Chapter 1 – Nightmares of a Past Life
She wasn't sleeping. She couldn't sleep, not when her time with him was always so limited. But she was in bed, and it was dark, and she did have her eyes closed. A content sigh left her mouth and she smiled, moving slightly closer to the warm back of this beautiful man. The Doctor. Her Doctor.
He had his back to her, and she was pressed gently against it, her face occasionally nuzzling the back of his neck, but she wasn't spooning him, she wouldn't ever spoon. No, she was just lying against him, enjoying his warmth, the faint sound of his two hearts soothing her from the outside world. She smiled against his skin, this wasn't the first time they had made love, for either of them, but she'd never felt so at peace afterwards, as she does now. At this thought her long and naked legs stretched slightly from their place tangled with his and he stirred.
"Shhh Sweetie," She whispered so softly into his ear, "sleep," and with a silent chuckle to herself the words "God knows you need it" echoed through her head.
But he continued to stir, and River felt his muscles tensing, he was struggling against an invisible force, pulling away from nothing and toward nothing and suddenly River realised, he's having a nightmare. "it's okay, my love," she murmured, sitting up in his bed and running a hand along his shoulder.
"Stop this now, this is gonna kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any." He was calling out in his sleep, his voice, his accent, so different, it wasn't his. "River! Please! No!"
River's hearts ached at the sight of her Doctor, yet not her Doctor crying out, his nightmare so real to both him and to her, and so she shook him, trying to wake him, not wanting to see this anymore, "Doctor," she pleaded, "Doctor wake up,"
"Time can be rewritten," He was pleading back at her, his dream of her, "River," he whispered, defeated, he sounded utterly defeated and then his eyes snapped open. "River?" he asked, "River!" he turned and the second his eyes found hers he lunged forward, clutching onto her, so tightly she could feel his hearts beating against her skin. He buried his face against her neck and as he did so, River's hearts threatened to crack.
"You're okay, my love," she murmured, trying to ignore the cold of his tears against her skin, "You're safe," He was holding her so tight she could barely breathe, but she didn't try to loosen his grip, instead she held him just as tightly in return, one of her arms around his shoulders, her hand in his messy brown hair, the other around his back, holding him to her as she tried in vain to comfort him.
"It was just a dream," she tried, "Just a dream,"
He held her tighter still, telling her in a surprisingly steady voice, "I couldn't save you, you were sacrificing yourself and I couldn't save you."
"Oh darling," she sighed sadly, but then she smiled, so sweetly and perfectly River, "You always save me," And she smoothed back his messy hair, wiped away his tears and looked lovingly into his eyes, "You always save me," she repeated, "my impossible man." and she pressed her lips gently to his in a long and silent kiss.
"Will you be okay now, my love?"
He swallowed thickly, "Yes," he told her, "But not... Not quite yet,"
She kissed him again, slightly deeper this time, "Now?"
"Oh," he groaned softly, "much better,"
She laughed, "Good," she smiled at him cheekily,
"But maybe," he said lowly and softly, "Maybe you'd better… make sure, that I'm… completely better,"
She pressed her lips close to his ear, and spoke in a deep, breathy whisper, "As you wish, Doctor."
Their lips met once more, and they shifted slightly so River sat in the Doctor's lap, his arms wrapping around her waist, his hands exploring her back, hers deep in his hair, pulling the brown locks slightly as he moaned. "River," he breathed, "I love you,"
She smiled coyly, "I love you too, Sweetie."
TBC