The Toymaker looked up from the other side of the wide wooden desk. "Hello, Doctor. Did you enjoy my little game?"

The Doctor, still holding River's hand, slowly stalked toward him, the expression on his face revealing nothing. When he spoke again, his voice had that soft but deadly tone that made even River watch her step with him... but it wasn't directed at her. "If you had chosen to play with me, Toymaker, I might have enjoyed it more. But you chose otherwise. The last time we met, my companions and I escaped your little game, and then I allowed you the freedom to do as you pleased. But that wasn't enough for you." He paused. "No, you chose to abuse that freedom by abducting and imprisoning - and frightening - my wife. I might have forgiven you the abduction - River can take care of herself."

"Thank you, Sweetie." River kept her pistol trained on the Toymaker, who was ignoring her entirely, but she glanced at the Doctor. He never took his eyes off his adversary.

"Any time, dear. Yes, I might've forgiven the abduction. But frightening her, now that - that would require tactics that would destroy a lesser woman." His voice was still quiet, but now it took on a steely quality that sent chills down River's spine. They were just across the desk now, and the Toymaker was staring at the Doctor with a kind of horrified fascination, as though one of his toys had suddenly come to life before his eyes. "I will not allow this sort of behaviour to continue. If you are going to spend your life playing games like a wayward child, you will be treated like one. And right now," he said, bringing his arm to his mouth and speaking into what looked like a wristwatch, "right now, that means a trip to the naughty corner."

And behind the Toymaker, the big blue box began to materialize with its trademark vworp vworp sound. The Toymaker started and turned to look, and River relaxed her grip on the pistol as the Doctor released her hand and vaulted over the desk, removing something small and round and glittering from his pocket. He did...something with the glittering object - River couldn't see what - and then the Toymaker was just... gone. The Doctor pocketed the round object, which had dimmed to a sickly yellow swirling glow, and said in a much more normal tone of voice, "Right, then, come along, River. This place'll collapse as soon as it finds its master's been... removed from it. I'd rather not be here when it becomes, er... nothingness." He held out his hand to her, and she took it as they ran to the TARDIS, the Toymaker's playroom dissolving in a wash of color in their wake.

/

"What I don't understand," complained Amy, her accent thick with irritation, "is how you tricked this all-powerful being into your... your little ball of doom. How many of those things do you have, anyway?" She peered into the chest where he kept the crystal spheres.

The Doctor sighed. "Two in use now," he said, a little sadly. "The Carrionite sisters and the Toymaker. I don't like to do it, but sometimes certain entities are better off... contained. At least so far as the rest of the universe is concerned." He sighed again. "As for how I tricked him, well... he wasn't omnipotent, you know, and-"

Amy interrupted. "Doctor, he stole River - and her bed - from Stormcage of all places! That's pretty much ultimate power, don't you think?"

"Well, Amy, I steal her from the Stormcage fairly often myself... Although I don't take the bed, we usually use my b... no, never mind! Forget that, that's not important." He looked a trifle uncomfortable, River noted, allowing herself an internal smirk, but he'd gotten himself into this conversation; he could get himself out. He clapped his hands as though to erase the last comment from their minds "Right! Anyway, the Toymaker was fairly powerful, but like any child playing with a new toy, he was also easily distracted. That does happen, you know, people getting distracted by what's going on around them or by what they're saying, and, er... yes. Well. In any case, we had a couple of secret weapons. Three, actually, working in concert." He beamed.

There was a pause. "Well?" prompted Amy, exasperatedly, rolling her eyes, "Aren't you going to tell us what they were?" Rory nodded in agreement.

The Doctor looked surprised. "Why, you, of course, Amy! You and Rory and the Old Girl. Hadn't you realized? You figured out that the limerick wasn't from River, you both helped me find this place, and you kept Sexy out of the way until we needed her. Then you acted instantly on my signal. And the best part was that the Toymaker didn't even know you were there. You were perfect! Weren't they, River?" He looked closely at River, who was shaking her head, smiling at him. "What?"

"The disintegrator pistol, my love. Surely you haven't forgotten about it. We'd never have made it out of there if Amy hadn't forced you to bring it; there'd still be a giant wall with a stupid rhyme written on it in our way. Even assuming I'd have made it that far without the pistol; I was not in good form when you found me." She smiled fondly around at them. "We are a family, after all, and it took all five of us to get the Toymaker safely contained."

She stood up and went to the console, punching the buttons and moving the levers that would take her parents home. "Now then, where to next? I'm sure that the Old Girl can take me back to the Stormcage when I need to be there... later. In the meantime, I'd prefer our own brand of fun and games." She winked at the Doctor, gesturing toward the exit with her head.

He caught her meaning, rather more quickly than usual. "Er, yes, right... Amy, Rory, thanks for your help, lovely seeing you..." He was shooing them toward the doors amid loud protests. "I'm sure you've your own er... games to play." Amy and Rory glanced at each other, locking eyes for a moment, and stopped protesting.

"Why, yes, Doctor," said Amy, giggling, "We'd almost forgotten the um... fancy dress party! Come along, Roranicus... we've got a party to attend!" Amy's voice dropped to a stage whisper close to Rory's ear. "Policewoman? Or pirate lass?"

"Er... both?" he inquired, looking both flustered and interested.

River's laughter followed them as they left the TARDIS. "Old Girl," she asked, "Would you be so kind as to close the doors? Thank you." She walked over to the Doctor and leaned against his chair. "My goodness... what sort of game do you think they had in mind?" She chuckled and kissed him. "I think I'm a bad influence on my own parents... though dress-up isn't the game I was thinking of. Do you have any ideas, my love?"

He smiled at her and pulled her into his lap. "So long as it's a game that two can play."