Amy:
My sister, was being ridiculous. As was her husband. Rory was unpacking while I was reading a history book aloud to him. "At the personal intervention of the King, the unnamed Doctor and his Temptress of a Wife, were incarcerated without trial in the Tower of London." Temptress? My sister had been a stick in the mud until she remembered who she was!
"Okay, but it doesn't have to be them." Rory told me, putting the bread in the bread bin and the milk in the fridge. Oh he was my good boy.
I kept reading, knowing that there had to be a way to prove it was the Time Travelling Couple. "According to contemporary accounts, two nights later, a magical sphere some twenty feet across, was seen floating away from the tower, bearing the mysterious Doctor and his Seraphina aloft."
And then Rory lent over me to look in the book himself. "Okay. It's him."
"There's more." I told him about them in World War 2, breaking into Hitler's office, and getting caught, and escaping through the sewers, though there were traces of a gold dust, considered to be stardust, left where locks had been burnt. "It's like they're being deliberately ridiculous, trying to attract our attention. Are you watching this again?"
What was my Rory's obsession with Laurel and Hardy? "Yeah. I've explained the jokes." I went to go answer the door and the post man handed me some letters. "So what are you saying? Do you really think they're back there, trying to wave to us, out of history books?"
"Hey, it's the sort of thing they'd do, you remember what Sera did for my birthdays growing up. Thanks." I closed the door and came back into the living room.
"Yeah, but why?"
"Well, she said they'd be in touch. They're married now too, and you know that they wanted some space." Yeah, they kept running off when we were doing things, and they thought we didn't know what they were doing.
"Two months ago."
"Two months is nothing. She's up to something. I know she is. I know her." Though... Recently, I didn't feel like I did any more. She seemed like there was something troubling her, and her nails... They seemed red all too often. Blood red, which meant she was filled with a dull rage. I opened an envelope with a number three on the back and stared at the piece of paper inside.
"What is it? Amy?" Rory asked, getting to his feet and coming to look.
"A date, a time, a map reference. I think it's an invitation." I told him, smiling at it. My sister taught me to read those when I was 11.
"From who?"
"It's not signed. Look, TARDIS blue." Oh, my sister was very clever.
DW
I was on a proper American School bus! How awesome was that?! We got off at the right place and shouldered our bags again. "Thanks!" I grinned at the driver as Rory smiled.
"You're very welcome." They drove off and we looked out at the horizon.
"This is it, yeah? The right place?" I checked the card again.
"Nowhere, middle of? Yeah, this it." Rory agreed, and then a very, very dear voice made us jump.
"Howdy." We turned to see both the Doctor and Seraphina lying on the hood of a big American muscle car, cuddled up to each other.
"Sera! Doctor!"
They jumped up and started hugging us. "Ha, ha! It's the Mini-Pond."
"Hey!" I laughed. Mini-Pond, yeah, I was younger, and now that Sera had regenerated, she was taller. But Rory was taller than the Doctor!
"Hello, Mini-Pond. Come here." The Doctor hugged me next, and Sera hugged her brother-in-law. For once, she wasn't wearing a dress. She had on a pair of skin tight leggings, in a leatherette material, like how Mels wore them, and a long black shirt with a vampire fang smile on the front, saying bite me. Her hair, was curled, like, River Song, curled. She was still barefooted, and still gorgeous. But there seemed like there was something wild about her now, something broken.
"So, some people've been a busy couple then, eh?" I asked, hinting towards the history book. "Temptress, really?"
"Did you see us?" She asked me, her eyes glinting cheekily. But she didn't seem completely happy. The fire in her eyes, in wasn't as bright.
"Of course."
"Stalker."
"Babysitter."
"Hey, she babysat me too, remember?" Rory protested and then the Doctor got a hold of him.
"Rory the Roman! Ooo, come here."
He grinned at him, and then clocked what he had on his head. "Hey, nice hat."
"I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool." And then there was a gun shot and it we all flinched, bar my sister who never did, as it flew off down the dusty road. 3 guesses.
"Hello, sweeties."
River
Mum... This looked to be after everything, the way she was dressed, the way her eyes were when she looked at me. But I had to pretend that I didn't know, just for the sake of Amy and Rory. "Right then, where are we? Have we done Easter Island yet?"
They flicked through their red diary. "Er, yes! We've got Easter Island." I already knew that.
"They worshipped you there, Doctor. Have you seen the statues?" Mum winked at me for that, and we had a little giggle at it.
"Jim the fish." Mum said, not even looking at the book. Her super brain that I got to inherit. I inherited dads sense of adventure at least.
"Oh! Jim the fish. How is he?" That poor little guy.
"Still building his dam." Aw, the sweetheart!
Uncle Rory had been rather confused. "Sorry, what are you three doing?"
Though Aunt Amy somehow knew. She was very smart. "They're all time travellers, so they never meet in the right order. They're syncing their diaries. So, what's happening, then? Because you've been up to something." Oh, they probably had. Or at least my father had.
"We've been running, faster than we've ever run. And I've been running my whole life, dragging Seraphina along with me. Now, it's time for us to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me." Dad kissed mums hand, confusing her and I sighed. Please, why did he have to do this? She didn't know...
"Okay. We're here. What's up?" Amy asked them, and mum smiled sleepily. She never did sleep all that much in this form.
"A picnic. And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere brand new."
"Where?"
Mum didn't answer this time, but dad did. He was the one who knew the future for once. "Space, 1969."
They took us to the side of the lake, the lake I knew, so, so well. A lake a never wanted to go to again, but I knew that if I didn't go with them, mum and Aunt Amy would get confused. She didn't know, she didn't know that this was the day...
"Salut!" Mum and dad toasted, both raising their glasses of wine as we copied. They wasted so much wine...
"So, when are going to 1969?" Uncle Rory asked, sipping his glass. It was very, very nice wine, I will say that for him though.
"And since when do you drink wine? I thought you were a JD and Coke girl, Sis?"
"I'm 1103 and Sera is 946. We must've drunk it sometime." He took a swig from the bottle while mum remembered and poured hers into mine. Much appreciated. "Oh, why it's horrid. I thought it would taste more like the gums."
"1103, 943? You were 908 and 704 the last time we saw you both." Aunt Amy commented. Like they said, they'd been running.
"And you've put on a couple of pounds. I wasn't going to mention it. I don't like being old." mum sulked, and I laughed, resting my head on her shoulder for a moment as she put her head on mine too. She had a sad smile as she did that. She knew who I was.
Amy looked up at the mountain range. "Who's that?"
"Hmm? Who's who?" She looked down at him, and then she forgot. Silence.
"Sorry, what?"
"What did you see? You said you saw something." Uncle Rory asked her, though she couldn't remember any longer. My life was dictated by those things.
"No, I didn't."
Dad changed the subject. "Ah, the moon. Look at it. Of course, you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you? Big, silvery thing in the sky. You couldn't resist it. Quite right." It was beautiful, but if only they knew what it really was.
"The moon landing was in 69. Is that where we're going?" Rory asked them, though mum was frowning.
"No. A lot more happens in 69 than anyone remembers. Human beings. I thought we'd never get done saving you." And then a truck pulled up and a man got out. Dad waved to him, and mum realised something was up, not that she said anything.
"Who's he?" Aunt Amy asked, and I turned to the water. There, there I was.
"Oh, my God."
Dad turned to look and sighed. "You all need to stay back. Whatever happens now, you do not interfere. Clear? Seraphina, I love you, but you need to stay back." He kissed her softly, but there was a lot of love in it. He would never tell her how much she meant to him, but she was the reason he did this. "River, keep hold of her, do not let her follow."
I took her hand, making sure that she didn't, though she was ready to run the second she needed to. The Doctor went to meet the 'astronaut' who'd now come out of the water, and Rory was staring in shock. "That's an astronaut. That's an Apollo astronaut in a lake."
"Yeah." Amy nodded.
We heard him speaking her them, his voice soft, and caring. "Hello. It's okay. I know it's you." She raised her gold visor, and I remember the tender look on his face, telling me that he loved me with both his hearts. "Well then." And then he bowed his head. I remembered how hard I tried to stop, to just... turn it off.
"What's he doing?" Mum asked, fighting me harder. And... then he was shot. "Doctor!" She got free and started running, but I grabbed her.
"Sera, stay back!" He was shot again, and it was so hard to keep a hold of her while. "The Doctor said stay back! You have to stay back!"
"No! No! Doctor!" His regeneration started then.
"I'm sorry. I love you!" And then he was shot one last time and I ran too, to just keep up the pretence.
"No! Doctor!" Mum was already there when we reached him, tracing her fingers down his face, head in her lap as she was sobbing. No, no...
"My Angel, please!" She was begging, and I knew how bad this was hurting her. I was scanning him with with my machine, and she looked up at me, and I shook my head. "River. River! River? My River, please... No." She was sobbing now, her tears were trickling down his face as she held him closer. Oh, my mum and dad...
I turned and shot my pistol, all 6 bullets in there and I was trying so hard not to cry myself. "Of course not."
"River, he can't be dead. This isn't possible." Amy told me, holding her sister as she picked him up, cuddling his body.
"Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle. His body was already dead. He didn't make it to the next one. Seraphina, you know that, it's how Ria went."
"Maybe he's a clone or a duplicate or something." Mum thought, stroking his hair as she clutched at straws. "I, I, I... Please, my sweet, sweet Angel, you promised..."
And then a man came over, carrying a tanker of something. "I believe I can save you some time, my dear. That most certainly is your Doctor. And he is most certainly dead. He said you'd need this. And that he loved you."
"Gasoline?" Rory questioned, and I realised.
"A Time Lord's body is a miracle. Even a dead one. There are whole empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave him here. Or anywhere. Seraphina, Seraphina, I'm so, sorry." I tried to pull her away, but she just held him, refusing to let go.
"Wake up. Come on, wake up, you stupid, bloody idiot. What do we do, Amy? I, I can't live without him..."
"We're his friends and his family. We do what the Doctor's friends always do. As we're told. Even if you can't Sera." I forced her away, and she just curled up into a ball, sobbing her poor hearts out.
"There's a boat." Rory said quietly. "If we're going to do this, let's do it properly." He went and got it while I pulled my fathers body away from my mother as she was still silently shaking. We set him out on the lake, and then I turned back to the man with the fuel.
"Who are you? Why did you come? How did you know Seraphina?"
"The same reason as you." He gave me his blue invitation. "Doctor Song, Amy, Rory. I'm Canton Everett Delaware the third. I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me." And then he left.
"Four." I muttered, looking at the number. Why didn't he look at mum?
"Sorry, what?" Rory asked.
"The Doctor numbered the envelopes. Seraphina never knew." I looked back at her now, no longer moving. "Sera? Seraphina, are you awake?" I shook her, and then moved back quickly freezing in silent terror. She was stone cold and her hearts were still, as well as her eyes open and frozen pure gold. "No..."
Amy came over, looking at her now. "What are you talking about, she's just fallen unconscious during a vision or something. Seraphina? Sera?" She felt her too then. "No. Sera, Sera, no, no, please. Alice? Alycea!"
Rory came and checked, doing his medical thing and shook his head. "Amy... Her hearts have stopped. Like, they beat for him."
Pulling them both up to their feet, I felt another tear fall down my cheek. "It's something that happens with Time Lords. With, with a great loss, or two losses too close together, they can die from it. Seraphina... She died of heartbreak." I, I killed my mum... She lost too much at once and her hearts couldn't take it
"No, no, she can't be! Seraphina! Alice... Please." Aunt Amy sobbed, Rory holding her as he too started crying. She brought all three of us up. "She's my sister, we, we need her. She's my sister..."
"I need to take her home, we don't have any more fuel, I can take her to her house and get what's left of Torchwood to pick her up, make sure her body is dealt with." I told them, taking her specialised teleporter off her wrist and putting it on my own. "I'll be right back, I promise you, Amy, Rory."
I bent down and sat her up while I teleported us to The Fall Of Arcadia, her bookshop. It was after dark, and I knew Uncle Marcus was out, so I just lay her down on her bed, tucked in and looking like she was just asleep. Her soft, dark hair was now matted with sand and tears, the curls falling out. "I'm sorry, mum... I'm so, so sorry..." I kissed her forehead, letting a single tear fall and land on her cheek.
Then I left her, knowing that there was nothing we could do for her. She was dead.
Rory:
They were dead. The Doctor and my sister were dead... And somehow, River... River was just dealing with this? Amy, Amy had finally stopped crying, but she didn't really want to speak. "You got 3, I was 2, Mister Delaware was 4." River said, looking at the envelopes. Why did this matter to her?
"So?"
"So, where's 1?" Her best friend just died, and she was thinking about these stupid envelopes?
"What, you think he invited someone else?"
"Well, he must have. He planned all of this, to the last detail. He had to find a way to stop Seraphina from knowing what was happening, she didn't know, and that means that he had to block her visions for quite some time."
"Will you two shut up? It doesn't matter." Amy snapped at her, and I hugged her close. She was raised by her sister, and now... Sera was gone.
"He was up to something. Something Sera couldn't see."
"He's dead. So is she."
I got why River was doing this now. It was a puzzle, and it stopped her from thinking about it. "Space, 1969. What did he mean?"
"You're still talking, but it doesn't matter." Amy said again, and I sighed.
"Hey, it mattered to him." I told her. "You know that those visions are very, very hard to stop, and she can see everything."
"So it matters to us." River reiterated.
"She's dead. My sister and her husband, are dead."
"But they still needs us. I know. Amy, I know. But right now we have to focus."
And then I saw something another blue envelope. "Look." They all did and I stopped the bus boy. "Excuse me, who was sitting over there?"
"Some guy and his wife." Because that narrowed it down.
"The Doctor knew he was going to his death, so he sent out messages and stopped Sera's visions. When you know it's the end, who do you call?"
"Er, your friends. People you trust."
"Number 1. Who did The Doctor trust the most? " And then Seraphina, came out of the restroom, closely followed by her husband. And she was all innocent again, in a long blue summer dress with stars sewn into them. She had no clue what was to come... "This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold."
"Or hello, as people used to say." Sera muttered, a little confused. Her eyes fixed on her sister, who was staring at her in shock.
"Sera? Doctor?"
"We just popped out to get his special straw. It adds more fizz, apparently." Mum gave me a look at that, one that told me he was just an autistic kid at times. Didn't have to tell me that.
"You're okay. How can you be okay?" She asked, hugging her so, so tight before I could or River.
"Hey, of course I'm okay. I'm always okay. I'm the Queen of Okay, Ame's. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title. Rory the Roman! That's a good title. Hello, Rory." And then she hugged me, and I was just... She was dead! How was she still here? With a wardrobe change?
"And Doctor River Song. Oh, you clever, naughty girl. What trouble have you got for us this time?" And then River slapped the Doctor, very, very hard, then hugging Sera the second I let go of her. That hug, it was desperate. "Okay. I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet. And apparently my wife had nothing to do with."
"Yes, it is." She nodded, still hugging her. This hurt her more than she let on, so why did she pretend?
"Good. Looking forward to it." Oh, you really weren't.
But why were they even here? "I don't understand. How can you be here?" They were dead.
"We were invited. Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence, my Lovelies." Sera laughed when she eventually let go. "You alright, River? Amelia?"
"River, what's going on?" Amy asked the woman, who was still in partial shock herself.
"Amy, ask them what age they are."
Sera stuck out her tongue. "That's a bit personal." She hated being old...
"Tell her. Tell her what age you both are."
"909. And Seraphina's 705 now, she had a birthday not long ago." The Doctor said.
"Yeah, but you said you were-" I tried, but River cut me off. That woman scared me.
"So where does that leave us, huh? Jim the fish? Have we done Jim the fish yet?"
The two Time Lords blinked. "Who's Jim the fish?" And then I realised. This was them in the past. They, they still had today to come in the future. Sera...
"I don't understand." Amy said, not getting it just yet.
I tightened my grip around her waist. "Yeah, you do."
"I don't!" The Doctor commented, a big red hand print still on his cheek. "What are we all doing here? Sera and I were busy." We did not need to know that.
"We've been recruited. Something to do with space 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware the third." River told them, stood even closer to Sera than Amy was.
"Recruited by who?" Ser asked, frowning in confusion, her deep brown eyes still light and full of happiness. What happened in 200 years to take that away from her?
"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe."
Her eyes burned a moment. "And who's that?"
"Spoilers."
Seraphina:
"1969, that's an easy one! Funny, how some years are easy. Now, 1492, full of glitches. Now then, Canton Everett Delaware the third. That was his name, yeah? How many of those can there be? Well, three, I suppose. Rory, is everybody cross with us for some reason?" I asked him, as the only one still above the console. Amy... She'd been crying when I'd seen her, and I always knew when there was something hurting my sister.
He headed for the stairs. "I'll find out." And then it was just the Doctor and I, dancing around the console. I was so tired, I couldn't stop yawning. I felt sick too.
"Love you." The Doctor whispered, sneaking up behind me and hugging me. "The old gang back together, brilliant."
Grinning, I turned around in his arms to give him a quick kiss. "But they're hiding something from me, I know my sister, and Rory, and River. There's something they know. Either that, or I'm just over doing things, I'm exhausted."
"Maybe, we have been pretty busy recently. We'll talk to them, yeah?" And then we headed over to the stairs and hung upside down from it, making them jump.
"We're being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?" I pouted at them, then quickly pulled back up, feeling sick again. God, this was getting bad...
Eventually, they all came back up, while we were moving around the console, looking up this Canton guy. "Time isn't a straight line. It's all bumpy wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays." The Doctor told them, and then I took over, flipping a lever.
"Big temporal tipping points when anything's possible. The TARDIS can't resist them, like a moth to a flame. She loves a party, so we give her 1969 and NASA, because that's space in the sixties, and Canton Everett Delaware the third, and this is where she's pointing." I showed them the monitor and Amy blinked at it.
"Washington D.C., April the eighth, 1969. So why haven't we landed?" The rotor was still going.
"Because that's not where we're going." I said, sitting down on the chair and the Doctor standing behind me.
"Oh. Where are we going?" Rory asked, looking confused.
"Home." The Doctor told them. "Well, you two are. Off you pop and make babies." Amy flinched, not that Rory noticed, and I mouthed sorry at her. If only...
I took over, to stop him accidentally hurting someone again. "And you, Doctor Song, back to prison. And us? I'm late for a biplane lesson in 1911. And the Doctor for a knitting one." They were all staring silently at us. "What? A mysterious summons. You think we're just going to go? Who sent those messages? I know you know. I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that. I know all of you, bar River, too well."
"You're going to have to trust us this time." River said. I knew she was my daughter, future daughter, but that was it. Who knew how she really ended up?
"Trust you? Sure. But, first of all, Doctor Song, just one thing. Who are you? You're someone from my future. Getting that. But who? Okay. Why are you in prison? Who did you kill, hmm? I was told by my Doctor you killed a couple. A married couple. Now, I love a bad girl, me, I am one myself, but trust you? Seriously."
And then Amy spoke up. "Trust me."
"Okay."
"You have to do this, and you can't ask why. You don't have to know everything, Seraphina." She was scared. My sister, the most bad-ass Scott in the Universe, was scared.
I went over to her, taking her hand. "Are you being threatened? Is someone making you say that?"
"No."
Her eyes were shaking, her tell. "You're lying."
"I'm not lying." Her eyes stopped shaking.
"Swear to us. Swear to us on something that matters, one for each of us."
Amy paused for a moment. "For you. Skittles and Mountain Dew. For you, Doctor. Fish fingers and custard."
"Our lives in your hands, Amelia Pond." I told her, then kissed her forehead. "Love you, Sissy."
"Thank you." River said to her, and I knew they were still hiding something, but I left it. I was curious, couldn't really blame me.
"So! Canton Everett Delaware the third. Who's he?" The Doctor asked as she got onto the monitor, getting up his records.
"Ex FBI. Got kicked out."
"Why?"
I answered, standing next to my daughter who was still looking at me in shock. What happened? "Problems with authority, so we like him. Six weeks after he left the Bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting."
"Yeah, 1969. Who's President?" Was his memory really that bad right now? I thought that was me, seeing as I'd been awake for 2 weeks straight.
"Richard Milhous Nixon. Vietnam, Watergate. There's some good stuff, too." River told him, though he shook hid head, resting it on top of mine. Loved it when he did that.
"Not enough."
"Hippies!" She complained.
We both sniffed and looked back at her. "Archaeologist."
Then the Doctor got ready to land at last, seeing as I was fed up of just hovering at the edge of real space-time Okay, since I don't know what we're getting into this time, for once I'm being discreet. I'm putting the engines on silent." Oh goody, a time for River and I to show him up. He pulled a lever, causing a horrible wailing noise, and walked on, while I flipped it back up and River pulled the correct one, making everything quiet. "Did you two do something?"
"No, just watching." We said quickly, though we grinned once he turned his back. Loved doing this.
"Putting the outer shield on invisible. I haven't done this in a while. Big drain on the power." He did some things, that River then undid and I corrected. "Er, did you touch something?"
"Just admiring your skills, sweetie, weren't we, Seraphina?" River told him, and we high fived behind our backs.
"Good. You might learn something." As if, I passed the test, not you! "Okay. Now I can't check the scanner. It doesn't work when we're cloaked." No, we just hadn't fixed it. "Just give me a mo. Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa." We all went to follow him. "You lot, wait a moment. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the most powerful country on Earth. Let's take it slow. Sera, babysit." He kissed me, and then stepped outside.
It took him about 2 minutes to get caught, and then he walked right into the TARDIS, making us jolt. "Every time." River and I sighed, starting to fix the TARDIS scanner.
"He said the scanner wouldn't work." Rory said as we put something into the side of it.
"I know. Bless. I love my husband, but he's a little slow on TARDIS lessons.
And then once we had it up, we saw him pressed to the ground by a guy who looked like Crowley. I loved doppelgängers, they were great fun. "Seraphina! River, have you got my scanner working yet?" Ungrateful little...
"Oh, I hate him." I muttered, flicking the screen, my nails turning a light red.
"No, you don't, Princess!" He was right, I really didn't.
"Get the President out of here. Sir, you have to go with them, now." The guards were trying to get him out, ha, good luck with that, bucko.
"Sera, make her blue again!" I pulled the lever and felt the TARDIS re-enter the visible spectrum, making the guards stare in shock as a big blue box appeared on the rug.
"What the hell is that?" Nixon asked, half way out the room. Ugh, I didn't think he was a good President.
"Mister President, that child just told you everything you need to know, but you weren't listening. Never mind, though, because the answer's yes. I'll take the case, along with my wife. Fellows, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States and parked a big blue box on the rug. Do you think you can just shoot me?"
He was an idiot and I ran for the door, my long hair streaming. "They're Americans!" And then the Doctor shot up again, hands in the air.
"Don't shoot. Definitely no shooting."
"Nobody shoot us either. Very much not in need of getting shot. Look, we've got our hands up." Rory said, him, Amy and River following me out.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Sir, you need to stay back." Canton told him, the guy who looked like the King of Hell. I'd have to have a photo with him, it would be great.
"But who are they and what is that box?" The President asked, staring a little at me too. Married, mate.
"It's a police box. Can't you read?" I told him, walking over to my husband. "We're your new undercover agents on loan from Scotland Yard."
"Code name the Doctor, this is my partner code name of the Princess." I stood on his foot for that one. I was the Writer. "Though you may call her Seraphina, or Sera. These are our top operatives, the Legs," Amy, "the Nose," Rory, "and Mrs Robinson." And that would be our daughter, nice one.
"I hate you." She told us and I sighed, smiling.
"No, you don't, my Lovely."
"Who are you?"
"Nah, boring question. Who's phoning you? That's interesting. Because Canton Three is right. That was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from." I told him, playing with my key necklace.
Canton was very impressed. "Where?"
"Do not engage with the intruders, Mister Delaware, even if they are women." The guard, Carl, told him, still aiming his gun at me. Amateurs, it was aimed at my arm, no real damage.
"You heard everything we heard, my Lovely's. It's simple enough. Give me and my husband here five minutes, we'll explain. On the other hand, lay a finger on me or my family, and you'll never, ever know."
"How did you get it in here? I mean, you didn't carry it in. And no offence, but you don't look strong enough, Miss Seraphina." I liked him, Miss Seraphina?
"Clever, eh? Oh, and it's Mrs Seraphina, I'm married, Lovely."
He winked at me, in a camp way. "Love it."
Carl got annoyed again. "Do not compliment the intruder."
"Five minutes?" He asked me, and I already liked him. He reminded me a lot of Jack, all sassy and fun. Never playing by the rules.
"Five."
"Mister President, that man and woman are a clear and present danger to-"
Canton just interrupted him. "Mister President, that man walked in here with a big blue box, his wife and three of his friends, and that's the man he walked past. One of them's worth listening to. I say we give them five minutes. See if they deliver."
"Thanks, Canton." The Doctor grinned at him.
"If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself, and you can arrest his wife."
Ah well, it was a step up for an American in the 60's. "Not so thanks."
"Sir, I cannot recommend-"
The President shut up his guard this time. "Shut up, Peterson! All right, five minutes."
The Doctor sat back down in the Presidential chair and I sat on his lap. "I'm going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilise. Street level maps covering all of Florida. A pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers and two fez. Or are two Fez fezzes?" He was discussing the plural for fez, when there was a scared little girl out there?
"Get him his maps. And a coat for his wife, she looks cold." Aww, he was a real sweetheart.
Amy:
My sister was dead and I was spending time with an earlier version of her. This, this was horrifying because I couldn't tell her, I couldn't stop her hearts from stopping, because I couldn't stop the Doctor from being killed. I lost my sister and my best friend all on the same day but they were still here...
"Why Florida?" Younger Canton, who Sera kept smiling at, probably because he looked like a clean shaven King of Hell, asked them, while Rory, River and I were just watching. River... She had to be their kid, the way she hugged Sera when she saw the younger her in the diner...
"There's where NASA is. She mentioned a spaceman. NASA's where the spacemen live. Also, there's another lead I'm following." Sera replied, playing with the end of her hair in thought.
I turned to the curly haired woman, who's eyes were glassy and unfocussed, like when my sister had a vision. "A spaceman, like the one we saw at the lake."
"Maybe." She told me, and then her eyes properly saw me again. "Probably."
I turned to the door, and saw a figure in their, a large head, sunken eyes and no mouth. Long, long white fingers. I saw him at the lake. "I remember." I muttered, and I could see in the corner of my eye that Sera was looking at him too.
"Amy? What do you remember?" Rory asked me, and I turned away from the door, then looked back. Why was I looking there?
"I don't know. I just-" And then Sera got to her feet, looking a little ill.
"Sera, what's wrong?"
"Ser?"
"Princess? Are you all right?" Her husband asked, getting to his feet to check on her. She died because they loved each other too much, because her hearts couldn't cope without him. I felt that way about Rory, forget it being a Time Lord thing.
"Yeah. No, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little sick. Excuse me, is there a toilet or something?" Her eyes were wide and she looked a little scared.
The grumpy guard, Carl, shook his head at her. "Sorry, ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing, you must remain within the Oval office."
"Shut up and take her to the restroom." Canton snapped, obviously seeing she needed it.
Another guard came over, leading her towards the door. "This way, ma'am."
"Thanks, my Lovely. Doctor, I'll be fine, I promise." She gave him a weak smile and he kissed her hand as she left.
"Your wife may be ill, but your five minutes are up." Canton told him once he sat down again.
"Yeah, and where are my fez?" If I ever, ever saw my sister wearing a fez, I was not going to be happy.
And then the phone started ringing a few minutes later. "The kid?" Canton questioned, and we all looked at the President.
"Should I answer it?"
"Here! The only place in the United States that call could be coming from. See? Obvious, when you think about it. Well, my wife worked it out, but still. Ah, here she is!" I turned to see her returning with the guard and she looked a little better.
"You, sir, or Ma'am, are a genius."
"It's a hobby." My sister giggled, pressing herself close into the side of her husband.
"Mister President, answer the phone." Canton told him, and I wished I had the nerve to tell a US President what to do. As it was, all I could do was boss around Rory and ignorant men.
"Hello. This is President Nixon."
We all heard her scared little voice through the speaker and Sera clutched at her necklace, her eyes fearful for the girl. "It's here! The spaceman's here! It's going to get me! It's going to eat me!"
"There's no time for a SWAT team. Let's go. Mister President, tell her help's on the way. Canton, on no account follow us into this box and close the door behind you." Sera called to him, already inside the box, us not far behind. There was no way were were going to let a little girl go scared.
"What the hell are you doing?" He shouted, doing 'what she told him not to'. She loved reverse psychology, didn't she? The doors closed and we were already dematerialising.
"Jefferson isn't a girl's name. It's not her name either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. River." The Doctor said, expecting her to just know right away.
Which, like her possible mother would have, she did know. "Surnames of three of America's founding fathers."
"Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me." The Doctor stared at his wife. "Sorry, my Angel."
"Are you okay? Coping?" Rory asked Canton, who was still bewildered. Yeah, I remembered that feeling.
"You see, the President asked the child two questions. Where are you and who are you? She was answering where." Sera said, her small bare feet padding quickly across the glass as she and the Doctor worked.
"It's bigger on the inside."
My own husband grinned at him. "Yeah, you get used to it."
The Doctor took a turn speaking now, while Sera paused, looking at River with interest. "Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?"
"Where?" I asked him, not knowing. I was only human after all.
"Here. Come on." He headed to the door, swinging Sera down the stairs, making her squeal with delight. They had no clue what was coming to them... I had to watch them, without telling...
"It's er-" Canton was still shell shocked. Maybe because it was in the past, it took longer for them to catch up? I'd have to talk to them about it, maybe do a test. That would be fun
" Are you taking care of this?" Sera asked Rory, who gave her a pouty look. Aww, my gorgeous man.
"Why is it always my turn?"
I laughed at that. "Because you're the newest." And then I followed them out. Outside... Not as nice as the Oval Office. It was a warehouse office, a dingy cluttered one. "Where are we?"
"About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Centre. It's 1969, the year of the moon. Interesting, don't you think?" Sera smiled, her eyes flashing gold when Canton wasn't looking. That colour... I had to bite my lip to stop myself crying. Her eyes, open and frozen that colour while she was freezing cold...
"But why would a little girl be here?" I asked, trying to busy myself into the task at hand. I could mourn later, not in front of her past self.
"I don't know. Lost me a bit. The President asked the girl where she was, and she did what any lost little girl would do. She looked out of the window."
I looked and the street sign pointed to Hamilton Av, Jefferson St and Adams St. "Streets. Of course, street names."
"The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction. And Mrs Pond, you've got that face on again." The Doctor said, turning to my sister. Doctor and Mrs Pond, travelling with Mr and Mrs Pond. I thought those days would never end.
"What face?"
"The he's hot when he's clever face." He smiled, getting closer to her and resting his hands gently on her star covered hips. I did love that dress.
"This is my normal face, my Angel."
His smile became a grin. "Yes, it is."
"Oh, shut up."
"Not a chance." He kissed her softly and then Rory finally got Canton out of the TARDIS. Really? It wasn't all that hard.
"We've moved. How, how can we have moved?" He gasped, looking around the place.
Sera sighed and looked at her brother-in-law. "You haven't even got to space travel yet?"
"I was going to cover it with time travel." That would just make more questions...
"Time travel." The King of Hell look alike repeated.
"Brave heart, Canton. Come on." The Doctor said, starting to head toward the door of the office.
"So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside, and it travels through time and space."
Rory nodded. "Yeah, basically."
"How long have Scotland Yard had this?" Well...
River:
I'd gotten used to hiding things from my parents, but... This, this hurt. I killed my mother, I never knew that I did that, and now I had to pretend that I was alright. It was killing me inside. "It's a warehouse of some kind. Disused." I said, looking around the place I had once called home. It took me so long to get out of here...
"You realise this is almost certainly a trap, of course?" Mum said, looking around with her super eyes.
Nodding, I looked over at her. "I noticed the phone, yes."
"What about it?" Aunt Amy asked. Obviously she didn't see it.
"It was cut off. So how did the child phone from here?" I knew, but I couldn't really say that, could I?
"Okay, but why would anyone want to trap us?"
"Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards." Mum joked, looking in some boxed, nearly falling in. Dad didn't help, just stared at her bum for a moment.
And I had to get him back on track. "Now, why would a little girl be here?"
"I don't know. Let's find her and ask her." The Doctor said, finally helping her out, her face all red and blotchy. She still looked amazing though.
We walked for a little longer and found some technology that I got to work analysing. I never did understand this stuff. "It's non-terrestrial. Definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone."
"Which is odd, because look at this!" Dad grinned, finding a crate of spare space suits, of which he put on one of the helmets, making mum sigh. She married a 5 year old. I wish that I could have seen their wedding, I bet it was amazing.
"It's earth tech. It's contemporary." For the time, anyway.
"It's very contemporary. Cutting edge. This is from the space program."
"Stolen?" Sort of.
Amy scoffed at that. "What, by aliens?"
"Apparently."
"But why? I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon?" Because they thought it would intrigue him.
Which it did. "Maybe because it's cooler? Look how cool this stuff is."
"Cool aliens?" Aunt Amy questioned.
"Well, what would you call me? Or your sister?"
"An alien and his also alien wife."
"Oi!" They both protested, and then Rory came back in with Canton, who looked a little more stable now.
"I, er, I think he's okay now."
"Ah! Back with us, Canton." Sera grinned, playing with her necklace again.
"I like your wheels, Sera."
"That's my boy." Dad growled. "Oi, shush, you, you're my Angel, remember? So, come on. Little girl. Let's find her." They wandered off, leaving just Aunt Amy and I, looking at the machinery, coated in gunk. I didn't remember it being this gross.
"River."
"I know what you're thinking." I told her, before she could get started. I'd already thought of everything, using my visions for the better cause.
"No, you don't."
"You're thinking if we can find the spaceman in 1969 and neutralise it, then it won't be around in 2011 to kill the Doctor." I paused, taking a deep breath. "And as fall out, Sera's hearts won't stop from heartbreak."
"Okay, lucky guess." Or not.
"It's only because I was thinking it too."
"So let's do it." I wished that we could.
"It doesn't work like that. We came here because of what we saw in the future. If we try and prevent the future from happening, we create a paradox."
"Time can be rewritten." I thought mum had taught her better than that?
"Not all of it."
"Says who?"
"Who do you think?" Rule 6 of Visions, never change a fixed point, the consequences are dire. "What's this?" I looked over a man hole cover.
"We can still save them. We can save my sister." I tuned her out, wishing that we could.
"Doctor, Sera? Look at this." They came back over.
"So where does that go?" Mum asked no one in particular.
I looked at my scanner. "There's a network of tunnels running under here."
Dad grimaced slightly. "Life signs?"
"No, nothing that's showing up." Oh, they were down there.
"Those are the worst kind." Sera said darkly. Drama Queen. I got ready to go down, knowing that dad would never let mum go down, Rory would never let Amy go down and vice versa for the women. I was the odd one out. I wasn't married. "Be careful, River."
As if. "Careful? I tried that once. Ever so dull."
"Shout if you get in trouble." Maybe, but that's if I couldn't deal with the trouble first. I got down there, finding powerlines, and then the Silents. And then I retreated, knowing that not even I could take on that many.
But then I forgot. "All clear. Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see. Er, give me five minutes. I want to take another look around."
"Stupidly dangerous!" Mum shouted, though there was a little glee in her voice. She was as soft as butter, but was drawn to danger like a moth to a flame.
"Yeah, I like it too. Amy, look after them." And then I started climbing back down, hearing Rory a moment later.
"Hang on, River. I'm coming too." Oh, time with my Uncle Rory. Loved my Uncle Rory, he was brilliant. "I keep thinking I hear things." He told me as we started walking, shining our torches around.
"That's interesting. These tunnels are old. Really old. How can they be really old and nobody notice them?" I commented, not really knowing that. I'd never actually been down here.
We came across a metal door and Rory knew what it was. "It's a maintenance hatch."
I tried to open it. "It's locked. Oh, why do people always lock things?" I needed a screwdriver.
"What's through there?"
I shrugged. "I've no idea."
"Something bad?"
"Almost definitely."
"You're going to open it, aren't you?"
"Well, it's locked. How's a girl supposed to resist?" If I could manage it, anyways.
"Is this sensible?"
"God, I hope not." I was very much a daddy's girl when it came to rebellion.
"Oh, you, Sera and the Doctor, a family. I can kind of picture it." Nice to know.
"Keep a look out."
"What did you mean? What you said to Amy. There's a worst day coming for you."
Oh, there was a story. "When I first met the Doctor and Seraphina, a long, long time ago, he knew all about me. Think about that. An out of control young girl and, suddenly this woman just drops out of the sky and she's clever, then later she has a partner and mad man and they're wonderful, and they know every last thing about her. Imagine what that does to a wild girl."
"I don't really have to." Amy wasn't wild
"The trouble is, it's all back to front. My past is their future. We're travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet, I know them more, they know me less. I live for the days when I see them, but I know that every time I do, he'll be one step further away. And the day is coming when I'll look into that man and womans eyes, my Seraphina and Doctor, and they won't have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it's going to kill me." The day my parents didn't know me at all, not even knowing my name. I don't think I'd want to live to that day.
And then the door unlocked.
We looked to be in some type of ship, with machinery still humming and fog across the floor. "What is this place?" I spotted a light flashing.
"That's an alarm. Check if anything's coming."
He had a quick look, then turned back to me. "There's nothing out there."
"These tunnels, they're not just here, they're everywhere. They're running under the surface of the entire planet. They've been here for centuries." Even longer than I had been. Then the lights started flickering. "Rory!"
Sera:
King of Hell, or Canton as I should probably be calling him, was great fun, and I'd already sneaked a selfie with him, about 50 years before selfies become a thing. "So, you were kicked out of the FBI because you had attitude problems?" Amy asked him, while I kicked rubbish out of the way.
"No, I just wanted to get married."
"Is that a crime?" I asked him, wondering if so, why?
"Yes. Doctor who, exactly? I know his wifes name, why not his?"
"Ah. That's classified." I told him with a small smile.
"Classified by who?"
"The High Priestess of the Universe." IE, me. Ish.
"Do you work for them?"
"He's my friend, if friend is the right word. And Seraphina's my big sister. I haven't seen them in a while." I was feeling sick again... God, it was getting worse.
"Help me! Help! Help me!"
"That's her." Canton said, hearing the little girls voice. The poor little mite...
And then I doubled over, trying hard not to be sick everywhere. "Sera?" The Doctor asked me, at my side in seconds. I, I had to tell him, but I was so, so scared.
I could still hear the little girl, calling for someone. "Help me! Please!"
"Princess? What's wrong?"
"I need to tell you something. It's important." Canton called for us, and Amy was staring at me wide eyed. "It's really, really important."
"Seraphina, Doctor, quickly!"
"What, now? I love you, but we're busy." No, I needed to tell him! I followed him through the warehouse, finding Canton on the floor.
"Canton! Canton, are you okay?"
"Is he all right?" Amy asked, holding my hand as I was breathing lightly, still feeling sick.
"Just unconscious. Got a proper whack."
"Doctor, I need to tell you something. I have to tell you it now." I whispered, my nails turning silver as I had to do this.
"Not a great moment, Dear."
I shook my head, taking his hand. "No, it's important. It has to be now." The girl was still calling out for us, but I had to do this. "Legacy, I'm pregnant." I whispered his name, making him look at me, then said the last part aloud.
There were heavy footprints approaching us now, and Amy seemed to know what it was. "That's it. The astronaut." It pointed at my Doctor, she lifted the visor. Oh, the poor girl... The astronaut did eat her, it was her inside...
"Help me!"
"Get down!" Amy shouted, making me look at her in alarm. She had Cantons gun!
"What are you doing?" I screamed, feeling like everything was going into slow motion.
"Saving your lives!"
"No!" She didn't see her face until she'd pulled the trigger, but then all she could do was scream.