NLoT: The Same River (Meddler, Eleven, Amy, Sisi)

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"Clearly," the Meddler said, shifting the toddler to his left shoulder, "something more sophisticated than my Infirmary is in order."

He'd just returned from that particular room, where he'd tucked his unconscious wife in to be examined by the various systems of the Infirmary after her ordeal. (And yes, he was perfectly aware that he should be checked out as well, after having been eaten and regurgitated. But he felt fine.) Then he'd checked in on the kids. Morgaine and Ken - both seven - had declared that they were going to make her "get well" cards. Merida, on the other hand, had raced over and grabbed his leg, demanding "up daddy!" until he'd relented.

"Clearly," he continued, "a birthing loom would be ideal. The problem is, the only place I know of to get one is the 'new' Gallifrey. And, given that they seem to want to arrest every single survivor of the War for various Crimes and Derelictions of Duties and Breaches of Protocols and Traditions..."

Meridah started squirming. "Daddy, down!"

"...so the wisdom of invading an alt-time copy of the Homeworld, one that wants to imprison and possibly execute for Retrocausal Genocide you and me both" - that part said to the Doctor, as he was setting Merida back down - "is questionable."

Laughing, Merida raced across the flagstones of the control room and hid behind the console. The Meddler watched her, smiling.

"Still, it would be the best way to restore her pseudo-Gallifreyan physiology. I don't think that even the cloning tanks of Tleilax or the gene-mysticism of the Ordo Biologos - maybe not even the femtoassemblers on New Earth - could do that." He sighed. "And, if we're going to deal with this alien pretender to the Homeworld - and we need to, because they are, in their home timeline, an expansionsit power enforcing peace and order with the barrel of a stazer - we'll be best off if she's as Gallifreyan as possible."

Another sigh, and then he caught the Doctor's eye. "Still, you are - or were, depending on the terms of the ceremony - her husband. It's your call."

[Deleted]

The Doctor had been quiet the whole time that The Meddler tended to his family. He'd had hi arms crossed and he'd been hard at thought. This was a mess, but the fact of the matter was they now had the means to extract River from the Library, and give her a proper body again.

Basically, back from the dead.

Really, he'd never expected to come back to this dreadful library, but a lot had happened since the day that he met River, and crossed paths with the Vashta Nerada. And at that, they'd nearly struck again. He had an eye on his old classmate, one didn't just survive that kind of attack without even sniffing a regeneration.

He half listened to The Meddler as he listed out options. Eventually when he directly spoke to The Doctor, he blinked and looked back to his friend of old. A smirk slowly crossed his lips as he suggested the least favorable of their options.

"Now, you and I both know that I won't accept failure when it comes to River. And, suicide missions don't register in our line of work either. Alternative Gallifreyan Looms are our best shot. So, let's get to work on slipping in, using a loom, and getting out before they notice us."

And then, the coup de grace of stupid things The Doctor would suggest that day, "I'd imagine, if they were to expect us to try and use their looms, the one they'd least expect us to be stupid enough to try and break into would be the looms at the House of Lungbarrow."

[Amelia Pond]

In the brief exchange between the Meddler and the Doctor, Amy heard a few things she didn't understand. Like, this woman - Professor Song - was, or would be, the Doctor's wife? And, what the heck were looms? Didn't people use those to make rugs or tapestries...?

What Amy understood perfectly, however, was that there was talk of breaking and entering on an alien planet, in order to bring River back.

"Well... Ye can count me in," Amy volunteered. "Wot can I do?" the ginger asked, not wanting to be left out.

However, Amy already knew more than she should about River Song. So, going forward, Amy either needed to be kept out of the action, or else River would have to give her young mother a crash course in 'Spoilers 101' and warn her to 'play dumb' when they will meet for what should be the first time, at the crash of the Byzantium.

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"Now, you and I both know that I won't accept failure when it comes to River."

"More correctly," the Meddler pointed out, "you won't accept failure. End of discussion." Then he nodded. "But yes, I know. If it were the Dreamweaver, instead of River..." A sigh. "I'd destroy the universe itself, if I had to."

"And, suicide missions don't register in our line of work either. Alternative Gallifreyan Looms are our best shot."

"Of course it is..." the Meddler sighed. "Hopefully, the Dreamweaver will sleep for a few more hours."

"So, let's get to work on slipping in, using a loom, and getting out before they notice us."

The Meddler thought about it. "Slipping in, as you say, isn't that hard. I've done it before. Several times." He hesitated. "Once with this alternate Gallifrey."

He hesitated again. "I'm afraid, however, that we - the Dreamweaver and I - stirred them up quite a bit, when we did. There was, as I recall, an assault on the person of the Keeper of the Orrey of Vertumnus. And a dozen or so Chancellary Guardsmen being moderately to severely injured. And an unauthorized TARDIS launch. Oh, and I demonstrated an ability to utterly vanish from their noospheric sensor nets. By traveling into Gallifreyan history, although I hope they haven't worked that part out...."

And then, the coup de grace of stupid things The Doctor would suggest that day, "I'd imagine, if they were to expect us to try and use their looms, the one they'd least expect us to be stupid enough to try and break into would be the looms at the House of Lungbarrow."

"I don't know about that," the Meddler said, thoughtfully. "I mean, clearly they'd have to spot us, first. And then know why we were there. But, if we grant them that, they might work it out. After all... you are their Lord President."

"Well... Ye can count me in," Amy volunteered. "Wot can I do?" the ginger asked, not wanting to be left out.

The Meddler looked at her speculatively, then glanced back at the Doctor. "Biodatic reinforcement?" he suggested. Then he sighed. "The Doctor is going to be the best equipped of us to answer that, really. He's always been better at improvisational strategy. I, on the other hand, have always preferred agonize over every point of my plans until every detail has a six sigma certainty of success."

Smiling grimly, he raised his hand. His palms and fingerpads, which once glittered silver with inlaid psionic circuitry, were now inked with fine black lines. "We've seen, all too well, what happens when I 'make it up as I go along'."

[Deleted]

"Well... Ye can count me in," Amy volunteered. "Wot can I do?" the ginger asked, not wanting to be left out.

Right. Amelia was here. That, could be trouble some. The Doctor had to be so very careful with this. If he wasn't, Amy's timeline would be a mess, there were already things going on here that were making things pretty messy. The Doctor paused, and then came up with a solution.

"Pond, come here." When she did, he put his finger tips on her temples and said, "You need to trust me here, it's never been more important and it won't ever be more important than it is right now. If you don't do exactly as I say, your timeline could collapse upon itself, and we can't have that."

The Doctor smiled and said, "Fish fingers and custard."

In the time that he'd been rambling nonsense to her, The Doctor had instilled a low level psychic opening into her mind, a temporary thing. The second that Amy got out of his TARDIS and entered the door of his younger self's after this was over, her memory of this excursion would be completely erased.

It was cruel, very, very cruel, and it killed The Doctor to do it, but there was already one Pond that nearly tore time and space apart while trying to help him, her mother didn't need to do it too.

"Biodatic reinforcement?" he suggested. Then he sighed. "The Doctor is going to be the best equipped of us to answer that, really. He's always been better at improvisational strategy. I, on the other hand, have always preferred agonize over every point of my plans until every detail has a six sigma certainty of success."

The Doctor smiled at Amy and let go of her, snapping his fingers and looking at his fellow Time Lord, "Right then, let's have at it. Breaking and entering is one of my favorites." He smirked a bit before looking to the duo, "No room for failure. Get in, use Amelia's DNA as the reactive element and then badabing, badaboom, we have ourselves a River Song."

He looked to Amy and said, "Congratulations Pond, you're going to be a mother again."

[Amelia Pond]

"Pond, come here."

She didn't suspect a thing - no reason to. Amy trusted the Doctor, implicity. Completely. He always had her back, and even now, he was about to do something to her for her own protection. And, she hadn't a clue.

Amy moved to stand in front of her best friend, and he placed his fingertips to her temples and said something quite strange (which wasn't really all that abnormal - he said strange things all the time).

"You need to trust me here, it's never been more important and it won't ever be more important than it is right now. If you don't do exactly as I say, your timeline could collapse upon itself, and we can't have that."

Amy smiled, though she looked a bit lost.

"Just like that? Ye promise?" the ginger asked, thinking that preventing the collapse of her timeline, and perhaps the universe itself, couldn't possibly be so easy.

The Doctor smiled and said, "Fish fingers and custard."

Amy nodded her head ever so slightly, silently agreeing to trust him. She always would, even if he didn't always make sense.

The Meddler looked at her speculatively, then glanced back at the Doctor. "Biodatic reinforcement?" he suggested. Then he sighed. "The Doctor is going to be the best equipped of us to answer that, really. He's always been better at improvisational strategy. I, on the other hand, have always preferred agonize over every point of my plans until every detail has a six sigma certainty of success."

Smiling grimly, he raised his hand. His palms and fingerpads, which once glittered silver with inlaid psionic circuitry, were now inked with fine black lines. "We've seen, all too well, what happens when I 'make it up as I go along'."

The Doctor smiled at Amy and let go of her, snapping his fingers and looking at his fellow Time Lord, "Right then, let's have at it. Breaking and entering is one of my favorites." He smirked a bit before looking to the duo, "No room for failure. Get in, use Amelia's DNA as the reactive element and then badabing, badaboom, we have ourselves a River Song."

"Wait... Wot?" Amy asked. "But... Why my DNA?" She didn't get it. Actually, she couldn't possibly understand - not yet.

This was where things were going to get... Complicated.

[The Doctor] looked to Amy and said, "Congratulations Pond, you're going to be a mother again."

Amy gulped and questioningly squeaked out, "... Again?"

She blinked several times in succsssion and turned her uber-confused face from the Doctor, to the Meddler, and then back again to the Doctor. Amy wasn't quite sure how she felt about this - especially since she wasn't even married, yet - but she still wanted to help, nevertheless.

It took a minute, but Amy realized that the Doctor must have been referencing her future - he had mentioned something about her timeline collapsing on itself, after all, so it only made sense.

"Oh... Huh. I see... Ooo-kay," she fumbled with her words. "Jus' so long as I'm nae yuir mother... or my own... Then I'm good with this," Amy decided, ready to proceed.

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"Well... Ye can count me in," Amy volunteered. "Wot can I do?"

What happened next was... distasteful.

"Pond, come here." When she did, he put his finger tips on her temples and said, "You need to trust me here, it's never been more important and it won't ever be more important than it is right now. If you don't do exactly as I say, your timeline could collapse upon itself, and we can't have that."

Amy smiled, though she looked a bit lost.

"Just like that? Ye promise?" the ginger asked.

"Doctor?" the Meddler asked, starting forward. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor smiled and said, "Fish fingers and custard."

He couldn't see or feel what the Doctor did, but he knew what had happened. He'd set a memory trap, and sooner or later everything that Amy had done from a point of his choosing to a point of his choosing would be sealed away.

"There were better ways to handle that, Doctor," the Meddler glared. "You didn't have to do.." his mouth worked for a moment, and he finally spat out "this. We could have..."

He hesitated, anger draining away as he saw the look on the Doctor's face. And then he sighed. "We're both trapped by what we've become. Aren't we?"

Forcing himself to return to the subject at hand, the Meddler gave Amy a speculative look and then glanced back at the Doctor. "Biodatic reinforcement?" he suggested. Then he sighed. "The Doctor is going to be the best equipped of us to answer that, really. He's always been better at improvisational strategy. I, on the other hand, have always preferred agonize over every point of my plans until every detail has a six sigma certainty of success."

Smiling grimly, he raised his hand. His palms and fingerpads, which once glittered silver with inlaid psionic circuitry, were now inked with fine black lines. "We've seen, all too well, what happens when I 'make it up as I go along'."

The Doctor smiled at Amy and let go of her, snapping his fingers and looking at his fellow Time Lord, "Right then, let's have at it. Breaking and entering is one of my favorites." He smirked a bit before looking to the duo, "No room for failure. Get in, use Amelia's DNA as the reactive element and then badabing, badaboom, we have ourselves a River Song."

"Badabing, badaboom, hey?" The Meddler rolled his eyes. "That easy?"

"Wait... Wot?" Amy asked. "But... Why my DNA?"

From where he stood, the Meddler gestured at the Scotts woman. "Your lock," he said, "your explanation."

He looked to Amy and said, "Congratulations Pond, you're going to be a mother again."

Amy gulped and questioningly squeaked out, "... Again?"

She blinked several times in succsssion and turned her uber-confused face from the Doctor, to the Meddler, and then back again to the Doctor.

"Again," the Meddler echoed. "And may I be the second to extend my congratulations?"

"Oh... Huh. I see... Ooo-kay," she fumbled with her words. "Jus' so long as I'm nae yuir mother... or my own... Then I'm good with this," Amy decided.

"Oh, no. No," the Meddler said, shaking his head. "You aren't the Doctor's mother, and I was Loomed. So you can rule that right out. And, if you were your own mother, you would have a far more interesting temporal presence." He thought about that, scratching his chin. "Also, depending on which era you're from and what your culture's sexual ethics are, a significant pending need for therapy."

"But cheer up," he said, clapping Amy on the shoulder. "I know the answer to this one: you're going to be his mother-in-law."

Turning back to the Doctor, he rapped the spike of his cane on the granite floor of his TARDIS. "So, breaking and entering. Shall we take my TARDIS, or yours?"

[Deleted]

"Just like that? Ye promise?" the ginger asked.

"Doctor?" the Meddler asked, starting forward. "What are you doing?"

Oh it wasn't like The Meddler didn't know what he was about to do anyway, The Doctor could be so transparent sometimes. He just smiled and said, "Fish fingers and custard." And then it was over, The Doctor had instilled a low level psychic opening into her mind, a temporary thing. The second that Amy got out of his TARDIS and entered the door of his younger self's after this was over, her memory of this excursion would be completely erased.

"There were better ways to handle that, Doctor," the Meddler glared. "You didn't have to do.." his mouth worked for a moment, and he finally spat out "this. We could have..."

The Doctor was calm, though honestly a bit surprised, he didn't take The Meddler for one to stand on principal in such a manner, "It's done now, I decided it was for the best." And he wouldn't say any more than that on the subject. In fact, he moved the conversation along quite swiftly.

He looked to Amy and said, "Congratulations Pond, you're going to be a mother again."

Amy gulped and questioningly squeaked out, "... Again?"

She blinked several times in succsssion and turned her uber-confused face from the Doctor, to the Meddler, and then back again to the Doctor.

"Again," the Meddler echoed. "And may I be the second to extend my congratulations?"

"Oh... Huh. I see... Ooo-kay," she fumbled with her words. "Jus' so long as I'm nae yuir mother... or my own... Then I'm good with this," Amy decided.

"Great! Then it's all settled. Off we go," The Meddler was discussing things with Amelia, even getting into the details of his marriage to River, "Oi, spoilers Meddler. Very complicated, time-wimey spoilers." It didn't matter that Amy wouldn't remember this adventure once it was over, it was complicated anyway. The discussion of which TARDIS to go by came up as well.

"No choice now," The Doctor stated, there was a psychic archway in his TARDIS' doorway now. The Meddler's was the only way to do this and keep Amy from sleeping on the floor like she'd taken Retcon, "Besides, as much as I love my old girl, she sticks out like a sore thumb on Gallifrey, best not."

[Amelia Pond]

"But cheer up," he said, clapping Amy on the shoulder. "I know the answer to this one: you're going to be his mother-in-law."

Amy's jaw dropped - she looked somewhat horrified.

"Wot?" the confused ginger demanded, though she wasn't going to get any sort of explanation. Even if she did, though, she wouldn't remember any of it after their adventure today, anyway.

"Oi, spoilers Meddler. Very complicated, timey-wimey spoilers."

Amy sighed. She hated feeling like a little kid that the grownups were trying to keep a secret from - a secret that the Time Lords had deemed too big for her little human brain to handle.

She threw her hands up dismissively and breathed a, "Wotever..."

"So, breaking and entering. Shall we take my TARDIS, or yours?"

"No choice now," The Doctor stated, there was a psychic archway in his TARDIS' doorway now. The Meddler's was the only way to do this and keep Amy from sleeping on the floor like she'd taken Retcon, "Besides, as much as I love my old girl, she sticks out like a sore thumb on Gallifrey, best not."

"Alright, then," Amy chimed in. "Let's git goin', shall we?" she suggested. "Th' sooner we git t' Gallifrey, th' sooner we can bring this River person back," and as Amy said that, she had the strangest feeling that she should know who River was...

Oh, but wait! The Meddler had mentioned a moment ago that River was the Doctor's wife... and, if Amy was supposed to be his mother-in-law... then...

That same look of horror crossed her face, as Amy realized that she was somehow, or somehow would be, the mother of River Song.

Amy turned to look at the Doctor as Understanding began to rear its head.

Well, not complete understanding, but... Amy had a really good idea of the overall picture; though, what she didn't know was that she wouldn't remember any of this later.

"Let's go bring my daught'er back," Amy said, determinedly setting her jaw, like the stubborn Scot she was.

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"But cheer up," he said, clapping Amy on the shoulder. "I know the answer to this one: you're going to be his mother-in-law."

Amy's jaw dropped, and her eyes flickered betwen the Meddler and the Doctor with a sort of horrified fascination. "Wot?"

"You," the Meddler repeated, slowly, "Amelia Pond, are going to be..."

"Oi, spoilers Meddler," the Doctor interrupted. "Very complicated, time-wimey spoilers."

"...his mother-in-law." Then he grinned back at his fellow Renegade. "And those, Doctor, are the best spoilers!"

She threw her hands up dismissively and breathed a, "Wotever..."

"Indeed," the Meddler said, going so far as to snap to attention. Then, out of the corner of his mouth, he said to Amy in a stage whisper: "Remind me later, when he isn't paying attention, to give you a few tips. Might save you some grief, in a few years."

Turning back to the Doctor, he rapped the spike of his cane on the granite floor of his TARDIS. "So, breaking and entering. Shall we take my TARDIS, or yours?"

"No choice now," The Doctor stated, glancing at the free-standing doorway of the Meddler's TARDIS. "Besides, as much as I love my old girl, she sticks out like a sore thumb on Gallifrey, best not."

"Mine does as well," the Meddler said, cheerfully. "She's been involved in breaking and entering on the alternate-Gallifrey twice. Once while I was flying her, and once while I was under the Arch. But I've got a work around for that!" Withdrawing an ornately-filagreed sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket, he fairly lept to the console. "You may wish to take some notes, Doctor."

"Alright, then," Amy chimed in. "Let's git goin', shall we?" she suggested. "Th' sooner we git t' Gallifrey, th' sooner we can bring this River person back..."

The Meddler already had the cover off of the navigational station for his console, then looked up as her voice trailed off. "Amelia?" he asked.

She didn't respond. Her eyes, filled with horror, were fixed on the Doctor. Finally, she set her jaw firmly. "Let's go bring my daught'er back."

"That is our intention, Amelia." He laid the screwdriver back in his tool kit. "She is one of us, after all."

[Deleted]

"Alright, then," Amy chimed in. "Let's git goin', shall we?" she suggested. "Th' sooner we git t' Gallifrey, th' sooner we can bring this River person back..."

"Amy," The Doctor spoke warily, "Think about it. You've got to put it all together now."

The Meddler already had the cover off of the navigational station for his console, then looked up as her voice trailed off. "Amelia?" he asked.

She didn't respond. Her eyes, filled with horror, were fixed on the Doctor. Finally, she set her jaw firmly. "Let's go bring my daught'er back."

"Clever Pond, I didn't doubt you for a minute." The Doctor smirked a bit as he then teased the ginger Scot, "Maybe thirty seconds, forty five at the most, but definitely not a minute."

"That is our intention, Amelia." He laid the screwdriver back in his tool kit. "She is one of us, after all."

They headed off towards The Meddler's TARDIS, The Doctor was starting to get those pre-adventure jitters. For the first time, in a very very long time, he and Amelia Pond were off traveling again. The Doctor rubbed his hands together, his purple sleeves rubbing against each other.

"Right then, alternate Gallifrey. Do you suppose we're still the High Council, Meddler? I always find it tempting to go there and give stuffy old me a piece of my mind for being so boring. I bet he's even regenerated, wasting my second body being boring!"

[Amelia Pond]

"High Council?" Amy asked dubiously. "Ye two?" Not just one, but both of the Scot's eyebrows rose up in disbelief. It was difficult, to say the least, for Amelia to see either the Doctor or the Meddler as any sort of proper authority figure - both men just always seemed to have Trouble following close behind them...

"Ye can'nae be serious..." she went on with a bit of a smirk, followed up with a slight giggle.

"... Seriously?" Oh, but this was just too much!

"Shouldn't we avoid, uhh... th' other 'yous', regardless the position they - uhh, I mean you - hold? Or... held?" Amy asked, confusing herself a little with the various tenses. "Ye ken, don't want t' cause an incident involvin' all 'o time an' space, an' wotnot..."

[Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow]

"Right then, alternate Gallifrey. Do you suppose we're still the High Council, Meddler?

"High Council?" Amy asked dubiously. "Ye two?""

"I haven't been back since the Dreamweaver and I escaped them. And that was.. two decades." A wry grin at Amy's words. "Subjective time. A long time under the Arch, but not particularly long as we reckon things. I see no reason to expect that things have changed."

"Ye can'nae be serious..." she went on with a bit of a smirk, followed up with a slight giggle.

Shifting his attention to Amy, he continued. "And yes. The alt-Doctor is the Lord President of Gallifrey."

"... Seriously?"

"Believe it or not," he laughed, but the humor faded as he continued. "An expansionist Gallifrey. One that inflicted peace with the machinations of the Culturesmiths and the barrel of a stazer and the booted heel of the Chancellary Guard, and that intends to do so here as well."

"I always find it tempting to go there and give stuffy old me a piece of my mind for being so boring," the Doctor continued. "I bet he's even regenerated, wasting my second body being boring!"

"Possibly, yes," the Meddler agreed. "I didn't meet him, you understand. Just - briefly - the alternate versions of the Archivist, the Specialist, and myself."

"Shouldn't we avoid, uhh... th' other 'yous', regardless the position they - uhh, I mean you - hold? Or... held?" Amy asked, confusing herself a little with the various tenses. "Ye ken, don't want t' cause an incident involvin' all 'o time an' space, an' wotnot..."

That provoked another burst of laughter from the Meddler. "Amelia," he smiled, "I'm the Meddler! Incidents involving all of time and space are what I do."

He went back to work on the console. "Besides, they're not us. They're a divergent probability line. Something we could have been, had we - the Doctor, particularly - made different choices." There was a humming sound, and he pulled a dense block of circuitry out of the navigational station. "They're not our past. Just an anomalous intrusion from the dustheap of History. Neverweres and Might-Have-Beens on a vast scale."

[Deleted]

The Doctor clapped his hands with a grin as he moved to assist the Meddler with the controls.

"They're not our past. Just an anomalous intrusion from the dust heap of History. Never-weres and Might-Have-Beens on a vast scale."

“Could have been, would have been, should have been cooler and not gone all… gun-ho. Can’t control everything, gives you too many wrinkles and who wants that? No one! That’s why I don’t control anything, just let it all flow. By the way, Meds, I need a new randomizer, Amelia broke mine.” He leaned in conspiratorially towards his friend. “We ended up going to a planet where all the dogs sounded like elephants and the cats had six legs. It was brilliant, though.”

He spun a thin rotor that turned green and made a low whizzing sound. It didn’t do anything; he just liked the way it looked. As the Doctor thought he could feel incredulous eyes on him, however, so he pretended to duck down and adjust wires beneath the screen.

The air in the TARDIS had a palpable tension in it, excitement mixed with anxiety and a touch of fear. They all knew the consequences of failing this mission, of getting caught on New Gallifrey. Along with that knowledge, though, came the awareness of the consequences of their inaction. The Doctor knew without having to ask. This was a mission worth taking. They were all in for the count.

“Right then!” The Time Lord popped up from behind the console and jaunted over to his Scottish friend, noting the look of confusion he held in her eyes at the thought of the Doctor being the Lord President of a militaristic world. And there, something that would be undetectable to anyone who did not know the girl as he did, he could see the glamor he’d induced upon her, a dull spot just in the corner of her eye. He knew he would see that dim corner, that lack of recollection that he’d forced into her mind, from now on. But the necessity of it could not be avoided. There may have been other ways to obtain the same effect, less intrusive and domineering ways, but they would have taken much longer and that was time that they did not have to spare. The Doctor was sure that the Meddler knew this as well as he did. The Doctor would just bear this shame and sorrow along with everything else.

He shook his head as he realized that he was staring at Amy while these thoughts passed though his head. The Doctor could almost feel the pain painted across his face like a mural for her to see, and he shook the consternation away to be replaced by his usual boyish grin and jovial glint in the eyes.

The Doctor huddled close to his friend. “Are you ready, Pond? Let’s go a-infiltratin! Meds, hit the start!” He shared a smile and almost jumped as the excitement built again, and he said to Amy with a wink, “You know how much I always wanted to be a ninja.”

[Amelia Pond]

He was staring.

Amy tried to be polite and waited a couple of beats before saying anything.

"Wot?" she asked, completely oblivious tof the slight mental manipulation the Doctor had put her through.

Of course, he hadn't answered her. Instead, the Doctor seemed to literally 'shake it off' and was then, all of a sudden, back to his normal, bouncy self again.

The Doctor huddled close to his friend. “Are you ready, Pond? Let’s go a-infiltratin! Meds, hit the start!” He shared a smile and almost jumped as the excitement built again, and he said to Amy with a wink, “You know how much I always wanted to be a ninja.”

Amy gave her best friend a wide grin.

"A ninja, huh?" She nodded approvingly. "Nae bad... Ninja's're pretty cool," she acquiesced. "Guess that'd make me 'th' Ginger Ninja', then..." Amy rambled on and then let out a little giggle. "Dare ye t' say tha' three times fast," she joked, including not only the Doctor, but also the Meddler - everyone could always use a good laugh, after all.