[ Anthony is getting so big now. She offers a hand out to him, and he reaches toward it. She's missed all of them so much.
The Doctor's hand on her shoulder is a surprise, a testament to how taken in she is by the illusion, a few more stolen moments with her family. But she reaches for his hand, squeezing tightly. ] Sit. I'm glad you're here.
[ His words are slower to sink in, snippets of memory intruding on the nearly perfect scene. And when she looks at the Doctor, truly looks at him, the illusion fractures. He can't be here.
The ache in her chest deepens as they slip away from her, and she turns away from the empty space, clinging to the Doctor. But the room hasn't finished with her yet.
Against reason, baby face and bowtie have disappeared, replaced by graying hair and angry eyebrows. She folds herself into his arms and breathes in the cool evening air in the shadow of the Towers. And she knows, too, this isn't real, but she doesn't care.
Until an uncertain voice behind her asks, 'Does this mean you aren't going to be my mummy anymore?'
Charlotte.
Is that what all this has been? A dream? A nightmare? Another hiccup in the Library's systems?
She backs away from the Doctor slowly, seeing him properly again, and then she shakes her head. ] I'm sorry, Sweetie.
[ Turning to face the eternal child who's become her daughter, River kneels and smiles reassuringly. ]
no subject
The Doctor's hand on her shoulder is a surprise, a testament to how taken in she is by the illusion, a few more stolen moments with her family. But she reaches for his hand, squeezing tightly. ] Sit. I'm glad you're here.
[ His words are slower to sink in, snippets of memory intruding on the nearly perfect scene. And when she looks at the Doctor, truly looks at him, the illusion fractures. He can't be here.
The ache in her chest deepens as they slip away from her, and she turns away from the empty space, clinging to the Doctor. But the room hasn't finished with her yet.
Against reason, baby face and bowtie have disappeared, replaced by graying hair and angry eyebrows. She folds herself into his arms and breathes in the cool evening air in the shadow of the Towers. And she knows, too, this isn't real, but she doesn't care.
Until an uncertain voice behind her asks, 'Does this mean you aren't going to be my mummy anymore?'
Charlotte.
Is that what all this has been? A dream? A nightmare? Another hiccup in the Library's systems?
She backs away from the Doctor slowly, seeing him properly again, and then she shakes her head. ] I'm sorry, Sweetie.
[ Turning to face the eternal child who's become her daughter, River kneels and smiles reassuringly. ]
Of course I'm still your mummy. Always. Remember?