Fic: Can This Be Love? - (3/?)
Title: “Can This Be Love”
Authors: thenoblethang & monkeysrule13
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ten (John Pond), Eleven (Troy Smith), Donna Noble, River (Pond), Amy Pond, Rory Pond, Sarah Jane Smith, Rassilon Smith
Genre: Drama, romance, humor, fluff, friendship
Words: ~4000
Disclaimer: We own them not, but the idea is ours. ‘Tis true.
Summary: This is a completely AU story that surrounds John (Ten), Troy (Eleven), River, and Donna.
It takes the criteria of a typical Filipino Drama. Takes place in a fictional setting, probably a mix of London and the Philippines. LOL what.
Warnings/Spoilers: There are very few spoilers, but there are crack pairings (well, only Sarah/Rassilon), and lots and lots of drama in parts to come.
A/N: This was finished some time ago, but we kept forgetting to post it. hehe. Enjoy.
Chapter 1 • Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Runaways
River ran towards her boyfriend as he continued to walk away sulkily.
“Troy!” she called out desperately, “Troy, wait!” He ignored her and continued on his trek. Finally, she came close enough to grab his arm and force him to look at her, “Troy, I said wait.”
“Why, what do you want?” he asked, hurt shining from his eyes.
“What is your problem?” she refused to let go of her anger.
Troy looked her in the eyes and furrowed his brows, “John,” he screamed, “John’s my problem!”
River looked at Troy, her expression going from anger to a mixture of confusion and hurt. “Why? Does this have anything to do with Donna?” she remembered the conversation 6 years ago, the jealousy that surged through her, now replaced with insecurity. “Is there something--”
“No,” Troy cried out, looking at her and making her look him in the eyes, “it’s not that at all, there is nothing. There has never been anything, or anyone. Ever. Don’t you ever think that.”
“Then what is it?” she asked in the brink of tears.
He was silent and looked away, “You wouldn’t understand.”
River’s stare hardened, “Try me.”
Troy looked at her and saw the mixed emotions on her face, and he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her or losing her in any form. “It’s,” he paused and looked into her eyes, “it’s my parents,” he finally confessed. “Every single night they fight, all the time about the thing thing, about the same person.” He looked down angrily, “About John.”
She looked up at him with concern and he immediately looked away. River gently placed her index and middle fingers on the side of his chin and made him look at her. He was in so much pain.
“It’s not just him, is it?”
“I had to choose, River,” he said solemnly. “As far as I can see, he’s why my dad’s been giving you trouble, too. And then it was either you or him.” His eyes darted and connected to hers. “I think my decision is clear.”
River looked at him with her brow furrowed. He wasn’t serious was he? He would never choose and he would never be forced to choose. That was impossible. They were the three amigos; the three musketeers. Inseparable.
“Now it’s your turn,” he went on, "it’s either me or him, River.”
“You’d better be joking,” River told him, releasing a laugh that was far from humorous, “and this is a really bad and cruel joke.”
“I’m not joking, River, you have to choose,” Troy told her.
“Troy, stop it,” she screamed, refusing to hear more of this nonsense, “just stop! Why are you saying this? Why do you have to choose? What did they tell you? Don’t let your father take over your life.”
“I don’t have a say in my life,” Troy screamed back unintentionally. “I never did,” he said much calmer.
“Troy, we’re together, we -- we like each other, are you saying that wasn’t your choice?” she asked him calmly, caressing his cheek. “You’re best friend is my brother and we’ve all known each other since, since I was in Kindergarten, was that not your choice?”
“River, please,” Troy wanted so bad to hold her in his arms and never let go. To tell her he takes back all he says and that they will be together no matter what, “it’s me or John.” But he couldn’t.
River looked at him sadly. She caressed his cheek, but his expression did not soften. He was serious. He wanted her to choose between him and her brother.
“Troy,” she began.
“Please River,” he interrupted her, “you don’t have to follow through with it, you can do what you want behind my back, but I just need to know, please.”
River sighed and looked at him sadly, “Can I have a few days to think about it?”
Troy looked at her frustratedly, “Why do you need to think about it?”
“Troy,” she spat, “you are making me choose between you and my brother. God knows what will happen if I even make a choice. I need a few days.”
He sighed. He didn’t want to give her a few days. He wanted to know right then and there. He wanted to hear her say that she chose him, and will always choose him. That she was his, fully and permanently. No one to share her with. But he couldn’t do that to her, he couldn’t torture her.
“Okay,” he agreed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she sighed as she began to walk away tiredly.
“Wait, it’s getting dark, I’ll walk you,” he told her.
“How old do you think I am?” she asked lightheartedly, trying to cool things down between them.
Troy smile, he liked how she always tried to keep things on good terms. “Old enough to need me to keep walking you home when it gets dark.” He smiled, putting an arm around her as they walked in the direction of her house.
They were all smiles and giggles until River stopped in her tracks. The sound of sirens pierced through the evening, and smoke clouded the sky above her home.
“Troy...”
They gave each other a look, and made a run for it. River prayed that it wasn’t what she thought it was as she ran for dear life towards the fire.
“...Oh my god,” Troy said with quiet horror when they stopped in the vicinity of the inflamed home.
Red and orange flames danced through the grapefruit sky, consuming the walls of the Pond residence. It cracked and hissed, roaring with an unforgiving sound that overpowered everything.
The firemen shot vigorously at the flames with their hoses, and a few were inside the burning house.
John was a few yards away from them, standing paralyzed while Amy, next to him, cried with fear and hysterics.
“Hurry!” she cried desperately, her face pale save for the extreme pinkness of her eyes and nose. “Get him out, dammit, get Rory out!!”
“Dad!” River attempted to run for her missing father but Troy held her back.
“Let go!”
“No! Stay put! You’ll only get yourself killed!”
River was breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face in fright. Troy turned her around and held her tightly, letting her bury her face in his neck and shoulder, which was quickly soaking with tears.
John had his hands to his head in silent panic and helplessness. He had come home to see the flames, but before he had a chance to go inside and get whoever was inside out, walls burnt down in front of the front door. Amy came shortly after, and that was when John realized that his father was trapped inside the mouth of flames.
The firemen emerged from the crippled building, carrying Rory by his torso and legs.
“He’s alive,” one said, “but it could get serious. Clear the way.”
They pulled him onto the stretcher and into the ambulance, waiting to zip off to the hospital.
“Daddy,” River yelled as she tried to run to him. Troy saw his body, and continued to hold River to his chest and shoulder, not wanting her to see her father in such a terrible state. “Troy, let go,” she begged, “please.”
“Shh,” he ignored her, “I’ve got you.”
“Rory,” Amy cried as John held onto her, “Oh, Rory, my Rory,” she fell to her knees and sobbed. John hold her up, only slightly, by the waist to stop her from running.
“Mom, please stay calm, he’ll be alright,” John soothed desperately, though he was trying to tell himself more than he was to her.
They soon went off to follow Rory’s ambulance, being unable to watch the flames eat up the rest of their only home, even as they hissed against the firemen’s hosing down.
----
Donna waited outside her and John’s usual meeting spot at lunch, looking nervously at the floor. She hadn’t seen him at all in the morning, and people around her kept talking about a fire that happened last night. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that she’d learned that it was the Pond house that burnt.
She had called River, and Troy answered, telling her that River wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be in school, which was never a good sign. Now, John’s cell should have had about fifty missed calls and unread text messages. She needed to know if he was okay.
With a sigh, she began to walk away from the halls that were now long since empty, reasoning that he wouldn’t be here either. But right as she lifted her head, she saw his tall figure approach her, his footsteps ever so quiet, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and his shoulders slumped as if the whole world had been put on them. His eyes hardly met hers.
Wordlessly, she closed all the space between them and wrapped her arms securely around him, hoping with all she could’ve mustered that she could take away at least a fraction of the pain that reflected so clearly in his appearance.
His shoulders heaved and his arms tightened around her, as if she might slip away, as if it were the first time he was allowed to stop holding on his own. And really, after everything, it was
“I’m sorry,” he apologized for his behavior in a quiet, shaky, heartbroken voice.
Donna shook her head, and laid a hand at the back of his head. “Don’t,” she said ever so softly. “Never be.”
The bell rang, ending the break, and immediately as the sounds of feet on the stairways came along, John and Donna parted.
He hid his eyes with his sleeve, ashamed to be seen in such a state. She looked at him intently as she remove his arm and thumbed through his tears. His stare was full of grief and at the same time, such gratefulness that made it hard for Donna to just stand there.
Soon the door to their maths class was opened, with their teacher calling in all the students to prepare for an exam, and John and Donna, as if nothing had happened, went inside.
----
“Could I... accompany you home today?” John asked meekly as he walked alongside Donna, the hard day of pretending to be okay over.
“Are you going to ask my mum to adopt you next?” Donna raised an eyebrow, attempting to lighten up his day with her quips. But he was unamused.
“Sorry,” she apologized, taking his hand, “of course you can. Where’re you staying? Since...”
“Aunt Sarah Jane is letting us stay til we can find a new place, I s’pose,” John replied in sad monotone.
“I see. And... how’s your father?”
John stared at his feet as they walked. “Alive. And don’t get me wrong, he’s going to be okay. It’s just...stressing. We lost our house, God knows we won’t be able to afford another one, and we can’t keep depending on Aunt Sarah... and then my dad... we were this close to losing him.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and she ran her thumb over his consolingly.
“Just be happy,” she said softly, “that he’s going to live.”
John looked at her, remembering what she’d lost. He was afraid he’d offend her by being so upset for someone who was going to live, but the way she held on to his hand took it all away. If anyone were to understand at all, it was her. She met his eyes with her empathetic expression, her glassy gray-blue eyes with that splash of brown in the middle saying everything to him.
“Yeah,” was all he could say.
The rest of the trip silent but affectionate, they approached Donna’s door.
“Will you be coming in?” she offered as she was halfway inside.
John scratched the back of his head tiredly. “Uhh....”
“A simple ‘no’ would be fine, skinny,” she addressed his indecision.
“Well, but--”
“Donna!” a elderly voice greeted from inside, and the door swung open.
“Hey gramps!” Donna smiled.
“Your mum’s out for tonight, out shoppin’ for whateveritwas at Thamila. What’s this? Oh, hello!” he said with friendly warmth when he spotted John. “Is this your friend, Donna?”
“Yeah, uh, this is John Pond,” she made an awkward introduction, and John made an equally awkward wave of the hand. “He’s River’s brother.”
“Well then! Nice to meet you boy, I’m Wilf, Donna’s old gramps. Come in, come in, have a cuppa!” Wilf opened the door wider and gestured for John to enter, but he took a baby step back.
“Oh, no, I was just leaving, really--”
“Oh, shut it,” Donna interrupted and took his arm, dragging him in.
“Heh, sorry,” he apologized to Wilf behind Donna’s back, and he only chuckled.
They entered the living room, and it looked strange to John, being so empty since the time he was there last.
“I’ll go put the kettle on,” Donna said as she left John sitting tight on the sofa.
Wilf took a seat next to him with an enthusiastic bounce. “So, you’re the John my Donna’s been mentioning all the time, eh?”
John blushed and perked his head. “What? Me?”
“Ohh, don’t get all shy, boy,” Wilf nudged and winked. “You seem like a good chap. Besides, some other man’s got to look after my little girl, heh.”
“....I’m sorry?”
“You’re together, aren’t you?” Wilf asked, being so sure.
“Oh!” John realized his assumption. “Oh. No. Um. Sorry. No, we’re not... Did she tell you that?”
“Ah, no... just assumed. She gets all...giddy, you see. Don’t tell her I told you that, she might hang me.”
John tried to hide his smile. “Oh.”
“Ah well,” Wilf sighed. “I guess that’s best, I s’pose. It’d be a great sorrow for her in the end.”
“Hm? Why?” John asked, getting curious.
“Well, ‘cos she’s--”
Whatever he was about to reveal, Donna’s timing got in the way of that. “Alright then! Two cuppas, right here for the both of you.”
Wilf took it gratefully, getting up. “Thanks, love!” He made his way for the stairs.
“Oi, and where you are going?” Donna asked, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip.
“It’s tea and telly time, silly.” He smiled at her, and raised his cup at her as he walked up the stairs to his room.
Donna sighed and gestured John to get up and follow her. “I hope he wasn’t trouble for you. He can talk a boatload for ages!”
“Oh, no, he was rather charming,” John smiled.
“He is, isn’t he? He’s a wonderful gramps. Go on, drink up before it gets cold.
“Sorry,” John mumbled and took a careful sip of tea before holding it down above his lap.
Donna watched him, almost maternally. “You alright?”
John stared emptily to the cup. “Not really. Sorry.”
“It’s not wrong to be sad, John,” she told him with gentle seriousness.
“Right. Sorry.”
She gave him a glare, and John smiled genuinely for the first time in a while, and soon Donna was doing it too, because it was as if right then and there, she realized that she would do anything for the completely wonderful look on John’s face.
-----
River tossed and turned in her sleep.
“River,” her father yelled, “I came home early so I could be with my little girl, where were you?”
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” River cried, she had forgotten her plans with her father. She had cancelled on him so many times to be with Troy. Oh, how her father hated that boy.
“Look at me River, I’m dying, because you wanted to be with that boy,” Rory spat at her.
“Daddy, no please, you’re not going to die. It’s not Troy’s fault. I’m sorry, please don’t go,” River sobbed.
“Goodbye, River, you chose that boy. You will always choose that boy. Deal with the consequences. River... River...”
“River,” River shot up in a sweaty flash, and was instantly caught by Troy, who sat on the edge of her bed. “River, are you alright?” He had come back from a quick discussion with his father to check on River and found her in a state of panic in his bed.
The night before, River had fallen asleep in his arms after crying and hearing the news of her father. He carried her up to his room instead of taking her to her own and held her. When she woke up, she continued to cry and he let her fall back asleep, making it very clear that he would not allow her to go to school. He’d miss out too.
River had tears streaming down her face and she buried her head in his shoulders, her arms around his neck, and sobbed from her terrible nightmare. How could she choose Troy over her family when all it did was bring everyone pain?
“I’m fine,” she whispered after calming down a bit, and wouldn’t loosen her grip on him. She couldn’t lose him, not now. Not even because of all the trouble. He’d be worth it, she just knew it. She could find away around his ultimatum.
He could tell she didn’t want to talk but he knew he had to ask. “Was it about my father?”
River suddenly froze at the subject, the memories running in again like a cold, icy tide.
“I don’t care how old you are, just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you have the right to be rude or a jerk, especially to Aunt Sarah!”
“No,” she said, shaking her head in a lie. “It’s not.”
”You need to learn manners! What do your parents teach you?”
Troy looked at her intently, raising his eyebrows in the way that he did when he was trying to gentle get her to tell the truth. “River...”
”They teach me how to not become a person like you!”
“Why you--”
Tears were forming in her gray-blue eyes. “Stop it. No, just stop talking about it...”
”Don’t you ever, ever touch my daughter! Do you hear me? Never!”
“Please...”
”Amy, we can’t let them near him anymore. They’re going to have to stop this.”
“But we can’t just do that, Rory. Do you remember what we owe--”
“If she wants to keep him safe at the expense of my child, I won’t stand for it, this has to stop. We’re not helpless, Amy.”
“I don’t want to live without you,” River found herself saying to him as she couldn’t fight back the tears.
Troy looked down at her and smiled, hold to her tighter, “I can’t live without you either,” he told her, knowing that he was her choice.
“But I can’t live without my family either, that includes John,” she told him, pulling away and looking him in the eyes.
Troy furrowed his brows and saw the pain he was causing her by making her do this. I can’t do this to her... John might. But I can’t. He pulled her back into an embrace, but before he could say anything, there was an interruption.
Rassilon came into the room and glared at the two. River immediately pulled away and sat an arm’s length away from Troy.
“River, I think it’s time for you to go to your room. Sarah made it ready for you, it’d be very rude if you didn’t spend at least one night in it,” Rassilon told her, glaring.
“Yes, sir,” she complied instantly, standing up and getting ready to leave without telling Troy goodnight.
Before she could take another step, Troy grabbed her arm and turned her around, giving her a meaningful kiss while glaring at his father. “Goodnight,” he told her looking into her eyes.
“Night,” she said, slightly dreamily.
She caught sight of Rassilon and quickly slipped out with her head down. Rassilon gave a disapproving stare at her until she made it to her room, then he transferred it to his son, leaving him a cryptic message and walking out.
---
“I think you should leave,” Sarah said quietly to Amy, sadly looking out into the night sky in the balcony.
“Excuse me?” Amy demanded with low volume, turning her head to Sarah Jane.
“You must leave. Leave the city...”
Amy shook her head and screwed her eyes in a hard blink. “No, you’re not making any sense. My husband’s in the hospital, Sarah. We can’t just leave.”
Sarah Jane faced her, tears of sorrow and remorse in her eyes. “It might not be just him if you stay too long.”
Words froze in Amy’s throat as she tried to process the meaning of Sarah’s forewarning. “What are you trying to say?” she asked as if it were the riskiest thing to do. “Do you... do you know who did this to us?”
“I can’t prove it but I have an idea of who. Please, Amelia, take your children, leave for a while, I’ll take care of Rory.”
“For how long? You’re not making any sense at all, you expect us to just stop our lives and start news one somewhere out of town? What about the house, Sarah. The hospital bills, my job, the new house. We aren’t rich Sarah. We can’t just start a new life like you can,” Amy hit a bit low.
Sarah ignored the accusation and went on. “Please, just trust me, Amy. I have taken care of everything. It’s all set.”
“Tell me why,” Amy stood firm.
“I can’t.”
“Sarah Jane Smith,” Amy couldn’t hold it in much longer, “my husband is in the hospital, my house is burnt down and you just told me my children are in danger. What are you keeping from me?”
“Amy I shou--”
“Tell me,” she almost screamed, but held down by a tone.
“Rassilon...” Sarah began hesitantly.
“What about him?” Amy interrupted impatiently.
“He’s close to figuring it out,” Sarah whispered, “and he’s not too happy about it.” she looked at Amy sadly. “Please Amy, for your sake and mine, please leave.’
“Why all of us? Why not just him?” she couldn’t help but ask coldly.
Sarah looked at River with a furlough look. She didn’t know whether of not to tell her, but if she didn’t she’d be putting another life at danger. “He’s after your daughter too,” she said after much hesitation.
“What do you mean,” the urgency in Amy’s voice rose. She had her husband in the hospital, if River were too join it, oh she didn’t know what she’d do. “Sarah, you need to tell me if my children are safe or not here. If not, I wouldn’t have ever let them come here.”
“Troy’s in love with your daughter,” Sarah stated obviously, “and her with him.” she saw the look of confusion on her face. “They can’t be together. Troy’s--”
A creak of the balcony door was heard, and Sarah and Amy promptly turned their heads to find Rassilon there.
“Sarah?”
“Yes, I’m here,” she replied.
“What are you two doing out here?”
“Well,” Amy sought a cover up, “I found out that Rory might be worse than we think.”
“Ah, yes,” Sarah caught her tune, “and she was seeking my financial advice.
Rassilon nodded. “I’m deeply sorry for your misfortune, Mrs. Pond. I hope we can help sort it out.” And with that, closed the door and left.
There was a short silence before Amy cleared her throat.
“Would he really hurt my children?”
“He could. And he would. That’s why you need to leave.”
“How? What will I do about Rory? I can’t leave him.”
“I’ll take care of him. Please, for John and for River, please go.”
Amy took a considering pause. “How long do I have?”
“I have everything set up, you can leave tomorrow night if you can.”
“But- that’s so sudden!”
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Sarah Jane told her firmly. “Amy, I am so, so sorry.”
Amy took an unsteady breath and stood up. “I’ll tell them tomorrow. I... I need to go to bed. Goodnight, Mrs. Smith.”
She opened the balcony door and left.
This was a terrible thing. She never should have accepted that favor so long ago. This could have been avoided in so many ways, if not for that one little boy...
TBC
Authors: thenoblethang & monkeysrule13
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ten (John Pond), Eleven (Troy Smith), Donna Noble, River (Pond), Amy Pond, Rory Pond, Sarah Jane Smith, Rassilon Smith
Genre: Drama, romance, humor, fluff, friendship
Words: ~4000
Disclaimer: We own them not, but the idea is ours. ‘Tis true.
Summary: This is a completely AU story that surrounds John (Ten), Troy (Eleven), River, and Donna.
It takes the criteria of a typical Filipino Drama. Takes place in a fictional setting, probably a mix of London and the Philippines. LOL what.
Warnings/Spoilers: There are very few spoilers, but there are crack pairings (well, only Sarah/Rassilon), and lots and lots of drama in parts to come.
A/N: This was finished some time ago, but we kept forgetting to post it. hehe. Enjoy.
Chapter 1 • Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Runaways
River ran towards her boyfriend as he continued to walk away sulkily.
“Troy!” she called out desperately, “Troy, wait!” He ignored her and continued on his trek. Finally, she came close enough to grab his arm and force him to look at her, “Troy, I said wait.”
“Why, what do you want?” he asked, hurt shining from his eyes.
“What is your problem?” she refused to let go of her anger.
Troy looked her in the eyes and furrowed his brows, “John,” he screamed, “John’s my problem!”
River looked at Troy, her expression going from anger to a mixture of confusion and hurt. “Why? Does this have anything to do with Donna?” she remembered the conversation 6 years ago, the jealousy that surged through her, now replaced with insecurity. “Is there something--”
“No,” Troy cried out, looking at her and making her look him in the eyes, “it’s not that at all, there is nothing. There has never been anything, or anyone. Ever. Don’t you ever think that.”
“Then what is it?” she asked in the brink of tears.
He was silent and looked away, “You wouldn’t understand.”
River’s stare hardened, “Try me.”
Troy looked at her and saw the mixed emotions on her face, and he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her or losing her in any form. “It’s,” he paused and looked into her eyes, “it’s my parents,” he finally confessed. “Every single night they fight, all the time about the thing thing, about the same person.” He looked down angrily, “About John.”
She looked up at him with concern and he immediately looked away. River gently placed her index and middle fingers on the side of his chin and made him look at her. He was in so much pain.
“It’s not just him, is it?”
“I had to choose, River,” he said solemnly. “As far as I can see, he’s why my dad’s been giving you trouble, too. And then it was either you or him.” His eyes darted and connected to hers. “I think my decision is clear.”
River looked at him with her brow furrowed. He wasn’t serious was he? He would never choose and he would never be forced to choose. That was impossible. They were the three amigos; the three musketeers. Inseparable.
“Now it’s your turn,” he went on, "it’s either me or him, River.”
“You’d better be joking,” River told him, releasing a laugh that was far from humorous, “and this is a really bad and cruel joke.”
“I’m not joking, River, you have to choose,” Troy told her.
“Troy, stop it,” she screamed, refusing to hear more of this nonsense, “just stop! Why are you saying this? Why do you have to choose? What did they tell you? Don’t let your father take over your life.”
“I don’t have a say in my life,” Troy screamed back unintentionally. “I never did,” he said much calmer.
“Troy, we’re together, we -- we like each other, are you saying that wasn’t your choice?” she asked him calmly, caressing his cheek. “You’re best friend is my brother and we’ve all known each other since, since I was in Kindergarten, was that not your choice?”
“River, please,” Troy wanted so bad to hold her in his arms and never let go. To tell her he takes back all he says and that they will be together no matter what, “it’s me or John.” But he couldn’t.
River looked at him sadly. She caressed his cheek, but his expression did not soften. He was serious. He wanted her to choose between him and her brother.
“Troy,” she began.
“Please River,” he interrupted her, “you don’t have to follow through with it, you can do what you want behind my back, but I just need to know, please.”
River sighed and looked at him sadly, “Can I have a few days to think about it?”
Troy looked at her frustratedly, “Why do you need to think about it?”
“Troy,” she spat, “you are making me choose between you and my brother. God knows what will happen if I even make a choice. I need a few days.”
He sighed. He didn’t want to give her a few days. He wanted to know right then and there. He wanted to hear her say that she chose him, and will always choose him. That she was his, fully and permanently. No one to share her with. But he couldn’t do that to her, he couldn’t torture her.
“Okay,” he agreed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she sighed as she began to walk away tiredly.
“Wait, it’s getting dark, I’ll walk you,” he told her.
“How old do you think I am?” she asked lightheartedly, trying to cool things down between them.
Troy smile, he liked how she always tried to keep things on good terms. “Old enough to need me to keep walking you home when it gets dark.” He smiled, putting an arm around her as they walked in the direction of her house.
They were all smiles and giggles until River stopped in her tracks. The sound of sirens pierced through the evening, and smoke clouded the sky above her home.
“Troy...”
They gave each other a look, and made a run for it. River prayed that it wasn’t what she thought it was as she ran for dear life towards the fire.
“...Oh my god,” Troy said with quiet horror when they stopped in the vicinity of the inflamed home.
Red and orange flames danced through the grapefruit sky, consuming the walls of the Pond residence. It cracked and hissed, roaring with an unforgiving sound that overpowered everything.
The firemen shot vigorously at the flames with their hoses, and a few were inside the burning house.
John was a few yards away from them, standing paralyzed while Amy, next to him, cried with fear and hysterics.
“Hurry!” she cried desperately, her face pale save for the extreme pinkness of her eyes and nose. “Get him out, dammit, get Rory out!!”
“Dad!” River attempted to run for her missing father but Troy held her back.
“Let go!”
“No! Stay put! You’ll only get yourself killed!”
River was breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face in fright. Troy turned her around and held her tightly, letting her bury her face in his neck and shoulder, which was quickly soaking with tears.
John had his hands to his head in silent panic and helplessness. He had come home to see the flames, but before he had a chance to go inside and get whoever was inside out, walls burnt down in front of the front door. Amy came shortly after, and that was when John realized that his father was trapped inside the mouth of flames.
The firemen emerged from the crippled building, carrying Rory by his torso and legs.
“He’s alive,” one said, “but it could get serious. Clear the way.”
They pulled him onto the stretcher and into the ambulance, waiting to zip off to the hospital.
“Daddy,” River yelled as she tried to run to him. Troy saw his body, and continued to hold River to his chest and shoulder, not wanting her to see her father in such a terrible state. “Troy, let go,” she begged, “please.”
“Shh,” he ignored her, “I’ve got you.”
“Rory,” Amy cried as John held onto her, “Oh, Rory, my Rory,” she fell to her knees and sobbed. John hold her up, only slightly, by the waist to stop her from running.
“Mom, please stay calm, he’ll be alright,” John soothed desperately, though he was trying to tell himself more than he was to her.
They soon went off to follow Rory’s ambulance, being unable to watch the flames eat up the rest of their only home, even as they hissed against the firemen’s hosing down.
----
Donna waited outside her and John’s usual meeting spot at lunch, looking nervously at the floor. She hadn’t seen him at all in the morning, and people around her kept talking about a fire that happened last night. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that she’d learned that it was the Pond house that burnt.
She had called River, and Troy answered, telling her that River wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be in school, which was never a good sign. Now, John’s cell should have had about fifty missed calls and unread text messages. She needed to know if he was okay.
With a sigh, she began to walk away from the halls that were now long since empty, reasoning that he wouldn’t be here either. But right as she lifted her head, she saw his tall figure approach her, his footsteps ever so quiet, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and his shoulders slumped as if the whole world had been put on them. His eyes hardly met hers.
Wordlessly, she closed all the space between them and wrapped her arms securely around him, hoping with all she could’ve mustered that she could take away at least a fraction of the pain that reflected so clearly in his appearance.
His shoulders heaved and his arms tightened around her, as if she might slip away, as if it were the first time he was allowed to stop holding on his own. And really, after everything, it was
“I’m sorry,” he apologized for his behavior in a quiet, shaky, heartbroken voice.
Donna shook her head, and laid a hand at the back of his head. “Don’t,” she said ever so softly. “Never be.”
The bell rang, ending the break, and immediately as the sounds of feet on the stairways came along, John and Donna parted.
He hid his eyes with his sleeve, ashamed to be seen in such a state. She looked at him intently as she remove his arm and thumbed through his tears. His stare was full of grief and at the same time, such gratefulness that made it hard for Donna to just stand there.
Soon the door to their maths class was opened, with their teacher calling in all the students to prepare for an exam, and John and Donna, as if nothing had happened, went inside.
----
“Could I... accompany you home today?” John asked meekly as he walked alongside Donna, the hard day of pretending to be okay over.
“Are you going to ask my mum to adopt you next?” Donna raised an eyebrow, attempting to lighten up his day with her quips. But he was unamused.
“Sorry,” she apologized, taking his hand, “of course you can. Where’re you staying? Since...”
“Aunt Sarah Jane is letting us stay til we can find a new place, I s’pose,” John replied in sad monotone.
“I see. And... how’s your father?”
John stared at his feet as they walked. “Alive. And don’t get me wrong, he’s going to be okay. It’s just...stressing. We lost our house, God knows we won’t be able to afford another one, and we can’t keep depending on Aunt Sarah... and then my dad... we were this close to losing him.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and she ran her thumb over his consolingly.
“Just be happy,” she said softly, “that he’s going to live.”
John looked at her, remembering what she’d lost. He was afraid he’d offend her by being so upset for someone who was going to live, but the way she held on to his hand took it all away. If anyone were to understand at all, it was her. She met his eyes with her empathetic expression, her glassy gray-blue eyes with that splash of brown in the middle saying everything to him.
“Yeah,” was all he could say.
The rest of the trip silent but affectionate, they approached Donna’s door.
“Will you be coming in?” she offered as she was halfway inside.
John scratched the back of his head tiredly. “Uhh....”
“A simple ‘no’ would be fine, skinny,” she addressed his indecision.
“Well, but--”
“Donna!” a elderly voice greeted from inside, and the door swung open.
“Hey gramps!” Donna smiled.
“Your mum’s out for tonight, out shoppin’ for whateveritwas at Thamila. What’s this? Oh, hello!” he said with friendly warmth when he spotted John. “Is this your friend, Donna?”
“Yeah, uh, this is John Pond,” she made an awkward introduction, and John made an equally awkward wave of the hand. “He’s River’s brother.”
“Well then! Nice to meet you boy, I’m Wilf, Donna’s old gramps. Come in, come in, have a cuppa!” Wilf opened the door wider and gestured for John to enter, but he took a baby step back.
“Oh, no, I was just leaving, really--”
“Oh, shut it,” Donna interrupted and took his arm, dragging him in.
“Heh, sorry,” he apologized to Wilf behind Donna’s back, and he only chuckled.
They entered the living room, and it looked strange to John, being so empty since the time he was there last.
“I’ll go put the kettle on,” Donna said as she left John sitting tight on the sofa.
Wilf took a seat next to him with an enthusiastic bounce. “So, you’re the John my Donna’s been mentioning all the time, eh?”
John blushed and perked his head. “What? Me?”
“Ohh, don’t get all shy, boy,” Wilf nudged and winked. “You seem like a good chap. Besides, some other man’s got to look after my little girl, heh.”
“....I’m sorry?”
“You’re together, aren’t you?” Wilf asked, being so sure.
“Oh!” John realized his assumption. “Oh. No. Um. Sorry. No, we’re not... Did she tell you that?”
“Ah, no... just assumed. She gets all...giddy, you see. Don’t tell her I told you that, she might hang me.”
John tried to hide his smile. “Oh.”
“Ah well,” Wilf sighed. “I guess that’s best, I s’pose. It’d be a great sorrow for her in the end.”
“Hm? Why?” John asked, getting curious.
“Well, ‘cos she’s--”
Whatever he was about to reveal, Donna’s timing got in the way of that. “Alright then! Two cuppas, right here for the both of you.”
Wilf took it gratefully, getting up. “Thanks, love!” He made his way for the stairs.
“Oi, and where you are going?” Donna asked, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip.
“It’s tea and telly time, silly.” He smiled at her, and raised his cup at her as he walked up the stairs to his room.
Donna sighed and gestured John to get up and follow her. “I hope he wasn’t trouble for you. He can talk a boatload for ages!”
“Oh, no, he was rather charming,” John smiled.
“He is, isn’t he? He’s a wonderful gramps. Go on, drink up before it gets cold.
“Sorry,” John mumbled and took a careful sip of tea before holding it down above his lap.
Donna watched him, almost maternally. “You alright?”
John stared emptily to the cup. “Not really. Sorry.”
“It’s not wrong to be sad, John,” she told him with gentle seriousness.
“Right. Sorry.”
She gave him a glare, and John smiled genuinely for the first time in a while, and soon Donna was doing it too, because it was as if right then and there, she realized that she would do anything for the completely wonderful look on John’s face.
-----
River tossed and turned in her sleep.
“River,” her father yelled, “I came home early so I could be with my little girl, where were you?”
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” River cried, she had forgotten her plans with her father. She had cancelled on him so many times to be with Troy. Oh, how her father hated that boy.
“Look at me River, I’m dying, because you wanted to be with that boy,” Rory spat at her.
“Daddy, no please, you’re not going to die. It’s not Troy’s fault. I’m sorry, please don’t go,” River sobbed.
“Goodbye, River, you chose that boy. You will always choose that boy. Deal with the consequences. River... River...”
“River,” River shot up in a sweaty flash, and was instantly caught by Troy, who sat on the edge of her bed. “River, are you alright?” He had come back from a quick discussion with his father to check on River and found her in a state of panic in his bed.
The night before, River had fallen asleep in his arms after crying and hearing the news of her father. He carried her up to his room instead of taking her to her own and held her. When she woke up, she continued to cry and he let her fall back asleep, making it very clear that he would not allow her to go to school. He’d miss out too.
River had tears streaming down her face and she buried her head in his shoulders, her arms around his neck, and sobbed from her terrible nightmare. How could she choose Troy over her family when all it did was bring everyone pain?
“I’m fine,” she whispered after calming down a bit, and wouldn’t loosen her grip on him. She couldn’t lose him, not now. Not even because of all the trouble. He’d be worth it, she just knew it. She could find away around his ultimatum.
He could tell she didn’t want to talk but he knew he had to ask. “Was it about my father?”
River suddenly froze at the subject, the memories running in again like a cold, icy tide.
“I don’t care how old you are, just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you have the right to be rude or a jerk, especially to Aunt Sarah!”
“No,” she said, shaking her head in a lie. “It’s not.”
”You need to learn manners! What do your parents teach you?”
Troy looked at her intently, raising his eyebrows in the way that he did when he was trying to gentle get her to tell the truth. “River...”
”They teach me how to not become a person like you!”
“Why you--”
Tears were forming in her gray-blue eyes. “Stop it. No, just stop talking about it...”
”Don’t you ever, ever touch my daughter! Do you hear me? Never!”
“Please...”
”Amy, we can’t let them near him anymore. They’re going to have to stop this.”
“But we can’t just do that, Rory. Do you remember what we owe--”
“If she wants to keep him safe at the expense of my child, I won’t stand for it, this has to stop. We’re not helpless, Amy.”
“I don’t want to live without you,” River found herself saying to him as she couldn’t fight back the tears.
Troy looked down at her and smiled, hold to her tighter, “I can’t live without you either,” he told her, knowing that he was her choice.
“But I can’t live without my family either, that includes John,” she told him, pulling away and looking him in the eyes.
Troy furrowed his brows and saw the pain he was causing her by making her do this. I can’t do this to her... John might. But I can’t. He pulled her back into an embrace, but before he could say anything, there was an interruption.
Rassilon came into the room and glared at the two. River immediately pulled away and sat an arm’s length away from Troy.
“River, I think it’s time for you to go to your room. Sarah made it ready for you, it’d be very rude if you didn’t spend at least one night in it,” Rassilon told her, glaring.
“Yes, sir,” she complied instantly, standing up and getting ready to leave without telling Troy goodnight.
Before she could take another step, Troy grabbed her arm and turned her around, giving her a meaningful kiss while glaring at his father. “Goodnight,” he told her looking into her eyes.
“Night,” she said, slightly dreamily.
She caught sight of Rassilon and quickly slipped out with her head down. Rassilon gave a disapproving stare at her until she made it to her room, then he transferred it to his son, leaving him a cryptic message and walking out.
---
“I think you should leave,” Sarah said quietly to Amy, sadly looking out into the night sky in the balcony.
“Excuse me?” Amy demanded with low volume, turning her head to Sarah Jane.
“You must leave. Leave the city...”
Amy shook her head and screwed her eyes in a hard blink. “No, you’re not making any sense. My husband’s in the hospital, Sarah. We can’t just leave.”
Sarah Jane faced her, tears of sorrow and remorse in her eyes. “It might not be just him if you stay too long.”
Words froze in Amy’s throat as she tried to process the meaning of Sarah’s forewarning. “What are you trying to say?” she asked as if it were the riskiest thing to do. “Do you... do you know who did this to us?”
“I can’t prove it but I have an idea of who. Please, Amelia, take your children, leave for a while, I’ll take care of Rory.”
“For how long? You’re not making any sense at all, you expect us to just stop our lives and start news one somewhere out of town? What about the house, Sarah. The hospital bills, my job, the new house. We aren’t rich Sarah. We can’t just start a new life like you can,” Amy hit a bit low.
Sarah ignored the accusation and went on. “Please, just trust me, Amy. I have taken care of everything. It’s all set.”
“Tell me why,” Amy stood firm.
“I can’t.”
“Sarah Jane Smith,” Amy couldn’t hold it in much longer, “my husband is in the hospital, my house is burnt down and you just told me my children are in danger. What are you keeping from me?”
“Amy I shou--”
“Tell me,” she almost screamed, but held down by a tone.
“Rassilon...” Sarah began hesitantly.
“What about him?” Amy interrupted impatiently.
“He’s close to figuring it out,” Sarah whispered, “and he’s not too happy about it.” she looked at Amy sadly. “Please Amy, for your sake and mine, please leave.’
“Why all of us? Why not just him?” she couldn’t help but ask coldly.
Sarah looked at River with a furlough look. She didn’t know whether of not to tell her, but if she didn’t she’d be putting another life at danger. “He’s after your daughter too,” she said after much hesitation.
“What do you mean,” the urgency in Amy’s voice rose. She had her husband in the hospital, if River were too join it, oh she didn’t know what she’d do. “Sarah, you need to tell me if my children are safe or not here. If not, I wouldn’t have ever let them come here.”
“Troy’s in love with your daughter,” Sarah stated obviously, “and her with him.” she saw the look of confusion on her face. “They can’t be together. Troy’s--”
A creak of the balcony door was heard, and Sarah and Amy promptly turned their heads to find Rassilon there.
“Sarah?”
“Yes, I’m here,” she replied.
“What are you two doing out here?”
“Well,” Amy sought a cover up, “I found out that Rory might be worse than we think.”
“Ah, yes,” Sarah caught her tune, “and she was seeking my financial advice.
Rassilon nodded. “I’m deeply sorry for your misfortune, Mrs. Pond. I hope we can help sort it out.” And with that, closed the door and left.
There was a short silence before Amy cleared her throat.
“Would he really hurt my children?”
“He could. And he would. That’s why you need to leave.”
“How? What will I do about Rory? I can’t leave him.”
“I’ll take care of him. Please, for John and for River, please go.”
Amy took a considering pause. “How long do I have?”
“I have everything set up, you can leave tomorrow night if you can.”
“But- that’s so sudden!”
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Sarah Jane told her firmly. “Amy, I am so, so sorry.”
Amy took an unsteady breath and stood up. “I’ll tell them tomorrow. I... I need to go to bed. Goodnight, Mrs. Smith.”
She opened the balcony door and left.
This was a terrible thing. She never should have accepted that favor so long ago. This could have been avoided in so many ways, if not for that one little boy...
TBC