Just a one shot about the dances River and the Doctor share throughout their timestreams. Kinda got the idea one day and finally finished it :) Hope you enjoy!
The first time the Doctor dances with River, neither of them predict it before it happens.
The Doctor had been traveling with Amy at the time, but was taking a sort of break after dropping her off at home for a while, as per her request. Sometimes, life on the run got to be too much and Amy needed her own small dose of reality, even if just for a little while. So, the Doctor went about traveling the universe himself until Amy would be ready to go on another adventure.
This particular day, he had decided to travel to the planet of the Hallons, in Squadron 46 in the Medusa. Something about the planet had always intrigued him, and at this time of year, was known for it's weddings. The only reason he ever went, of course, was for the dancing. He'd arrived at the site of one particularly large wedding right after the ceremony; just in time for dancing. Perfect. Most of the wedding party is dancing with another, so he wanders around a little in hopes of finding someone to share a few dances with.
"Fancy seeing you here."
He freezes at hearing the low, melodiously smooth voice in his ear. After a moment of recognition though, he smiles and turns. "River Song. It's been far too long."
Her all-too-familiar smirk rises to her lips as she takes a sip from the wine glass she'd been holding. "I could say the same, sweetie. Looking for a dance partner, by any chance?" He mirrors the smirk, taking her empty wine glass politely to place it on an empty table. "Turns out that I am, River Song. Might I have this dance?" He bows slightly, offering her his hand. Her hearts flutter and she smiles, taking his hand as they make their way out onto the dance floor.
The song is of course a slow one; a romantic one, at that. The Doctor wraps an arm around River's waist, keeping the other hand interlaced with hers as they begin to slowly sway. When she smiles at him, he can swear that he sees the stars reflected in those eyes; eyes that compare to the beauty of all of the galaxies, to him, at least. "So diaries, then. When are we for you, sweetie?"
He pulls her a little closer, smiling a little as he whispers into her ear. "Well, Melody," she shivers a little at the use of her real name, though she's pleased at it, "For me, we're right after your birthday…the River Thames one. Have we been there for you yet?" She smiles and nods, unable to tear her gaze from his, "Yes, we have. That was one of my best birthdays to date. Seems I'm a tad bit ahead of you though…spoilers, my love."
Frowning, he tightens his hold on her a little. "I'm tired of all of the spoilers. Are we ever going to be linear, River?" Her own smile turns sad as she shrugs, "I don't know. There's no telling with us, you know that sweetie. Perhaps someday…" with a kiss to his cheek, the song ends and she disappears into the crowd.
At one oh so blessed point in their timestreams, they do become linear. River agrees to stay on the TARDIS for as long as she possibly can; for both of them want the linear portion of their relationship to last as long as possible. They spend their time together traveling the stars with their big blue box. Though some nights, when the traveling has tired them both out, they dance like they haven't danced before. For once, the ballroom on the TARDIS has come to good use. Whether they're in casual clothing or decide to change into fancy attire, they dance.
For the most part, the dancing isn't sensual in any sort. Usually, it's romantic; each pressed up against the other, reassuring them that they're right there in the other's arms, perfectly safe and happy for what seems like all eternity. The TARDIS provides the music, of course, and they sway the night away.
As all things do, eventually their linear has to become wibbly-wobbly again. The night before River must leave for her flat near the Luna University, she finds him sulking in the ballroom. Not only sulking, but crying too. She takes him by surprise by wrapping her arms around him from behind, her face buried into his shoulder. "One more dance before I go," she says softly.
Allowing himself to smile through his tears, he turns in her arms to hold her close; much closer than he normally would. They begin to sway in the dimly-lit ballroom, music provided by the TARDIS as per usual. Everything else seems to disappear that night as they sway together; no more Stormcage, no more loss and hurt, no more being alone. River pulls back enough to gaze into his eyes, hoping that her own are displaying the love and loyalty she feels for him always. With a smile, he brushes his thumb across her cheek, leaning forward to press his lips softly to hers. She smiles into the kiss, her own lips molding to his as the kiss deepens dramatically. Leaving the ballroom behind, he all but carries her to his room.
...Where a different sort of dancing altogether takes place.
When she comes to him one night, hesitating to even kiss him, he knows his time with her is running dangerously short.
In her timestream, she'd just done one of their earlier adventures; their first date, to be exact. He'd taken her to Calderon Beta on the twenty-first of September, 2360 to see the starriest sky in the history of the universe from a four-hundred foot tree. A romantic first date if there ever was one. He had given River her first kiss that night atop the tree under all of the stars.
Now he knows that soon enough, she'll come to him, giving him the 'oh so wonderful' news of a new expedition. It obviously won't be so wonderful for him though…because she'll be going to the Library. That blasted place, he thinks to himself, where he'd watched her sacrifice herself for him. A complete stranger who knows his name and everything about him. Soon enough, he'd have to take his wife there to her death.
Just as he'd predicted, a few nights later an older version of River shows up in the TARDIS; he doesn't think he's ever seen her so excited about something in her life. It saddens him inside, knowing the reason why she's so excited. Just for her though, he puts on a smile and pulls her into a tight embrace, congratulating her for the accomplishment.
River though, his clever, clever wife…she can always tell when something's bothering him. So of course, she notices the sadness in his eyes. With a concerned look, she asks him what's the matter. He just offers her a half smile though, shaking his head as he takes her hand in his. "Spoilers," he mutters good-naturedly. She accepts the answer, though she sighs and continues to gaze at him worriedly.
That night, he whisks her off to the Singing Towers of Darillium. He knows that she's been asking to go for ages and every time, he'd brushed it off. There was no more running now though. He had to honor his wife's wishes on their last night together. So with a heavy heart, he lands the TARDIS on the mildly populated planet.
Right then is when he realizes something; this really is their last night together. The last time he'll hold her in his arms or kiss her ever again; he will not mope about tonight. Tonight would be all about River and he'd give her the attention she deserved.
When she enters the console room dressed in the tight, green dress he'd gotten for her so very long ago, he can't help the wide grin that breaks across his face. She looks glorious, like a dream. "I do hope this is alright to wear…I never really got the chance to before." He laughs, shaking his head as he pulls her into his arms. "Only you, Song, would worry about wearing something I've already seen. I love it…you look beautiful."
River smiles at that; 'love' was a word that the Doctor rarely used even in everyday conversation. The word meant 'deep connection,' and the Doctor had lost too many of those in his lifetime to count. She assumed that the word itself could hurt sometimes for him. So, hearing him compliment her with it just now was definitely significant.
Finally, he offers her his arm (which she accepts gladly, of course) and they begin to walk out onto the planet. As stated earlier, it's very mildly populated, with no inhabitants outside of the city (where they are right now). The area is very grassy, a few insects similar to fireflies flying around slowly, their purple bodies giving off a faint glow to add to the city lights. The towers, eight of them in total, sit in the center of the city. They're lit up to give the city light, giving off hues of yellow, orange, and white.
"They're going to start singing any minute now," the Doctor murmurs to River, who nods and leads him over to a grassy area to sit. He complies and sits next to her, an arm wrapping absently around her waist to pull her closer. With an expression mixed between a smile and a smirk, she rests her head on his shoulder and gazes at the towers.
At that moment, the Doctor looks at River- really looks at her for the first time that night. She's barely wearing any makeup, but the little that she is wearing highlights her gorgeous features perfectly. Her curls frame her face like an angelic halo and he can't help pressing a gentle kiss there. Then, he's looking at her again, deep into her eyes. He'd never noticed how old his River really is until just then. Not even old in age- more in spirit. In her eyes, he can see all of the heartbreak and pain she'd experienced throughout her life. Even if she wasn't particularly sad right now, it was still there and incredibly present. Seeing all that she'd been through breaks his own hearts in two.
She eventually notices him staring (not that she'd ever complain) and gives him a small smile. "You've got that look on your face. That look you get when you're trying to figure out one of the great mysteries of the universe," she whispers. He simply smiles and shrugs, "I'm not necessarily figuring out a mystery, but I'm certainly appreciating beauty when I see it." She's about to answer when he brings a finger to his lips, silently hushing her as one of the towers lets off a low tone; the singing was about to start.
Relaxing back into his arms, she directs her gaze towards the beautiful Towers. Every other light in the city had been turned off so that the true beauty of the Towers could be present, as was custom to the people of the planet. Eventually, the other Towers join into the song, weaving a soft, intricate melody that was just the right bits of melancholy; it was almost as if they knew the secrets of the Doctor's grieving heart. He realizes then that he can't hold back his emotions any longer. He'd done his best for River, and that was enough. A single tear escapes his facade as his arms tighten around her a little, and soon more tears join the first.
River can feel his body shaking lightly with quiet sobs, so she turns around in his arms to get a better look at him. "Sweetie?" she asks softly, her eyebrows furrowing. Instead of answering, he simply shakes his head and kisses her gently. "Dance with me," he states simply. Wordlessly, she stands and helps him up, just about collapsing into his arms once he does.
He buries his face into her soft curls to hide his tears as they begin to sway gently back and forth to the haunting melody. It reminds him of River, he decides. The song is just the right bits of haunting, and mysterious, and lovely; just like his own Melody. The way the notes flow together in a beautiful legato dynamic almost makes him shiver from how much it reminds him of her graceful movements.
"River," he murmurs softly into her ear, and she hums in response. "I'm about to tell you something that I've never admitted out loud to anyone." She pulls back from his embrace just enough to gaze deep into his eyes. He gazes right back into hers as he says softly, "Melody Pond…I love you. I truly and properly love you." A look between wonder and honor passes over her eyes as she leans forward to kiss him softly. "And I love you, Doctor. More than anything in this universe or the next."
At that, he holds her close again, closing his eyes tightly. "Don't…don't forget what I just said, okay? That I love you, that is. Because I really do, even if I someday seem like I don't. I'll always love you, my Melody." She nods, holding onto him tighter as well as they continue to sway to the music of the Towers.
Soon, the melancholy song is slowly coming to and end. The Doctor and River had moved to lay on the grass after their dance, their hands intertwined tightly between them. He's smiling softly over at her, thinking that he'd never seen her as beautiful as she looks tonight. Raising their intertwined hands to his lips, he kisses her hand gently, lingering there for the slightest moment. River smiles back and sits up in the grass as the song ends. "Well, I suppose it's time I go now."
"Wait!" he exclaims, digging around in the pockets of his suit for something (of course, the pockets are bigger on the inside). Finally, he pulls out a reinvented sonic; he'd get himself a new one later. It was more important for River to have his for the expedition, after all. "I want you to have this," he murmurs to her softly. Her eyes widen and she takes the sonic almost reverently. "Your sonic?" she asks. He simply nods, a small smile on his lips as he closes her fingers around the device. "Yes. Take it with you. For luck, I suppose." River nods, still a little awed by the precious gift. "Thank you," she says sincerely, leaning over to kiss his cheek. At the last minute, he turns his head so that their lips meet. She smiles into the kiss and wraps her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss for a moment.
"I'll be back before you know it," she promises, reaching a hand up to caress his cheek gently. "And then I promise to stay with you for a little while." The Doctor swallows past the lump in his throat and nods, forcing the smallest of smiles for her as he nods. "I know, River. You're going to have an amazing time." She smiles a little, nodding in agreement as she stands. "I love you, sweetie," she tells him before zapping away via vortex manipulator.
It seems like an eternity before the Doctor realizes that he still hasn't moved. Night has settled upon Darillium and he's still sitting in the same spot- where only a short time before, his wife had kissed him and told him she loved him. Now, she was gone; off to a sacrificial death at the Library and all because of him. He thanks whatever gods are out there that this part of the planet is uninhabited as tears begin to fall almost of their own accord. Deep sobs wrack his body as he pulls his knees up to his chest for comfort. Now more than ever he wishes that River- his Melody, the last of the Ponds- was with him. The last little piece of Amy and Rory he had left was now gone from his life forever.
So the Doctor mourns for all of the lost dances he might have shared with his wife.
Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are always appreciated :)
(Also, was thinking about writing an Epilogue to this. Thoughts?)