Okay, you guys are truly, truly amazing. The reviews I have received from last chapter made yesterday and today so much better for me. It's been a rough few weeks, and I would be lying if I said that all the reviews you have sent me didn't make a difference. And I know that I've gotten bad about responding, but I do read each and everyone of them. I will be replying to every one made after this though (in theory).

Also, a lot of you have asked if I will be writing more on this if River ever comes back in the show. Unless it completely blows a hole in my story (i.e. explaining where River is before she's Melody gowing up with her parents or if they ever actually introduce River and Jack, etc.), then it will be added. There maybe some changes made, but it will go up eventually.

And for the last time in the near future, I do not own any characters, places, or objects you recognize. It is all intellectual property of Moffat, BBC, and whoever else owns Doctor Who. I took the idea for the last few lines from one of Eoin Colfer's books, as well.

My eyes slowly opened to the virtual world had almost become as real to me as the one the Doctor was in. My first thought was of Lia and Jimmy trying to awaken me, and how I had refused. They were scared, and now I needed to comfort them.

I ran into their room, but there was little sign of them or Charlotte. Finding it odd that all three of my children were not in their room after finding me virtually unconscious, I ran downstairs, hoping they would be there. As I ran down stairs, I heard talking coming from the kitchen and went in that direction. As I approached, I heard Charlotte talking.

"She's never done this before. She wakes up before us every morning. She's supposed to wake us up for school."

"I know, Charlotte. I'm sure it will be okay. It's probably just a glitch that Dr. Moon hasn't found yet. Give her time," a voice told her soothingly. I knew Anita was a good friend. While I had been unconscious as far as they were concerned, Anita had been comforting the girl I thought of as my eldest daughter.

"But there is no glitch! I would have noticed it. It's like… It's like she wasn't even there at all. Anita, what if she doesn't every wake up."

I figured that was the most appropriate time to enter the room and alleviate her fears. "Well, I would say that's not a worry anymore now, is it?"

Charlotte and Anita both looked at me in surprise, but the younger looking one of them bolted out of her seat first, crushing me in a hug. I of course returned it. We sat there in an embrace for a few moments, her refusing to let go of me. When she finally did, Anita hugged me as well.

"You scared us, River."

"I know. I'm sorry," I apologized to them both.

"What happened? No one's ever had anything like that happen to them before!" Charlotte informed me. "We were so scared. Jimmy and Lia were crying."

"Where are they?" I asked immediately, wanting to reassure them I was okay.

"I called Dave and he took them to school," Charlotte responded.

"And then she called me," Anita added.

"You didn't go to school with them?" I asked.

"No. River, stuff like this isn't supposed to happen. Not in the programing. I told you when you got here this was a good place now."

"I know. It wasn't the computer that kept me asleep," I told them as I began to pour myself some tea.

Apparently, they had already made a pot. And if I was going to have to explain everything that had happened to me the night before, I was going to need this tea. With the cup of tea in hand, I sat at the kitchen table and they followed suit.

"What do you mean 'It wasn't the computer that kept you asleep'?" Charlotte asked.

I gave a half smile. "It was my choice. There was something I needed to do."

"Something important in a dream is more important than scaring your children?" Anita was having a hard time believing that I would do that. And if it had only been a dream she would have correct.

"It wasn't just a dream." I looked at Charlotte before asking, "You said it was like I wasn't here."

"Did you get out?" she questioned in amazement.

"In a way."

"Where'd you go?"

"And what could have been more important than your children?" Anita asked again.

I knew what I was about to say would come as a complete surprise to the two of them, but I didn't care. They deserved the truth and the truth was, "Making sure that my husband didn't die."

Neither of them said a word, but Anita's mouth dropped just slightly and Charlotte's eyes widened. And of course, I took a casual sip of tea.

"What do you mean, 'your husband'?" Anita asked finally. "You've never mentioned being married."

"Yes, well, there was really no need to, was there?" I pointed out. "I had a family in here, and it wasn't like I was going to be able to see him again. At least, I didn't think so."

"River, we were on that ship for four days! And I saw your file, there was no mention of a next of kin!"

"He's not the easiest person to get a hold of."

"Did Mr. Lux know about him?" Anita asked.

"Why does that matter?" I snapped.

"Well, who else is going to tell him?"

My mind immediately recalled the Doctor, the younger version of him, chained up begging with me not to surrender my life in order to save. I thought of my Doctor, the one who still could barely look at me because it hurt too much, even centuries later.

"He doesn't need to be told," I finally answered.

"You can't just let him think you left!"

"He knows what happened to me and why I did it. Even if he hates that it happened."

I saw Anita come to realization, and I had no doubt that I knew exactly what she was about to ask. She only confirmed it when she spoke. "How did you die? We all just assumed that the Vashta Nerada got to you, too, and the Doctor found a way to upload you."

"No," I smiled and I looked at Charlotte. "I chose to die in the Library. What was the last thing you remember?"

"Going down to the core of the planet. They finally got to me when you asked the Doctor how we could help CAL. I assumed he figured out a way."

"He did," I assured her. "He was going to let Charlotte use his memory space. He wouldn't have survived the transfer. So, I knocked him out, handcuffed him to a pole with both of our sonic screwdrivers out of reach and then used my own memory space. But he couldn't just let me die. The Doctor I know in his future had given me that screwdriver. My best guess is that he had put a neuro-relay into it, just like in the suits. I was uploaded to the computer, just like a file."

Anita looked at me in amazement. Whether it was because I had willing risked my life for the Doctor's or because I had kept the Library from self-destructing, I don't know. But it was odd seeing her look at me in such a way. I was still the same River Song she had always known, but it looked like she was seeing me differently.

Charlotte broke the silence, "How did you know that your husband was in trouble?"

"His friends and I established a telepathic link before I died, so that if we are all ever asleep at the same time we have the capability to meet. They informed me he was in danger."

"Is he okay?"

I smiled. "Yes, thankfully. His friend risked her life in order to save his." My grin faltered as I realized that I didn't know whether the Doctor saved Clara or not. I hoped he did.

"You don't seem to be surprised he was in life-threatening trouble," Anita commented.

"You don't seem surprised that I made a telepathic link with people outside of the computer," I pointed out. "Besides, it's not the first time someone's tried to kill him."

"He has enemies then?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, but he has many more friends," I told her, not wanting them to get the wrong impression of the Doctor. "He's a good man."

"How many people have tried to kill him?"

"More than I care to count," I admitted.

"Any of them come close?"

Immediately, I flashed back to the beach by Lake Silencio. "Yes."

It must have been evident on my face that I was thinking back to a specific person, because they both asked in unison, "Who?"

"A woman who had no choice in the matter."

"How do you not have a choice in killing someone?" Charlotte asked, a little angry by the thought.

"She had been taken out of her mother's arms only a few weeks after being born. Raised to hate and kill my husband."

"How could her parents let that happen?" Anita asked in shock. "Allow someone to take your child-"

"There was no 'letting' involved. Her parents were his friends. And because of that, the child was targeted," I defended quickly. I decided to let them know why I was so important to the Silence movement. "Their daughter had been conceived in the time vortex. The atron energy had altered her DNA slightly, making her stronger, smarter, more durable, and possess the ability to regenerate."

"How do you manage to do that in the time vortex?" Anita half laughed. "Vortex manipulators don't exactly provide rooms."

"But the TARDIS does," I smiled.

"TARDIS? That's a Time Lord technology, isn't it?" Anita immediately questioned. "I thought they were all dead."

"All but one," I smiled. I looked over at Charlotte who I could see scanning through all of the books inside her head. When she found the information she was searching for, she looked up at me.

"The Doctor is the last know Time Lord."

I smiled and nodded. Anita just looked shock. "The Doctor? The man that met us in the Library?"

"Yes, he's always good about coming when he's called. Even if he doesn't know who sent the message apparently," I admitted.

Anita's face showed when she finally put almost everything together. "He's your husband. That's why you were so hell-bent on trusting him."

"He deserves all my trust. And by some miracle, I earned his."

"I don't see any record of a woman killing him," Charlotte added to the conversation. Apparently she had still been scanning.

"That's because the Doctor had her record expunged."

"What was her name?" Anita asked, curious about this mysterious woman.

"Her parent named her Melody Pond."

If Charlotte had still been scanning, she stopped then and looked straight at me. "When I was trying to find names for Lia and Jimmy, one of the girls who was in a lot of your memories was named Melody Pond."

"Yes, I would hope so. It would be rather unusual to not be in any of your own childhood memories," I agreed with a slight laugh.

"Wait, you're Melody Pond?"

I smiled as my only response.

"Okay, River," Anita sighed as she rubbed her face. "I think I need to hear this story from the beginning. Because so far it sounds like you were conceived in the time vortex, kidnapped when you were a few weeks old and trained to kill the Doctor who you ended up marrying."

"That's only a very small fragment of my life. The story is much more impressive."

"Go ahead, then," Charlotte told me. "Tell us."

"All of it," Anita added.

"You want my life story?" I checked. "You want me to tell you everything I can remember?"

"Yes," Charlotte answered simply.

I couldn't help but smile as I began to tell my tale. "Like most people, I don't remember much from my early childhood. At least, not the first one. I know I was alone most of the time, or thought I was. Despite being isolated, I was taught one thing. He was the enemy, the perfect warrior. His name alone could turn armies around, because if you faced his wrath then you would face Hell. He had destroyed worlds on a whim and killed those who fought against his will. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted and never apologized. He tore families apart and left those who trusted him behind without so much as a goodbye, assuming that he didn't kill them. The greatest civilizations had joined together to defeat him by trapping him in a prison impossible to escape that sparked a legend that spread through the cosmos, and he got out anyway.

And I was the perfect weapon against this man. I would be the one to kill him…"