Figured it out! The writer's block for this episode is as long/large as the Great Wall of China. Fortunately I've now got some solutions figured out such as what will happen in the two years and what the injections are. Hate to tease but I'm just so proud of myself. Unfortunately, with two scenes I'm going to have to come up with some new conflicts.

Oh! And I know that a reviewer figured out the title (it comes from A Good Man Goes to War: 'demons run but count the cost, the battle is won but the child is lost') and I just wanted to make it clear (for my peace of mind) that this story is not a copy of that episode in any way (except for the pregnancy/Madame Kovarian deal).

Thanks for your reviews!

"Sir! John!" Rory burst into the room, "You'll never believe what I found!"

John spun around; there'd been nothing unusual about River from what he remembered of the Library. Rose looked at her husband, ready to glare at him for withholding information but he looked as confused as she did. He was keeping something from her; she knew he, as the Doctor, had known River and had seen her die but she didn't know . . . something.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Of course! Just come on in, this is just the head of Torchwood's office."

Rory just stared at him with a puzzled look on his face before Jack sighed, "What is it, Rory?"

The doctor pulled out papers lined with numbers, "Her biology – it's like nothing I've ever seen!"

"Really?" John's voice rose slightly in curiosity and – like his original – excitement.

"Look at the DNA." Rory pointed to a strand. There was something off about it but it took John a moment to realize what it was. It had been years since he'd seen a portion of DNA like that, well, he'd never seen DNA quite like that.

"No." But John's voice wasn't upset or in denial, just in shock. The 'no' was laced with happiness.

Rose couldn't see what was different about the DNA, but she'd never been a scientist. She hadn't even read the books John had pushed at her when he got bored. "John, what is it?"

He looked at her, mouth slightly open, "Timelord, Timelord DNA." A smile broke across his face, "Timelord, Rose! Do you know what this means!"

Rose shook her head, "How – John, how could she be part Timelord? You said you were the last – Ohmygod is she your daughter?"

Jack started and looked to John in confusion, "Wait you said –"

"I know what I said." He looked down, "No, Rose, she's not. I'm fairly positive that she's Amy and Rory's daughter –"

"Now, hang on." Jack snapped, "That makes even less sense than your 'she's his wife –"

"What?!"

John winced and glared at Jack but before he could answer Rose's exclamation, Rory jumped in, "We could just, you know, ask her."

"She's awake? And you never thought to mention that before?"

Rory shrugged, "I woke her up with a bit of adrenaline, it was too dangerous for her to be asleep. Amy's with her now, it's a bit awkward, neither of them will so much as look at each other."

Jack nodded, "Let's go, and John – I still call you John, right? – John will do the talking. He knows her the best. Well, he's the only one who knows her."

The group walked the hallways in silence, Rose glaring a John until they reached the door.

"I'm not jealous or anything but how could you not tell me!" She blocked the door with determined look on her face.

"You want to discuss this now?"

"The Doctor has a wife he never told me about and she's inside right now. So, yes, now is the perfect time!"

John glared at her, "I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know that she is his wife. I said it was likely just to shut these idiots up." He gestured to Jack and Rory who gave cries of anger and irritance. "Oh, don't worry I didn't lie. She could be – I don't know, I simply don't. But if we could just talk to her." He looked pointedly at Rose who moodily removed herself from the door to go pick up James, who was supporting himself on the wall.

The group, less than happy stormed through the doors, earning a fiery glare from Amy, "What're you lot doing?"

River didn't so much as look up, she was too busy staring at her stomach; torn between worry and fascination. How many times had she hoped she would one day have a child? She'd never intended to bring one into her and the Doctor's hectic life but it existed anyway. When she finally did look up, she laughed a little:

John, who reminded her so much of her Doctor, looked at her like she was fragile, like she might break. He displayed the nervousness that a tell-tale trait of the younger versions of his original.

"Sweetie, I'm fine. I'm not going to break if you look at me." She smiled at him and gestured to the seat next to Amy; who was determinately staring at a reading on one of the screens – a reading she couldn't possibly read.

John sat on the chair, trying in vain to ignore Rose's glare – which had deepened at the term 'sweetie'. "River, I'm sorry but I'm not him."

River looked at him, at his eyes, for a moment, "No, you're not. I can tell." She sighed, "Wishful thinking. So, what is this place?"

John was surprised by her acceptance, it seemed unnatural, inhuman. She was, from what he knew, a time traveling archaeologist from the 51st century though. "You're on a parallel universe. It has several key differences but the most important one for you to know is that the Doctor doesn't exist in this world. Neither do his enemies, though."

River nodded but she didn't feel any safer. She'd been sent to a place where the Doctor's enemies didn't exist by the Doctor's enemies? There was something off about that but she tried to force all the flashing morbid thoughts from her head. She tried to find something else to focus on and her gaze landed on her arms. River looked from them to the – John.

"What, what did they . . ." She simply gestured to them.

John looked at her arms in worry before turning to Rory, who stepped forward. "River, we don't know. I'm sorry; I've tested your blood half a dozen times. The systems don't recognize the chemicals. The blood samples were sent to a lab but I doubt -"

She nodded, "It's ok. We'll find out eventually, some way or the other." River looked at her father; he seemed so young, so innocent, "You're from here, aren't you? Amy and the little girl – she's Melody?"

Rory thought he saw a sadness flash through her eyes and something else lingered in her expression – it looked like envy, "Are you Amy and my daughter? Over there?"

She flashed him a smile, "Spoilers."

"What?"

"You came in here for something. What was it?" River looked away from the parallel version of her father; there weren't really any secrets that needed hiding. She should tell them but she didn't want to – it was hard enough when her actual parents didn't recognize her but to have people who looked like her parents but weren't and never would be – it felt like it would kill her.

Jack stepped forward, "Ah, yes. We wanted to know about you Timelord DNA and who you are to the Doctor."

River nodded, "I have Timelord DNA because I was conceived in the TARDIS. As for who I am to the Doctor, I really don't know."

"Does anyone know!" Rose threw a hand up in frustration. John sent her a warning look but she continued, "Seriously? No one knows?"

River looked at her, "You're Rose?" She smiled, "Oh, dear, nothing is simple with the Doctor. He's not like us, he doesn't think like us. I can tell you; this baby's his."

Rose's mouth dropped open in shock. The Doctor's child . . . he . . . she . . . Rose tried to keep the tears from her eyes. She loved John, it was true. She loved him more than she'd ever been able to love the Doctor. But the part of her that missed the traveling and wonder – the part of her that had loved the Doctor beyond reason – felt betrayed.

John looked guiltily at Rose, his heart – his human heart – breaking a little at the sight of her watering eyes. He wasn't enough. He'd never been enough for her – she still loved the Doctor, she always would. More than him. He looked back to River who was also slightly unnerved by the tears in Rose's eyes. John wanted to hate her for bringing the Doctor back into their lives – for tearing them apart but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Jack broke the silence, "John, Rose, do you want to . . ." He motioned to the door but both of them shook their heads. They were going to have to talk but neither of them wanted to – not now.

Rory was still slightly bothered by the fact she'd never answered his question, "River, on the beach you thought we were your parents . . ."

River turned away, "Well, I was wrong. I didn't know where I was."

Amy finally pulled her stare from the wall, "River." She took the woman's hand awkwardly.

River looked at Amy, searching her eyes, "I'm your daughter – yours and Rory's – but not this you."

Amy nodded, "We look like them, but we're not. It's ok . . . hey, it's ok." She looked at John, Rose, and Jack and, to her, they seemed selfish. They weren't alone in a parallel universe – stuck, without their family and pregnant after being captured.

Rory half wanted to laugh at Amy's expression and half wanted to run and hide. Everyone simply looked away from the mother, abashed.

Just needed to finish this phew, done. That was rough and more of a filler. Next chapter will be up Friday!

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