A/N: Oh my gosh guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated. You wouldn't believe the two weeks I've been having. I've entered the last five weeks of school so I have to focus hard to keep my grades up… which is so far, much harder than it looks. So please bear with me, and thank you all so much for being so patient with me.

Special thanks to Guest, Hog Draconis, and Miss Alison for reviewing : ) You guys make my day every time.

Please enjoy Chapter 11~!

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John knew he was being an idiot. The next week passed too slowly for his comfort. Every minute felt like an hour, and every hour felt like a day. And it didn't help with his phone lighting up with a new text message every other hour.

River was still angry. But she wasn't the silent type. That's what most people got wrong. He knew how people saw them. He knew what they thought. River was often closed about her emotions and yes, was always in it for the wild ride, but she was still fairly tight-lipped in public and was always sporting that famous catchphrase, "Spoilers!"

John, on the other hand, was wild and riding right along with her. He never shut his mouth in public and always seemed like he was ready to go off the deep end. So it was only natural that Amy, along with the rest of his employees, was surprised when John took the vow of silence while River wouldn't shut up.

How the tables turn when a couple enters strife.

The week didn't go any better for Amy. She didn't say anything, but he could see it in her eyes every time Rory called, every time she had to go out and it didn't have to do with work.

She was hiding something. John had a few guesses as to what it was, but he didn't like the truth to any of them so he said nothing and continued to bury himself in his work. It was better that way, he tried to tell himself. Better for both of them. So the week passed mostly in silence and forced friendly discussion.

It was odd for John. He was used to ignoring his problems, or just running around them or avoiding them altogether. But it was strange having a partner in crime. Two people living under one roof, both pretending nothing was wrong when clearly everything was spinning out of control.

They both pretended it had to do with John's pressing deadline. He only had a week left now. He'd finished half the line, but as the clock continued to tick on, it only made them both more anxious to finish.

The run through was in six days. The presentation was in seven. There was so little time… And yet John still found ways to put off the hard part. Of everything.

John looked down as another text lit up the screen of his phone, but quickly ignored it, even as it continued to rumble in his pocket. Amy must have noticed. Of course she noticed. But she said nothing and continued to try on another dress from the line with the help of Jenny and Vastra.

"Are you going to get that?" Vastra asked in exasperation, apparently noticing as well. Amy glanced at John through the mirror and John quickly looked away.

"It's not important," John lied, far more easily than he should have, and buried his nose in another design.

"It must be, if she won't stop trying to—"

"It's not your concern!" John snapped, instantly regretting it when Vastra's eyes widened in shock. Jenny was playing with a fold on Amy's dress, pretending she was somewhere else. Amy was watching him with serious concern. It made John even more uncomfortable, and irritable.

"I'm sorry," John muttered and ran a hand through his hair.

"Doctor, if there's something I can do," Vastra said, her voice more gentle this time. John shook his head hard and tried to focus on his design, which was growing more irritating by the second.

"Forget it," John replied with thinly veiled frustration as he pulled out his phone and turned it off

He stood abruptly and picked up the design, ignoring the surprised looks of his companions.

"I'm stepping out. Don't wait up." John said and tried not to growl as he stormed out of the room and let the door slam closed behind him.

He made it around two bends before he heard sharp, high heels clicking on the hardwood floor behind him. John groaned and stopped. Now, really, he thought to himself bitterly. Her persistence was stunning, if not incredibly irritating. But he shouldn't have been surprised. It was only a matter of time with her before she finally said something.

John turned around slowly and glowered as Amy hurried up to him, trying to be gentle with the white jeweled dress. It was the same one John had drawn two weeks previously. She looked incredible, and it wasn't just because of the dress. Her spirit fit it so perfectly, the dress may have just been a trivial detail to her entire makeup.

"They weren't done," John tried to say, but the anger he felt earlier was quickly disappearing the longer he looked at her determined features. He could bet the entire presentation she had no idea how she could affect people.

"And?" Amy replied, her tone commanding and questioning at exactly the same time. How she managed it, John had no idea. But for once, he wasn't in the mood to try and figure it out.

"And, go back and let them finish," John retorted weakly, the grip on his design tightening defensively.

"And what if I say no?" Amy said, crossing her arms.

John huffed. He really wasn't in the mood for games today. Hell, he hadn't been in the mood all week. And that was impressive, even for him. He was really beginning to miss the old days of making everything fun and exciting. But this… he was just too tired. It seemed like it was becoming a trend with him ever since he moved to Venice. Tired, all the time… John just wanted it to end already.

"What do you want?" John replied instead, unwilling to go along this time, even if it might have saved him the trouble.

"I want you to talk to River. Honestly, it's like you're punishing the poor girl."

"Did she ask you to speak to me?"

"No."

"Then why is it your concern?" John snipped, shoving his free hand in his pocket and turning to walk away. Amy frowned in his peripheral vision and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back to his previous spot.

"Because we're friends, and you've been acting mopey all week. So out with it! What are you two fighting about?"

John stared at her blankly until she let go and he rolled his shoulders.

"Like I told Vastra, it's none of your concern. Friends or not, this is between me and River," he replied finally. Amy's eyebrows knit together and her jaw tightened.

"The way you're acting about it, 'this' may as well be between River and a wall."

"Are you calling me a wall?"

"I'm calling you indifferent and rude."

And not ginger, John thought to himself with a dry chuckle. Amy heard the sound and raised an eyebrow.

"You think it's funny?" She asked. Her voice was dangerous and slow, like a predator circling prey. John bit the inside of his cheek and tried to reign in his thoughts.

"Old joke, sorry," he said in simple explanation, but when she opened her mouth to press for more information, he quickly stepped back and held up a hand.

"I may be many things, but indifferent? Please."

"If you cared, you wouldn't be ignoring River like this! Does she deserve that kind of treatment?"

"No," he replied so quickly it surprised both John and Amy.

He flinched and looked down.

"No, she doesn't," he echoed, more firmly this time.

"Then why ignore her?"

Because then I can't ignore the truth, John thought to himself bitterly, but refused to say it. If he couldn't reveal this part of himself to River, then he wasn't about to give it to Amy. He was certain of that much.

"You're hiding," Amy said softly, gently. John shivered and closed his eyes, trying to block out the kindness she was trying to give.

"You don't have to hide from your feelings. You don't have to tell me everything, but you at least owe it to River to be honest with her. If you can't do that, how do you expect your relationship to go on?"

John frowned and glared at her, a sudden anger taking hold in him.

"Hiding? What about you?" He asked firmly, the coldness in his words making him hurt inside. "You lecture me about hiding from River but aren't you doing the same with Rory? Don't pretend you don't know. I've seen the way you look at your phone when he calls, or when you go out to meet him. You're hiding something from him to, and if you're going to tell me to get over my emotions and pretend that you're just fine, then I won't listen."

Amy looked stricken. John's back straightened in an effort to make himself seem taller, stronger. Less like he'd just hit himself in the gut. Whether it helped or not, Amy was angry. Her eyes flashed and her body tensed. She looked like a goddess, or a lion, ready to lash out and destroy her enemy. And John felt dead inside for causing it.

"That makes us human," she hissed darkly. "Every one of us hides something, and sure, sometimes it leaks out. But that doesn't mean all of us are brave enough to face it. And I don't know about you, but I'm not as brave as I look. But you… If there's anything you've shone me, it's that you're more daring than I am. And if you can't talk to River," her voice faltered for a moment and her eyes shone with unshed tears. John tried to pretend he didn't notice. That he wasn't hanging on to every word.

"If you can't tell River, then how can I ever tell Rory?"

John felt himself flinch and looked down as she turned to stalk away. She'd said her piece, and his answer wasn't necessary. He'd said enough.

So he couldn't understand why he suddenly called out, "But what if she'll get hurt?" Amy paused and looked back at him. Her shoulders were tense and she still looked upset, but she didn't look like she was about to lash out again.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

John shuffled on his feet and took a deep breath. He'd already started, he may as well finish. He just couldn't say why.

"What if, telling River the truth would hurt her?"

"Like, emotionally?" Amy asked carefully, fully turning now and watching him cautiously. It was like she could see right through him. It was like she knew he wasn't talking about something as simple as emotional difficulties. It was bigger than that. And she was starting to realize that. And it scared John to death.

He didn't answer the question. Instead he continued, "River, Vastra, Jenny. What if it would affect everyone, even you?"

Amy's jaw tightened and she crossed her arms, watching him silently as her eyebrows knit together in thought. John looked down. He was already saying too much, but it felt strange, finally voicing his fears, even if he wasn't giving any real details. It felt… relieving.

"I can't answer that," Amy finally replied, and John felt his shoulders tense. Naturally. Of course she couldn't give him advice on something as serious as this… as important as this…

John nearly jumped when he felt her hand touch his arm, but he didn't pull back. He looked up and was stunned once again by the intensity of her gaze.

"But, if it's that important, you should decide what will hurt her more. Let her carry on in not-so-blissful ignorance while you fall apart, or tell her the truth and do something about whatever's hurting you?"

John frowned and shook his head.

"It's not that simple." And it wasn't. Damnit it really, really wasn't.

"Would she get hurt if you kept lying to her?" Amy asked. John opened his mouth to reply, but she quickly cut him off.

"No, really think about it. Would she get hurt if you kept lying to her?"

His jaw tightened and he looked down, thinking it over. Deep down, he knew she had a point. Yes, of course she would get hurt if he lied to her. And not just because the truth was still working in silence, but because John's silence was worse than the truth. And either way, it could destroy not just River, but everyone he cared about.

The truth was too important.

"Thank you," John murmured, finally nodded and taking Amy's hand in his own. "You're right. I need to talk to her."

Amy didn't look pleased, but she didn't look unhappy with his answer either. She looked serious and unyielding. John felt grounded just looking at her.

"When will you talk to her?" Amy asked. John shrugged.

"Tonight I'm free."

"You should talk to her now," Amy replied instead. John felt his heart constrict at the thought, his hand tightening around hers instinctively.

"But… the deadline," John tried.

"Vastra and Jenny can handle you being gone for a few hours. Besides, we've got enough to work on in the meantime. You and River are more important right now."

John smiled at her in light amusement.

"And what about you and Rory? Will any truth come out between you two?"

She bit her lip and frowned.

"Sometime soon, just not right now."

"Fair enough," John said, letting go of her hand to reach for his phone.

He tried to ignore how cold the phone felt in his palm compared to Amy's hand as he pressed the numbers, refusing to look at her before he lost his courage.

As the number dialed, he finally looked up at Amy and offered what he hoped was a winning grin. She smiled back easily and he instantly felt ten pounds lighter. Maybe it wouldn't be as terrible as he thought.

"John?" River's voice finally came over the speaker, and John felt those ten pounds come crashing back down again. Okay, maybe just a bit terrible after all.

"Are you available to talk now?"

"Of course, sweetie."

~(*)~

Amy left John in the hallway to make plans with River in peace. As much as she'd wanted to stay and support him, she could tell from his expression when River picked up that he needed some privacy to work out whatever it was that was bothering him so much.

Hopefully, it would even lighten up his mood a bit. He'd been acting depressed the entire week. She knew it had something to do with River and their fight, but she also had a feeling it was more than that. There was something causing their fight, and whatever it was had been eating away at John since he first moved in. Even Amy could tell that much.

But now that it was finally being dealt with, Amy didn't know how to feel. She imagined she should be happy, relieved even. But John's words worried her. What did he mean by the truth hurting River? Hurting Vastra, Jenny, even Amy herself? What truth could possibly be so terrible that he was afraid of telling the person he loved?

Amy felt honored that John cared enough about Amy that he actually told her one of the reasons he was afraid of telling the truth. But honestly, Amy didn't know if it made her happy or nervous.

She was glad that he trusted her, but was John someone Amy could trust? Was he even safe? She'd only met him two weeks ago, and already they'd developed a quick and splendid friendship, but how great was it if Amy didn't know the first thing about him? The most she knew about him was that he had an unnatural obsession with bow ties, was a fashion inventor, jumped headfirst into any adventure, stopped purse thieves, and said absolutely nothing about his feelings.

She bit her lip as she returned to the Green Room and let Vastra and Jenny touch up her outfit.

Amy tried not to think about John, and what he might be telling River. Whatever it was, John was planning on telling it in person. He was only setting up a time and place to meet River so they could have some time to work it through together. And Amy was all for it. Except for the fact that she was still terrified of what the problem was in the first place.

Was it really that bad? Could it affect everyone the way he seemed to suggest it would? Amy couldn't imagine anything that big. At least not with John Smith in the same sentence of it. Sure, the stories she'd heard about him from River suggested he could get into all sorts of trouble if he really wanted to, but what could he possibly get into that would worry him so much?

And that thought continued to bug her for the rest of the hour as the girls continued to work without their often fearless leader.

It was only when Amy's own phone buzzed from the table with a text message from Rory that Amy was snapped out of her thoughts. It was then that Amy knew she and John had both had a point.

The truth was too big to keep hidden. Amy couldn't keep pretending that everything was fine, that she wasn't lying to her boyfriend so he wouldn't worry or react badly. She needed to tell him the truth.

If John could find a way to tell River the truth, then Amy would just have to find a way too.

And it had to be soon.

~(*)~

As John walked down the streets of Venice he tried not to think about his phone call. They'd agreed to meet up at the same café they meant to be at the morning of their big fight. Choosing the spot was ironic, but it was River's favorite spot to talk, or so she said. And who was John to disagree? He wasn't allowed to put up a fight. Not when he was trying to make things right.

So he sucked it up and pushed himself forward, trying not to think about how his knees were going weak and ignoring the harsh pounding in his chest.

This was a bad idea.

But there she was, River Song, in all her glory. She didn't look the least bit fazed or worried. She looked completely calm, in her element, and unwilling to move until she got every answer she came for. And John was seriously rethinking his reasons for coming at all.

This is all Amy's fault, John tried to tell himself. If she had just minded her own business… But it was too late now. River had seen him. She waved at him and he offered a weak smile in return. He walked up and pulled out the chair across from her before carefully setting himself down. Definitely a bad idea, John thought again firmly, almost angry at how forgiving and kind River looked. He didn't deserve it.

"Hello, sweetie." River said with a dazzling smile, reaching out her hand and taking his across the table. John's body tensed and he couldn't even bring himself to smile back.

Remember, he told himself firmly. You're here for a reason. Don't be a coward. What will Amy think?

John bit the inside of his cheek, wondering where that last thought came from, but ignored it as he wrapped his hand around River's and squeezed it tightly.

"River, I'm ready to tell you about that secret. The one that made me want to leave London." She stared at him carefully, clearly filing away every word into her memory so she'd never forget.

"Alright," she replied casually, probably trying to make it easier for him to talk about it. It wasn't helping, but John continued anyway.

"I did something. Something big, and it might have been one of the worst, but most necessary decisions I've ever made in my life."

River stared at him quietly, waiting patiently. John felt like a stone was caught in his throat.

"And I think my family might try to kill me for it."

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A/N: Again, thank you all so much for being patient and bearing with me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review! I love to hear what you guys think : ) Take care!