"Mum, I don't know what to do now," Emma says staring at the control panel in front of her.

River places a steady hand on her daughter's back. "Open your mind, my love. Let the TARDIS show you."

Emma closes her eyes and concentrates. Such amazing focus for a six year old, River thinks proudly.

"I need to fix the Omega configurations," Emma says, looking up at her mother with a smile.

"Go on," River encourages. River watches over Emma's shoulder, her daughter's brilliant mind working quickly to correct the TARDIS' route. "Perfect," River whispers, her hand running through Emma's blonde curls.

The Doctor watches his wife and daughter from the doorway of the console room. Daughters of the TARDIS, created in the vortex, with time and space running through their veins. River had confided in the Doctor when she had finally begun to share the few stories she remembered of her childhood with him that she had been shown the untempered schism every night in an attempt to make her more and more time lord. It had comforted River more than anything else she could remember as a child, made her feel at home and at peace.

It's something that the Doctor can't entirely understand, because the enormous power of the untempered schism had terrified him so much that he had run. It had taken centuries of lessons at the time lord academy and centuries of practice to learn the TARDIS. But his ship had taught River in an instant and now the old girl teaches Emma with the same psychic connection.

"Look how clever you are!" the Doctor exclaims, walking into the control room.

Emma beams at her father. "Thanks Daddy."

"It is simply the truth," the Doctor tells his daughter with a bop on the nose.

The Doctor's arms wrap around River's waist from behind, and he plants a kiss on her temple. "Honey, have you seen my blue polka dot bowtie?"

River turns in her husband's arms and presses her lips to the Doctor's ear to whisper, "It was around your wrists last I saw it."

The Doctor's face instantly turns a bright shade of red causing River to giggle with delight. Four hundred years together and she can still make him blush.

"My bad, bad girl."

"Exactly how you like me." River presses her lips to her husband's before telling him, "You aught to go find your bowtie. We're nearly at my parents' house, and it would shock them so to see you without one."

River turns back to Emma when the Doctor walks away. "Are you ready to meet your uncle?"

"Yeah. Do you think he'll like me?"

"Of course Em. You are going to be the best older niece that anyone could ask for. Once he gets a little bigger you can help teach him to read and ride a bicycle."

"I've never held a little baby before."

"That's ok. I'll show you how." River pulls her daughter to her side, giving her a squeeze and a kiss on the crown of her head. "Love you."

"I love you too Mummy."

River grins widely when the Doctor returns to the console room, blue polka dot time around his neck. "Shall we go meet the newest Pond?"

Rory and Amy are too busy cooing over their new three-month-old baby to hear the noise of the TARDIS.

The Doctor spots Rory first. He's wearing a pair of pajamas and mismatched socks and looks like he has barely slept in days. "Hello Ponds!"

"Doctor," Amy says, turning towards where he, River, and Emma are stepping out of the TARDIS. "Oh, I completely forgot that you were all coming today. I'm so sorry! Look at this place. I'll just tidy up a bit."

"That's not necessary," River tells her mother, walking over to get a closer look at the baby fussing in Amy's arms. "Hi there Anthony," River says, stroking his soft hair. "I'm your sister."

"He likes you," Amy says when Anthony quiets immediately.

"You look absolutely exhausted," River tells her mother.

"First week with Anthony. I must say that having an infant is a bit different from having a grown daughter who kicks ass and travels in time."

River laughs at her mother's remark. "Would you like me to take him for a bit? You and Dad look like you could use a shower or a nap."

"Oh no, you just got here. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"I would love to," River says. "It'll give me a chance to get to know my little brother. Believe me, I know how exhausting the first week is." River turns to her daughter, runs her hand through the girl's hair adoringly. "I'm part time lord and having a new baby still wore me out. You should go have that nap. The Doctor, Emma, and I can take care of Anthony for a bit. I promise."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," River says, reaching out to take the baby from Amy's arms. Anthony fusses for a second before settling into his sister's arms. "He'll be just fine," River tells Amy.

"Thanks," Amy says, too exhausted to refuse the offer of a few minutes without a baby in her arms.

"Thanks River," Rory adds, clasping River's arm as he passes her. "Come on Amy."

Once Amy and Rory have left the room, the Doctor bounces over to River like an excited child. "Hello little Pond!"

River sits down on the couch with the Doctor trailing behind. "Come here Em. Your uncle wants to meet you." River taps the spot beside her, and Emma sits down to look at the baby.

"He's so little."

"Just like you were," the Doctor says, reaching across River and Anthony to bop Emma on the nose.

Emma reaches for Anthony's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Emma. I'm your niece."

"You two are going to get on famously," the Doctor says. "You can teach him all about time and space."

"When do humans start talking?" Emma asks.

"He won't start talking for a few more months," the Doctor replies. "They're a little slower to develop than time lords."

"And time ladies," Emma adds.

"And time ladies, my little time princess."

The Doctor had declared it Pond family movie night. They had made it through a movie and a half before Emma had fallen asleep with her head in River's lap and her legs sprawled across the Doctor. The first movie had been Indiana Jones – River's choice, she loves a good kick ass archeologist. Next was Stuart Little, and really it shouldn't have affected Amy. It's a cartoon about a mouse, but there was an orphanage, and she can't stop her brain from wondering what it did to her son to spend the first three months of his life in an orphanage.

"What's wrong Amy?" Rory asks when the movie ends and he notices Amy chewing on her lip.

"I'm being stupid."

"Tell me."

"I'm just wondering about what this little guy went through when he was in the orphanage," she says looking down at the baby in the bassinet beside her. "I mean, he spent three months there Rory. You hear all those stories about kids who grew up in orphanages and were never quite right."

"He was only in the orphanage for a couple of months Amy. Those stories are about kids who spend their whole childhoods in those places."

River watches Amy's expression darken. "Doctor," River whispers. "Do you mind putting Emma to bed?"

"Of course not," the Doctor replies looking down at his sleeping daughter. He reaches over to River, his hand cupping her cheek and pulling her to him for a kiss. River smiles, her forehead pressed to the Doctor for a moment before separating from her husband so that he can pick up Emma. She stirs only slightly, wrapping her arms around father's neck. The Doctor stands and presses a soft kiss to his little girl's forehead as he walks up the stairs.

River watches the Doctor as he leaves the room, the sight of him with their daughter bringing a smile to her face as it always does. Once they disappear from view, River turns back to her parents.

Amy's eyes are shining with tears as she stares at River. "Mother," River says, moving to sit next to her.

River exudes confidence and wisdom beside Amy, and Amy can still see so clearly in her mind the orphanage in Florida where River had grown up, the awful writing on the walls, the bare room where her daughter had lived the first eight years of her life. "You spent your childhood in an orphanage," Amy whispers.

"One of my childhoods," River says lightly.

"And then the other with a foster family. They worked for the Silence didn't they?"

"Yes."

"You went through so much worse than just an orphanage, I know that River. Even if you won't tell me what they did to you, I know it was horrible. Don't deny it."

"I'm not," River replies as she reaches out to take Amy's hand. "You also know that I'm happy now. You helped me be ok, and you will help Anthony too."

"Sometimes I still have dreams about saving you," Amy tells River tearfully. "Instead of shooting at you in that warehouse, I grab you and bring you back to the TARDIS and never let you go."

"Mother." River sighs. "It's the past."

"That stopped meaning anything the moment the TARDIS showed up in my yard."

"You have a baby now, and he is absolutely beautiful."

It does nothing to console Amy, however. "I never got to hold you, not really."

River doesn't know what to do; she's never been one for big speeches. She's tried a few times, but it's more her husband's domain really. She pulls Amy to her for a hug. "You can hold me any time you want. I know it won't give you back the time you never had with me as a baby, and I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Amy tells her daughter, but River feels sick, because she still wonders whether she should have let her husband find her so many years ago.

The Doctor finds River sitting on the bench in backyard. Her shoulders are hunched, and he knows that means that she's trying her hardest not to cry. The Doctor sits beside River, and he wants so badly to make up for each moment she spent alone, to give her the same comfort she gives him each day.

"Sometimes I wonder if I should have let you save me when I was a baby."

"What happened?" the Doctor asks, wrapping his arm around River's shoulders.

"Were we selfish? To choose our own happiness over theirs."

"I don't even think it would have been possible to rewrite your childhood. There are too many fixed points in your timeline."

River leans forward, resting her face in her hands. "I hurt Amy and Rory so much," she whispers.

"No you didn't. If anyone is to blame for what happened to you it's me River. I'm the reason that you suffered, the reason that your parents didn't get to raise you."

River shakes her head at her husband's guilt and settles herself against his chest.

The Doctor loves the tickle of his wife's hair against his face as it blows in the spring breeze. "Do you remember what you told me when I begged you to let me save you?" he asks. River nods. Even though it was two centuries ago, she still remembers their fight that day. She had insisted that this was her choice to make. She had so little say in her early life, and she would be damned if she let someone make one more decision for her. She loved her life, and no one would take it from her. "You were right then."

"I usually am," River replies lightly, but the Doctor can as always see the pain underneath the teasing.

"It's your life and your choice. All your parents want is for you to be happy."

"But my happiness is at their expense."

"They love you River. Exactly as you are now. And that woman would cease to exist if we went back and rewrote your timeline." A shiver runs through the Doctor at the thought. "The idea of writing you out of existence is unthinkable dear."

Just the sentence makes the Doctor tearful, and that is a sight that never fails to break River's hearts. "Hush now sweetie," River says, hands moving to cup the Doctor's face, gazing at him with the same incredible love that the Doctor has always seen in River's eyes. She presses her lips to his, and the feel of her is warm and comforting and it makes his whole body hum.

"Bed," River moans against him, and the Doctor springs from the bench, pulling River behind him, her giggles ringing out through the yard.

They practically collide with Rory, who is standing in the doorway to the house. "Sorry," Rory says, not expecting the Doctor and River's talk to have taken this turn.

"You all right Rory?" the Doctor asks.

"Can I have a minute with my daughter?"

The Doctor looks at his wife and she nods her permission.

"Thank you Doctor," Rory says as the other man walks up the stairs.

River and Rory walk inside and settle on the couch in the living room.

"It's all rubbish you know?" Rory says.

"What is?"

"Everything you just told the Doctor." River looks at her father with a surprised smile. "Sorry," Rory continues. "I might have listened in just a bit."

"It's all right."

Rory suddenly looks at River completely seriously. "I never want to hear you say that you feel guilty for living a life that makes you happy again." River wants to tease Rory for his stern father act, but oh, the tears are welling in her eyes and she isn't sure if she will be able to speak without beginning to cry in earnest. "I know that you had a terrible childhood, and if you are willing to endure that to have everything you do now, then you must be happy."

River nods. Her hearts feel so very full of love for Rory. He's always been the stable one, the one who stayed strong for Amy, the mature and rational one. It's a role that River fills in her marriage, and though she never regrets it, she loves having a father who can be strong for her too. "I am very happy."

"What more could a father want than for his child to be happy?" River is properly crying now, and Rory reaches forward to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I wouldn't change a single thing about you River. You are my daughter and my best friend, and if rewriting your timeline means changing who you are then I would never want that. I know that our relationship isn't exactly normal, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I'm sorry if you didn't know that before."

"I do know. It's just…"

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "Amy just wishes that she could have made things better for you, that's all."

"You both did. You were the first people in my life who cared for me."

"Always River."

"I know Dad."

"Hi honey," the Doctor says, looking up from his book when River enters the bedroom.

River smiles softly at him. She wastes no time at pulling off her trousers and jumper, leaving them in a pile next to the bed. No matter how cold it is, River refuses to sleep in more than a tank top and knickers. When the Doctor had asked River about her apparent hatred of pajamas she had admitted with a bit of embarrassment that she longed for the feel of her skin pressed against his body.

River slips into bed next to the Doctor. She wraps her arms around his chest, her feet nudging at the bottoms of his pajamas and seeking the warmth of his skin. The Doctor smiles as his wife nuzzles into him, practically purring into his neck.

He can feel her calm next to him, feel the sadness and the worry slip away. Her thoughts echo in his head: her love for him, the peace she feels with him beside her. It still brings tears to the Doctor's eyes. River knows him, all of him, even the very worst, and still she trusts him completely. She opens her mind to him freely, and he thinks it may be the most wonderful gift he has ever received.

The Doctor wraps his arms around his wife, his hands snaking under her shirt to caress the soft skin of her back. "Are you ok?"

She answers without words. Her mind reaching for his. She repeats his name over and over in his mind, a word that he had gone so very long without hearing, one that he had never in his life heard with this kind of love.

"River," the Doctor sighs contentedly. "You are magnificent."

River comes down the stairs the next morning to find Amy sitting at the kitchen table giving Anthony a bottle.

"What time did he wake you?" River asks, sitting down next to Amy.

"Five. But he only woke up once last night, and Rory fed him then."

"He's so beautiful."

"Yeah he is. Just like you were. I'll never forget holding you in my arms. My sweet Melody."

"I'll never forget it either," River replies, grateful that her time lord memory allows her to give her mother this bit of comfort.

And Amy is looking at River, broken hearted and pensive once more, and oh how River wishes she could take that away. She hopes that her brother will be able to soothe their mother's pain. When Amy speaks, her voice trembles lightly. "The Doctor told me something once. That life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good doesn't erase the bad. But the bad doesn't erase the good either. Your pile of good is bigger, isn't it River?"

River laughs brightly, and Amy loves the way her daughter's face lights up when she laughs. Even if this face isn't supposed to resemble Amy or Rory, Amy could swear that her daughter has Rory's smile. "I told the Doctor that, you know?"

"Really? Could you…would you tell me what you were talking about?" Amy asks. She considers the Doctor her best friend, but she knows that he shares only small pieces of his life with her.

"We were talking about the Time War. It was a promise that I made him: that I couldn't take the bad away, but that I would spend my life trying to add to the pile of good things."

Amy smiles proudly. "You're a good wife. He's lucky to have you."

"He made me the same promise. And he's kept it."

"Oh, he'd better or he'll have to answer to me."

River chuckles before her face turns serious again. "You've added to my pile of good things too. You and Dad both. More than I think you know."

"You've added to mine too, River," Amy says reaching out for her daughter's hand. Her brave River, always the strong one. "So much."

"And Anthony will add to it too," River says, smiling at the baby.

"Have you met him in the future?" Amy asks curiously.

"Just once. Before I found a way to get back to you."

"So when you encouraged me to adopt it was because you knew I already had?"

"I knew it would make you happy. You're going to raise a good man."

"I don't know how to thank you, River."

"Best not to try," River replies. "You still haven't figured out how to thank me for you and Dad getting together."

"You have to admit that one was a bit self-serving."

"I suppose it was," River says, her eyes landing back on Anthony, who has finished feeding and is looking content in his mother's arms. "I think it worked out well for all of us. Wouldn't you agree Anthony?"

"Don't you start insisting that you speak baby too!"

"Oh, that's utter rubbish. The Doctor doesn't speak baby. Though he may have been reading my thoughts at Demon's Run, because I'm certain that I would have made a crack about his bowtie even then."

"You two really are perfect for each other."

"His bespoke psychopath," River says, smiling fondly. She is still proud of herself for reclaiming the moniker, for creating a loving nickname out of a painful history.

"River, you're not a psychopath!"

"I know Mum. Only teasing. What do you say we take Anthony for a walk? It's a lovely morning."

"That sounds nice. A walk with my kids." Amy glances up at the stairs when she hears footsteps. "Look who's awake."

Emma walks into the room, her eyes heavily lidded with sleep, and settles herself on her mother's lap. "Good morning my love," River says before pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm," Emma says closing her eyes. River's arms wrap tightly around the little girl.

"Grandmum and I were just planning to take a walk with your uncle. Do you want to come?" Emma curls further into River's neck. "You don't have to. You can go back to bed or wake Daddy up. He slept far too much last night."

"No, I want to come with you."

"Go get your coat and brush your teeth then."

"Muuummm." Emma whines.

"You can fly the TARDIS, but brushing your teeth is too difficult?" River teases, making Emma giggle and stand up. "That's my girl." River pulls Emma back down for a loud kiss to her cheek. "Now go get ready."

"She's amazing," Amy muses as she watches her granddaughter leave the room. "I might need you to give me some tips on how you do it."

"Of course, but I don't think you'll need it Mother." Amy laughs then. "What?"

"We're going to raise our kids together."

"Too strange for you?" River asks.

"We got drunk together as teenagers. I don't see why this would be any stranger."

"We do strange very well in this family, don't you think?" River asks. "You're in for quite a ride Anthony Williams."