Life Unexpected Chapter 4:

"River In Moonlight"

Water. Water everywhere. Water filled all of Professor River Song's senses. She was completely submerged in the cold dark lake. Her curls floated around her head and she felt water beginning to pool into her shoes, starting to weigh her down. She was sinking further and further down to the bottom of the lake that she was in.

Why was she in water, she questioned to herself as she began to feel discomfort in her lungs and chest due to lack of oxygen, and then she remembered as another hand gripped her own and started pulling her upwards towards the surface, towards where some light seemed to be shining.

The Doctor and River had crashed the Tardis on an unknown jungle planet and had accidentally angered its natives, tall blue and silver warriors with bows and arrows, and then suddenly they were running through the lush green jungle, hand in hand, dodging arrows and escaping the angry planet's inhabitants. They had run until they had reached a cliff edge. River had wanted to make a stand, but the Doctor had other plans. He had grabbed ahold of her and had flung both of them off the cliff side and into the lake below.

Everything came back to River as she moved towards the surface, half swimming and half being pulled upwards by the Doctor. She kicked her legs fiercely and used her free arm to perform half of a breaststroke. She held onto the Doctor's hand tightly, not wanting to drift away from him. He was her anchor under all of this water, but instead of dragging her down, he was pulling her up. She hated water, absolutely hated it. She might even admit that she was a bit afraid of it. Ever since she was forced into that horrible space suit against her will and was positioned under Lake Silencio to murder the Doctor, she could barely stand to look at big bodies of water, let alone go into them. Water was not her friend. It was a trap, a cage. A hiding place where she was forced to wait to commit the one act that she had dreaded all her life. And once that act had been completed she was forced to take cover in it due to the barrage of bullets being sent in her direction from an older version of her self. She really hated water.

Just as River was trying to focus on something other than her horrid past with water and murders, she and the Doctor reached the surface of the lake that they had fallen into. Their heads burst through the skin of the lake, causing ripples to form all around. They both sputtered and coughed, thankful for being able to take air in again. They treaded in place for a few seconds, still holding hands, while taking deep breaths. River was hoping that the jump hadn't caused any trouble for the baby. Nothing felt off, so he had to trust that everything was okay. She kept on treading in place.

It was then that River realized that the lake they had jumped into was salty. She tasted salt on her lips when she ran her tongue over them as she took in breaths of fresh air. How odd, that a lake, and not an ocean, had salt water. Well, this was a different planet and each planet had its own rules. Just another wonder she uncovered in her journeys. Though as interesting as it was, the saltiness did deter this body of water from being drinkable, and since neither she nor the Doctor had noticed any other bodies of water in the jungle as they had explored/been chased, finding safe drinking water might be problematic down the line.

"Ha ha!" The Doctor suddenly cried out, breaking River from her train of thought about safe water. "Now wasn't that a rush of excitement?! I haven't done that in ages."

River looked over to him and saw that he was positively excited; enjoying the adrenaline rush the jump had given him. His grey eyes were lit up with a combination of happiness, relief, and pride. He was always happy with himself for being able to get out of situations without having to cause any harm. And with that sort of an exit away from the blue natives, he had.

While River was still uncomfortable with the recent landing in the water, she couldn't help but smile at her husband's happiness. It was always so funny, the things that brought him joy. River did have to admit to herself, that the jump was exciting. The rush of danger was always fun. And this recent trip into the water had done numbers on both of their hair. River curls were drooping down along side her head, starting to straighten out a bit, and the Doctor's hair was slicked back all save for that wonderful floppy piece that never stated out his eyes.

The two of them continued to tread water for a few more seconds when suddenly an arrow came rushing by the Doctor's face. It came so close that it ruffled the bit of hair that usually fell in front of his eyes. Both of their gazes quickly darted from the arrow now sinking into the lake and then up in the opposite direction.

Up at the top of the cliff where they had jumped from were the natives. And as they continued to gaze, they noticed small black spots in the air. Those black spots started getting closer, moving faster, hitting the water around them with a sickening zooming sound. Those black spots were arrows. They were still being shot at.

"Swim Doctor! We have to get out of their range!" River yelled as she turned her back to the arrows. She let go of the Doctor's hand and instantly started perform her best version of a front crawl at full speed. She swam as fast as she could, away from the spot where the arrows were being directed. Instead of making a beeline towards the shore of the jungle, she decided to stay in the water and swim parallel to the shore. The water gave them distance from their hunters on land and also gave them some form of cover from the arrows in the air. River was glad as she kept paddling forward that her husband had the same understanding and was dutifully swimming behind her. Once again, she was so thankful that she wasn't in this situation with a younger version of the Doctor. If she had been, he might not have followed her orders so easily, and if the situation was reversed and she was the young one, she knew that she wouldn't have either.

But that was neither here nor there. Both of them were very well established with each other and knew to follow one another's orders when necessary. Plus, the general idea of getting out of the arrows direction was pretty obvious.

The two of them continued to swim hard and fast. They could hear the arrows still hitting the water behind them, but the sound was growing softer, the ripples in the water were now only being caused by their own movement, rather then the weapons whizzing into the lake. They kept on swimming for five minutes, then ten, then fifteen, and it was then at twenty minutes when River cast a glance over her shoulder mid stroke and looked up toward the now far away cliff from where they had jumped. The blue and silver hunters were no longer visible. Not that they were blurry our out of focus, they simply weren't on the cliff's edge anymore and there weren't any arrows being sent into the water after them. All of that was gone.

River and the Doctor were no longer being pursued. They were safe…for now.

It was then that River stopped swimming and looked around and really realized where she was and what she was doing. She took in the water around her it seemed to hit her like a brick wall. She was in the middle of reasonable sized body of water, about 500 feet off shore. She really hated water. River had registered that she was in water when they dove in around twenty minutes before, but the rush of adrenaline from their pursuers had given her momentum, had given her distraction. She was able to force that fear away. That stupid fear that she wished she could just simply be rid of. But she couldn't. It seemed to always tighten its grip on her. Damn the Silence and Kovarian for forcing a weakness upon her!

River started to twist a bit in the water, a mix between treading and swimming, and in the end, she ending up going nowhere. Her breathing quickened and she felt a knot form in her stomach. She didn't know if that was due to morning sickness, a side effect from the jump, the heat from the jungle environment mixing with cold water, or simply the fear that was slowly corrupting her, but she knew that no matter the cause she didn't like it. It made her tense and uncomfortable. The Doctor was so close to her that all he had to do was simply reach a hand out and he was able to touch her. He gripped her right shoulder and then her left, forcing her to still and face him eye to eye.

His grey eyes met green ones. River registered concern and understanding in the grey ones while the Doctor noticed panic and humility in the green ones. He held his grip on her and she moved her hands to his shoulders as well, holding them tightly.

"River," The Doctor stated in a low voice that she usually found sexy, but at this moment was more parental sounding, "You are alright. This is just water. I know, I know what water does to you, but you are free, safe, and not trapped." And with that he let go of her shoulders and removed her hands from his own frame. He even scooted back a few inches away from her in the water, giving her space.

She eyed him silently. His gaze never left hers. He smiled gently. They continued to tread.

"You are perfectly in control River," He continued. "Yes, you are in water, but you are safe. You can over come this. You can beat it. I believe in you Doctor Song."

He was right. She knew that at this moment, they were both safe. They were simply treading water in a very cold lake. She wasn't in any danger, as long as they didn't count hypothermia, but that was a few hours off and she knew that they'd be out of this before that would even begin sink in.

She was River Song for goodness sakes! She should be handling herself better than this. She had other more important things to think about and be scared of. Having a child and dealing with her marriage should worry her more than some simple water. Screw this, River thought to herself. She was going to be all right. She always was. She was one day going to get over her fear of water for good and today would be the start of that. She didn't want to have this crippling and embarrassing thing hanging over her head for the rest of her life.

She closed her eyes, took in three deeps breaths, and then opened them and faced her husband. He looked at her expectantly with a slight mix of worry and hope. A small tight smile crept on her face and he knew that it took a lot of effort for her to put that smile on and breezily say the next few words that came out of her mouth.

"You are right husband. It's fine. Now, let's make our way to the shore."

And with that she swiftly turned sideways to him and started swimming full out towards the sandy beach that was about 500 feet away.

The Doctor let go a sigh of relief and followed right behind his wife. He knew that she hadn't conquered her fear in just a few short minutes, far from it. But, she was able to put on a small act of bravery and confidence. A small act that would one day be the real deal when she would be in water. Letting go of fears took time, and he was just glad to know that today embarked the first step in the positive direction to breaking that fear. The phrase 'fake it till you make it' came to mind as he continued swimming.

He couldn't help but smile at the sheer amazingness of his wife. He watched her swim in front of him with strength and speed and he was completely captivated. She was brilliant in all elements, be it combat, facing fears, solving problems, making love, teaching, rule breaking, everything. What a woman. He then noticed that in his assessment of River Song, he had fallen a few paces behind her.

Behind her….that wasn't a bad view if he did say so himself…not a bad view at all…

He mentally and physically slapped himself as he quickened his swimming pace, trying to catch up. He chided himself, as he grew closer to her. Now was not the time to let his thoughts wander there…He could admire River Song and all her glory back when they were safe in the Tardis…and not in the middle of a bloody freezing lake. He could let his emotions overtake him and truly show her what he thought of her. Fully act upon his desires. Even in the water, his cheeks flushed a bit at thoughts like that, even after all of this time.

"There's a time and place," He muttered to himself with a frown. He sighed inwardly. He used to have so much control and slight oblivion when he was younger, but Rassilon help him, River had changed so many things about him. She drove him crazy, but he loved it. Both of them were only a few feet away from the shore now.

Finally, they hit land.

River got to the beach first, and stood up in the shallow part of lake and then dragged herself a few feet away from the edge of the water and plopped down in the sand. She rested her head on her knees and just started blankly at the water before her.

The difference in temperature between being in and out of the water was vast. The water was cold and the humidity outside of it made it feel stifling and sticky. That's what you get in a jungle environment.

The Doctor followed suit in River's actions and the two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, catching their breath and just enjoyed the fact that they were now out of the water and able to rest. They had been swimming for a half hour and it had tired them a bit.

After another minute or so of silence, the Doctor took off his now soaked tweed jacket and started to wring it dry, as best he could. River had a similar idea and took off both of her black heels and tipped them upside, allowing some built up water to drain out. Overall though, they were both soaked to the skin and with no clothes to change into at that moment, they both knew that they would have to just deal with it. Though it did cause River some slight worry that her white button up blouse was now practically painted onto her frame. She knew that her ever so small baby bump was barely noticeable, but she was worried that the Doctor would catch on. But then again, this was the Doctor, and so many things went right over his head. She hoped that this too would go unnoticed. The sooner her shirt dried out and didn't cling quite so tight to her middle, the better. She was thankful that she had decided to wear a tank top underneath the button up. It may cause her have one more layer to dry, but it was one more layer covering up her secret.

Once the process of attempted drying was complete, the Doctor stood up, brushed off the sand from his pant legs, and put on his jacket again. River put her shoes back on, stood, also brushed off the sand, and then ran her hands through her curls, or what used to be curls. Now her hair was more flat than curled. She tsk'd at that.

"Okay, plan!" The Doctor announced suddenly with a clap of his hands, startling River a bit and distracting her from her hair. "We need to get back to Tardis. Hopefully by the time we arrive, she'll be all charged up and ready for take off. Let's move out!"

"Okay, but Sweetie, I think you are forgetting one thing. Somewhere out in the jungle is a group of natives from this planet who want to kill us on sight. Now I usually love a good showdown, but right now we are at a disadvantage without workable weapons or screwdrivers." River countered.

"Right you are Professor, but as I've said in the past, without weapons, we hold the moral high ground, and with a bit of luck, we'll reach the Tardis before we run into the natives."

River eyed him skeptically. He looked so sure that things would turn out fine.

"Alright then Doctor, lead the way."

And with that, both started walking down the beach, in the opposite direction from the cliff they had jumped from. There were two reasons for that. One, from what they could tell, it would be a very steep and almost impossible climb for them if they tried to follow their trail from before. Even most of the jungle around them seemed pretty steep and hill ridden. And two, they wanted to give themselves as much distance as possible from the blue and silver hunters. So, walking down the beach and until they came to more level ground seemed like the most sensible option. And then they would head into foliage and cut through and hoped that they found their Tardis before something else found them.

The pair walked in comfortable silence for about an hour. Sure, they would have an occasional thought to say or random bit from a past adventure, but for the time being, silence was fine. They had finally become linear enough, where neither one had to impress or teach the other younger one. Usually one of them was far more experienced and guided the other during adventures, but now, now, for this moment, they were able to stand on equal footing. They both knew that they had gone through Manhattan and the loss of Amy of Rory. They both knew that they were married. They both knew that River's time in prison was up and that she was able to live a relatively normal life as a professor. They hadn't consulted diaries yet, but it didn't matter at this point. Just by seeing one another, they could judge on where they were in each other time lines. The pain and experiences of their lives both showed on their faces and in their eyes. They could sort out the finer details later. River just hoped that this Doctor was the Doctor that she had seen during her previous five encounters, the one who was linking up so linear that they could almost refer to themselves as being on the slow path.

River and the Doctor were so used to jumping in and out of each other's lives and time lines, but their past few adventures together had taught them that being linear wasn't so bad and it was quite enjoyable and gave them a sort of refuge and safety that neither had known would happen or would be wanted.

On they walked, leaving tracks in the sand only to have them washed away by the waves lake; a good way to make distance and not be followed. The sky was ever so slowly changing colors as they walked. When the two had crashed onto the planet, it had been bright blue above and the middle of the afternoon, but some time had now passed and the sun was now slowly starting to set, causing the jungle to their left to turn from a mixture of lime and Kelly green to a more somber shade of hunter green.

Every once in a while, River would stumble ever so slightly. She simply chalked it up to the Doctor as the uneven sand beneath their feet, but she knew that she was getting a bit dizzy. Nothing extreme or health affecting. It was a simple side effect to pregnancy. Very common in the early months. She knew that, and knew to not be too worried by it, but the Doctor had no understanding, no grasp of the situation in which she was. He took her words for the truth, that it was just the uneven sand, but he tucked the incidents away in his thoughts. He didn't want anything to be wrong with River and he would make sure to keep a sharper eye on her. She was his wife after all. And for all intensive purposes now, his one and only companion.

They continued walking. Another hour passed and slowly but surely, the landscape in the jungle along side of them was flattening out and looking ever more suitable for walking. Both River and the Doctor would be happy to start walking on solid ground again, instead of sand. Though, the Doctor thought that with light starting to fade, and the jungle growing darker, it might be best for the two of them to stop and rest for the night. Fortunately, their clothes were almost completely dry now, except for the Doctor's tweed jacket that is. That still was slightly wet, but that's the price you have to pay when you wear cool clothes, the Doctor thought. It would dry out eventually.

It was then, when the sky was starting to darken due to night approaching, that River felt an uneasy change. That knot that she had felt in her stomach before returned. She knew that nothing was truly wrong; it was simply morning sickness (actually known better as any time of the day sickness) rearing its ugly head. And of course it had to happen now of all times. Just perfect.

The Doctor stopped walking when he realized that River wasn't right beside him and was standing perfectly still a few feet back. He turned and closed the few paces between them. He saw that she had a mixed expression on her face: half annoyance and half….displeasure if he was interpreting things correctly.

"River, are you alright?" He asked slowly as he reached out to touch her arm. As soon as he made contact, she flinched away from him and dove into the jungle to her left. She only wandered in a few feet, so the Doctor was easily able to follow her.

"River, what's wrong?!"

At the exact moment the Doctor asked his question, River fell to her hands and knees on the dirt floor of the jungle, thankfully facing away from him, and threw up.

The Doctor stood there a moment, a little dumbfounded. But after a few seconds, he sprang into action, trying to aid his wife. He knelt down next to her on the ground, leaving only inches between them.

"Riv, are you okay?! Is there anything I can do to help?! Tell me what's wrong!" He practically ordered her. He didn't mean to sound harsh, but in all their time together, he had never seen River sick. He'd seen her injured, tired, emotionally unstable, angry, frustrated, weary, but never sick. This was something new and that startled him. Scared him even. This was River Song and she was unstoppable. She was a super hero.

River didn't answer the Doctor's questions and continued to empty her stomach. She tried to push him away, and when that failed, tried to move away from him, but he held her firmly, with one hand on her back and one on her shoulder, giving her support as best he could. He'd never really done this sort of thing before, but he hoped he was doing ok, the supportive husband thing. He noticed that she was shaking just slightly.

He just held onto her until she finished. She attempted to get up and succeeded, but as she made her way out of the tree line of the jungle and back to the beach, she felt dizzy once more and stumbled again. The Doctor was right on her heels though and guided her towards some low level rocks a few feet away from them on the beach. Once he had her there, he sat her down and joined her on the adjoining rock next to hers. He let go of her, giving her space to collect herself and breathe. He didn't know what to do with his hands so he quite literally sat on them for a moment. He knew that she probably didn't want to be touched at this time.

River looked away from him, grateful that he hadn't run away at the sight of her being sick, and was pleasantly happy that he had helped her over to rocks, but now she felt stuck. He would ask questions and she knew that now was not time for answers, well, completely true answers that is.

She took a deep breath as she focused on the sand below her feet. She stared intently at each individual grain that she could. She was amazed at how something so small could form into something so big, so different. She then snorted inwardly to herself. She was amazed at rocks forming together and yet she was completely unfazed by the similar idea of a child forming within her. Less than a day ago she hadn't known that she was pregnant, and here she was accepting it and all of its symptoms with no problems. She had realized that something was different about her for a couple of weeks before taking the test, but it wasn't until that morning that everything had been clear cut and known. Maybe that's why she was now focusing on the tiny sand particles under her feet instead of focusing her attention towards the man sitting next to her whose gaze was practically boring a hole into her head. She had given herself some time to slowly come to realization and conclusion that something was different. She had waited to take the test, and not just sprung the knowledge on herself. She wanted to give herself time to come to terms with it, and when she did, and she took the test, she was completely okay with. Happy even. She was happy and decided in the fact that she was going to be a mother.

But now, the Doctor was staring her down, waiting for answers, answers that were probably not even on his radar at the moment. She knew that the Doctor was like her, and would also probably need time to come to terms with her condition. She didn't want to just spring the news on him and wait for a reaction. So that's why she knew that she had to keep this from him for just a bit longer. She swore to herself that she would tell him once they were back on board the Tardis. Judging by the time of day, she knew that probably wouldn't be until tomorrow, so that gave him some time to witness her symptoms, come to his own conclusions and once she told him her news, everything would fit into place and it wouldn't be so jarring…she hoped.

River felt guilty at this train of thought, but what good would it do by telling him right here right now? They were in the middle of a jungle, possibly being hunted down by its natives, with no working weapons of screwdrivers, and they were ways off from the Tardis. If she told him now, it would only give him stress and heighten the importance of her safety on this trip. She knew how to keep herself safe and if push came to shove, she would tell him if there was a chance there was danger to her or their baby. But right now, aside from some tiredness and mild morning sickness, she was fine. She may be really hungry at the moment, but that was her biggest concern. She didn't want to upset him if she didn't have to.

River also didn't want to do what Amy had done in the past. Of all the times that Amy could have told the Doctor that she was pregnant, she had chosen possibly the worst one. Her mother had announced it to the Doctor in the middle of a warehouse in 1969, in the dark, while they were defending themselves from the Silence and what turned out to be little Melody Pond in a spacesuit. River did not want to repeat that kind of announcement process. The Doctor had been so worried, so panicked over Amy being in her condition and facing the threats that she was, Rassilon knows what he would do if River did the same as her Mother. Since it was his child and she was his wife, River was sure that similar circumstances might just stress him out enough to regenerate on the spot. River would not make the same mistake that Amy had made and put the Doctor in a more stressful situation that he was already in. Always hide the damage.

So, she knew that she'd have to skirt around the truth, just for a little while, and then she could tell him her good news.

River looked up and faced her husband. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. His eyes were guarded a bit, as if he was waiting to hear bad news, but they also showed sympathy, concern, and love. She understood all of that because she knew that if you were to witness someone being sick in front of you, normally good news would not come from it. And as for the other emotions his eyes held, she knew because of who she was, that those emotions would always be in his eyes when it came to her, as long as she was with a version of the Doctor as he was now, older, mature, married. She dreaded to think what it would be like to be going through this with a younger version of her husband who was not her husband. The Doctor that she had met at the Byzantium certainly wouldn't have held her when she wassick, and wouldn't be waiting for her to talk. He simply would be demanding answers. She silently thanked the Tardis once more for bring her to her Doctor, the one who she was currently so intertwined and linear with.

She continued to stare at her silent Doctor and knew that now was the time to speak. She silently prayed that her acting skills were up to par.

"Okay Doctor, I know that you think something is wrong, but I can honestly say that I am fine." That was the truth, mostly. Nothing was truly wrong with her. Just morning sickness. Now that she was finished throwing up, she did feel much better.

The Doctor frowned and turned on what River and others had dubbed his 'puppy dog eyes'.

"River," He countered as he shifted and freed his hands, "You are not fine. I just saw you become ill! And, you were stumbling around earlier, like you were dizzy. Don't think I didn't notice. It wasn't caused by the uneven sand. And," He then brought up a hand to her face and gently cupped it. "And, you are pale. Now that's probably to do with the being ill part, but still, something is not right and I want to know why."

"Doctor." She had a warning sound in her voice, like she was going to evade him. She looked away and focused at the ever-darkening jungle.

"No!" He said a little harsher than he'd intended. He let go of her face and grabbed both of her hands in his own and forced her to look at him. River could see that his grey eyes only held worry and a bit of frustration, but thankfully not anger. "Don't try to placate me like when I was younger. I know things now and I know how you are. Something is obviously up and I want you to tell me. Please! Don't you trust me?"

"Always."

"Then why won't you tell me what's made you sick? Is it an allergy, and illness, something else? I mean, I'd scan you in a heart beat with my sonic and find out immediately, but since that isn't working, I need you to tell me what is happening."

"I can't."

"Why?! Why not?" He almost growled. His jaw was set and he still hadn't released her hands. "After everything we've been through, everything we are, everything we've done, why can't you be honest with me about whatever this is?"

River really felt sorry for the Doctor. She knew how hard it was when he didn't know everything, and since he was who he was and had gained so much experience in their relationship, he thought that there wasn't much that they couldn't talk about. They were equals now. But, she knew that if he was reacting like this without all of the facts, she knew that she didn't want to face the Doctor in this situation with all the facts, so she said the first word that came to mind.

"Spoilers."

The instant she said that word, he let go of her hands and leaned away from her bit. River kept her eyes down. She knew that by now, he hated the word spoilers. It was a word that put distance between the two of them, set them apart, because it meant that one or both held knowledge that the other didn't. But, River did want to give him hope, even if it was a guess at best.

"Yes Doctor, spoilers." River said slowly, reaching out and taking his hand in hers now. He looked her and his face was blank. "But, don't you worry, it won't be spoilers for long. I promise. It just can't be now. But you will find out very soon."

"I feel like this is Demon's Run all over again, you holding some very important knowledge and me being stuck with not knowing anything until the very end." He said somewhat bitterly but nonetheless accepting. He knew how spoilers worked, as frustrating as they were.

River couldn't help but smile at the Demon's Run comment. His reaction to the truth about her had been better than she could have ever imagined. Once he connected the dots, he was so happy and astonished at who she was.

"And I hope your reaction will be just the same Doctor. Not the 'where the hell have you been' part, but what came after it. You were so giddy when you found out the truth."

There. She had dropped as many hints as she could. He had seen her ill, she had told him her news was spoilers, and that she had wished for him to have a positive reaction in the end. Maybe that would let some hypothesis form and when she explained everything, his reaction would be positive and the revelation would not be so out of left field.

River hoped that she was doing what was best. She always wanted to protect her Doctor. Never let him see the damage. Not that having a baby was damage, but some things had to be dealt with in the proper time and place.

"Alright River," The Doctor said with a sigh. "I trust you. Spoilers are spoilers. But can I ask you just one more question, please?"

She nodded as he looked her pleadingly, almost frightened.

"You are okay then? You aren't seriously ill right? I'm…I'm not going to face the possibility of…of losing you? I mean, after Amy and Rory….I…I don't think I could live through it if something happened to you as well," He said in a soft voice, almost like a child.

Oh Rassilon, now she felt horrible. Here she was, side stepping the truth about their soon to be child and he was thinking that she might be dying or leaving him. He was always fearful of losing his companions, because in the end, they did always leave him, one way or another. She quickly pulled the Doctor into a fierce embrace, holding him close. He reciprocated immediately and clung to her. She sometimes forgot how deeply damaged he was since the loss of Amy and Rory. River had to even talk him out of not being the Doctor and going into retirement at one point. He never seemed to take anything quite for granted anymore. And River had noticed that on a few occasions, the Doctor had almost seemed worried about losing her in the future, like one day she simply wouldn't be in his life due to some unforeseen accident or death, but that was just absurd to her. She'd always be there for her husband, and now, their soon to be Time Tot.

"Don't worry Doctor, I'm not leaving you anytime soon. I promise." She whispered in his ear. He rested his head on shoulder as they continued to hold one another.

Now, the Doctor knew where River Song would eventually end up: The Library. But he could never shake the fear in the back of his mind that the universe wouldn't be too cruel to him to take River away from him more than once in his lifetime. He had lost so much in his life, especially recently with Amy and Rory, that just the idea of something being wrong with River made his hearts stop with worry. River was his saving grace, a constant that was never a constant. He simply needed her in his life now, because he had grown to love her. It took a long time for him, but after all of the flirting, the adventures, the impact of their first meetings (from both perspectives), and her utter devotion, he couldn't help but finding himself eventually in love with her. She was his wife and he was her husband.

They held onto each other for another half a minute and then separated. The Doctor quickly composed himself and put on cheerful smile, yet his voice couldn't hide that tiny bit of concern that lingered within.

"So, River, you say you're okay, and I believe you, but how are you feeling right now?"

"Much better Doctor, I swear." River replied with total honesty. The morning sickness had passed as quickly as it had come. "But I do wish I could rinse my mouth out or brush my teeth. Too bad the lake water isn't drinkable due to it being all salty."

The Doctor brightened up at her musing and flashed a big grin as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a mini toothbrush in a clear case. He handed it to her excitedly.

"Here we are River Song, one toothbrush per request. I just happened to have one on me. Did the same thing with Martha Jones way far back when we traveled. Happened on a trip to see William Shakespeare. Don't worry, this toothbrush is brand new and comes with nice minty tooth paste." He explained.

River just stared at the toothbrush in her hand, slightly amazed.

"I wish I could help you with whatever you are dealing with dear, but at least I can provide a little relief with a new toothbrush. Husband duty and all that, you know. Taking care of the wife when she needs it."

River kept staring at the toothbrush in her hand. She didn't know why, but it brought her happiness that she didn't expect. Her husband, even in his lack of understanding the full situation, was helping her as best he could with the symptoms of her pregnancy. A few small tears came to her eyes and she quickly stood up and started walking towards the water's edge, away from the Doctor's view. She wiped away the few tears with one hand and popped off the case holding the toothbrush with the other. It was silly how her hormones were affecting her. Crying over the happiness at seeing a toothbrush and her husband's gesture. Just plain silly, but understandable, she tried to reason. She couldn't help but smile.

River quickly brushed her teeth and was relieved when all she tasted was minty goodness. Once she was done, she returned back to the Doctor, who had now set his tweed jacket on the sand as a blanket. He was sitting cross-legged with his blue diary open in his lap and a pencil in his hand. She sat down on the available space of his coat and took out her own Tardis blue diary from her pants pocket. She would be ever thankful for the Doctor in teaching her how to make clothing pockets bigger on the inside. He had used that trick for far too long and eventually she weaseled him into giving her the gift of storage space as well. A perk he told her, for being his wife.

"So Doctor Song, where are we for you?" The Doctor asked inquisitively. His normal upbeat demeanor had fully returned and River was relieved at that. This was how it should be. The Doctor and River Song, enjoying each other's company, comparing diaries, and experiencing one exciting adventure after another.

"Well," River began in a truly happy tone as she opened her diary to the latest entry, "The last trip I had with you was to Saturn 8. What a wild evening that was. Have you done that yet?"

The Doctor's face lit up with smile as he nodded.

"Yes! In fact, Saturn 8 was the last adventure I had with you as well. Blimey, I don't mean to be tempting fate or anything, but can you believe that our last five trips have been on the exact same time line? We've been linear all the way. I wonder why that is? Maybe the Tardis want's to keep us together or we are just extremely lucky?"

River could take one guess at why they were meeting in order for a change and she knew that it probably linked to the Tardis knowing that she and the Doctor would want to be together for this unexpected life event.

But to answer his musings, she simply stated, "I don't know Sweetie, but it certainly has been most welcomed. I've really enjoyed being on par with you recently."

"So have I. After never knowing what version of you I'm going to run across, it has been quite wonderful to see the same you again and again. It makes me feel almost feel like we are normal married couple." He stated.

"A normal married couple who is made up of two different alien species with varied ages and experiences dashing about time and space in a blue box you mean."

"Obviously."

"Then yes, after syncing up these past few times, we are starting to act like a normal married couple." River said with a smile. The Doctor returned her smile and then a brief look of question flashed upon his face.

"So, since we are doing diaries at the moment, what would you like to call this adventure, Professor Song?" The Doctor asked as he brought his pencil to paper.

River thought for a moment, scrunching her green eyes ever so slightly as she wracked her brain for the perfect title. The Doctor loved it when she was in 'thinking mode'.

"How about 'Meteor Jungle Extravaganza'?" She suggested with a raised eyebrow. The Doctor tried to mimic her facial expression, but do to his 'delicate eyebrows', his look didn't hold as much statement as hers had, but it still made River laugh. Sufficient with his wife's now happier mood, he replied.

"I like the sound of that. Great title. Very cool." He said with a nod. They both made note of it in their diaries and then put them aside. Neither one knew how they weren't soaked beyond repair after being in the water for so long. Maybe in the past the Doctor had put some special waterproof chemicals on them or they were just really lucky. Either way, both diaries were in reasonably safe condition and this adventure had now been recorded.

And with that, the two of them cozied up to one another on the Doctor's tweed and reminisced over their five most recent linear adventures.

Saturn 8 had brought them a wild night of dancing in the year 6073 at a swanky space club called '8 Club Rules' that the Doctor had wanted to go to for years. He always loved a chance to break out his awesome dance moves, notably, the 'Drunk Giraffe'. All was well and good until a platoon of Judoon came barrowing into the club looking for a convict on the run. After a small firefight and some hide and seek, the convict, a rouge Zocci was captured. Once the madness had settled down, the Doctor and River had enjoyed one last dance which had then led them back into the Tardis for a pleasant round of sex before River had to be dropped off back at Luna University to teach her classes in the morning.

The adventure before Saturn 8 was engaging in another thrilling mystery in Victorian London 1890 with the ever-loveable Paternoster Gang. Madame Vastra had sent for the Doctor to aide them in figuring out why suddenly, Henry Gordon Jago's show, "Monstre Gathering", was featuring multiple alien races from far across the galaxy, aliens that had never before come to Earth. After investigating and the Doctor being put into the show as well, it was revealed, thanks to the Gang and River, that Henry himself was an alien and had collected other species on his travels and had plopped down on Earth where there weren't any aliens in the open, so he could impress the masses and make money. Thankfully in the end, an over enthusiastic Strax and a vengeful River finished off Henry swiftly, rescued the Doctor, and freed the enslaved alien races and delivered them back to their respective home worlds.

The trip before the "Monstre Gathering" incident involved River and the Doctor visiting the Musée d'Orsay in Paris 2015. In one of River's archeology classes, she was discussing famous art pieces that connected to historical events and some digs that she had been a part of. She only had scans to use in her classes and the Doctor thought that she deserved to see the art pieces in person, so he brought her to the museum for the view and to Paris for a bit of a romantic date. The two of them wandered the museum for hours, keeping score, pointing out moments in history that they had witness first hand, and just reveling in the beauty of the art surrounding them. Other visitors of the museum had never before witnessed such a couple who was so enthralled with the art around them, though it confused them when they heard bits of discussions about whether or not the portraits truly captured the profiles of the ones in the paintings, as if they had actually seen these historic and iconic figures in person.

After they were done wandering the museum, they grabbed a bite to eat at a near by restaurant, took in a theatre show, and ended up enjoying a late night coffee near the La Danse de la fontaine emergente. They had escorted one another back to the Tardis and finished the night off with an unexpected shared bubble bath that led to a much-expected night of fun between the sheets. River stayed with the Doctor for one whole day after their Paris excursion, just enjoying a "day in the Tardis" before she hopped out and back into her life of teaching.

The adventure before Paris 2015 was to Egypt 1996 where the Doctor and River snuck into a group of archeologists on a dig at the Bahariya Oasis, where the 'Valley of the Golden Mummies' was discovered. They were able to witness the historical discovery first hand and even assist with some of the excavating. River had just been over the moon, the Doctor hadn't been as thrilled, but he did enjoy seeing River in her element and after all of the events were done and over with, he did finally admit to her that it was a bit fun, seeing history being discovered through someone else's eyes. Just like how he enjoyed seeing companions witness the miracles of the universe. If he ever lost the picture, he could regain it by seeing the wonder and joy through someone else's eyes.

And finally, the trip before Egypt 1996, where their timelines had initially become linear and where their baby had begun, was Apalapacia. Though, this was the Apalapacia before the Two Amy's Incident and the outbreak of the Chen-7 virus. There weren't any Two Stream Facilities or ill Apalapucians. All that was there was what should be: a beautiful planet consisting of soaring spires, silver colonades, mirrored Glassmire Mountains, pinkish-purple skies, and many vacation resorts.

The two had enjoyed a day of hiking around the planet, sightseeing landmarks that could only be described as breathtakingly beautiful. After all of the walking, they enjoyed a buffet of exotic foods put on by one of the resorts on the planet. Once the sun had gone down and night had set in and they had indulged in too much fruit, pastries, and in River's case, wine, the Doctor and River found themselves in one of the resorts private hot springs. The hot spring was delightful and relaxing. The water was deep, warm, and inky black; the moon of Apalapacia shown bright and illuminated the hot spring; but instead of the moon being white, it was various shades of pink with dark purple stripes. And the night sky above them was anything but cold and black. No, the night sky was a swirling mix navy blue, purple, red, pink, and millions of twinkling stars and planets off in the distant.

The Doctor and River had eventually had enough of the water, but not of each other. The hot spring had relaxed them both, but had also awoken their arousal and they had raced one another back to the room they were provided at the resort. Once they had arrived, they threw their towels aside and engaged in a passionate session of lovemaking. This trip to Apalapacia was definitely better than the one before it, the Doctor thought. This trip was so much better in fact, he and River decided to stay there a whole week.

As River and the Doctor reached the end of their recount of their last five linear adventures together, they realized that a couple more hours had passed and that night had officially fallen upon the unknown jungle planet. The Doctor's tweed jacket they were sitting on was completely dry now, the sky had darkened to mix of blues, blacks, and stars, and the off-white moon shone brightly above their heads, illuminating the lake near them and giving them some light on the beach to see with.

It was then that they both realized that they were pretty much stuck stranded on the beach for night, for neither dared venture into the now almost pitch black jungle and there was no point in walking the beach in the dark where they could easily trip over a log or a rock. They also gloomily realized that they would have to go without food and water for the night due to the only water source available to them was a lake filled with salt water and the only food that they had come across was some fruit in the jungle's tree line bushes a half hours walk back that the Doctor had recognized as a species of fruit that looked and tasted delicious but carried a deadly poison.

Both looked at each other and shrugged at their predicament. They had gone through much worse in life than a night sleeping on a beach with hungry stomachs. Though, River did hope that they would find safe food to eat tomorrow, because she knew that normally she could push herself to the extremes, but now she was caring not only for herself but also for her child. She had to keep up her strength and that meant eating a reasonable amount. She consolidated herself with the fact that at least she wasn't nauseous anymore. In fact, aside from the present hunger, and mild thirst, she felt fine, better than fine in fact. All that reminiscing with the Doctor about their last few adventures had definitely put her in the mood. How could it not? With her current condition and discussing previous conquests with her and Doctor, both in bed and in the field of battle, she found herself rather flushed with excitement and a sudden desire to snog the Doctor senseless came to mind.

The Doctor was watching River carefully. Even though there wasn't much light illuminating the area around them, the moon gave off just enough light to make River shine, almost glow he considered as an after thought. Her green eyes were bright as she looked at him, almost hungrily…..Her skin was pale in the moon, but a good pale, a beautiful pale. Nothing like the sickly shade she had displayed a few hours before. Her hair had dried and her wonderful space curls had returned with all of their glory, framing her face. She looked wonderful.

The Doctor felt that sudden sensation of wanting that he had felt earlier in the middle of the lake return. River looked gorgeous and by Rassilon he wanted her, wanted to show her how proud of her he was for overcoming her fear of water, and for being brilliant with flying the Tardis earlier through that meteor shower, and for now just being dazzling in the moonlight.

River in moonlight. Probably one the best views he would ever witness in his entire life. Their discussion of past adventures had brought up certain details of their relationship, stuff that normally made him blush, but right now, it juts made him look at River with such acute focus that he thought his eyes might drill hole in the middle of her head. But this intensity came with a reason, for if he was staring, then that meant he wasn't acting on his emotions. He regretted it every second as he continued to look at her, but with their surroundings he knew that he wouldn't give in, that he couldn't. He had too many rules. It was so frustrating sometimes.

Both of them were facing one another and felt heat and they knew that it wasn't the jungle atmosphere affecting them.

Suddenly, River did the one thing the Doctor was hoping she wouldn't. She leaned into him and kissed him solidly on the mouth. The Doctor momentarily froze and then eventually gave in a little and returned her kiss. They stayed together for five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds, twenty seconds. At twenty seconds into the kiss, River weaved her hands up to where the Doctor's bow tie was and hastily undid it, tossing it to the sand next to them. She then quickly pulled down the Doctor's red braces and started working on unbuttoning his shirt. The Doctor broke away from the kiss, taking in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, while he caught River wrists in his hands a lowered them to her sides as gently as he could.

River looked confused for a moment and then flashed a playful smile.

"Was I moving to fast Sweetie? Would you also like to do some undressing?" She asked breathlessly. Her eyes shown with excitement.

The Doctor closed his grey eyes, groaned internally, shifted slightly so that both of them were now on their knees facing one another, with him still holding her hands at her waist firmly in his grasp.

"Rule 1169, River," The Doctor somewhat shamefully whispered. He looked down, in half embarrassment, half frustration. Damn his rules sometimes! He should really change them, but he knew that he wouldn't. Not this one, especially after that one time. This was why the Rule was there in the first place.

"Rule 1169?" She questioned, her voice mixing between disbelief and slight annoyance. River was now frowning slightly as her breathing began slowing down. They were losing the moment, the heat. Was he rejecting her advances because he didn't want her tonight? Had her illness earlier put him off? She could have sworn that he was also feeling the sexual tension she had felt.

"Yes, Rule 1169….no….sex…on beaches…." He timidly spoke.

After he said it, he looked at her and she looked at him and she looked completely flabbergasted.

"Sweetie, what do you mean no sex on beaches? When has that ever been a rule?" The time traveling archeologist was now confused. In all the time she had been with her Doctor, she had never seen him say no to sex, at least after they were established as a couple, a married couple, a couple who knew each other. They must have done it at least once on a beach…But then she thought about it and they had began stuff on a beach, light foreplay, fun kisses, but nothing had ever really happened on a beach. They had always gone back to the Tardis, or to a hotel room, or even Amy and Rory's house. Huh. River realized that they had never done it on a beach before. And then she was curious as to why, and why he was pointing it out to her, and where that Rule had come from.

"Okay, let me get this straight," River started as she broke out of his grasp and looked him straight on. The Doctor raised his head and returned her gaze. He still looked sheepish. Sort of like how her younger Doctor had been in the beginning when he was trying to explain who she was to a brand new time travelling Amy Pond in a red sweater on a different beach many years ago. "You are saying that we will not be having sex tonight, here on the beach?"

"Uh…," The Doctor felt himself starting to blush. "Yes, that's correct."

"Because of Rule 1169?"

"Because of Rule 1169."

"Doctor!? What is Rule 1169? When was it decreed? Why was it created?" She threw her hands up in frustration and as a way to keep the Doctor's eyes focused on something else other than her own. If he looked into her eyes now, he would see hurt and sadness from being turned down. River was rarely told no when it came to this. Everyone wanted a go at her and now she explicitly being told no by the most important person in her life. No matter if he had a Rule, it still hurt. Rejection was still rejection.

"Well, don't you remember River?" The Doctor asked somewhat surprised. "I made the Rule after we went to the Virgin Islands for an anniversary where you and I both suffered from…well…uh…it was rather unpleasant….there were all of those red spots…and there was itching…and it was kind of painful….ugh, River don't make me say it, it was embarrassing…and you must remember, you were there, the Virgin Islands…remember, from then we made Rule 1169…and…and you have no idea what I'm saying do you River?" He realized.

"None at all Doctor," river replied evenly, starting to put together the Doctor's rambling. She was starting to understand. Her pain was slowly melting away. Slowly.

"So, so you haven't done our anniversary at the Virgin Islands yet…."

"Nope, not yet, but I'm now a little apprehensive…I hope it's not all bad…"

"No! No. Some of it's good. Most of it's good. There's just an incident that uh…makes us…uh...which results in…" The Doctor felt like he was tripping over his own words and he knew he was blushing fiercely. He was hoping that darkness around them was hiding that.

"Which results in Rule 1169 to be established. No sex on beaches."

"No sex on beaches." He agreed firmly with a grim sort of smile. He knew that he had definitely ruined the mood they had going and he didn't really know how to fix it. So, he did what he thought of first. "I'm sorry River, for uh, leading you on, sort of. I mean, you were just so gorgeous there in the moonlight, and you amazed me so much today, and you seemed to be just as enthralled and I knew I had to stop…us before it got out of hand. Oh, and sorry for the slip about the anniversary trip you'll take in the future. Spoilers."

River blushed at the comment about her being gorgeous and amazing. That wasn't something the Doctor usually told her. She ran a hand through her mess of curls and smiled.

"Thank you for compliment Doctor, and for the apology. At least I know there's a reason why you were stopping. And at least it wasn't because you didn't want me." River said evenly, as her nerves started to calm.

The Doctor's small smile that he had on quickly faded. He realized that he had made River feel unwanted, and that was never okay. He never wanted to upset River if he could help it. After everything he had put her through when he was younger, unaware of whom she really was, and afraid what she represented for his future, he knew that he had treated her horribly at certain points. He felt like he would never be able to make it up to her before her eventual time came and he would have to happily wish her good luck as she strode off to that damned Library and out of his life forever. He then quickly scooted over to her side of his coat, closing the distance between them and enwrapped her in a big hug.

"River, I could never not want you. You're you! I mean, I may be stupid and a bit stand offish when I'm younger and overall pretty oblivious at times, but I'm always fighting off my desire to be with you. You scare me and excite me at the same time. How could I not want you, my personal 'Hell in High Heels? Yowza!" He exclaimed.

"Really?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Really, River." And with that, he released her from the hug and brought both of his hands down and rested them on her hips. She quickened her breathing, not because she was excited now, but because she was worried. His hands were so close to her secret. Their secret. She didn't want him finding out this way. She felt tingling all over, half from nerves and half from arousal that this damn man before her put in her every time he even looked her way. No wonder she was in the condition she was.

The Doctor noticed she was trembling slightly and in a moment of spontaneity and kindness, tried to be what he had seen in Amy and Rory for all of those years, a devoted and supportive spouse. He had remembered Rory cuddling Amy when she need soothing and he thought, well, like mother like daughter, what the hell?

Still holding onto River by the hips, he slowly lowered himself down onto the ground, with his back against his tweed jacket. He pulled River down on top of him and sort of cradled her against his chest. She shifted slightly under his grasp to a more comfortable position (and one that wouldn't lead any sudden life changing revelations) and relaxed into an all ages appropriate version of spooning. In simpler terms, they were cuddling.

There was silence for a few seconds until River spoke.

"Um, Sweetie, are we really cuddling?" She asked in slight disbelief. Her head rested on the Doctor's chest and she just barely heard the pulse of his double heartbeat. It was one of her favorite sounds.

"I believe we are."

"Not that I disapprove, because I'm enjoying it very much, but what made you decide to cuddle? This is not usually your thing."

"Well, you have had a rough day, and I did just turn you down and hurt your feelings, and I wanted to comfort you in some, and because…because you are River Song and I want to hold onto you for as long as I possibly can."

'And because I know that my days with you River are numbered and one day I won't be able to do any of this with you and I don't want any regrets when I have to say goodbye and send you off to that Library, off to your death. I want to enjoy every minute with you, because right now I'm not alone. You fixed me after the loss of Amy and Rory, and sometimes River, I need comfort too.' He thought to himself.

Instead though he said, "And because I'm your husband and certain things, certain perks are supposed to come with the title and who knows what version of you I'll meet next? I want to take advantage of the time I have with you now."

River was stunned. She couldn't believe that this was the Doctor. She was so used to the awkward, child like, shy, easy to blush, barely acted like a normal guy who was her husband. She knew that their relationship was complicated, and hard, and practically impossible, but she wouldn't change a thing about it, she wouldn't rewrite one bit of their time together. And here he was, holding her and saying words that most women only dreamed of. But then River realized that he himself may want the same comfort that he was giving her just as much as she wanted it. The loss of her parents had changed them both in drastic ways and River had come to realize that he would sometimes try to emulate the way that Amy and Rory had acted around each other. Not that he was trying to make them into 'The Ponds', but that he was trying to have what they had, the 'together or not at all' attitude that the Ponds had demonstrated.

The lonely Doctor wanted a normal humany wumany relationship. Not that she would ever call him on it and not that he would ever admit it, but River knew that. Everyone needed someone and who was he closer to than River? She was his Amy and he was her Rory. They would complete each other, comfort each other, adventure with one another. Together or not at all. After the loss of Amy and Rory, that was their rule. Together or not at all.

As River processed this and snuggled up closer to her guy, she said the three small words that were always terrifying.

"I love you."

"I love you too." The Doctor replied immediately after. There wasn't any hesitation, any bit of being unsure, just a statement that was true. He did love her. He could admit that now and he wanted her to know that, for when she was sacrificing herself to save that Library and all of its people, and his old self was just staring at her helplessly, he wanted her to know that she was loved, by so many and so much, and by no one more than him.

River was so thankful for how much the Doctor had grown in their relationship. If only all of their meetings could be like this. She now knew that when she told him of her pregnancy, that everything would be fine. He took care of her now, worried about her feelings, wanted to show her the universe and take her on adventures. He would be able to handle the news. She was sure. This Doctor was more mature than she had ever known.

She snuggled into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight towards him. He could smell the salt water in her hair. They both had their own worries, but at this moment, they were at peace, in each other's arms. Both realized that after the day they both had experienced, ending it with a loving confession and a cuddle was just as great as ending with round of sexual passion. They both let themselves fall into an easy and comfortable sleep.

The night sky eventually turned from black to navy blue, to varying shades of purple, then red, and then into the normal blue to daylight. The sun was shinning above on this cloudless morning and a light breeze from the lake blew over the sandy shore, gently stirring the time traveling couple.

The Doctor and River woke up with in a few seconds of each other and slowly took in their surroundings. They were still wrapped up in each other arms and as they fully woke up and untangled, they realized something important.

They were not alone.

Standing over them was a small group of people with guns at the ready and uniforms. Both River and the Doctor instantly recognized the uniforms. The people standing before them were an exploration team from Luna University, and they did not look happy to see the Doctor and River.

XXXXXXXXXXX

First off, I'm sorry that the break between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 was so long! My sincere apologies for the wait. Life just got in the way and it was hard to find time to write and edit this chapter. On the up side, I hope that having this chapter extra long was appreciated and enjoyed. It was definitely longer than I had originally intended.

Second, thank you everyone for reading this chapter and continuing to join me on this journey as I write. Thank you for the follows, shares, favorites, likes, and comments. I'm so happy that people enjoy what I write and want to see more. It means so much.

As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know in the comments or direct messages. Keep up the likes, reviews, follows, and favorites. Until the next chapter!

Thank you!