Chapter Two: Hope springs eternal wherever you are.

So I decided on no smut, so don't get your hopes up while reading that down there. It's just too much work to write. XD Anyways, I hope you like pt 2. Comments, constructive criticism or otherwise are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! :D I hope you like it.

"Hello Sweetie.." The words were a quite, joyful whisper, choked with tears.

It made his hearts leap, his head shooting up. And there she was.

His River.

Dressed in the same clothes she had on Trenzalore. Her glorious hair was framing her beautiful face like a halo, the glow of the time rotor behind her making her look even more angelic.

"River?.." He whispered, tears still spilling from his eyes as hope filled his chest.

'Was she really here?' He wondered, wanting desperately for it to be true. Then he suddenly remembered Trenzalore, how they had said goodbye, and how she had faded right in front of him, bringing his whole world crashing down in on him.

The hope that he had naively allowed himself to feel, disintegrated as his hearts plummeted so far they were probably on another planet.

She was a hallucination, just his hearts refusing to let go of what he lost. Nothing more.

'If I touch her she'll disappear..' He thought hopelessly, as the supposed hallucination knelt down beside him. She was wearing the smile she always wore when she thought he was being a wonderful idiot.

He reached out to touch her, but withdrew his hand quickly. He didn't want her to disappear. Even if she was only a hallucination.

Apparently he'd said that out loud, because she made a noise somewhere in between a laugh and a sob. Reaching out to cup his cheek with her hand, she whispered, "I'm here sweetie. It's me."

He stared out her with an open mouth, tears rolling down his cheeks, leaning automatically into her gentle touch.

Then he was pulled back to reality, shaking his head and shrinking away from his hand like she'd just burned him. He leapt up from the ground backing away from her, fear, loss and such utter pain in his eyes and etched onto his face, it almost hurt her to look at him. She stood up as well, approaching him slowly like he was a scared, caged animal. He was backed against the console now, his hand automatically reaching for his sonic, but oh yeah. He'd broken that in a fit of raging grief.

He finally remembered he had a voice, speaking in a shaky, angry voice that was full of pain he pointed an accusing finger at the figure pretending to be his wife. "No. No. You can't be her. My wife is dead. She died a long time ago, and I had to kiss her goodbye for the last time. So don't you dare. Come in here and pretend to be her. I don't know what or who you are but you're not her. She's dead… My wife is dead…" His voice broke multiple times as he spoke, tears refusing to stop falling as he stared at the imposter in front of him. Any more resistance from him gone, all he felt like doing was collapsing on the floor and dying.

"Sweetie, it's me. I'm here." River whispered, taking his trembling hand in hers, bringing it to her lips and pressing a kiss to each of his knuckles. "I grew tired of waiting for you to save me so I did it myself. With a bit of help from your TARDIS." She gave him a watery smile and continued to speak as he gaped at her. She was winning him over. Trusting her again. "I'm not an echo, or a hallucination, or a trap… It's just me. Flesh and blood again."

"River?." He asked disbelievingly, a small sob escaping his lips as he looked from her hand holding his and back to her lovely face with those beautiful green eyes filled with tears, and the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen grace her lips.

"It's me… I'm here…" She whispered.

"Oh, River. My River." A wonderful smile spread across his lips, his chest filling with so much happiness, hope and love it felt like he was going to burst. He pulled her into his hugging her so tightly it lifted her off her feet. He spun her around, and buried his face in her hair breathing in the smell he never thought he would smell again. The smell of home. She is his home. He was sure she probably couldn't breathe properly, but she didn't seem to care. Clinging to him as tightly as he was to her and laughing breathlessly.

He set her back down on her feet lifting his head and drinking in the sight of her, she was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen, and his cheeks were starting to ache from smiling so widely. He bent his head and devoured her mouth with his. A small whimper escaped both of their lips at finally being able to kiss each other again, without the bitter taste of goodbye lingering in their mouths.

He lapped at the inside of her mouth with all the vigor of a starving man at a feast. Their tears slipping from their closed eyelids, mingling and making the kiss taste salty. But these tears weren't sad, bitter tears. They held happiness, love, and hope for the future. Hope for a family and so many other things they could have now.

They were finally forced to break apart for air, he pressed his forehead to hers, each of them smiling breathlessly. He whispered to her, brushing stubborn curls from her face, "I love you, my River. So very, very much."

"I love you too, my Doctor." She smiled, wiping away his tears. And him wiping hers in turn.

He picked her up bridal style, carrying her to their room and planning to show her exactly how very much he loved her.

All night long.

He had lot of 'I love you' s to make up for after all.

He could wait until the next day to tell Clara his gorgeous wife would be traveling with them, and have River tell him exactly how she saved herself.

For now, all he wanted to do was love his wife. Because now she was here, he was completed. Now she was here, everything was right. Now that she was here, he was home.

Home. He liked that.

She is his home.

And he was determined to have his happily ever after with her.

And everyone knows, if the Doctor and River want something, they're going to get it.

So yeah…. I hope I didn't disappoint you too much. Thanks for reading, I would love a comment. ;D