "No, not just that. Yes, I'll admit, I think Archie and you would be good together, but that shouldn't be the only reason you end things with Eddie."

Elsie cocked her head curiously. "It isn't?"

Alex shook her head again, shaking it so fast her fascinator threatened to topple right off. "No. Elsie, you should end things with Temple because he doesn't respect you." She held up a hand before Elsie could object. "He doesn't take your writing seriously, ridicules it, in fact, he definitely doesn't respect your commitment or your passion for this play, he tries to control you by saying you shouldn't be talking to certain people, and when he doesn't get what he wants, he throws a fit." Planting her hands on her hips, Alex looked Elsie directly in the eye, hoping Elsie would fully absorb what she said next. "Elsie, that is textbook toxic behavior. No one should have to deal with that from anyone in their life, especially not from a significant other. I know those romances of yours often show men of that type changing their behavior and actions because of a woman's love, but that's not how it works in the real world."

Alex tilted her head, considering, then added, "My boyfriend. . . He's not been a saint his whole life. Far from it. Actually, he's done some terrible things. But the thing is, unlike Edward, he admits it. He doesn't hide those things from me. He'll tell me all about it if I ask. In addition, he regrets doing those things and he actively tries to do better. He's been doing that since before we met. He doesn't do it just to appease me, but because he actively wants to improve himself."

Elsie stared at her. Those blue eyes widened in slowly dawning comprehension. "And you don't think that's the same with Eddie?" Her voice was nothing more than a broken little whisper.

"No," Alex said softly. "I don't. Think about it, Elsie. Has he ever defended you when people call you a homewrecker or a slut? I've certainly never heard him do so. For that matter, instead of risking the village turning on you, why didn't he just tell Gretchen he wasn't happy in his marriage any longer and wanted a divorce? He could have told you he was attracted to you and ask that you go out with him when the divorce was finalized."

Elsie was silent. The look on her face suggested she hadn't considered this possibility before.

Encouraged, Alex kept going. "Does that really sound like someone who truly cares for you? Doesn't seem like it to me. It sounds like a completely toxic person whose behavior isn't going to change, no matter what you do. If you stay with him, Elsie, it's only going to continue. It'll be a continuous cycle; first he's loving, then you'll do something he doesn't like, and he'll start controlling and ridiculing you, then later he'll act like it never happened, figuring you'll dismiss it. That's no way to live, Elsie, and do you know why?"

"Because it's wrong?" Elsie guessed, still in a broken whisper.

"That, and because you don't deserve it, Elsie. No one does." Alex smiled warmly. "I know you don't think so, not fully, but you are deserving of respect, Elsie. That's the other reason you should end things with Edward. Because you are deserving of respect from everyone, no matter their relationship with you. You shouldn't walk around with your head down, afraid to do the things you love. No, you should walk tall and proud and not take shit from anyone because you know your true value. And that value is freaking priceless."

Alex took a deep breath. She hadn't planned on giving a speech, but she didn't regret it. Everything she'd said were things Elsie needed to hear. Hopefully, she would think them over carefully and take appropriate action.

Before Elsie could reply (though her contemplative expression didn't suggest a reply or retort was coming), there was a knock at the door. "Everyone decent?" Spencer called out.

"Yeah!" Alex answered. "Come on in, Spencer."

Spencer walked in, closely followed by a costumed Veronica. Much to Alex's amusement, Veronica's lipstick was slightly smeared in the corners, undoubtedly from making out with Henry. But that wasn't the main thing that caught Alex's attention. It was the large bouquets of red roses in their hands. Veronica carried one, Spencer carried two.

Seeing her jaw drop, Veronica grinned. "I really regret calling your boyfriend an asshole, Alex."

Alex blinked. "Wait, are those. . ."

Spencer shoved aside a t-shirt and a bunch of lipsticks so as to place his bouquets down on the counter. "For you," he confirmed with a grin. "Arthur and Grace just got them via courier at the ticket booth."

Brushing aside some compacts and a pair of jeans, Veronica set the other bouquet on the opposite countertop. "Seriously, Alex, don't dump him. No one has ever given me flowers for an opening night except my parents." She then happened to spot Alex's watch. Her eyes widened in horror. "Shit!" she shrieked. "It's 6:40!" Veronica quickly hiked up her skirt. "Alex, don't swoon over these, we have to get backstage, or Archie will freak!" Without another word, she was out the door, black skirts swirling as she ran.

"And I'd better get back to my seat before someone steals it," Spencer remarked.

"Full house?" Alex asked.

"Oh, yeah. There's still a whole line of people waiting to get tickets, though the way things look, Arthur and Grace will have to turn some of them away."

Elsie visibly paled at this. "Oh, God," she moaned, clutching her stomach.

Alex hurriedly shoved the water bottle back at her. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "You'll be great, you'll see. Just drink this but take slow sips."

"I hope you're right." Taking a deep breath, Elsie picked up her skirts with one hand and gripped the water bottle in the other. "Come on, we'd better get out there before Archie starts freaking."

"Be there in a minute."

The moment the door shut behind Spencer and Elsie, Alex grabbed each bouquet's message card. A quick glance showed all were written in the Doctor's handwriting, though the messages varied significantly.

Once again, I'm terribly sorry, love, but I know you'll be wonderful. Break a leg (not literally!)

Lots of love from the Doc and the Impossible Girl. Can't wait to watch! XX

EARNEST-ly yours, the Fam!

Alex's brow furrowed. She had no doubt all of these were from the Doctor, but who the hell was the Impossible Girl? Or the Fam?

Whoever they were, Alex didn't have time to figure it out. Her watch hands were resting on 6:45 exactly. Cursing, Alex set the cards down and rushed out the door.

It was showtime.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

The applause was almost deafening. Alex couldn't quite believe it. She rather suspected the rest of the cast couldn't either.

For once in the history of the Leadworth Dramatic Society, the show had gone exactly as rehearsed. There were no flubbed lines, no long costume changes, no breaking character, no missed cues, no nothing. No one had dropped any of the props (a big concern considering all the delicate tea services used throughout the play) and nothing had fallen off any of the sets whilst they were being moved into position. The tech crew had done wonderfully in getting everything assembled in the dark in under two minutes. Someone had let out a loud F-bomb after someone apparently stepped on their foot, but that was a minor fluke, hardly worth remembering. No one had booed when Elsie came on, though there had been a slight titter amongst some of the younger audience members, but this was quickly hushed by one of the ushers. The whole audience jumped a good foot when Mrs. Warner did her ear-splitting "IN A HANDBAG?!" line, but nobody had a heart attack or any other kind of medical emergency. And now, that same audience was in the middle of a standing ovation, clapping and cheering madly.

The show was a success.

One hand holding her hat to keep it from falling off, Alex used the other to take Archie's hand as they bowed before the enthusiastic audience. Thanks to her advanced eyesight, Alex didn't have to squint through the bright stage lights to spot Amy and Rory. Both were in the third row, Rory holding a gigantic hand-held video camera, the likes of which Alex hadn't seen since the mid-90s. Amy was jumping up and down, her red hair bouncing, while Rory continued to film, even as one hand shook an exuberant fist in the air.

Alex quickly found Spencer exactly where she thought he'd be, at the very back of the auditorium. He was clapping heartily too, though that didn't stop his gaze from sweeping across the audience, looking for any potential threat.

At the moment though, Alex didn't care about any potential Kovarian, Silence, or Mels related threats. In this moment, as far as she was concerned, they didn't even exist. The rush going through her, the sense of euphoria and giddiness she always felt after a successful performance. . . Nothing could ruin it.

Archie and Alex were the last of the cast to take individual bows. The moment the two straightened, the rest of the cast surged forward to take a collective bow. More whoops and cheers rang out from the audience, along with even more thunderous applause. Looking down the line, Alex saw Veronica kiss a blushing Henry, Elsie timidly waving to Amy and Rory, Dr. Coggins and Mrs. Warner waving enthusiastically to members of the Leadworth nursing home and ladies bingo, respectively, George bouncing madly, a big grin on his face, William being stoic as usual, but with a small smile on his lips, and Archie, beaming like the cat that got the canary.

Before Alex knew it, the tech crew were coming up to take their own bows and Archie was rushing the cast offstage. The moment they reached the backstage area, Archie let out a wild whoop. "YES!" he cheered with a huge jump.

"We're no longer laughing stocks!" Veronica enthused. Tendrils of hair escaped her bun as she spun around, skirts swirling.

"Holy crap," Henry laughed as he reached out to still Veronica by grabbing her hips. "I can't believe I did that!"

"Neither can I!" Elsie cried. A slightly hysterical laugh escaped her. "Oh, God, I thought I was gonna throw up again when the curtain rose for the second act!"

"You were great, Elsie," Veronica said from her new position in Henry's arms. She smiled warmly, an expression usually only reserved for Archie. "Really, you were perfect as Cecily."

Elsie blinked. Veronica giving praise to others was unheard of. "Really?"

"Of course." Veronica turned to Alex. "And you were perfect as Gwendolen, Alex."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, Veronica."

"Of course," Veronica mused, leaning back against Henry's chest, "I could've done it well too, but still. Not a bad impression."

Alex bit back a smirk. "I have no doubt," she said calmly.

"Hey, come on, guys!" George called. At some point during all the excitement, he'd sprinted down the backstage hallway and opened the door leading to the foyer. Just beyond the partially open door came the sound of lots of people milling around and talking. "Let's go greet the crowd!"

No one argued with this. The cast rushed down the hall and nearly fell over each other in their haste to get out the door. The moment they appeared, the whole crowd burst into another round of applause and cheering. Several surged forward and started talking excitedly to various cast members. Shannon Darcy and Brianna Mayhew pounced on Elsie, proclaiming how much they loved Cecily. Veronica's parents rushed forward, her dad holding a huge bouquet of pink tea roses. Squealing, Veronica hugged and kissed them both while Henry stood off to the side, grinning like the proud boyfriend he was. In an interesting, but definitely encouraging sight, George, William, Arthur, and Grace were all in a group hug with the Donaldson parents. Grace's parents were nowhere in sight. Dr. Coggins and Mrs. Warner congregated with a group of senior citizens. Archie, however, had the biggest group of admirers. Michael the ice cream man, Jeff, his grandmother, and a slew of other villagers surrounded him in a full circle, all expressing enthusiasm for the play, as well as for upcoming productions. Archie beamed widely at the praise and Alex had a feeling that grin was going to be stuck there all night.

As for Alex herself. . .

"Alex!" That was all the warning Alex got before Amy came out of nowhere and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Oh my God, you were awesome!"

Beaming, Alex hugged her back. "Thanks, Ames."

"Amy, let her breathe!" Rory chuckled. "Or at least make sure she doesn't wrinkle."

At this, Amy hastily pulled back. "Oops," she smiled sheepishly.

Chuckling, Alex smoothed out some creases in her second costume. It was plainer compared to her Act I costume, but no less exquisite. It was a long-sleeved, high collar, white lace dress with a purple sash around the waist. Completing the ensemble were the same shoes, gloves, and earrings Alex had worn in the first act, along with a new wide-brimmed lavender hat with a large bow on the side. In addition, Alex had carefully tugged a few tendrils of hair out of her bun and curled them, allowing the locks to frame her face. "Don't worry, I think Charlotte is pressing everything once we get changed back."

"Shame you don't get to keep those. You look great."

"I think Archie would have a stroke if I tried to take a costume," Alex laughed. "Besides, there's a rumor floating around that he wants the next production to be My Fair Lady. Lot of Victorian costumes will be needed for that."

Rory eyed the rest of the cast dubiously. "You think any of this lot can sing?"

"Don't know." Alex shrugged. "Not really my problem. We'll be out of here Friday night."

Amy and Rory exchanged a look. "Speaking of. . ." Rory smiled sadly. "Spencer told us what happened." He slung an arm around Alex's shoulders, pulling her against him, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We're really sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay." At the Ponds' doubtful expressions, Alex cried, "Really! I'm fine. Besides. . ." Checking to make sure no one was listening, she continued in a whisper, "It's a good excuse. He could find that bitch."

Amy's eyes narrowed. "I hope so," she growled. "I have a few things I'd like to say to her. Not just with words, but with my fists."

"Same," Rory scowled. His free hand clenched as though it were longing to hold a sword.

"Also same," Alex said, her lips pursing. She stayed like that for a moment before shaking herself. "Enough of that! People are going to be wondering why we all look so pissed."

Amy and Rory shook themselves. "Right, yeah," Amy nodded. "Good point."

"In any event," Rory said, holding up the massive video camera, "the Doctor will see tonight's performance. I got it all on tape!"

"I think the entire row behind us knows that," Amy said flatly. "Marcia Hayden kept poking me in the shoulder, hissing that she couldn't see because of, and I quote, 'your husband's giant ass camera'."

"Seriously, Rory," Alex smirked, "when's the last time that thing got any use? 1995?"

Before Rory could retort, Spencer chose that moment to slide up to them. "Congrats, Alex!" he beamed, giving her a quick hug. "You were great!"

"Thanks! But did you really see anything in the back row?"

"All of it," Spencer assured her. "Also," he added in an undertone, "nothing suspicious." He paused. "Well, except for some woman in brightly colored culottes who tried to start a wave at the end, but I think we can blame that on inordinate excitement."

"I saw her!" Amy exclaimed. "Rory and I passed her and her group while going to our seats." Her brow furrowed. "They all kinda looked at us funny."

Rory rolled his eyes. His expression of pure exasperation indicated that this wasn't the first he'd heard of Amy's theory. "They did not! Nor did the guy with the huge eyebrows you bumped into at the food stand!"

"They did too!" Amy cried, stomping her foot for emphasis. "Looked all. . . Well, I want to say amused, though why they should all look at us like that, I have no idea."

"They didn't give us any kind of look," Rory said with no small amount of patience. "Not the blonde woman and her group, nor the grumpy looking man and his granddaughter."

"That woman was not his granddaughter." Amy turned to Alex, her mouth curved into a mischievous grin. "Way she was looking at him reminded me of the way you look at the Doctor. She's his very young girlfriend or trophy wife, I'm sure of it."

Instead of protesting Amy's deduction, Rory stared off in thought. "That young woman seemed familiar to me," he mused.

"A patient?" Alex guessed.

"No, I don't think so. Not worth thinking about, really. I only got a glimpse at her before she rushed off." If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn the tiny brunette hadn't wanted him getting a good look at her. But that was just ridiculous. Rory was confident that there weren't any Kovarian/Silence affiliated spies lurking around Leadworth. Not with Spencer around. He had no doubt the man would have noticed anything unusual by now, no matter how miniscule it may first appear.

Alex hummed noncommittally, not really concerned by this. Her system was still flooded with adrenaline and exhilaration. The weird looks a couple of strangers may or may not have given her friends were of no concern to her. Right now, all she was focused on was a successful opening night performance and the hopefully equally successful performances that would follow over the next few days. Then there would be the Doctor arriving Friday night. He'd watch her perform, maybe give her more flowers, then they would attend the wrap party at The Queen's Garters. It would be a date night for them, which was positively thrilling. She was eager to show him off, introduce him to all the people he'd heard so much about over the last few months.

Alex wasn't sure what would happen after that. They still had Mels to deal with. As much as she wanted to, they couldn't just get in the TARDIS, dematerialize away, and forget all about her.

Oh, well, she thought as Archie, having broken free of his admirers, suddenly swept her into a hug. Plenty of time to worry about that later.

Right now, it was time to celebrate.

Though Alex may have thought differently if she had spotted the tweed jacket clad figure watching her sorrowfully from the back of the foyer. Or if she'd spotted the two other figures watching him – a tall, cross-looking grey-haired man and a young blonde woman in brightly colored culottes – both of whom were well aware of what their younger self was going through, but unable to do anything to help.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

August 26th, 2011

"Okay, I'm really worried now."

Amy and Rory exchanged nervous looks. At the beginning of the week, they would have assured Alex that there was nothing to worry about. She was probably just being paranoid (though they would have been careful to avoid saying that exact word). The Doctor not answering his phone didn't mean anything nefarious was going on. Maybe he had just missed the phone ringing. He could be asleep, showering, or out hunting down a lead. All of these were perfectly valid reasons why he might not immediately answer Alex's phone call, even though he'd done just that all summer.

But now? They didn't say anything.

Because while a day or two could be easily explained, a whole week of the Doctor missing Alex's calls could not. That was just cause for alarm.

One hand clutching onto her Blackberry as though it were a lifeline, Alex used the other to grab her gin and tonic. She knocked it back in one gulp. "This is not good," she fretted as she slammed the glass down on the table. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the crowd. There were several people she recognized, but not the one she wanted to see most. "He was supposed to be here, we agreed."

Amy and Rory exchanged another nervous look. Alex was right. After missing opening night, there was no way the Doctor would miss tonight's final performance or the wrap party afterwards.

It was all planned out. He'd attend the performance, sitting next to Spencer (who would more than likely spend each intermission peppering his idol with questions), then after Alex had changed, they'd all head to The Queen's Garters. After a few hours spent drinking, mingling, and listening to some god-awful karaoke (another thing Edward Temple had to answer for, buying that blasted machine), they would bid goodbye to Leadworth and hello to TARDIS travels once again.

They had spent the whole week preparing. While the Doctor could bring them back a day after they'd left, neither Amy, Rory, nor Alex had much confidence in his driving. Hence preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. They'd either devoured or thrown out all the perishables in the fridge, wrote notes in case the Doctor inadvertently caused them to miss a whole year a la Rose Tyler, and packed their bags. Amy managed to resist Erin's pleading to stay on at Leadworth Books while Alex wrapped up the summer reading contest at the library. Jimmy Temple won the kids division, sixteen-year-old Emma Morgenstern won the teen division, and Elsie won the adult division.

In addition, Alex had also formally submitted her resignation. There was no point in keeping her job. She was going on the TARDIS full-time. There would be plenty of visits to catch up with friends, but Alex was not going to return to a regular 9 to 5 life. No, as much as she liked working at the library, she knew she was meant to travel the stars with her Doctor, exploring new worlds and times, fixing things wherever they went.

But Alex had requested one last thing before quitting. She would get to pick her replacement and train them. And it wouldn't be Kendra.

Amazingly, Mayor Bascomb had agreed, though he'd been very surprised by her choice of successor.

Alex had picked none other than Elsie Margraves.

Elsie had been stunned when Alex suggested her taking over, but she hadn't been displeased, either. On the contrary, Elsie had been thoughtful, her eyes gleaming with unmitigated interest. She'd asked Alex a few questions regarding the job, such as duties and salary, before asking for a day to think it over.

The very next morning, Elsie came bouncing into the library, announcing that she'd just quit her waitressing job and was ready to start librarian training.

Kendra had grumbled and groaned a bit at being passed over, but even she had to admit that Elsie was perfect for the role of head librarian. Elsie caught on quickly to her duties, as though she'd been doing them all her life. By the end of the week, aside from learning the basics like checking books in and out, shelving, fixing up new magazines and the like, Elsie had already put in an order for new books (only a few of which were romances). She was even talking about starting book clubs for kids and teens. Today, during slow parts of their shift, she and Alex went back and forth on possible selections. Elsie had lobbied for Charlotte's Web over Alex's suggested Bridge to Terabithia for the kids' club, while both agreed on The Book Thief for the teens division.

Kendra had cut in to suggest they choose something that wasn't, in her words, "bloody depressing". She was ignored.

Alex had planned for everything. Except for the Doctor to suddenly stop taking her calls.

At first, she hadn't been too alarmed when the Doctor didn't call her back Monday night or anytime Tuesday. He was busy tracking down Kovarian. That was far more important than calling his girlfriend. But as the days passed and each of Alex's calls went to voice-mail, the alarm bells in her head rang increasingly louder.

It was all she could do to keep her anxieties and worries from affecting her last few obligations. At the library, she'd had Elsie, Kendra, and Spencer to distract her. During performances, she'd thrown herself into the role of Gwendolen Fairfax, allowing her character's kookiness and romantic troubles to consume her. But now? At a wrap party the Doctor was supposed to have shown up for, but hadn't? Nothing could distract her. Her every thought was on him, worrying if something bad had happened to him, if the Silence or Kovarian had gotten the better of him and he was now trapped somewhere, at the whim of a bunch of maniacs.

Because she knew he wouldn't have done this on purpose. Which only meant someone or something had made the choice for him.

Her spiraling thoughts were abruptly cut off by a fresh G&T being shoved on the table in front of her. "Drink," Rory commanded, his tone brokering no room for argument.

Alex obeyed. Maybe if I drink enough of these, she thought, I'll get drunk enough to forget everything.

As Alex took a long sip, she looked around the room once more. Maybe her inner Doctor detector wasn't working and she'd missed him in the crowd?

It seemed a reasonable explanation, considering the crowd here tonight. The Queen's Garters was positively packed. Alex had heard one of the barmaids remark that more people had shown up for the wrap party than any trivia night ever. It seemed all of Leadworth wanted in on the celebration. Each and every table housed at least four people while the bar was about two feet thick. Behind it, Gretchen, Nicole, and Rupert were running all around, delivering tankards and refilling drinks at a nearly inhuman speed. In the back, another crowd of people surged around the refreshment table. Bello Italiano had provided complimentary catering, and no one was about to miss grabbing some garlic knots. Arthur and Grace stood a small distance away from the hungry villagers, watching to see if more food or plates needed to be added.

Near one of the tables closest to the bar, Kendra, Leslie, Erin, and a group of their friends were making their way through a margarita pitcher, laughing all the while. At the table beside them, Archie was holding court with a group of admirers. Several had already asked about being in the next production, formally announced tonight as White Christmas, coming in December. Alex had no doubt that in between praises, Archie was sizing each contender up, judging if they could serve a role in the musical and, if so, what specific role.

A few other tables were occupied by members of ladies' bingo and several staff and residents of the nursing home. At the moment, all of them were raising tankards and sodas in a toast to Dr. Coggins and Mrs. Warner. Both recipients reddened at the attention, but neither seemed horribly displeased with it either.

Off towards the back, several people were gathered around the karaoke machine. Veronica and Henry, both already three sheets to the wind, seemed to be reenacting the 'Don't You Want Me' duet scene from Glee. They were bouncing around almost identically to Rachel and Blaine in the episode, both looking simultaneously disheveled and attractive. And despite being drunk off their asses, they both sounded spectacular. Neither one missed so much as a note, their voices harmonizing almost effortlessly. Alex suspected that should they want them (and Veronica undoubtedly would), they would get two of the lead roles in White Christmas. Her opinion was reinforced the moment the song finished as their audience burst into enthusiastic applause.

Alex's copper-colored gaze moved away from the karaoke corner to flick from table to table. She spotted Augustus and Tabetha, both oblivious to their daughter, son-in-law, and good-as-daughter's inner turmoil, chatting with the Donaldson parents and a few other people from church. The ladies from Holy Snip were congregated at a table, all laughing riotously (and maybe a bit drunkenly). Rachel Wyrick had dragged Ron Farthing into a dance by the bar, even though the only music playing were the instrumental tracks from the karaoke machine (Veronica and Henry were now tackling 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'). Shannon Darcy and Brianna Mayhew, sitting on stools at the bar, were waving lit cigarette lighters back and forth in time to the music, ignoring Nicole's pleas to put them out before they set off the smoke alarm. A bunch of newly graduated sixth-formers, including Audrey Oates, were engaging in a small food fight with several members of The Queen's Garters football team.

So many people enjoying their night, without a care in the world. All they had to worry about were the massive hangovers they'd have tomorrow morning.

Alex wished she could be like them. She didn't want to be so fearful, her mind churning out more and more scenarios, each one more horrifying than the last. Tonight was supposed to be a party and she'd dressed for such: spaghetti-strap black floral sundress, black tights, jean jacket, black combat boots, and gold hoop earrings. She'd broken out the eyeshadow palette Lacey had sent her last month, pairing it with extra volumizing mascara, Cherry Bomb lipstick, and a few extra spritzes of Chanel No. 5. Though Alex was reluctant to admit it, she knew she'd taken such care with her appearance because the Doctor was supposed to be here. Anyone would want to look good when reuniting with their boyfriend. Alex was no different.

But despite her party outfit, her mood was anything but celebratory. Not that she was purposefully choosing not to be celebratory. Her fears just wouldn't let her.

Alex sighed wistfully. She wanted to be knocking back G&T's not out of a desire to momentarily forget, but out of pure enjoyment. She wanted to jump up onstage for some bad '80s karaoke, eat her weight in garlic knots and pizza, and enjoy one last big blowout before it was back to the TARDIS. She wanted the Doctor by her side, laughing at Veronica's drunken voguing. She wanted him to talk to Elsie and use his own persuasive charm to fill her with some much-needed self-confidence. She wanted to drag him out on the floor for a dance. She wanted to challenge him to a drinking contest, see how many beers and G&T's it would take to get themselves drunk. She wanted him to pull her into the back alleyway and kiss her like he couldn't get enough of her, slide his hands up her dress and murmur against her neck that she was the most precious thing in the universe to him as his fingers slipped under her tights towards her center. . .

Shuddering, Alex blinked rapidly. Damn, maybe the gin's starting to have an effect! Though not necessarily the effect she wanted.

"There's got to be something we can do," Amy muttered. She took a sip of her ale, her brow furrowed in thought. "Did you try calling the TARDIS phone?"

"First thing I did," Alex sighed, leaning back in her chair. "All I got was the same 'sorry, I was looking for the brakes' message."

"And we tried calling both numbers from our phones," Rory reminded his wife. He grimaced. "No go there."

"What about UNIT?" Amy suggested. "Surely they've got a good way of calling him."

Alex nodded towards the front door. "Spencer's outside trying to do just that." What she didn't say was that Spencer hadn't sounded very optimistic. According to him, UNIT's track record at requesting the Doctor's help was rather hit and miss. The Doctor had a terrific knack for showing up on Earth just when UNIT needed him most (though Alex knew that was just the TARDIS taking him where he was needed) but actually trying to contact him to get his opinion or help on something was extremely difficult. The best they could do, Spencer said, was leave a message and hope he got back to them.

Amy nodded slowly. "Okay, then," she said briskly, straightening up. "We'll let him deal with that and whatever happens after, we'll handle. In the meantime, I have no intention of slouching back here all night, drinking and fretting. This is a party, dammit, and we need to treat it like such!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't quite keep her lips from twitching. Amy's determination was contagious. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Amy stood and held out her hand. "By shoving Paul and Linda McCartney off stage and showing them how karaoke is really done. Care to join?"

While a part of her wanted to keep wallowing and worrying, Alex couldn't deny that Amy's suggestion was extremely tempting. She couldn't fret all night. Besides, throwing herself into the party might be the best distraction in combating her dark thoughts. "Only if we switch to '90s songs," she smiled, getting to her feet. She had nothing against the '80s (one of her time traveling bucket list items was to attend both Live Aid concerts) but she'd lived through the '90s and could confidently say that she was a true product of that decade. The pop culture of that era, particularly the music? Nothing else could compare.

Amy had much the same viewpoint. She grinned widely at Alex's condition. "Deal."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

After they'd done a mini tribute to TLC with 'No Scrubs' and 'Waterfalls', Amy talked Alex into doing a solo number. She'd gone with what many would argue was the defining song of that decade: Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. An unconventional choice, to be sure, but there was nothing Alex enjoyed more than surprising people while performing. The jaw drops and raised eyebrows she'd gotten when Kurt Cobain's instantly recognizable guitar riff first echoed out the speakers had been positively thrilling. The fact that those skeptical expressions switched to ones of amazement when she was through was even more thrilling.

Now, as Alex grabbed another drink, Veronica was back on stage. This time, though, she'd dragged Kendra and Grace up. All three were striking their best girl group poses as they belted out 'Wannabe'. Alex just hoped none of them tried to do a back handspring a la Sporty Spice. She'd once seen someone try to do that during karaoke night at Kitty Canary's back in Bristol, getting a busted wrist for their efforts.

As she took a sip of her ninth G&T, bemoaning the fact that she still felt perfectly sober, someone shook her shoulder. Alex turned around to find a very concerned Archie. "Hey, have you seen Elsie tonight?"

Alex's eyes widened. "No, I haven't." So caught up in the fact that the Doctor had gone MIA, she hadn't realized there was another person missing from the party. And a missing Elsie was even more concerning than a missing Doctor. The Doctor, at least, had centuries of experience under his belt. No matter what trouble he got into, he could take care of himself. Elsie on the other hand? "Did she come here from the school?"

Archie ran a hand through his hair, causing the spiky strands to flatten. "Yeah, she walked with Henry and Ronnie. But no one's seen her since about an hour ago."

Before Alex could reply, she was distracted by the front door slamming open. She and Archie turned to see Halley Carpenter standing in the doorway with an ecstatic look on her face. "Hey, guys!" she called, addressing the room at large but looking straight at Archie and Alex. "Massive row going on outside! I think Elsie's finally wised up on Temple!"

She didn't have to say anything more. Archie and Alex rushed across the room and out the door. Half the crowd, including the younger Earnest cast members, followed them.

The parking lot was dark, lit only by a couple of streetlamps and the red glow of cigarettes from the smokers lined up along the outside of the pub. However, that didn't prevent Alex from seeing Elsie and Edward Temple standing in the middle of the lot. Or from hearing them, for that matter.

"Will you give it up?!" Elsie snapped. Her hands were planted on her hips, her head tilted up to meet Temple's. While her face was angled away from the onlookers, Alex had no doubt she was giving her hopefully soon-to-be ex a fearsome glare. "I'm not interested in anything else you have to say! We're through!"

Archie gasped. Several onlookers started muttering excitedly. Alex resisted the urge to start cheering.

"Elsie, please," Edward begged. He eyed the unabashedly watching crowd warily. "Can't we just talk about this somewhere private?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Elsie crossed her arms over her chest. "What part of 'we're through' do you not get?"

Still casting the onlooker's wary looks, Edward hissed, "But I love you!"

Elsie snorted. "No, you don't! A man who loves me wouldn't sneak around, tell me he's gonna leave his wife and marry me when he's got no intention of actually doing it!"

Alex bounced up and down a little. Yes! You tell him, Elsie!

"Who said I have no intention of doing that?!" Edward yelled. His cheeks were turning red, his hands starting to clench into fists. "Those bloody meddlers in the play?!"

"Those bloody meddlers, as you call them, are my friends!" Elsie leaned a bit closer to him, getting up on tiptoe so she could look directly into his eyes. "And they were totally right about you! I only wish I'd listened to them a long time ago!"

As Edward made a scathing retort, Alex turned to Halley, standing right beside her. From this close, she could smell the thick scent of cloves. That answers how Halley happened to be out here to witness this, Alex thought. As Kendra had said last month, Halley's attempts to quit smoking were not going well. "How long has this been going on?" she murmured.

"Almost ten minutes now. It only got this heated about a minute ago, when she said she was breaking up with him." Shaking her head, Halley let out a low whistle. "Man, that guy does not take rejection well."

Catching this last part, Archie muttered, "Let's hope he doesn't get violent."

Alex pursed her lips. "If he does, you hold him down, Archie, while I kick him where it hurts." Some might have taken this as a joke, but Alex was perfectly serious. If Edward dared to lay a hand on Elsie, he was going to get a nasty surprise. She'd been looking for someone other than Spencer to practice her new self-defense moves on. If push came to shove, Edward would be the perfect candidate.

"I'm not doing this anymore!" Elsie shouted. Chest heaving, she took a few steps towards the pub. "I don't care whether you don't like this or not! I deserve to be with someone who actually loves me, who doesn't try to control me at every single moment!" And with that, Elsie strode towards the pub. She faltered half a step upon seeing the huge crowd her and Edward's fight had drawn, but she quickly recovered. As she approached, Alex was happy to see that Elsie's head hung high. A huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders and it was obvious that Elsie couldn't be happier about it.

Edward Temple, in stark contrast, looked like a little boy whose favorite toy had just been taken away. He stared after Elsie, shoulders slumped, but he made no move to go after her. After a few moments, he finally turned and slunk off into the darkness.

Good riddance, Alex thought.

"Blimey," Elsie gaped. She stared, wide-eyed, at the dissipating crowd, their free show now over. "Did everyone really see that?"

"You can blame Halley," Alex muttered. She gestured off to the side. Halley was now leaning against the side of the building, leisurely smoking another clove cigarette while chatting to a guy beside her. "She came in and announced what was going on."

She expected Elsie to turn bright red, but to Alex's pleasant surprise, Elsie merely shrugged. "Oh, well," she said easily. "It was gonna get around the village anyway."

Archie smiled down at her. "That's a good attitude to have."

"I'm trying to work on not letting what people think get to me." Elsie smiled sheepishly. "Not sure how long that's gonna last though."

"Still a start," Archie said encouragingly. "It's true, it's not easy, but you'll get there." While he didn't say it outright, Alex could tell by his expression that he wanted to offer to help Elsie get to that place.

Even better, Elsie's soft smile said she knew this and was open to the idea. "I have no doubt. But!" she cried. "I need to catch up on the partying! Thanks to Edward and his bitching, I'm an hour off schedule!"

"Well, then," Alex grinned, linking her arm through Elsie's, "let's go remedy that, shall we?"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"There you are!" Alex set down her eleventh gin and tonic and gaped up at Spencer. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd have to send out a search party for you, too."

"Sorry," Spencer winced. He sank down into the seat beside her. "I really didn't think I'd be gone so long."

"Where exactly did you go? I didn't see you out in the parking lot. Oh! Elsie broke up with Temple!"

"I heard," Spencer grinned. "I had to go into the back alley in order to hear Chief Stewart, their fighting was so loud." He paused. "Or at least Temple's side was. I didn't want to leave Elsie alone, though, so I gestured for Halley to go in and get you."

"She did that," Alex snorted, leaning back in her chair. "She got me, Archie, and half the party." She nodded towards the karaoke section. "Not that it caused a standstill. Actually, it seems to have added more energy."

Spencer followed her gaze. Most of the partygoers had gathered around the karaoke stage where Elsie and Grace were currently yelling out the chorus to Taylor Swift's 'Mean'. Most of their audience was singing along, though they sounded nowhere near as good as Elsie and Grace. A couple were waving cell phones and lit cigarette lighters back and forth. Others were using tankards, which threatened to slosh onto the floor with every drunken sway.

"Wow," Spencer chuckled. "Sorry I've been missing this."

Alex snickered. "They're doing a Taylor Swift tribute right now, singing all of her best angry, I'm-glad-I'm-no-longer-with-you breakup songs. They started with 'Picture to Burn', then moved on to 'White Horse' and 'You're Not Sorry'." She tilted her head thoughtfully, taking another sip of her drink. "They'll have to move on to other songs here soon. Just do a breakup anthem tribute." She winced, remembering such tributes she and Lacey had done back in Bristol. Alex had never been bothered enough by her breakups to listen to a sad playlist, but the same couldn't be said for Lacey and their friends. So many Friday nights had been spent at Kitty Canary's, aggressively singing 'Since U Been Gone' and 'You're So Vain' in between tequila shots and sob fests in the bathroom. Hopefully, Elsie wouldn't feel the need to do those last two items.

As 'Mean' came to a close, Alex turned back to Spencer. As much as she was interested in making sure Elsie's first night as a newly single woman went off without a hitch, she was far more interested in the results of Spencer's phone call. "Okay," she said, straightening up. "What did UNIT say? Did you get in touch with the Doctor?"

Spencer's face hardened, his eyes turning gray. He scooted his chair a bit closer to hers. Alex obligingly shifted closer as well. After checking to make sure no one was within earshot, Spencer said, "I spoke to Chief Stewart. She was alarmed, to say the least. She immediately tried calling the numbers you gave me, but he didn't answer. She called a few more times, left messages, but he still didn't answer." He nibbled the inside of his cheek, dreading what he was about to say next. "And she worries she might have an idea why."

Alex frowned, immediately sensing something was wrong. "What is it?"

Spencer took a deep breath before plunging in. "Right before I called, she received a call from the UNIT operative we had stationed in France, to follow Mels. Earlier tonight, Mels went out for dinner with a business associate. The restaurant they went to is on the Champs-Élysées. Now, that's a pretty crowded area, especially at night. After dinner was over, Mels and her associate bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways. The operative started following Mels back to her hotel. About two minutes in, a bunch of tourists momentarily blocked the operative's view. Once she got past them, she spotted Mels a bit of a distance away. She followed Mels back to the hotel, only. . ." Spencer paused, taking another deep breath. ". . .only it wasn't Mels."

Alex blinked. "What?"

"It was some random tourist girl who, from a distance, could be taken for Mels. Her name's Rochelle Davenport, currently on a long holiday in Paris from Swansea. She said that while the tourists blocked the operative, Mels came up to her and said that her crazy ex-girlfriend was following her and could Rochelle please pretend to be her while Mels got away. Apparently, Mels was very convincing. Rochelle took Mels' jacket and went where Mels told her to. When they got to the hotel, Rochelle spun round and started berating the operative for being a crazy stalker." Spencer made a small snorting sound, even though he didn't find anything about this funny. "You can imagine how horrified she was when the operative whipped out their UNIT badge."

But Alex didn't care about Rochelle. Her whole body felt as though a bucket of icy cold water had been dumped over her. Chills ran down her spine. Her hearts started to beat erratically. Her breathing came out ragged, even though she'd been sitting down for almost twenty minutes. She clutched at the arms of her chair, fingernails digging into the faux wood. She stared at her half-full glass of gin and tonic, but she wasn't really seeing it. Her whole being could only focus on one thing: Mels was missing.

Mels was missing. A full-blown, straight up psychotic assassin was on the loose and nobody had any idea where she was. Even if UNIT posted warnings at all the French airports, train stations, and ferries, Mels could easily slip on one of them undetected. She'd done much the same decades ago when departing the U.S. for England. The Doctor hadn't been able to find any official record of such a thing. Mels had simply slipped under the radar, probably doing so effortlessly, and now she had done it again. She could be anywhere right now. France, on her way back to Leadworth, or. . .

Alex swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling sick. While there hadn't been any evidence of futuristic technology at Mels' house, there was no reason to believe she didn't have access to it somehow. If she was still in contact with Kovarian, she could easily get her hands on a vortex manipulator. What if that was why the Doctor had suddenly gone AWOL? Mels had tracked him down at some future point in time and. . .

These thoughts were derailed by someone shaking her. Blinking rapidly, Alex refocused on a very worried Spencer.

"Alex? Alex, you're okay," Spencer assured her. He kept a firm grip on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. "I promise, you're safe. Mels is not going to get you."

"But what if she found the Doctor?" Alex's voice trembled, her worries and fears once again rising to the surface. Tears started to form in her eyes, though she struggled to keep them from falling. "That's what Chief Stewart thinks, isn't it?! What if she somehow tracked him down and, and—"

Spencer quickly cut her off. "We don't know that," he said firmly. "It's just a theory. It could be a bunch of other things." He wracked his brain for possible theories. He desperately wanted to comfort Alex, assure her that what she was fearing might not be the case. Unfortunately, he rather worried that her fears might not be unfounded.

Alex stared at him doubtfully. "Like what?"

"Well. . . Didn't you say once the TARDIS always takes him where he needs to go rather than where he wants to? Maybe that's what happened here."

Alex had to admit, that wasn't outside the realm of possibility. If it was a particularly tricky situation the TARDIS had gotten him into, it would explain why the Doctor hadn't been answering his phone. "Perhaps," she said slowly. But her eyes continued to glisten.

Spencer was saved from having to come up with anything else by Amy and Rory rushing up. "Hey!" Amy started to grin, only to quickly cut herself off at the sight of Alex's pale, trembling form. She hurriedly dropped down beside her, tugging Alex into a hug. "What's wrong?"

It took less than a minute for Spencer to relay the terrible news. By the end of it, the Ponds were as pale as Alex. Rory, holding a bottle of beer, took a long sip. His Adam's apple trembled violently as he swallowed. "So, Mel-Melody is. . ." He swallowed once more, unwilling to say the words.

Fortunately, Spencer understood this. "Yes," he nodded. His expression was grim, his mouth pressed into a thin line. His hand hovered over his gun, now tucked into his waistband. A part of him was hoping that Mels would suddenly saunter into the pub, allowing him to whip out the weapon and arrest her. Of course, he highly doubted Mels was that thick. After their last encounter at the fair, she'd do her best to avoid him, even if it meant not being able to get at Alex.

"We've gotta do something," Rory insisted. He slammed his beer bottle down, causing the table to rattle violently and a few partygoers to glance back at them. Wincing, Rory leaned over the table and whispered, "There's gotta be something we can do to get the Doctor's attention. Because I refuse to believe he suddenly got captured by those nutjobs."

"Me too," Amy nodded. There was no way in hell her Raggedy Man had fallen into a Silence/Kovarian trap. Not the same man who defeated the army at Demons Run in less than four minutes. He was too smart to be fooled like that. Knowing what they knew about Kovarian and the Silence, miniscule as it may be, there was no way the Doctor wouldn't exercise an abundance of caution when trying to track them down. "No, there's gotta be another explanation."

Alex wiped away a stray tear. "Spencer did suggest that maybe the TARDIS had taken him somewhere that needs his attention."

"Well, then," Amy said slowly, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face. "It's a good thing that I've already thought of something guaranteed to get a sentient time machine's attention."

Alex, Rory, and Spencer all exchanged very confused, very wary looks. Why does that not fill me with confidence? Alex wondered.

But she knew the answer. It was because with Amy Pond, you never knew what she was gearing to do next.

And that was terrifying.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A/N: And that's the last of the 'Adjusting' chapters! I hope you all enjoyed the assorted characters of Leadworth as much as I enjoyed writing them. We'll be seeing a few of them pop up in later chapters (such as Archie and Elsie being a couple?).

For now though, up next is 'Let's Kill Hitler'! And as you can see in this chapter, a lot of things are going to be different from what's in the episode. For a start, the Ponds know Mels' true identity. Spencer's here, with his trusty gun. And the Doctor has suddenly gone incommunicado. How will this affect the episode? You'll have to wait and see!

Also, quick aside, I can't help alternatively calling this chapter the 'Alex Crying a Lot' chapter (the last one being 'Everyone Wants to Date Alex'). But can you really blame Alex? She's going through a lot this month. :(

Notes on reviews. . .

EchoMoment: The idea of people in the U.K. (or at least Amy and Rory) making fun of the 4th of July came from Tumblr posts that pop up around that time (such as the 'Happy treason day, you ungrateful colonists!' joke). A bit of harmless fun, in my opinion. And yes, I know the first Harry Potter has a different title in the U.K. I just went with 'Sorcerer' because that's what I'm most familiar with and because I imagine by this point, the titles would be used interchangeably. And yep, Alex loves Harry Potter! She's definitely the kind of person you want on a trivia team. I was referring to the fact that in the States, we sell hot dogs and burgers when that doesn't seem to be the case in the U.K. Red Hots are a cinnamon-flavored candy and are rather spicy. As for the teacher thing, when I was in college, we often had to turn in physical copies of our papers as well as send them back electronically. We would then get the physical copies back with notes on them. That's where that comment made by Clara came from. Lol, yep, everyone seemed to be wanting to date Alex in the last chapter! As for Alex randomly meeting Clara, that innocent meeting is going to be looked back on a lot in the next season. Hope that answers all your questions!

lexicaruso: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Nope, definitely not discontinuing this story, I AM going to get it finished one way or another! Why yes, my Spencer WAS based off of Spencer Reid! Matthew Grey Gubler was actually my Spencer's original face claim, but I ended up going in a different direction with his character and could no longer picture MGG as him, so Cooper Barnes was cast instead. :) And yes, I have watched Criminal Minds and LOVE IT. I have a combined Hotch/OC and Spencer/OC I'm working on and am hoping to get out some time this year, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested (there's already some sneak peeks on my Tumblr)! Awww, thank you! I'm so glad you love this story so much and can't wait to see what happens next! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

NicoleR85: Thank you! As we saw here, Alex reacted . . . well, about how anyone would in her circumstances. It'll be interesting to see how she interacts with Mels in the next few chapters. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Apella: I'm so glad you enjoyed Clara's surprise appearance! I wasn't expecting it, either, it just came to me while I was writing. But I'm glad it did. I've got a lot of exciting ideas for next season now! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

LittleRedCupcake: Aw, I love the stories behind your nicknames, they're so sweet! Similarly, my dad is the only person who calls me 'T-bug' or 'bug', which I love (shameless daddy's girl here!). Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the series. Yeah, my version of Mels/River has definitely been impacted by all the trauma she's experienced in her life. That's the one thing that irked me about the show, that it didn't explore more of River's background or how her time with Kovarian psychologically impacted her or how she eventually overcame it (if she ever completely overcame it at all). It was something I definitely wanted to explore, because it seemed like such an interesting topic. Yay, another theatre person! I did acting in high school and loved it, so I had to give that to Alex. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

ShadowTier: That WAS a long chapter and this one is even LONGER (clocking in at 123 pages on my Word document)! I can't wait to have the Doctor back too. I love writing him and Alex together. Thankfully, we'll have an abundance of both in the next few chapters! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the Leadworth stuff and I hope you enjoyed the resolutions to them all here, though it won't be the last time we see them. We've still gotta see Archie and Elsie together! Yep, Mels/River is really messed up this go around. It'll be interesting to see how she goes from her despicable Mels persona to the River we met back in 'Living'. And I'm so glad you like Clara here! She's my favorite companion and I've got big plans for her next season. The Ponds too, as was hinted in this chapter. And yes, my Spencer was inspired by Spencer Reid! Though did you hear the series is getting revived at Paramount+? Lol, obviously, I did not manage to update before August 2020 as was my goal, but better late than never, right? We ARE going to get some Lacey adventures in the TARDIS AND in this story! I absolutely can't wait to get to them and see how she deals with life aboard the TARDIS. I'm so glad to hear you think I'm portraying PTSD/PTSS realistically. I did my research while writing and I'm so glad to hear it paid off. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

noblecrescent: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! YES, Clara's one of my favorites too, and I love seeing how people write her character and arc, because there's a lot of directions you can go in with her. She made a very small cameo here and it did give a hint towards her and the future Doctor and Alex's relationship (which I cannot WAIT to write!). Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

The Time Lord Oracle: Haha, there's even MORE foreshadowing for 'Let's Kill Hitler' here! So many things happened in this chapter that will seriously affect how things go in that episode. Thanks for that note! I elected to keep using 'Pastor' here, just because it was in the last chapter, but I will definitely remember that for future reference! Eep, I'm so glad Alex is one of your faves! That definitely annoyed me with the show, how there's barely any mention to the RTD-era, so I definitely try to make up for it by making references to it (as well ones to extended material, as I did in this chapter). I have thought of two AUs for Alex I definitely want to write one day: one where she meets the Tenth Doctor in series 4 and another in which she's with the Doctor from his very first incarnation. However, I definitely like the idea of doing a series 1 AU. Alex's mental abilities would definitely come in handy in those episodes ('Midnight' especially) and she DEFINITELY wouldn't hesitate in giving Cassandra, Sneed, Van Statten, Eddie Connolly, the Master, Mr. Halpen and others a piece of her mind! We may just get a series 1 AU, you never know. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

RavenclawFairy: Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear you love the story and have stuck with the series all these years! I'm so glad you liked the Clara part! I think that was my favorite scene to write. It definitely sets up some fun things for when she eventually comes on the TARDIS. And the Doctor will be back in the next chapter! Let the Dalex fluff commence! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Isabelnecessaryonabicycle: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Oh, I'm SO looking forward to 'Let's Kill Hitler' and 'The Wedding of River Song' too! So many things are different in those chapters because of events that have been set up in this chapter and the last one, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. OMG, THANK YOU! IT'S SO PRETTY! I'm putting it up on my Tumblr after I post this chapter so everyone can see it. Again, thank you so much!

The 1st Bookworm: Thank you! Here's an update! Hope you like the chapter!

Eennio: Thank you so much! Haha, we'll have to see if Alex and River ever get to a more amicable place. Going off this chapter, it doesn't seem too likely. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

GoodWolf11: You're so welcome and thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Please review and see you later!