Doctor's POV
"Why are you telling me this?" I said back.
"Because I'ven't told anyone yet, and it's killing me," Ella said softly. I looked over at Melody, who was over at the console, and said, "Can Ella and I have a word in private?"
"No kissing. Or talking about me," was her reply as she turned on her heel and left. She tripped on the bottom step of the staircase as she left. Once she was gone, I turned to Ella. "I still don't get why you're telling me, out of all people."
"Listen, it's only been a couple months. I only found out last week. I'm not even sure if, well..." Ella looked down.
"Why won't you tell Melody?" I asked, softly.
Ella shrugged, still staring down at her shoes. "This isn't easy to talk about, Doctor."
"I bet. Who's the father?" I asked, hoping to change the subject. Just a bit.
"Someone I no longer trust," Ella said.
"What happened?"
"He was cheating on me. Turns out he had another girlfriend who was also pregnant. I, of course, reacted by punching him in the lip."
"You're like Melody. Someone turns out not to be who they say they are, and you two would punch them."
"I partially raised her," she reminded me.
"Don't talk about that," I muttered, suddenly awkward. I never really liked to admit that I wasn't really part of Melody's life since she was little.
Ella laid a hand on my arm. "It's not your fault, but if this isn't a subject you don't want to talk about, I'll drop it."
"Please," I muttered.
"Actually, I have to ask you something. And trust me, I'm not asking you this lightly," Ella said.
"Okay?"
Ella took a deep breath. "Okay...Doctor, would you and River-"
"River?"
"Be quiet. This is awkward enough. Would you two be the godparents of the-"
"No."
"Why not?" Ella demanded.
"I have my reasons," I said, turning back to the console.
"What're your reasons?" Ella asked.
"Where to begin! I don't want to be a father. All my other children before Melody died. What I do is dangerous-it's not safe for a child. And besides, River's in jail-and on top of that, River and my time-lines aren't exactly...in sync. Almost every time I see her, I know more about her and she knows less about me. It's the same for her. She probably won't know the child at times," I walked to the console and began flipping random switches. "Why are you asking me, anyways? Why not Melody or even Stella?"
"Melody's already godmother to three children. And Stella...I don't trust her when it comes to kids," Ella said.
"Why not?" I asked, curious.
"She's barely sober, and when she's drunk, she's violent," Ella said.
"What do you mean, violent?"
"I mean, when Melody was about twelve, she was home alone, waiting for Stella and I to get home. Stella got there before me and I don't even know what she was doing with a pan of boiling grease, but Melody had asked her a question, and Stella flipped out and hit her with the pan of grease. Melody got a two-degree burn and a severe fear of being alone with Stella. She still doesn't trust her, which is why if she's home alone with Stella, she sleeps on the couch."
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The Doctor's Daughter (#Wattys 2014)
Fanfiction"I am part were cat, part Time Lord. When I was two, my mother was murdered in front of me by a Dalek. I stopped talking after that, and ran away from my father when I was seven. My father never knew why I stopped talking; he just assumed it was the...
