Raising a Song 101 [Sequel to Hello Sweetie]

Chapter 9

He sent the message to his younger self immediately. That must have been what happened. She didn't mess up when sending it, and the TARDIS didn't mess up. He'd sent it. 

The pain was re-surfaced as soon as he saw the note and the handwriting he'd recognize anywhere. He broke down, not being able to help it anymore. This was his wife, and she was gone. He'd had faith that she'd get herself out when he couldn't. Well, apparently he'd overestimated her. 

He didn't know how long he sat in the control room, in the jump seat and rocking back and forth as tears flowed from his eyes. It could have been years. It could have been minutes. He couldn't find it in himself to care. Not after this. He knew he had to be strong. He knew he had a daughter, and that there was no way that he'd leave her. Even if he had to do it by himself. 

So he wiped his eyes and got ready to leave and go to that terrible place. 

Instead, the TARDIS turned the picture on the monitor to his bathroom-their bathroom. He looked down and realized that several of his shirt buttons and jacket was missing, and that he looked terrible. So he got the hint and took a shower first. Not in their shower. He couldn't bring himself to walk back through their room yet. No, he took one in a random bedroom the TARDIS brought up. 

Then he got dressed and piloted the coordinates for the Library. 

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"Dammit!" River yelled, and flung the book across the room, running a hand over her face. "I can't find anything!" 

Anita sighed as the older women pulled her hair into a ponytail and set her jaw once more. "Look, why do you have to go? I understand he's important to you, but this place is everything anyone could hope for. I'm sure Charlotte could even-" 

"No." Her voice came out low. "You don't understand. Yes, he was being a-a-" River glanced at Charlotte, who was sitting at another table reading, "an idiot, and didn't tell me, but he's my husband. Not to mention Brooke." 

"Brooke?" Anita questioned softly. Professor Song had never talked much about her personal life. She'd only just found out that the Doctor was her husband, a week or so ago. When she read through her file, it just read that she graduated from Luna, then taught at Luna, all the while going on archeology expeditions that had some great outcomes. There was no personal information. 

"My daughter." River said quietly. "She's our daughter, and I refuse to leave her out there. I can't. He's an amazing father, but sometimes he needs someone to put him in place. Bless." 

Well, that certainly changed things. A child always seemed to do that. 

"Oh." 

"Yeah." River said, glancing up at her. "She's still a baby. A few months old." 

"I'm sorry." Anita murmured, about to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but didn't after she thought it through. The Professor certainly didn't like people touching her.

The Library mainframe was a great place, it really was. They could go into any book, and have any adventure, and learn about everything. Charlotte could even make the people in the books. Everyone loved it there. 

Except River. 

She stayed up day and night (well, the virtual kind, anyway) looking through for information about time streams. She'd tried to explain it to her team, she had. It was something to do with back-to-front lives, and how she always ended up a certain way because of how her DNA was constructed. It was confusing, and Anita didn't understand any of it. She just sort of enjoyed what was there. She'd even taken a liking to Other Dave, and Miss Evangelista and Proper Dave hit it off really well, too. They were pairing off.