34) That Woman is My Daughter
Mar. 10th, 2014 05:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starjargon"So Amelia, I take it you two weren't really in Thailand all that time, were you?" asked Tabetha
as she went through her daughter's house, helping the newlywed clean and arrange her recently new home. "Mind, I know you were probably with that Doctor of yours. Though, time travel- not sure I believe it yet. It seems so highly unlikely."
"What about space travel, that's what I'd like to know," input her father as he helped Rory move a sofa for the fourth time.
"It seems irresponsible to just run around the universe like that on your honeymoon, who knows what could have happened to you two?"
They'd had this conversation too many times for Amy or Rory to vocally participate much anymore.
"Tabetha, let them be. They're young, in love. The universe literally at their fingertips. Now's the time to be a little crazy and irresponsible."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. Though, I wouldn't complain if there was something here to keep you grounded. Someone here, I should say."
"Now, Tabetha-" began Augustus, with an air of someone who'd had this conversation many times before.
"I'm just saying, Auggie, they've been married nearly a year now. Have you two given any thought to when you'd like to start a family?"
Amy looked up to her mother after setting a lamp on a table in the lounge, debating just how much to tell her. She and Rory had come home, broken, not so long before, and her parents had been wonderful despite not knowing why their daughter was always so sad, why her husband sometimes had such a faraway look in his eyes, why their girl would go silent for long periods at unexpected moments.
That was after. After the Silence. After the Flesh. After Demon's Run. After their baby was stolen from their lives. After she appeared, fully grown, right in front of them, both easing and intensifying the pain in their hearts.
That was also before. Before Mels in Berlin. Before River. Before the Sisters and leaving her and accepting their daughter as she would always be for them. Before understanding their baby would never be coming home again.
But now, they'd been back on earth long enough, and enough healing time had passed that thoughts of their baby girl didn't immediately bring them to tears, that River's visits were pleasantly looked- forward to, and that the life that could have been/ would never be was nothing more than an creative memory. Since then, after finally getting settled in, Amy realized there was something they had to tell her parents. Something the oblivious grandparents had every right to know.
She and Rory had debated telling them for weeks now- Amy insisting it was only right her parents know, Rory insisting it would hurt them more than help- that perhaps as family they'd be less receptive of the situation than their friends. She understood the sentiment. Sometimes, when she was least expecting it, she'd physically hurt with missing her baby. She often debated within herself whether or not she should burden others with their pain. But then she'd see her daughter, grown and as magnificent as ever, and couldn't help but believe she was so much better for knowing her, regardless of the ache that accompanied her situation. And she just knew her parents deserved to experience the wonder that was their granddaughter River Song as much as anyone. Even if they did have to grieve a little first. Besides, Amy wanted her once- orphaned Melody to have as much family as possible for the rest of her life.
River was soon to be graduating with her Bachelor's degree from University. She'd sent the invitation to Amy and Rory not too long ago, along with an open space left blank for the number of guests attending. Having missed, in a way- in every way as far as Amy was still concerned, nearly every other important milestone in their daughter's life, Amy and Rory were determined that even if they had to track down a different Doctor and ransom his TARDIS, they would not miss their daughter's graduation. And Amy wanted that invitation to have as large a number attending as possible.
She knew they could never tell Brian, the poor man barely ever left his house; he'd probably combust if he knew even a portion of the truth. But Augustus and Tabetha- they'd been there at the wedding. They'd seen the Raggedy Man for themselves. Her mum had nearly suffocated the Doctor with questions, her dad had stared unbelievingly for far too long than was polite at their alien guest. They had already accepted so much. And, with the Doctor's identity revealed, they'd even stopped questioning her sanity, or the quirky remarks she'd often make.
Amy stared once more at the lamp she'd been setting down, a gift from an older River who knew Amy's decorative tastes far better than Amy herself knew yet. The truth about their lives- the fact that Amy and Rory had actually created a living, breathing, beautiful, remarkable, miraculous person, would far more alter the Pond's than the knowledge they already possessed. This was so much more powerful than finding out that Amy and Rory had in fact been married over a year now, much more transformative than even knowing and accepting life wasn't limited to the small planet which they inhabited. That time travel would one day be possible, and was in fact possible for some people even now. They had a granddaughter.
Amy looked up at Rory, and saw the brief look of pain that always accompanied the "starting a family" conversations, followed by the "this is your choice" look. She looked toward her mother, who was still waiting for one of them to answer her question, before giving her a small smile, and telling her to sit down.
"You too, dad. We need to tell you something. Something- very important."
She went over and grabbed the invitation, noticing Rory had gone to get their photos of baby and young Melody. Tabetha and Augustus both sat together on one of the sofas, Amy and Rory sitting in front of them on seats they'd moved close by.
"What is it, Amy?" asked her mother curiously. "Is something the matter? I know you feel like we're pressuring you, but I just want you two to-"
"No, Mum, shut up- this is important," said Amy hastily, wanting to share with her parents quickly before she lost all courage.
"Mum. Dad. You know we travelled with the Doctor," began Amelia, reaching for Rory's hand for something steady to hold on to, "and you know he can travel in time." Her parents simply nodded, feeling the shift in mood.
"Well, sometimes, with Time Travel, life can get… complicated."
"I'd imagine so," chuckled Augustus, still skeptical about the Doctor, despite all the evidence he'd seen.
"You see, the thing is… Amy and I have been married for longer in our time than in yours. Longer than a full year," interjected Rory.
"Is that all?" said Tabetha, patting Amy and Rory's clasped hands soothingly, "That's nothing to be worried about- you're still in your honeymoon phase, regardless."
"Yes, well, speaking of honeymoons- something may have… happened during ours."
The older Ponds looked between the younger, now half- blushing ones.
"I got pregnant," spit out Amy. "Didn't realize it- well, I suspected once but then… I didn't know. Not until…we didn't know." She put the one treasured photo of her holding her baby in between her parents, letting them see the proof of the life they'd created.
Tabetha stared silently at the image in front of her before Augustus reached with a shaky hand and picked it up, drawing it closer to his face. Tabetha blinked, then moved nearly on top of her spouse trying to get a better look at the baby in the picture. They remained like that for a beat, both speechless as they each tentatively reached out a finger and stroked the cheek of the infant they had yet to meet, before they looked up at their daughter and son- in- law's sad smiles.
"Her name is Melody. Melody Pond," said Amy, now lost in the photo and memory.
"Williams," whispered Rory so, so softly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
The Pond parents lifted their heads, suddenly glancing around as though they expected to find signs of an infant hitherto unnoticed. Finding none, they turned at their daughter's sharp intake of breath.
"There's this organization. A movement. They want the Doctor dead. They built up a whole army to fight him. To destroy him," the pain that suddenly radiated from the couple's eyes was enough to keep Tabetha from interrupting, from demanding to see her grandbaby this instant. She grabbed Augustus' hand tightly, seeing the emotion on Amy and Rory's faces, bracing herself for whatever came next.
"They…"Amy's eyes filled with tears, and she squeezed Rory's leg, looking to him when it became too difficult to continue.
"They took Amy. And our baby. Melody… has time itself flowing through her. Gift of the Doctor's ship because of where she was conceived. They were able to use that to their advantage, to make her more of a match for the Doctor. Someone able to defeat him. They wanted her. They wanted… our daughter… to turn into a weapon. The Doctor and I were able to rescue Amy. But we couldn't save Melody." He held Amy tight to himself, guilt of his failure coming once more to haunt him. Amy closed her eyes, biting back the pure fury of a wronged mother and the anguish of childless arms before she was able to gain control of herself to look at her parents.
The looks of utter horror and sorrow that marred her mother and father's faces made her wish she hadn't done so.
Tabetha gaped, her mouth opening and closing in distress, while Augustus seemed to be alternating between rage and heartbreak.
"There's more," braved Amy, knowing the comfort she could offer would serve not only as a source of great confusion, but of sheer heartache knowing the past couldn't be undone. She tried to smile encouragingly to the completely silent Ponds, unsuccessfully.
"Because of… their biology, when Time Lords- the alien the Doctor is- die, they can change their bodies. Every single cell can reinvent itself, so it looks like a completely different person to who was there before." This thought still stung too much to linger on it, so Amy ploughed ahead quickly, so as to avoid processing her next statement, "Melody died. A couple of times. She grew up without having a proper mum and dad. And her body changed- again and again."
"How-" Tabetha began with tears falling freely from her eyes, "how did she- are you quite sure?"
The half smile Amy gave was perhaps the most encouraging thing she'd been able to muster the whole conversation.
"She found us, Mum. Our Melody found us." Again, Tabetha and Augustus began to look around quickly, hoping for the sound of small, changed feet. Amy continued, unable to bear the hope in their eyes.
"Only, we didn't know her. We couldn't know her. She came to us… a very long time ago."
"Melody Pond…," started Rory, pride and wonder at the mischievous way his daughter had inserted herself into their lives evident in his countenance, "she once wore a different face. A darker face. And," he stared into his in- laws eyes, willing the truth to shine through despite the improbability of his sentence, "she went by the name Melody Zucker."
Disbelief replaced the looks of hopeful confusion on Augustus and Tabetha's faces. They blinked, looking between the two, waiting for the final punchline. Then, Tabetha got angry.
"Think this is funny, do you- to play with our emotions like that? Really, Rory- I expected better of you! To make up these fantastical stories is one thing, but to bring Mels into it, I never would have believed it!"
"Mum, Dad- believe me, we wish this was a story. But it's honestly the truth! Think about it- when was the last time you saw Mels around? She-"
"No! Amelia. I'd never believed you could be so cruel- or so gullible- to believe our baby granddaughter… She's gone, you two. She's not coming back. And to prey on the hopes of a family- starved orphan like poor little Mels- perhaps simple psychiatry wasn't enough- obviously further measures should be taken. Losing your baby- it's enough to make anyone… but don't fret you two, we'll get you the help you need."
Amy was shocked. She'd tried to imagine what her parents' reactions would be, and had tried to prepare as best she could, but now her father had clasped a firm hand on both her and Rory's shoulders as though he was afraid they'd escape or something, and her mother had kept rotating between anger at their "story" or "sick joke," sorrow for baby Melody's fate, and worry over her daughter and her husband's mental health.
"Mum, stop it!" Amy shouted, temporarily halting her mother's rant as she shoved her father's hands away from herself and Rory.
"Now, I know this is a lot to take, but Mels really was our daughter. Our Melody. Until she died. Again. And now," she held out a picture of the four members of Team TARDIS, "she goes by a different name to go with her new face. That woman, right there, really is your grandchild. And she really is our daughter. We saw the change, Mum. With our own eyes. That's our Melody. Your granddaughter. And no matter how much you don't want to believe it, she really is our child. And nothing you can say will change that. And we don't want it to."
"Amy," tried Augustus, sadness in his eyes at his clearly broken daughter- of course, now he knew why she was broken, but that didn't mean it helped.
"Please- just. I know you don't believe it. I know you can't believe it. But Melody is grown up now. You're right, Mum. My baby is not coming back. Ever. But… my daughter is still a part of my life. I'm still a part of hers. Reject the regeneration, forget the Mels thing. Focus on these two things, and these two things only: you have a beautiful, grown granddaughter, and she needs you as much as you need her."
Tabetha and Augustus looked up, tears still falling down each of their faces. Then, Tabetha sighed deeply and shakily inhaled, closing her eyes before reaching for the baby picture Amy had presented them. The silent sobs racked her body, even as she buried her face in her husband's shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her, clutching his wife to his body as they took a moment to mourn the baby they would never meet.
Then they looked up at each other, their watery half smiles matching one another, before they both nodded and caught their breath, then turned simultaneously to look at the photo of the now- grown woman her daughter had claimed as her own.
Their thumbs rubbed gently at this woman's face, the same way they had earlier caressed the baby.
"She looks happy," said Tabetha.
"And that hair! She certainly didn't get that from my side," laughed Augustus unevenly as he reached up to touch his bald pate.
They took a few more moments, both just staring into the two- dimensional eyes of the only grandchild they would ever have, before Tabetha looked up at Amy and Rory, resolve and an edge to her voice that seemed inherent in all Pond family women.
"So," she managed, question and demand in her tone as she met her daughter and son- in- law's equally moist eyes, "when do we meet her?"
Amy smiled at her mother: finally a full, joyful smile, even while she clutched her daughter's graduation invitation tightly in her hand, her heart hopeful- excited to be able to finally offer her Melody the family she always deserved.
