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.

41. Let's Kill Hitler Part 1

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 27th, 2011

Sure enough, Amy's idea was terrifying.

Well, not the idea itself, but the way it was being put into action.

Alex clutched what Lacey had dubbed the oh shit bar hanging over the window beside her. Her other hand scrabbled for leverage on the slick leather seat beneath her. She grit her teeth and shut her eyes, trying not to think about how fast the car was going.

Good lord, what the hell had she been thinking, agreeing to this insanity?!

Beside her, Spencer was thinking the exact same thing. One hand gripping the bar above his own window, the other planted itself on Alex's shoulder. Despite the fact that they were both wearing seatbelts, Spencer wasn't overly confident that they would be of much help if the car (going ninety miles an hour when he last risked a look at the speedometer) wound up crashing.

As if to reinforce his opinion, the car suddenly swerved sharply, sending both Alex and Spencer flying sideways. Only their seatbelts, and Spencer's hand on Alex's shoulder, kept them from crashing into each other or from sprawling down onto the backseat.

Alex opened her eyes and sent a sharp glare towards the back of the driver's head. "Rory, slow down!"

Safe in the knowledge that Alex couldn't see him, Rory smirked. "Call it payback for that ride you took us on in Utah!" he called back.

Alex's response was to merely stick her tongue out at him.

Spencer's grip on the bar tightened, his fingers turning white. "Are we almost done?!" he shouted. Because I can't take much more of this! Really, this ride was worse than the one he'd taken through an active battlefield in the Middle East while helping a group of local UNIT agents track down a particularly brutal Sand Wyrm. The driver of that vehicle drove as fast as the army grade Jeep would go, dodging bullets, IED's, and a whole heap of other obstacles far more deadly and dangerous than a Sand Wyrm.

Up in the passenger seat, Amy called, "Just about!" She fumbled around with the patterned paper in her hands. "Okay, left, sharp turn!" she ordered. Rory immediately cut the wheel, sending the Citroen swerving (and causing Alex and Spencer to start swearing). A beat later, Amy cried, "Okay, right!" Just as Rory moved in that direction, Amy said hurriedly, "No, no, no, I mean left!" She fumbled once more with the map. "No, sorry, right, right! I definitely meant right!"

Alex rolled her eyes, even as her hearts thudded at a frantic, terrified pace. "Make up your mind, Amelia!"

Amy ignored her. "A loop-the-loop!"

Rory obediently turned the wheel hard, sending them in a giant circle. Amy clutched the bar over her own head while Alex and Spencer tried their hardest not to throw up.

"Stop, stop!" Amy shrieked and much to Alex and Spencer's relief, Rory slammed on the breaks and cut the engine.

Sending up a quick, grateful prayer, Alex peered out her window. They were on the edge of a large crop circle, corn completely crushed from the force of the Citroen's tires. But then she saw what had really made Amy call for a halt.

In the center of the large circle was a familiar blue police box.

The TARDIS.

Spencer looked out his own window. His heart, already thudding rapidly from the stress of Rory's driving combined with Amy's chaotic directions, only beat faster upon catching sight of a glorious blue color that, up until now, he had only seen in photographs from old UNIT files.

"Oh my God," he murmured. He rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms across his pant legs. Not that it helped, especially when he spotted the figure standing in front of the legendary blue box.

Alex spotted the figure too, but her reaction couldn't be more different. The fear that had been weighing down on her, wrapping her mind in one horrible scenario after another for the past week, evaporated. Her shoulders lifted as though a physical burden had been removed from them. And, in a sense, one had been. Her two hearts continued to beat quickly, but now for a much more pleasurable reason. A fresh, cool load of adrenaline entered her system, filling her with much-needed energy. And as she clambered out of the car, closely followed by Spencer and the Ponds, for the first time in a week, her mouth curved into a broad, brilliant grin.

Standing before them, a slight smirk on his lips, was the Doctor.

Despite her excitement, Alex's gaze ran over him critically, searching for any physical reasons that might have kept him from showing up this week. To her relief, she didn't see any. The Doctor looked just the same as he always did, except for one major alteration. Instead of his standard tweed jacket, he now wore a dark green WWII-style military jacket. It reminded Alex of a similar one she'd seen while shopping for a new coat during her and the Doctor's stay at Craig's. When she saw that coat, she hadn't been able to keep from picturing it on the Doctor.

Looks better than I imagined, she thought appreciatively.

The Doctor's smirk deepened at the clear approval on Alex's face. Guess she likes the coat, he thought. At the start of his search for Melody, he'd temporarily ditched his tweed jacket in favor of something that wouldn't stand out so much. The places he'd found himself in the last few months, places he would never take Alex (or any other companion) to, demanded that he blend in a bit more, not call too much attention to himself. The TARDIS had promptly recommended this new coat to him. He'd been a bit skeptical at first, but when the TARDIS assured him Alex would like it, he didn't hesitate in putting it on. Now, it seemed as though his brilliant, sexy time machine had been proven right.

However, he also noticed a few other things about Alex. Specifically, the utter relief in her tired eyes. The Doctor silently cursed himself. He never wanted to make Alex worried. And it was clear she had been worried, extremely so, this past week. There were dark circles under her eyes, ones she hadn't even bothered to try and cover with makeup. Actually, she wasn't wearing makeup at all, a rarity for her. Knowing Alex as well as he did, he suspected that after spending most of the night unable to sleep with all her anxieties and fretting, the moment daylight broke, she'd simply thrown on the first clothes she could find, eager to get started in calling him back to Leadworth. She wore a simple bright blue tank top, ripped skinny jeans, white Converse high-tops, and a gray cardigan carelessly flung over her shoulders. Her only jewelry consisted of her ever-present necklace and ring.

He decided to refrain, for now, from commenting on Alex's appearance. First and foremost was figuring out what the hell had happened here, then reassuring her of his safety. So, still smirking, he held up a newspaper. It was tomorrow's edition of The Leadworth Chronicle. The front page read, in big, bold type, LEADWORTH'S CROP CIRCLE. Underneath was a photo of the very cornfield they were standing in, the word 'Doctor' written out in the very center of the field. "Seriously?" he said, eyeing the group incredulously. His gaze, however, drifted towards Amy. Somehow, he rather suspected her of being the mastermind behind the harebrained (if creative) idea.

Amy, noticing his scrutinizing gaze, blushed. She should have known the Doctor would figure out she was the brains behind the crop circle. Though really, it was George Donaldson he should be eyeing, not her. He'd been the one to give her the idea at the wrap party last night. Amy had found herself talking to him while they were both waiting for Nicole Sullivan to refill their drinks. She couldn't remember exactly how they got onto the subject, but at some point, the conversation turned to the crop circle pranks George and a few of his mates had pulled a couple years ago.

It had been a big thing locally, several intricately designed crop circles appearing in the cornfields on the outskirts of town. There had been a few mutterings about alien visitors, but that was quickly disproven when farmer Harvey Granger, returning home late one night from Gloucester, spotted a small car driving wildly through his cornfield. Upon investigating, it was revealed that George was driving while a friend sat in the passenger seat, using a map of the planned design to direct George on which way to go. Fortunately for George and his mates, everyone was too amused by their prank to press charges.

George had been more than happy to tell Amy just how they went about creating their crop circles. It had been simplicity itself. They went online, where directions for making your own crop circle could be found in just a few clicks. There was even a site where you could submit your own design and it would tell you how to go about creating it. It had impressed Amy tremendously and when Spencer and Alex related the bad news about the Doctor, a lightbulb blinked on in her head. From there, all she had to do was find the site George mentioned and a hardly-used cornfield. And her plan worked! The Doctor was here, eye-shagging Alex, and all was right with the world.

Well, for the most part.

Now, Rory merely shrugged. "Well, you weren't answering your phone."

"And you didn't show up last night," Alex added. She rushed across the field to him, only coming to a halt once she was standing right in front of him. Not wasting a moment, her hands reached up to fiddle with his deep blue bowtie. As she straightened it, her fingertips brushed against the bare skin of his neck. The Doctor swallowed heavily at the contact, his Adam's apple bobbing. Though Alex delighted in this reaction, it didn't stop her from raising a critical eyebrow at him. "You've been AWOL for a week," she said, some of her earlier fear and worry bleeding into her words. "Care to explain?"

The Doctor sighed softly. "I'm very sorry, love," he murmured. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer to him. Her hands dropped to his lapels, resting on top of his hearts. "But I'm afraid I got caught up in something."

Alex stiffened, instinctively realizing there was a double meaning to his words. "You got caught in a trap?" Her voice was tight, her dark green eyes narrowing.

"Hey, hey. . ." His free hand cupped her chin, thumb rubbing soothing patterns against her skin. "I'm fine, Ally."

Her tense shoulders relaxed a bit at his touch, but not her anger. "What happened?" she demanded.

"Kovarian," he said simply. He continued rubbing his thumb against her skin, though now it was more for his benefit than hers. "The leads I told you about? Turns out they'd been made up. Probably to get me out of the way, though I'm not sure if Kovarian wanted me dead or just indisposed until Melody showed up to finish the job."

"What did she do?" Amy cut in, reminding the two they weren't alone.

The Doctor kept his eyes on Alex as he answered. "She arranged for some people she knew I knew – not friends, but some acquaintances I've made over the years – to give me false information that she'd been spotted on a planet not far from Demons Run. Made sure they were vague. Too confident and I'd get suspicious. Anyway, when I got to where she'd allegedly been spotted, I was . . . jumped."

Alex's eyes widened. "Jumped?!"

"I got out," he said hastily, seeing her eyes darkening again. "I was only held for about an hour." He decided to refrain from telling her just how he'd escaped, at least for now. Once he started her self-defense training, he'd show her some of the moves that, while incredibly violent, helped save his life. "Unfortunately, I was a long distance away from the TARDIS."

"So, you've spent the past week hiding out on that planet while trying to get back to the TARDIS?"

He gave her a smile that came off more as a grimace. "Unfortunately, yes."

Alex's head tilted back as a rush of air whooshed out of her. Not as bad as she'd thought (and God knew she'd thought a lot) but it was still horrifying to learn her Doctor had been reduced to scuttling around like a rat on a seedy, probably hostile planet. Still, the important thing was that he was right here, alive. Kovarian had not succeeded. And, if Alex had her way, Mels wouldn't either.

The hand still cupping her chin gently tilted her head forwards. The Doctor's emerald green depths shined reassuringly. "It's alright, Ally, I'm fine." Releasing her chin, he made two x's just above her hands, still resting on his chest. "Cross my hearts."

"Good," she smiled. "You're not in trouble." Then, leaning in and stretching up on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear, "This time."

"Good to know," he chuckled, right before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

The effect on them both was instantaneous. Fresh bursts of adrenaline ran through their systems, an intoxicating rush that neither had felt in months. Despite the long time apart, their lips moved seamlessly against each other. The Doctor smiled into the kiss, his hands moving down to grip her hips. His fingers rubbed circles against the thick denim fabric, though he longed to be touching bare skin instead. Such thoughts had been running rampant in his head ever since Alex sent him that enticing photo back in June. And after that phone call a few weeks ago. . .

Well, he was quite eager to take the next step with Alex.

Recalling how much she seemed to love his domineering side, he quickly darted his tongue out and forcibly pried her lips open. Her gasp was cut off by him sweeping his tongue inside, claiming her mouth as his. Alex's hands scrabbled for his lapels, clutching them tight in an effort to hold on. No doubt he knew how much she loved it when he took control of their kissing . . . or how her knees went weak at his actions. At the moment, it was a bit of an effort to stay upright, but it was a challenge Alex would never turn down.

Somehow, despite his tongue rammed in her mouth, Alex managed to smile into the kiss. God, she'd missed this! Going without this for an entire summer was just horrible. Well, no more of that. Starting from this moment, she wasn't going to be separated from the Doctor for so long ever again. Screw River and Lake Silencio, she thought, flipping a mental finger at both. Let them try and separate us.

Amy and Rory smiled slightly at their friends' reunion, but both also fairly vibrated with impatience. Happy as they were for the Doctor and Alex, this was no time for a prolonged reunion. Their psychopathic daughter was in the wind, and no one knew where she was or what her plans were. Now was not the time for a makeout session; now was the time to come up with a much-needed plan.

Considering how often she'd interrupted them in the past, Amy took it upon herself to do the same now. "Okay!" she cried, her voice carrying clear across the cornfield. It had the desired effect. With begrudging sighs, the Doctor and Alex broke apart as Amy strode towards them. "Good to see you, Doctor, but now's not the time for snogging! We've got a big problem."

The Doctor frowned. "Define 'problem'."

"Mels has gone AWOL." Amy's voice was blunt, getting straight to the point, and it was almost enough for one to dismiss the slight tremble in her words.

The Doctor stiffened. An arm immediately wrapped itself around Alex and tugged her against him. "What do you mean?" he demanded. Without waiting for Amy or Rory to answer, he turned to Spencer. While he didn't recognize the muscular young man, he had a pretty good idea from Alex's descriptions who he was. And that he was the one with all the answers.

Spencer straightened to his full height when the Doctor's emerald green eyes landed on him. He'd seen countless photos of the Doctor, spanning from his first incarnation to this one, but a bunch of photos was nothing compared to the man standing right in front of him, staring at him so expectantly. He had to resist the urge to salute, recalling from all the files that the Doctor didn't particularly like that.

"Yes, sir," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. Was his voice a bit more high-pitched than normal? He surreptitiously cleared his throat before speaking again. "Um, I'm Dr. Spencer Grayson—"

"Yes, I gathered that," the Doctor said flatly. His features turned slightly cold. "And I'm assuming you know who I am."

Spencer swallowed heavily. He could hear the implied words at the end of the Doctor's sentence: And that you know how I'll react if you don't get to the point. Suddenly, Spencer was at a loss for what to say. His only consolation for this lack of composure was that there were several UNIT operatives who he was sure would react the exact same way if they ever met the Doctor. Osgood, for one. She'd easily go through an entire inhaler, maybe two.

Focus! Spencer snapped to himself. The Doctor's features were starting to harden, and even Alex and the Ponds were giving him strange looks. For God's sake, he could do this! He could give a progress report. He had done so many times, though not in a situation as dire as this.

Once more surreptitiously clearing his throat, Spencer ploughed into speech. His heart thundered in his chest, but he did his best to ignore it. "Mels, aka Melody Pond's whereabouts are currently unknown." He quickly outlined what he'd told Alex and the Ponds last night.

Throughout the report, the Doctor stared at him stone-faced. The only indication of his panic and anger was the tight clenching of his jaw and how he gripped Alex like he was trying to physically push her inside him. Spencer suspected, going off the paleness in Alex's face, that if such a thing was possible, she'd be perfectly fine with it.

After several moments of stony silence, the Doctor finally spoke. When he did, Spencer immediately wished he hadn't. There was a cold fury in his voice, a hint that his temper was close to being fully ignited. And when that happened. . . Well, Spencer knew enough from the UNIT files that it was best if you were far, far away when it finally erupted. "What are you doing now?" he asked. "Not standing idly by, waiting to see if she shows up, are you?"

"Doctor," Alex said, giving him an admonishing look.

"It's fine, Alex," Spencer said, not even looking at her but remaining focused on the Doctor. "We currently have several UNIT operatives stationed at each major dock and airport in France. There is, unfortunately, not enough manpower to guard the private docks and airports, which I personally believe is the route Mels would go through, seeing as they don't require security checks, but we do have our tech team at London HQ monitoring passenger lists for every listed ferry and flight back to England, public and private."

The Doctor had to admit, he was rather impressed by this. "And has her name popped up on any list?"

"Not so far. It is possible – probable, even – that she's traveling under an alias. We have issued a bulletin to all those locations stating that she's a person of interest in an attempted shooting in London, and it includes her description." Truthfully, however, Spencer doubted the bulletin would yield much. Airport security was mostly concerned with making sure no one was smuggling anything suspicious in their luggage – Mels wouldn't be dumb enough to conceal weapons on her person if she knew there was a possibility of her being searched. The Doctor seemed to be of the same mind, for a brief flash of disappointment crossed his features.

"Do you think it's possible she might not be coming back to England?" It was a hopeful looking Amy who asked this.

Spencer hesitated before answering. With Amy, he wasn't talking to someone who wanted to take Mels down or avoid her at all costs. She was a mother who desperately wanted her daughter safe, whether that was by her side or not. "I would be very surprised," he said slowly, "if that were the case. Mels clearly has what she considers unfinished business here in Leadworth."

Alex grimaced, knowing that she was the unfinished business. Hopefully, if the Doctor and I have anything to say about it, it'll stay unfinished business.

Amy nodded slowly, her eyes downcast. She'd known the answer even before Spencer said it. Didn't mean she hadn't been holding out hope though. She'd rather Mels/Melody go off somewhere and start anew, not go after her best friends. Still, that made her wonder. . . "Why is Mels still going after you?" she asked, turning to the Doctor. "I mean, she's been around me and Rory for years."

Rory nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, shouldn't all that brainwashing have sort of . . . worn off?"

The Doctor grimaced. "You would think so. But I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Spencer jumped in. "There's been a lot of studies done confirming that a child's upbringing and surroundings in their formative years is critical to how they eventually process the world when they're older. Now, Melody obviously didn't have an ideal upbringing," Amy and Rory scowled, presumably at the thought of Kovarian raising their daughter, "so that has affected her. If she were still six or so, younger than she is now, at any rate, I would have given her a better outcome of being rehabilitated. Lots of therapy, being introduced to a more welcoming, loving environment, all of that would have worked wonders. But. . ." He sighed. "Melody escaped the Silence when she was six and, as far as we've been able to determine, spent the next few decades completely on her own. She was forced to raise herself, essentially, and the only guide she had on how to interact with the world around her was the twisted stuff Kovarian instilled in her since birth."

"Even as scared as she was of the Silence and the spacesuit," Alex said quietly, her hearts aching at the memory of little Melody's pleas to President Nixon, "they were all she knew. They were normal."

"And she was already showing signs of psychopathic behavior," the Doctor admitted. Amy and Rory's gazes snapped to him, their eyes wide in horror. He nodded grimly. "Oh, yes. I went by Graystark, just to see if there was anything else there that might provide a hint to Melody's whereabouts."

"What did you find?" Amy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The Doctor took a deep breath before blurting it out. That was the only way to deliver this kind of news: bluntly, the verbal equivalent of ripping off a band-aid. "Nun-chucks, the handles of which showed signs of wear and tear, indicating they had been used often. A box of grenades, several of which were missing, and a throwing star in the nightstand. Disemboweled stuffed animals in the closet, those on the bed in the process of being so."

By the end of this statement, Amy and Rory's faces were a ghastly shade of white. For a moment, Alex thought they might pass out. Who could blame them if they did? She'd been horrified when the Doctor told her those details a few months ago, but unlike Amy and Rory, she wasn't Melody's parent. These details hit the Ponds on a completely different level than they did for anyone else.

"As I was saying," the Doctor continued after a minute when the Ponds failed to say anything. "When we first encountered her at Graystark, she was already exhibiting sociopathic behavior. Combine that with her being on her own for decades. . ."

"It was a recipe for disaster," Alex murmured. She shook her head sadly. In many ways, Melody never had a chance.

"By the time she showed up here," Spencer broke in, "her mind was pretty much set. However, you, Amy, did inadvertently influence her with your stories about the Doctor."

Amy fiddled with her 'A' necklace. "I think I know how," she murmured. "It warped her head, didn't it? Now she wants to marry the Doctor and kill him."

"That's . . . that's. . ." Rory shook his head. "That doesn't make sense!"

"She's a psychopath, Rory," the Doctor said. "In her mind, it all makes sense."

Amy emitted a slight sob. "Great!" she cried with a watery smile. "I screwed up my own kid and didn't even know it!"

The Doctor glanced down at Alex, then over at Rory. "Permission?" he asked them.

Neither Alex nor Rory could keep from chuckling. "Granted," they said together. They stepped off to the side, Rory grabbing the Doctor's paper so they could study it.

Though he was reluctant to separate from Alex, even for a moment, the Doctor knew Amy needed him more right now. He stepped forward and gathered her in a tight hug. Amy immediately reciprocated, flinging her arms around his shoulders, and burying her teary face into his chest.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear, "you didn't do anything wrong. You know who she grows up to be. She gets better." And it was true. Though he didn't particularly trust River, he still vividly remembered his first encounter with her. A psychopath would never dream of sacrificing herself to save 4,022 people (which, incidentally, was something he needed to tell the Ponds at some point). River Song wasn't exactly the greatest person in the universe, but her ultimate sacrifice proved that she did eventually overcome most of her dark upbringing.

Amy sniffled, thinking this over. "She still hits on you, still dislikes Alex."

The Doctor sighed sadly. "Well, I said she's better, not perfect. 'Course, no one's perfect." Except Alex, he thought. Alex would protest that, point out all her flaws, but to the Doctor, that only reinforced his opinion. She freely admitted she wasn't a perfect person; hence, perfect in his eyes.

But more to the point, not something he could say about River. Certainly not about the Mels version of her, wherever she was. Not that the Doctor intended on looking for her. No, as far as he was concerned, that was officially a UNIT problem. Though he doubted Mels would hurt her parents, he wasn't going to take any chances. His plan was to whisk Amy, Rory, and Alex out of Leadworth as soon as possible. From there, he could activate the TARDIS randomizer, just in case Mels had any access to time-travel devices. They would be back among the stars, seeing new times and places, hopefully calm ones. The Ponds couldn't heal from these painful truths if they were constantly jumping from one life-threatening situation to another. Better if they had a bunch of calm, relaxing trips where Amy and Rory could come to terms with the revelations of the past few months . . . and where he and Alex could possibly spend time by themselves.

The Doctor carefully eased out of Amy's embrace, ready to put his plan into action. He had already spent more time in this cornfield than he'd wanted. With Mels in the wind, there was no time for dawdling. He turned towards Spencer, ready to thank him for his service the past few months and advise him on what to do next, when Rory called them over.

"Hang on," he cried. He held up the newspaper, displaying the image of the crop circle. "What's this bit?" He pointed to a straight line cutting through the 'Doctor' writing. It was heading straight towards the second 'o' where they were all standing.

Alex frowned. "Yeah, that wasn't there a minute ago."

The Doctor snatched the paper away from Rory and peered at it intently. He moved around the circle, holding it above his head as he tried to find where, exactly, the line was headed. Finally, he came to a stop at the edge of the circle. Amy, Rory, Alex, and Spencer came up behind him.

Before any of them could ask what the line might be, or why it was heading towards them, the sound of a roaring car engine rang out. And with each passing second, it got louder and louder.

The Doctor slowly lowered the paper . . . and revealed a bright red Chevrolet Corvette speeding directly towards them.

Later, when recounting this to his superiors, Spencer would briefly consider lying and saying that he didn't scream when he saw the car coming. But his well-honed UNIT training (not to mention the knowing look Chief Stewart gave him) forced him to reconsider. His only consolation was that the Doctor, Amy, Rory, and Alex also screamed when they saw the car fastly approaching.

Fortunately, while his mouth and vocal chords betrayed him, Spencer's training didn't. Within two seconds of seeing the car and determining that the driver wasn't going to stop in time, Spencer grabbed hold of Alex's shoulders and threw her to one side. As he planted himself on top of her, he distantly registered Amy and Rory jumping to land beside them, while the Doctor dove to the opposite side, close to the TARDIS.

Spencer craned his head just in time to see the Corvette skid to a halt on the exact spot where he and the others had been standing just a few seconds ago. Who the hell is driving that thing? he thought, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He took a quick survey of the Corvette. While Spencer wasn't a car enthusiast, part of his UNIT training had included an intense study on every car manufactured in North America and Europe. Upon arriving in Leadworth, he'd made an inventory of every car in the village. Due to Leadworth's size, there weren't very many. In addition, the villager's cars (with the notable exception of Alex's) were all very modest vehicles, easily affordable and not particularly showy. Not like the very sporty, flashy, expensive Corvette in front of him.

Prickles ran down Spencer's neck. Who did this car belong to and why was it here?

Keeping one hand pressed on Alex's back, he used the other to quickly shift his pistol from his ankle holster to his waistband. He was extremely glad he did so a split second later, when the driver climbed out of the car and spoke.

"You said he was funny," Mels remarked.

Amy and Rory sat up, their eyes going wide with panic. Spencer cursed under his breath. Beneath him, Alex's whole body tensed. But not for long. A moment later, she was shoving Spencer off her and getting to her feet.

"Alex. . ." Spencer hissed.

"It's okay," Alex murmured. "I'll be fine."

"I highly doubt that," Spencer muttered. Nevertheless, he didn't stop Alex from striding over to Mels' side of the car, nor did he keep Amy and Rory back. Truthfully, the Ponds were his best hope at diffusing whatever situation this was turning into. Despite being a full-blown psychopath, Mels did have genuine love for her parents. It was just possible she would hesitate at doing something if Amy or Rory asked her not to, giving Spencer the opportunity to step in and take her down. For now though, he lingered at the very back of the group. He wasn't sure if Mels had noticed him or not, but in any case, he didn't want to draw attention to his presence.

At the same time these thoughts were running through Spencer's head, the Doctor, still sprawled on the ground beside the TARDIS, took a good long look at Mels as she stepped in front of the sun, allowing her features to be seen. He'd used the TARDIS systems to dig up old photos of Mels but seeing her in person gave him far more information than simple photographs.

This second incarnation of Melody 'Mels' Alexandria Pond was a tall black woman with long, flowing black hair styled into several cornrow braids. She appeared to be in her early twenties, just like her parents and Alex, though the Doctor knew she was much, much older than that. She was dressed in a pink and black patterned dress, black tights, a black leather vest, and black boots. Altogether, not too different from what her future self wore. The Doctor had long thought River's style could best be summed up as "dressed for adventure". Mels didn't seem any different.

Mels' dark eyes seemed to glitter in a mixture of excitement and malice as she smirked down at him. "You never said he was hot," she continued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Mels!" Rory shouted. Or, more accurately, shrieked. There was no missing the alarm in his voice, nor in his expression as he hastily helped Amy up.

The moment she was upright, Amy scrambled towards her daughter. She struggled not to gawp at Mels. After all, as far as they knew, Mels didn't know they knew her real identity. Who knew what might happen if they let the cat out of the bag? "What are you doing here?" Amy demanded.

"Following you," Mels said, as though it was obvious. "What'd you think?"

That's not why you're here, Alex thought darkly as she slipped past the woman and over to the Doctor, still flat on his back.

Her thoughts must have been written on her face for, as she knelt beside him, the Doctor eyed her worriedly. "You okay?" he murmured.

"I'm fine, Doc," Alex said, but she didn't say it the way she usually would, in a flirty, slightly exasperated manner. She couldn't even if she tried. All her attention was currently focused on the unexpected new arrival.

Once the Doctor was upright and Alex had assured herself that he was alright, her gaze traveled over to Mels' car. It was a rather nice model. . . Too nice and way too expensive for Mels to afford. Which could only mean one thing. . .

"Hello, Melody." The moment Mels whirled around to face her, Alex offered her a smile. Not a dazzling one, though. This smile was far more reminiscent of the one she'd given the creepy cashier last month, her teeth shining like a knife's blade. "Lovely to see you." She turned to the Ponds. "Ask your friend where she got her car."

Mels shot her a glare. "It's mine," she said defensively . . . right before police sirens started ringing in the distance. ". . .ish."

"Oh, Mels," Amy groaned. "Not again."

"You can't keep doing this," Rory insisted, allowing a bit of a paternal tone to slip into his voice. "You're going to end up in prison!" Which reminded him. . . When Amy first met River, she'd found out that River was in prison for murder and attempted murder. She'd been seeking a pardon at the time, though there were no guarantees that she'd get one. But who did she kill? Who did she attempt to kill?

He was pulled out of these thoughts by Alex responding to his last statement. "Again," she added helpfully, giving Mels a pointed look.

Mels glowered at her. "Get your facts straight, Ally. I was never in prison."

Alex shrugged, all while biting back the impulse to say, 'You will be'. "Jail though. But I guess you would count prison as a step up in the world, right?"

A muscle in Mels' jaw ticked. "If I was so desperate to get into prison," she hissed, "I would've taken out that pathetic little UNIT guard trailing me all over France." She smirked when Alex stiffened. "Oh, yeah, I know all about that. Speaking of, where's. . ." She turned and, getting up on tiptoe to peer over Amy and Rory's heads, finally spotted a scowling Spencer. "Oh, there it is!" She beamed and waved at him. "Hasn't strayed too far from you since I last saw you, has he?" Her eyes ran appreciatively up and down Spencer's figure. "Does he follow you into the bedroom, too?"

"Sorry!" the Doctor cried, purposefully cutting off Alex before she could say or do anything particularly scathing. Besides, he wanted to get Mels' focus on him. If she became fixated on him, it meant she wouldn't try to harm Alex. "Hello!" he said as Mels turned to him. He smiled brightly as he chose his next words with care. He wanted to put Mels off, make her think him the fool. She'd be more likely to get over-confident then, allowing him to outwit her plans. Whatever those plans were. "Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost." He glanced at Amy and Rory. "You never said I was hot?"

Alex had a pretty good idea what he was doing. She also knew that to make it even more convincing to Mels, she had to play her part, too. So, rolling her eyes, she reached up and smacked him on the back of the head. "That's the part you focus on?!" she snapped.

"Ow!" the Doctor cried overtop her. Rubbing the spot she'd hit, he shot her a mild glare. It weakened slightly when Alex gave him a conspiratorial wink. My brilliant girl, he thought, his eyes darkening slightly.

Fortunately for him, Mels didn't even notice this sudden shift in behavior. All of her attention had shifted onto the TARDIS. "Is that the phone box?" she asked, an excited gleam appearing in her eyes. "The bigger-on-the-inside phone box?" She darted over to it, unaware of the bewildered, questioning looks the rest of the group gave each other the moment her back was turned.

"Oh, time travel," she beamed, leaning against the TARDIS. "That's just brilliant." She turned to the Doctor. "Yeah, I've heard a lot about you." She gestured towards Amy and Rory, not noticing how they winced slightly at her next declaration. "I'm their best mate."

"Then why don't I know you?" the Doctor asked. "I danced with everyone at the wedding." This caused Alex to snort, remembering the Doctor's less than amazing dance skills with everyone save her. "The women were all brilliant. The men were a bit shy."

"I don't do weddings," Mels said dismissively as she stepped away from the TARDIS.

By this point, the once distant police sirens were not so distant anymore. Spencer estimated they were just beyond the woods lining the edge of the cornfield. He bit the inside of his cheek. He wasn't sure if a sudden influx of police would be a good thing or not. On the one hand, they could take Mels down much more efficiently than he and the others could. On the other hand, the situation could escalate. With a psychopath hell bent on murder and revenge, one never knew how things would turn out.

Mels had noticed the approaching sirens, too. She paused for a moment, listening to them grow closer and closer. Then, in the blink of an eye, she made her decision. "And that's me, out of time." As she spoke, she spun around, grabbed Alex by the wrist, hauled the brunette towards her, and whipped out a sleek silver gun that she pressed against Alex's temple.

Alex gasped at the lightning-fast move, a move that could only have come from years of specialized training. She gasped again when Mels' free hand pressed down on her shoulder. Her bright red nails dug into Alex's neck, making the skin tear. Alex gave an involuntary shudder as a drop of blood trickled down over her collarbone.

"Mels!" Amy shrieked.

"For God's sake!" Rory snapped.

"What are you doing?!"

Unlike her parents, Mels remained perfectly calm. "I need out of here, now." She spoke directly to the Doctor.

Alex pursed her lips. She'd known that was coming. Though she hadn't seen herself becoming a hostage. She eyed the Doctor worriedly. He was standing perfectly straight, his face blank. Anyone else would mistake him for calm, but Alex could see how his jaw was subtly clenched, how his fists were stuffed in his coat pockets, and how his normally bright green eyes were now dark as night, focused on the still bleeding scratch on her neck.

There was no doubt about it. The Doctor was gone. He was the Oncoming Storm now. And Mels, though she didn't realize it yet, was deeply screwed.

"Anywhere in particular?" the Doctor asked. His voice was purposefully emotionless, betraying none of the fury and deep protectiveness running through his veins.

Mels cocked her head, giving the matter some thought. "Let's see. . . You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. . ." She gave him a maniacal grin. "What the hell? Let's kill Hitler!"

"I have a better idea. . ." The click of a bullet being loaded into a chamber made everyone's head turn. Alex's jaw dropped. Truthfully, she probably shouldn't have been so surprised. But she had never seen Spencer aim his gun at someone before.

He'd adopted a stance Alex had only ever seen done on cop shows: legs spread apart, presumably for balance, with a slight hunch in his shoulders. Both hands clutched his pistol, his fingers wrapped tight around the grip, save one which hovered above the trigger. And if that wasn't enough to intimidate Mels, Spencer's expression picked up the slack. His jaw was clenched, a vein in his cheek throbbing angrily. His eyes were more gray than blue and were narrowed tightly on Mels. He cocked an eyebrow as he aimed the gun at her. "How about," he said slowly, "you put that gun down before I make you?"

Mels' jaw clenched, but there was no missing that she was a little fearful now. She had made a crucial error in dismissing Spencer so swiftly. Honestly, she'd seen his gun at the Leadworth Fair! She knew he had access to one, was probably carrying whenever out in public. But so distracted by the appearance of the Doctor and the TARDIS, she'd completely skipped him over, deeming him irrelevant. Now she was losing control of a situation she had so carefully curated. And was something Mels could not abide by.

Tensing slightly, she tightened her grip on her pistol, making sure her hand didn't shake as she did so. She dug the muzzle just a bit harder into Alex's temple, enjoying how the troublesome brunette hissed slightly at the movement. "You really gonna shoot me?" She gave Spencer a brazen grin.

Spencer's expression didn't change. "If I have to." Never mind the fact that he'd never shot anything but practice targets. Never mind the fact that Mels' parents were right here, watching the scene in nervous anticipation. He'd been appointed Alex's bodyguard. That meant he had a responsibility towards her. If her life was threatened, he'd have to act, regardless of the circumstances or his personal beliefs.

"NO!"

The furious shout took everyone by surprise. Amy and Rory actually jumped. Even Mels jolted, nearly removing the gun from Alex's temple in the process. Spencer was too well-trained to jump, but he did shift his gaze in the direction the shout had come from.

It had, of course, come from the Doctor. And he appeared even more livid, more Oncoming Storm than he'd been just a few moments ago. His posture and overall stance hadn't shifted; actually, he was so still, he seemed more statue than man. But his eyes were black, a vein in his forehead throbbed, and righteous fury radiated off him like heat from a roaring fire. It made Alex want to back away from him, even though she knew his anger wasn't directed at her.

The Doctor stared Spencer down. Once again, Spencer felt his heartbeat kick up and something like rocks lodged in his throat. Was this how alien antagonists felt when the Doctor looked at them like that? Like they were about to be crushed under the heel of some mighty boot, unable to beg for mercy because they knew they wouldn't get it? Even if they thought what they'd been doing was right? Was justified?

"There will be no shooting anyone today." The Doctor's voice held a note of finality to it. His black gaze lingered on Spencer, though he thought the Doctor might be trying to speak to Mels, too. "Dr. Grayson, kindly put down your weapon."

Spencer stared at him. Truthfully, he wasn't surprised by the demand – he'd read the files, he knew the Doctor's view on guns – but it was still a bit shocking, considering the man's girlfriend was currently being held hostage. "But Doctor—"

"Now."

Spencer sighed. There was nothing he could say to argue his way out of this. With a heavy heart and a great feeling of trepidation, he slowly put the pistol back into his ankle holster.

He was sure the Doctor (and Mels) would have preferred him to set it on the ground and kick it a good distance away, like in all the cop shows, but the Doctor still gave a satisfied nod when Spencer was done. "Well, then," he said coolly, turning back to Mels. "Want to kill Hitler? An understandable task, I suppose. This way, then. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A long time ago in Leadworth. . .

Amelia Pond opened her special cardboard box. Having previously housed some very expensive purchase Aunt Sharon had gotten out of a mail-order catalogue (what was so special about a giant makeup case anyway?), Amelia had fetched it out of the rubbish bin when her aunt wasn't looking, commandeering it as a place for her treasures.

In this case, 'treasures' meant all the Raggedy Doctor toys she'd spent many an afternoon creating and playing with. There were little dolls she'd sewn herself, papier-mâché police-box time machines, the costumes she and Rory used when they played Doctor and Companion, and so much more.

It was, Amelia reflected, a little bit risky to show this stuff to Mels. The kids at school certainly didn't believe her. Some, like stuck-up Veronica Stackmore and Amelia's awful cousin Rebecca, tormented her about her so-called stories. But Amelia had a good feeling about Mels Ukuthula. She couldn't explain it, not even to herself, but something told her that Mels wasn't like the other kids in the village.

Mels was different. Mels was special.

Which meant if anyone was equipped to hear about the Raggedy Doctor, it was her.

Mels helped her open the other side of the box. "Is he hot?" she asked.

Amelia rolled her eyes and pulled out one of her TARDIS models. "No, he's funny."

For a few minutes, this seemed to be the end of it. Amelia spun around in circles, making little airplane whooshing sounds as she flew her little time machine around an imaginary. . . Well, she didn't know what a time machine flew in, but that didn't matter. Pretending her model was flying was good enough.

Mels watched her curiously from her position on the bed. Then, just as Amelia was really getting into the pretend flying, Mels asked another question. "But how can he travel in time?"

Pausing her TARDIS flying, Amelia rolled her eyes again. "'Cause he's got a time machine, stupid!"

At that moment, Amelia's bedroom door opened, and a young boy rushed in. "I thought we were playing hide and seek," Rory complained. "I've been hiding for hours!"

Amelia sighed, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Well, we just haven't found you yet."

Rory sighed in reluctant acceptance. Sadly, this was how it usually went whenever he played with Amelia. "Okay," he pouted, turning to leave. On his way out, he halfheartedly called over his shoulder, "Hi, Mels."

"Hi, Rory," Mels echoed back with a roll of her eyes.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Standing at the front of her classroom, Ms. Heather Meyer blinked incoherently. She stared at the young girl before her, who had just answered a perfectly easy question with the most ridiculous answer imaginable. "Mels, did you not understand the question?" Maybe the girl was just a slow learner? It did happen. "I'm asking you why the Titanic sank."

Mels merely repeated her previous answer. "Because the Doctor didn't save it," she proclaimed.

At the desk beside her, Amelia shifted uncomfortably, doing her best not to glance at Veronica Stackmore, who was shaking from barely concealed laughter.

But if Mels noticed any of this, she either ignored it or just didn't care as she continued to Ms. Meyer, "Except you don't know about the Doctor because you're stupid." She crossed her arms satisfactorily. Combined with the self-satisfied smirk on her face, it gave the impression that she was much older than her seven years.

Not that Ms. Meyer saw it that way. All that Mels' behavior resulted in was her being sent to the principal's office.

Amelia, having patiently waited outside the office for her friend, waited until they were outside on the playground before asking, "Why are you always in trouble? You're the most trouble in the whole school, except for the boys."

"And you," Mels pointed out.

"I count as a boy," Amelia dismissed.

"Am I getting warmer?" Rory called out as the girls passed him. His eyes were covered by a blindfold and his arms were stretched all the way out, desperately reaching for some form of human contact. It wouldn't have surprised anyone to learn that it had been Mels' idea to play Blind Man's Bluff, nor that it was she who had suggested Rory go first.

Now, Mels just shook her head. "Yes, Rory. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Mels," Mr. Thomas Harding huffed with barely concealed exasperation. He eyed the teenage girl in front of him, hoping that for once in her life, she would answer the question correctly instead of babbling one of her crazy, annoying answers.

No such luck. "A significant factor in Hitler's rise to power was the fact that the Doctor didn't stop him," Mels declared. She crossed her arms confidently, a smirk settling across her lips. . .

. . .a smirk that surprisingly didn't fade even after she'd been sent to the principal's office. Again.

She walked past Amy who, as usual, was waiting right outside.

Amy shook her head. "I can't keep doing this!" she cried even as she immediately followed Mels.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Amy peered through a small panel set in a thick metal door. Inside was Mels, calmly sitting on a bench, jacket slung over her shoulder. Looking at her, you'd think she was perfectly content being in a jail cell. Knowing Mels, she probably was.

Amy sighed wearily as the guard opened the door. Once again, Mels had done something completely outrageous and totally illegal, and it was up to Amy to bail her out.

She took a quick look at her watch. 10:30 now, a good three hours after Mels had been arrested. Amy or Rory one would have been here sooner, but Amy had been busy with a kissogram job and Rory had been occupied in studying for a particularly difficult exam in his nursing course . . . and Alex had been the one to take Mels' phone call.

A small smile crept up Amy's lips as she thought about her roommate. It had been about a month and a half since Alex moved in with her, and life had been pretty good since then. Alex was everything Amy could want in a best friend and roommate; funny, loyal, confident, sympathetic, empathetic, didn't mind cleaning the bathroom. . .

Not to mention, but she'd never been arrested like Mels. She'd probably never been sent to the principal's office either.

Maybe that was why Mels and Alex hated each other's guts. They were polar opposites, day and night, with absolutely nothing in common. Well, except for believing Amy's Raggedy Doctor tale.

But that was where the similarities ended. Alex and Mels loathed each other, apparently to the extent that Alex hadn't thought twice about leaving Mels in jail and "forgetting" to tell Amy and Rory about it. It was only when Mels managed to sneak another call, this time to Amy's cell phone, that they found out what happened. Alex had played innocent, saying that it must have slipped her mind. She'd been very convincing, there was no denying that, but Amy was 99% positive that Alex had deliberately left Mels to fend for herself. Whether she meant it as a prank or because she'd thought it would teach Mels a lesson, Amy didn't know.

Now, Amy watched Mels get to her feet and exit the cell. Amy took a deep breath, preparing herself to start scolding her friend for her latest antic (seriously, who steals a freaking double-decker bus?!), but Mels simply sauntered past her, not so much as a "thank you" leaving her lips.

Amy sighed. Sadly, she was more than used to this. "Mels!" she cried as she once again ran after her delinquent friend.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Well, well, well."

18-year-old Alex Locke leaned against the doorframe leading into Amy's room. Clad in a white t-shirt, a short black leather skirt, black combat boots, and deep red lipstick, she truly looked a dangerous force to be reckoned with. And that was without the slightly upturned nose or the pleased smirk that always seemed to appear whenever she heard that Mels was in trouble. "If it isn't the town troublemaker."

Mels shot her a glare. "Shut up, Ally," she snarled.

Pursing her lips, Alex swept into the room, her boots clomping against the hardwood floor. "For the one hundredth time," she hissed, sitting on one side of the bed, "don't call me Ally."

Mels immediately opened her mouth to retort, but Amy cut her off. "Shut up, Alex," she ordered, giving her a firm look.

Alex made a face, but obligingly turned her attention to the copy of Gone with the Wind in her lap.

Satisfied that Alex would behave, Amy turned her attention to the other child in the room. "And you," she glared, pointing her finger at Mels. "Start talking!"

With a roll of her eyes, Mels flopped down on the other half of Amy's bed. Alex shifted further to the edge on her half of the bed but said nothing. "It was late, so I took a bus," Mels shrugged, as though it was no big deal. Indeed, she seemed far more preoccupied in playing with one of Amy's old papier-mâché TARDIS's.

Rory, sitting in a chair by the window, frowned. "Uh, you stole a bus," he corrected.

"Who steals a bus?!" Amy cried.

"I returned it!" Mels retorted.

"I was told you drove it through the botanical gardens," Alex remarked, not looking up from her book.

Rather than being chastened or embarrassed, Mels just gave a self-satisfied smirk. "Shortcut."

"Why can't you just act like a person?" Amy demanded. "Hmm? Like a normal, legal person? Like Alex, for example?"

Mels was quite proud of herself for not allowing her irritation to show. Her being compared to Alex was a new thing (in fact, it had started only a few days after the annoying American arrived) but she was already sick of it. Not that she was going to say so. Not right now, anyway. Amy and Rory were already upset with her. Complaining about Alex would only make them more so.

"I don't know," she said, leaning up a little from her reclined position. Smirking knowingly, she added, "Maybe I need a doctor."

Amy's earlier glare reappeared as she snatched the TARDIS model out of Mels' hands. "Stop it!"

Unseen by the others, Alex frowned, her brow furrowed in thought. From the first day she met Mels, she'd thought it rather odd how the young woman continually brought up the Doctor, even more than Amy. And Amy was the one that actually met him!

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Rory getting to his feet. "Er, I'd better go," he announced as he gathered up his book-bag. "I'm on earlies tomorrow."

"Okay," Amy nodded.

Alex smiled sadly. Even though she had only lived here for less than two months, she had already figured out that Rory was a bit jealous of the Doctor, and always got a little uncomfortable whenever the alien was brought up. "We're still on for lunch tomorrow, right?"

Rory nodded as he continued packing up his stuff. "One thirty at the café," he confirmed.

Mels struggled not to bristle. Lunch plans. When was the last time she and Rory had lunch together? Tucked in a back booth at the café, Rory fretting about what Dr. Ramsden really thought of him, Mels reassuring him and helping him study for his exams. Now it was Alex doing that. Less than two months in Leadworth and she'd already inserted herself into Amy and Rory's lives, pushing Mels to the side. The fact that she had done it all so easily, almost effortlessly, just made Mels hate her more.

She strove to get Amy and Rory's attention back on her. And fortunately, she knew just how to do it. "It's alright for you," she broke in, looking at Amy. "You've got Mr. Perfect keeping you right."

"He's not even real," Amy argued, tossing the TARDIS model back to her. "Just a stupid dream when I was a kid."

Mels shook her head. "No, I wasn't talking about him." With a slight turn of her head, she was looking at Rory, now on his way out the door.

Amy followed her gaze and blinked uncomprehendingly. "What, Rory?" she exclaimed. At the sound of his name, Rory stopped in his tracks. "How have I got Rory?"

Rory was silent for a single second before he quickly spun around. "Yeah!" he cried. Glancing at him, Alex wasn't surprised to see that he looked more than a little nervous. "How, how's she got me?"

"He's not mine."

"No. No, I'm not hers."

Mels stared at them. Good lord, had they always been this thick?! "Oh, come on!" she cried. "Seriously, it's got to be you two." When Amy and Rory's only response was to stare at her, Mels groaned. "Oh, cut to the song!" she said with a roll of her eyes. "It's getting boring."

"I have to agree with Mels," Alex piped up. "It really is getting boring."

The fact that Alex had just declared she agreed with Mels, essentially her nemesis, on something was tantamount to a bomb going off in the middle of the room. Amy and Rory gaped at her, their eyes wide with shock. Even Mels was stunned. She sat straight up and blinked rapidly at Alex. Had she not been so stunned by Alex's words, she might have joked about someone fetching her a pen and paper so she could mark this historic moment down.

But for the moment, all Mels could think about was making sure she'd heard correctly. "Did you just. . ." she said slowly.

Alex made a little face. "Yeah, scared me, too." She turned to the still gawking Amy and Rory. "But yeah, like Melody here said, it has got to be you two. You're perfect for each-other!"

"Yes," Mels nodded furiously. Her shock had faded away, replaced by her determination to get Amy and Rory to see the obvious. "Everyone thinks you're a couple!"

"Plus, you've got the childhood friends bond going for you."

"And the polar opposites. Shy, timid nurse meets fiery, passionate kissogram."

"You're like a living, breathing romance novel!"

"Nice thoughts," Amy deadpanned. "Okay, but completely impossible."

". . .yeah!" Rory agreed a beat later. "It, um . . . impossible."

"I mean, I'd love to!" Amy cried. "He's gorgeous, he's my favorite guy." She patted Rory somewhat awkwardly on the back. "But he's . . . you know. . ."

"A friend," Rory said at the exact same time Amy said, "Gay."

Alex and Mels had to bite the inside of their cheeks to keep from laughing. Another thing they both agreed on: now was not the time for riotous laughter.

Slowly, Amy and Rory turned and looked at each other.

"I'm not gay," Rory protested.

"Yes, you are," Amy insisted.

"No . . . no, I'm not."

"'Course you are! Don't be stupid. In the whole time I've known you, when have you shown any interest in a girl?"

"Penny in the air," Mels murmured as Alex started grinning.

"I mean, I've known you for what, ten years?" Amy continued, not noticing how pale Rory's face was getting. "I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to."

Alex's grin grew wider. Amy had no idea her words directly described her. Not yet, at least.

Rory gaped at Amy for a few seconds. Then, without a word, he ran out of the room.

Amy stood still, staring in confusion at the spot Rory had rapidly vacated. Then a lightbulb finally clicked on. "Oh my God!" she gasped, pointing to herself. Then she was running out the door, shouting Rory's name.

"And the penny drops!" Mels cheered.

Alex's grin was seemingly glued to her face. "Only took them ten years and a month and a half, but they finally admitted it."

"Yeah, good job," Mels complimented. And for once, she meant it. There wasn't a hint of begrudging in her voice.

Alex shrugged. "You deserve most of the credit."

"True."

They were silent for a moment, basking in their victory at finally getting the stubborn Amy and Rory together. But, as the silence drew on, it started to become awkward. Alex and Mels shifted uncomfortably, both glaringly aware that they had actually agreed on something for the first time ever.

It was rather disconcerting.

"So. . ." Alex said slowly. ". . .we can go back to hating each other, right?"

Mels nodded firmly. "Way ahead of you, Ally."

The surge of annoyance that ran through her at the comment wouldn't have comforted most people. But then again, Alex wasn't most people. She rolled her eyes as she stood and tucked her book under her arm. "I see there's still reason for me to worry," she said dryly, heading towards the door. "That deficient brain of yours still has yet to register the fact that I prefer to be called Alex."

Mels stuck her tongue out at Alex's back while the latter hurried into the hall and down the stairs, eager to see the results of her and Mels' matchmaking. Mels waited until Alex's footsteps faded before getting up. She smiled at the TARDIS model now sitting on Amy's desk. Picking it up, her smile turned into an almost sly grin.

"Catch you later, Time Boy." She tossed the TARDIS onto the bed before making her way downstairs as well.

After almost forty years of waiting, dreaming, and plotting, it was high time she see the moment her parents officially became a couple.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Whenever Spencer dared to imagine a trip in the TARDIS, it never went anything like this.

Specifically, the TARDIS being completely and utterly out of control.

Alex let out a shriek as the time machine swerved sharply and started tumbling head-over-heels. It was only her grip on the console and Spencer's arms wrapped in a vise-like grip around her waist that kept her from flying off the platform.

Of course, this whole thing wouldn't have happened if Mels hadn't taken a shot at Alex.

It all happened rather quickly. The Doctor, still sporting a face that would have made a less braver person run for the hills, allowed Mels (still holding Alex at gunpoint) into the TARDIS. Amy, Rory, and Spencer immediately followed. Despite his UNIT training, Spencer had taken one quick moment to admire the inside of the magnificent time-ship. He'd read accounts of the few UNIT personnel that had actually been inside, but that was way back in the seventies (or eighties, depending on the dating protocol). The TARDIS interior had changed quite a lot since then and, despite the dire situation, Spencer was rather excited to be here.

The Doctor, still giving Mels dark looks, piloted them into the vortex. During this, Amy and Rory fruitlessly pleaded with Mels to let go of Alex. Spencer had stood at the side, trying not to snort. Honestly. Mels hadn't knocked off her delinquent behavior years ago at her parents' pleas, so why should she start now? Indeed, all Mels had done was smirk at the Ponds and give admiring glances towards the Doctor's behind.

Which had been a huge mistake on her part. So focused on her parents or the Doctor, she hadn't been keeping a close eye on her hostage. That had enabled Alex to slide her hand into the pocket of her cardigan and pull out a very familiar ivory dagger with roses and vines etched into the hilt. Before Mels knew it, the dagger's three-inch blade had been rammed into her thigh.

Mels' shriek of pain had enabled Alex to escape her hold and sprint up to the platform. With Amy and Rory occupied in gaping at Mels' wound, it had been left to Spencer to try and restrain her. Unfortunately, Mels' training allowed her to recover from sudden shock very quickly. Just as Spencer was about to rush towards her, Mels yanked the dagger out of her thigh with one hand and used the other to shoot at Alex's head.

It was only due to the Doctor's quick reflexes that they weren't finding out if Alex could regenerate right now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mels aiming and quickly thrust Alex's head down. A split second after that, the bullet hit the glass rotor right above Alex's head and all hell broke loose.

Spencer hadn't been able to try and grab Mels or her gun before the TARDIS abruptly went sideways. Indeed, it had been all he could do to make his way up to the platform and guard Alex while the Doctor busied himself with trying to get the ship under control.

Now, peering through the dim red emergency lighting that had activated the second the gunshot rang out, Spencer watched the Doctor furiously examine the small bullet hole. Gas was pouring out of it, making it even more difficult to see anything.

"You've shot it!" the Doctor snapped at Mels. His fingers, desperately yanking, pulling, and pressing random controls, itched to wrap themselves around her neck. "You shot my TARDIS! You nearly shot Alex!"

"It's your fault!" Mels retorted. She gripped the railing with one hand, struggling to hold on as the TARDIS's movements became even wilder. Her other hand continued to clutch her gun, waving it around recklessly.

If it was possible, the Doctor's stormy glare became even stormier. How Mels hadn't realized that she was clearly screwed was beyond Spencer. "How's it MY fault?!"

"You said guns didn't work in this place! You said we're in a state of temporal grace!"

Indeed, he had. The Doctor had thrown the comment over his shoulder as they dematerialized. No doubt it was to encourage Mels to release Alex. Not that it worked. Only Alex stabbing her had done that.

The Doctor let out a growl, both at his own frustration for coming up with that lie, and for the fact that Alex – and Amy and Rory and Spencer – was in danger and it was all due to the smug, infuriating woman in front of him.

At that moment, the TARDIS jolted harshly to the side. The gas overhead grew even thicker. The Doctor hurriedly pushed past Alex and Spencer and over to the other side of the console. "Oh, that was a clever lie, you idiot!" he snapped as he frantically worked the controls. "Anyone could tell that was a clever lie!" One hand still working the controls, he used the other to reach out and seize hold of Alex's cardigan, tugging her towards him.

Once Spencer released her, Alex stumbled over and gripped onto the end of his military coat. "Doctor, can't you land her?!" she shouted.

In response, the Doctor yanked down a lever. "Crash landing!" he bellowed. Before Alex could so much as blink, the Doctor had pushed her into a crouching position on the floor. "Assume the positions!" he shouted to Amy and Rory, both of whom had been clinging to the console for the past several minutes. He turned to shout directions at Spencer but was pleased to see the UNIT operative was already mimicking Alex's crouch.

The Doctor didn't bother to look over at Mels. Quite frankly, he really didn't care what happened to her. If she toppled off the platform and broke her neck, it was no skin off his back.

Wrapping her arms around her knees, Alex squeezed her eyes shut. Please, please, God, she prayed, please let us live. She hadn't prayed in so long, so she hoped God or whoever wouldn't ignore her.

She was about to start whispering the Lord's Prayer when she felt someone press their chest against her back. A pair of arms wrapped around her, clutching her to them. Alex smelt spicy, musky cologne as a familiar stream of adrenaline ran through her. Smiling despite the danger around them, she reached up and squeezed the Doctor's hand. He immediately squeezed back.

The TARDIS continued to bump and jostle around for a few more moments. Alex felt the TARDIS slam through something, presumably a window due to the distant sound of shattering glass. Finally, with a jarring halt, the time machine came to a stop.

Before Alex could let out a sigh of relief, the Doctor sprang up and grabbed her hand. His other hand dug a handkerchief out of his pocket. He placed it over Alex's nose and mouth and dragged her to the door, all but shoving her outside.

"Out, out, out!" he shouted as smoke spilled out of the doorway. "Everybody out!" A coughing Spencer, Amy, and Rory hastily ran out. Mels was hot on their heels. "Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!"

Amy alternatively coughed and gagged as she struggled to clear the toxic gas from her lungs. "Where are we?" she asked, looking blearily around the large room they had landed in.

"A room."

"What room?" Rory asked.

"I don't know what room. I haven't memorized every room in the universe yet!" the Doctor snapped. "I had yesterday off!" He turned back to Alex and carefully removed the handkerchief from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, his voice now soft and soothing. He ran his hands through her hair and over her face, his fingertips dancing across her cheeks.

Alex smiled softly. "I'm fine," she promised, reaching up and lightly squeezing his wrist. She was about to utter more reassurances when she spotted something behind him. Immediately, her good mood faded. "Oh, for God's sake! What is she doing?!"

Frowning, the Doctor spun around. Incredibly, Mels, for God only knew what reason, was lingering in the TARDIS doorway, breathing in the dangerous gas. Granted, with her physiology, it wouldn't harm her, but he still wouldn't advise breathing it in. "Mels! Don't go in there!" he shouted as he ran over and slammed the door shut. "Bad smoke!" Then, seeing that she was distracted enough, he took the opportunity to grab her gun.

"Oi!" Mels cried, eyes blazing.

The Doctor ignored this. "Bad smoke. Don't breathe the bad, bad smoke. Bad, deadly smoke because somebody shot my TARDIS!" The glare he shot her on these last few words would have made most people turn tail and run. Mels, however, was made of sterner stuff. She merely flounced off with a roll of her eyes.

Resisting the urge to spout off a bunch of vulgar Gallifreyan swears, the Doctor turned to look for Spencer. If anyone in this room was best suited to hold a confiscated gun, it was him.

At some point during all the chaos, Spencer had slipped to the other side of the room. He was now standing towards one end of it, right in front of a heavy door. Though he was still coughing heavily, Spencer was trying to do a bit of reconnaissance. Namely, keeping track of everyone in the room. Mels, thankfully, didn't seem particularly eager to cause any more trouble. At least right now. Spencer watched her pace to the far side of the room, near a series of floor to ceiling windows (one of which was completely shattered, presumably from the TARDIS crashing through), and carefully examine the still bleeding wound in her thigh. She hissed a bit when she touched it, but otherwise seemed alright. It didn't look as though Alex had hit any major arteries. Not that Spencer thought she'd been trying to. Her only goal was to distract Mels long enough to get out of her grasp.

Satisfied for the time being that Mels wouldn't pose any trouble, Spencer looked for the rest of the group. The Doctor was standing by the TARDIS, eyeing Mels' gun. Spencer had no doubt the man was uncomfortable holding it. All the files he'd read showed that while the Doctor would, occasionally, resort to violent means, he still preferred a solution that didn't require weaponry. Perhaps he should offer to take it? Just as he thought that, the Doctor turned towards him. He seemed about to approach Spencer, only for Alex to divert his attention.

"Doctor!" she called. Spencer turned to see she was standing just before a massive desk at the head of the room, crouching beside a kneeling Amy and Rory. On the ground before them was an unconscious man in uniform. Spencer guessed that he'd been struck by the TARDIS when it slammed through the window. "You'd better come over here!"

"Yeah, I think he's hurt," Rory added, checking the man's pulse. He frowned. "No, wait, hold on. He's fine."

Alex frowned as well. Surely, after being hit by the TARDIS, the man's body would exhibit some signs of trauma. Instead, he looked perfectly normal, no cuts from the broken glass or bruises from the TARDIS striking him. And isn't that suspicious, she thought. Careful to be surreptitious, she ran her sonic necklace over the man, taking care to keep its usual buzzing silent.

Her eyebrows shot up at the results. The man wasn't a man at all. He was a robot! Well, that's unexpected, she thought.

Alex turned to tell the Doctor, only to find that he was in the process of trying to dispose of Mels' gun in a fruit bowl on the desk. As she watched him do that, she caught a bit of movement coming from behind the bit of furniture.

Spencer spotted it, too. He immediately moved forward as the mystery figure carefully picked themselves up off the floor. It wasn't until they were almost fully upright that he and Alex both recognized the figure. Someone that, up until this point, they had only ever seen in history books, followed by words such as World War II, Holocaust, concentration camps, and genocide.

It was none other than Adolf Hitler.

Oh, shit! Spencer thought with a grimace. This was just what they needed. A psychopathic assassin and the most notorious dictator in modern history. In the same room, no less! He winced upon noticing the giant swastika banners hung along the walls. So busy in keeping an eye on everyone, he hadn't noticed them.

Holy shit! Alex thought, her light green eyes now wide as saucers. She eyed the huge swastika banner hanging on the wall over the desk. How the hell did I not notice that?! Even while choking on deadly smoke and dealing with Mels' antics, she should have noticed that they were in the personal office of Adolf freaking Hitler!

At the same time Alex and Spencer were mentally berating themselves for not noticing their surroundings sooner, the Doctor was just noticing the figure gingerly picking themselves up. "Oh!" he said brightly. "Hello! Sorry, is this your office? Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about. . ." His voice trailed off as he finally got a good, proper look at the office's occupant.

Bloody, sodden hell! he thought, before mentally devolving into a series of Gallifreyan swear words that would have caused his mother to stick a bar of soap in his mouth. He took a brief look at the swastika banners decorating every wall in the room. How had he not noticed they were in Adolf Hitler's office before now?! Screw the smoke. Had he known they were here of all places, he would have piloted them elsewhere.

Now, he'd landed his companions, his Ally, and poor Spencer in certain trouble. Mels he wasn't particularly concerned with, but she didn't need to be here either.

". . .it. . ." he managed to finish.

Amy and Rory clambered to their feet, their faces paling upon seeing the infamous historical figure in front of them. Spencer, his eyes fixed tightly on Hitler, slid up beside them. Alex carefully slipped next to the Doctor and silently took his hand, squeezing it for reassurance. The Doctor didn't hesitate in squeezing back before subtly pushing her behind him and over towards Spencer. Alex already had one nutcase after her; no need to make it two.

Amy shifted nervously, subtly positioning herself closer to Rory. "Is that. . . No, it can't be, Doctor. . ."

"Thank you, whoever you are," Hitler said. "I think you have just saved my life."

There was a pause as the TARDIS crew debated what, if anything, to say. Finally, the Doctor managed to breathe out, ". . .believe me, it was an accident."

Hitler barely registered their shock and horror, instead focusing on the new blue box-shaped addition to his office. "What is this thing?" he inquired as he walked over to the TARDIS, now currently lodged into the wall.

No one answered him. The moment Hitler's back was turned, Amy whispered, "What did he mean, we saved his life? We could not have just saved Hitler."

"We didn't," Alex murmured. "He committed suicide less than forty-eight hours after marrying his longtime lover, Eva Braun, who committed suicide with him. It was at the very end of the war, when the Allies had Berlin surrounded. And Hitler and Braun weren't even in this building when they did it."

"She's right," Spencer jumped in. "They were in an air raid shelter which, if I'm guessing, isn't far from here." He studied the room intently, his brain whirling. "I'm guessing we're in the Reich Chancellery. Hitler didn't leave here until January 1945, so we're sometime before then."

The Doctor stuck his tongue out, tasting the air. "1938, to be specific," he announced, ignoring Alex, Spencer, and Rory's baffled expressions.

Amy breathed a small sigh of relief at all this information, but she still found it incredibly disconcerting that they had crash-landed in Hitler's office, of all places in the universe. Oh, hell, she thought with sudden realization. Melody got her wish to kill Hitler after all! She glanced towards the side of the room. Her daughter, thankfully, didn't seem about to launch an attack. She was instead leaning against a table, studying her surroundings (and the historical figure they belonged to) with intense interest.

Seeing where she was looking, the Doctor shook his head. Too many problems to deal with. First Mels and now Hitler. Alex on his heels, he stormed over to Mels, the only one of them who seemed to be taking this complication in stride. "You see!" he snapped. "You see? Time travel, it never goes to plan."

Mels' only response was to roll her eyes at him.

"This box," Hitler called. "What is it?"

The Doctor rounded on him. "It's a police telephone box from London, England," he revealed as he walked towards the man. He wasn't sure what he was going to do the moment he reached the dictator, but it would definitely be something that would keep him from being an issue for the next few hours. "That's right, Adolf," he smirked. "The British," And soon, the Americans, he thought, with a quick look at Alex, "are coming."

Hitler might have questioned them more, but his attention was quickly redirected to the man on the ground, now in the process of standing up. "No! Stop him!" He immediately grabbed the pistol from his belt before firing off several shots.

For the second time that day, the Doctor shoved Alex to the ground and pressed himself against her while Amy and Spencer dropped to their knees. Rory, however, took the initiative. He ran forward and punched Hitler in the face. The force of the impact caused the dictator to sink to the ground. The moment he was down, Rory grabbed his gun and aimed it at him.

"Sit still," he ordered, cocking the gun. "Shut up."

"Damn," Spencer muttered. "I should've done that. Actually," he mused, helping Amy up, "I wish I had done that."

"It's a banner day," Amy shrugged. "Maybe you'll get another chance."

With Hitler subdued, the Doctor helped Alex up. "Sorry about that," he winced, seeing her rub at her chest. Bruises were surely forming there. "You alright?"

"Wonderful, after you tackled me," Alex said dryly, but she smiled as she said it. "What about you?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern. Her eyes ran up and down his form. "He didn't manage to hit you, did he?"

"Nope!" the Doctor grinned. "Still all intact."

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked. The two turned to see him and Amy kneeling by the other man, helping him sit up.

"Yes, yes," the man nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I think he missed."

"He was going to kill me!" Hitler shouted.

"Shut up, Hitler!" Rory snapped.

The Doctor shook his head, vaguely feeling a headache coming on. Again, too many problems. Mels, Hitler, and now this man. Time to get rid of at least one of them. "Rory, you and Spencer take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there," he instructed. "Now. Do it."

"Well, this is something I didn't think I'd be doing today," Spencer said as he went and hauled Hitler to his feet.

Rory seemed to be of the same mind. "Right," he muttered to himself. "Putting Hitler in the cupboard. . ." With Spencer leading the way, Rory kept the gun focused on Hitler. "Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard. . ."

"Come on," Spencer said unceremoniously as he opened the cupboard door.

"But I am the Fuhrer!" Hitler protested, gaping at the two incredulously.

Both men ignored him. Instead, they shoved him inside the small cupboard. "Right, in you go!" Rory said.

Hitler stared at them in absolute befuddlement. "Who are you?!"

"Not Nazis," Spencer said before shoving the door closed.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked the man on the floor, who he now noticed was wearing a Nazi uniform. Therefore, he kept Alex back a bit, not wanting her to get too close.

The man seemed to struggle for words. "Oh. . .I. . ." Then he fainted.

The Doctor, Alex, and Spencer eyed him curiously while Amy and Rory rushed to check him over. "I think he just fainted," Rory said, stating the obvious.

"Yes. . ." the Doctor said slowly. "That was a faint."

"A very convenient faint," Alex remarked.

"A perfect faint, too," Spencer added.

Unwilling to alarm Amy and Rory, Alex caught the Doctor's eye and held up her sonic necklace, the results of her scan still on display. The Doctor's eyes widened as he read the results. His burgeoning headache also became a full-blown one.

A robot? In Nazi Germany? What was a robot doing in Nazi Germany? And for the love of Rassilon, why did he have to deal with it now? When there was already a psychotic assassin in the room, just waiting for a chance to try to kill him and/or Alex? Truly, when he landed in Leadworth, all he'd wanted to do was whisk Alex and the Ponds away and let UNIT or Torchwood track Mels down. He'd had visions of properly reuniting with Alex, finishing what they'd started in his lab the day Amy called, acting out some of his dreams and fantasies in the privacy of his room, where no companions could interrupt them.

Instead, he had to deal with this.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Amy suddenly saying, "Mels?"

Jolting at the reminder of the other dangerous person in the room, the Doctor, Alex, and Spencer turned. Much to their alarm, the young woman was clutching her side.

"Hitler. . ." Mels breathed, appearing as though she was straining to do so.

"What about him?" Alex asked warily.

"Lousy shot," Mels managed to gasp out before collapsing to the floor.

"Mels!" Amy gasped, her heart lurching as she ran to her daughter, the others following close behind. "Mels!"

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted.

Rory immediately knelt down next to Amy and put his hands on his daughter's wound. "No, no, no, no, no!" he cried, resisting the urge to start violently swearing. "I've got to stop the bleeding!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Inside the robot known officially as Justice Department Vehicle #6018, more commonly called a Teselecta, people were working frantically at their computers, desperate to maintain the image of an unconscious Nazi soldier.

And figure out what the hell was going on outside.

In the main part of the Teselecta, crewman Jim turned around in his seat to face the command chair. "Sir!" he called. "That blue box. I've got a match." He studied the information on his screen. "We're trying to bag war criminals; we've got the biggest one ever right under our noses."

Intrigued, Captain Carter, an older, rather imposing looking man, stood and walked over.

"Forget Hitler," Jim continued. "If we take this one down, the Justice Department will give us the rest of the year off."

Carter peered at the screen, his eyes widening at the information presented. "Are you sure?"

"There's no question," Jim nodded, his seriousness making him look older than his twenty-five years. "It's her."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"How bad is it?" Amy fretted. "Rory, what can we do?"

"Just keep her conscious," Rory instructed. He took a quick glance at Mels' face. She now appeared slightly dazed, clearly going into shock. "Stay with us, Mels!" he called.

While Spencer stood to the side, keeping an eye on the unconscious soldier, the Doctor and Alex knelt beside the Ponds. Despite the fact that neither of them particularly cared for this woman, that didn't mean they were willing to watch her die either. "Hey, look at us," the Doctor said, trying to break Mels out of her daze.

"Yeah, just keep your eyes on us," Alex said, taking Mels' hand and squeezing it. After a few moments, Mels tentatively squeezed back. It wasn't a very strong squeeze, but it was something. "There you go," Alex smiled. "Just hold on."

Mels' gaze flickered over to the Doctor. "I used to dream about you," she said, panting slightly for breath. "All those stories Amy used to tell me. . ."

"What stories?" the Doctor asked, hoping to keep her talking. So long as she was talking, she couldn't slip into unconsciousness. "Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a better!"

Mels offered him a small smile. "When I was little, I was gonna marry you."

Alex very successfully did not roll her eyes. Total batshit crazy behavior, she thought. Mels simultaneously wanted to kill and marry the Doctor. Only years of therapy would straighten Mels out, though having met River, Alex had to wonder whether the woman had ever sought professional help. She was willing to bet not.

The Doctor's thoughts ran much the same as Alex's. When this whole thing was over, he was going to drag Melody to the best therapist he could find. "You can still get married," he said, carefully phrasing his words so it wouldn't sound like he was offering to marry Mels himself. "As long as you stay alive."

"To you?" Mels started to smirk at the thought, but it quickly turned into a grimace as the pain in her side worsened. "You'd have to ask my parents' permission first though."

The Doctor, Alex, Amy, Rory, and Spencer stiffened. All their thoughts were identical. Was Mels planning on revealing her true origins right here, right now? Of course, it made sense if she thought she was dying. And judging by the wound in her side, Mels didn't have a lot of time left in this body. Since she had regenerated before, she likely knew it as well and was preparing for the inevitable fallout when she did so a second time.

Mels didn't seem to notice the sudden tension for she continued talking. "Might as well do it now, since they're both right here." She grinned, taking everyone's wide eyes for bewilderment. "Penny in the air," she murmured, right as her hands started glowing a bright golden-orange color. She grinned as everyone's jaws dropped. "Penny drops."

The Doctor quickly got to his feet and wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, hauling her back. Spencer quickly followed suit, knowing from all the UNIT files what was about to happen. The Ponds, however, simply stared at the golden-orange light in shock.

"What the hell is going on?!" Rory cried, even though a part of his mind knew the answer.

"What do you think?!" Alex retorted. "She's regenerating!"

"Back, back, back!" the Doctor shouted. He and Spencer lunged forwards and pulled the Ponds away from Mels as the regeneration energy around her hands increased, turning into a slight mist. "Get back!"

Mels didn't even seem to notice her parents' bewilderment. Slowly getting to her feet, she stared at her glowing hands in wonder. "Last time I did this, I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York," she revealed, her voice almost breathy.

Amy bit her lip at the realization her baby had done this once before, most likely all alone. "How?" she gasped out.

Mels blinked, her head tilting at Amy's teary-eyed expression. "Contracted influenza," she explained, still in that breathy voice. "It developed into pneumonia."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. To an adult Time Lord, catching the flu was more of a minor inconvenience than it was to humans. Maybe a day in bed, then they were right as rain. But to a young Time Lord, specifically a child in its first incarnation, it was much more serious. At that age, a Time Lord's superior immune system was still developing and catching an illness such as the flu required a lot of antibiotics and a bit more recovery time. Without treatment, the virus would develop and affect the young Time Lord in much the same way as it would a human. If they still didn't get treatment, a Time Lord child would eventually get to the point where antibiotics wouldn't help, and the only other option was regeneration.

It wasn't something a young Time Lord was supposed to go through. Regeneration before reaching full maturity had been strongly discouraged on Gallifrey. There was the risk of it causing adverse effects, since a child wouldn't be in full control during the process. The Doctor wasn't sure if Mels' mental state was a result of that premature regeneration or not, but it was definitely another traumatic event in her life that had enabled Melody to become how she was now.

"It took me years to find you two," Mels went on. She gave Amy and Rory a soft smile. "I'm so glad I did. And you see? It all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all." Her expression turned a bit expectant, presumably waiting for the looks of shock on her parents' faces. However, she was disappointed. Amy and Rory were far more focused on the regeneration energy steadily building around her hands. Her brow furrowed. "But you already knew that. . . How?"

Before anyone could even think about answering (not that any of them knew what they would say), Mels suddenly hissed. "Shut up!" she cried, even though no one was speaking. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm focusing on a dress size. . ."

A split second later, Mels threw her arms and head back and let out a piercing scream. Huge blasts of golden-orange regeneration energy burst out of her neck and arms. Through the energy, Alex could just make out Mels' features shifting. Her skin turned white, her neat cornrow braids morphed into a wild halo of dirty blonde curls, and she seemed to gain a few inches in height.

Before Alex could catalog all the new features, the Doctor hastily shoved her to the ground. He then threw himself over her, using his body as a makeshift shield against the searing heat of the regeneration energy. Vaguely, she was aware of Rory similarly protecting Amy. Spencer, however, remained standing, with only a hand blocking part of his face.

After a few more seconds, Mels' scream cut off. The regeneration energy faded away. The group slowly straightened up, staring at the newly regenerated figure.

Standing before them now was the woman they all knew as River Song.

Melody/River gasped as she came out of the regeneration. "Oh, right! Let's see then." Not sparing the group any attention, she looked down and began feeling her new body. "Ooh, it's all going down there, isn't it?" she laughed. She moved her hands upwards. "Hair!" she gasped. "The hair!" She ran over to a mirror hanging above a nearby fireplace. "It just doesn't stop, does it?" she marveled, running her fingers through her wild, curly mop. "Look at that! Everything changes! Oh, but I love it! I love it!" Grinning, she spun around to face the group. "I'm all sort of . . . mature."

That's not the word I'd use, Alex thought, grimacing slightly. Psychopath, manipulator, and a bunch of other unflattering terms were usually what came to mind whenever she thought about River.

With a quick move, Melody/River propped her leg up on a fallen table. "Hello, Benjamin," she purred, her gaze fixed tightly on the Doctor.

The Doctor slapped a hand over his eyes, keeping it there for all of two seconds before lifting it to look at Alex. "Who's Benjamin?" he whispered.

Alex opened her mouth to tell him about The Graduate – a movie he had to already be familiar with, having previously called River 'Mrs. Robinson' – but Melody/River cut her off.

"The teeth!" she exclaimed, spinning back around to the mirror to examine her teeth. She felt them excitedly. "The teeth, the teeth! Oh, look at them!"

In another quick move, she whirled back around and charged towards the Doctor. Spencer yanked Alex back and Amy and Rory barely managed to jump out of the way before Melody/River shoved the Doctor up against the desk and put her arms on either side of him, effectively trapping him. "Watch out that bowtie!" she smirked. She either didn't notice or just ignored the Doctor desperately trying to shift away from her. Before he could get away though, Melody/River dropped her arms.

"Excuse me, you lot. I need to weigh myself!" And with that announcement, she ran off into a little side room branching off the main office.

The moment she was out of sight, the group slowly leaned back against the desk. With the whirlwind that was Melody/River gone, it felt like they could finally relax, take a minute to breathe and process the events of the last few minutes. The Doctor tugged Alex out of Spencer's protective grasp, maneuvering her to stand in between his legs while he pushed himself up higher on the desk. Alex leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes for a moment, simply inhaling the traces of musky cologne on his coat. It was nice and calming, something she desperately needed after the last several minutes.

"That's . . . Melody," Amy breathed. She had already known this, of course, but actually seeing her best friend turn into the woman who had proclaimed herself her daughter. . . Well, it was a lot.

"That's River Song," Rory added breathlessly.

Melody/River suddenly poked her head back into the room. "Who's River Song?" she asked, her brow slightly furrowed.

The Doctor, Alex, Spencer, Amy, and Rory all looked at her for a moment, each of them wondering if and how they should answer. It was ultimately the Doctor and Alex who did. "Spoilers," they said together.

Melody/River's brow furrowed even more at the simultaneous speaking, but she didn't comment on it. "Spoilers?" she repeated. "What spoilers?" Then another thought came to her. "Hang on, just something I have to check."

"Is anybody else finding today just a bit difficult?" Rory asked once Melody/River departed. He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm getting a sort of banging in my head. . ."

"Yeah, that might be Hitler in the cupboard," Alex said.

Rory shot her a mild glare. "That's not helping."

"This isn't the River Song we know yet," the Doctor remarked. Gently nudging Alex forwards, he got off the desk and strode to the middle of the room. "This is her right at the start. Doesn't even know her own name."

"All well and good," Spencer cut in. "But that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous." Risking a glance towards where Melody/River was, he dropped his voice to a near whisper and added, "She tried to kill Alex! And I bet when she's done examining herself, she'll get down to her mission of killing you!" If not also doing that to Alex, he thought worriedly.

The Doctor grimaced. "Yes. . ." he murmured. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm hoping I might be able to get out of that."

Spencer goggled at him. "How?! By talking to her?!"

The Doctor smirked at him. "You've read the files, Dr. Grayson. Surely they've mentioned how my talking has gotten me and others out of a lot of trouble. Besides," he added, "most of the beings I've faced were a lot more dangerous than Melody."

"Difference is," Alex jumped in, giving the Doctor a narrow-eyed glare, "most of your enemies haven't been raised since birth to kill you!"

"Yes," the Doctor mused, rubbing his chin again. "That presents a bit of difficulty. But!" he cried, giving the group a dazzling grin. "Doesn't mean it's impossible!"

Spencer shook his head. "No, no, I don't care how much you babble on, nothing is going to convince Melody, River, whatever her name is—"

"Let's go with Melody for now," Alex suggested.

Without missing a beat, Spencer nodded and continued. "Nothing is going to convince Melody to go back on a mission she's been training for since birth."

"Couldn't she?" Amy broke in. She looked at them hopefully. "I mean, she hasn't tried anything since she regenerated."

"That's true," Rory said. "She's more concerned about her appearance. Wouldn't a true assassin skip right over that and get down to the. . ." He winced at the next word. ". . .killing?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor said slowly. "To tell you the truth, Ponds, after regenerating, Time Lords paid a fair bit of attention to their new appearance before getting back to whatever it was they were doing before the regeneration happened. Getting a new body is, after all, a pretty big deal."

Amy and Rory exchanged glances. They couldn't really argue that logic.

"What about Melody's mental state?" Alex asked. She eyed the doorway the subject of their conversation had disappeared through before adding, in a slight undertone, "Let's be honest, she wasn't exactly in a stable headspace before. How much would the regeneration change that, if at all?"

The Doctor took a few moments before answering. "Honestly?" he said with a sigh. "Not all that much. There are some slight personality changes – a person who's impatient in one incarnation might gain patience in the next – but nothing that significantly alters the very core of the person. Despite the surface changes, they are very much the same person on the inside. Same values, same morality, etc."

"So," Spencer sighed, "Melody is still very much a threat." He gave a slight nod to himself. When he spoke again, his tone was brisk. "Okay, so that means we need to get you and Alex out of here."

"I'm fine," the Doctor said firmly. "But I do want Alex out of here."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Do I get a say in this?"

"No," Spencer said flatly, not even looking at her. His focus was on the Doctor. "Can we get out of here? Maybe back to Leadworth?"

One look at the TARDIS answered that question. Smoke was still spewing out of the cracks in the doorway. Based on the look of it, it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.

"Okay," Spencer scowled. "Time travel's out."

"Yes," the Doctor said with a matching scowl. "For several hours, I'm afraid."

"So, what?" Alex cried, turning to look at Spencer incredulously. "You expect to try and protect me from Melody in Nazi Berlin?!"

"Technically, Britain hasn't declared war yet." The Doctor offered a slight smile, though it did nothing to diminish the worry in his eyes. "Berlin is still quite a tourist destination now. You two could go and see the sights, maybe try the local cuisine. Visit a nightclub! Actually, now that I think of it, my old mate Christopher might still be in town. You love writers, Ally, you can go and visit him!"

Before Alex or Spencer could refute these absolutely ridiculous suggestions (why the hell would they go sight-seeing instead of staying to protect him?!), Melody let out a sudden cry. "Oh, that's magnificent!" She burst back into the room, a very satisfied grin stretched across her face. "I'm going to wear lots of jodhpurs!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Well, that's her alright," Carter declared. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the woman on the observation screen. "Melody Pond. The woman who kills the Doctor and attempts to kill Alex Locke."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A/N: And we're off! Next part will be up in a day or two.

Notes on reviews. . .

NicoleR85: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the first part of this episode!

The Time Lord Oracle: Ooh, interesting question! I can say we will find out what was going on with Alex during the events of 'The End of Time', and the answer may surprise you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Eennio: Thank you! Oh, we'll definitely find out why the Twelfth Doctor and Clara were at the opening night performance, though probably not for some time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Mira29: Hi! Don't worry, I'm definitely still updating this story and will get it completed, one way or another. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

EchoMoment: I was pretty sure the U.K. didn't have Bath and Body Works, but it is a store Alex and Spencer would visit whenever they were in America. Haha, yep, the women of Holy Snip aren't exactly the nicest, but it can be amusing to listen to them! I miss the Sarah Jane Adventures so much; at least I can write them whenever I want in fanfiction. And no, I've never been to the U.K. Never been outside the United States, actually. I hate flying. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

SerahSanguine: Lol, don't worry, I love long reviews! Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear you think Alex is a good OC. Yep, the Doctor was definitely going apeshit after deactivating her Ganger. I'm so glad you were touched by the moment between him and Amy talking about Jenny. It was such a hard conversation to write, but absolutely worth it. Oh my gosh, I love Castle, too! Castle and Beckett were my first OTP! And A Discovery of Witches is such an amazing series! I really need to do a re-read at some point. Have you seen the TV show? Lol, that's awesome I referenced your hometown! I'm glad you liked the Melody bits. It really is such an unexplored part of fanfic, in my opinion, so I had to tackle it here. I loved writing the three Doctors at the opening night of Earnest! It was such a sweet moment (though it's also a sad one for one of them, we'll find out which soon!). Thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad you like the story so far. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

ShadowTeir: That's alright. I kind of suspected Fanfiction had a glitch with getting the chapter update out; it wouldn't be the first time. Aw, I'm so glad you love the chapter and the other 'Adjusting' chapters so much you've gone back and reread them! I really think they're some of my best writing to date. Haha, yes, Elsie giving Temple the boot is a really cheer-worthy moment! I wanted Elsie to have that moment so I didn't have Alex step in, but it definitely would have been fun if she had and subsequently kicked Temple's ass. Yeah, I think they really did have a hard time filling Gideon (and later Hotch's) shoes. I have heard Mandy Patinkin didn't like his role on the series. I've also heard that he didn't like how dark the series was getting (though it definitely got even darker in later seasons). I loved writing the Sarah Jane interval! I really wanted her to fill a sort of motherly-role, in addition to her role as a former companion, so that Alex would be able to open up more. I'm glad you like the Mels bits. I'm really enjoying exploring her psychotic roots and why she is the way she is. We saw some of that in this chapter and will see more before this episode is over. Oh my gosh, now you've got me imagining the BAU team having to come to Leadworth to work a case and slowly but surely getting sucked into Alex's orbit, maybe because Mels is someone involved in their case? It would definitely make a good episode! And yes, we had the Brigadier! I loved writing him, sad as it was since we know he's not too long for this world. I can't wait to write the Doctor and Alex meeting him again (the Doctor desperately needs the closure canon didn't provide) and it will definitely be a tear-jerker. I'll be honest, I haven't thought much about whether Amy or Rory are still going to be separated in the next series, but I'm leaning towards not. There's a moment in the last chapter that will address Amy's future child carrying ability. I loved writing the future Doctors and their companions being there! Lol, the Trophy Wife comment was actually directed towards Clara, as future Alex isn't actually there with them. Sorry if that wasn't clear! We'll find out in the next two chapters what River does to Alex! I think it's safe to say it might surprise you. Thank you! I'm doing alright even with all the insanity in the world. Hope you are too! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!