A/N: I know this story has been done probably over a hundred times but I love them so much and decided to do my own version. Please review! If enough interest,might turn this into a longer story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all belongs to BBC!
The Doctor closed the doors to the TARDIS behind him and put his back on the door. He slid down the door until he hit the floor. His hands found his face and he started sobbing the tears that had been slowly leaking out before. The TARDIS hummed softly to him as if trying to soothe his pain. She dimmed the lights and threw herself into the time vortex where she could stay without interruption until the Doctor was ready. She knew that may be a while considering the events that had just taken place outside her doors. The Doctor had just gone to River to have an adventure which is when he'd got the news. To the 51st century, River Song, and the rest of her archeology team, were dead. They had saved over four thousand people in the Library and would be forever remembered. The Doctor knew this was a sign that his time with River was nearly up. He knew this meant there was only one more adventure left for them before the Library, Darillium.
When the Doctor had no more tears he could shed, he sat there, just staring off into the distance. The TARDIS continued to soothe him through this. Until he stood up and walked to the console, did she stop. The Doctor leaned against the console until he looked up at his girl. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but no words came out. He tried again, and failed again. The third time he tried, he succeeded. "What am I supposed to do now? She's gone Sexy, gone and never coming back. I could have saved her. I could have given her something other than a bloody screwdriver!"
The TARDIS didn't do anything when he stopped talking. The Doctor grew frustrated, "And now I'm talking to a bloody machine! ... Why, just why must I always be hurt?" The Doctor sunk to the floor again. The TARDIS was unfazed by his words of hurt, knowing he didn't mean them. "Bloody fixed points," The Doctor's mind was racing all over the place. "Can't I do anything? Please… tell me if I can." The Doctor started sobbing after he stopped rambling.
He faintly heard his TARDIS hum happily in between his heart-wrenching sobs. His head shot up, tears still falling down his cheeks, "What was that?" He asked his TARDIS. She happily hummed again. "There is something I can do?" The old girl once again let out the same happy toned hum and the Doctor jumped up, ecstatic. The tears had finally stopped falling and the Doctor just wiped his cheeks of any lasting signs of him crying. He straightened his bow-tie with a smile on his face. "Well then Sexy, show me!" He cried, not bothering to conceal his excitement. It had been so long since he had someone who would be able to live as long as him and he hated consistently having to say goodbye to his companions.
The Doctor started his dance around the console. He flipped switched, pulled levers, and pushed buttons, flying the TARDIS but letting her dictate the destination. The Doctor pulled the scanner over to him once they landed. As he looked at it, a confused look plastered his face. He rubbed his face, trying to think why Sexy would bring him here. He couldn't figure out why, so he walked out the doors to his TARDIS and looked around. "Think Doctor, think," he proclaimed to himself. "Why would sexy bring you here?" The Doctor started pacing as he pondered the reason behind the location. It was only a few seconds before he stopped pacing and stood straight up. "Of course Doctor, why didn't you get this before? Stupid!" The Doctor sprinted to grab the equipment he needed from the place before running as fast as he could, without dropping anything, back into the TARDIS where he, once again, started messing with the controls. He had his plan, now he just needed one last thing to complete it.
The TARDIS landed outside of River's house in the 51st century. It was night and River was most likely sleeping. The Doctor had turned off the breaks when he landed as to not wake her if she was sleeping. He couldn't explain what he was doing considering River wouldn't have gone to the Library yet if River woke up and questioned why he was there. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and let himself into her house. River had given him a key ages ago, which seemed accurate since they were married. He quietly snuck up to her room where he found her sound asleep on her bed. The Doctor couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked in her sleep. He was tempted not to disturb her just because she looked so peaceful. But, if he wanted to save her, he needed to. The Doctor pulled out the mild comatose drug that he'd use to keep River asleep so she wouldn't wake up. He quietly crept up to her with the drug in hand and carefully stuck the needle in her arm, effectively rendering her completely unconscious. Once the drug was administered, he picked River up bridal style and carried her into the TARDIS. He set her down on one of the med-bay tables to keep her safe. He grabbed the equipment he had collected early and started setting it up. He needed to get it perfect if he wanted River to live through the Library.
All throughout the process, the Doctor held determination on his face. He needed to get this done and get her back. The Doctor finished setting up the machine and started it. He stepped back as it started creating what he needed. River's ganger. That's what he needed, to create a ganger of River that would go to the Library with River's mind, while her real body slept in a comatose state safe and sound in the TARDIS. It was the same way the Silence and Madam Kovarian kept Amy thinking she was traveling with the Doctor in the TARDIS while they monitored her body which was pregnant with baby Melody. The Doctor's plan was fool proof. So he silently watched as River's ganger formed. The ganger was completed in a way which her real body would stay comatose and the ganger was what she believed to be real. It didn't take long until the Doctor was finished and his plan completed. He took ganger River in his arms and carried her out of the TARDIS and back to her bed. When she woke up, she would have no recollection of the whole event. That was exactly what the Doctor needed her to have, no memories of the night, just sleep.
The next morning, River's ganger did just that, she woke up and was none the wiser that the Doctor's plan was in place. River got dressed for the day and went to go and teach her classes at the university. That same day she was approached by Mr Lux to go on an excursion to his family's library which had been closed off to the public for almost a hundred years. River thought it'd be the trip of a life time and she accepted. Little did she know, she was supposed to die there.
While River went along with her day, the Doctor stayed in the TARDIS. He had cloaked her so River wouldn't see her while he was there. He had to wait it out until River went to the Library, if he used Sexy to skip a head to the Library, River wouldn't mentally be there. So, the Doctor sat by River's bedside, holding her hand and telling her they were going to make it through this. He knew, however, he had one more thing to do before the Library, Darillium. The last memory River had of him before the Library. The Doctor rubbed his face knowing that, even though he knew River would live, it would be one of the most painful experiences he ever had and will have.
The Doctor took a pair of scissors to give himself a haircut. When he was done, his hair still was rather long and draped a little over his face but it looked sharper and less child-like. The Doctor looked at himself in the mirror to double check his appearance. Once he was satisfied with it, he moved on to the wardrobe to get his outfit. He found a white tux that he knew River would love. He slowly put it on, trying to delay what needed to be done. The delay didn't last long, before he knew it, he was locking up the doors to the medical bay to make sure River's ganger didn't go in there and making his way to the console room. He made the TARDIS disappear silently then reappear in the exact same spot, this time, with the breaks on. He didn't want to raise any suspicions with River if he did took the breaks off and landed in a very unlike him way. Just before the Doctor left the TARDIS to collect River, he made sure Sexy was fashioning him a new sonic screw and fixing his old one so it would keep River's conscious on it. Then, he left to start the magnificent, yet painful night.
The Doctor let himself into her house and proceeded up the stairs, not bothering to mask his footsteps unlike the previous night. Her door was open and she was laying on her bed waiting for him. He knocked on the open door to alert her of his presence before going over to greet his wife. "Hello Sweetie," she purred at him. That's when she noticed his attire, "Look at you, new haircut, new suit, are we going somewhere special?" She asked.
"Yes, but I have a dress for you, don't worry about changing until we get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor replied happily. The sadness hadn't kicked in yet, and he doubted it would until they actually reached Darillium. "But first," he added before they left the room, "Diaries." Though the Doctor knew where they were in their time streams, he wanted to double check and, again, make sure River wasn't suspicious. River walked over to her dresser where her diary lay. As she walked, she made sure to sway her hips a little more than necessary to get the Doctor's eyes on her. She loved the feeling of his eyes watching her and just knew it made dirty thoughts come to his mind.
"Okay," she said as she skimmed through her blue book. "Have we done Utah? Both times?"
"Yup, oh you were so mad at me when I showed up there again after dying. You're cute when you're mad you know," the Doctor answered.
River just smiled and continued to look through her diary which was almost completely full save for a few pages. "Yes, well, I'm glad you've done it both times sweetie, I haven't seen one of you that I'm actually married to in a couple months. How about… hmm… oh! Halcya? Have we done Halcya?" River asked excitedly.
"Yup," the Doctor replied with a smile. "The one of the few dates we've had which was actually peaceful and not ruined by something or another coming and shooting at us." The Doctor and River both laughed together as they remembered all the dates they've had –which was a lot –where they ended up being shot at because of one of several things.
"Well then," River sighed as her laughter died, "The last one I have is Rain Gods."
"I did have a plan there you know," the Doctor commented with a smile.
"That means we're in sync," River said, not even trying to contain her excitement. She tossed her diary onto her bed, not really caring where it landed, and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. He rested his hands on her hips just before they both dove into a passionate kiss. It had been too long for the both of them since they had held each other in their arms and had a proper moment. So when they finally got the chance to be able to indulge in a passionate kiss that wasn't chaste like so many of their others. The Doctor moved his hands from River's hips to one tangled in her wild curls and one running up and down her back. River moved on of her hands so it was resting on his chest while her other played with the hair on the back of his neck. Things started heating up between them and, though the Doctor didn't want to, he had to stop because he needed to take her on their final adventure together. It pained him to do so, but he knew it was necessary.
"Come on," the Doctor said after they caught their breaths from their passionate kiss. "I've got a special night planed for us." He took her hand and led her out of her house and into the TARDIS where their adventure would begin.
River grabbed the dress that was hanging in the console room for her. She had seen it before, twice actually, a long time ago for her. It was the night that she had come there two times, on her first night at Stormcage and five years later. She smiled; she never thought she'd like the dress that hung in front of her, but now, she loved it and couldn't wait to wear it. She raced to the Doctor and her room on the TARDIS to get dressed. The Doctor watched as she excitedly grabbed the dress. He too remembered the last time she saw that dress. That night, he saw three River's from three different points in her time stream, one of them from right before she went to Darillium. The Doctor gave a sad smile as he was pulled into the miserable memories of River. The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was a 'ding' from the console. His sonic screwdrivers were done. He walked over to the console and tucked the new one into his inside pocket and put the old one in a box to give to her as a present.
The Doctor set the coordinates and started to send Sexy into the time vortex. It wasn't long before River reemerged from the depths of the TARDIS and asked where they were going. The Doctor just smiled and whispered, "Spoilers."
They landed and the Doctor held out his hand for River to take. She gladly took it with a smile and followed him out the door. They were outside and River took in her surroundings and noticed they were at a fancy dinner on, what looked like to her, Starfall. "Now, I thought we could grab a bite to eat before we go to our real destination, so I got us a private table at one of the most renowned restaurants in the universe!" The Doctor ranted while his arm that did not hold River's hand flailed around like a child. River smiled at his normal actions, they were one thing that made him her Doctor, and she loved that about him. It was one thing that defined him as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. It made him different and special, even though he was still the Doctor.
The dinner was lovely for the both of them. They got the chance to just talk about nothing in particular which they didn't get to do too often and it had been much to long since the last time they did. It was an unusual occurrence for the Doctor and River which made it all the more special. Since it was an unusual occurrence, the Doctor accidentally let it slip that they were going to Darillium after dinner, but he didn't really care since she'd find out soon anyways. So he just brushed it off and went back to eating his dinner. Their dinner was what started to shape the night that both of them would never forget.
After dinner, they were heading back to the TARDIS when the Doctor stopped for a moment to check his physic paper which had heated up momentarily. River went ahead of him, not really caring about the message which was from the TARDIS. It was a message that was meant to soothe the Doctor, letting him know that everything with River's true body was alright. Once the message was read, the Doctor looked up to see River enter the wrong TARDIS. He remembered this night that had happened a long time ago for his other self. He knew how it'd play out so he ran to catch up to River and get her out of there before she caused a paradox. He was a little ways away when River came out to check the bulb on top like he had asked her. She went back in and the Doctor knew that was his cue. "No River, wrong TARDIS, I'm parked 'round back. Younger version."
He listened as she vaguely expressed her naughty thoughts about having two Doctors before he ushered her out. That's when she started to leave while telling the younger Doctor where they were going. They shared a look before the older version of the Doctor replied with spoilers to his questions and promptly left. He took a moment to just stand outside the TARDIS and take a breath. It was hard for him being on the other side of that conversation. He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face with a deep sigh. He needed to collect himself and get back to the River he came there with. The Doctor did exactly that, he collected himself and made his way back to his TARDIS where River was waiting for him.
"Alright," he exclaimed as he shut Sexy's doors behind him. "Are you ready to see the Towers?"
"Am I ever," River replied seductively as she leaned against the console.
The Doctor walked up and stood right in front of her, casually leaning against her midsection. He put his hands on the console behind her. He stood there for a moment before saying, "Then let's go!" The Doctor flipped a switch that was behind her and moved to do his familiar dance around the console.
"Ooh," River said in disbelief, shaking her head. "You are such a tease." The Doctor looked up at her and smiled as he continued to flythe TARDIS. It wasn't long until the familiar sound started, signaling that they were landing.
"Well than Professor Song, shall we?" The Doctor held out his hand to her which she gladly took with a smile.
"We shall," she replied sweetly.
They stepped out of the TARDIS to a grass hill with a picnic blanket on it and a dark, starry sky. The Doctor had gone there before and set up the blanket with a basket that held their desert for them. It was set up so they could watch the Towers and the sky depending on what they wanted to see. It was also a spot that let the music be amplified naturally. It was the perfect location for the perfect night.
They took up camp on the blanket with the Doctor lying down and an arm behind his head while the other was wrapped around River who lay on his chest. They were gazing up at the stars when the Towers started to sing. It was absolutely beautiful. River closed her eyes and let the music take over. She was so lost in it that she didn't notice the tears that were forming in the Doctor's eyes. She opened her eyes to look at the Doctor to thank him and then, she saw the tears. She didn't say anything, she just let her face speak for her. At that point they had both sat up and the Doctor shook his head conveying that it was nothing. He hugged her for comfort as the tears flowed from his eyes. He begged himself to stop but he knew that he would be unsuccessful no matter what he told himself. He thought about how River was going to the Library and how much pain that had caused him for centuries. And how he would break her heart before he even knew her. And how he couldn't comfort her through the rough times that were ahead for her. And, most importantly, how, if his plan failed, and River truly did die at the Library, he would want to die himself. And the Doctor couldn't deal with all those miserable thoughts so the tears came and the sadness and the threat of being alone. The Doctor couldn't take it so he just held River tightly and tried to calm himself while the Towers sang in the background.
It only took a few minutes before the Doctor's sobs were subdued to small sniffles and only another minute before he had control again. Without saying anything, he begged River to not ask him about it because of spoilers. If she did, he knew, he would tell her everything. River received his plea and left the topic untouched. Instead she just laid back down on the Doctor's chest and let his heart beats mingle with the music to form their own melody just for her.
The rest of the night went much the same. Every once in a while, the Doctor's cries would heighten –not quiet to the same extent as the first time –and River would soothe him before they laid back down to enjoy the music and watch the stars. Every now and then they would share a small kiss to convey the feelings they didn't want to share out loud. For River, it was her gratitude for the night, and for the Doctor, it was his gratitude to her for being there with him mixed with sadness. Though River would never ask what the sadness was for to respect the Doctor's wishes. Before they knew it, the Towers had finished their singing and the Doctor and River found themselves back at her house in the 51st century. River, not wanting the Doctor to be alone, convinced him to sleep there with her, sensing that he hadn't been getting a lot of sleep since Manhattan.
The morning came and River woke to a face full of the Doctor's chest. He was fast asleep, catching up on all those hours he'd missed since Amy and Rory were still traveling with him. Though he was a Time Lord and didn't need to sleep as often, he still had a lot of sleep to catch up on. Not wanting to wake him because he needed his sleep and because of how precious she thought he looked, River carefully got out of bed and got ready for the day. She didn't notice the carefully wrapped present that was lying on the bedside table for her until she went to kiss the Doctor's forehead as a goodbye. She looked at it, confused as to what it could be. On the tag, in the Doctor's careful handwriting, it said, 'To my love, the one and only River Song.' River smiled at the Doctor's title for her and opened the package. She pulled out the sonic that lay inside and the card that came along with it. 'I thought you could use one of these, who knows, might come in handy someday. –Theta' River smiled at the signature, his nickname that only she knew just like his real name. River tucked the sonic away in her inside pocket before picking up a paper and writing a letter to the Doctor so he would know where she went.
Theta,
I've gone to work, thank you for the sonic, it's magnificent. And thank you for taking me to the singing towers, it was a magical night. I will see you soon sweetie.
River left the short but sweet note on her pillow for him to find when he woke up. She then kissed him on the forehead and went off to meet her archeology team to prepare for their expedition to the Library. Little did she know that would be the last time she saw that version of the Doctor until after she had died, that is, if his plan worked.
The Doctor sat patiently while he waited until River's conscious would be at the Library. He didn't have too long now until she was there though, by now she was on her way with her archeology team. He held River's hand in his as he waited. He could prevent his mind from drifting to their night at Darillium. He had tried not to cry, but he couldn't help it. He didn't just cry, he sobbed while thinking of all that could go wrong with his plan even though he kept telling himself to stop, it didn't help. The Doctor tried to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future and getting his wife out of the mess safely. To stop him from thinking about Darillium, he ran through his plan that would start when he arrived at the Library over and over again. It was critical that bother River and his past self didn't see him otherwise things could go bad in a hurry. However, he also needed to be there right after River plugs herself into the mainframe so he can make sure her conscious gets back to her body.
"River, River, River," he sighed and kissed the hand that he held. "You're going to be okay. I'll make sure of that. And when you get out of the Library, I'll give you whatever you want." Though River couldn't hear him, he was intending to keep his promise to her. He would not only make sure she was more than okay, but that she got whatever she wanted. The Doctor just hoped that he was included in that future.
He looked at his watch. River was with his past self by now, approximately about to tell him his name. The Doctor grimaced at the memory. When she whispered his name in his ear he couldn't explain how he felt. At that moment he knew that she was going to be someone important in his future; and he knew that his current self needed to protect her as best as possible if he was ever going to have that future. Because, if he'd let her die, he would never forgive himself. That was part of the reason he had been so heart broken, he felt like he had failed his future self and he was worried he'd never forgive himself. It took him many years to realize that River was right; he would have had no future if she didn't sacrifice herself because he would have died and would have never met her. If he had never met River, he didn't know what he'd do. He loved her. Loved her like he's never loved anyone before, and if he didn't save her, he thought he just might give up on life. He told himself, what's the point in living if you can save everyone in the universe but couldn't even save the one you love?
The Doctor checked his watch again, it was time. He took a deep breath and kissed River's hand before he gently set it down on her stomach and left for the control room. He flipped the switches and pushed the buttons at a slower pace than his usually fast one. He knew he'd have no problem flying her because this was very important to both him and Sexy. The Doctor put his hands on the console then leaned his head down so it was hanging in between his arms. It had been a long day and it wasn't even near done yet. He just worried too much to be healthy, especially when it came to River Song.
Sexy made sure the breaks were off while they were landing and made a noise to signify their arrival. The Doctor looked up at this and straightened up, fixing his bowtie and trying to gain some confidence. "Well Sexy, wish me luck. I promise River will be back by tonight," he spun on his heels and silently slipped out the door towards River.
As he crept through the halls of the Library, he was careful to not step in the shadows. He arrived before River connected herself to the mainframe so he could upload himself to the actual data core just before his previous self updated her. That way he'd be waiting for her when she arrived and he'd be able to pull her conscious out and restore it to her actual body. He quickly reached the mainframe to find his previous self arguing with River over who would sacrifice themself in order to save the people who were saved in the data core. It wasn't long before River knocked him out and cuffed him to the pole with the sonic's just out of reach. She then got down to business, connecting wires and plugs so she could connect herself to the mainframe. The Doctor sadly watched. He hadn't seen her do this before; he was unconscious while she did it. He didn't miss the few tears that trickled down her cheeks as she went through the process. And he just knew that she was thinking of the last time they had been together, the real him to her. She was thinking of why he had a new haircut and a new suit. Thinking of why he had given her his sonic. Thinking of why he spent so long talking to his previous self. And most importantly, thinking of why he was crying. It all made sense to her now. All of his actions leading up to this point, and why he hadn't taken her to Darillium until the last time she saw him. It was because he had to, and he knew he had to because of what she was going to tell him when he woke up.
The time she had left was running out. The Doctor looked away and tried to block out the voices as his past self woke up. It was too painful for him to relive again even with the knowledge that he was going to save her. The Doctor hated causing River that much pain, and he hated when he couldn't do anything about it. It broke his both of his hearts. He held back the tears that threatened to fall as it grew lighter from the light of River connecting herself to the data core. Suddenly, everything stayed lit. There were not as many shadows, no Vashtra Nerada to kill people, and everyone was safe. The Doctor took a deep breath to collect himself before he started the next part of his plan.
When his previous self left the room, the Doctor went to upload himself into the data core. He set up system that would allow him to return to his body –that would be carefully hidden for when his previous self came to upload River's conscious –he would be able to do it on his own will and with River's conscious in the screwdriver again. He needed River's conscious to be uploaded so it would be strong enough for her to make it back to the TARDIS where her true body lay. The work was finished quickly and soon enough, the Doctor was in the mainframe.
A rather large building stood behind him. On his other sides, there was trees upon trees. It was a beautiful scene and the Doctor would have appreciated it more if it wasn't the place that he was going to condemn River to for eternity. It was a rather grim thought but, lately, that's what most of his thoughts had been. On the dark side. River appeared in front of him, with her back facing him. He didn't say anything just yet because her archeology team was also there. He knew she needed to see them and make sure they were okay now that they were in the data core. The Doctor watched their reunion when suddenly, a young girl walked up to him. He looked at her and recognized her immediately, it was the little girl Charlotte. She looked up at him with an innocent smile.
"Hello Doctor," she said to him. "You're here to take her aren't you?"
The Doctor nodded before answering, "I need her Charlotte. I can't live without her."
Charlotte kept smiling, "I understand, she's a very important woman. Just do me a favor Doctor."
He squatted down so he was at her level when he heard her voice change to a serious tone, "Anything."
"Bring me your adventures with her so I can read about them. I've read some of her previous adventures with you and they're amazing. It helps me get through my life."
The Doctor smiled at her, "Of course. I'll even one up you. See those people over with her?" He pointed to the archeology team. She nodded. "They'll stay here with you. They'll be your companions, they'll go on adventures with you in here. Where ever you want to go, they'll go with you. And I promise you that they'll have the best of times with you. Okay?"
"Thank you Doctor, thank you so much. Now go to her."
The Doctor gave her a hug and one last smile before he stood up to go to his River. He didn't have to say anything when he walked up to her. Her team told her that he was there. She turned around to see the Doctor with his hands in his pockets and a small smile on his face. "Theta," she breathed. River looked confused but happy. She was over the moon to see him, the real him, her him. However, she didn't know the true reason why he was here. Nonetheless, she ran the rest of the way to him and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly with no signs of letting go. "What are you doing here?" She asked to relieve her confusion.
"I'm here to take you home," he said as he continued to hug her back, just as tightly. "You're not really dead River," he added as he stroked her maim of hair.
"Well, of course not because I get to live in here now."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, you didn't die in the Library. It was a ganger River, not your real body. And I know that it wasn't right to do that but I couldn't let you go, I just couldn't," the Doctor said with the grief seeping through his voice. "So I sent the ganger and kept your real body in the TARDIS. I used the same software as Madam Kovarian used on Amy. So Sexy's looking after you right now but I've have to get you back."
River pulled back from him, her confusion was lessened but she still had several questions. "Whe- when di- did you do this?"
"The night before you were approached by Lux for the expedition to the Library. I went into your house and sedated you so I could make a ganger for you. I'm sorry but I just couldn't let you go," River looked him dead in the eye. She finally let go of the confusion and showed him her love. Not only her love but how grateful she was for him.
But there was one thing she couldn't say with her eyes and needed to be spoken with words, so River said, "You will be, always and completely forgiven."
The words echoed to him as he remembered the last time they had been spoken. On the beach of Lake Silencio right before River was forced to shoot him. He smiled at her before he met her lips with his and they shared a short but passionate kiss. It was very different from their last kiss where the Doctor had been crying through his pain of losing her. The kiss was so much better than the previous one and it made the Doctor's world stable once again.
"Well then River Song, I believe it's time for us to leave," the Doctor said when they broke apart. He was trying to tell her to say her last goodbyes to her team and prepare to be put back into her real body. She turned to face her archeology team: Proper Dave, Other Dave, Anita, and Miss Evangelista. River knew there was no way they could be brought back to the proper world, but she knew they'd have a good life here. She quietly walked back to her team and explained the situation.
"I can't stay," she began. "She that man over there?" She asked, pointing at the Doctor, silencing their pending questions. "It's the Doctor, my Doctor. The one that I've had all my adventures with and who has been there to catch me whenever I jump. He found a way to bring me back to the real world with him, but I'm sorry, he can't do anything for all of you. So this is goodbye, I'll miss all of you and I will never, ever forget you lot."
Tears weren't held back from anyone. After months and months of knowing each other and going through their experience at the Library together, they were practically family. Hugs were shared and nobody seemed to want to let go. That was the problem with goodbyes, they hurt too much. Whenever a goodbye was said, no one was free from the pain of it, all were affected. River knew that's why the Doctor didn't like goodbyes; they had hurt him far too many times for him to be left in one piece.
While River said her goodbyes to her team, the Doctor started the program that would take them back to the real world from and put them back into what they were in when they came. The program would take a few moments to start up and would warn him when it was about to take place. He timed it so by the time River was done with her goodbyes, they could leave. Once the program was nearly starting, the Doctor cleared his throat as a signal to River. She looked at him with a sad look and nodded. "Goodbye, I will always remember all of you," she said before stepping back to be next to the Doctor. The Doctor offered her his arm which she gladly took. A moment later, the program started and it was like the Doctor and River were disappearing, one pixel at a time.
When the Doctor's conscious was put back into his body, he was behind the chair that River had sat in while she hooked up to the data core. He took in his surrounds for a split second before he got up and ran to where River's conscious would be: in the sonic screwdriver. He reached the mainframe and sure enough, there was the screwdriver. The Doctor pulled it out and sprinted back to his beloved TARDIS. He needed to connect it into the machine her body was attached to so she would return to normal. It didn't take long until Sexy opened her doors for him and he was in the medical bay. He carefully went over to the machine and plugged the sonic in.
Now was the moment that would either make or break the Doctor. It would either work or fail miserably. River would either live, or die like was originally intended. And if that was the case, the Doctor thought he might just die too.
He sat on the edge of the chair that he had taken up residence the past week. He held River's hand tightly in his. Every other second, he'd glance up at the monitor that would tell him the results. "Come on River, come on, pull through," He whispered into her hand. What was only just over two minutes, felt like hours to the Doctor. He wasn't giving up though; he would never give up on her. That is why he stayed right by her side for those two long minutes as the TARDIS tried to heal River. He was waiting, and just hoping that she'd pull through and this master-plan he cooked up would work. All he could do was hope.
The hope got him through those two minutes and by the end, the Doctor was still relatively sane. When the two minutes were up, River gasped to life much like Jack did after every time he died. She felt like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs as she continued to breathe heavily. As she did this, a smile spread across the Doctor's face and he didn't once let go of her hand. He stood up from his chair, not once letting go of River's hand. "What- what happened?" River asked before her memories came flooding back to her. The Doctor watched her face as this happened which caused him not to answer her. "Thank you Theta," she whispered.
"Anything for you my love," he replied and leaned in to hug her. They clung to each other tightly like they were the only thing that kept them falling into nothing. After a few minutes where River finally caught her breath and the Doctor stroked her hair and back gently as confirmation that she was alive, they pulled back. They said nothing, only looked into each other's eyes, lovingly before their lips crashed together in a passionate kiss that conveyed all their true feelings.
That was how it was meant to be. The Time Lord and his time lady. Husband and wife. River Song and the Doctor.