The compression field around Melody switched from gray-blue to a bright, blood red. To Alex's eyes, it also appeared to be sizzling. She and the Doctor watched in horror as the forcefield attacked Melody, their goddaughter/murderer screaming in agony as unimaginable, horrible, torturous pain hit her.

Despite everything Melody had done to her, Alex couldn't help but sympathize. That was . . . well, there were no words for how horrific the Teselecta's brand of punishment was.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted. "Rory! Amy! Spencer! Can you hear me?"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Amy's gaze snapped to the monitors. "Yeah?" she called. But it didn't appear that the Doctor had heard her.

To her surprise, Carter passed her the circular microphone he'd been using to speak to the Doctor and Alex. "Here, you can talk to him."

Amy wasted no time in grabbing it.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"What do we do?" the robot asked, Amy's frantic voice spilling out. "This is me! This is me, actually talking! What do we do?!"

The Doctor spoke through gritted teeth. "Just stop them." Pain was wracking his body with a new intensity. He could literally feel all his vital organs slowly shutting down. He wondered if Alex could feel it, too. He reached out and grabbed her hand, using what little strength he had left to tug her closer to him. "She's your daughter! Just stop them."

"How? How? How?"

Alex hissed before responding. "Just do it!" she shrieked.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Amy thought hurriedly. She recalled Jim putting the wrist-devices on her, Rory, and Spencer. "Privileges activated," he'd said before holding the green-glowing devices before the jellyfish-robots. "See? Activated."

The Doctor's words ran through her head again. "She's your daughter! Just stop them."

And like a lightbulb going off over her head, Amy knew what to do.

Rory watched as his wife pulled out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at her wrist-device. "What are you doing?"

"Pointing and thinking, both of you get ready to run." Amy switched the sonic on. A few sparks went off as her wrist-device short-circuited. The green light quickly switched to red. Alarms started to blare all around them and the jellyfish-robots began rising out of nowhere.

"You are unauthorized. Your death will now be implemented."

"Okay, Captain. Release her now, or I take down the whole Teselecta."

"Amy. . ." Rory began warningly.

"Let her finish, Rory," Spencer urged, though he, too, looked cautious.

Carter merely scoffed at Amy. "You can't!" he dismissed, turning his chair away from her.

Amy leaned forward, wrapping her arm around the chair so that the sonic was now in Carter's face. "They can," she hissed. Then she soniced the room.

In an instant, everyone's wrist-devices switched off, green lights turning red, causing the robots to round on the crewmembers.

Amy didn't stick around to see the results of her handiwork though. "Rory, go!" she cried, pushing him towards the elevator. Spencer was already there, his gun out just in case anyone tried to stop them.

"All privileges withdrawn," the robots stated.

Jim stared around the control room in horror. "What have you done?!"

"All life forms prepare for immediate decease. You will experience a tingling sensation and then death."

And as the robots declared that, the elevator doors closed, taking Amy, Rory, and Spencer away.

"Shut it down!" Carter shouted, springing from his chair as one of the robots started to strangle Anita.

"I'm trying!" Jim cried.

"Shut everything down!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

As everything in the Teselecta shut down, Melody was released from her pain-filled forcefield. She crashed to the floor, stumbling as she tried to get back on her feet. As she wobbled uncertainly, she happened to catch the Doctor's gaze.

"Please," he called, his voice weak. "Now we have to save your parents."

"Oh, God, please don't run," Alex begged. She'd managed to roll over on her stomach, but that was it. Curiously, in addition to the pain, she now felt rather nauseous. Not something the Doctor seemed to be experiencing, but maybe the Judas Tree poison affected people differently? It had certainly hit her harder than it had him. She struggled to lift herself on her elbows, tucking her head against her chest. "Because frankly, neither of us have the energy to chase you."

"And we know you're scared," the Doctor added, sounding even weaker now. "But never run when you're scared. Rule 7. Please. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Spencer and the Ponds sprinted through the Teselecta's corridors, pushing past panicked crewmembers. Much to their frustration, all of the corridors appeared identical to each other. Even more frustrating was that the killer robots' call echoed around them, growing ever closer with each passing second. "Remain calm while your life is extracted. . ."

"Run!" Spencer yelled. He glanced behind him to make sure Amy and Rory were still with him. "Keep running!"

"Where?!" Rory shouted.

"I don't know! Just run!"

As she ran, Amy looked around her. So caught up in escaping, she almost hadn't noticed that the corridors were now empty when they should have been full of fleeing crewmembers. "Where did everyone go?!"

Frowning, Rory began looking around as well. "How can they just disappear?!"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "If they're capable of shrinking themselves down in here, they're probably also capable of teleporting themselves out! Now stop talking and run!"

But before any of them could tread further ground, the killer robots began to approach. All too soon, they surrounded the trio, preventing any means of escape.

Heart thudding rapidly, Amy glanced at the microphone still clutched in her hand. "Doctor, Alex, can you help us?" she called. "Doctor? Alex? Doctor, Alex, help us!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

By this point, the Doctor and Alex were nearly unconscious. They lay on the cool marble floor, their eyes shut despite their best efforts.

Despite the nausea still churning in her stomach, Alex had succeeded in crawling over to lay by the Doctor's side. She wanted to be right next to him when she died. She suspected he felt the same way about her.

Vaguely, Alex registered Melody sitting down in a nearby chair. She had followed their 'don't run' request, though what she was doing now wasn't much better. Making herself comfortable, patiently waiting for them to die. . . Really, did no part of Melody's brain find that just a bit repulsive?

Alex let out a soft little sigh. Truthfully, try as she might, she couldn't really bring herself to care about Melody anymore. She'd be dead in what, two minutes? Those worries no longer mattered. The only thing that did matter was that she was with the Doctor. So long as he was by her side, she could die in peace.

After a little bit of fumbling, the Doctor found Alex's hand. He squeezed it, trying to offer comfort in their final moments. His breathing was slow and labored. It wouldn't be long now. He could feel it, death looming over him like an approaching storm cloud. As far as deaths went, he definitely hadn't pictured dying like this. Especially not with Alex beside him, dying as well. He inwardly scowled at himself. He'd sworn to protect Alex and look what happened? His Ally, bright, young, still with so much promise, dying on the floor of a restaurant in Nazi Germany.

What I wouldn't give to keep her alive, the Doctor thought wearily. Much as he didn't want to die, he'd happily go gently into that good night if it meant Alex could live.

This train of thought was cut off by Amy's voice suddenly shouting, "Doctor! Alex! Doctor, Alex, help us! Please!"

The Doctor and Alex's eyes burst open. Going gently into that good night? Not yet. Their friends needed them.

Letting go of Alex's hand, the Doctor let out a weak grunt as he endeavored to get up. Unfortunately, the poison was too deeply ingrained in his system now. He staggered, his body no longer able to support him in the laborious process of standing up.

The bile in Alex's stomach seemed to be rising. She swallowed heavily, choking slightly as she did so, before clawing her way across the floor to the stairs. Her nail polish chipped as it rubbed against the floor, but Alex didn't even notice. There were more important things to worry about than her appearance.

Following her lead, the Doctor tried to crawl towards the stairs. But the bottoms of his shoes kept slipping on the smooth floor, resulting in him barely moving from his original spot.

Alex was having a similar problem. She was trying to use her heels as leverage, but they also kept sliding across the floor. Finally, after one more labored try, she collapsed. Her knee came down hard, causing her to grit her teeth. Even worse, the bile seemed to have risen higher. God, I hope I don't puke on myself, she thought.

"Doctor!" Amy continued to shout. "Alex! Help!"

"Look at you," Melody breathed. "You still care." Her eyes, wide in amazement, were focused on the Doctor, who was still trying to climb up the three short steps to the TARDIS. Incredibly, she didn't seem alarmed or even concerned about what could be causing her mother to cry out for help. Alex wanted to question her on it, but the bile inching up her throat made speaking next to impossible.

"Doctor, Alex, help!" Amy begged. "Doctor, help us! Alex, please!"

Melody didn't so much as glance at the Teselecta. Alex wondered if she was secretly worried and doing a very good job at hiding it or if, strangely, she really didn't care. "It's impressive, I'll give you that."

"River, please. . ." the Doctor begged through ragged breath.

"Again!" Melody huffed. "Who is this River?" she demanded, springing to her feet. "She's got to be a woman. Am I right?"

"Help me," the Doctor pleaded. He glanced sideways at Alex. Much to his alarm, she was clutching her throat. Could she no longer breathe? Mentally shaking himself, he focused back on the more immediate problem at hand. "Save Amy and Rory. Help me."

But Melody, proving she was very much Amy Pond's daughter, refused to be swayed. "Tell me about her," she requested.

The Doctor tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a rather pathetic squeak as he tried to reach for the TARDIS.

Melody wasn't daunted. "Go on."

The Doctor nearly growled. She was asking for a complete explanation now?! When his Ally was dying not an inch away and his companions were stuck in a robot that was seemingly attacking them?! "Oh, JUST. . ." he started to snap, but his voice faded away. He gasped for strength, then managed to breathe out, "Help me. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Amy, Rory, and Spencer stared the rapidly approaching killer robots down.

"You are unauthorized. You are unauthorized. Your death will now be implemented." Crackles of electricity appeared around their metal tentacles, promising a very painful ending.

Amy turned to Rory. "I love you," she whispered softly.

"I love you, too." Rory pulled her into a tight hug, and they both buried their faces in the other's neck.

Spencer, meanwhile, aimed his gun. His finger hovered over the trigger. Amy and Rory might be prepared for death, but he wasn't. He was a trained UNIT operative and UNIT operatives went down fighting. Besides, there was still so much for him to do! He wanted to see Alex again, apologize for not protecting her adequately enough. He wanted to see his friends at UNIT, Osgood, Chief Stewart, Dr. Taylor, even Ron, the front-desk guard who only talked about his beloved Blackburn Rovers' chances of winning the Premier League.

And he wanted to fall in love. That wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

Spencer clenched his jaw, his blue-gray eyes locked on the robots. He prepared himself to fire. . .

. . .only for a wheezing, groaning sound to suddenly drown out the robots' chants.

He and the Ponds looked up, stunned, as the TARDIS materialized around them. A few seconds later, they were standing, completely unharmed, in the control room.

"Doctor?" Amy called out. "Alex?" She looked around for the mad, bowtie wearing figure and his bubbly girlfriend. Even though she didn't see them, she wasn't worried. "You did it!" she cheered. "They did it!"

Spencer smiled tightly as Amy and Rory laughed and shared a relieved hug. Only he had seen what Amy hadn't; a massive pile of curly blonde hair peeking out from behind the rotor. He lowered his gun but didn't remove his finger from the trigger.

Sure enough, Melody gingerly stepped out from behind the console. Her parents immediately became quiet, staring at her in a mixture of confusion and amazement.

"I seem to be able to fly her," she confided. The mystified expression on her face was almost a twin to her parents' faces. "She showed me how." Melody gazed up at the rotor in wonder, apparently not noticing what her parents and Spencer noticed; how the TARDIS was humming frantically, the walls practically vibrating. The time machine was desperate to get back to her Thief and his Ally. "She taught me. The Doctor says I'm the child of the TARDIS." Melody tilted her head at them. "What does that mean?"

A muscle in Spencer's jaw ticked. Honestly! Two people were dying right now thanks to her, and Melody wanted to play Twenty Questions? "Where are they?" he boomed across the room. A small part of him was pleased when Melody flinched. "Where are the Doctor and Alex?"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

In the short time it took Melody to pilot them back to the Hotel Adlon restaurant, Amy, Rory, and Spencer had all more or less prepared themselves for what they were about to see: their friends, either close to death or having already died. It wouldn't be pretty, it certainly wouldn't be pleasant, but they would see it all the same.

Melody rushed past them to the doors. All three eyed her warily. She still seemed a bit shaken by her miraculous ability to fly the TARDIS and she hadn't brought up the Doctor or Alex. Spencer wondered what was going through her head now.

Melody opened the door, the Ponds and Spencer hot on her heels. The three took deep breaths, bracing themselves for what they were about to see. . .

As a matter of fact, their first look outside the TARDIS did not include the Doctor and Alex lying lifeless on the floor.

Instead, it was a furious Alex marching up and slapping Melody. Hard. Time Lord strength combined with obvious rage meant that Melody was knocked right down to the floor. She only barely managed to catch herself before she cracked her head on the marble.

"YOU BITCH!" Alex roared. She stood over Melody, hands planted on her hips, eyes so dark they were almost black, waves of fury practically radiating off her.

Wait a minute, Spencer frowned. His eyes roved over Alex. Aside from appearing mad as hell, she also looked perfectly healthy. She was standing upright, something she'd barely been able to do the last time he saw her. Her skin was a bit paler than usual, but there were spots of pink in her cheeks. It looked like she hadn't been poisoned at all, which wasn't possible . . . was it?

His thoughts were cut off by Melody suddenly laughing. Laughing.

"So," she cackled, looking far too upbeat for someone who had just gotten knocked off her feet by a slap. "You figured it out!"

Rory's brow furrowed. "Figured what out?"

Instead of answering, Alex let out a low growl. Her eyes narrowed into slits. At this point, they were more reminiscent of snake eyes than human ones. One of her wickedly sharp heels moved towards Melody. . .

Spencer only barely managed to grab her and haul her back before she successfully kicked Melody. Though he nearly regretted doing so as Alex thrashed wildly in his arms. "Let me go!" she shouted. "Let me at her!"

Amy shot her daughter an accusing look. "Melody, what did you do?!"

Melody, still laughing, didn't answer. But that was fine. There was someone else who could give them answers.

Alex paused her struggling long enough to shoot Melody a baleful glare. "She didn't poison me!"

Amy and Rory stared at her. "What?" they said, uncomprehending.

"She didn't poison me," Alex repeated. "Not with anything fatal, at least."

"It's true," Melody smirked as she got to her feet. She threw her shoulders back and beamed, either oblivious to or just ignoring her parents' horrified expressions. She held up her hand, showing off the shiny red polish that had remained even through her regeneration. "Did any of you really think I would wear a fatal poison on my nails? Especially one with no known cure? What if I cut myself? Talk about being up a creek without a paddle."

Alex let out another growl. Before she could try and lunge at Melody though, Spencer tightened his grip on her. His arm slid around her waist, and he tugged her back against his chest. Alex scowled but didn't make any further movement. Despite their self-defense training, she knew Spencer could hold her down no matter what she did if he was determined enough. "She gave me a knock-off poison. Something designed to mimic the effects of the Judas Tree poison, if on a larger scale, but which doesn't actually kill the victim."

Melody's smirk deepened. "Oh, give the librarian a gold star! Yes," she said, fluffing her hair. "A nice little knock-off. Usually used for torturing, makes people a bit more talkative if they think they're going to die, but I decided to use it for my own purposes."

Rory gaped at his daughter. "What purposes?!"

In the blink of an eye, Melody's smugness was gone, replaced by a look of righteous fury. "To get back at her!" she shrieked, pointing at Alex. She narrowed her eyes at the furious brunette. "I told you I'd find some way to make you pay for everything you've done! Well, guess what? I have!" She threw her head back, looking for all the world like an athlete winning gold at the Olympics. "You thought you were going to die horribly and painfully, your only comfort being that you'd go with your precious Doctor."

"And now I can't!" Alex spat.

"Precisely. I must admit, as nice as it would be to kill you, I think this is a lot better. Alexandria Locke, girl who has everything, suddenly gets poisoned. The little princess's only comfort is that she thinks she'll die alongside her lover, but then recovers at the last second!" Melody gave her a faux pout. "And now she has to watch him die, then live alone. Forever."

Alex trembled, though whether it was in anger or burgeoning sobs, she didn't know. It really was quite an ingenious plan of Melody's. Much as Alex hated to admit it, Melody knew exactly how to push her buttons and had executed her plan accordingly.

She should have known something was off with how long it took the poison to affect her. The Doctor had been physically affected seconds after Melody kissed him. Not to mention with how much more severe her symptoms had been. They mirrored the Doctor's, but were far harsher, giving credence to the idea that she had gotten a bigger dose. It made sense, considering how much Melody hated her. No one would have put it past her to give Alex a larger dose. And that was exactly what Melody had been counting on.

It was only in the last few minutes that Alex began to suspect otherwise. The Doctor hadn't been experiencing nausea. Actually, he seemed to be going into organ failure. And though Alex felt lousy, she couldn't say she sensed any of her organs shutting down. How could their symptoms be so different?

When Alex threw up, she got her answer. Seconds after Melody departed in the TARDIS, the bile creeping up Alex's throat finally emerged. She hadn't thrown up on herself, thank God. Instead, it was in the Doctor's discarded top-hat (and even while dying, he still managed to give her a dirty look). And the moment she did, she felt ten times better. Her limbs no longer shook, she could get up and move around without a struggle. . . By vomiting, she seemed to have swallowed a cure.

A quick scan of herself and the vomit revealed Melody's horrible ingenuity. She'd expelled the contents of a lab-made poison that was chemically similar to the Judas Tree poison, but with significant differences. Namely, the poison only mimicked the effects of the Judas Tree poison. She was never in any real danger. After running through her bloodstream, what was left of the poison ended up in her stomach. It didn't interact well with stomach acids, hence the vomiting.

This new information also explained why the Teselecta never seemed concerned about her. If they knew the Doctor was dying, probably from a scan, then they knew she wasn't dying.

Horror had swept through Alex's system, immediately followed by an overwhelming wave of sadness. She was going to live, and the Doctor was going to die. And she was going to have to watch it happen. Again.

It was that thought that pushed Alex over into anger. River screwed-in-the-head Song had done this. She kept doing this. Over and over again, she forced Alex to go through the most horrible things. First it was watching the Doctor be gunned down at Lake Silencio, then it was terrorizing her in Leadworth, and now this. The Doctor would die, and she'd be left all alone. Which, thanks to her lengthened lifespan, would be for the rest of time. She wouldn't be able to love anyone else like that again. The Doctor had, quite unintentionally, ruined her for any other man or woman.

So, when the TARDIS landed, all Alex could see was red. And she acted accordingly.

"You psychotic bitch!" she screamed. She made another move to escape Spencer's grasp, but his hold was too tight. She kicked and thrashed uselessly. Tears started to well up. She squeezed her eyes shut. No, no, she wasn't going to give Melody the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Actually, she didn't even want to deal with Melody anymore. The only person she wanted to see right now was the Doctor.

Alex gasped. In all the revelations and anger of the last few moments, she'd completely forgotten her dying boyfriend. "Doctor!"

"Finally," the Time Lord groaned weakly. "Oh, don't mind me," he said with a sardonic smile when everyone turned towards him. "Just ignore the man currently dying in bloody Nazi Germany."

Alex, Amy, Rory, and Spencer fairly flew to his side. Melody, wisely, stayed back. The Doctor had regained enough strength to roll over on his back and now lay vertically across the steps. Amy, Rory, and Alex knelt on either side of him. Spencer stood just behind Alex, keeping one cautious eye on Melody.

"Hey," Alex whispered. Her eyes watered again, her irises turning neon green.

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Hey," he murmured. With a slight wince, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "No tears, love. I'm not worth it."

Alex shook her head. "Yes, you are," she said, giving him a watery smile.

Amy swallowed thickly in an effort to hold her own tears back. "You can't die now," she whispered. She took his other hand. It was horribly cold now, but Amy tried not to think about that. "I know you don't die now."

"Oh, Pond," the Doctor sighed. "You've got a schedule for everything."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Mainly because of what they'd witnessed at Lake Silencio, but Amy wasn't about to bring that up.

"Doctor, what do we do?" Rory asked. He glanced at Alex. His heart nearly shattered at the tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were neon green and bloodshot, contrasting horribly with her shaky smile. She had already been through so much; she shouldn't have to go through this, too. "Come on," Rory begged. "How do we help you?"

The Doctor just shook his head. "No. Sorry, Rory, you can't. Nobody can." Which wasn't strictly true. Not that he was going to reveal that. The plan he'd been working on all day hinged on no one figuring out what he was up to. And now was the time to put it into action. "Ponds, listen to me. I need to talk to your daughter."

Though Amy and Rory were rather confused as to why he wanted to speak to Melody, of all people, they nevertheless got up and moved aside.

The Doctor turned to Alex. Her jaw was clenched, and her arms crossed. He smiled softly. "Ally," he murmured.

Alex rolled her eyes. She understood his non-verbal request, not that she liked it. With a little huff, she obligingly went over to Amy and Rory. Spencer went with her. With everyone out of the way, a wary Melody was able to step up and kneel by the Doctor.

The Doctor would be lying if he said he didn't feel a flame of anger burn in his stomach as he looked upon Melody. She was, after all, responsible for all this, responsible for putting Alex through even more turmoil. But he pushed that anger aside. He had to concentrate. "Find her," he said. "Find River Song and tell her something from me."

Melody frowned. "Tell her what?"

Amy, Rory, Alex, and Spencer all watched curiously as the Doctor tugged Melody down and whispered in her ear. Try as she might with her advanced hearing, Alex couldn't make out the words. She suspected that was intentional on the Doctor's part. Whatever he was saying was for Melody's ears alone.

Melody let out a little laugh. "Well, I'm sure she already knows. . ." She pulled back, about to say more, but she saw there was no reason to.

The Doctor's eyes were shut, his chest still. He was dead.

Déjà vu, Alex thought, right before a gasping sob escaped her. She clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle further sounds, but she couldn't do anything about the violent trembling of her shoulders or the mixture of tears and mascara running down her cheeks.

Amy and Rory's eyes also welled up in tears. Amy covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting to see the Doctor's lifeless body – again – and turned into Rory's arms. She buried her face in his neck while he gently rubbed her back. He, too, closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at the awful sight in front of him.

As Rory was occupied with Amy, Alex threw herself at Spencer. He immediately tugged Alex against him, wrapping an arm around her heaving shoulders. He could tell that she was trying to keep from wailing, not wanting anyone to hear her obvious sorrow. She buried her face in his shirt, immediately staining it with tears and makeup. Not that Spencer cared. No, there were far more important things to worry about than the state of his shirt.

The Doctor was gone. Permanently gone. And he was going to have to deal with the fallout.

Even as Spencer hugged Alex, his brain was already coming up with plans. He would have to get Melody to take them and the Doctor's body back to their own time. From there, he would have to notify UNIT. Spencer loathed the idea of having to tell Chief Stewart and Osgood that the Doctor was dead. Neither of them would take it very well. Then arrangements would have to be made. Former companions would have to be notified, a funeral would have to be held, and something would have to be done about the Doctor's body. As the last of the Time Lords, Spencer had no doubt there were plenty of alien races who would tear the Earth apart to get their hands on him. Most likely, the Doctor would be cremated. As the closest thing to his next of kin, his ashes would presumably then go to Alex.

The only positive thing he could see in all this mess was that he could arrest Melody. Spencer had no idea what UNIT would do with her. Probably interrogate her, then keep her locked up for the rest of eternity. Frankly, though, he didn't really care what became of Melody Pond. All he cared about was the crying young woman in his arms, her hearts having been irretrievably broken.

The only one not affected by the Doctor's death was his killer. Instead of an expression of mourning, Melody's face was one of absolute confusion as she recalled several moments from the last few hours. "Who's River Song?" she asked.

Amy, Rory, Alex, and Spencer stared at her incredulously. "Now? You want to know this now?!" Even though her voice was caked with sobs, there was no missing the anger behind Alex's words.

Though she felt much the same way, Amy nevertheless separated from Rory and turned to the Teselecta, still disguised as herself. "Are you still working? 'Cause I'm still a relative." There was no response, but Amy decided to try anyway. Something, instinct perhaps, told her that giving Melody a firm answer was incredibly important. "Access files on River Song."

"Records available," the Teselecta announced.

"Show me her," Amy said quietly. "Show me River Song."

Slowly, the robot's features shifted into River Song, none other than Melody Pond herself.

Melody stared, stunned, at the Teselecta. It was definitely her, albeit one that appeared slightly younger. Apparently, she really did take the age down a bit. Her eyes widened as the implications began to set in. The Doctor had kept referring to her as River, which meant he and the others all knew her in the future as River Song.

Amy eyed her daughter apprehensively, taking in her dumbstruck expression. "What did he say?" she asked, glancing briefly at the Doctor's still body. "The Doctor gave you a message for River Song. What was it?"

Melody ignored her in favor of looking at the Doctor. Her mind was whirling, processing everything she had just learned.

Melody knew the circumstances behind her own acquirement. Blurry as her past was before New York, she did remember that. Someone – she couldn't recall exactly who, but it was someone who scared her half to death – had explained that the Doctor was a cruel man who had tricked her parents into thinking otherwise. They were brainwashed, pure and simple. It was something that would have inevitably happened to Melody herself if the Silence hadn't rescued her.

Her upbringing – what she could remember of it, anyway – had been focused on killing the Doctor. She wouldn't be killing some random, innocent bystander; she would be saving the universe from this horrible man who brought disaster with him wherever he went. In addition, she'd free her parents from his control. After that, she, Amy, and Rory could live happily ever after.

But as the saying went, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Being raised in that awful orphanage had been hell and Melody felt in fear of her life every moment. Her limited memories of her caretakers weren't pleasant – they certainly hadn't been maternal, something she had desperately longed for. Melody had started seeking out ways to escape, particularly that awful spacesuit. How often over the years, even recently, had she had nightmares about that suit eating her? Too many to count, that was for sure.

And then . . . she escaped. Her mother had inadvertently helped with that. At the time, Melody hadn't understood why her mother wasn't trying to rescue her. It was only much later, when she had the time and energy to carefully think things over, that she realized the Amy she'd met at Graystark hadn't given birth to her yet. She probably hadn't even realized she was pregnant. It was why Melody could forgive her mother shooting at her (the only thing that suit had ever proven useful for). She'd been scared, confused, not to mention warped by the Doctor's manipulations.

After escaping Graystark, Melody had spent decades trying to evade her caretakers. She had to move around a lot, partly because she kept getting into trouble (why people had a problem with something so fun, she had no idea) and partly because she kept getting the sense that someone was watching her. The trouble of creatures that erased your memory of seeing them the second you looked away.

Melody thought that, all things considered, she'd done a pretty good job at evading people over the years. But her caretakers had still managed to track her down. However, it turned out alright! Melody didn't remember the exact conversation, but she did know what it resulted in. She'd been sent to Leadworth, ostensibly to have a better life than what she'd been living as a runaway, but also to grow up alongside her parents and assure her existence.

As Melody had already stated, she hadn't minded this. Making sure her parents got together was a small price to pay to grow up with them, be raised by them, even if they didn't know who she was.

But there was an unintended consequence to this, something Melody was sure her caretakers hadn't foreseen. Seven-year-old Amy had already met the Doctor and completely idolized him. And she wanted to share this idolization with anyone who would listen.

Despite her best efforts, Melody couldn't help but become enthralled by her mother's tales of the Doctor. She made him sound completely different to the stories she'd been fed the first six years of her life. Certainly not like a dangerous, manipulative Time Lord who had to be taken out at all costs. Melody knew she had to kill him eventually, but there was nothing wrong with daydreaming and fantasizing about him. She could almost envision them as partners in crime, running all through time and space, getting into delicious trouble and wonderful mayhem wherever they went.

Yes, life was good.

And then Alex showed up.

All of Melody's instincts screamed at her to take the troublesome little brunette out, but she couldn't. Getting locked up in prison for first-degree murder wasn't on her agenda. So, she was forced to put up with Alex, trying not to let on how much it pissed her off that the girl was seamlessly taking her place, gaining the love and respect of everyone Melody had sought to get the same from.

But then, she saw that photo in the library. Alex and the Doctor, of all people, sitting close together, looking deliriously, disgustingly happy. She hadn't landed on the details until much later, but it had occurred to Melody then that through the Doctor, she could kill two birds with one stone.

And she'd done it! The Doctor was dead, or near enough, and Alex was completely shattered. Her lover had been taken away from her and there was nothing she could do about it. Alex could try to move on, but Melody felt pretty confident in saying that she didn't think it would be possible for Alex. Not in the love department, anyway.

But instead of feeling victorious, Melody was just . . . hollow.

She stared at the Doctor. Even while dying at her hand, he hadn't tried to fight her. Disarmed her, yes, but even though that had been completely infuriating, it was also rather impressive. He'd lobbied that awful robot to stop torturing her, begged her not to run when she was released. She could have, had thought about it. He wouldn't have been able to stop her. But something made her reconsider, made her stay.

Melody knew what it was. This dangerous, trouble-seeking individual, while definitely that, was also quite charming. More than a match for her, intellectually and physically.

And he was certainly hot, even with that ridiculous bowtie.

But he was with Alex. Annoying, holier-than-thou Alex, always lording it over Melody that she was superior to her in every way.

But that wasn't really the case, was it? Alex had needed a freaking bodyguard all summer. She hadn't been able to protect herself. Instead, she needed help. That fact had made Melody smirk in self-satisfaction more than a few times over the last month. Sweet little Alex, needing a big, bad protector. Melody certainly didn't need that. She'd lived on the backstreets of New York and London, getting herself into and out of more scrapes than she could count. And she'd enjoyed every second. There was no time to feel anything as ridiculous as fear.

Alex had been scared today, there was no doubt about that. Oh, she'd put on a brave face, but it hadn't fooled Melody. She'd been scared, thinking that this wasn't something she was going to get out of. But the Doctor hadn't been scared. He'd been far more concerned with her, trying to talk to her, save her, and save her parents. Alex had been too busy trying not to puke when her parents were calling for help. Yet the Doctor had continually fought against the poison in his system to try and get to the TARDIS. That was . . . very admirable, remarkable, impressive, and a lot of other things that would take far too long to list.

Someone like that couldn't be happy forever with someone like Alex. She was weak. She'd nearly been felled by a non-lethal poison. If the Doctor, who'd actually gotten a lethal dose, could summon the strength to fight against it, surely Alex could have done the same.

And that hadn't been her only instance of weakness. In the cornfield, she hadn't immediately jumped out of Melody's way. Oh no, her bodyguard had to physically shove her down. She was too slow.

Melody had heard several tales of the Doctor, all the things he'd done and seen and made happen. He wasn't deserving of Alex. Someone too weak, too spineless, too slow couldn't keep up with him forever. He deserved someone so much better. Someone who could act quickly, someone with specialized training for action-packed, perilous situations. Someone who wasn't weak.

Someone . . . quite like Melody herself.

Though he couldn't get her if he was dead.

There was no cure for the Judas Tree poison. Once you got dosed, there was nothing you could do. But the Doctor wasn't actually dead yet. What a lot of people didn't know was that the poison put victims in a short coma first, with death following shortly thereafter. He was on death's doorstep, but he had yet to cross the threshold.

And just as she had poisoned him, she could cure him.

Melody's hands began to glow with regeneration energy. She glanced sideways at Alex. The American was still crying, biting her lip to keep her sobs contained. Annoying, but far more preferable to her anger. Melody's cheek still throbbed with the echo of that vicious slap.

Much as she wanted to, Melody knew she couldn't get rid of Alex now. She still had the Doctor wrapped around her finger, and Melody knew that the Doctor wouldn't be very receptive to her advances if she tried to go after his girlfriend now. But that was alright. If there was one thing Melody had plenty of, it was patience.

Amy, Rory, Alex, and Spencer gaped at the wispy yellow-orange regeneration energy surrounding Melody's hands. "What's happening?!" Amy cried in alarm. "River, what are you doing?!"

Melody walked slowly to the Doctor. Just as she was about to kneel beside him, she hesitated. "Just tell me," she said quietly. "The Doctor . . . is he worth it?"

Alex and Spencer exchanged incredulous looks, but they stayed silent. The question seemed to have been aimed more at Amy and Rory. And in any event, Alex and Spencer both doubted Melody would give any credence to their opinions.

For a moment, all Amy and Rory could do was stare at each other in disbelief. But they quickly regained their composure and nodded frantically. "Yes!" Amy affirmed. "Yes, he is!"

With that declaration, Melody's hands glowed brighter than ever. Her eyes fixed tightly on him, she knelt before the Doctor. Alex watched, her breath hitched, as Melody placed her hands on either side of the Doctor's face. The moment the regeneration energy made contact with his skin, the Doctor's eyes burst open.

A shuddering gasp rushed out of Alex, and she staggered. She would have fallen had an equally amazed Spencer not caught her at the last second.

"River. . ." the Doctor breathed, his eyes wide in shock. Though it was only partly because of Melody's actions. The rest of it was dedicated to the fact that his plan had worked. It worked!

Melody smiled down at him. "Hello, sweetie," she murmured as regeneration energy continued to pour from her hands, swirling into the Doctor's body, bringing him back from the brink of death.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Melody's eyes fluttered. She winced slightly. That was weird. Why the hell did it feel like there were weights attached to her eyelids?

She blinked blearily, pushing past the heaviness. Her gaze was a bit blurry, but she could make out that her surroundings were very white and appeared rather clean and sterile. Definitely not the Hotel Adlon restaurant. Had she passed out? She didn't remember doing so but then, she had been pretty busy bringing the Doctor back to life.

As her vision cleared a bit more, she was able to make out two figures leaning over her. A bit more blinking and their features came into focus. It was her parents.

"Hey," Amy breathed in relief. "Hey."

"Hey." Melody's voice came out just a little higher than a whisper. Now that she was (somewhat) awake, she could tell just how drained her body was. It felt like several hundred-pound weights had been attached to her limbs, rendering them too heavy to move. Her throat was scratchy, as though she had a cold, and her eyes continued to flutter sleepily. Though she was conscious now, she knew she wouldn't remain that way for long. But she had to push past it, at least for a little longer. She needed answers. Starting with. . . "Where am I?"

"You're safe now," Amy assured her. "Apparently," she said with a small smile, "you used all your remaining regenerations in one go. You shouldn't have done that."

Melody matched her smile, even though her facial muscles protested at the movement. "Mother, I had to try. . ."

"I know."

"He said no one could save him. But he must have known I could."

"Rule One," two new voices said. Melody turned her head slightly to see the Doctor leaning against a window to the right of her bed, Alex pressed into his side, both back in their regular clothes. Of special interest to Melody was the fact that the Doctor wasn't showing any signs that he had nearly died just a short time ago. If anything, he looked the picture of health. He and Alex gave Melody small smiles as they said, "The Doctor lies."

Melody's brow furrowed. "Do you two do that a lot?"

The Doctor and Alex couldn't keep from smirking. "Yes," they said together.

"It's very annoying."

Before the Doctor or Alex could respond to that (though their shared eye-roll suggested this wasn't the first time they'd heard this), another voice broke in, this one belonging to a nurse dressed in a white nun's habit, standing just behind Amy and Rory. "She just needs to rest." As though confirming her words, Melody's eyes closed, and she lapsed back into a heavy sleep. The nurse smiled at her. "She'll be absolutely fine."

"She'll be something alright," Alex agreed dryly.

The Doctor snorted slightly as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crisp new journal with a TARDIS-style cover, the exact journal he and the others had seen later versions of Melody/River use. He set it on the bedside table where Melody, when she was ready to begin her life as River Song, would easily find it.

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

"Yeah, we're at the hospital now," Spencer reported. He leaned back against the plate-glass window, curling his shoulder slightly in an attempt at privacy. According to the Doctor, the Sisters of the Infinite Schism operated the best hospital in the universe. Based on how packed the lobby and halls were, this statement hadn't been an exaggeration.

On the other end of the phone, Chief Stewart let out a long sigh. "Well, that's something I suppose. God knows she needs therapy."

Spencer hummed in agreement. Though he refrained from adding that he didn't think Melody would get any. Not that the Doctor hadn't stressed to the physicians working on Melody that she needed therapy. Quite the opposite. He was adamant that she meet with their on-site psychiatrists. But Spencer didn't think Melody would respond well to the sessions, much less seek out further ones. Melody would resent the implication there was something wrong with her mind and actively fight against attempts to fix it. Spencer doubted she would ever truly acknowledge how damaged her mental state was because of Kovarian and the Silence.

"They're getting Amy checked out, too," he revealed.

"Really? Oh, I don't know why I sound surprised. She certainly needs it. Who knows what they were doing to her on Demons Run?"

Spencer made no comment. In actuality, he did know what Amy's body had been subjected to during her involuntary stay on Demons Run. The Doctor had allowed him a look at the files he'd downloaded from the base. While the ones on Alex were seemingly impenetrable, the ones on Amy weren't. They detailed everything, down to the tiniest, most insignificant actions that Kovarian had done to her body while Amy's mind believed she was still on the TARDIS.

It was nothing particularly harmful to Amy. After all, Kovarian wouldn't want to risk harming the person carrying her precious soon-to-be assassin. Nor would she want to invoke the Doctor's wrath when he inevitably came to Demons Run and laid eyes on Amy. But the techniques Kovarian and her doctors had used on the still growing fetus weren't ones, according to the Doctor, that he would have used on an expectant mother, particularly one from the early 21st century.

Kovarian's main mission had been to make sure that the fetus exhibited as many Time Lord traits as possible. Therefore, Amy's body had been flooded with different types of time sensitive radiation, designed to strengthen the fetus. There had also been procedures where cells had been extracted from the fetus, which were then studied to monitor the burgeoning Time Lord DNA. Even more things had been done, procedures and experiments that Spencer had never heard of, but which the Doctor said were common enough in the 51st century. But it wasn't anything that should be done on a person from a different time period, particularly a past one. Their bodies hadn't adapted enough yet to handle those operations.

The Doctor wasn't sure what, if any effect these medical techniques had on Amy, but it was enough to make him insist that she get checked out. She seemed physically fine, hadn't shown any signs of something being wrong over the summer. But you never knew. In any event, it was better to be sure. The last Spencer had seen them, Amy and Rory were meeting with one of the head doctors. That had been over an hour ago.

"When are you coming back?" Chief Stewart asked, drawing Spencer out of his thoughts. "Straight away or are you sticking aboard the TARDIS awhile?" There was no missing the grin in her voice.

"I'm coming back," Spencer said firmly. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to travel more on the TARDIS, join the crew, and have adventures that didn't involve a time traveling psychopath. But tempted as he might be, he knew he was needed on Earth. Not to mention, but he missed UNIT. He missed the asthmatic wheezes Osgood made when she got too excited, talking all matter of technical stuff with Malcolm, just . . . everything. As much as he would miss Alex, the Ponds, and even the Doctor, Spencer was ready to go home.

"You sure? I mean, if anyone deserves a bit of a time traveling vacation, it's you."

"I'm sure. Though now that you mention it," Spencer grinned, "I wouldn't mind a few weeks in the Caribbean."

"We'll talk," Chief Stewart laughed. "And," she said, her tone turning serious, "good job, Spencer. Really. This whole thing didn't turn out how we planned or wanted, but in the end, everything worked out for the best."

"Yeah," Spencer nodded thoughtfully. "I guess it did. Well, see you soon, Chief."

"See you soon." And with a click, she was gone.

Just as Spencer clicked off himself, the Doctor, Alex, and the Ponds came around the corner. "Hey, everything okay?"

"She's settled," Alex said, stepping up beside him. She smiled grimly. "The Sisters of the Infinite Schism can take it from here."

Spencer turned to Amy. "What about you?"

A rush of air escaped Amy as she tried to recall the overload of information she'd received in the last hour. "Well, basically, I'm fine. The doctors said there shouldn't be any long-term effects from Demons Run. But, um. . ."

"They're concerned about her egg count," Rory stepped in when Amy trailed off. "They say it's decreased quite a bit."

Spencer glanced at the Doctor and Alex. Their faces were grim, eyes narrowed at nothing. He had no doubt that if Kovarian happened to come into the room right now, she'd be lucky to leave it alive. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Amy."

Amy gave him a smile, though it was somewhat dim. Even though the doctors had tried to sound optimistic and reassuring, she knew how bad the news was, not to mention its potential repercussions. "They want to do further tests, make sure I can still give birth. There was also something about potentially freezing some of my eggs, in case my giving birth again isn't an option." She didn't want to admit it, but she was actually rather scared. Just this morning, she'd thought the biggest thing Kovarian and the Silence had taken away from her was her baby. But now, it seemed as though they had taken a lot worse. Her own fertility.

What was she going to do? Obviously, Amy knew she and Rory weren't planning on having another baby yet. Melody, Demons Run, it was still too raw. Amy suspected it would be quite some time before she or Rory became comfortable with the idea of potentially having another child. It was something they would have to discuss. And soon, if the Sisters of the Infinite Schism were right in their suspicions.

She was pulled out of these worrying thoughts by someone taking her hand. Amy looked down. It was Rory. Smiling a bit wider than before, she clutched his hand tightly, resolving not to let it go, no matter what the news turned out to be.

Seeing that the Ponds were having a little moment, the Doctor turned to Spencer. "How did UNIT take everything?" he asked, purposefully changing the subject.

"Pretty well, all things considered," Spencer remarked. He tucked his phone into his pocket. "I need to file an official report when I get back, but Chief Stewart already has all the necessary bits." Since Amy and Rory were in earshot, he refrained from adding that his boss had expressed disappointment over not being able to interrogate Melody/River over her Kovarian/Silence related knowledge. Though Spencer didn't think there was much knowledge to be gathered from Melody. Going off her account, she really didn't remember much about her childhood. Not until she was living on the streets, anyway.

Still, there was something the Ponds needed to be consulted about in regards to their daughter. Spencer hesitated a moment. The Ponds had already been through so much today. Did he really need to burden them with more? After a little consideration, Spencer reluctantly decided he needed to. "There was also discussion," he said quietly, "about what to do with Mels' belongings."

Amy's eyes widened while Rory sucked in a breath. "Right," he said slowly. "I, um. . ." He blinked somewhat bewilderedly. "I didn't even think about that." He really hadn't. Of course, with everything going on, how could he? But Spencer and the rest of UNIT had. Perhaps they'd had to think about things like this before. The thought made Rory's stomach twist uncomfortably.

"There's no rush," Spencer said quickly, seeing how ill at ease the Ponds looked. "But it's something that needs to be thought about. After all, people in Leadworth are going to notice Mels' absence."

Amy let out a dry snort. "Half of them will probably throw a party," she muttered, her eyes downcast.

Neither Spencer, Alex, nor the Doctor said anything. There was, after all, truth in Amy's statement.

"What does Chief Stewart suggest?" Rory asked.

Once again, Spencer hesitated, dreading the words he was about to utter. "It was suggested," he said slowly, "that in order to keep people from asking questions or from having you lie all the time, that Mels be reported dead." This time, both Ponds sucked in a breath. "Just suggested!" Spencer said hastily, his voice coming out faster and high-pitched now. "It was only one option! Another was to say that Mels moved, preferably somewhere overseas, like America. But that would bring up questions about her visiting, or you going to visit her, accounting for fake postcards, letters, phone calls—"

Amy held up her hand. "I get it!" she snapped, then immediately winced in apology. It wasn't fair to blame Spencer. He was just the messenger, and what he was saying made a lot of sense, even if Amy didn't particularly like it.

Alex decided to intervene. "Like Spencer said, nothing has to be decided now. I think we can all agree it's been a long day, so no hasty decisions on anything," she looked at the Ponds on this, "should be made. So, how about we head back to the TARDIS, maybe go to that bar on the moon with the great cocktails the Doctor told me about?"

"Yes!" the Doctor cheered, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "Cocktails on the moon. Anti-grav cocktails on the moon!"

Rory stared at him. "Anti-gravity cocktails?" he said, his tone indicating he didn't believe such a thing existed.

If the Doctor noticed it, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he just grinned and chirped, "Wasn't that clear, Rory Pond?"

Much as Spencer was curious on how anti-gravity cocktails worked (on the moon!), it wasn't enough to tempt him away from thoughts of home. His apartment, neat and orderly, with the French press his grandparents had given him for his 21st birthday, all of his fake Ficus trees named after different scientists, and the makeshift lab he'd set up in the way-too-big-for-him closet, all of its test tubes and beakers sitting there patiently waiting to be used in experiments. . . The TARDIS, even with its anti-grav cocktails, didn't have any of that. "Sounds fun," he said with a smile. "But you'll have to do that without me."

Alex frowned, but she couldn't say she was altogether surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised. "You really don't want to come? Not even for just one trip?"

Spencer smiled down at her. "I really gotta get back to UNIT. Besides," he added with a knowing glance at the Doctor, "something tells me that 'one trip' could quickly escalate into several."

Alex followed his gaze. Her expression turned impish as she spotted the Doctor's cheeks turning red. "Fair enough. But we'll miss you." She pulled Spencer into a hug. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

"Me too," Spencer murmured. To his horror, his eyes started to go misty. He blinked rapidly, succeeding in dispelling the mist by the time Alex pulled back. "But you've got my number!" he reminded her. "Don't hesitate to call."

Alex nodded. "Same goes for you."

"We'll miss you, too, Spencer," Amy chimed in. Though she was still slightly unsettled by their earlier conversation, she managed to give Spencer a bright smile. "It's been . . . well, I'm not sure fun is the right word. . ."

Rory chuckled. "It's definitely been something," he said, clapping Spencer on the back. He glanced over his shoulder at Amy. To his relief, she was now questioning the Doctor on how anti-grav margaritas worked. He turned back to Spencer and leaned in. "And Amy and I will discuss Mels," he murmured. He swallowed thickly. He was already dreading that conversation, as well as the one on Amy's potential fertility, but he knew it had to be done sooner or later.

"There's no rush," Spencer said reassuringly, though he and Rory both knew that was a total lie. "Take all the time you need. UNIT will take care of everything."

And then it was time to bid goodbye to the Doctor.

Just like this morning, Spencer fumbled for something adequate to say. It was easy to talk to the Doctor when there was some life-threatening situation going on, but in moments like this? Not so much. "Well, um, sir. . ." He winced. Oh, God, why did I call him sir?!

Fortunately, the Doctor came to his rescue. "At ease, Dr. Grayson," he smirked, his green eyes twinkling. "Let me just say. . . Thank you. I'll admit, you're not who or what I was expecting, but I'm glad all the same that you were there to protect Alex."

Spencer blushed. "I'm not really sure how much I—"

"You did a lot," the Doctor cut in. "Believe me, Alex has sung your praises and I trust that they were not unfounded."

"They weren't," Alex said firmly.

Both men chuckled. "Well," Spencer smiled, "thank you for that, Doctor. Coming from you, it means a lot."

The Doctor couldn't help preening a bit. "Of course it does," he grinned as he straightened his bowtie.

Alex and the Ponds rolled their eyes. "Oh, blimey, Doctor, don't let that go to your head!" Amy cried.

"It already barely fits through the TARDIS doorway," Alex said cheekily. "Best not tempt fate."

"Oi!" the Doctor cried as Alex, the Ponds, and Spencer all burst out laughing. He glared at them for a few moments before finally letting out a sigh. "Alright, alright, if you're going to laugh, you may as well do it in the TARDIS. Come along, Ponds, Ally, and Dr. Grayson!"

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

It took a very short amount of time to return to Leadworth. While Rory drove his car back, the Doctor moved the TARDIS into the backyard of the Ponds and Alex's rental house. From there, they bid another set of goodbyes to Spencer before he went off to the boarding house to pack, then Amy and Alex quickly gathered up their packed belongings so that they could leave as soon as Rory returned. Indeed, less than a minute after Rory pulled into the driveway, the TARDIS dematerialized. Goodbye, Leadworth, hello, all of time and space.

But that didn't mean the events of today had been forgotten. Or that there weren't a few questions that still needed to be answered.

"So that's it, we just leave her there?" Amy asked the moment the TARDIS entered the time vortex.

"Sisters of the Infinite Schism," the Doctor replied as he absently gripped Alex tight against his side. He couldn't help it. He had almost died today. He'd almost lost Alex which, in a sense, was akin to death. Was it any wonder that he was loathe to let her go even the slightest distance away from him now? Fortunately, Alex didn't seem to mind his clinginess, going off how she nestled further into him. "Greatest hospital in the universe."

"Yeah, but she's our daughter." Amy shook her head. Though she'd known it for a while, the full realization of who River Song was to her was starting to sink in. "Doctor, she's River, and she's our daughter."

"Amy, I know," the Doctor said gently. "But we have to let her make her own way now. We have too much foreknowledge." A little reluctantly, he separated himself from Alex long enough to eye the monitor behind him. The screen currently showed two pictures: one of him in the desert and a cropped one of Alex at her birthday dinner in Savannah. Beneath each photo was a list of information regarding their murders (or attempted murder, in Alex's case). The time and location on each were exactly the same: 5:02pm on April 22nd, 2011, at Lake Silencio, Utah.

The Doctor swallowed heavily. "Dangerous thing, foreknowledge."

Noticing his drifted gaze, Amy followed it to the monitor. "What's that?" she asked, moving forward to look.

"Nothing," the Doctor dismissed. With a quick twist of a dial, the lists beneath his and Alex's photos vanished just before Amy could spot them. "Just some information I downloaded from the Teselecta." He smiled innocently at them. "Very boring."

I doubt that, Alex thought. She had a pretty good idea on what he'd downloaded from the Teselecta. Not that she was going to say anything right now, though.

"Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you, right?" Rory asked.

"Well, she did kill me," the Doctor said with a slight scowl. "And tricked Alex into thinking she was dying as well." His jaw clenched at the memory. Even though he'd been seconds away from dying, he'd heard every gloating word Melody/River had uttered regarding her revenge on Alex. In those moments, he'd longed for the strength to pull himself up and threaten her with his cane. It was a dark thought, but one that the Doctor didn't mind very much. He was perfectly fine with River going after him – hell, he preferred it – but if she ever went after Alex again. . .

Well, if she did, River would need to watch her back. Despite her being Amy and Rory's daughter, the Doctor knew he wouldn't hesitate in getting even, making her pay, forcing her to suffer in a way that would hurt worse than any of the turmoil Alex had been through in the last several months.

This was something he could, and would, express to Alex, but he couldn't say any of it to Amy and Rory. The Ponds were well aware of their daughter's less than balanced mental state, but as Amy had so adequately expressed, she was their daughter. Their little girl, the baby they'd held so protectively and lovingly on Demons Run. Despite everything Melody/Mels/River had and would do, the Ponds would continue to love her. As they should.

The Doctor knew River wasn't an altogether horrible person. Most of her actions could be blamed on the brainwashing she'd suffered during her formative years, then on essentially raising herself for the next twenty-something years. Still, he refused to forgive her for going after Alex. He would try to help his goddaughter become a better person, guide her to become the individual he'd met in the Library, the woman who'd respected Miss Evangelista's data ghosting and who ultimately sacrificed her life to save Donna and 4,022 people. But if she did anything else to Alex, all bets were off. He wouldn't hesitate in making sure she understood the consequences of making the last Time Lord in existence mad.

With a slight grimace, the Doctor shook off his anger. Now wasn't the time for it. "And then she used her remaining lives to bring me back." He smiled down at Alex. Thank every deity in the universe he hadn't been parted from her. Not yet, at least.

Alex smiled back at him, her eyes switching from copper to his own emerald green. "Like I said, can't keep a good thing down!"

"Very true," he laughed, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Amy and Rory smiled at their friends, but that didn't mean their questions and concerns about Melody/River were over. Far from it. "But that stuff they put in her head," Rory piped up. "Is that gone now?" He hesitated before adding, "The River we know in the future, she's in prison for murder and attempted murder."

"Whose murder?" Amy asked. "Whose attempted murder?"

Alex struggled not to gape at them. How have Amy and Rory not figured out that it's the Doctor and I she shot at? It seemed perfectly obvious to her. Then again, she reasoned, Amy and Rory were probably under the impression that the astronaut at Lake Silencio was a completely separate person from the group that had been assembled there. Not to mention, but they probably didn't want to think too hard on who their daughter potentially tried to harm. Knowing that your child was capable of such horrible acts. . . Alex couldn't even imagine what that felt like. She couldn't blame the Ponds for not wanting to dwell on the possibilities too much, particularly when the two most obvious ones were standing right in front of them.

She looked at the Doctor, wondering what he would say. Somehow, she doubted he was going to reveal all to Amy and Rory.

Sure enough, the Doctor didn't answer. Instead, he smiled, grabbed Alex's hand, and dashed around the console. Alex laughed as he tugged her along, leading her towards the stairs.

Amy and Rory shared eye-rolls at the Doctor's silence, but they weren't really surprised. Hopefully, his silence meant that he didn't know, not that he was actively keeping the truth from them. "Will we see her again?" Amy called out. Surely the Doctor would answer this.

Leaping up the stairs after the Doctor, Alex took it upon herself to answer. "I would think so. Based on her diary, we have quite a few adventures with her."

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "She'll find us one day."

"Yeah, but how?" Amy questioned. "How do people even look for you?"

The Doctor and Alex paused at the top of the stairs. "Oh, Pond," the Doctor sighed. "Haven't you figured that one out yet?" Then without another word, he squeezed Alex's hand and tugged her out of the control room.

Alex laughed wildly as the Doctor's frantic pace forced her to run along behind him. They had gone through several corridors before she was finally able to push past her laughing and ask, "Where are we going? And why so fast?"

He glanced back at her as they took a quick left turn into another corridor. Sparks ran down Alex's spine at the heat in his gaze. "Oh, I don't know. . ." His voice was in that low tone she loved, sending her into shivers. "Maybe, perhaps, somewhere private? No offense to the Ponds, but they have a lot to discuss, and I would much rather have. . ." He suddenly stopped running, catching Alex before she could plow into him. Before Alex could get her bearings, the Doctor spun her around and pulled her back against his chest. One of his arms wrapped itself around her waist, keeping her from escaping. Not that Alex was thinking about doing such a thing.

Blood rushed to her cheeks as he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "As I was saying," he continued, his lips brushing the sensitive skin, "I would much rather have a more . . . private reunion. No distractions, no interruptions."

Alex's whole body shuddered, and she felt his lips curve into a smirk at the action. Heat and adrenaline ran through her system, creating an intoxicating effect that sent Alex's head spinning. Almost involuntarily, her head tilted back. Somehow, she managed to find her voice. "I couldn't agree more, Doc," she breathed.

He let out a dark chuckle. "That's my girl," he murmured, pressing a quick, heated kiss to her neck. Before Alex could react to it, she was spun round once more. Now she was standing before a door. A very familiar door with beautiful circular Gallifreyan carvings. . .

"Well then," she murmured, looking up to give him a grin. "Let's not waste any time, Time Lord."

The Doctor's grin was positively sinful as he reached out and turned the knob. . .

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

Melody Pond – or as she was now calling herself, River Song – found herself perfectly at home in the main library of Luna University.

No one would have expected it of her, but she'd always had a fondness for libraries. In her last incarnation, she'd spent many a school day tucked in the very back stacks of the school library, a pile of books beside her. It was primarily to avoid all the idiots surrounding her, children and adults alike, but also because she just loved books. She loved learning. There were very few, interesting things to learn about in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but here? In the year 5123? The possibilities were endless.

Though River didn't need endless possibilities. She just needed one. But this seemed like the perfect place to find her desired information.

It also helped that the aesthetics of this library far outranked her school library and the Leadworth Public Library. Neither one, for example, boasted a giant skylight showing off the beautiful blue and white marble that was planet Earth. River could easily picture herself sitting at this very table, her books illuminated by the wonderous Earth light.

Unfortunately, her being able to spend time here hinged on the man in front of her.

Professor Arthur Candy, a kindly middle-aged man in a bowtie, strode around the table. "So then, tell me," he said, sitting down beside her. "Why do you want to study archeology?"

River leaned forward and smiled. In her lap, her fingers curled protectively, even a bit possessively, around her diary. "Well, to be perfectly honest, Professor, I'm looking for a good man. . ."

~The Pros and Cons of Silence~

A/N: And that completes 'Let's Kill Hitler'! Next chapter is the Doctor and Alex's private reunion. It'll also address what the TARDIS interface knew about Alex's poisoning (remember, in the last chapter, it was speaking directly to the Doctor). Not sure when it'll be up, but it should be before the end of the month. I'm inspired by the Series 13 news (Halloween premiere, y'all!).

Notes on reviews. . .

Eennio: Hope this chapter lived up to your excitement!

NicoleR85: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

the . apple . seed: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

SerahSanguine: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

EchoMoment: I actually got the poisoned nail polish idea from one of LizzeXX's stories (A Fallen Angel, to be more specific). It's such a good idea, I'm surprised it doesn't pop up more in fic. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

The Time Lord Oracle: Haha, that was definitely a twist! Hopefully, this chapter's twist was equally shocking and exciting! Yeah, Moffat hardly ever addressed the RTD era companions, so it was a really big deal if he did. I really do hate how vain 10 was in 'The Stolen Earth'. He may not have meant it, but he does bear some responsibility for Donna becoming the meta-crisis. I often wonder that, too. I'd say we'd get 11 as usual, but that he would be a bit darker, probably not inclined to give the Daleks or Davros a second chance. That's something I would love to see! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!