Title: Rest Now

Pairings: River/Doctor

Summary: River takes her husband to see a very old friend. 11/River and Drax.
Note: Inspired by the Doctor Who Song 'Rest Now' by the amazing Murray Gold in The Rings of Akhaten.

"River, where are you taking me?" The Doctor asked for what seemed like the thousandth time as he sat in the captain's chair as he watched his wife on the controls of his TARDIS. He hated to admit it, but she was always a better driver than he ever was and he scowled slightly at the thought.

River didn't bother to look up as she looked at the screen before typing in the co-ordinates. "Spoilers sweetie."

He scowled once more. He hated it when she still does that but he knew that if she told too much of the future, it would cause a paradox. "Well, at least hurry up!" The TARDIS hummed angrily at him and the Doctor looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry sexy. Just impatient."

River sent her husband a smirk as she pressed a few more buttons before the TARDIS gave a violent jolt. The TARDIS has landed.

The Doctor got onto his feet hurriedly, his hearts beating excitedly in his chest as he reached the doors and his wife joined him by his side and he sent her a smile, dancing on the balls of his toes. "Ready sweetie?" She asked him, her hands on the doors.

"Always." He gave her a quick kiss before he opened the doors and stepped outside before smelling the air. He reeled around to face her."New London? You took me to New London?"

"Oh hush sweetie. I thought you liked it here! One of the best if I must say so myself." She sent him a wink and the Doctor spluttered.

"River you bad girl!" He smirked and locked the TARDIS door behind him. "Is there any particular reason why you took me here?"

"I want you to meet an old friend." River replied and she took his hand and together they walked to what seemed like a tall glass building. Almost as tall as the twin towers and the Doctor craned his neck to see the very top.

"What's this building then?" The Doctor walked around, sniffing the plants near the doorway and picking up random newspapers and magazines and flipping through them before putting them back down again. The building reminded the Doctor very much like the hospital back where he took Rose in New New York.

"It's a mental asylum." River replied and they went into the lift and were joined by a few Cat nuns, River pressing the buttons.

"So this old friend of yours is in here?"

River nodded.

"So why are you taking me here? Do I know them?" He questioned once again and River gave him a slight grin.

"You'll find out soon enough." The lift gave a loud ping and they both stepped out but then, a presence entered the Doctor's mind. A presence that hasn't been around since the Master's rose. A presence he has yearned for so long to be near again.

The Doctor mouth opened and closed, still trying to get used to the idea of another presence in his head as River gently took hold of his hand and walked over to the only bed in the room. In the bed was a man who looked deathly pale and wore raggedy crimson robes and the Doctor's hearts ached for his fellow timelord that slept on the hospital bed.

The man's eyes fluttered open slowly before he gave a wide smile. "Hello Thete. How have you been boy?"

The Doctor eyes widened. He hasn't been called that in years, not since the academy.

"Drax?" The Doctor asked and he grinned. It was one of the good Timelords. One of the best. The man that sat in the bed had chocolate brown eyes that looked like they had seen too much and had a mass of black hair on his head and slight trimmed beard.

"The one and only." Drax propped himself up slowly and the Doctor grabbed some more cushions from the cupboard to make his old friend more comfortable. "You are real aren't you? Not some twisted joke Rassilon pulled up again? Or those bastards Daleks?"

The Doctor out stretched his arms and patted himself down to show Drax that he was real before he looked over to his wife who looked at Drax.

"He's completely real, otherwise if he wasn't, I'll make sure he wasn't wearing that ridiculous bow-tie of his."

"Oi! Bow-ties are cool I have you know." He straightened his bow-tie before sitting back down.

"You and your fashion senses. I remember the time you wore the scarf and hat."

River eyes widened. "Wasn't that in your 4th body?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes and you're the one to talk Drax! Wearing a multicoloured coat in your 3rd body! Although in my sixth, I did wear something similar so I shouldn't complain."

"Well I must say, I think I had better fashion senses than any of you in my regenerations." River smirked.

"Hmph. Still, bow-ties are cool." He turned to Drax, suddenly turning serious. "How did you survive the Time war?"

Drax gave a long and heavy sigh, his eyes showing his true age. "After the Master ran away from the Cruciform, that snivelling bastard." He scowled at the thought of his enemy. "I was sent to the battlefront to fight against the Daleks. I was meant to go with you to face the Nightmare Child but Rassilon had other plans." He coughed and River handed him a glass of water and he took it gratefully. "Whilst I was fighting on front-line with the others such as Romana, the Rani kept in touch with me during that time, knowing full well what Rassilon was doing and the corruption of the other Timelords was getting worse with each day. I heard of the fall of the Arcadia and was there when the Daleks first attacked Gallifrey and was sent to the battlefront to help fix the engines of our ships since I was one of the best engineers around. Well, you know the rest." He ran a hand through his hair. "Leela, bless her soul, warned me of the attack Rassilon made against me since he found out I was working for you and the others and intended to kill me. Quickly, I managed to get out of the Council building and was on my way to my type-60 TARDIS when a Dalek shot me in the leg and quickly locked myself in. Since my TARDIS was type-60, it setted of automatically and hence, I regenerated whilst the TARDIS was in flight in the Time Vortext. However, before the TARDIS set of, the TARDIS was badly damaged by the same Dalek fleet that shot me and the TARDIS blew up when it landed in New London and damaged my regeneration process." He shook his head before giving a nasty cough and the Doctor looked concerned before he realized something.

"Your dying." It wasn't a question, merely a statement.

Drax nodded. "I'm in my last body I'm afraid my old friend."

"But you can't leave now. Not when I've only just found another of my kind!" The Doctor shouted angrily, his eyes showing pain and loneliness and River hated to see her husband in pain. Even though she was part Timelord, she wasn't from their home planet and couldn't even begin to imagine what the Doctor had to go through to destroy it. She knew her husband wanted to be forgiven for all the destruction he has caused. " Do I not get my reward? Do I not deserve some kind of comfort? Please Drax, I don't want to be alone again." He almost begged.

"Everything has to come to an end Thete. You should know that since you destroyed Gallifrey."

The Doctor looked ashamed and couldn't bear to look at his old friend.

"Yes, I know about the destruction of Gallifrey thanks to your wife River here." He indicated to her with a slight smile before turning to his friend the doctor and clasping his friend's hands in his. "But I forgive you. You are completely forgiven."

The Doctor slowly looked up, not believing his ears. "You..forgive me?" He stammered.

Drax nodded. "Completely. I understand the reasons why you had to do it and whilst I may not approve of those reasons, I forgive you because otherwise, if you had not stopped the Time War, it would of spread across the universe." He gave another nasty cough and the Doctor and River tried to make Drax as comfortable as possible.

"Thank you old friend." The Doctor whispered, trying not to let his tears fall and clenching his old friend hand tightly.

Drax gave a warm smile and placed his hand ontop of the Doctor's, holding it tightly. "No my friend. Thank you."

"Isn't there any way to save you? Give you extra bit of regeneration?" River asked hopefully.

"All things come to an end. All things must die otherwise, nothing will ever start." He leaned back against his pillow and sighed. "I'm an old man River. I'm more than 3,000 years old and I have seen many things. Perhaps too many." He opened his eyes again. "It's time for my song to end now."

"Don't leave me, please Drax..." The Doctor trembled and he fixed his bow-tie nervously.

Drax turned his head to face his old friend. "Oh but I have to. But know this Doctor, do not give up hope and know this, you are not alone." Drax gave one last smile at him before turning to River. "Take care of him. He's very dear to me." River nodded and Drax gave a deep sigh before closing his eyes. "My song is ending now. Time to rejoin my family and friends."

"Send them my love." The Doctor said, knowing that what he said was useless.

"I will Doctor. I will." With that, the ancient time-lord said no more as he slumbered into a peaceful death.

The Doctor's lips trembled as he kissed the top of Drax's forehead. "Rest now my friend." He murmured before he turned to River and cried onto her shoulders.

River hugged him tightly, slight tears creeping out of the corners of her eyes and she kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry my love."

The Doctor sniffed and took hold of his wife's hand and looked at Drax. "We'll give him a proper burial. One that he deserves."

River nodded in agreement. "You stay here whilst I go and get the TARDIS." She replied, knowing the Doctor needed some time alone.

Once River left the Doctor placed Drax's cold hands across his chest. "You can rest now my friend." He whispered. "You can rest now for no more pain shall be brought on you."