A/N: After watching TWoRS for possibly the millionth time, I wanted the chance to explore the Doctor's feelings. I own nothing, save a "Bowties Are Cool" sticker for my car, a TARDIS figurine, 11's Sonic screwdriver, and series' 5-7/THoRS of DVD. Can you tell I love River? Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Even in an alternate reality, there was no mistaking her. He hadn't even seen her face, and yet he knew it was her. Those god-forsaken heels that made her toned legs look even longer, that captivating body wrapped in that tight black dress, and of course, the hair. Those wild blonde curls could belong to no one else. Just the thought of her was enough to make him smile. Or, it would have been had the entire fabric of time not been in jeopardy.

"Hi, honey. I'm home."

She turned, fixing those impossible green eyes on his and he swore his hearts skipped a beat. River.

"And what sort of time do you call this?" she asked, her voice a bit harsher than normal.

Before he could answer, he heard something that made his hearts sink. A voice he never wanted to hear again.

"The death of time. The end of time. The end of us all. Oh, why couldn't you just die?"

Kovarian.

"Did my best, dear. I showed up. You just can't get the psychopaths these days," he answered.

He just knew, though he couldn't see her, that River was glaring at him.

"Love what you've done with the pyramids! How did you score all this?"

The question had been directed at Madame Kovarian, but it was River who answered.

"Hallucinogenic lipstick. Works wonders on President Kennedy. And Cleopatra was a real pushover."

He smirked.

"I always thought so."

"She mentioned you," River replied, flashing him a smirk in return.

"What did she say?"

Though he knew they didn't have the time for this, he had to admit that he was genuinely curious. After all, it's not everyone who has the pleasure of meeting Cleopatra.

"Put down that gun."

"Did you?"

River shrugged, another smirk gracing her lips.

"Eventually."

Behind her, Madame Kovarian groaned in disgust.

"Oh, they're flirting. Do I have to watch this?"

"It was such a mistake, wasn't it, Madame Kovarian?" River began, throwing a glance over her shoulder, "Take a child, raise her into the perfect psychopath, introduce her to the Doctor…who else was I going to fall in love with?"

She sighed, somewhat dramatically, and he fought the urge to scream at her.

"That's not funny, River. Reality is fatally compromised. Tell me you understand that."

"Dinner?" she asked, raising her head slightly in question.

"I don't have the time. Nobody has the time. Because as long as I'm alive, time is dying. Because of you, River."

He was struggling to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn't quite contain the tremor of anger that crept into his voice. He needed her to understand. To fix what she'd created. Didn't she realise the severity of what she'd done?

"Because I refuse to kill the man I love."

"Oh, you love me, do you? Aw, that's sweet of you…isn't that sweet? Come here, you."

He'd been slowly approaching her, reaching out to touch her. He was almost there, all he had to do was reach out-

"Get him!"

Amy's voice cut through the air, and he was roughly pulled away. River hadn't moved an inch, and was now staring at him knowingly.

"I'm not a fool, sweetie. I know what happens if we touch."

She knew. Of course she knew. He turned to smile at the guards briefly, and before they had time to react, he wrenched his arm out of their grasp, locking his fingers around River's wrist. She struggled to free herself from his grip, but he wasn't having it. He had to stop this.

"Get off me," she said softly.

When he didn't release her, she turned to the guards, her voice betraying her urgency.

"Get him off me!"

"Doctor, no! Let go! Please. Let go!"

Amy was asking him to let go? Surely she must have realised that time was disintegrating. How could she not understand that this had to be done? He heard the woman monitoring the time comment that time had begun moving again, and he sighed in relief. It was working. Time was moving.

"Get him off me!" River's voice was frantic now, and she was still trying desperately to free herself.

"Doctor, no."

"I'm sorry, River. It's the only way," he said, ignoring Amy behind him.

With a small gasp and help from the guards, River was finally able to break his hold on her wrist. She held it gently in her other hand, and ordered that he be cuffed.

"Oh, why do you always have handcuffs?"

In other circumstances, he knew that her response would have been a seductive smile, followed by her trademark "Spoilers". As it was, she simply stared at him, and indescribable expression on her face.

"It's the only way, River. We're the opposite poles of the disruption. If we touch, we short out the differential. Time can begin again."

He knew that she already understood how it worked, but he was pleading now, begging her to understand that she couldn't alter this fixed point in time.

"And I'll be by a lakeside killing you."

The pain in her voice was unmistakable. It killed him to hear it, to see it reflected in her eyes, but he knew there was no other choice. It had to happen.

"And time won't fall apart. Clocks will tick. Reality will continue. There isn't another way."

The eye that wasn't shielded by her eye drive filled with tears. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and wipe them away.

"I didn't say there was, sweetie."

How could she stand there, knowing that the entire time, their world was crumbling around them? She was part Time Lord. She knew the consequences of her actions, and yet….he wasn't worth this. How could she willingly risk the lives of billions of people just to save one man? It was so unlike River to ignore every possible outcome. So unlike her to behave so rashly. What was she thinking?

"There are so many theories about you and I, you know?"

She was stalling and he knew it.

"Idle gossip," he shrugged.

"Archeology," she countered, always quick to defend her profession.

"Same thing."

Where was she going with this? She was steadily getting closer, more confident now that he was unable to touch her, and when she stopped, her face was inches from his own.

"Am I the woman who marries you? Or the woman who murders you?"

It clicked.

"Oh…."

As much as it killed him to do it, he knew what he had to say. He had to make her angry. Angry enough that she would touch him. Angry enough to let him go.

"I don't want to marry you."

"I don't want to murder you," she answered, trying her best to hide the pain in her eyes.

She'd believed him. How could she not see that he was lying? Had she forgotten Rule One? How did she not understand that he was simply trying to get her to do the right thing? Of course he loved her. Of course he (secretly) wanted to marry her. She was his strength. The one who always believed in him, the one who trusted him without fail. He looked at her intently, willing her to look into his eyes. Begging her silently to look deeper into his eyes than she'd ever looked. She didn't however, and he sighed inwardly.

"Well, this is no fun at all."

"It isn't, is it?"

"Doctor? What's that?"

He turned to follow Amy's upturned eyes, and was horrified to see liquid dripping from the cracks in the walls.

"The pyramid above us."

He turned to Madame Kovarian, the hard look he reserved just for her returning to his face.

"How many Silence have you got trapped inside it?"

"None," she answered, her joyful tone making him want to strangle her, "They're not trapped. They never have been. They've been waiting. For this, Doctor. For you."

He glanced at River and saw his own look of horror mirrored on her face. What had she done? The door behind them smashed open and Rory came tumbling in, fighting to close it again.

"They're out!" he shouted, "All of them!"

Rory glanced back at them, picking up his gun.

"No one gets in here. Ma'am, my men out there should be able to lock this down. We have them outnumbered."

"And you're wearing eye drives based on mine, I think. Whoops."

The Doctor turned hate-filled eyes on the woman in the chair, daring her to test his patience.

"What do you mean?"

She didn't answer. As it turned out, she didn't need to. The young woman who had been monitoring the time began screaming and hit the floor of the pyramid. He nodded to Amy, asking her to help before turning back to Madame Kovarian.

"She's dead," Amy said quietly.

Pain. Blinding pain seared through his entire body, and he jerked involuntarily. He screamed, and Amy rushed to his side, clawing at the eye drive in a frantic attempt to remove it. Seconds after she had thrown his to the ground, her own eye drive activated, causing her to scream. River was quick to help, having already removed her own in the midst of the chaos.

"The Silence would never allow an advantage without taking one themselves," Kovarian spoke up quietly, "The effects will vary from person to person, either death…or debilitating agony. But they will take you all. One by one."

Oh, how he wished for the freedom to move his hands. He wanted nothing more than to strangle this woman. Hadn't she caused enough pain? Not only was she hunting him down, she had tortured Amy, kidnapped her child, and raised that child to murder him. And that child…the sweet innocent baby that had been born at Demons Run….that same child that now stood in this very room, having created this alternate world because she refused to murder him…River deserved so much more. Kovarian…well, she deserved death multiple times over.

He wasn't going to deny that he felt just the smallest sense of justice when he saw her body shake slightly. Her eye drive was activating. He could feel River watching him from behind, but he was more aware of the ragged breaths she was taking. He turned to look at her, ignoring the pleading of the vile woman behind him, and tried again to reach her.

"We can stop this right now, you and I."

Seeing that she wasn't going to listen, he tried another tactic. He would appeal to her (although much younger than her) mother.

"Amy, tell her."

"We've been working on something," Amy answered, speaking as if he hadn't addressed her, "Just let us show you."

He shook his head slightly.

"No point. There's nothing you can do. My time is up. "

"We're doing this for you!" Amy argued.

"And people are dying for me. I won't thank you for that, Amelia Pond."

He'd hoped that by using her full name, he would be able to make her see reason. It seemed, however, that she was just as stubborn as her daughter. Now he knew where River came by it.

"Just let us show you. Please."

River's voice was verging on desperation, and he sighed, bowing his head in defeat. He heard Amy asking Rory some specifics on their time frame, but he paid little attention to it. All he could think of was how he was going to stop this. Somehow, he had to touch River long enough to destroy this alternate timeline. He wasn't going to let any more people die for him. Not today.

He didn't fully snap out of his thoughts until they'd reached the top of the pyramid. He looked at the distress beacon, and as River explained what she'd done, he felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment flood his body, both for himself and for her. How could she have sent out a message like that? His life wasn't so important that anyone would even think of answering that call, and he was mortified to hear that she'd considered it.

"River, River, this is ridiculous! That would mean nothing to anyone. It's insane! Worse, it's stupid! You embarrass me."

God, it killed him. The pain and sadness in her eyes, screaming out to him, all because of something he'd said. He hadn't meant it. She had to know that. He was embarrassed by the thought that someone had sent out a distress call like hers on his behalf, yes, but he wasn't truly embarrassed by her. He could see that the damage had been done, though. He'd hurt her. He wished he could take it back, but it was too late.

"We barricaded the door, we've got a few minutes. Just tell him."

River didn't respond, her tear-filled eyes pulling away from his for a fraction of a second. It was enough. She regained her composure, and took a deep breath.

"Just tell him, River," Amy's voice was sharp.

"Those reports of sunspots and the solar flares…they're wrong. There aren't any. It's not the sun. It's you. The sky is full of a million, million voices saying 'Yes, of course. We'll help'."

He opened his mouth to protest, but River continued, silencing him with a look.

"You've touched so many lives, saved so many people. Did you think that when your time came, you'd really have to do more than just ask?"

He didn't answer. Couldn't answer. It wasn't that simple. She had to know that.

"You've decided that the universe is better off without you, but the universe doesn't agree."

"River," he interrupted her urgently, but gently, "No one can help me. A fixed point has been altered. Time is disintegrating."

"I can't let you die."

"I have to die."

Why couldn't she see that there was no other way?

"Shut up!" her voice was trembling with the tears she refused to let fall, "I can't let you die without knowing that you are loved. By so many, and so much. And by no one more than me."

"River," her name had become a desperate plea, "you and I, we know what this means. We are ground zero of an explosion that will engulf all reality. Billions on billions will suffer and die."

She shook her head, her eyes cutting through his determination.

"I'll suffer if I have to kill you."

"More than every living thing in the universe?"

She paused for only a moment, and when she answered, there wasn't even a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Yes."

She wasn't going to do it. He could see that now. She would willingly let the universe crash and burn than hurt him. As touched as he was by the depth of her love, a depth he hadn't really even thought possible until now, he simply couldn't allow her to do this. He had to make her understand. The only problem being that he didn't have the faintest idea how. He looked at her, River Song, his bespoke psychopath, this incredibly impossible woman, with her beautiful wild curls, her enchanting green eyes, and suddenly he knew. There was only one way to make her see.

"River, River…why do you have to be this? Melody Pond. Your daughter," he snapped, turning to Amy and Rory, "I hope you're both proud."

He heard Rory quietly say something to Amy, but he didn't care. He was thinking, millions of thought flitting around in his head, trying to remember the details.

"Amy, uncuff me now."

Surprisingly, she did as he asked, and he took a deep breath, hoping and praying that this would work.

"Okay, I need a strip of cloth, about a foot long, anything will do," he paused, fingering his bowtie, "Never mind. River, take one end of this, wrap it around you hand and hold it out to me."

"What am I doing?"

"As you're told. Now, we're in the middle of a combat zone, so we'll have to do the quick version. Captain Williams, say 'I consent and gladly give'."

"To what?" Rory asked, confused.

"Just say it!" the Doctor snapped, "Please."

This time, he did as requested, with only the slightest trace of confusion in his voice.

"Need you to say it, too," the Doctor said, turning to look at Amy, "Mother of the bride."

"I consent and gladly give," Amy answered, without hesitation.

"Now, River," he began, looking intensely at her, "I am about to whisper something in your ear, and you have to remember it very, very carefully. And tell no one what I said."

River gave the slightest of nods, her expression serious. Her eyes never left his face, and despite the gravity of the situation, he couldn't deny that he loved it. She leaned closer, and he moved so close that his lips gently brushed her ear as he spoke.

"Look into my eye."

She pulled back, her brilliant green eyes searching his own, and after the shock had left them, it was replaced by understanding. She never looked away, and he willed her silently to go along with what he was going to say next.

"I just told you my name," he said softly, with a glance over to Amy and Rory.

She sighed softly, though whether in relief or admiration, he didn't know. He kept his eyes on hers, hardly daring to look away.

"Now, there you go, River Song. Melody Pond. You're the woman who married me."

She didn't speak, her expression never changed, but he could see the happiness, love and relief shining in her eyes. She'd never looked more beautiful.

"And wife, I have a request. This world is dying, and it's my fault. And I can't bear it another day. Please, help me."

She was still fighting it. He could see it in her posture, in the tears that she still refused to shed. Even though she knew the truth, it was going to kill her to have to let him go.

"There isn't another way."

"Then you may kiss the bride," she said, relenting at last.

He nearly screamed with relief. Finally, this world could die and time could progress.

"I'll make it a good one," he promised, stepping closer.

"You'd better," she whispered, pulling him to her.

From the moment their lips met, he knew it was working. He could feel the world disintegrating, but for once, he couldn't care about that. All he could focus on was River. He tightened his grip on her body, holding her impossibly closer, reveling in the feel of her lips on his. He knew that once this moment was gone, they wouldn't be together for quite some time, and he wanted to make it last. She was, after all, his wife. His archeologist. His bespoke psychopath. No one else could lay claim to her. Not now, not ever. She was, in every sense of the word, his River Song. And he swore that someday, he would find a way to tell her just how much she meant to him. Even if it took until the end of time.

A/N: Well, that's all for now. Love it? Hate it? As I'm sure the Doctor would tell you, good readers leave reviews. Reviews are cool.