A/N: Ok, so I'm terribly sorry for the delay! Here's the last chapter… Enjoy!

Chapter 6

As soon as the final shot made contact the cylinder began to rumble. A high-pitched sound began softly and grew in volume until it grated on their ears. Sparks started popping around a weird looking screen and other places— soon they were flying everywhere. One landed in a puddle of oil near the contraption, igniting a small flame in a corner.

"Baby…" Will said slowly. He grabbed her hand. "It's time to—"

"Go? Yeah, I think so too." Amelia smiled his way, squeezed his hand, and took off running down the nearest tunnel with Will following quickly behind her.

About halfway through the passageway, a loud boom! came from behind them. The ground underneath their feet began trembling, making them stop momentarily. The two shared a look. They both knew this wasn't going to end well. Amelia tried to compress the dread that was rising in her throat, but it did no good. "Will…" she uttered apprehensively. The shaft was shaking terribly now, the rumbling they heard now was deafening, small bits of dirt had begun falling from the ceiling.

Will shook his head. "It's all right, baby. We'll get outta here fine." With that he took her hand and pulled her with him.

They ran as fast as they could, both covering their mouths from the dust and debris in the air. Will glanced around the place while they ran and noticed the planks embedded in the walls and ceiling were coming loose. One, a few feet ahead of them, fell to the ground with a thud. They cautiously sidestepped it, making sure not to trip.

Amelia spotted a bright light up ahead and let out an excited squeal. They were almost outside! We're gonna make it! We're gonna make—

The ground beneath them gave a giant shudder, causing the couple to separate. Will lost his balance and fell, Amelia braced herself against a wall to keep from dropping also.

A cracking noise reached her ears. Looking up, she saw a line making its way through the dirt. Her gaze met Will's for a moment, just a moment. Then a support plank above her broke and fell, along with half the ceiling. She didn't even have time to let out a cry for help.

~x~x~

The Doctor's eyes widened ridiculously. "One more time, dear?"

"She's your daughter." River looked him in the eye, not surprised to see the shock there. She mentally shook her head. This wasn't how she wanted to tell him.

A long silence followed her words. With each passing moment the butterflies in River's stomach multiplied. Not just because of the Doctor, but because of Amelia. Her daughter was out who-knows-where doing who-knows-what, most likely risking her life. The thought definitely didn't sit well with her. And every moment that was passing was time she could be using to find Amelia. She glanced over at the Doctor.

He had braced himself on the control panel. He had a daughter— with River. A strong, independent, reckless daughter, who was just like her mother. No wonder he recognized her. He wasn't looking at Amy or any other companions, he was looking at River.

He glanced at his reflection in the screen that was hanging above him for a brief moment, looked away, and quickly looked back again. His eyes… she had his eyes. He shook his head. Should've noticed this when you met her, old boy.

Looking back at River he saw that she'd been watching him uneasily this whole time. He smiled, trying to put her worries to rest. "I love daughters," he said softly.

She opened her mouth to speak but before she uttered a sound, an explosion was heard outside the TARDIS. Her brow furrowed as she went to see what caused the noise. Opening the door, she was met with the sight of smoke flowing upwards from the mountain. "Sweetie—" She didn't even finish her thought. In a flash she was darting towards the cybermen factory and her daughter. The Doctor trailed closely behind her.

They reached the source of the smoke, which was the back entrance to the factory, within minutes. River looked around frantically, searching for Amelia. "She— She's not here…" She turned to face him. "She… She's still—" her voice broke.

The Doctor pulled her into a fierce embrace and slowly stroked her hair. He felt River trembling beneath his touch and said, "She'll be alright, sweetie."

"How do you know?" came her muffled question.

He didn't of course, and the thought nearly tore him to pieces. He wouldn't let River see him worried— then she'd really fly into a panic. He needed to show her he was calm about all this, like she was when Amy and Rory left.

His eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to shut out the pain those memories always brought. But then he realized that if Amelia didn't make it he'd lose yet another person he was close to. But in reality, they barely knew each other— well, he barely knew her. And if they didn't find her he'd never get to know her, his daughter.

He all but pushed River away from him and walked determinedly to the tunnel's entrance.

~x~x~

Dirt billowed everywhere and it took a moment for Will to see clearly. As soon as the cloud cleared, his gaze fell on the pile of rocks and debris where Amelia had been standing just moments before. He was robbed of breath as panic overcame him.

He ran to the heap and began clawing desperately at the dirt, trying to find her. He saw her hand first, then an arm, and soon after that the whole of her upper body.

After digging her out, he set her down gently and looked her over for injuries. She was covered in nasty bruises, cuts, and scratches. He ran his knuckles across her battered cheek, over the blood that was running down the side of her face. Seeing her like this… it was almost too much. In all the time they'd spent together, he'd never seen her so vulnerable, fragile, hurt. Still, she looked like an angel, an injured angel. Even Michelangelo himself couldn't have sculpted a more beautiful and heartbreaking sight.

A plank a few feet away from them fell, even though the shaft had stopped shaking.

"Alright, we can't stay here any longer," he thought out loud. Will got to his feet and gently scooped Amelia up in his arms. He brushed the hair away from her face. "Don't worry, angel, I'll get us out of here."

~x~x~

The Doctor met up with Will soon after he'd walked into the shaft. He hurried to the two and asked what happened.

"When we were escaping a plank fell down and knocked her unconscious," he explained. "She shot their power supply after she saved me to stop the cybermen." After a moment he said, "She was just trying to be like her father."

"Let me see her," the Doctor said without even looking at the boy. Will passed her over to him. "Amelia-not-Amy, you certainly are quite brave," he whispered.

He looked at her still form and searched for any signs of life. She was breathing, though her breaths were shallow and seemed labored. With a look at Will, they went as quickly as they could to the entrance.

Outside, River was standing where her sweetie had left her, staring at the shaft opening, hunting for any kind of movement. She nearly passed out from relief when she saw Will and the Doctor exit the place, but that relief vanished when she saw her daughter. "Oh, God," she whispered as she ran to them.

The Doctor laid Amelia down on the ground, as gently as possible, and knelt beside her. He glanced at River who was on the other side of the girl. Tear tracks were visible on her cheeks and her voice trembled as she asked, "Is she going to make it?"

"Only time will tell," came his quiet answer. His fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and began wiping her face of blood.

Amelia furrowed her brow and moved her head away from the Doctor's ministrations. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight at her father. The corner of her mouth upturned in a half smile. "Are you my mummy?" she asked, voice quite raspy.

He smiled gently down at her. "No, but you're just like her. I'm your father, silly."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Daddy." She extended her hand.

Instead of shaking her hand, the Doctor cupper her cheek with his palm, stroking it gently with his thumb. "It's very nice to meet you, sweetie, so very nice to meet you."

River quite literally knocked him out of the way and came into Amelia's view. "Don't you ever do that again, do you hear me? What in the world gave you the idea that you could do something like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack," she scolded.

"Yeah, yeah." Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Now you listen to me, missy," she paused and her stern features softened. "I am so proud of you." River grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Thanks, mom," She smiled proudly.

Will, who had been sitting back to let the three of them unite again, moved forward the slightest bit. Amelia saw him move from the corner of her eye and turned her head to face him. He was staring straight at her, eyes filled with concern. "Will…" she reached for him.

He went to her and gathered her in his arms, crushing her to his chest. "I thought I was going to lose—"

"You never will," she whispered in his ear. He pulled back and looked at her for a second before kissing her like she'd never been kissed.

"Ahem," the Doctor interjected after a few moments, "yes, you cannot do that in front of us. We are your parents, you know."

River swatted his arm. "Oh, come on, love, she's eighteen now; she's old enough to kiss a boy. Besides, if they can't do that then I can't do this." She leaned in and gave him a quick smooch.

The Doctor pulled away, straightening his bowtie. "Yes, well, just don't make it a habit."

Amelia pulled away from Will and rolled her eyes. "Right, Doc, whatever you say."

"That wasn't very convincing."

"It wasn't supposed to be." She laughed, then winced. The Doctor saw and said, "Let's get you back to the TARDIS so you can get cleaned up and rest. You'll be staying in bed for the next three weeks."

She frowned. "No I will not."

"Yes, you will."

She sighed and said, "Okay, on one condition." She paused. "Will gets to stay in bed with me."

The Doctor sputtered indignantly while Will blushed from head to toe. "Just kidding," she said. "Kind of."

The gang made their way down the mountain, albeit slowly because Will had to carry Amelia. They walked through the town, looking at everything around them. People were roaming around like they've been lost and still didn't know where they were at, others, though, were chatting it up with friends and neighbors like it was any other day. The place definitely had a different air about it.

"Looks like you did save the town, Lia," Will said in Amelia's ear.

She looked around and smiled. "Yeah, guess I did."

A few minutes later they reached the TARDIS. Will put Amelia down carefully and didn't let her go until he was certain she wouldn't fall. She immediately went to the control panel and said, "So, where to now?"

"Bed is where you're going, missy," River said.

"Seriously," she replied with an eye roll.

Will leaned against a railing and crossed his arms. "I don't know about you, but I want to go home."

"Willy, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Blew up with the cybers, I suppose, as yours should have," he mumbled.

Amelia chose not to acknowledge that remark and turned to her father, who had come to stand beside her. "Let's go… anywhere!"

A twinkle lit up in the Doctor's eye, and a familiar grin spread across his face. "Anywhere it is." He pulled a lever on the control panel, and they were off.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to know what you thought of the whole thing, so please review if you care to.

~Atolli.