Second Visits and Christmas Cheer- 4
A/N- Takes place during "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe."
Doctor/ River Fluff- Rated K+
The Doctor was delighted, upon entering the Pond’s house, to find the air full of River’s scent and an extra setting for her at the table.
He turned his head side to side, looking for her expectantly.
“Don’t, Doctor. Please. Don’t hurt her again,” begged Rory quietly as he caught the Time Lord’s eyes.
“What are you talking about, Mr. Pond? Hurt who?” queried the oblivious Time Lord in confusion.
“Melody. River. You haven’t visited her,” said Amy, tone sad and slightly disappointed at the man who had married then left her daughter.
“What?” breathed the shocked Doctor quietly. “What do you mean? What are you talking about? How long? No, don’t tell-”
“Six months,” said a quiet voice behind him, and he didn’t need the stiffening and pitying expressions of the Ponds to tell him who was speaking.
He turned to her, just as beautiful as every time he’d ever seen her, dressed especially for a celebration with her parents. He took a step forward, but Rory’s gentle hand on his shoulder held him back as he looked up into River’s eyes.
“River, spoil-“
“No, let me say this, Doctor,” she put out a hand to stop his progress as well, gulping and closing her eyes before smiling sadly and raising herself up full and proud, the confidence of his River shining through. “It’s been six months since Calderon Beta, and it took me that long to realize just how selfish I’d been.”
Amy ran to stand next to her daughter, her best friend, reaching gently for her shoulder and offering her support. Rory crossed his arms as he stood to the side, giving his daughter the silent backing he always had offered Mels.
“It’s okay, Mother,” said River, her eyes not wavering as she forced herself to boldly meet the Doctor’s gaze, refusing to break down or to give into the tears that had constantly threatened her every night for months as she once more faced a lonely cell.
“You yourself said you didn’t want to marry me, and I forced you to make a choice even while I stole your real choices away from you. It was unfair of me, and I’m so, so sorry. And- I understand. I want to make sure you know, it’s okay. You gave me… exactly what I wanted. And then gave me the most magical night of my life. But, it’s alright now. You don’t have to feel obligated anymore. I know what we had wasn’t real, and it was self- centred of me to believe that that… sham of a wedding counted for anything more than my appeasement.”
“No, River-“
“You haven’t visited me for months, and I’ve finally accepted I’m just another one of them,” she interrupted him again, her eyes glistening for the first time all evening, “Archaeologist, remember?” she supplied at his somewhat confused look. “Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth I, Madame De Pompadour, and a beautiful Aztec woman I had the pleasure of meeting once. The list goes on and on. The many women who fell in love with the wonderful Doctor, who dropped in and out of their lives leaving nothing more than a piece of himself in their memories. How many weddings and engagements have we forced on you? How many times must you call yourself husband without ever taking a wife? Don’t worry now, my love. I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you. I’m just another woman who had a piece of the Doctor’s hearts for a moment, but can never be what the Time Lord needs. And that’s okay. We’ll still see one another here, when we both come to visit my parents, and I don’t want you to feel any special sort of debt or shame over me. I have my memories of you, and I have my feelings that I know you don’t share, but that’s alright. We can still be… in each other’s lives as often as my parents necessitate, but I won’t expect or force you to be around me any more than that. You are free to live as you want, without any guilt or expectation on my end.”
He looked at her hard then, his eyes steely and a full of a fire she’d rarely seen, before he sighed and shook his head, looking back up to her, his hands balled into fists before he released a long breath and responded firmly.
“What have I told you about the order of our lives? No matter.” He sighed before meeting her gaze head on, “Now, you listen and you listen good River Song. I’m truly sorry you’ve been alone all that time,” he said with a conviction that astounded every Pond in the room.
“Doctor-“ River began with a small shake of her head.
“Shut up, my turn to talk,” he interrupted, silencing everyone else, “I am so sorry you’ve been alone all this time, but from my point of view I’ve seen my WIFE every night at different points of her life from the first night since our wedding. So, seeing as you’ve just fixed a 6- month gap into my second trip to Stormcage on your end, get over here so I can make it up to you.”
She looked up at him a moment, hesitating even as she noticed the smile playing at his lips, before she ran the few steps needed to cross the room and into his arms. Their kiss was full of all the longing, passion, and love he’d felt grow toward her every day since long before their marriage, and all the waiting, relief, and desire she’d faced every day since that first. It was a full two minutes before they broke apart, his hand reaching up to delicately rub away the tear that had fallen down her cheek, kissing her lightly once more before pulling her into a tight hug.
“Ridiculous woman,” he said into her neck, “how could you ever even imagine I wouldn’t want you, that any of those other amazing women would even compare to the wonder that is my beautiful wife? My River Song. I will be yours- always and completely for as long as I live.”
“Oh, my love,” she sighed, “I thought, when you never came back-“
“No more spoilers, River. You just told me I stayed away for six months, so now I have to. But I promise, that will be the longest you will ever have to be without me ever again,” he grinned slightly at her still- moist eyes, her smile as dazzling and hopeful as he’d ever seen.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a gratitude and love that nearly suffocated her, before he whispered once more into her ear.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Doctor.”
She choked out a laugh through her happy tears.
“Many more to come, Mr. Song.”
Doctor/ River Fluff- Rated K+
The Doctor was delighted, upon entering the Pond’s house, to find the air full of River’s scent and an extra setting for her at the table.
He turned his head side to side, looking for her expectantly.
“Don’t, Doctor. Please. Don’t hurt her again,” begged Rory quietly as he caught the Time Lord’s eyes.
“What are you talking about, Mr. Pond? Hurt who?” queried the oblivious Time Lord in confusion.
“Melody. River. You haven’t visited her,” said Amy, tone sad and slightly disappointed at the man who had married then left her daughter.
“What?” breathed the shocked Doctor quietly. “What do you mean? What are you talking about? How long? No, don’t tell-”
“Six months,” said a quiet voice behind him, and he didn’t need the stiffening and pitying expressions of the Ponds to tell him who was speaking.
He turned to her, just as beautiful as every time he’d ever seen her, dressed especially for a celebration with her parents. He took a step forward, but Rory’s gentle hand on his shoulder held him back as he looked up into River’s eyes.
“River, spoil-“
“No, let me say this, Doctor,” she put out a hand to stop his progress as well, gulping and closing her eyes before smiling sadly and raising herself up full and proud, the confidence of his River shining through. “It’s been six months since Calderon Beta, and it took me that long to realize just how selfish I’d been.”
Amy ran to stand next to her daughter, her best friend, reaching gently for her shoulder and offering her support. Rory crossed his arms as he stood to the side, giving his daughter the silent backing he always had offered Mels.
“It’s okay, Mother,” said River, her eyes not wavering as she forced herself to boldly meet the Doctor’s gaze, refusing to break down or to give into the tears that had constantly threatened her every night for months as she once more faced a lonely cell.
“You yourself said you didn’t want to marry me, and I forced you to make a choice even while I stole your real choices away from you. It was unfair of me, and I’m so, so sorry. And- I understand. I want to make sure you know, it’s okay. You gave me… exactly what I wanted. And then gave me the most magical night of my life. But, it’s alright now. You don’t have to feel obligated anymore. I know what we had wasn’t real, and it was self- centred of me to believe that that… sham of a wedding counted for anything more than my appeasement.”
“No, River-“
“You haven’t visited me for months, and I’ve finally accepted I’m just another one of them,” she interrupted him again, her eyes glistening for the first time all evening, “Archaeologist, remember?” she supplied at his somewhat confused look. “Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth I, Madame De Pompadour, and a beautiful Aztec woman I had the pleasure of meeting once. The list goes on and on. The many women who fell in love with the wonderful Doctor, who dropped in and out of their lives leaving nothing more than a piece of himself in their memories. How many weddings and engagements have we forced on you? How many times must you call yourself husband without ever taking a wife? Don’t worry now, my love. I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you. I’m just another woman who had a piece of the Doctor’s hearts for a moment, but can never be what the Time Lord needs. And that’s okay. We’ll still see one another here, when we both come to visit my parents, and I don’t want you to feel any special sort of debt or shame over me. I have my memories of you, and I have my feelings that I know you don’t share, but that’s alright. We can still be… in each other’s lives as often as my parents necessitate, but I won’t expect or force you to be around me any more than that. You are free to live as you want, without any guilt or expectation on my end.”
He looked at her hard then, his eyes steely and a full of a fire she’d rarely seen, before he sighed and shook his head, looking back up to her, his hands balled into fists before he released a long breath and responded firmly.
“What have I told you about the order of our lives? No matter.” He sighed before meeting her gaze head on, “Now, you listen and you listen good River Song. I’m truly sorry you’ve been alone all that time,” he said with a conviction that astounded every Pond in the room.
“Doctor-“ River began with a small shake of her head.
“Shut up, my turn to talk,” he interrupted, silencing everyone else, “I am so sorry you’ve been alone all this time, but from my point of view I’ve seen my WIFE every night at different points of her life from the first night since our wedding. So, seeing as you’ve just fixed a 6- month gap into my second trip to Stormcage on your end, get over here so I can make it up to you.”
She looked up at him a moment, hesitating even as she noticed the smile playing at his lips, before she ran the few steps needed to cross the room and into his arms. Their kiss was full of all the longing, passion, and love he’d felt grow toward her every day since long before their marriage, and all the waiting, relief, and desire she’d faced every day since that first. It was a full two minutes before they broke apart, his hand reaching up to delicately rub away the tear that had fallen down her cheek, kissing her lightly once more before pulling her into a tight hug.
“Ridiculous woman,” he said into her neck, “how could you ever even imagine I wouldn’t want you, that any of those other amazing women would even compare to the wonder that is my beautiful wife? My River Song. I will be yours- always and completely for as long as I live.”
“Oh, my love,” she sighed, “I thought, when you never came back-“
“No more spoilers, River. You just told me I stayed away for six months, so now I have to. But I promise, that will be the longest you will ever have to be without me ever again,” he grinned slightly at her still- moist eyes, her smile as dazzling and hopeful as he’d ever seen.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a gratitude and love that nearly suffocated her, before he whispered once more into her ear.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Doctor.”
She choked out a laugh through her happy tears.
“Many more to come, Mr. Song.”