The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time

Chapter 12

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"River?" the Doctor asked the woman.

They stood up.

"Follow that ship", River told him.

The two of them ran to the console.

"Elise!" River exclaimed with a smile on her face. River picked her up and set her on her hip as she pressed buttons and flipped levers with one hand.

Elise wondered who this woman was and why she was holding her, but she liked it. Something about River felt familiar.

"They've gone into warp drive. We're losing them. Stay close", River told the Doctor.

"I'm trying".

"Use the stabilizers".

"There aren't any stabilizers!"

"The blue switches".

"Oh, the blue ones don't do anything, they're just...blue".

"Yes, they're blue. Look, they're the blue stabilizers". She reached over and pressed them and the TARDIS stopped shaking. "See?" River said.

"Yeah. Well, it's just boring now, isn't it? They're boring-ers. They're blue boring-ers", the Doctor said pressing them repeatedly.

River rolled her eyes. "Lord help us if she gets your attitude".

"Oh no, you are not turning my daughter against me".

"Your daughter? Don't listen to him, sweetie".

Elise liked this River woman. She set her head on River's shoulder and grabbed a hold of her blonde hair. River smiled and kissed Elise's forehead.

"Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

The Doctor scoffed. "You call that flying the TARDIS? Ha!"

River set Elise down and started typing on the keyboard wired into the console. "Okay. I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right alongside".

"Parked us? We haven't landed".

"Of course we've landed. I just landed her".

"But, it didn't make the noise".

"What noise?"

"You know, the..." The Doctor imitated the TARDIS' signature wheezing sound and River looked at him.

"It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on".

Elise giggled.

"Honestly, even Elise is a better driver than you in the future. God knows how", River told him, "Of course, she leaves the brakes on too".

"Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise. I love that noise and when do I teach her to drive the TARDIS?"

"Who says you're the one who teaches her?"

"Come along, Pond, Elise. Let's have a look".

"No, wait. Environment checks".

"Oh yes, sorry. Quite right. Environment checks".

The Doctor ran to the TARDIS door and looked out. "Nice out".

River read off the monitor. "We're somewhere in the Garn Belt. There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest that..."