PART I It fell. The antigravs had somehow been disabled, the control panel was emitting more sparks than Pyrovillia, and the interface wasn't responding. It was as if the TARDIS had essentially passed out. The Doctor was sent tumbling into Professor Song. She grinned, golden curls continuing to gleam in the darkness.
"Couldn't resist me any longer Sweetie?" Rolling his eyes, he slowly picked himself up and crawled across the trembling floor to the control panel. He shouted as he frantically pushed buttons.
"River, it's shutting down! This is… fantastically improbable! No, no, it's positively impossible! So many years spent fleeing, and just NOW she's running out of breath?" He put his ear to the ground, as if to listen for his eternal companion's heartbeat. "Nothing. It seems the core has gone dead. But that only happens when a TARDIS is decommissioned, or when we're going somewhere we shouldn't be-
River interrupted him. "Then where in God's name were you taking us? Planning to seduce me on a trip to Drudixen?" They both considered this, as they fell deeper and deeper into the unknown. "No time for jokes, Song! I was going to embark, with you by my side, on a sightseeing journey across the quaint yet endearing planet of Shunkel. But now…I have absolutely no idea where we're going to end up. " Except for the rumbling that often accompanied a falling time machine, there wasn't a sound to be heard. They were running about, randomly pulling levers and hectically throwing switches. Meanwhile, River was deep in thought.
Normally, when the universe-renowned savior of planets declared that he didn't know what to do, the passenger in his trademark whimsical disappearing ship was sure to be frightened. But not River Song. Even though the Doctor was at his wit's end, she was rather content.
She was sure that one member of the pair would get the other out of whatever this situation was. That's what had been happening since they' started traveling together almost three months ago. She gave in to his desperate pleas the day after the Ponds were sent away. In the middle of the night, he'd shown up at her cell door and refused to leave until she said yes. It was an action so uncharacteristic of the Doctor that she agreed primarily out of shock.
After the first week, she was almost glad that she had broken her own "one psychopath per TARDIS" rule. Loneliness was inevitable for two enigmas, and River hadn't realized how desperately she needed company. A solitary soul could only last so long with the knowledge of her parents' demise to haunt her. Aside from all this, she could see why the Doctor's companions always stuck around for the long haul. He was, to put it simply, wonderful. Absolutely brilliant, in his own cryptic and quirky fashion. River loved the way things were, and although she knew it wouldn't-couldn't- last forever, she wanted to stay. She needed to stay.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she spoke. "Well, I guess we'll just remain in a state of pleasant petrification." The Doctor, attempting to cover up his flaming anxiety, began to babble. "You and your alliteration. Alliteration. Alliteration. A-llit-er-a-tion. Funny word. Fascinating fact – ooh more alliteration -about funny words. Raxacoricofallapatorius got its name from the famous 15th century Slitheen leader Rax who-"River interrupted yet again.
"Yes Sweetie, I know; he killed his wife Acorico after she had an affair with a married man named Fallap AND his brother Atorious at different times, but we might want to delve into the moral flaws of the story after we've finished crashing into this large, fiery, dangerous- looking celestial body."
All of the color left the Doctor's face, and just as he was about to question when she thought to look out of the window, they hit the ground with an ear-shattering crack.
…
PART II The Doctor had never been prone to injury, even accidental occurrences. He achingly stood up and examined his surroundings. The TARDIS seemed to have minimal damage. River, on the other hand, was a different story. She was lying underneath the control panel, and had a deep gash on her forehead. He glanced at the stack of universal reference books that had previously rested on the edge of the circular panel. It seemed as if the 1,000 page hardcover copy of A Time Lord's Anthology had made the long journey from the panel to River's head. He climbed down and pored over his wife, trying to assess the damage. Unsure of what to do, he awkwardly attempted to shake her awake. This worked, but as she groggily came to, the Doctor quickly realized River wasn't herself. She seemed a bit dazed, and her eyes were unfocused.
"Ugh… Doctor. Did we land? Where are we? Why does my head hurt?" He took a shaky breath, then spoke. "Well, um… We're in the TARDIS." He couldn't help avoiding the more pressing matter at hand. "And a book fell on your head. According to the knowledge I've gathered of Earth diagnostics, you seem to have a concussion. As for where we are in the universe … well, that I can't tell." River sighed and weakly. "Well there's only one way to find out." She tried to sit up, but winced. The world spun and she felt nauseated. "We'd have to prepare an oxygen supply, set the sonic screwdriver, and examine the terrain, as well as any sentient life forms. Not to mention the level of gravity-"
"Absolutely not," he immediately protested. "You are staying here, and that's final." A look of pure, concentrated anger crossed her face, but inside, she knew her husband was right. Anyway, she was too tired to come up with a contradicting response. "Fine. I knew I wouldn't get past you. And people call me stubborn… But you're waiting for me. No ducking out this time. " The beginnings of a smirked danced across his face. "Wouldn't dream of it, Professor." The smirk gave way to a shimmering grin. "I'll be your doctor."
And for the next few hours, he worked medical magic. Despite her constant protests, he forced her to lie down, and gave her pain killers as her headaches became worse and worse. Vomiting, he could not handle under any circumstances, but he kept the restless adventurer busy with anecdotes and facts that she seemed to already know. He was still worried about her condition, but even when recovering from a brain injury, she was still more of a quip-firing smart ass than most organisms. Frankly, it was kind of hot. However, there were few moments in which River posed as the vulnerable one; when she let someone take care of her. The Doctor decided to take advantage of this event.
He laid next to her as she fell asleep, and, for a few precious moments, forgot that he was on a planet about which he knew nothing, in a universe about which he was supposed to know everything. For once, there was no hero. No villain. No aimless wandering, or impossibly monstrous task, or deadly ultimatum. There was just him and his sleeping companion. He studied the way that the crinkles at the corners of her eyes relaxed as she rested. Looked at her full lips that eventually gave way to an elegant jawline. Observed her thick caramel-colored mane, composed of wild curls that somehow defied gravity as they stood straight up. He sighed quietly, attempting not to ruin the moment with her consciousness.
They say that people seem more beautiful during sleep. The Doctor wasn't usually one to agree with Them, but had to concur. As he looked down at her slack face, he saw River in her purest element; one without traces of an unfathomably complex, incredibly painful life behind her pale, misty eyes. Right now, he was convinced that this was the most beautiful thing in his universe. "Stunning," he whispered, and kissed her on the forehead.
When he knew that River wouldn't be waking up any time soon, he snuggled up next to her and tucked in. The fact that he didn't know where they were seemed to be nagging him in the back of the head. Yet, for once, he didn't care. Because River Song had a way of distracting him, making the old soul feel younger than he ever had before. And as he drifted off to sleep, her single heartbeat against his two, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this would work. That finally, there would be something in the Doctor's life that wasn't just temporary.