The Christmas Visit
"River! Where are you?" The Doctor had landed his Tardis in his wife's living room, but she was no where to be seen.
"The Professor is upstairs resting, Doctor." A holographic image of a female dressed much like a late Victorian England male butler appeared and answered.
The Doctor smirked at the image, he wondered if River had male holographic images dressed like maids for female visitors… well perhaps he would find out later. His new companion Clara was currently asleep in the Tardis, but the Doctor planned to spend quite some hours with his wife- upstairs. Clara was bound to wake up and wander out sometime during that time…
"Which room?"
"First door on the left."
The Doctor leered and bounded up the stairs. It had been a while for both of them. He knew River, she'd be as eager, if not more so, than he was.
He was overjoyed that the door was the same as the ones downstairs- early 21st century wooden doors with doorknobs. He grabbed the knob and banged the unlocked door open. "Hi honey, I'm home!" He grinned at his sleepy faced wife.
"Hello husband." She smiled invitingly, remaining under the covers.
He quickly closed the door behind him, one handed, with his eyes still locked on his wife. In two steps he was at her bed side, bending down to kiss her lips, while one of his hands began to work it's way under the covers.
River let out a soft moan as his hand cupped her breast through her nightie-
"Mummy, a giant blue box is downstairs. Is this my daddy?"
The Doctor abruptly removed his hand from his wife's breast and looked sharply around, a bright blush on his face. A little boy who looked about three years old with straight blond hair stood in the now open doorway staring at him.
"Yes, dearest, this is your daddy, the Doctor."
"River, our child, when? How?" He said as the child walked toward him, bright green eyes wide with curiosity.
River chuckled, "Surely honey you know how." Her eyes danced with amusement.
"Yes." He blushed anew, then looked down as his son tugged on his coat. He smiled and knelt down so that they were eye to eye.
"Daddy!" The boy abruptly threw his arms around his father's shoulders a big smile on his tiny face.
The Doctor's hearts melted with joy and he embraced his child.
"He's very affectionate." She looked warmly at the tender scene, so happy the meeting of father and son had gone so well.
"Yes, like his mother." The Doctor stood up, still holding his child and walked back to the bed. The boy cuddled against him, and the Doctor felt such joy that tears welled in his eyes. To be a father again, to hold his own child again, to feel the love from them radiating out… Then it registered what the holographic butler had said downstairs and the fact River hadn't yet got up from under the covers and looked slightly drained…"Are you unwell?"
"No more than the first time." She smiled back at his concerned face and threw back the duvet and sheet as she swung her legs off the side of the bed, changing to a sitting position.
"When?" He sat down next to her and touched the just noticeable bulge, still below her waist, for now.
She hesitated to say the words, fearing to see the raw pain back in his eyes, and to bring back her own, but it couldn't be helped, he did ask when… "After…after Manhattan."
Pain did flash in his eyes, but then he fought past it and looked at her tenderly- "When it was just us, in the Tardis, for that time…"
"Yes."
"And" he smiled down at his son, "him?"
"Remember the Winter Frost Fair?"
"Oh yes." He blushed.
"Me too, I think that was my favorite birthday date…" Her eyes were far away with the happy memory.
"Doctor! Where are you? What is this place?" A female shout came from downstairs.
"Sounds like your new companion is awake. Best let her know where you are."
"Upstairs, come on up. First door on the left, it's open."
Feet were soon heard swiftly stomping up the stairs. Soon a short young woman, with brunette upswept hair in Victorian dress burst through the doorway. "You left me in there with no note saying where you'd gone-" Then she took in the family scene she'd barged into and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Clara, this is my wife and my son. This is my wife's home."
"And yours when you are here." River smiled at her husband.
"You just mentioned a wife, you didn't say you had a family." Clara's expression looked mulishly annoyed.
Time to play diplomat, River thought. "Our child is very precious to us, because of what we are, we keep our family a secret from all but a few people. By bringing you here, the Doctor is saying you are a part of that small group of people." It wasn't quite a lie, that's what River had already decided when she was pregnant with their son. She was living proof of the dangers of being too free with that knowledge. She would not have the same happen to her own children.
"What you are?"
"I haven't really had time to fully explain to Clara what a time lord is."
River sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Alright then. River and I are time lords, well technically River is kind of half time lord, she's part human, part time lord-"
"We'll explain the details of that later honey. Just tell her what you are, I think she'll find that more interesting than what your wife and child are." River had noticed Clara's kind of glazed eye expression at the Doctor's rambling explanation.
The Doctor sighed and pouted, he'd had this grand explanation going. "Then you tell her, since you think you can do it better." He sulked.
River shook her head in amusement. "Okay, Clara, right?"
"Yes."
"Time lords are a nearly extinct people who learned the secrets of time travel long ago. We can live very long life spans- that is partly from our exposure to the vortex- what the Tardis travels through. Humans also benefit from this exposure, but still age at their normal rate. Full time lords do not age the same way. Have you told her how old you are yet, dear?"
"No." He replied sulkily.
River grinned, this was his job, plus she wasn't sure how much longer it had been. She saw an older look in his eyes, but not a whole lot. "So tell her husband." She teased.
"Over 1,200 years." He mumbled.
River smirked at the look of astonishment in Clara's eyes. River had noticed a bit of jealousy directed her way and decided this might help cool those fires. Clara was obviously a young and attractive woman and saw in the Doctor a kind of magical handsome man just a bit older than her, dressed in a style for her era that bespoke wealth- if not necessarily taste- although this outfit was a far sight better than anything she'd seen him sporting- besides the Tuxedo, that is. She was rather fond of that outfit, even the hat! Like many of the female companions it was obvious this girl had become rather quickly infatuated and assumed the attention meant much more than it actually did.
"Over 1,200 years?!" Clara could not contain her dismay. He was far older than she had thought. But, a speculative gleam reentered her eyes, the wife looked even older, and was with child, as well. Surely the Doctor could see she was far younger than his wife, free to adventure with him and so would continue to travel with her and leave his wife at home with their children…
River saw the look in Clara's eyes and knew more would need to be said. The Doctor was either oblivious or liked the attention a bit too much for his own good- or both. River had outgrown being jealous of other women that might catch his eye years ago. Frankly, this young woman, despite her silly little jealousy, was quite pretty and tiny. River could see the attraction. River decided to be playfully shocking, after first getting a telepathic confirmation Clara was Victorian, not someone from a later period who was wearing something from the Doctor's wardrobe.
"Have you bedded her yet, dear?" She asked her husband in a sweet tone.
"No!" He blushed bright red. "River! That's naughty and wrong! I don't do that with companions!"
"Oh, but she's quite pretty. The three of us could-"
"River! Our son is right here!"
"And he's three. He won't know what we were talking about for years, and by then he'll understand his silly parents. This is the 52nd century after all."
"52nd Century?!" Clara was shocked again. The Doctor's wife was a sapphist and they lived thousands of years later from her time!
"Yes, the 52nd century, didn't my husband tell you?"
"No."
"Well, here in the 52nd century we are quite open about love and sex. We love each other very much, but the Doctor knew before we married that I liked to be with both men and women, even at the same time. He is not unattracted to men as well as women-"
"River! That's enough sharing for poor Clara!" His voice was strained with embarrassment, and he was blushing bright red again, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. He knew what game his wife was playing, and in actuality he was relieved. He never knew how to properly end the unfortunate side effect on some companions- a romantic attraction to him. He saw the now changed look in Clara's eyes. River had taken care of the worst of that problem for him, with only minimal pain and embarrassment. Oh, it was likely she would still fancy him on some level, and he admitted it was far too flattering to not enjoy the attention. But perhaps with an early dose of reality it would keep it on that level, no more cornering him in a darkened hallway for a surprise snog, or worse.
"Yes, my love." River grinned back at her husband, this would be a wonderful Christmas visit.