A/N- I own nothing but I do love River Song as a character, a strong woman running around the universe who doesn't need rescuing every five seconds is a good thing on Dr Who

Doctor River Song was utterly alone.

Hurled into the bowels of a prison ship and left in the cold, dark cell to await transportation, she crouched against a wall and tried to ease the manacles wrapped around her. The efforts were futile and she surrendered in favour of finding a position where her body would ache less. But the shackles were cuffed to her feet, her hands and her neck and allowed her minimal space to move without the risk of pulling a nerve or dislocating an arm. When she tried to readjust herself by sliding her feet to reach a sitting position, the chains threw her head back and throttled her neck, causing her to choke and thrash, struggling to stand and release the pressure on her throat as her vision swam she gagged. When she managed to get herself upright and the restraints settled back against her skin, she inhaled deeply and managed to breathe freely three times before bursting into tears.

It was childish of her she knew, tears wouldn't solve anything but she was physically, emotionally and psychologically exhausted and her body's response to the situation felt innate. The tears ran down her face as she fought to control herself, to remind herself that she was a strong, intelligent woman who could survive anything, but at that moment she felt like a nervous wreck.

She had just spent three months being tried and convicted for the murder of the Doctor.

He'd explained it to her after Lake Silencio, when she had woken up with little to no memory of the day, he had sat her down and they'd talked about his faked death and how she would be thought guilty of his murder. He's explained it to her as clearly as possible and she'd reminded him that she would do anything to keep him safe.

'Keep the Doctor safe'

That had been her mantra when the Judoon soldiers of the Shadow Proclamation had bombarded the TARDIS with gunfire and forced it to crash-land in an artificial ocean on 51st century Mars, the emergency protocols had been jammed and she'd been thrown into the water. Due to lack of necessity, gravity orbs hadn't been installed across the planet yet and River had nearly drowned trying to figure out which way was up. The Judoon had fished her out of the water- literally with a large net, just before her instinct to breathe took over and hauled her up a cliff onto red, dusty earth where they had shot her with a tranquilizer. They'd kept her sedated while they transported her to the asteroids from where the Shadow Proclamation operated and then when the ship had landed, had dragged her to the criminal holding area where they'd found a humanoid waiting to explain that she was under arrest for the murder of the last recorded Timelord.

Due to the enormity of her crime and the belief of her supposed threat to society, she had been stripped of her possessions and placed in solitary confinement, deprived of her right to speak to anyone for the first week. She had fallen sick from the chemically treated water of Mars and eventually, though the guards couldn't understand English, a medic had been brought to treat her. This medic was a Catkind from the Sisters of Plenitude; she had been made aware of River's crime and when the woman had made a comment about the mucus in her chest, had lashed out, tearing her shirt and breaking her skin with her sharp claws. River had fought to defend herself but her trial was brought forward under the concern that she was too dangerous to be kept waiting for her punishment.

She was brought before a public court and before a screaming, blood thirsty crowd, was tried for murder in the first degree, intent to cause extinction of an endangered species and unnecessary violence. As she stood on her portable podium, in the large amphitheatre, the panel of judges debated aloud on whether or not to charge her with genocide, after all, the Doctor had been the last recorded Timelord, but after three hours in which she was forced to stand and watch while the crowd hurled abuse at her, they decided that because the Timelords had been slaughtered by the Daleks and her actions were likely against the Doctor as a being and not as a member of his race, that the charge was doubtful.

She hadn't been allowed a defence, she hadn't been allowed a chance to speak in the court, even when the prosecutors made statements about her, when the reporters from various planets pointed recording devices and demanded answers; if she opened her mouth the guard assigned to watch her would electrify her podium, short and sharp shocks to ensure her obedience.

The trial took three months not to determine whether River was guilty, but so that she and the universe could fully appreciate the heinousness of her crime. When the judges finally retired she was kept to her cell for three days while they decided upon her sentence. Many were calling for the most brutal death sentence available and River began to panic, thinking she and the Doctor had rewritten time, but at the last moment the judges decided on life imprisonment at Stormcage Containment Facility. The highest maximum security prison planet in the universe, escape was impossible; it was guarded by prisoners loaned out from other facilities who could get up to ten years off their sentences if they lasted at Stormcage for a month.

Surprisingly few took up the offer.

They came for her in the middle of the night, six hours ahead of schedule amidst rumours that a mob of vengeance seekers were planning to attack the transport. The cuffs had been the idea of the ship's captain, a man the Doctor had saved at one point or another. She assumed the lack of lighting was as well, because when they finally landed down on the travelling planet known as Stormcage, the dim rain sodden sky nearly blinded her. Disorientated, she nearly tripped as she was dragged from the ship by the captain, a strong arm grabbing her at the last moment. She looked into the face of a middle aged man, stern and yet with no obvious cruelty in his eyes, there was almost something familiar about him but she was so exhausted she couldn't bring herself to place it.

"Thank-you" she murmured, her voice hoarse with disuse. He nodded,

"Remove the chains" he ordered in a strong, clear voice that carried over the howling storm,

"She won't be going anywhere"

They were all drenched by the time they reached the looming grey facility and River was handed over to a battalion of soldiers and instructed to be taken down to the lowest level of the prison. They moved slowly, River Song could barely stand at this point, but she did notice the lack of cells and presumed they were keeping her out of sight, so as to not incite the other prisoners to riot.

She briefly wondered if those serving sentences here were all enemies of the Doctor.

Then she saw her cell up ahead and no longer cared.

The man himself stood at the barred entrance, his hands turning that blasted screwdriver over and over again, his head bowed but that secretive smirk on his face. When they got close he looked up,

"Hello you bad girl"

With a heart wrenching sob River staggered to him as quickly as she could and threw herself into his arms, he caught her but the impact caused them to hit the wall and he slid down to the floor, holding her as she wept in his against his shoulder.

"Hush, hush my love, it's alright"

"It was horrible" she told him, "Every second of every day, I wanted to die"

He kissed her forehead and ran his hands down her back, "I know and I'm sorry, I wanted to be there to protect you but it was too dangerous"

"I wasn't allowed to sleep" she muttered, "They kept loud noise and lights going at all times, they threw cold water at me...at least I think it was water, oh how I hate them"

"Well they won't do that here" he promises with such conviction that her tears stop,

"Stormcage is run by the Justice Department River" He whispered into her hair,

"You'll be safe, you're innocent they know this so they'll protect you and treat you well"

"You're not leaving?" River exclaimed, horrified both by the thought of abandonment and her own weakness. He smirked,

"Of course not, we haven't even unpacked yet"

A few hours later, River couldn't tell whether it was night or day, the sky was monotonously grey with rain it was impossible to tell, she and the Doctor had their 'first'-in her timeline anyway- married fight.

"I don't care if it's trimmed with the most expensive cloth in the Alice galaxy, I'm not having that bloody thing in my cell" she shouted, ignoring the passing guards who would first stare at the TARDIS, parked right outside her cell, with luggage spilling out, then at the open doors and finally at the man standing across from her toting some strange object or another.

"But River" The Doctor whined, holding it up to the light he'd already adjusted with his screwdriver, making it brighter and more likely to withstand water damage.

"It's to remind you of me, think of it as a keepsake"

She glared, "Keepsakes are for when you're not going to see someone for a long time" She arched a delicate eyebrow and reached for her utility belt and the gun the Doctor had given her,

"Are you trying to tell me something my love?"

The Doctor swallowed nervously and with his eyes on the gun, lowered his hands,

"I think I'll just go put this back in the TARDIS" he surrendered and she smirked,

"Okay sweetie and grab me a cup of tea while you're at it"

The fez was never mentioned again.

A/N- I know River doesn't seem like the crying type but I reckon undergoing a murder trial would be trying for anybody, let me know what you think