AN: My humble offering on where I think the next season might go; and what Dorium's prophecy might mean.

FALL OF THE ELEVENTH

When you run with the Doctor, there's something you have to remember. He's not human. It sounds obvious; but it isn't; because he loves people so much. He doesn't think like you do; and he never will.

When you watch the Parliaments of Conquerors run in fear wherever he shows up, and you see even the Daleks tremble; you start to realize what this person is. And before you get used to that idea; there will come a time when it will fall on you. The moment will come when he will have to decide the fate of a billion people; and he will look to you. And you can tell him no.

When he travels alone too long he forgets that. And right then, at that moment you become more dangerous than him; because of all the empires in all the suns in all creation; you alone can tell the Time Lord 'no'.

When you run with the Doctor, you have no idea what you're doing; you have no idea what makes sense, or what any of the rules are. And that makes you the most dangerous person in the universe; holding the keys to the Gates of Hell.

The 87th Century; The Fields of Trenzalor.

Clara Oswald Oswin was terrified. A feeling that she had become used to.

The Daleks were screaming, over and over, their unholy voices grinding the sanity off all existence. "Doctor Who?!"

And on the fields of Trenzalore; surrounded by a billion nightmares; the Dalek Empire howling The Question; and The Silence begging them to leave... The Doctor answered.

51st Century; The Library

The Tenth Doctor, Last of the Time Lords stared hard at the woman in front of him; and the small device in her hands. "Some time in the future..." He said carefully, watching the shadows. "...I give you my screwdriver?"

River smiled at him. "Yeah."

"Why would I do that?" Ten demanded suspiciously.

"I didn't pluck it from your cold dead hands, if that's what you're worried about." She snorted.

"And I know that because...?" Ten growled sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes a little. She'd forgotten how paranoid he was when he was younger. "Listen to me. You've lost your friend, you're angry, I understand. But you need to be less emotional, Doctor. Right now..."

"Less em... I'm not emotional!" He spluttered.

"There are five people in this room still alive, focus on that." River told him firmly. "Dear God, you're hard work young!"

"Young? Who are you?!" The Doctor shouted.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Look at the pair of you!" Mr Lux thundered; fear making him loud. "We're all gonna die right here, and you're just squabbling like an old married couple."

River bit her lip; worried he'd catch on. She lowered her voice carefully. "Doctor... one day I'm going to be someone that you trust completely, but I can't wait for you to find that out. So I'm going to prove it to you. And I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry." She leaned forward and whispered his real name softly in his ear. She could feel him turn to stone suddenly. She pulled back enough to meet his young, dumbstruck eyes. "Are we good? Doctor... are we good?"

Ten barely heard her. "Yeah... Yeah, we're good." He said absently; his mind a million miles away.

River nodded; knowing what he must have been thinking; aching for him. "Good."

1883, Paris France.

"Auguste Escoffier. The world's finest Patisserie Chef." The Eleventh Doctor said grandly. "He owed me a favor; long story."

River smiled. "Happy anniversary sweetie."

"Here's to us." They sat down and clinked their coffee cups together. The two of them looked out over Paris; in the fall. "Shall we do diaries?"

They both pulled out their diaries and spent half an hour enjoying the past.

"Let's see, have we done Harstard's Hernia?" He suggested, looking at a latter page.

River threw her head back and laughed delightedly. "Oh mercy; I thought I was going to strain something I was laughing so hard."

"It was a good day to say the least." He toasted again. "Did you ever think we'd end up like this?"

"I spent the first twenty years of my life preparing to kill you." River shrugged. "So... no, not really."

He laughed; and River noticed a few people looking over at them, askance. It wasn't the first time someone had overheard them speaking and thought them insane.

"I wonder sometimes, if I'm still the perfect psychopath." River hummed as he kissed her hand warmly. "I wonder sometimes; if the Silence will track me down one day and restore me to what I was."

"Won't happen." He swore.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you." The Doctor said as though it were obvious.

She smiled slightly. "That's nice of you sweetie; but I think we both know it's not that simple."

The Doctor was silent for a moment; before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. It wasn't his 'River Journal'. It was something else. He handed it to her. "If you ever have any doubts; if you ever question yourself; if you ever think that you might still be the same well refined anti-Doctor weapon you were as a baby… Look me up."

She opened the book. It was a series of Time/Space co-ordinates. It went back centuries… and forward millennia. "How… where did you get this?"

He grinned. "Spoilers."

She flicked through the pages; and asked another question; expecting the same response. "What are they?"

But to her surprise; this time she got an answer. "Days when I wished I had you around." He said simply.

River shrugged and put the book away. "Well… I suppose I'll get to that eventually."

There was a beat of silence.

"I'm going to get a refill." River said brightly; and picked up her half-full glass. The Doctor allowed himself a tiny smirk as she left.

The second she was out of his sight she downed the last of her drink in one gulp and tossed it over her shoulder. The staff at the patisserie turned in shock at the sudden flash of light that came from their Ladies Room.

27th August, 2011. The TARDIS.

River re-materialized into existence on the TARDIS. Her Vortex Manipulator had dropped her close enough to the Gift-Wrapping Room Wall that she had to shrug out of her jacket; as half of it had reappeared in the wall itself.

"Closer than I like." She murmured; tapping at her wrist-piece.

She could hear Amy's Voice coming from the Control Room; and she made her way there carefully.

Okay. She told herself. This is a day he wished he had you around. So. Why did he need you?

But as she got closer she got to the bridge; the reasons became all too clear.

"Doctor. Doctor, can you hear me?" Amy's voice was saying. "Are you ever going to hear this? You don't even know you have an answer phone. How can you be so clever and so completely stupid at the same time? If you can hear this, please pick up the phone. Don't get confused - I'm not invisible or trapped in a space ball or something, I'm just talking on the answer phone. Just pick up the phone! You said you'd find my baby. You said you'd find Melody. Have you found her? Because you promised. I know she's going to be okay. I know that she grows up to be River but that's not the point. I don't want to miss all those years. I can't stand it - I can't. Please Doctor, please. Okay, Phone me back as soon as you know something. Please Doctor, at least do that. As soon as you know…alright, bye."

He sat alone in the TARDIS. He was call screening. He looked... lost. River didn't need the Journal to know where they were. Just before Berlin. Her first memory of this wonderful; impossible, incredible man. The day she'd decided not to kill him.

The Doctor sent me here. First date on the list. She thought. The day I stepped away from being the living weapon.

River wanted to hold him so badly that her arms hurt; so she came over. The second he saw her; he levitated off the seat and threw himself at her.

"Tell me where you are!" He demanded; though the desperation made it more like begging.

"I can't." She said painfully. "And you know I can't."

"Then why are you even here?"

She came forward, close enough to touch him but she did not reach out. "I was told you might need me tonight."

"Who told you that?" He challenged.

"You did." She shot back.

A harsh bitter laugh barked out of him for a split second. "Melody Pond, never quote me to me."

She touched him then, just reaching out and resting her hands on her shoulders. He was sitting, and she was standing, putting his face at stomach height.

He doesn't know. She told herself firmly. At this point she doesn't know what you are to each other. Be patient with him. Kid-Gloves. He's not your husband yet.

Except he was. And she loved him. And she couldn't even tell him so.

It'll be all right husband. She thought to him; careful to shield her thoughts away. I never wanted for their company I knew them my whole life; and they were so very good to me. They don't know it yet; but they were there the whole time I needed them. Just as you are.

"Amy told me a story once..." River whispered. "About your first flight with her, to the London Space Migration. She said that you were playing with her, not letting her out of the TARDIS. She said, that you couldn't resist children crying. She said it was because you were good."

"Did you cry River? When they took you away?"

"I cried the day I knew who I was." River said. "Spoilers."

Long silence.

"I wasn't there when you needed me." The Doctor said. "I kept your family waiting too long; and too often. What are we to each other, River? What are we to each other?"

It was a question she couldn't answer, and he knew it; but still he asked; just his voice alone in the dark.

She leaned down and touched her kiss to his forehead, then again against his eyes, then once again so horribly softly on the lips. "We are, what we need to be. Tonight you need me to be this; to become as forgiveness and love. There will come a time for you, when I need you to be the same for me; to grant me forgiveness for doing something terrible; when I don't know that I truly deserve to be forgiven."

He looked up. "Did I?"

Our wedding day. She smiled, a single tear on her cheek. "Yes."

"Is that what we are?"

"We are each other's good deed, for when the Universe counts us so evil; we can look to each other, and see something good we did."

The Doctor wiped her single tear away with his thumb. "Well... That's not so bad."

She came to him then, holding him tightly, hugging his face to her stomach. "Not bad at all."

"I have to go back." He said finally. "I have to go tell them."

"Yes, you do." She admitted. "But the great thing about a time machine? You've got all the time in the world." Without releasing him, she reached a hand over to the console, moving slowly enough that he could stop her if he really wanted to.

She threw the switch, and the TARDIS moved, not jerking away, more like it was slowly falling off the universe, which in a way, she was.

River brought them into the Vortex, and held them there; halfway between moments; suspended between the ticks of the clock. And there they stayed, alone in a place where time did not exist; and a few seconds was the same as forever.

She led him gently to his room, and curled up under his arm. She wanted to seduce him, but knew he wasn't there yet. She wanted to tell him everything about Mels, about the Astronaut, but he wasn't there yet either. She wanted to promise him it would work out; but he wasn't ready for that at all. It would have been hollow comfort; since she didn't know how the story ended yet either.

He clung to her for dear life; and she didn't know if it was because he needed someone, or because he'd never done this with any of his companions, not even with Rose; or if it was because she was Melody Pond, the one he was torturing himself looking for...

But whatever the reason; he clung to her forever between the ticks of the clock, as the TARDIS waited patiently for someone to tell her where to land. It struck her suddenly that he must have worked it out; that wonderfully quick mind of his must have put the pieces he'd gained together and figured out what the picture was, even if the puzzle wasn't finished yet. Even Amy assumed the mysterious Doctor Song was the Time Lord's Wife.

And when he slept at last, she slipped out from under his arms, and went back to her jacket, and drew out the list; crossing off the first date.

The list was so long.

1883, Paris France.

She came back into the Patisserie, less than thirty seconds after she had left.

The minute she sat back down at the table; he smirked. He knew what she'd just done. Of course he knew. He didn't say it; and neither did she; but they both knew.

"But what about all the other days?" River asked softly. "All the Great and Terrible Days that came before you knew me. What do we do for them?"

"Nothing." The Doctor said simply. "Those are out of reach; time sealed. There's nothing can be done for those days."

"There has to be something." River insisted, worried for him.

The Doctor smiled. "And that's how I know you're not the perfect psychopath any more."

River smiled, believing him for the first time. "Are you very sure you can't go back?"

"For your parents?"

"For you."

"The Time War changed everything." The Doctor said seriously. "All of Time and Space rewritten in one Weapon of a Moment." The Doctor said. "I was changed too. The Doctor 2.0; Last Time Lord. I sort of... view my universe as having been made new after that day. First breath with a new body; first trip in a completely new TARDIS, first companion coming with me."

"Rose." River said softly. "Wonder what Rose Tyler would have made of me, if we'd met?"

"Who says you didn't?" The Doctor shot back with a smirk. "Spoilers."

"Good point." She admitted. "Good thing I'm not scared of the Big Bad Wolf."

"It's more dangerous when the Wolf's afraid of you."

Long silence.

"There's something I want to give you." River said, looking sad as she handed over a piece of paper. "It's... when I wished I had you there."

The Doctor kissed her neck softly and took the page, looking it over. "River?"

"Mm?"

"Where did I get my list from?"

"You never told me."

"Because there are two dates on your list that match mine."

"I know." River sighed. "Bound to have the same bad days sooner or later; we skip all the boring ones." She flicked through the notebook a little.

She knew she shouldn't, but she immediately went to the biggest number on the list; underlined three times, circled twice, written in bold pen.

"Mind if I make an observation?" The Doctor said quietly.

"Sure."

He smirked. "You went to get a refill."

River checked the list of dates again and rose swiftly. "So I did. I seem to have forgotten it; my bad." She headed back for the Ladies Room. "Be right back."

1932. New York.

She landed in New York. There was no sign of anyone.

Well. She thought to herself. Let's see what trouble I can get myself into.

She heard the sounds of hot jazz coming from a speak-easy; and grinned. My kind of town.

2012. Queens, New York.

The Doctor was horrified; seeing something inevitable unfold before his eyes. It was like the book all over again; and subconsciously; River rubbed her wrist.

"But it's my best chance; yeah?" Amy shouted.

"No!" The Doctor shouted immediately.

"Doctor shut up; yes mother, it's your best chance!" River shouted over him immediately. She knew what he was doing; trying to keep something he'd already lost... just like she was.

"All I have to do is blink." Amy said; hope making her try to smile for them. She reached a hand back without taking her eyes off the Angel. "River?"

She came forward and squeezed her mother's hand tightly.

Amy turned her back pointedly on the Angel; looking at The Doctor. "Raggedy Man?"

The Doctor didn't look at her; wouldn't take his eyes off the Angel... Until he couldn't help it; and he met her gaze.

Unseen; the Angel struck; and Amy vanished instantly; the outstretched claws of the monster in her place; having made it's 'kill'.

"NO!" The Doctor yelled in futility.

"I'm sorry River." The Doctor said. "They were your parents."

River nodded, flying the TARDIS for him; as he sat sickly in the chair.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't have the heart to tell him. She was on her way back to France; and then going to have dinner with her parents; to tell them all about her anniversary. She was going home to see her grandfather; and tell him stories about running across the Universe... Rory wanted to tell his dad that there was one more member to the family; already full grown.

She didn't have the heart to tell him that in a life full of the endings he avoided; she could avoid this one and he couldn't.

"I'm fine." She said tightly. "So; this book I'm supposed to write..."

He came over and wrapped her up in a big hug before she could finish the sentence. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she hadn't lost them like he had. He was trying to comfort her; when he was the one hurting.

She loved him so.

He'd asked her to come with him; but she had to beg off. She was keeping him waiting already.

1883; Paris France.

She came back into the Patisserie, less than a minute after she left. Her hair was wild; her completely different clothes torn; her make-up vanished; and she collapsed into the chair across from him.

He looked up from the menu as she collapsed into her seat. She glared back; daring him to comment. She was getting strange looks from the Wait-staff. After a moment; the waiter came back and placed a refill in front of her. She rolled her eyes; not surprised that she'd forgotten again.

He took her hand and planted a kiss gently on her healed wrist. "I knew you couldn't resist the big one." He whispered against her pulse.

She sighed hard; putting the notebook away carefully. "I have to be careful with this; don't I?"

The Doctor nodded. "You want to ration the bad days; or you won't love me any more."

She chuckled with a mirth she didn't really feel. Emotionally exhausted; and wanting him to take care of her now; she rose from her chair; leaning forward to speak in his ear softly. "Let's get our pastries to go; see if we can test that theory."

Non-Time; Non-Place, Mid-Vortex; The TARDIS

It was a mistake going from the Demons Run Loss to Manhattan directly. Those days were harsh and heavy. It cost both of them a piece of themselves. He had the time to recharge; and she did not; having skipped all points in between.

What must it be like? She asked herself, not for the first time. To have spent a thousand years with two goodbyes for every hello?

"That day in the TARDIS? When Amy left you a message?" River murmured. "I was tempted to tell you everything. I wanted to tell you better days were coming; I wanted to tell you all the stories..."

He looked over. "You still can."

River lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled for the first time in days. "Yeah; I guess so."

She told him all the stories. All the times the two of them waited for her to get bounced out of detention; all the effort Amy had put into keeping her out of Juvenile Court; all the times she and Amy had blown up at each other over money or clothes; or stolen goods, and Rory would quietly sit down with them one after the other and negotiate the peace... He loved hearing it. Every story about back then and back there was a story about her childhood; and a story about his two long since departed best friends.

"When did it start?" He asked after a while.

"I found them when we were all in kindergarten." She told him. "I told the Kovarian-bitch that sooner or later you'd come back to them; and when you did; I'd tag along."

"Which you did."

"Which I did." She admitted. "I spent years growing up with them. The day I found my family was the day I was free of the Silence." She sniffed. "I want a baby."

He sighed, as though she'd just admitted to a fatal disease. "I know."

"I know our lives aren't safe, but you're a time traveller. If anyone knows the dull boring places where you can just be normal; it's you. You could find a place for us to park it for a while; put a nice porch out front of the TARDIS and... You could do it."

"Of course I can. I can do anything."

River sighed, and settled against him again. "But you don't want to, do you?"

"I've... been through that before."

"I know." She confirmed. "You told me all about them."

"When?"

"Spoilers." River said absently. "But, why don't we talk about what we're really talking about?"

The Doctor sighed. "Two dates that match on our lists of Very Bad Days. The first was Amy and Rory... And if that's the standard for a bad day that makes it onto the list..."

River looked down. "Yeah."

"The Daleks may have forgotten me, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous... Or less angry." He reasoned.

"I know." She admitted.

"And there are about forty trillion other terrible things in the universe that would love nothing more than to destroy any family we have." He pointed out. "And then there's my enemies too."

She nodded reasonably. "I agree."

"So we're decided." The Doctor said decisively. "We can't bring a baby into this life. It's not fair."

"Of course not." She said agreeably.

Five Months Later.

The day River announced she was pregnant; The Doctor went a little insane. He sent the TARDIS back almost half a billion years; and parked them in an asteroid field. She watched with wry amusement as he summoned the floating rocks together and proceeded to make the most fortified place in existence.

She would have been happy to stay in the TARDIS, but he insisted on building something new. A nursery that could hold off an armada. A Maternity Ward that had first strike capability.

River had quickly learned that this was harder on him than it would ever be on her; and she let him work. He needed to be active; and there was little to do but wait and prepare for the first Time Lord born in freedom for a very long time.

In the millennia to come; the Nursery that he built for her would become a place of legend. It's name was written in the blood-soaked annals of war. It was known as the Ultimate High Ground. Every war ever fought in the quadrant would be a race to get there first; for whoever held this place would never lose it. It was just too strong; too fortified, too ready to hold off anyone and anything.

She knew that once the child was born; the two of them would start moving again. The construction was her husband's way to keep some peace of mind until it was safe for River to be out there again. Sooner or later; someone else would walk these halls; carved and made immortal from the jetsam of the universe.

In the years to come; those that moved into it would give it a name.

Demons Run.

492, 885,000 BC; Demons Run Nursery

She could tell it was starting to grate on him. Sitting still was the antithesis of her life. The only time she had known him to stay still was when Amy and Rory had been lost to him. Every incarnation of a Time Lord reacted differently to things; and her parents were the first of the Companions that Eleven had lost. He was not taking it well.

Every week he thought of another way someone might be able to get into the Nursery; and went to work; adding another layer of protection. It was charming. It was sweet. But the hormones convinced her it was also a reason to kill him with her bare hands. After a while; she decided to get out for a while.

She could walk through the walls of Stormcage; a super-max prison for the worst scum of the universe. The Nursery her husband had built was impossible to conquer... or escape.

What's the best way to get past an unbeatable lock? She asked herself logically. Use a key.

Plan set in her mind; she went straight to her husband. "I have a craving." River said primly.

"Which planet, and when?" The Doctor responded promptly.

"Doesn't matter; I'll drive." River said, striding toward the TARDIS.

The Doctor screeched like a soprano. "Haven't you ever seen this movie?!" He screamed. "You're the size of a house! The point of building this place was that it was too dangerous for you out there!" He threw himself in front of the door. "You're not going! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"

River smiled softly and kissed his cheek. "Okay. If it means that much to you; I won't go."

"So, where to? Muskrats Feast? The First Thanksgiving? The Last Thanksgiving?" He snapped his fingers. "I know a planet with a moon that really is made of cheese! It was a construction project for the Empress of Devere. Great girl; lousy dancer though. Oh wait; I can't tell you that story." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Cleopatra still owes me a dinner..."

"Earth." River said primly. "I want cake."

"Ahh, I know the perfect place." he vaulted to the controls; running a hand lovingly over the console.

"Back to the Patisserie?"

"Nope; that's for pastry. For cake; you want the fourteenth century. I think they changed cooks."

"Over 400 years? I would think so." She agreed; quietly slipping over to the other side of the console; pulling a few levers.

It had been months since the Blue Box had been put through her paces. She dove into the Vortex, bouncing off the wormhole corridors like a wild thing set free.

River smiled warmly at her husband. "You've been a real sport about this."

"River, it's the only traveling we've done in seven months, I was starting to lose my mind."

"It wouldn't go far." She promised.

December 23rd 1886. London

River was the first one out the door when the TARDIS landed. The Doctor stuck his head out and froze. "Wrong place, sorry River."

"This is fine." River said brightly, not looking back.

"Nono, you wanted cake, I promised you the best on earth; we're supposed to be in the fourteenth century." The Doctor called after her... but she was already gone. "River! Don't be a hero!"

The Diner was remarkably small for a Victorian Era eatery; squeezed in between a secondhand book store and a barbershop. River could actually reach both walls at the same time. The tables were small and pressed against the wall...

And the walls of the small hole-in-the-wall diner were covered in clippings; sketches, sepia-toned photographs, and handwritten notes. Every single scrap of information had pins keeping it in place, and every pin had strings wrapped around them. Every piece of information was connected to at least three others.

At the other end of the long narrow Diner was a young woman with dark hair. She was balancing on the top of a step ladder, with a quill in each hand, and an inkwell balanced on the top step. She was scribbling notes in a corner. "Be right with you." She called without looking.

River was already at the counter, peering through the glass case full of cakes and pastries. "Take your time; I'm still... collecting. So many pastries to choose from in here."

Clara smiled at her, walking forwards down the ladder like a flight of stairs. "First child?"

River nodded.

"Any woman who comes to this shop with a craving is looking for the best Soufflé in the world; and that's mine." She said primly.

"I was actually after cake." River said, eyeballing the glass case just as the Doctor came in.

"That's only because you've never tried my Chocolate Soufflé!" Clara said primly; and went back into the kitchen.

The Doctor noticed something; in a newspaper clipping on the wall and made a quick scan. "What are you researching?" The Doctor asked with interest.

"Everything." Clara called back. "I figured out when I was a kid that everything was connected; so if you want to understand something; you have to understand everything connected to it, but all those things have things connected to them too."

River nudged him, drawing his attention to a quotation above the kitchen door.

If you wish to make an Apple Pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

"Carl Sagan." The Doctor recognised the quotation.

Clara stuck her head out. "Sorry?"

"That quote above your door. It's Carl Sagan."

"Never heard of him. I wrote that when I started here; it seems like common sense, doesn't it?"

"Of course you haven't heard of him; he won't be born for the better part of a century." He waved at all the string and notes. "The owners don't mind you doing this?"

"I am the owner." Clara chirped. "The place used to belong to my grandfather; but he died; and I inherited it. As long as I keep the local magistrate in free mince pies; he doesn't care that I'm young and female. If you don't mind my sayin' sir; I'd imagine that a man who let's his pregnant wife walk around London Town in trousers wouldn't mind that sort of thing." She placed a plate in front of River. "On the house."

River took a bite of the Soufflé; and her mouth fell open at the hinges. "Mmmm. Sweetie, we live here now." She told the Doctor.

He rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "Did you plan this?"

"I... may have." River said gamely.

"What do you know about this girl?"

"Nothing." River confessed. "But Madam Kovarian is terrified of her. She's on their list. The Silence are probably all over her."

"We drove the Silence out of Earth in the late sixties."

"Did we?" River grinned in surprise. "How nice."

"We're not keeping her." The Doctor said seriously.

River considered that; and smiled. "Okay." She said lightly.

"We're not." The Doctor said with his fiercest, most terrifying 'I-Am-Talking' glare. "We've got enough to handle without trying to take on a full time chef."

"Okay." River said agreeably.

"River, you've been doing it since before we committed parenthood and I've been married before; I know that look. You can't keep agreeing with me until I cave in." He said darkly. "And I'm putting my foot down. Respect the foot."

River polished off her plate of Soufflé and called to the kitchen. "Clara? Can I have another one of these?"

"Sure, but you'll have to pay for this one." The young woman called back cheekily.

River matched the cheeky look as she turned to her husband. "Do we have money?"

The Doctor sighed.

Clara poked her head out of the kitchen; curious. "How did you know my name?"

Clara looked around the TARDIS, and her eyes boggled. "I'm gonna need more string." She said distantly.

River squeezed her shoulder warmly. "Now, let me tell you about this. The inside is bigger than the outside; because..."

"It's a pocket dimension." Clara said it absently. "By manipulating the borders in a space, you can condense that space to the width of a piece of paper; or make it bigger than a mountain; and since the people inside it are also part of that space; it all becomes relative." She glanced over at River. "It's okay, I'm a genius." She reassured them quickly. "But, how is it done, exactly?"

River looked to the Doctor, who sighed grudgingly. "Welcome aboard, Miss..."

"Oswin. Clara Oswald Oswin. Me da wanted boys; so he got to pick two out of three names." She introduced herself. She was still trying to take in the whole TARDIS, and so she hadn't noticed the sudden reaction that The Doctor had to the sound of her name.

But River did, and she burst into tears; hormones making her lose it without ever knowing why.

The three of them went on an adventure or four; and Clara made herself at home in one of the endless guest rooms. River was glad to have another woman about the ship; especially in her condition; and Clara was the first Companion who knew from the start how she and The Doctor were connected.

The Doctor turned seven different colors as their adventures went the way they usually did; and after a few weeks; River knew for a fact that she couldn't play it off with gentle good humor any longer. She made a point of never letting the Doctor see the damage; but in truth; her ankles were killing her, and the TARDIS spinning about did make her nauseous.

Demons Run

River settled into the lounge chair with a sigh. The nursery was ready; and all that was left was the pesky waiting.

Knock Knock.

"Come in." She called.

Clara stuck her head around the door. "We're leaving soon. You sure you're okay with staying here?"

"Not as much as you think; but it'll make everyone feel better."

Clara nodded. "I admit; I nearly lost my lunch when the Sontaran stuck you in the cloning pool. They don't even let pregnant women into hot tubs. Another few seconds-"

"I know, I was there." River conceded.

"They don't let pregnant women on roller-coasters either; what do you think they'd make of The TARDIS?" Clara pointed out.

"Never should have let you near Coney Island."

Clara glanced over her shoulder and came in carefully. "My first solo trip with him. Any advice coach?"

It was a running joke they had between them; but River wasn't laughing. "Just one." River said kindly; and patted the other end of the couch. Clara came over and sat down obediently; and River gave her an intense look. "When you run with the Doctor, there's something you have to remember. He's not human. It sounds obvious; but it isn't; because he loves people so much. He doesn't think like you do; and he never will."

Clara reacted; a little blown away by that.

But it was quickly apparent that River wasn't finished. "When you watch the empires run in fear wherever he shows up, and you see the Daleks tremble; you start to realise what this person is. And before you get used to that idea; there will come a time when it will fall on you. The moment will come when he will have to decide the fate of a billion people; and he will look to you. And you can tell him: 'No'."

Clara froze. "I can't do that. I-"

"You can." River insisted. "More than that, you have to. When he travels alone too long he forgets that; but you can tell him 'no' and he will listen. And right then, at that moment you become more dangerous than him; because of all the empires in all the suns in all creation; you alone can tell the Time Lord 'no'."

Clara stared at River; completely blown away; when there was a knock at the door. It was The Doctor. "It's time to go."

Oswin jumped up. "Let's go."

"Meet me in the TARDIS, I'll be right there." The Doctor told her; and sat down next to River.

She gave him a kiss. "Have fun."

"You're sure about this?" The Doctor said seriously.

"We need to investigate the time loop." River said logically. "I'm big as a planet, so I shouldn't really be running around the battlefields. She's sharp; you work well with 'sharp'." She looked over. "You don't think so?"

I know how her story ends. She's smart enough to confuse me; she's strong enough not to blink at the arrival of the impossible; and I knew how she was going to die before I ever met her. Aloud; he gave the watered down version. "She reminds me of you. Who is she River?" The Doctor asked the question that had been on his mind for months. "You took us straight to her. Who is this girl that The Silence are afraid? What do they want with her?"

"Silence Will Fall when the Question is answered." River quoted. "They drilled it into me, over and over. The Fall of the Eleventh on the Fields of Trenzalore... The Question Must Never Be Asked."

"Doctor Who?" The Time Lord whispered. "So where does Clara fit in?"

"I'm not sure... I think that she's got something to do with the question being asked." River explained."The Silence say that when a Time Lord comes of age; they look into the Schism. They say that it's the final initiation; and that when it's done; each Time Lord chooses a name for themselves." River said, and even she had the tiniest hint of fear in her voice. "I... Is that first name really very important?"

He said nothing.

"You look so... sad when you look at Clara sometimes." River observed. "Why?"

He looked at her carefully. "Ready for a Spoiler?"

River nodded.

"In Berlin; I knew all about River Song, but you didn't. There will come a moment when you know more about me than I do. A moment when I won't know who you are. It's my past, your future. That day, you got me to trust you, because you whispered my name in my ear. My real name."

"But I don't know it." River protested.

"There's only one time, one chance, one place; where a Time Lord will speak their True Name. It is..." He hesitated. "It's part of the Gallifreyan Christening ceremony."

River reacted, one hand going to her stomach instantly. "That means..." She smiled. "That means it works out." She said in open relief.

"Not necessarily. Our lists? We have two dates that match. One was your parents. What if the second was..."

River shivered. "It won't happen." She growled protectively. "But in the meantime, you need a companion, and Clara's a genius."

"So she keeps telling me." The Doctor said lightly. "But seriously, if I..."

Knock Knock.

"Come in." River called.

Clara stuck her head around the door. "Hi. Listen, I just wanted to check; are you very sure a Sonic Screwdriver doesn't work on wood?"

"Yup." The Doctor said. "Why?"

"Just checking." Clara reported, holding up a small cylinder. "Have to make sure it works."

The Doctor froze. "Make sure what works?"

"My Sonic." Clara chirped happily, and ducked back out of the room.

"Freeze!" The Doctor barked, and Clara obediently came back into the room. "You made a Sonic Screwdriver?"

Clara held it out for inspection. "Was I not supposed to do that?" She asked innocently.

The Kingdom of Muffin; 238 BC

Clara and The Doctor traveled together for months. It was hard to define the amount of time that actually passed since they were darting in and out of the centuries. River's pregnancy progressed normally; but she stayed in one place while the two of them kept moving. Sometimes it would take weeks for them to come back; sometimes they would arrive back at Demons Run almost before they left.

Clara loved every minute of it. She was declared Queen of Planet Bob; and took high tea with Henry the Eighth. He took her to the Bog of Eternal Roses for her first ever water-skiing lesson and to 20th Century London to help Rose Tyler with her history homework. River had a craving for something called an 'Egg Cream' and the Doctor took her to Brooklyn.

Clara's wonderfully quick mind began to notice patterns in their journeys almost immediately. The Doctor was investigating something.

The Doctor led the way out of the TARDIS, and she was hot on his heels. The space was a dark; dusty space post. She looked out the windows and saw stars. "Where are we?"

"The Last Outpost of the Muffin Kingdom." The Doctor said promptly.

"I like Muffins." Clara said brightly. "But I'm betting that's something different. What are you looking for?" She asked him.

"That's actually a far more interesting question than you think." The Doctor grinned. "Nobody travels as long as we do and as fast as we do unless they're looking for something; or running from something. How about you Clara? What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for... everything." She decided. ":And don't think I didn't notice you changing the subject. You're looking for something specific. Everywhere we go; I see the same symbols; the same uniform; people studying the same period in history..." She listed on her fingers. "To say nothing of the Daleks."

"The symbol is the icon of a Secret Order known as The Silence. And don't complain, because you're not a Companion until you've survived your first encounter with a Dalek." The Doctor said with gravity.

"Four encounters with Daleks in the last seven missions?" Clara pounced. "You didn't just happen onto them; you're looking for them!"

The Doctor sighed. "I have explained to you the nature of a Paradox? Something that cannot happen according to the laws of Causality; but it does?"

Clara nodded.

"There is... a Loop. A Paradox that starts and ends in the same place and never really stops. I have to find out if I should collapse it or if I should help it along."

"Where does the loop start?" Clara asked with interest; eager for a new puzzle.

With you. The Doctor thought, but didn't say it aloud. "With... The Daleks." I'm not lying, am I?

"That's another thing I don't understand." Clara pounced. "If the Daleks and you have fought your way across a billion years, plus the Time War, plus the survivors, then how come they don't know you?"

The Doctor gave her a sad sentimental smile; and led the way into the next room... and they both froze. There was a pile of alien bodies on the floor of the small outpost.

"What are they?" Clara asked.

"The Silence." The Doctor commented; and checked his arms. No marks.

And it was soon apparent why. "They're... dead." Clara said, her voice thin. "What? Do they just kill themselves on principle when they see you coming?"

The Doctor didn't bother to answer that; heading over to the console in the room. He scanned it for several seconds. "Hm. Only one thing on the whole machine. A message."

"What does it say?"

The Doctor checked. "It says: 'We're too late. The Question is coming."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know exactly; but it's set my hearts all a'flutter." The Doctor put a hand to his chest. "No, wait. It's gone." He started to look back at the screen and put his hand back to his chest again. "There it is again."

"Sounds like you've got your cell phone set on vibrate." Clara prompted.

"I don't have a cell phone; I have Psychic Paper." The Doctor waved that off. "We never should have let you near the 2010's."

"Maybe you've got your Paper set on vibrate?" She suggested helpfully.

The Doctor paused. "Does Paper vibrate?" He pulled it out and flipped the card holder open. "Oh! So it does. Has it ever done that before..." He read the message... and his eyes bulged out. "We have to go back." The Doctor shouted.

"Why?"

"River just went into labor."

"Ohh boy." Clara steeled herself. "Doctor, just remember to breathe!" She called as she took off running after him. After growing up in Victorian era London; the one thing Clara loved most was jeans and sneakers. A few months with The Doctor; and she was better at running than she'd ever been in her life.

The two of them ran faster than they had when the Bat-Wasps of Hamilton were trying to mate with them; and didn't slow down till they exploded in through the TARDIS door. The Doctor vaulted over the stairs and froze at the controls.

Silence.

"What's wrong?" She demanded; short of breath.

"I think I've forgotten how to fly the TARDIS." The Doctor admitted in a total panic.

Clara sighed and threw the levels herself. "Men are not equipped for this; no matter what planet they come from."

They arrived back at Demon's Run... And found it empty.

"River!" The Doctor shouted; running through every room; checking every sensor. The furniture had been turned over; there were scorch marks on the floor. He scanned around quickly with his Screwdriver; seeking answers.

But River was nowhere to be found.

"Who could have taken her?" The Doctor hissed hoarsely. "Demons Run will stand for centuries. Thousands of wars, millions of sieges, and the only one who ever took it; even for a little while was..." The Doctor rubbed his eyes hard. "Who could have taken her?"

"These are all good questions." Clara said crisply. "Let's get the answers."

"The child is lost." The Doctor whispered, horrified.

Clara looked over. "Hm?"

"An old... very old Poem." The Doctor said, reciting it. "'Demons Run but count the cost. The Battle's won, but the child is lost...'"

There was a sound like lighting cracking the air; and a cold voice finished it for him. "...when a good man goes to war."

The Doctor turned to stone.

"So, soldier. How goes the day?" Her cold voice continued; and The Doctor turned on Madam Kovarian.

River woke up with a groan. She was laying in a Pod of some kind; like an egg, large enough for her to lie flat. It was too wide and oval shaped to make her think of a coffin; and she was grateful for that.

"The last thing I remember..." She said carefully... And then another contraction hit her and memory caught up quickly.

The Pod she was in opened quickly; and River got a look at her hosts.

"The Female is Delivering; the Time Lord Will Come!" A metallic screech grated. "He will come! He will come! The Gateway Will Open! He Will Come And Be EXTERMINATED!"

"If we do this..." Kovarian pointed at Clara. "...your new pet stays in the TARDIS."

"Why?" The Doctor demanded archly.

"Because she would want to kill my associates on sight; and right now the only thing trying to protect your wife and child is The Silence."

The Doctor glared. "Why would The Silence want to protect my family?"

"The Daleks have chosen their place and we need a Time Lord."

The Doctor glared savagely. "And River wasn't willing; so you must have been thrilled when we provided a new one."

Kovarian gave a single nod.

"Where. Are. They?" The Doctor asked; dead calm. His voice was so flat that even Clara shivered. She had suddenly seen something new. She had seen the Doctor fight back; she had seen him sorry; she had seen him laugh. The Fury of The Time Lord was suddenly apparent; in the pure anti-life that he threw at Kovarian.

Kovarian glared. "I'm not going to tell you."

"You know you can't take the Daleks." The Doctor shouted. "Nobody can take the Daleks. Nobody except... oh." He suddenly smiled. "Nobody except me. So if you're not sending me after them; then you must be here to make sure I don't find them on my own. You want the baby alive; so you'd only take that chance if The Silence was scared. Why would you be scared to have me fighting Daleks? Because you don't want me to be wherever they've taken River." He grinned and leaped for the controls. "They're at the fields of Trenzalore."

Kovarian leaped. "How do you know about that prophecy?"

"Of course I know it; I'm the starring character." The Doctor yanked a big purple lever and the whole room tilted on its axis. "You're afraid that if I go to the Fields of Trenzalore; the question will be asked. You don't want to risk the baby; but you don't want me there even more." He grinned manically. "I have this thing about prophecies about death and destruction. Just can't resist them."

"If you go... billions will die. Thousands of billions." Kovarian hissed. "You cannot risk that."

"If I don't go; River and our baby will die."

"Would you sacrifice Thousands of Billions to save just those two?" She implored.

Long silence. Clara could see his hands hovering over the switch. One small motion of his hand would commit them to see it through. One small action; and River would be in reach.

But if Kovarian was right...

The Doctor hesitated; biting his lip; and Clara suddenly realised: He was about to make the sacrifice. He was about to save billions of lives at the cost of his family.

Again.

River's warning from months before came back to her: "When you watch the empires run in fear wherever he shows up, and you see the Daleks tremble; you start to realise what this person is. And before you get used to that idea; there will come a time when it will fall on you. The moment will come when he will have to decide the fate of a billion people; and he will look to you. And you can tell him no."

Clara's breathing stopped as she realised: This was it. This was that Moment.

The Time Lord looked to Clara Oswin, and the young woman shook her head, just a little. "No." She said softly.

Beat. And then the Time Lord smiled. A dangerous, cunning smile that grew to become confident and cocky and full of charged energy. "There was a time when I made that sacrifice." The Doctor growled at Kovarian. "This time I plan to do it right."

Kovarian moved; faster than anyone had ever seen her go. She drew a weapon; a blaster small enough that nobody had seen it.

In the same instant, Clara moved; her hand coming up like a gunslinger...

And the blaster in Kovarian's hand suddenly fell to pieces.

The Doctor glanced over as the TARDIS spun through space and time. Clara was keeping her balance with one hand; pointing her own Sonic at Kovarian's weapon with the other.

The young woman looked over at the Doctor with a satisfied chirp. "It works!"

River howled as the pain ripped through her abdomen. A moment later it eased and she glared up at The Daleks. The Cult were there; in five multicolours. "Why?!" She demanded.

"You are The Time Lord's Wife. He Will Come!"

"HE WILL COME! HE WILL COME! HE WILL COME!" A hundred regular copper colored Daleks shrilled; sounding as demented and as unhinged as ever.

"Why do you want him to come?" She growled. "Every time you've seen him; it's been bad for you."

"Know the enemy!" The nearest Dalek raged. "Doctor WHO?!"

The Question hit River from two sides; one from the Dalek before her; the other from her memory; where Kovarian drilled it into her over and over. It Is The Question That Must Not Be Asked!

"Where are we?" River asked; feeling her voice go hollow and dead with horror.

The Dalek moved back; just a little; and River could see the structure outside her pod... and through the viewports to the planet outside. "The Fields of Trenzalore!" She cried out in horror as another contraction hit her.

"HE WILL COME! HE WILL COME! HE WILL COME!" The Dalek army insisted; howling their certainty.

"The Fall of the Eleventh!" River wept; holding her stomach. "It's today!"

The TARDIS was spinning wildly through the Vortex; bouncing off the pillars of existence.

In the control room a three way fight was on. The Doctor duelled with the controls as the TARDIS fought him; trying to lead him away from the centre of the coming disaster.

Madam Kovarian was suddenly unarmed; but still trying, with all the devotion of a fanatic; to keep The Time Lord away with her bare hands.

Clara was right in the thick of it too; trying madly to fend off the crazy woman while the Doctor tried to steer the whole thing to the Fields of Trenzalore

"Hold on River." The Doctor hissed. "I'm coming!"

"The gestating form is unnecessary to the stratagem!" The Gold Dalek bellowed.

River felt her blood run cold. "What?"

"The infant is unnecessary! Only one required. Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks picked up the old unending cry.

"NO!" River roared; even as another contraction hit her. "If you need to pick one, pick me!"

The Daleks froze. "TARDIS Materialising! Prepare to Capture! PREPARE! PREPARE!"

"No!" River groaned again, as a dozen Daleks moved to surround her from every side...

The sound of Plasma-Fire rang out in every corner of the room; and River ducked her head instinctively; as The Daleks fired back; the familiar sound of their weapons slicing through her ears. She heard people shouting. Human voices.

And then the Dalek's around them exploded into flames. River shouted as another contraction hit her; as the wreckage of her captors was pushed away and a team of human soldiers came rushing to her side.

The second she noticed they were all wearing Eye-Drives; she wished the Dalek's had won.

"Cleric!" One of them shouted; pressing a hand to his ear. "The TARDIS is landing less than half a klick away; we have to get her out of here."

"Over my dead body!" River growled.

"We can't move her like this!" The Cleric snapped.

"She's in labor; the child is viable. Our orders say if we can't move her; we have to take the baby."

"How long do we have?"

Another soldier fielded that one. "We have thirty... now fifty... now three hundred Dalek Ships in orbit. We're about to be overrun!"

"Fine. Somebody knock her out; prepare for a C-Section."

River moaned as one of the Soldier's came closer with a syringe... And she struck. The Silence's Secret Weapon merged with a protective mother's instincts and even lying flat on her back; River Song struck out; knocking them away; just long enough for her to get a grip around the nearest soldiers' belt. She used his body as a shield for less than a second as she ripped his sidearm free; and began shooting. Seven shots went off; almost at the same second; without her ever standing up.

Suddenly the only living thing in the room; River fought to stand; getting a look at the readouts. The TARDIS was in the middle of a nightmare place.

And looming above them all; part tower, part machine, part nightmare, part mountain; was the Vortex Gateway. The Entry point to the Vortex; the only place in the universe where anything could enter the realm of the Time Travellers.

Inside the TARDIS; the three of them were suddenly still.

"Where are we?" Clara asked. "When are we?"

The Doctor checked his controls... and froze. "Wait." He reached into his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and yanked out the list of Very Bad DAYS. Underlined three times was the second set of coordinates. He checked the console again. They matched. The dates matched. The Very Bad Day was Today.

Kovarian was crying; hot tears rolling from her one visible eye. "Too late. Everything is too late." She sighed. "You're here. It's over. Everything is over."

Clara was staring up at the huge machine. "What is it?" She asked; her voice full of wonder.

The Doctor was still; the gravity of the moment pole-axing him. "It's the Vortex Gateway. It's the only way to reach the Vortex without..."

"Without a TARDIS?" Clara guessed. "That must be... popular."

The Doctor nodded against the memories. "The first battle of the Last Great Time War was fought here. The Daleks wiped out every living thing on this planet so that they could have it to themselves. They spent a hundred years trying to figure out how to open it; and when they did; all Time and Space was open to them."

"Too late." Kovarian moaned.

The Doctor shook his head. "Don't worry. The Gateway was sealed. The password is a secret known only to the Time Lord that sealed it off the first time..."

"That would be you?" Clara guessed.

"That would be me." He confirmed. "And you'd need to reach the Vortex itself to get the seals open. Nothing else would have the power. Two impossible-to-beat defenses."

"So it can't be opened from the outside?" Kovarian wavered; daring to hope.

The Doctor patted the console; and the Vortex within; just to punctuate the point. "Let's find River."

Clara was still staring at the Mountain; the great immense Machine; spellbound as it wove some kind of spell over her mind.

River stared as The Gateway sang to her. Directly into her mind; the space between every second and every millimeter of all creation sang softly in her head.

Another contraction hit her; and with effort she pulled her eyes away from the Gateway; searching the empty Fields below for a familiar Blue Box.

When she saw it; she didn't smile. She was suddenly holding a marker that she didn't remember picking up...

And her arms were suddenly covered in small black tally marks.

The Doctor threw himself at the door. Kovarian and Clara moved faster; throwing themselves at the Time Lord. They brought him down in a tackle; inches from escape.

"Don't be stupid!" Clara shouted at him. "It's a trap!"

"It's a disaster even being on this planet!" Kovarian agreed. "Let me go out there; and you just... get away! I can protect Melody."

"Who's Melody?" Clara asked.

"And once you've protected her? Then what?" The Doctor demanded. "You snatch the child the moment it's born? You've done it before as I recall."

Clara, meanwhile; was at the console. "Neither of you will be able to get to her if we can't figure out what to do with the million or more Dalek's on the other side of that door."

River had gunned her way through half a dozen Silence; and salvaged weapons; a radio, an Eye-Drive... She started moving. She couldn't run; and with contractions ripping through her midsection at regular, ever-accelerating intervals; she could barely walk.

This was a Dalek base. Humans had come to try and rescue/recapture her. But the Daleks could fly. Human soldiers would need transport.

Sure enough, a troop carrier was parked outside the Dalek complex. She found the door by following the bodies; both broken open Dalek shells; and singed human corpses. The Silence had sent an army in here after her baby; and the few that had survived the Daleks; had failed to survive the baby's Mother.

She hauled herself into the troop carrier; and sped toward the Blue Box as fast as the hovercraft could go.

Another contraction hit. "Not yet! Not YET!" She hissed.

She was within 500 meters, when the Daleks swooped down on her and blew the carrier apart. The cockpit rolled half a dozen times; as airbags and forcefields flashed out to try and protect her body from the crash.

River saw six of everything; too numb to feel bashed up by the impact; and she crawled under the wreckage of the carrier; seeking cover.

She heard the turbine howls of Fighter-craft coming down from orbit; the distant booms of anti-aircraft weapons...

And a familiar war-cry.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Kovarian's radio lit up. "Mistress! We have engaged the Daleks, but Song has escaped."

The Doctor grinned. "That's my girl."

"She has an eye-Drive!" The voice over the radio called. "Our position is close to being overrun; and the Daleks have Aerial Support! Your orders?"

"Stand by!" Kovarian turned to The Doctor. "We can handle our own fight later. Neither of us wants you on this planet; so you tell me? What's the fastest, easiest way of getting you out of here?"

"Give you one guess." The Doctor sneered.

"Found Her!" Clara called; and they quickly joined her at the viewscreen. River was visible, crawling under the wreck of the carrier for protection.

"How far?" Kovarian demanded.

"Half a kilometre."

"May as well be half the universe."

The Doctor looked to the door for a moment; and then leaped to the console. "I can extend the TARDIS Shields forward; but it won't hold up for long! Kovarian; get River inside The Shield; and I'll keep the Gateway shut down." The Doctor told them. "The second we get River in here... I'll run as fast a time machine can run."

Kovarian nodded and ran out the door. A moment later there was the sound of a Dalek-gun and she shrieked.

The Doctor didn't even blink. "Now I'll put the Shield up." He spun to the next control panel. "Kovarian's right though; we can't let the Daleks get the Gateway again. There's a reason why they chose to bring her here. Even if they don't remember me; the Daleks know I'm a Time lord; and they know that a Time Lord's name can open any Gallifreyan Lock. Including the Gateway. They cannot open the Gate; it's impossible without a Vortex. The password gives them directional control; but no way to use it..."

"They get your real name; they're only halfway to getting through the Vortex." Clara agreed. "So, we get River; and we get out of here; let them and the Silence kill each other. Sounds like a plan." She looked up at him expectantly. "What do I do?"

"Clara, I'm sorry; but you have to stay in the TARDIS."

"What? Why?"

"Because when Armstrong landed on the moon a century after you left London I put the whole human race under post-hypnotic suggestion. Long story. If you step out there then you'll see what's protecting my wife; and you're gonna try and kill them; long story."

Clara didn't have a clue what that meant; but his sentences were long and fast and coherent; which meant he wasn't making it up. "All right. I'll try and keep the shield strong; see if I can shape it into a tunnel for you; get you there safe..."

The Doctor's hands were flashing over the controls. "I don't have time to tell you how to do that."

"I know; it's okay, I'm a genius. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Clara rolled her eyes.

The Fields of Trenzalore were gripped in the middle of a bloody war. The Daleks were swooping around; taking shot at everything they saw.

Kovarian hadn't made it two feet from the door; and the Doctor took the Eyepatch off her body; putting it on quickly. There were two smoking Dalek wrecks on either side of he entrance. Apparently not all of them had made it out of reach when the TARDIS shields had extended.

Armed with an Eye-Drive; the Doctor could clearly see the Silence swaying in some unknown breeze as they forked lighting at the Daleks; and in between were armies of humans, Sontarans, Siluriants, Slitheen, even a few Cybermen. The Silence had called in all hands; bringing each and every member of heir order; every paid mercenary from across a thousand worlds. Every loyal member they had; all summoned to the Fields of Trenzalore to do battle.

He ran as fast as he could. He'd spent his entire life running; almost in training for this exact moment; as he ran a perfectly straight gauntlet right down the middle of two mighty armies; toward his wife.

"Honey I'm home!" He called cheerfully as he reached her.

"What took you so long?" River complained; crying out as another contraction hit her.

All the armies of existence had come together under a terrible banner of Evil Overlords; united in a desperate Alliance; for the fate of all creation.

And drawn in a line half a kilometre long; was a bluish glowing shield; which extended out from the TARDIS toward a crashed troop carrier. A wall of light no wider than an atom held back the tide from a narrow No Man's Land; save for The Doctor; and his wife; as they struggled to deliver their firstborn into a world coming apart every second.

"Almost there River!" The Doctor encouraged; spooky calm.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

River cried out. Inches away, someone had opened up a Plasma Assault Cannon; trying to carve a way out. Inches from her head; soldier's were shouting as their skeleton flashed bright enough to become visible.

"One more push! Almost done!" The Doctor shouted.

"Bishop! They have our defensive line routed!" One of the Silence's Army called over every radio.

"Fall back! Fall bac-AGH!" The order came too late.

"EXTERMINATE!"

And then, somehow over all of it; the sound of a baby starting to cry.

The Doctor was holding his newborn son; and the war was far away. He sat down next to his wife; and River shifted with the last of her strength to sit with him. He gently passed the baby over. "Can you run?"

She looked up at him with a big, bitter smile. "No." She confessed. "But you can."

The Doctor was silent for a long moment; and promptly put his arms around both of them; holding tight to his family; not even caring about the open path to the TARDIS.

Clara watched from the TARDIS door; her brain completely overloaded by what she had seen.

She could see right down the Shield Tunnel; death and destruction on either side. The Daleks had clearly gotten the upper hand. The Alliance of the Silence had gotten a few good hits in; but eventually; the Children of Skarro had won the day; and as the Battle pushed further away from the TARDIS; the Daleks had come in greater numbers to achieve their mission.

From half a kilometer away; Clara could see it unfolding; hear their demands clearly as every screeching robot voice took up the chant.

"KNOW THY ENEMY! YOU WILL ANSWER!" They screamed. "KNOW THY ENEMY! YOU WILL ANSWER!"

If the Doctor even noticed; it didn't show.

"He's amazing." The Doctor grinned. "He's perfect."

"Yeah he is. But if you ever come near me again sweetie? I swear I'll drop you with my blaster." River said in exhaustion, but she'd never sounded happier. "So what do we do now?"

There was a crackle; and both of them looked don the length of the Shield. The Daleks had managed to break through a small section of it it; somewhere halfway between them and the TARDIS. The Shield had moved to compensate; strengthening the section around them; redrawing the protective field.

But the way back was closed off. The little family was trapped in a weakening shield; draw around them as a billion Daleks continued to hammer their weapons against it, chanting their awful death-howl. "Doctor Who?! Doctor WHO?!"

Clara had seen the shield weaken and had quickly worked the controls; trying to keep the part of the Shield still around them strong. The Daleks had forgotten the TARDIS completely; more focused on their enemy.

If it comes to that; I can probably get away. The only witness to the Fall of the Eleventh.

No! She told herself. Come on Genius; earn your keep!

"No way back... what do we do?" River asked again.

The Doctor gave her and their baby a long look. "We're all stories in the end River. Now we start the new story... For however long it lasts."

River's eyes were shining; a billion nightmares so far away when she looked at her boys. "Now?" She asked.

The Doctor nodded gently. "Now is all we have."

River looked down at her baby; and began the Gallifreyan rite. "My son." She whispered. "I am your mother; and wherever your journey takes you; you take my name with you; as guidance and strength; reminding you of where you came from." She looked deep in their baby's eyes. "You're the son of River Song. I am your mother; Melody Pond."

She gently passed the bundle to her husband, and the Time Lord looked down at his child, never looking younger or happier. "My son." The Doctor said softly. "I am your father; and wherever your journey takes you; you take my name with you; as guidance and strength; reminding you of where you came from."

The Daleks had gone completely berserk; the atoms of the universe ripping apart under the weight of their frenzied shriek. "DOCTOR WHO!? DOCTOR WHO!?"

The Doctor barely heard them; focusing on the baby as he finished the ceremony; and spoke softly the words that would burn their way across a billion victims. "You're the son of The Doctor. I am your father... "

Clara could see the Doctor talking, cradling his son; when the Daleks suddenly went silent. He must have answered them. She thought.

The Daleks were totally still. Even the ones approaching were still, frozen in place; as if uncertain which way to go.

A billion of the most potent killing machines that all of time and space had ever devised were trapped; as if changing their entire collective minds.

Where a war had been fought; it was as if the entire universe was holding its breath.

Silence had fallen, when The Question was answered.

What did you tell them? Clara thought to herself. What did you just say to them?

Helpless, Clara watched in horror from the TARDIS Door, as more and more Daleks poured onto the fields of Trenzalore. Millions of Daleks. Billions of Daleks... And still; only Silence.

She bit her lip. "Okay." She thought out loud. "Okay. Come on girl, you're brilliant; think of something." She rubbed her face hard with her hands. "We have to get the family in here. How do we do that? Come on brain. You drop the shield, then what? The Daleks fry them." She rolled her eyes. "Which would make that a bad plan... So get the Daleks to back off... and how the hell do you do that? Why does anyone back away from the Doctor? Because they're scared of him..." A slow, sly grin spread across her face... "So make them scared." She ran to the TARDIS Controls. "Come on... come on..."

The Daleks were still frozen; their reaction to whatever the Time Lord said rolling over the entire Dalek Empire... Until finally; one of them got over it.

"Ex-ter-min-ate." A lone Dalek voice said slowly, as though trying the word out.

Dead silence.

"Ex-ter-min-ate!" Another Dalek answered; as if out of habit more than anything else.

The situation was spiraling, ending; everything was ending; as the Time Lord rose to his feet, staring down the Daleks.

The TARDIS produced the helmet, silver and chrome; gleaming in Clara's hands. The Doctor had called it a Chameleon Circuit.

"Okay." Clara thought out loud. "This helmet can cram a Time Lord into a human, so it's gotta have some way to interface a human mind into a TARDIS Database..." She searched over the controls. "So... reverse it. Put the human mind out instead of in." Her hands flew over the controls; her Sonic working to make things happen when she didn't know which button to push or which rope to pull. "Okay. Okay. The Daleks must talk to each other; but they don't have hands, so there's got to be some sort of way for them to talk to each other..."

She ran over to the door; peeking out at the smoking remains of a Dalek, and ran her Sonic over it. "Transmitter; transmitter. If I were an alien transmitter; which one of these gooey bits would I be?" She bit her lip. "God, why haven't I learned this part yet?"

She looked at the silver helmet in her hands; hooked up to some input far above; hanging from the silver cord.

"How long is the Shield going to last?" River asked him; like she was asking about the weather.

"Not too much longer, under a bombardment like t-"

The bombardment stopped instantly.

"-this..." The Doctor finished; his voice suddenly loud in the all-absorbing quiet.

For the second time since the Question had been answered; an all encompassing silence fell on the Fields of Trenzalore.

The Doctor looked up at his oldest most fiercely despised enemy... And they were pulling back from him. It was a reaction he'd seen before. A moment of actual, unplanned, un-programmed emotion had broken through their unbreakable wall of hatred and rage.

Fear.

The Doctor rose; suddenly emboldened. "That's right. We're BACK!" He grinned savagely. "Have you missed me?"

Things started happening quickly.

First; as if to punctuate the statement; there was a sudden Thunderclap of pure energy; which knocked the Doctor flat on his face. The Silence and their Soldiers too; every one of them. The Daleks went with them; knocked on their sides like bowling pins.

The Doctor and River clung to each other as the sky burst into flames; bright red and yellow gusts of flame sheeting across the heavens, from horizon to horizon... until finally it met at the top of the mountain; the Apex of the Gateway.

The sound of the Vortex filled the world; and everyone looked up in disbelief. The Gateway had opened; and the wormhole within lit up brightly.

River's jaw dropped. The Silence howled; and the Daleks quickly forgot that their most hated enemy even existed.

Second; the shield over the three of them vanished. It wasn't broken down or overloaded... it simply switched off. The Doctor barely noticed. The Gateway was open. Protected by two impossible defences; it had suddenly activated; with a billion Daleks watching.

"No! NOOOOOOO!" The Doctor howled; as the entire Dalek empire flew through the opening in the Universe; throwing themselves into the Vortex; vanishing into the corners of Space and Time.

The Silence shrieked with him; as did their servants. All over the planet; they knew the battle was lost. A million voices cried out in terror as the battle came to a sudden and horrifying end.

"Why?" River hissed. "Why is the Gateway reactivating?"

The Doctor looked beyond horrified; beyond terrified. The Universe had fallen down on his head; and he fell to his knees in terror. "I just gave them my name. They heard my name, River. My REAL name. That's the Key to the Lock. The Locks of the Time can be opened by a Time Lords' Name; and the Gateway is open and waiting for them!"

He turned to talk to the Silence... and they were gone. Every last one of them. And their soldiers with them. No bodies; no wreckage, no smoke or fire... The pitched battle was over and in the four seconds since; both armies had vanished without a trace.

"How did they switch it back on?" River demanded.

"They couldn't have! It can't be done!" The Doctor wildly shook his head. "It needs a Vortex just to... to..." His eyes bulged halfway out of his head as he turned to face the TARDIS, sitting innocently back at the other end of the Fields of Trenzalore.

They opened the doors to the Time Machine; turning pale as they came in. The place had been trashed by the explosion of power. The console was busted open; the Vortex within was cold and dark and dead. Every light had been shattered; every wall ripped; every panel melted by the explosion of release.

And laying flat at the base of the controls; out cold, eyes closed; and covered in scorch marks; was Clara Oswald Oswin; with the silver Chameleon Circuit resting on her head.

"Oh no." River and The Doctor said at the same time. The baby cooed a little; nose wrinkling at the smell of burnt time.

Clara's eyes flickered a little; looking up at him, uncomprehending. "What?"

"Shh." He told her. "You're okay. Just rest."

Clara lay back obediently; uncertainty making her obey. her head was spinning painfully; and she closed her eyes. "Hey Doc?" She murmured. "It worked. I made them remember you. I made them..." She shook her head a little. "Ooh, what was I saying?"

The Doctor slid a hand under her knees; another under her shoulders; and picked her up. "We've gotta get her somewhere."

River led the way through to the bedrooms.

Clara hung onto his jacket with one hand. "I used the thing." She waved vaguely. "The helmet. I hooked it up to the shredded Dalek; and the thing was... I could hear them talking; and I think I talked back." She squeezed her eyes shut a bit; and when she opened them she looked a little confused. "What was I saying?"

"It's okay." The Doctor promised; eyes filling with tears. "You're okay."

"There were lights." Clara said vaguely. The grip on his jacket was weakening as she looked a little confused. "I don't know what I'm saying. What was I saying?"

The Doctor kicked open the door and set her down gently on the bed.

"It's all going away." Clara said vaguely.

The Doctor crouched next to Oswin and scanned her with his Sonic Screwdriver. "She's gone." He whispered. "She's a blank. A blank slate."

River felt a tear gather in the corner of her eye.

"Please sir, tell me one thing..." Clara whispered, as the darkness closed in. "Who am I?"

And the sad man with kindness in his voice stroked her hair as she fell into sleep. "You are The Question; and The Answer."

She came awake and the first thing she saw was a giant Cat dressed like a nun. "...silly." She hummed.

"I've been called worse, child." The Cat-Nun said. "You're safe. You're with the Sisterhood of the Infinite Schism. You're going to be okay."

"What happened?" Clara asked softly.

"We don't know child." The Matron said kindly; letting the girl stroke her fur. "You were... brought to us. You were exhausted, unconscious, nearly delirious. We were hoping you could answer some questions."

Clara 's headache was slowly passing, leaving a great gaping hole where her memory used to be. "...ooh."

"Are you hungry?"

Food? Clara's mind snatched onto that word swiftly. "Soufflé." She said aloud.

"Actually it's Oswin." The big cat-lady told her kindly. "That was your name, child."

Clara laughed. "No. Soufflé. That's what I want." She was out of the bed instantly, full of energy.

Out of her sight, invisible against the wall; River and The Doctor watched the monitors, the TARDIS cloaked invisibly.

"Will she be all right?" River asked softly.

"I hope so." The Doctor said. "The nuns will look after her."

"They looked after me." River agreed, cradling their child between them. "Watch carefully, baby. Because that wonderful, brilliant girl is your godmother; even if she doesn't know who any of us are."

The Doctor smiled at his family; and worked the controls. "We better get moving."

River looked back at the monitor. "Are you sure we shouldn't take her home?" She asked thoughtfully. "I mean; Earth might be better. More familiar at least."

"She doesn't have any family there; few friends... A mind such as that belongs where there's a universe to explore." He did not speak the real reason. Clara Oswin needed to take her first trip across the stars... and wind up locked in a Dalek's body.

Paradox. The Doctor thought. If I'd never met Oswin in the Asylum; then the Daleks would not have forgotten me; and the Question would never be asked. If the Question had never been asked; then they never would have taken River; and Oswin would never have met me in the Asylum.

He hated to do it; hated to think what was ahead for this girl that had saved his little family. But it was a fixed point; a loop that had to be followed all the way back to the beginning.

It was just such a loop that had taken River's parents from them. Amy and Rory deserved to be here; deserved to meet their grandchild.

"One thing I don't get. The Prophecy didn't come true. The Fall of The Eleventh didn't happen." River gestured at her husband to make the point.

"You thought it refereed to me?" The Time Lord sighed sadly. "Do you remember that conversation we had; when I said that I sort of view my life as the time Pre-War and Post-War?"

"Yes."

"That's not just a matter of viewpoint. I had to reboot the universe once; when the Pandorica opened. But I knew I could do it; because I did something similar after that. It's like there's a whole new Doctor. Time Lord 2.0. First breath with a new body; first trip in a completely new TARDIS, first companion coming with me."

"Okay." River nodded to how she was following; but she still didn't see the point.

The Doctor started counting on his fingers. "One. Rose Tyler. Two: Jack Harkness. Three: Mickey Smith. Four: Sarah Jane. Five: Jackie Tyler. Six: Martha Jones. Seven: Donna Noble. Eight: Amelia Pond. Nine: Rory Williams. Ten: River Song..."

"Eleven." River said it with him. "Clara Owsin."

The Doctor looked sad. "It was never going to be me."

"And the Silence?" River asked. "Why would they suddenly vanish?"

The Doctor gave a cold, dead smirk. "The Daleks have the Gateway. All they need do was go back to the right moment; stop the Silence from ever existing. Frankly; I'd be surprised if any of them existed anywhere any more."

"Silence will fall." River agreed.

The baby cooed and both of them were silent for a while; enjoying the baby's company.

"So... where are we going?" River asked softly.

The Doctor sighed; the weight of the universe back on his shoulders. "The Chameleon Circuit put Oswin in touch with the Dalek web. That set off the Vortex; which didn't understand how a Dalek communication was going off in its own Database. The Vortex went nuts trying to fight something that was already dead. The Vortex reactivated the Gateway; and the Daleks unlocked it with my name; so they have it now. The Vortex is open to them again. All of time and space. Which means a billion Daleks have just been given the run of all creation... Which means we still have work to do."

River felt a great weight settle on her heart; and she clung to her son tightly.

The Second Great Time War had begun.

51st Century; The Library Computer

"The War raged on for a billionth of a nanosecond. And the worlds burned black and the stars burned cold. But there was one man who refused to give up; refused to let go; refused to stop trying. The stars blazed brightly and the worlds turned again as he demanded it; and little by little; he turned back the darkness."

River read them another story of the Second Great Time War, and tucked in her son... and his younger sister. Donna Noble's virtual children snoozed in the next room; with Miss Evangalista watching over them softly. She would check in on them later.

"The baby grew up; and was the best of all of them; but that is another story." River said with a nostalgic smile as she read them the last page. "Everyone knows that everyone dies." She said softly; turning out the lights. "But not every day."

AN: Read and Review