I love this reasoning! It makes so much more sense this way -I really don't understand still why Amy and Rory are lost forever to the Doctor, I mean, it's hardly like that Time-Lock thingy on Gallifrey! Or is it? Gah, whatever it is, I loved your story, and as usual, very beautifully written. Thank you for the read!

I like Christmas too, and this was a wonderful gift.

I was gonna say, the end of the story confused me- How would Mels appear if Melody was with her parents? Then you went and explained it. Talk about an Author's Saving Throw. Brilliant story

ha!

funny, have been thinking and thinking after watching TATM, and had come to the same conclusions (which only annoys me bc it means i've spent 6 months on a story which is likely super AU... oh well :) ).

Absolutely loved this; love the hopefulness and the ideas of what will happen to everyone (the children's stories!) and how this is written. Lovely, lovely story.

Awwww that was really cute! I loved "say fishsticks" and then she replied "custard" cute ;)

LOVE this story!

DAWWWWWW!
this is SOOOOO CUTE!
love the part where amy tells her to say fishsticks and instead she says custard! So cute!

Author's Note:

Yes, I've seen it. But since it was never recorded or broadcast, and basically ignores canon characters in order to substitute one-off characters that may never appear again, I feel free to not consider it canon (at least for this story).

I simply thought it was too good an opportunity to tie up a dangling plot thread, and bring a story arc full circle, by allowing Amy and Rory the chance to raise their daughter in those missing 30 years of hers in New York.

Basically, I have a lot more investment in Amy, Rory, and Melody/River than in a new character that was never even broadcast.

Besides, if you change the dates of Brian's birth and Amy and Rory's destination, there's nothing that says they couldn't have both found Melody and adopted.

Other than the dates, the stories don't necessarily contradict each other. Maybe Melody was going to get a new baby brother for next Christmas.

(My own personal canon rules are that if they didn't show it in the series, or I can't find a way to explain around it, then I'm free to interpret anything off screen however I want. As can everyone else. It's part of the fun. [DVD extras, mini-episodes, and Internet extras are sort of gray areas.])

Thank everyone for reading it! And commenting.

Basically, I just wanted them all, Amy, Rory, and River, to have the happy ending they deserved. And the setup in New York, and getting sent back in time, and Melody conveniently being in New York, back in time, as a toddler needing a home, was just too good to pass up.

Besides, I tried to write it to suggest that it might have been Brian who was the kid who came running down at first. :D

So have you not watched the epilogue with Brian, or are you ignoring it for this story? Just curious, because certainly the two do not mesh.

That was amazing! Thanks for working that out, well done! Totally believable and now head canon. Cute melody! And that would explain why they can't visit! Lovely.

Perfect reasoning.

Awwwww!

Just beautiful.

that was amazing! I think I'm going to do this too. Does River like Christmas? I like to think so too :)

Haha, I loved the ending, 'Custard!'
Brilliant way to finish.