Lost In Remnants

When You Look At Me

River Song:

Oh, this had to be good.

What on Earth was Rory Williams doing wandering the streets of Old New York town by himself at night? Where was my brother in law, or his wife? Depending on when this was for him, where the hell was El?

I followed him for a few blocks, just to be sure this wasn't some elaborate trap, before he eventually saw me, so I played up to it. Cherubic blue grey eyes and all smiles. "I went to get coffee's for the Doctor, Amy and Ellody." Oh, of course. Not quite my El, but hopefully she knew how different I was from Alys. Plants were not my thing, but somehow I got one to survive. "Hello, River."

"Hello, Dad."

"Where am I? How the hell did I get here?"

Uh oh. The people following me had caught up. "I haven't the faintest idea, but you'll probably want to put your hands up."

He saw now, the man pointing a gun behind him so raised his hands as another came up behind me. And here I thought I was the PI, not them, finding people was my job. "Melody Malone?"

Dad stared at me in shock. "You're Melody?"

Before I could remind him that he named me, after myself, a limousine pulled up. "Get in."

"Come on, Rory. Best stick together until help arrives." I smiled, getting in as a door was opened for me. "I don't like the idea of you wandering about late at night anyway."

They pushed him in anyway as I checked my lipstick in my compact. I'd enjoyed getting into character here, working as a Private Eye in New York, 1930's, but something told me the Doctor would have something to say about it. At least I didn't have to worry about Ellie, she shouldn't care much about me in general. "What is going on?"

How could I know? I got collected off the street, same as you. "You didn't come here in the TARDIS, obviously."

"Why?"

"He couldn't have." I smiled slyly, enjoying teasing my brother in law, even though he wasn't here for it. "This city's full of time distortions. It's be impossible the land the TARDIS here. Like trying to land a plane in a blizzard. Even El and I couldn't do it together."

"So how did you get here?"

The Cheap and Nasty Time Travel I stole back from my wife once she became Ellie. If I couldn't be trusted, neither could she as a 'Sebacean'. "Vortex Manipulator. Less bulky than a TARDIS. A motorbike through traffic. You?"

"I'm not sure."

Oh, I had suspicions, but I couldn't voice them as we reached our destination, getting shown into a house full of antiques. Well, now I was truly in my element, what with being a Professor of Archaeology, and I recognised a vase instantly. "Ah. Early Quin Dynasty, I'd say."

"Correct." A new voice told me, though I knew I was, and let me see him. "Are you an archaeologist as well as a detective."

No, I was a detective as well as an archaeologist, get it right.

"Early Quin, just as you say. You're very well informed."

I hadn't seen that many locks on a door since I last looked in on Ellody's Starmyst clock tower. She wasn't scared, she couldn't be, but she was wary. "And you're very afraid. That's an awful lot of locks for one door."

Dad had seen what I had, only I didn't need a translation Matrix. I'd been taught the language by the locals. "River, I'm translating."

"It's a gift of the Remembrance's TARDIS. It hung around even though She didn't."