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I woke up in my cell, to the call of the Tardis, I heard it in my dreams. It was late, but there was no time for sleep. I had to get to my doctor. As I packed a bag I heard the alarms going off and I smirked. All those little men couldn't keep me in that cell if they hadn't 'forgotten' to confiscate my vortex manipulator. I disappeared without a trace before any of them could embarrass themselves by trying. I followed the coordinates I knew I had sent myself from the Tardis after this was all over. I showed up in Manhattan, about... I smelled the air... Damn. I could never figure out how the doctor did that... Luckily it was never heard to find a newspaper, those living in a direct timeline use them to remind themselves about the events that they forgot or never knew happened. April 3rd 1938, a malicious grin spread across my features, time to play detective. First thing's first, I'd have to find something to wear. I quickly confiscated an adequately dramatic outfit from a nearby shop, I was just out the door when a man shouted. "THIEF!"
I smiled and walked up close, "That's detective Melody Melone to you, I don't suppose you have a clue as to what is really going on here do you?" I sprayed a little 'perfume' a drug which when inhaled causes deep confusion and suggestibility. "Don't worry sir, I caught the thief. Now run along and tell everyone you meet, Melody Melone, the angel investigator, is in town looking for some answers." I stalked away leaving him gaping in my direction, he the effects would wear off in a few hours, but that was long enough to set my plans in motion. I was safe and my new name was already growing on me.
After that encounter I set to work finding the adventure that the Tardis had called me for. This one didn't take long; Rory was out wandering the streets about a block away. I followed my poor dad for two more blocks before he realized I was there. I had planned this entrance for the doctor but it was possible that he was close enough to see it.
"What, exactly, are you doing here?"
"I just went to get coffees for the Doctor and Amy... Hello River."
"Hello dad." I smiled, fully revealing my face to him.
"Where am I? How the hell did I get here?" He was backing away from me and looked quite scared, mother always was the brave one.
"I haven't the faintest idea, but you'll probably want to put your hands up." A man had appeared pointing a gun at my dad's head. I could have easily disarmed him and shot him there on the sidewalk before dear old dad even understood what I meant, but the Doctor does get ever so fussy about these things. Besides following the man with a gun is an easy way to find trouble, and consequently, my husband. Rory looked at me, confusion written all over his face and slowly turned around. As soon as he saw the gun the coffee left his hands. Pity, I could have used a cup myself.
"Melody Melone?" A man asked from behind me. I smiled, it was catching on quite well.
"You're Melody?" Rory asked. I couldn't help but smile, the obliviousness of man knows no bounds. We went with the two men and I answered Rory's numerous questions, still hoping that my husband was standing in the shadows, listening to every word. Of course I always wish he was, and he rarely ever is. Either way, I spoke to him, all but betting that he couldn't make it there. That was the fastest way to get him to come, make it about proving me wrong. Of course it could tear a hole in the fabric of space time but that only made it more exciting.
We arrived at a mansion, not really my style. The owner had some fine collectables, a nice vase. "Early Qin dynasty I'd say." I remarked. Old habits die hard.
"Correct, are you an archeologist as well as a detective?" The man walked down the staircase towards us, "Early Qin, just as you say, you are very well informed."
"And you're very afraid, that's an awful lot of locks for one door."
I can't stand small talk, I get to the point otherwise we spend hours discussing a meaningless vase and ignore the door with seven locks. He told one of our kidnappers to put Rory with the babies. I could only guess at what he meant but I couldn't help but think that this evening was about to get more unpleasant. Call it a woman's intuition.
As we walked into his office I saw my piece of hope on his desk in the corner, a pot with our codeword written across it- 'Yowza'. I felt a rush of relief, this adventure would be worth the pain it was sure to bring. I confidently strode across the room, telling him about himself as I went until I saw the curtains. I couldn't help myself, I made the dramatic reveal. I was staring at a weeping angel, it took everything I had not to kill him there and then, and destroy that thing before what was surely to come next. I sent a signal to the doctor, there wasn't enough time for him to figure out my trick to get there, I'd have to help him through this time. I turned calmly back to the idiot who thought he could break a weeping angel, and I did what I always do in these situations: let him tell me his secrets then explain why they will get him killed. I didn't think he would be so direct about it, I guess that's what you get for skipping the small talk. He flicked off the lights. Just long enough for the angel to grab me. My heart skipped a beat, I couldn't help but betray the cool, calm and collected side I show during these interrogations. I was trapped in an angel's grasp, all I could do was try not to blink.
"You're going to tell me all about these creatures, and you're going to do it... quickly." He turned out the lights again and I felt the angel tighten its grip on me.
I told him what he needed to know to understand how quickly this thing would kill me if he turned out those damn lights again. Luckily, my husband likes to make an entrance. He should have waited, I gave him coordinates for thirty seconds later, when the Tardis could have safely landed but he can never leave well enough alone. The disturbances it caused knocked my captor out cold. After a moment I heard my mother's voice, calling for dad. Then my husband appeared through the doorway.
"Sorry I'm late honey, traffic was hell." Just like we had never been apart, it had been almost 6 months since I had seen him last. He sauntered in to where I was trapped, "So where are we now Dr. Song? How's prison?"
"Ohh I was pardoned ages ago, and it's professor song to you." I lied through my teeth, I was up for a pardon since the Doctor technically didn't exist but there are many men who are hell bent on keeping me in jail forever. I had, however recently become a professor. Besides, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to give him a little hell for deleting all of those pictures I had found of him, just my personal print-outs remained. "Turns out the person I killed never existed in the first place. Apparently, there's no record of him. It's almost as if someone's gone around deleting himself from every database in the universe."
"You said I got too big." He pointed out and lightly tapped my nose. I felt a smile creep onto my lips.
"And now no one's ever heard of you, didn't you used to be somebody?"
"Weren't you the woman who killed the Doctor?" Finally, he had set me up beautifully to ask the oldest question.
"Doctor who?" He laughed quietly and scanned the angel with his sonic.
"She's holding you very tight." He's more to the point than I am, sometimes.
"At least she didn't send me back in time."
"I doubt she's strong enough."
"Well, I need a hand back, so which is it going to be? Are you going to break my wrist or hers?" I immediately regretted asking, his face fell. "Oh, no. Really? Why do you have to break mine?"
"Because Amy read it in a book, and now I have no choice." Of course she did, ohh mother, Amy stood in the doorway, and looked ashamed.
The Doctor found Rory in the contents page and went to run after Amy, leaving me still trapped. My husband has sort of a one track mind. But he stopped in the doorway.
"Doctor?" I called sensing the change in mood he looked like he was going to faint, I tried to get him to talk to me, but that's hard when I can't move to him. He began panicking, and nothing I could say would help but I had to try. He turned to me, the fury he felt at himself was directed to me for a moment. He needed to be able to change what was written, even though he knew it was impossible.
"Get your wrist out. You get your wrist out without breaking it!" He yelled.
"How?" I felt my voice break, it was all I could say in my defense, as a last ditch effort to calm him down.
"I don't know. Just do it. Change the future!" I wanted him to come back, to not be upset with himself, to help me out of this. I wanted to get my hand out without breaking my wrist, but it was impossible. I knew what I had to do, I waited until I heard his footsteps fade down the stairs and I yanked my hand out of the angel's grasp. The room went fuzzy for a moment and I had to sit down. I couldn't entirely muffle my scream, but he didn't hear it. The pain pulsated through my whole body. I sat there for a moment holding my broken wrist, trying not to cry. The pain made me feel sick and it was impossible for me to get up when I heard two sets of feet run back upstairs, though I tried. Luckily the Doctor didn't stop to see if I had freed myself yet. As I sat there I found the book and I opened it, it couldn't do any harm now, he already read it. The last chapter title made my heart drop, 'Ameilia's Last Farewell'. I got ahold of myself again and put on my coat to hide the bruises, and strolled out to the Doctor and mom, tracking Rory as I walked.
"He isn't back in time. I'm reading a displacement, but there are no temporal markers. He's been moved in space, not in time, and it's not that far from here by the look of it." I purposely ignored the Doctor's look of amazement. I was hurt, in more ways than one and I reacted to the Doctor as a wounded animal, but he was oblivious as ever. I wanted to yell and show him what he made me do, but more than anything I wanted my lie to be the truth.
"She's good, have you noticed? Really, really good." The Doctor told Amy as I continued to track dad. I was determined to keep up this lie, I'd live the rest of my life with a broken wrist if it made him feel better. If it made him stop his self deprecating thoughts.
"Ah, wherever it is, it's within a few blocks. There's a car out front. Shall we steal it?" I was feeling better about this plan.
"Show me!" The Doctor sprung up and before I had time to react he had my broken wrist in his hand. He tried to pull me along with him but I couldn't stop the gasp that stopped him in his tracks. I was scared, he had every right to hate me for that lie. He looked as though I'd just told him I'd never loved him. That's probably what he thought when he discovered it, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I lied because I love him, I hate how cruel he is to himself in his own mind. I felt like fainting, I must have gone pale because the Doctor wordlessly lead me to the stairs where I could sit. He walked away and I was a wounded animal again, looking to strike, aiming to hurt him for hurting me.
He came back over to me and I couldn't look him in the eyes.
"Why did you lie to me?" I felt venom rise in my blood, how dare he be angry at me for this. Couldn't he see what was right in front of his god damn eyes? I did my best to keep the venom from reaching my voice.
"When one's in love with an ageless god who insists on the face of a twelve year old, one does one's best to hide the damage." I could see that remark hurt him.
"It must hurt." He said, grabbing my wrist. "Come here." I winced in pain.
"Yes." Then to keep from crying I added. "The wrist is pretty bad too."
I couldn't even look at him. Then I felt the warmth of regeneration energy on my arm.
"No. No. No, stop that. Stop that. Stop it!" I yelled. This was pointless, the wrist would heal.
"There you go. How's that?" His voice was calm and loving. I was enraged, I couldn't believe him, this isn't what I needed from him but he couldn't see that.
"Well, let's see, shall we?" I slapped him, not hard enough to physically hurt him. That was an important distinction. It probably stung, but the message it conveyed was far stronger that way.
"That was a stupid waste of regeneration energy. Nothing is gained by you being a sentimental idiot." My voice broke again, I had to get outside. He called after me, but I wouldn't dignify his outcries, just as he had done to me before I broke my wrist. "No, you embarrass me." Once outside I had a chance to think. He healed me, thinking that would make me less upset. He missed the point, I don't mind being broken, I don't want to be breakable. It's humiliating being breakable next to a man who can never understand what that's like, and it's more humiliating when he fixes me. Amy came out to find me, I hadn't gotten far.
"Okay, why did you lie?" She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't answer her question, she didn't ask the right one.
"Never let him see the damage." She looked at me questioningly, and I continued "And never, ever let him see you age." I was so afraid that I was getting too old to run with the Doctor, the way we used to, when we were all fire and ice and rage inside, but more and more I felt like the fire was embers, the ice had melted, and the rage turned into hurt. "He doesn't like endings."
The Doctor ran outside, past us and towards the car. "Got it. He's at a place called Winter Quay. The car, yes? Let's go." And there we were again, just like nothing had ever happened. Racing to get Rory back, even though we found him too late. He was already in the room he should have never entered, he made the realisation that he should have never made. I watched my father die from the doorway as Amy watched her husband die, as Rory watched himself die, as the Doctor watched fate being sealed. I saw him give up, and knew it was my fault. If I didn't break her wrist, if I had found another way, this didn't have to be the end for Rory, but I disappointed him yet again. Amy, however refused to give in, willing to take on an army of angels if it meant bringing Rory home safe, there was the fire I missed. They set of running as the Doctor and I did what we could to give them a way out. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, they had to find a way out on their own. I ran after the Doctor and heard him yell "What the hell are you doing!?" I got up to the roof in time to see my parents standing on the edge.
"Changing the future. It's called marriage." Mom replied. And they tipped over the edge. The Doctor ran to them, and watched screaming as they dropped.
"Doctor!" I called so he wouldn't see the grizzly end of that scene. Then as I noticed the bright white electricity crackling through the air I added, "What's happening?"
"The paradox. It's working! The paradox is working!" He beamed and jumped for joy. And then we were in a graveyard, Amy, Rory and the Doctor, all safe. There was talk of going to a pub, I smiled and agreed "Right. Family outing, then." We all got in the Tardis, almost, dad stuck around outside for god know what reason. By the time mom called it was too late, he was gone, apparently there was one angel left.
The Doctor didn't want her to go, but I knew she had to. He thought he was saving her by stopping her. But really he was saving himself. "It's my best shot, yeah?" She asked. The Doctor argued.
"Doctor, shut up. Yes. Yes, it is." I kissed my mother's hand for the last time.
"You look after him. You be a good girl, and you look after him." She told me, as if I ever did anything else. The Doctor tried to stop her until she was gone, until her name appeared next to dad's on the tombstone.
It was hours later before either of us spoke again. "River, they were your parents. I'm sorry, I didn't think." His voice sounded broken, I couldn't let my pain amplify his.
"It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters." Yes, of course it mattered, but it was bound to happen eventually.
"What matters is this. Doctor, don't travel alone." Then he said the words I always wanted to hear, and the words I was most afraid of.
"Travel with me, then."
"Whenever and wherever you want. But not all the time. One psychopath per Tardis, don't you think?" It wouldn't work, it never would I love him but I couldn't be there with him forever. Besides, I was exhausted, I wanted to go back to my nice cozy cell and sleep, but I had to make sure he was going to be okay first. So I sent him on a mission, just something to keep him busy for a little while. "I'll tell her to write an afterword. For you. Maybe you'll listen to her."
I had sent myself the message, so with that I left, back to my cell to get some sleep, I had a book to write in the morning.