River's POV

We left Dad with Emma and headed out to find the Child. She had left a message.

You continued to seek me, but in vain. You think removing my scythe will turn me back to Time Lord. Do not believe Emma. Emma lies. She always lies. Give up your quest, and I will reward you. Give Emma to me and I will reward you with what you want, generously. If you do not, I will seek you out and kill you, no pain. Give up your adventure and hand over Emma. This is your final warning.

Cheerful.

The Doctor was sandwiched between the window and Mom on the bus ride to where ever we were heading. Apparently the bus driver wasn't listening to the news when the warning came out to stay inside.

"This is torture," complained the Doctor, voice muffled by the fact his face was pressed up against the glass. "Tell me again. When we're on an empty bus, why are squished three in a seat?"

"Because we need to stick together," I explained. It was my idea to sit together.

"We're on the same bus. We don't need to stick together any more than that," said the Doctor.

"I can't understand you when your face is pressed up against the glass."

He turned his head a fraction. "I said, we're on the same bus! Do we really need to stick together more than that?"

I paused as though I was thinking. "Yes."

The Doctor grumbled something under his breath. Mom elbowed him. "Someone's a grump."

"So would you if you were shoved up against a window by two people," he muttered.

"We can ask the bus driver to help squish you more," I suggested.

"I feel like a grape," said the Doctor.

Mom squished him into the window. "Squish, squish."

"What is this, Squish the Doctor Fest?" asked the Doctor. I nodded. "Squish him more, Mom."

The Doctor shoved Mom into me. I nearly fell into the aisle. "Okay, no more squishing the Doctor," I said.

The Doctor turned his head to look at me gratefully. "Thank you, River! Finally, someone who speaks wisdom!"

"What, and I don't?" demanded Mom.

"I chose not to answer," said the Doctor.Mom glared at him. Just then, the bus driver opened the door. I got up and pulled Mom out of the seat. The Doctor brought up the rear, stretching. "It feels good not feeling like a grape," he said. I rolled my eyes. "Better feeling like a grape than being chopped up like a pork loin by the Child."

"True..." the Doctor's voice trailed off and he smiled. I climbed off the bus and was automatically hit in the face by hail. "Some storm," I commented.

The Doctor nodded, then flinched when a hailstone hit him on the nose. "I wish it wasn't this painful."

Doctor's POV

I've been hit in the face with a book, had a nightstand explode over me, nearly killed by an exploding arrow, squished against a window, and pelted with hail. In one day.

What the hell.

 Emma's POV

"Do you need aspirin?" Rory asked. My eyes widened and I shook my head wildly. "Hell no! Aspirin is poison to Time Lords!"

Rory looked down. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay. You just didn't know." my headache had gone down, but I was sensitive to bright lights. Because of this, the TARDIS had turned the lights so that it wouldn't hurt me, which was nice, but it was somewhat hard to see.

We were in a bedroom on my TARDIS. I was lying on the bed. I turned around so I was facing the wall. "One of the things I hate," I said softly, "is sitting out in battle. It agitates me, knowing there's a fight but not knowing what's happening in the fight."

Rory nodded. "I bet it's torture for you."

"It is."

The phone rang in the control room. I sat up. "I'll get it."

"Emma, you have a concussion-" began Rory, but I was already out of the room.

I grabbed it and said into the receiver: "Helloooo?"

"Emma, why are you on the phone? I thought you had a concussion," came the Doctor's accusing voice.

"I do. What's up?"

"We can't find the Child anywhere. She's not in the sky, or anywhere. On top of that, there's hail," explained the Doctor. I looked up at the loud pings coming from the roof. "I hear." I pulled the little screen to me and winced at the bright light. "Funny, my TARDIS can't find her either. It's like... she's blocked herself off. Is she in her little area?"

"No. For some reason, now we can go into that area. I don't get it. Where can she have gone?"

"Doctor..." I began.

"What?"

"She can shape-shift. Remember? And there was that moment..." my voice trailed off. "When I was unconscious, before you came. It was just River. The Child was gone when you came, was she not? But if she's River... where's the real River?"

The Doctor was silent. "Emma, it took me an hour to get there. That left her enough time... and we don't know if she's River. We don't."

The REAL River's POV

I struggled against my bindings. The Child was out, pretending to me. Maybe she's killed them all! Tears formed in my eyes. Oh, god, why did I let that explosion knock me out? I  fought harder. I had to get out of my bindings.

I was in the room below the one that clearly Emma blew up. Cold air blew onto me, making me shiver. I wish I had a knife on me. Or that someone would come and undo my bindings. Well, someone besides the Daleks circling me.

"Quit struggling," one commanded. "We have orders to exterminate if you escape."

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "Make me stop. I dare you."

One jabbed me with it's laser. "You will be exterminated if you do not stop!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, because that would be fun. Kill her quickly. Now that's not fun. How about torture? Or letting me run while you use me as target practice."

The two Daleks looked at eachother. "We could remove her knowledge until she's dead," one suggested. "It's fun watching them scream."

"A little more fun than exterminating and then having nothing to do," the other agreed.

Oh, crap. Now what have I got myself into?

One moved towards me with its suction cup pointing at my face. I waited, then quickly rolled away. Its suction cup went through the window. I used the wall to shimmy me way into a standing position. I grabbed the knife on the counter with my hand and twisted it so I cut the rope. It fell off of me onto the floor. The two Daleks turned around just then. "She is escaping! She must be EXTERMINATED!" And the Daleks closed in, saying over and over, "Exterminate, exterminate!"

One fired his laser at me, but I ducked it. I ran out of the apartment, hit the down button for the lift, and waited impatiently for the doors to open. All the while, I kept looking back. The Daleks were gaining ground. Just when I thought they were going to get me, the doors opened and I flung myself into the elevator. I hit the ground button and leaned against the wall in relief. I had escaped.

The doors slid open and I ran out, not pausing to get out of the wretched building. On the street, I turned right, not sure of where I was heading, just wanting to get away.

I stopped when I saw something strange. The Doctor, who was on his cell phone, Amy, and... me?

The other me turned around and saw me. All of the sudden, she transformed into the Child and flew away. The Doctor removed his cell from his ear. "Okay, that explained everything," he muttered. I ran out. "Hello, sweetie."

"River! Where were you?" asked Mom.

"When Emma threw that exploding arrow, I was knocked out as well. The Child took me to the apartment under the one I'm guessing Emma blew up, as most of the ceiling was falling apart. I escaped, and now I'm here," I said.

The Doctor lifted his phone back to his ear. "Emma, you're right. I've gotta go now." He hung up then hugged me. I embraced him back. "The Child... she can change shapes?" I asked once I pulled away.

He nodded. "That's not the first time she tricked us with that."

I nodded. "Where's Emma?"

"She's got a minor concussion. She's in the TARDIS. She's fine."

"Ah..." I nodded.

Emma's POV

I hung up and smirked. I could tell the Doctor didn't believe me. He never did. Rory was leaning in the doorway, looking a bit cross. "I'm going out," I announced.

Rory looked at me like I was crazy. "Emma, do you really think-" he began.

"That I should go out with a concussion? Yes," I said, grabbing Athena. Rory shrugged. "I'd stop you, but I'd end up with a black eye."

"Or two," I said, flinging open the door. I stepped out-

Straight into the Child. I shut the door behind me. "Um, hello, I'm just gonna scoot around you, so..."

The Child moved with lightning speed. I ducked the scythe and began to run. I got a block before the Child landed in front of me. I turned the other way, pulled my phone out of my pocket, and tripped on a crater in the sidewalk. My ankle twisted under me, and I heard a loud crack. But it wasn't my ankle.

It was the pole of the scythe breaking in two. I sat up, dazed. Rory was lying behind the Child, part of the sycthe in his hand. He sat up. The Child spun around. How dare you break my scythe, you filthy dog! She swung the scythe at Rory, but he rolled out of the way. He swung the pole of the scythe at her, and it hit her face with the second crack that day.

I ducked under the Child's arm, grabbed Rory's and began to run. Fortunately, I hadn't hurt my ankle to badly when I fell, and I was still fast. I opened my phone, dialed the Doctor's number, and when he picked up, I said quickly, "Where are you? We're being chased by the Child-" then I realized something. The Child was chasing us on foot- the first since she was freed. "And?" asked the Doctor.

"On foot. She's never chased us on foot before," I finished.

"What?" demanded the Doctor.

"Rory broke part of the scythe, and now she can't fly like she used to," I explained. I stopped running. Rory looked me like I was crazy. "Emma, if we stop, we're going to be killed!" but I put my finger to my lips and said into the phone, "Doctor, I've got a plan, but I'm going to have to get off the phone," and hung up. I put out my hand. "Gimme the scythe pole," I demanded. He wordlessly handed it over. I pulled out a trip wire arrow and a mine. I split the trip wire, tied on end to a tree, one end on the street lamp across the road, put the point of the arrow right next to the mine, which I put right next to the scythe pole. I stepped back, grabbed Rory's arm, and said, "Run." 

Doctor's POV

I saw Emma and Rory running to us. Emma had removed her sweater to reveal her I'm with Stupid shirt, with the arrow pointing at Rory. "Hello," Emma said, slightly out of breath. We heard an explosion in the distance. "I made a trip wire that would blow up the scythe once something came in contact with it," she explained.

Rory right then noticed Emma's shirt and who the arrow was pointing to. "Heyyy..."

"Hay is for horses, Rory," Emma said. "That's why the arrow's pointing at you."

Rory glared at her. She smirked and leaned against a wall. "I love my life." 

"So you like dealing with evil sisters?" I asked.

"Just a family spat, in my opinion," Emma said.

"You're insane," I muttered.

"Yeah, she is. No wonder why she's got a padded room on her TARDIS," Rory agreed. Emma flushed pink.

"There are other reasons for having a padded room," Amy argued. Emma looked at her gratefully, then put her head in her hands. I looked at River, then approached Emma. "Emma, are you alright?" I asked.

"This stupid concussion. I'll be fine," she mumbled.

"Maybe you should go back to the TARDIS," River suggested.

"No. I hate sitting out," Emma said stubbornly. River gave a shrug that said, I give up.