Prologue

After Darillium

The Doctor shook with tears, slowly falling to his knees on the glass floor in front of the console. She was gone. River Song, his wife, the woman who has stolen his hearts, was dead. Maybe not truly, he would still have a few encounters with her younger self, especially the teenage version of her now living with Amy and Rory.

He cried, for what felt like days the Doctor lay on the floor of the TARDIS and wept at his loss. There was nothing he could do, not anymore, he'd finally been to Darillium and lived the final hours he had with his wife. He cried because if he didn't he might forget the pain. Most of all he cried because he couldn't bear to see the look on her parents faces when he told them she was gone.

A few hours previously

River walked out the TARDIS and watched the blue box fade away. There had been something wrong with her Doctor, she was sure of it. He had been out of character, he'd cried at Darillium, he'd given her a version of his sonic, but the strangest thing was the dream he had earlier.

They had both been lying in bed, the Doctor asleep but River still awake considering the thought that there was something wrong with him. River pressed her body against the Doctor's back and nuzzled her face against his neck. The Doctor began to stir but River leant close and whispered into his ear.

"Hush sweetie, sleep"

When the Doctor continued to stir, River noticed his shoulder lightly jerking as if trying to pull away from and invisible force.

"Why do you even have handcuffs?"

River let out a soft giggle, thinking that the Doctor was dreaming about one of their more extravagant meetings. So content in this thought River had not noticed the change in his voice.

When the Doctor stirred again, his muscles tensed and still he pulled against the invisible handcuffs. This time the Doctor's breathing became ragged and he was letting out groans, not of pleasure and excitement as River had thought, but of fear and pain. At this point River realised that he was having a nightmare.

"It's ok Doctor, I'm here, you're safe" she spoke to him sitting up and stroking his back.

"Stop this now, this is gonna kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any." This time when he spoke River heard that his voice, his accent, wasn't his. This was not her Doctor. "River, please, No!"

River couldn't bear to see him in pain, his nightmare now real for her as well.

"Doctor," she pleaded, trying to shake him awake, "Doctor, please wake up"

"Time can be rewritten!" He was pleading back to the version of her in his dream. "River," he almost sobbed, sounding completely defeated. She continued to shake the Doctor to consciousness and as his eyes fluttered opened they locked with hers. "River?" He questioned, doubting his own eyes after the nightmare.

River pulled the doctor into her arms. "Don't worry, your safe it was just a dream" she assured him.

At that the Doctor only held her tighter "You were dying, you were dying for me and I couldn't stop it." At this point the Doctor didn't give a damn about spoilers, he knew River would only think it was a dream.

"Oh sweetie," she whispered' "It was just a dream, you'll always save me you ridiculous, brilliant man." She pressed her lips against his in a long but silent kiss.

"Better now sweetie?"

The Doctor grinned at her "Much better," he said, his voice then dropped to that low, seductive tone he used only when with her "But maybe you should make sure I'm completely better"

River saw that twinkle in his eye and decided this was going to be a long night.

That had been nearly 5 hours ago now. River was still sure that there had been something wrong with the Doctor but decided she would question him about it after she returned from The Library.