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Who: River Song and you!
What: An open log for the whole month of October! Before the Halloween plot, during and after!
Where: River is a wanderer, so if you want to find her somewhere, find her there! (During the Halloween event she's going to be in Attleton cause that's where she lives and works.
Warning: Flirting. All the flirting, emotional stuff because of her fear. Some actual River Song anger, potentially.

Before the Halloween event, but after the whole business with Ten's mind wipe.

River is agitated, and she hates being agitated. Being agitated for River is bad, because if she can't keep in control of her emotions then she can't do what she needs to do, especially now. All of this talk of spoilers and lessons has made her feel as if she was pulled taut over the fabric of the past, and now she keeps coming back to thinking about what was said about her. Honestly, it's quite hard to get under River's skin; it's had almost two hundred years of toughening after all. Almost two hundred years of near-heartbreak and keeping secrets from the people that she's loved the most and she wouldn't change it for anything. If you can't change something, then what needs to happen is that you're the one that needs to adapt. A part of River wants to tell Rose that, but right now she's still too furious to mention it.

It's because she's so furious that River walks the long way home, slipping out of her office so that she didn't run into her husband within the building. She's worried about him, all of him, honestly, because given how Rose responded, she expects that the youngest version of the Doctor is going to be back to doing something stupid within the week. It's not something that she looks forward to.

Eventually, however, River needs to return home, and she's somewhat calmer when she comes in through the backdoor rather than the front, and she sets her satchel down on the counter before she goes looking through the cupboards for the brandy that she's kept there. Sometimes it's just a brandy sort of day.

During the Halloween event.

River has always known what her worst fear was. At least what it's been since she's been River. When she was Mels, her worst fear was that Amy and Rory would stop caring about her. The concern was the reason that she'd gotten into an ever-widening circle of getting into trouble. They couldn't stop caring about her if she needed them, right? That was the idea anyway, so that she would at least get to have some time with her parents that the Silence and Madame Kovarian couldn't touch. But once River had awoken in the hospital bed with her parents around her, that had stopped being a fear. No matter what else when she met them, she always had that to chase the fears away.

But since that day, there's been another fear. It was a worse fear, and she hated that she had it but it was constantly there in the back of her mind. It was something that only became worse and worse the more times that she and the Doctor had met all out of order. Oh, she'd met him several times when he couldn't have any idea who she was in the past, but she knew at a point that he wouldn't know her, and that it would kill her. It was a fear that she'd shared with her father, even though he'd not known that at the time. But now here she could be honest and open about such things, though she was hoping that she never could be.

When River stepped out into the street the morning of the fourteenth, what she didn't expect was to see her Doctor (yes, they were all her Doctor, but the Doctor with the bowtie was the one who'd she'd been with the most, and the one with whom she'd been through the most because she'd not had that night on Darillium yet) standing in front of the house with his hands in his pockets wearing a Fez. Well. What was that? Silently she let out a sigh, but she didn't actually shoot it off, instead she just came up to him and offered a quick. "Lovely hat, sweetie. When the man looked at her, there wasn't a flicker of recognition in his face or in his eyes and River was ever so good at reading his eyes. The smile he gave her was the one that he gave to anyone, and not just her, and she let out a soft whoosh of breath as she stared at him, and just breathed his name: "Doctor?"

"Yes, hello. I'm the Doctor. Who might you be?" For a moment River just went entirely cold, and she stared at him when he asked: "alright there?"

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Rose claws her way upside down from the University roof in gargoyle form at night, with red glowing eyes and gently raps on River's window. It took some doing, trying to make sure it was the right one, but let it never be said Rose wasn't persistent. Persistent to the point of a fault really.

She came into the kitchen and saw her daughter pulling out the brandy and frowned a bit, getting one more cup. "Pour me some too?" In other words, she was there if River wanted to talk..or just if she wanted someone to be there with her.

He was waiting for River outside the university. A thorough check of her office told him she wasn't in there but he didn't want to come find her at the Ponds. So waiting outside it is. He wants to warn her. Has to. He doesn't trust the network to do it. Doesn't trust it not to be interfered with. She will find a way. Or he will. He hasn't quite figured out what's going on only he keeps seeing her wherever he goes. Glimpses. Peering out of alleyways, waving at him from corners or blowing kisses. But whenever he tries to follow her, she disappears. She's taunting him, he knows. Or is she? Or is it even her? He doesn't know. Can't take the risk. Though as it happens he can't figure out whether he wants to warn River to stay away from her or not to shoot her.

He folds his arms and tries to appear cool and calm and collected as he absently tongues one of the 'new and improved' canine teeth, pricking his tongue absently on the point and tasting the well of blood, making his stomach grumble.

"Now don't start that," he murmurs to himself. "Haven't been properly hungry in a decade. No need to start now." His body, ridiculous and cursed as it now was, refused to listen to him.

Great.

When River saw her mother, she just frowned a little bit, but she nodded before pouring both of them quite a generous drink. It was the sort of thing that would qualify as a triple if they were having it at a bar, and she didn't bother to put in the proper sort of glass. Tumblers would do, because this wasn't about savoring the drink; this was about drinking a fair amount of it as quickly as she could.

The two glasses were caught with one hand, and the bottle with the other before River headed towards the kitchen table and sat them down in front of their normal chairs.

River has found, for the most part, that if she stays inside the building, then the... vision or whatever it happened to be of the Doctor didn't follow her. So it's not that River's hiding, exactly, it's more that she's sitting here and grading papers and hoping that by the time that she leaves, whatever the hell this is will be over with.

Of course, River knows that she's not that lucky when she sees a...gargoyle? Knocking on her window. For instant, her eyes just lock on the thing, because right before she'd been here, there was Manhattan when the entirety of New York had been covered by weeping angels. So, she keeps her eye on it for a moment and waits for it to knock again before River moves over and opens the window to take a step back. Unless the angels could move when someone was looking on them now.

Honestly, after Manhattan, nothing they did would surprise her anymore.

When River comes outside, she's rushing. At the very least she's coming much more quickly than she normally would be walking anyway. She's already figured out that her fears didn't seem to be bothering her inside, so she wanted to get home from the university to the Pond house as quickly as she could manage. Having to deal with everything with Pretty boy was enough, and the last thing that she wanted was to have the emotional gut-wrench of running into the cold, dismissive Doctor who didn't know her more times than she needed to.

But before now, at the very least, it had stuck to the Bowtie version of the Doctor. And of course it'd not spoken to her before she'd spoken to it first, so River just sighed as she started to walk past him, bracing herself because she is still expecting this to be terrible in some way. Bloody October with it's Bloody spookiness.

He spotted her long before he even should as she came his way and, oh, what a sight. Worried and full of anxiety certainly, but vibrant in the night and incredibly vivid. Like she carried her own light inside her. He couldn't help but watch her move, the shift of her curls against her neck, the faint fluttering of her pulse. He ran his tongue over that tooth again thoughtfully and then grinned as she started to hurry past.

"Going somewhere in a hurry, Professor?" He gently grabbed her wrist. She either was running hotter than usual or he was colder. "Or do you have time for a chat?"

Well, that was different, and honestly it was a relief to her. The emotion just filled out her features, unlocking how pinched she could look from the anxiety around things lately. But for the Doctor (one who knew her at least) there was the same old bright River smile, and she automatically stopped. "Oh, you never know, there might be a strange man wandering about and waiting in doorways." Flirting, always with the flirting as she moved to wind her hand into his own rather than simply having him hold onto her wrist. But then she frowned at him. "Are you alright, sweetie? You're like ice."

And then she moved up to touch his cheek to take his temperature there.

"Stranger than you know..." He rests his hand against hers, holding it there, shifting to brush the pulse point at her wrist with his lips. It was so tempting. Right there. He could hear the pounding of her single fragile heart. He catches her eyes, wondering if she would--

But of course she wouldn't but he wouldn't. Shouldn't. Whatever this was, it would pass, and he wasn't going to steal energy from her again that way. It wasn't as if he was actively dying or, if he was, it would take a good long time for him to starve to death.

Anyway there were more important matters.

"You seemed like you were in a hurry..." And afraid of something. That's not like River. Being afraid was one thing but so that he could pick it up... had she already--? No he would know -- probably. And even if she had run into them it didn't necessarily make it a bad thing. Right?

Amy grabbed the bottle from her and followed, setting it on the table between them, but where it wouldn't be in line of sight when they were looking at each other...

River just smiles at him for a moment, that fond smile when he was being his genius self face, and she just chuckles, because well, she's assuming that he's talking about himself with the comment. And it's true because he's definitely one of (okay the) strangest man that she's ever met, so there's no reason to go any deeper into what he was saying there. And of course she meets his eyes and doesn't look away, even if she does look at him a little quizzingly.

But then her smile steels up a little, and she's torn between preventing the damage, and between hiding it, and from just warning him that there's something odd going on at the moment. More than a little odd really. She lets out a little breath before she looks around just in case she can see the other version of himself there. "I keep running into you, bowtie you, and you don't know who I am. It doesn't make any sense." Because that was the Doctor who always at the very least knew her name was River.

He blinks, nibbles her wrist without thinking about it until he realizes what he's doing and drops their hands, twining their fingers together so he can stay grounded. What she says about his younger self is troubling...

"That is odd..." It would be easy to think of that face running away but if he'd wanted to do that, he would have much sooner. It could possibly be amnesia. They'd suffered through that more times than he cared to remember. Though that also came, if he recalled right, with disorientation and latching onto whomever might have an inkling of knowing who they were like a baby bird.

River would certainly notice that. So if not that or the other... He tongued the fang in thought, trying to focus despite the heat of her so close and so... well... appetizing.

"It's possible he has to pretend not to for whatever reason." Was he trying to protect her? Protect her from someone who he didn't want to know they were together? A sudden jolt went through him as he realized and he pulled away.

But there was a soft noise in the darkness and he had a feeling it was already too late.

Rose smiled softly and carefully hopped inside, red eyes glowing in the darkness. "Hi!" She's relieved. River is awake and not aiming a gun at her. Good start! "It's Rose. I am, I mean," and then right back into awkward. She needed to stop that. "Err... mind if I come in?" shifty eyes... because well, she'd already hopped inside, so HOPEFULLY the Professor didn't mind. Or otherwise it would be an even more awkward climb back out. Well, Rose could just jump. Which seemed very Aladdin-ish when she thought about it.

Without preamble, River just picked up the glass and finished it. After all, her physiology had been altered and she was stronger than the average human so it took her quite a bit more to get intoxicated and make no mistake that was what River wanted right now. No. What she wanted was to blow this planet for a while and get away from everyone and everything until she could keep up the mask that doesn't allow the people she loves to see the damage in her. But she can't so this will need to do.

Once the first brandy is finished, River pours herself another one and she sips that one more slowly with a sigh. "Well." There's a lot contained in that 'well' all the anger and frustration and just generalized tiredness over this whole situation.

Amy nodded, sipping her own. "Yep."

She was going to let River take the lead, for now.

For a moment, River didn't mind being nibbled on, sure it was something different but considering it was a different Doctor... Well, that made sense. Somewhat. But her focus was easily shifted to whatever was happening, and River just focused on his face, watching the way that he moved his teeth. It was clear that she was studying him while she thought about the other Doctor and what his reasoning behind that would be, and then there was the change and the noise.

Instantly River drew the gun that she always carried from behind her back, and she moved to step in front of the Doctor, ready to defend him as needed. After all, River could be incredibly over-protective in general, but she didn't like how he acted at this. Whether it was the Silence or a Dalek, or hell even Rose Tyler, she was going to protect him.

There was a silhouette in front of them, and River just stared at it for a moment before she spoke softly to him. "Running or fighting?"

The woman almost seeped to appear from the mist like the chesire cat, all grin and a swinging of her umbrella. Then there was the blue eyes and the little laugh to go along with the twitch of her head. "Yes, Doctor." Her voice was soft and amused and there was the underlying current of malice beneath it, as she came closer. "Which are you going to do with this particular pet? Run or fight?"

And then she chuckled again. "You know, dear, I definitely thought that you'd hit the height of dating a freak with dear Captain Jack, but I didn't think that you were so desperate you'd marry someone half-timelord." Then she just spread her arms with a shrug. "Then again, I expect you missed me that much."

"Of course not." The words came quickly, and River took a step backwards to allow the stone version of Rose to have access to even more of her office than she did before. River was very good at compartmentalizing, and there was a welcoming smile on her face, and not a single sign of the anger that was still simmering under the surface. "That must be a bit awkward." There was a little bit of a chuckle, and she shifted her hand towards Rose's current appearance. "Though I think I'd prefer it to what I've got going." A little moment of honesty, and one that she's not certain she wishes to share with Rose, but clearly in her mind all of the events are connected.

River sits there in silence for a long moment, even though her body is practically humming and screaming for her to go out and to be active, to run away from this. To run and hide and get herself under control rather than being in one place and letting this just possibly be shown to the people she loves. Yes, Mels had shown it to Amy and Rory (at times, though not often) but River didn't. There was always the concern that if she wasn't... well, River-like, then there would be problems with there relationship.

But she was trying to fight that doubt as she picked up her drink and held it in both of her hands, rolling it between them almost. It seems like a long time to her before she finally can ask the question: "How much does she know about me?" It's clear River doesn't mean about just her marrying the Doctor and being Amy and Rory's child. It's clear that she means more along the line of breaking time and being stolen and being a weapon.

Well shooting is definitely out but running-- ah no-- he feels it would rather be like mice running from a cat and he is not a mouse. Nor is River no matter what Missy might think. He moves to River's side, hand on hers and carefully lowering the gun, never taking his eyes of Missy. So far she was just being a snob. Nothing he couldn't handle and some pretensions were hard to break. Even for him at times.

"Don't knock it til you've tried it." He squeezed River's hand briefly, trying to reassure her, then moved in front of her and, more importantly, between them. "I haven't had time to miss you. It's been months."

He spreads his hands, approaching her with a grin that he didn't feel. Something was off. He couldn't tell what. Something missing. Was she really here? He holds out his hand to her.

"Come on..." Take his hand. Be his friend. That's what they both want, isn't it? To learn? To Grow?

Yep. There it was. Amy knew River was probably going to be mad. And she was right to be. She had every right to be furious with Amy.

She took a deep breath, considered, then sipped her own drink slowly as she gathered her thoughts. She put the glass down. She wanted to apologize, but this wasn't the time for that.

"More than she probably should," Amy admitted softly, but without any softening that might invite River to forgive her. In hindsight, she knew she had no right to say as much as she had.

Amy closed her eyes a moment, not a waiting, but clearly a gathering of words. A careful fragile moment, before she opened her eyes, looking at a point somewhere well beyond the room and over River's shoulder as she spoke again. "I had just arrived, she had just arrived. I had been fighting to say nothing to the Doctor that I shouldn't after he all but ran away when I first started talking to him that first day. The secrets were eating me alive. You weren't here. Rory wasn't here. The Doctor was here but wasn't. And I've never been able to talk to the Tardis the way the rest of you can."

"She was the same. She had so much she wanted to say to him, that she couldn't, that she didn't dare. She told me a million things she probably should not have, and I did the same. We used each other as a space to say everything we wanted to say to him and couldn't, shouldn't. I have never been as drunk as we got that night, not before and not since. Never again. We were a lifeline for each other, drowning in secrets. I messed up," she said, quietly.

This was the place to say she was sorry, but those words felt weak, and small, like they would have made less of what she had done. And she knew that what she did was too big for a simple 'I'm sorry' to fix, and she wouldn't insult River by acting otherwise.

Rose was relieved at River treating her so... kindly. She could tell an it was an effort, but after messing things up with Amy too, and the way Amy thought Rose must have been possessed or replaced, it was nice to be treated like a normal human, even when she was furthest from it.

She laughed lightly, "It happened once before, the gargoyle thing I mean. But it never got this far that time in San Francisco."

Her ears pricked at the confession, and eyes narrowed, "Madame Kavorian?" she whispered. "She's not real. Just a manifestation of fears and anger and loathing I think."

A head tilt. "My friend's a youkai, that feeds on fears that seep into um..." a wince, "Flesh. Still gotta talk to the Doctor about making some that's not so sentient but whether it can still be afraid but...." she waved a hand, focusing on River. "Point is, let me help." She was slipping again. She'd tried to get better, not so direct and exactly to the point with Amy, but since it failed anyway... Back to Donna and between universes Rose went.

River didn't remove her eyes from Missy's when the Doctor lowered her hand. Nor did she put the gun away, despite his efforts to reassure her. There was something about this woman that River didn't trust as far as she could throw her, and all of her senses were alight with just how wrong this woman felt to her. When the Doctor stepped between them, River moved her weight to her foot so that she could run towards him and throw him out of the way if she had too. Who the hell knew how regenerations worked here, and who knew if he would end up being at all safe from her.

There was a part of her that tensed when he offered her hand to the woman, and she was ready to shoot her whether or not the Doctor knew her. Something was wrong with this entire situation, really quite wrong indeed and River didn't trust the other woman as far as she could through her.

That said, this person was definitely another time lord--er time lady clearly, and that narrowed it down to three people as far as River could remember from her Doctor studies: The Rani or a version of Romana. (River knew of two of her.) Either way, if they were going to hurt the Doctor, they were going to need to hurt her first.

"Months since you were keeping me prisoner, you mean? Seems like a lot longer to me..." She stepped closer to him, a cruel grin on her face as her eyes met his own. River was abandoned for a moment as she looked to his hand once again. "Then again, you were never quite good at holding onto people, now were you, Doctor. Can't hold onto any of them as they all leave you one at a time. Most of them quite broken. Or born broken in the case of the pet behind you."

Missy pointed her umbrella at River just then, but she didn't do anything with it. For the moment, she focused instead on the Doctor. "Broke the yellow and pink one by letting her absorb the vortex. And then by locking her on the other side of the universes with a clone. A clone Doctor. Now that's something quite worthy of me, don't you think? And then marrying an infant. I'd say it's also worthy of me, but we both know that dearest darling Lucy was only a pet in the same way that little Melody Pond is." A beat. "Oh right, she never got the chance to be her, and it's all because you had to go and get involved in her life. None of the things that would have happened to her would have if you had just managed to curve some of your selfishness for keeping people close to you. Honestly, dear I think I may have learned that part from you."

"I kept you safe." He twitches at the umbrella, reaching to grab it but seeing nothing happening, relaxes only a fraction. His hearts are thundering in his ears.It seems like just words right now. Horrible twisting words and he hopes that River never thinks of herself like that, even though he knows it's true. She's so broken. All her self -- well most of it is tied up in him and that should never be. What could a sunset do but care for her? And he does, he loves her in the warm comforting easy way of familiarity and knowing there is little he can do to drive her off-- even though he would deserve it.

"For fifty years it's just been you." He rolls his eyes, acknowledging. "Well and Nardole." But, well, Nardole. And now Bill. But it would be different this time. He was just tutoring her. Giving her a shot. Maybe he'd take -- no-- well maybe-- maybe he'd take her round once but that was it.

He hesitates, considering. Maybe all Missy would want to do was taunt... Or maybe whatever she was... Maybe it was just words. But he couldn't help but fear something more. Some trap or trick or snare to make her words come true. That she'd get one up on River and break her somehow. Trap her. Take her away. Make her suffer.

Deflection... Deflection and cruelty. She'll like that. He's sorry, though. Sorry even though he knows River will forgive him but he thinks it will hurt her. He smiles, hands in his pockets.

"But come on. That's past now. My past. Over before she even came here and nothing much left to do but tie up loose ends. Let's find something to do a little more interesting."

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Office -> NIGHT at least a couple of nights later

Between breakdown and halloween

sometime during the event

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