The Doctor was inside Apollo 11.
Hally, River and Rory had been sent off to fetch President Nixon. Apparently a new friend.
River and Rory had disappeared into the TARDIS wardrobe to change. River slipped into a sleek blue skirt suit, the tailored fabric hugging her form elegantly. Rory, on the other hand, opted for a dark suit, the simplicity and classic cut providing a stark contrast to River's vibrant attire.
Meanwhile, Hally, stubborn as ever, had flat-out refused to change from her comfortable clothes. She, in her current mood, had decided that she was far too pregnant to play dress up, so they'd come to the conclusion that she would stay in the TARDIS while they 'rescued' The Doctor from impending arrest.
While the TARDIS was empty, parked just outside the lecture theatre at the Kennedy Space Centre, Hally pondered the new information that had been presented to her. Letting herself fall into the intrigue of a mystery to pass the time and perhaps, avoid her own problems.
River could fly the TARDIS.
Which in itself was surprising enough, but the fact that The Doctor, with barely any fuss had allowed the pair of them to fly 'solo' while he tinkered with the rocket was something new. Alright, he'd set up strict auto-nav systems… But still.
Someone had taught River how to fly the TARDIS.
The mystery of River Song was growing and Hally was way past intrigued. She was going to have to start writing notes. Hally wasn't really sure how intelligent humans were supposed to be. She acknowledged that she probably had a warped perception of their capabilities. The Master certainly believed them to be stupid. Even The Doctor sometimes noted at how dumb they could be. Hally noted her own bias, that upon finding out she was part human, she had unconsciously started attributing all of her mistakes, or stupid moments to her human half.
Can't understand Physical Vortex Calculations – stupid human half.
Locked herself out of their penthouse – stupid human half.
Accidently got pregnant – stupid human half.
Obviously her Time Lord half was by far the more intelligent… of course…
So she was unsure if her reasoning was wholly correct, but she found it suspicious that River, a human, was capable of retaining the amount of information needed to successfully fly the TARDIS. She was certain that The Doctor made it look more difficult than it was, and The Master loved to overcomplicate things, so perhaps it just wasn't that hard.
Hally herself could fly albeit, probably with a few teething problems.
Hmm.
She'd circle back to it.
The TARDIS door was pushed open as The Doctor strode inside, his face firm with determination. River, Rory and now Nixon, the President of the United States traipsed in after him as The Doctor took off. He piloted them back to the Oval Office in Washington, leaving with Nixon momentarily.
Hally hadn't really moved.
Which she certainly didn't mind.
There definitely would have been a time when a scenario like this would have left her feeling like a spare part, with so many people around. However, at this point in time she was partially glad for the amount of humans to diffuse through the TARDIS, it meant that she could sit with barely any interruption.
Although Rory did try to join her momentarily, offering a kind gesture. "Are you alright?"
She looked back at him, her expression probably wasn't all that open and friendly so she attempted to adjust it slightly. "Heavy." She offered back.
Rory's face split into a sympathetic smile. "Well… if you need anything… I can help. I'm a nurse." He noted confidently.
Hally gave him a slow nod, offering him a smile. She kept her mouth shut, not trusting herself to not offer something snippy and sarcastic in return. Something like 'A Time Lord Nurse?'
She refrained.
"It's like she's pressing into my spine…" She grimaced, pulling a face at the younger man.
His eyes twinkled in empathetic amusement. "I might actually be able to help with that." He offered her a smile and his hand to help her from her seated position. He shifted one of The Doctor's comfy chairs closer to the console. "Ok, take a seat, sort of shift your hips forward. You can lean forwards on the console, you kind of want to get your back as straight as you can, take all the weight off your back and hopefully, gravity will do the rest." He gave her a smile as she sat on the edge of the chair, leaning forward onto the console. She crossed her arms over each other, resting her head onto them as she settled into the position. Whether it was working or not, it had definitely eased the ache in her lower back.
"Thank you…" She muttered into her arms.
River, who had been watching the whole exchange moved around the console and straddled the seat where Hally was sat, slipping in behind her, the warmth of her hands pressing into the muscles of her lower back.
"River! What are you…? Oh… mmm… ok…" Hally's initial affront at the woman's sudden closeness immediately melted as she kneaded expertly into her back. "Holy fuck…" Hally let out a soft groan of appreciation as River's hands eased away the ache and encouraged the parasite to shift. "Fuck, that's good…"
"Oh, I know, Sweetie."
"Don't make it weird…"
The Doctor strode in with a clunk of the TARDIS door. "Right! Oh… what is… uhh… what is happening?"
Hally let out an undistinguishable happy whine as River shot a wry grin up towards The Doctor. Unfortunately, Hally's comfort was short-lived, when River's device beeped with an incoming message.
"Doctor, it's Canton. He needs us." River rose out from behind her, moving around to help The Doctor pilot the TARDIS. Hally shifted herself to her feet too, following the three of them out the doors as they landed. The Doctor bounded out, followed very quickly by Rory and River. They could hear Canton's voice coming from upstairs.
"Amy! Amy, can you hear me? Amy, I'm going to try to blow the lock. I need you to stand back."
The Doctor slid round the corner, pulling his screwdriver from his pocket. "Okay, gun down. I've got it." Hally brought up the rear of the group, coming around the corner just as The Doctor got the heavy door unlocked.
"Amy, we're here. Are you okay?" Rory's voice trailed off as he practically fell into the room. The Doctor pushed past him, taking in the room in a few paces. Canton hovered just inside the doorway, leaving Hally to peer in from the corridor.
The room was empty.
"I can't see."
It was Amy's voice. But there was no Amy.
River had crouched down in the corner of the room, where the white spacesuit now lay. "It's empty."
"Where is she, Doctor?" Rory's voice trembled as he turned to her father. That was when Rory had spotted the nanorecorder, flashing a steady red. Echoing Amy's voice for them all to hear.
Hally hovered in the doorway, she leant back slowly taking in their new surroundings. Amy and Canton had been investigating orphanages and this was one hell of a creepy orphanage. Seemingly abandoned and yet they'd evidently found something here. Someone had taken Amy. Glancing to her left, Hally's eyes widened as she caught sight of a frightened, pale face that quickly disappeared behind the wall. A deep frown creased her brow. It was the girl. The little girl.
River had told her months ago about the little girl in the space suit, the one they'd seen just before Hally had crashed through the wall. Hally took a breath, turning head back to look at the four in the room, torn. Her mouth opened, to tell them, when she paused and closed her mouth. If she told them, they'd go after her. Just a little girl. Something felt wrong about telling them. So, she didn't.
Instead, Hally stepped away from the doorway, her movements cautious as she moved along the corridor towards where she'd seen the girl slip. The voices of the others still floated down the corridor to her.
"It's dark. So dark. I don't know where I am. Please, can anybody hear me?"
"They took this out of her. How did they do that, Doctor? Why can I still hear her?"
"Is it a recording?"
"Er, it defaults to live. This is current. Wherever she is right now, this is what she's saying."
Hally turned the corner with a sharp intake of breath. But it was empty. She took another step, the lights flickered, casting eerie shadows. She moved to the far end of the corridor, with a flash of lightning, the wide window in front of her reflected her own fearful face. She turned to her right, to the staircase leading down into another wing of the house. From the stairway, the young girl came barrelling into her, stopping short. Both turned their heads slowly back to the darkened stairwell, the unmistakable shadow of one of the creatures skulking towards them.
The girl's fear was palpable as she looked up at Hally, desperation written all over her face. Both of them turned back down the corridor, halting in their tracks. Another creature blocked the way back. With a whimper, the girl turned to the window, yanking it up hard, but it didn't budge. Panic rose in her eyes. Hally wanted to ask who she was but there was no time. The creature in the stairwell was meters away. Could she protect the girl? Could she get her to The Doctor? Hally wasn't sure, not like this, not with the biodampener on.
She moved to the window, beside the girl and with a hard pull, the wood creaked and jolted, forcing enough of a gap to let the girl slip through. Shooting her a look of gratitude, the girl jumped down onto the roof and ran. For a moment, Hally's gaze followed her through the window, the creature slipping out of her field of vision. She blinked, momentarily confused.
The cold wind whipped at her face.
Why was the window open?
Hally noticed the strange swell of nausea.
Slowly, she closed the window and turned back. The empty corridor before her. With a deep frown, she realised that she couldn't hear any of their voices from the room anymore.
"Doctor?" She called out, but there was no answer. Her concern was short-lived, as she headed down the stairs, she caught the sound of the others' voices, letting them lead her back to the group.
"Hally?" The Doctor's voice cut through the general hum. "Hally?!" She frowned at the panic lacing his words as she moved along the corridor to where the sounds were coming from. "Where is she?!" It hit her then, that he thought she'd gone. Taken, lost or whatever, just gone.
She reached the doorway and spotted them all, they'd packed into a small office. "I'm right here." The Doctor's gaze smacked into hers and relief washed over his face as he straightened up, taking two long strides up to her. "Good. Good. Good." His hands came to her shoulders, he gave her a squeeze before his palms moved to cup her face. "Where did you go? Don't wander off. You're pregnant. You can't be wandering off." He berated gently, shooting her a semi-stern look.
"Ok…"
"Everything ok?" His eyes scanned her face, searching for any sign of anything untoward.
She gave him a short nod. "I think so." Then she caught sight of what was lying on the ground behind him. "Is that?..."
He turned back, clocking the creature again and hummed. "Silence… they're called the Silence."
They took the injured Silence back with them, The Doctor dropping it off with Canton inside the dark alloy cell while he piloted them to the warehouse. The warehouse she'd crashed into just over three months ago. They'd brought back the empty spacesuit, River connecting it up to what looked like some sort of docking system.
"It's an exoskeleton. Basically, life support. There's about twenty different kinds of alien tech in here." River hummed, scanning across the suit. The Doctor hovered on the other side, watching.
"Who was she? Why put her in here?"
"You put this on, you don't even need to eat. The suit processes sunlight directly. It's got built in weaponry, and a communications system that can hack into anything."
The Doctor ran a hand down his face. "Including the telephone network?"
"Easily." River noted back, quickly.
"But why phone the President?" The Doctor looked back at her.
River shrugged. "It defaults to the highest authority it can find. The little girl gets frightened, the most powerful man on Earth gets a phone call. The night terrors with a hotline to the White House."
Hally watched the back and forth between them both as she stood at the base of the suit, her arms crossed. The Doctor was his usual self. On a mission. Determined as he slowly put the pieces together, forming the puzzle in his mind.
However, River.
River was doing something else.
Hally had spent three months with the woman and while she certainly was one to play into her edge of mystery, Hally had picked up on some of her queues.
So, Hally knew, Hally was sure. River was lying.
It wasn't quite lying.
Acting.
Pretending.
River wasn't being honest.
The Doctor pulled a deep blue envelope from his pocket as he shifted backwards, pacing. He brought it to his face, giving it a sniff before he stuck out his tongue and licked along the edge.
River was quick to notice. "You won't learn anything from that envelope, you know."
"Purchased on earth. Perfectly ordinary stationery. TARDIS blue. Summoned by a stranger who won't even show his face. That's a first, for me. How about you?" The Doctor quipped back, levelling River with a hard stare.
Hally cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
Summoned. The Doctor had been summoned here? 1969?
River rolled the comment away in her usual nonchalant manner, a playful smirk curving her mouth. "Our lives are back to front. Your future's my past. Your firsts are my lasts."
The Doctor stopped, his eyes narrowed. "That's not really what I asked."
But River had decided that they were done, she shifted her attention back to the spacesuit. "Ask something else, then."
It surprised Hally, when he did. "What are the Silence doing, raising a child?"
"Keeping her safe, even giving her independence." River was quick to answer.
"But what for?" Hally cut in, drawing the pair's attention to her. "Why bother with all the 'pastoral care'?"
A silence settled over the three of them, Hally's gaze shifting between her father and River. The Doctor cut away from them, seeming to notice that Rory hadn't said a word. He was still cradling the nanorecorder, speaking into it as though Amy would somehow be comforted by his presence.
The Doctor moved to his side. "The only way to save Amy is to work out what the Silence are doing."
Rory nodded. "I know."
"And every single thing we learn about them brings us a step closer." The Doctor added, the empathy seeping into his words.
"Yeah, Doctor, I get it. I know."
"Of course, it's possible she's not just any little girl." The Doctor clipped, his attention moving up to River before it shifted and landed on Hally. An uncomfortably heavy feeling settled high on her chest at the expression fixed on his face.
River cut across the heaviness. "Well, I'd say she's human, going by the life support software. One heart. Definitely." She offered, no doubt, like Hally, sensing the direction The Doctor's mind was taking him.
Hally's eyes narrowed slightly, watching the woman.
That had been honest.
Truthful and certain. Really quite certain.
"But?" The Doctor pressed, sensing there was something River wasn't saying.
River motioned down to the spacesuit. "She climbed out of this suit. Like she forced her way out. She must be incredibly strong…"
The Doctor hummed, deep in his chest. "Incredibly strong and running away. I like her." His face split into a wry smile.
Hally hummed. "So what? She's human and a bit more?" She cocked her eyebrow. Both River and The Doctor looked up at her, their expressions vastly different. The Doctor seemed to absorb the information, take it on board and nod in thought. River's eyes slid from Hally to The Doctor, searching for something.
"We should be trying to find her."
That was a deflection if ever Hally heard one.
"Yes, I know. But how? Anyway, I have the strangest feeling she's going to find us." The Doctor slipped into the tangent River had offered.
"Why would she be here in 1969?" Hally pressed. The Doctor had moved away from the suit, resuming his pacing, deep in thought. River straightened up, a flicker of a frown passing over her face at Hally's insistence. "Is she here because the Silence brought her here, or are the Silence here for her?"
The Doctor ran a hand over his face, humming in thought.
Rory took a tentative step forward. "Who do we think she is?"
Hally's eyes twinkled with a sly thought. "River." She commented. Her tone blunt. Not a question. The other three turned to her, confusion passing across their features. She looked back at River, whose face had gone uncharacteristically tight. "…Any ideas?" Hally added, the side of her mouth curving with a smirk.
River cocked an eyebrow at her, altering her face to one of innocent confusion, offering a shrug to appease the onlooking men. The Doctor turned back to the TV screen he'd set up in the corner, Rory moved over to him.
"Apollo 11, this is Houston. How do you read? Over."
The grainy image flickered back and forth, the unmistakable shape of Apollo 11 against the sky. "Why does it look like a NASA spacesuit?" Hally heard Rory ask.
River hadn't dropped her gaze yet. A silent war of wills waged between the two women, unnoticed by the two men.
River had told The Doctor herself. "Your firsts are my lasts."
She knew something about what was going on here.
Intimately.
Hally had far too many strings to possibly tie anything together. River to the Silence or the child. But she had a hunch. She was certain River was involved. Somehow.
The Doctor answered Rory's question. "Because that's what the Silence do. Think about it. They don't make anything themselves. They don't have to. They get other life forms to do it for them."
"So they're parasites, then." River's gaze slipped from hers as she shook herself off and relaxed back into the role she was playing.
The Doctor hummed in agreement, none the wiser. "Superparasites, standing in the shadows of human history since the very beginning. We know they can influence human behaviour any way they want. If they've been doing that on a global scale for thousands of years."
Rory turned to look at him. "Then what?"
The Doctor's gaze was set on the television screen. "Then why did the human race suddenly decide to go to the Moon?"
"Ten, nine. Ignition sequence start. six, five, four…"
"Because the Silence needed a spacesuit."
"One, zero. All engines running. Liftoff. We have a liftoff. Thirty two minutes past the hour, liftoff on Apollo 11."
"This suit, it seems to be repairing itself. How's it doing that? Doctor, a unit like this, would it ever be able to move without an occupant?" River brought his attention back to the suit, he moved over to her, examining it.
"Why?"
"Well, the little girl said the spaceman was coming to eat her. Maybe that's exactly what happened."
Hally stayed quiet, watching them. After a moment, The Doctor shifted over to find Rory who had sunk himself down behind a crate, away from them.
Hally's gaze landed on River again.
"What?" The other woman hissed, quietly.
Hally offered her an innocent expression. "Nothing."
River's jaw clenched.
"It was nice of you to reassure me like that."
River cocked an eyebrow, catching on to the meaning behind her comment. "Well… I could see where The Doctor's thoughts were going and…"
"And the child in the spacesuit, isn't mine." Hally finished for her.
"…no…"
"No."
There was a heavy moment of quiet.
"I know you probably think I barely noticed you, while I 'sulked' for three months." Hally's face pulled into a smirk. "But I did." Her face broke with an easy smile. "I can see you, River Song."
For a second, River's face remained blank, before she pulled her expression into a smirk. "And, do you like what you see?" River purred.
Hally rolled her eyes, mouth curving into a smile. She knew she wasn't going to coax anything from the woman. She could keep her secrets. For now.
"The Flight Controller's going to go for landing. Just five days since Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy, this unprecedented journey is reaching its crucial moment. Armstrong and Aldrin are making their descent to the surface of the Moon."
The Doctor easily tracked Amy's signal, and they materialized in the TARDIS. Hally stepped out of one spaceship, into another. Silence. Many of them. Amy was strapped to a chair, her face pale and eyes wide with fear, although, upon seeing The Doctor her face broke with hopeful relief.
The Doctor surveyed the room, his curiosity piqued. "Oh, interesting. Very Aickman Road. I've seen one of these before. Abandoned. I wonder how that happened? Oh, well, I suppose I'm about to find out." He turned to Rory and River, his tone suddenly serious. "Hally, Rory, River, keep one Silent in eyeshot at all times." Hally hadn't moved far from the TARDIS, keeping her field of vision wide to keep as many of the creatures as possible in view.
He turned back, noting the way the creatures had turned towards them, threat imminent. "Oh, hello. Sorry, you were in the middle of something. I just had to say, though, have you seen what's on the telly? Oh, hello, Amy. Are you all right? Want to watch some television?"
Amy's eyes darted around nervously. The Doctor's casual demeanour did little to ease her fear, but she nodded slightly, her voice barely a whisper, "Doctor..."
The Doctor continued, flitting around the central console and dumping the television in front of Amy. "Ah. Now, stay where you are." He turned, motioning at the Silence. "Because look at me, I'm confident. You want to watch that, me, when I'm confident." He gestured towards River with a flourish. "Oh, and this is my friend River. Nice hair, clever, has her own gun, and unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that. Kind of do, a bit."
Hally, watching the exchange, pulled a face. River smirked, her tone dripping with affection. "Thank you, sweetie."
The Doctor acknowledged her with a nod, his eyes twinkling. "I know you're team players and everything, but she'll definitely kill at least the first three of you."
River's smile widened. "Well, the first seven, easily."
The Doctor looked surprised. "Seven? Really?"
River's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Oh, eight for you, honey."
The Doctor tried to maintain his composure, but there was a playful edge to his voice. "Stop it."
River's reply was immediate and teasing. "Make me."
Their playful bickering was interrupted by Hally's loud exasperated plea behind them. "Please stop..."
Amy's voice cut through the tension, frustration evident. "Is this really important flirting? Because I feel like I should be higher on the list right now."
The Doctor snapped back to focus, looking slightly sheepish. "Yes. Right. Sorry. As I was saying, my naughty friend here is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus him behind, so maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz."
Rory, meanwhile, had moved to Amy's side, his hands working feverishly to free her from the restraints. She looked at him, desperation in her eyes. "What's he got?"
Rory glanced up, determination in his voice. "Something, I hope."
The Doctor stood in the centre of the room, his eyes fixed on the shadowy figures of the Silence. His tone jovial, but carrying an underlying edge. "Or maybe you could just listen a minute. Because all I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then I'll let you go in peace." He paused, watching their reaction. "Yes, you've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes, people have suffered and died, but what's the point in two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving now and then?"
The Silence remained silent. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Ooo, the Silence. You guys take that seriously, don't you? Okay, you got me. I'm lying. I'm not really going to let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. First, you tell me about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for?"
A voice crackled over the television. "And we're getting a picture on the TV."
The Doctor turned slightly, hearing the announcement as a smirk curled the corner of his mouth. "Guys, sorry, but you're way out of time. Now, come on. A bit of history for you. Aren't you proud? Because you helped." His voice grew in intensity. "Now, do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly? Half a billion. And that's nothing because the human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly. Billions and billions of them, for billions and billions of years, and every single one of them at some point in their lives, will look back at this man, taking that very first step, and they will never, ever forget it."
On the television, the historic broadcast continued. "Okay, engine stop. ATA on the descent. Modes control both auto. Descent engine command off."
The Doctor pulled out a phone, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh. But they'll forget this bit."
Neil Armstrong's voice came over the TV, as the image panned down his spacesuit to the ground of the moon. "That's one small step for a man..."
Suddenly, a video image broke through the broadcast. A Silence on the screen. "You should kill us all on sight." The message flickered, and repeated. "You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight."
The Doctor's smile turned triumphant. "You've given the order for your own execution, and the whole planet just heard you."
The Silence's mantra continued, through the television. "You should kill us all on sight."
The side of Hally's mouth quirked upwards. She wouldn't admit it, but he was quite impressive when he was winning.
Armstrong's voice cut through as the visual restored. "…One giant leap for mankind."
The Doctor's voice was filled with satisfaction. "And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence. You just raised an army against yourself and now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day. How fast can you run? Because today's the day the human race throws you off their planet. They won't even know they're doing it. I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is… oops. Run! Guys, I mean us. Run." The Doctor squeaked as the room erupted into chaos as the Silence turned on them, poised to attack. River sprang into action, firing her gun with precision.
Rory struggled with Amy's restraints, panic in his voice. "I can't get her out!"
Amy's voice was urgent. "Go. Go."
Rory shook his head, determination hardening his features. "We are not leaving without you."
Amy glared at him, her voice tinged with desperation. "Look, will you just get your stupid face out of here."
River's voice cut through the noise, commanding and clear. "Run! Into the TARDIS, quickly."
Hally backed up, shoving the TARDIS door open as The Doctor moved to free Amy. Rory grabbed her, helping her towards the open door while Hally held it open for the pair. The Doctor and River were backing away from the Silence swiftly.
The Doctor shouted over the commotion, "Don't let them build to full power."
River's voice was taut with concentration, a simmer of irritation. "I know. There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey. What are you doing?"
The Doctor's reply was defensive as he turned, back to back with River, waving his screwdriver at the Silence. "Helping."
River rolled her eyes, shooting down another three creatures, her tone sharp. "You've got a screwdriver. Go build a cabinet."
"Oh, give me strength." Hally muttered under her breath before she leant out of the TARDIS and grabbed The Doctor by the arm. "Start driving!" She yelled at him, yanking him through the doors and into the console room.
He grumbled, shooting a pout towards his daughter before he jumped into action, running to the console. Hally followed him as Rory hovered by the doors, waiting for River to finish dealing with the Silence. Once they were all on board, The Doctor took off, immediately joined by River at the console. The older woman moved about the controls, following The Doctor around as he flicked various switches. Now and then, she would lean over him and flick them back, humming to herself.
"You can let me fly it." The Doctor snapped her way, an irritable frown breaking his features.
River offered him a teasing smile. "Yeah, or we could go where we're supposed to."
The Doctor shot Hally a glare at her snort of agreement.
She looked back over towards the TARDIS doors where Rory and Amy were very affectionately hugging, both their faces split with relief at having the other in their arms once more. It shouldn't have annoyed her as much as it did, it wasn't their fault, but Hally's face slipped into a dark scowl the longer she watched the two humans. It didn't much help when she forcibly moved her gaze back to the console as then she was drawn back into the endlessly flirtatious bickering of the pair in front of her.
Wonderful.
I'm the fifth wheel.
River dragged her out of her pity party. "Fix your face, Sweetie." Hally shot the other woman a petulant sneer but did indeed drop the childish scowl. A crease of a frown pinched The Doctor's forehead and he looked between the two women, not entirely certain as to why his daughter had seemed so sulky.
Hally instead, placed a wide charming smile over her face, offering it to River sarcastically. The older woman just laughed, as with a resounding thrum, the TARDIS landed.
The Doctor then set about taking everyone home, starting with dropping Canton off back at the Oval Office with the President. Then, with a flourish, he piloted them away from Earth.
"Looks like this is me." River hummed in her trademark overtly friendly way, moving around the console to pull Amy and then Rory into a tight hug. "That was a fun one, Doctor." She shot a look back at her father that had an age rating well above PG-15, before she curved around, leaning with one hand against the TARDIS railing as she focused on Hally. "And you, take care of yourself, will you?" Her tone was light enough, but both women could clearly hear the sincere undercurrent.
Hally offered her a twitch of a nod. "Will do." She clipped back.
River's eyes sparkled as she turned to leave.
"Oh, and River…?" She turned back, catching Hally's gaze with uncertain intrigue.
For a brief moment, Hally let out a soft exhale, dropping her mask for a second. "Thank you." She offered. River didn't reply for there was no need. Warmth flooded her bright eyes before she turned and left the TARDIS, The Doctor following through behind her to say his goodbye without the rest of them present to watch.
Amy and Rory nestled themselves into the two chairs while they waited and Hally shifted herself over towards the console monitor. She was on the back foot, having missed a chunk of time with her father she wanted to watch the pair when they thought they were alone.
The mystery of River Song was one Hally was fully immersing herself into. She clicked on the screen, bringing up the TARDIS video security systems, navigating to the outside camera.
Her eyebrows shot into her hairline.
Okay, well, she shouldn't be watching that.
She very swiftly minimised the video feed, which left on the screen whatever The Doctor had been looking at last, Hally's face fell into a frown as she saw the scan, the result flickering between positive and negative.
Tilting her head slightly, she glanced at Amy, who was still sitting happily with Rory, and then back to the screen. The Doctor had been scanning Amy. More specifically, he had been scanning to see if Amy was pregnant.
The TARDIS didn't know.
No, it wasn't that simple. The result was fluctuating. Consistently switching between pregnant and not pregnant. But that wasn't… that definitely wasn't possible.
Hally reconfigured the scan, her fingers flying over the controls. As she did so, she noticed that The Doctor had done the exact same thing. He'd scanned her, Hally, to check whether perhaps the TARDIS was malfunctioning. But it wasn't. The TARDIS had very quickly and very accurately scanned Hally, and the result came back certain.
Pregnant.
So it was Amy.
As the Doctor re-entered the TARDIS, Hally quickly brought up the nav system, hiding what she'd found as she watched him enter. He was blushing. Properly blushing, his usually confident demeanour replaced with an awkward, uncomfortable lollop as he approached the console. He set the TARDIS in motion, and the console room fell into a weird sort of awkward silence.
Hally could sense that everyone was tiptoeing around each other. Amy clearly had things she wanted to discuss with the Doctor, her eyes darting towards him with unspoken questions. Rory was lingering nearby, concern etched on his face. Picking up on the social cues, Hally excused herself from the console room.
Her stomach grumbled. She was hungry.
She headed to the kitchen, the hum of the TARDIS a comforting background noise. As she rummaged through the cupboards, she found herself a notebook. Sitting down at the small table, she started writing down everything she knew about River. Every detail, every observation.
She was human.
Or at least she'd registered as human when Hally had secretly scanned her.
She appeared to be mid-thirties.
Originally from Earth.
English accent.
Hally guessed she either wasn't from the 21st Century, or at least, didn't grow up there. Or perhaps she'd simply been time travelling for a long time, therefore her knowledge appeared to be more advanced than a 21st-century human.
She was imprisoned in Stormcage… although, evidently not very securely.
She was a Professor of Archaeology.
And she was in love with The Doctor.
Although, she wasn't averse to killing.
That was something new.
And what was even weirder was that The Doctor didn't really seem to mind either…
He didn't know who she was, but he trusted her.
Travelling in opposite directions.
Hally hummed to herself, cocking her head to one side. Pretty complicated as love lives go.
She'd also actually taken the time to help her.
Not that usually The Doctor's companions were 'averse' to her. But it was interesting, certainly worth noting, that this River, who seemed to know The Doctor very well, had barely batted an eyelid when Hally literally came crashing back into his life.
She knew a lot about her, which River had claimed to be because Hally herself would tell her. Which made sense. It was something Hally was planning on doing. But that also indicated that Hally trusted her too, didn't it?
This woman.
This woman she knew so little about.
That the future version of herself would trust River enough to look after her and her unborn child. Probably at a time where she was most in need.
Hmm.
Hally left the notebook out on the table as she made herself something that resembled an actual meal. She was about to just pour herself a large bowl of cereal and call it dinner but then she remembered the parasite needed something more nutritious and so she'd been resigned to cook.
Hally waited until a few hours had passed before she went in search of The Doctor, assuming the humans would have gone to bed.
She found him in the console room, tinkering over something he'd laid out across one half of the console.
It was good to get him while he was tinkering.
"Hey." She announced herself as she moved over to him. He straightened up, shooting her a wide smile.
"Hello, there."
"I have questions." Hally waved her small notebook and clicked her pen.
"Oh, fun. Well, I guess you have missed quite a lot of time."
She shrugged and went along with the idea that that might be what she was interested in. Filling in the gaps. In a way, that wasn't completely false. "Have you met River before?"
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, uh, yeah, a few times."
"How many?"
He narrowed his eyes at her inquisition. "Is this… because of the… flirting?"
She chuckled to herself. "No. She's just an anomaly…"
"Isn't she." A stupid smile spread over The Doctor's face, causing her to scrunch her own in distaste.
"God, don't be sappy. When have you met her before?"
He straightened up, turning his attention fully back to her. "Hally…?"
She cocked her head to one side, giving him an impatient look. He was ruining her Intel gathering.
A small smile curved across his face as he realised what she was doing. "Our timelines are back to front, there are some things we can't know until they happen."
Hally let out a short laugh. "Really? So you're happy to just… not know?"
He shifted on his feet, pretending to look back down at the unassembled device scattered over the controls.
"Really, really? You're going to snog her and not even ask her why she's in prison?"
His face flushed bright red as his eyes snapped back up to hers. "I didn't."
"I saw you." She countered straight back at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she caught him immediately in his lie.
He hummed in annoyance. "It doesn't matter…"
"It doesn't matter why she's supposed to be locked up in the highest security intergalactic prison? Dad… I think you might be slightly distracted." A wry smirk played at her mouth as she watched him helplessly open and close his mouth like a fish.
"I'm not having this discussion with my daughter." He groaned inwardly, trying to move around the console away from her.
"I'm not saying I disapprove. I'm just interested."
He hummed. "It doesn't matter. What matters is who she is now. Plus, you can hardly talk. I'm sure whatever it is isn't as bad as your husband's escapades."
She barked a laugh, sidestepping to force herself back into his line of sight. "Oh, so he's the benchmark now?"
The Doctor's face scrunched. "No… I was just saying..."
"I know what you were saying, Doctor." She crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk still stamped across her face. "But the difference is, I know what he's done. I can make my own informed decision."
"Just drop it, Hal." His tone shifted, irritation seeping out into his words.
Hally leant her weight into her hip, considering him. She didn't want him to shut her out completely. She still had many questions. So instead, she moved the conversation elsewhere. "Alright fine… new topic. What's going on with Amy…?"
The Doctor's eyes connected with hers and she watched as he mentally connected the dots.
"How is it that you know everything?!"
She offered him a small shrug. "I'm nosey."
"I had forgotten…" He grumbled and huffed.
Hally, offering her father a falsely apologetic grin, moved around the console towards him. "Well… she can't be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time. It's not possible."
He sighed and leaned against the console, she could feel his meagre irritation wash away, he actually seemed quite happy to have someone to talk to about it, to bounce his ideas off. "No. It doesn't make any sense…" He crossed his arms over his chest. "She told me… back in 1969… before you 'arrived'. She said she thought she might be pregnant."
Hally frowned. "She did?"
"Mhmm…"
"So she's been like this… this fluctuating thing for at least three months, maybe four? For her to think she might be?"
He nodded.
"But her body isn't fluctuating between pregnant and not pregnant… that'd be noticeable."
The Doctor ran a hand over his face. "No…"
"So, somehow… she's sometimes pregnant… but her body is never pregnant?"
The Doctor's gaze met Hally's as her words sank into him. "Mmm." In the silence that followed his gaze shifted to her, very obviously pregnant, stomach.
"Yeah…" She hummed, clenching her hands as she reluctantly followed his gaze.
The area on her body was so foreign to her these days.
The Doctor took a tentative step forward, his eyes moving across her face, down to note her clenched fists, observing the way his daughter was almost holding her hands by her sides. "Does she kick? You were always wriggling…"
His daughter tilted her head back up to look at him, something new swimming behind her eyes.
Hally let out a short breath and nodded. "Sometimes. Currently, her favourite thing to do is shove her foot into my bladder…" She offered him a weak laugh.
He smiled kindly and took two steps in towards her. He was considering her, the words hung on the tip of his tongue before he finally asked. "Can I?"
"Can you…" Hally went to ask, before understanding settled on her. "Oh… you want to? Uh, yeah…" Her tone wasn't wholly convincing, The Doctor's gaze snapped to hers. Thoughts were trickling behind his eyes. She could see him. Figuring her out, checking in.
She cleared her throat. "You can. Of course, you can. I just… haven't…"
"You haven't?"
Hally shook her head, face falling with guilt. The Doctor caught one of her hands, giving it an empathetic squeeze. "Do you want to?"
Water had started to pool in Hally's eyes, which she attempted to blink away furiously. "I don't know… I think so, but I just couldn't do it… on my own. I didn't want to do it without him." She swallowed hard, her voice wavering. The Doctor nodded in understanding, his expression softening. "It feels like a 'first', a first of lots of things and I didn't want him to not be here…" She rubbed her hand swiftly across her cheek, as though she could hide the tears from him.
He nodded slowly, a gentle acknowledgement.
"But then… I don't want to not. Because… this, having her, is certain… him being here… isn't." Her voice cracked, and a tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. The Doctor brought his hand up to wipe it away, leaning forward to kiss the top of her forehead.
"You don't have to do it alone… if you want…"
Hally nodded quickly. "No, I do… I do want to."
"Together?" He asked, his eyes never leaving her face, his voice low and tender.
She nodded again, more firmly this time. "Yes… please."
A kind smile spread over his face as he took both her hands in his. "Then we should probably get a little more comfortable." He led her down one of the staircases which led underneath the console, guiding her into a comfortable chair as he pulled up another one to sit opposite.
His eyes shifted to her neck. "First, let's get this thing off, shall we?" The Doctor smiled towards the makeshift biodampener. Hally swallowed, a hint of nervousness flickering in her eyes. He caught it and frowned. "Hal?"
She met his gaze, and he could see the smile she gave him didn't reach her eyes. "Sure." Her voice was tight, tense.
He paused, concern etching his features. "I would have thought you'd be itching to get it off?"
She took a slow breath, her hands trembling slightly. "Oh… yeah. No, I am. I hate it." She let out a weak laugh, pain twitching across her face. "I just thought it might be… safer. You know?"
"The Silence are gone, all sorted." He offered her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah… no. I know. I didn't mean safe from the Silence, I meant safer… from me." Her voice dropped to a whisper, the weight of her words hanging between them.
Understanding pooled in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Hally, you are forgiven." His hand came up to touch her cheek gently, before he moved it down to press his thumb into the silvery metal. "Always."
Hally's eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head. "That's… nice of you, but I don't think it's up to you…"
The Doctor's gaze was steady. "It was an accident."
"It was still avoidable. I still did it." She replied, her voice tinged with guilt.
He gave her a reassuring smile. "So make up for it." He pressed hopefully. "Save double the number of lives to make up for it."
She offered him a strange look, a frown pinching between her eyebrows. "I don't think it works like that, Dad."
His face broke with warmth, a comforting hum coming from his chest. He looked at her, eyes boring into hers. "No… but just try."
Hally bit her lip, searching his eyes for the unwavering belief he seemed to have in her. Finally, she nodded, pressing her fingers against the metal which unlocked and came away in her hand.
"Ok." She whispered.
The Doctor squeezed Hally's hand gently, his eyes filled with hope. He scooted a little closer, taking her hand and gently pressing her palm onto her stomach. Tension pulled at her immediately, but she kept her hand there, bringing her other hand to join it. Bile rose in her throat, but she took a slow, deep breath, caressing the pregnant swell of her stomach. The Doctor watched her, giving her time to settle.
She shifted, taking one of her hands off to make space for him. Taking her cue, he leaned forward, placing his own hand gently on her stomach. A slow, proud smile crept onto his face. "There she is…"
Hally decided to close her eyes, figuring it might make it easier. Surprisingly, it was comforting. She wasn't alone. She hadn't wanted to do this alone. She knew it'd only upset her. Time Lords had a unique way of bonding with their unborn children, forming familial telepathic bonds that were not quite as strong as those between coupled Time Lords but still significant. These bonds could fade over time, depending on distance or circumstance, but still strong. The way Hally could find her father, could tap at his mental barriers without needing physical touch, a sort of, pre-stepped pathway, leading to somewhere familiar.
The Doctor's warm hand on her stomach grounded her. Her question lilted on the outskirts of his mind, tentative and hopeful. "Did you… with Rose?"
Fondness stemmed from him. "Yes."
She already knew, really, obviously she was already aware of the pre-existing bond between herself and her father. Although the path was less and less trodden. "Can humans even sense it?"
"She could… through me. For a little while at least. With humans, it fades."
Warmth swelled in her chest at the imagined image of her mother and father doing just this.
Using the contact through her hand against her stomach, Hally filtered her mind outwards, locking onto the small, almost brand-new presence resting within her. The Doctor kept still, his eyes scanning his daughter's face. Her eyes had fallen closed, a small indent pulling at her forehead as she concentrated. He watched as a mixture of expressions passed over her features. Over a few minutes, fear and uncertainty shifted to wholesome surprise and wonder. The tension in his daughter's face lifted, replaced with something lighter, happier. He assumed she'd made contact. A small smile crept onto his own face, feeling relief at the nervous serenity she was giving off.
Keeping his eyes on her, he drifted his own presence forward, treading the familiar path to his daughter, letting her lead him down the newly discovered trail to his granddaughter. He lingered, easing his presence nearer, letting her come to him.
And, oh, she did. So bright, and new, and free, and full of joy and curiosity. A wide smile stretched across The Doctor's face as he felt her match him, meet him. He tread that path, creating his own connection to her, which she more than gladly accepted.
After a few minutes, he gently retreated, giving his daughter a little more privacy to explore the link she'd created with her child. He kept his hand on her, just so she would know she wasn't on her own. When she eventually opened her eyes, he wasn't surprised to see tears there. He leaned forward, moving to wrap her in a gentle hug, both leaning to the other in their seats.
"She's real…" Hally whispered, her voice filled with wonder.
An exhale of amusement escaped him. "Yes."
"No…" She laughed at herself, pulling back from the hug to wipe her cheek. "I mean… she's so alive… she's real as in she's her, all… happy and gentle and cosy."
The Doctor gave his daughter a knowing smile. "She really likes it in there…" He vibrated with a soft chuckle. Hally followed his laughter, nodding.
She took in a deep breath, but after a moment, the smile dropped from her face, replaced by a concerned frown. The Doctor mirrored her worry. "She's so perfect…" Hally voiced, her tone tinged with guilt and fear.
The Doctor took her hand in his, understanding where her mind was falling. "She's brand new and you can only ever do your best. That's all you can ever do." He understood her fear, the fear of failure, the never feeling good enough. The smack in the face that was the realisation that this brand new being relied on you completely. And he knew… he knew how complicated her own relationship was with him, with her concept of 'parents' as a whole. The guilt ate at him, knowing that he'd set her up to feel this way. But he could be here now. While The Master couldn't be, he could be here.
"I don't know how to do this without him…"
"I will find him. I promise."
"We're running out of time."
"I know. I know… I can do this. I can find him." He looked at his daughter, hating how deflated she looked. His usually fierce and fiery daughter seemed lost. He watched her. He was so proud, the feeling was almost uncontainable in his hearts. She'd been so open with him, so vulnerable and he wanted to give her something back, to make her feel like it wasn't just her being vulnerable, to make them equal.
"She knows my name."
"Who?"
"River… the reason I trust her… she knows my name."
"What do you mean?"
"The first time I met her… the last time she'll meet me… long ago, back with Donna. She knew my name."
"Oh…" Hally cocked an eyebrow slightly, her mood lightening as her curiosity peaked. "Quite serious then… this… fling thing."
The Doctor chuckled. "Looks like it…"
She offered him a small smile, a silent thanks, a moment of understanding between the pair.