Burning Stars {A Doctor Who Fan Fiction} [REWRITE IN PROGRESS!]

Chapter 16

"Hello, sweetie."

I held my breath and snuck back further into the shadows. Suddenly, the TARDIS had materialized a hallway next to me; I slipped around the corner, hanging on the wall to catch all of the conversation. I knew the new voice well. River.

"Hi, honey; I'm home." I rolled my eyes at the Doctor's tone of voice. Did they really have to wait until everyone was asleep to flirt? I slid to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

"And at a time like this?" River teases. I hear her heels click again, coming slightly closer.

"Well, I've got a bit of news..." the Doctor said nervously. I heard levers being pulled and buttons being pressed. The TARDIS dematerialized from wherever we were.

"Oh? Breaks, sweetie."

"Yeah. I don't really know where to start. No, no! Leave those, leave 'em! I like the vworp!"

I peeked out from the corner, catching a glimpse at the pair. Their backs were turned to me. The Doctor reached up to straighten his bow tie; before he turned again I shifted back.

"So, you'll probably never guess what I found the other day," he started. "There was this little signal going off somewhere on the console, which I had never knew existed, so, like anyone with a rational mind, I plugged the coords in. Landed right across from this little townhouse, right? Nothing out of the ordinary.

"So I took out the sonic, scanned up the place. And...I picked up something impossible..." Something moved. I assumed the Doctor had pulled down the monitor. "I...I found a Time Lord life form. Right in front of me."

Everything was quiet. Even the small beeps of the TARDIS stopped. "You didn't," River said, incredulous. "Tell me you didn't."

"Why would you do it, River?" The Doctor's voice was quiet, like the calm before a storm. He was trying not to get angry. "Why would you hide my - our child from me?"

"You would've done the same," River fired back. "That shouldn't even be a question coming from you! All those enemies you've made, all those times you've put people in danger, do you think I would've wanted her around that? Think of the damage they could do with a Time Lord, a young Time Lord, at that. She would've been vulnerable; they would have used her as a weapon, too."

"But the Silence, River. Did they get to Annabelle? You know Kovarian's tricks. What did they do to her? She can remember them. Look," the Doctor said. Paper crinkled; I remembered he still had the drawing of Mr. Hiss. It went quiet again.

"One week," River replied quietly. "One week, when she was four." The paper crinkled again. "That one week, there had been some attack. I remember my gun out; thought I'd shot it just in time and Annabelle was safe. But that same week, a Ganger version of her melted. So I tracked her, quickly, in some Silence base.

"Kovarian was there, and I nearly killed her right then and there when I saw her holding Annabelle. I felt so guilty, for bringing her into this. She was just a child, and she was scared out of her wits. I blew that base out of the water - literally. I've learned over the years that some species aren't smart enough to have a base on land."