Chapter 2: Human and Emotional

'Right so- you live here in a… a house' the Doctor looked around in disgust at the domesticity. River living in a house was incomprehensible 'And you have a daughter. And you're very cross.'

'Pretty much covers it, yeah!' River had stopped trying to hit him but she still looked angrier than he's ever seen her 'I haven't seen anything of you for about eighteen months! Not a word! You could have been dead, anything!'

'Oh. Sorry' he knew even as he said it how pathetic that sounded, how it didn't make up for anything she must have been feeling 'I don't know what to say.' She shook her head, looking more sad than angry now.

'Don't say anything. Why the hell are you here anyway?' she folded her arms, taking up a stance exactly like her daughters. He looked between them, noticing the similarities, of which there were many. Suddenly it sunk in- River had a daughter. What if she was his? She would be… part Time Lord. Quite a lot Time Lord, considering what River was. Could he handle it? But what if it wasn't his daughter, if it was someone else's. What if she was married, happy with someone else? It would hurt, a lot. He loved her, even though he hated admitting it. Whichever way it was, he didn't think he could cope. Suddenly he realised he hadn't answered her question and everybody was looking at him.

'Erm, Tardis wanted me to come here. She messed up the co-ordinates. Picked up some stuff' he shrugged. River still didn't look happy but a look of realisation was spreading across her daughter's face

'Oh! I know who you are! You're the man in those pictures!' River spun around to face her daughter

'Sarah, if you say anything else you'll wish you hadn't' River said quietly but with that familiar threatening undertone. Sarah-Jane looked confused but nodded 'Alright if you say so, Mum' River sighed and gave her daughter a tight hug and kissed her on the forehead 'Sorry, love. Could you give us a minute?' Sarah-Jane nodded again, squeezed her mother tightly and left the room. The Doctor could hear her footsteps running lightly up the stairs, echoing her mother's a few minutes ago.

'What picture? What was she talking about?' he folded his arms and stood there tapping his foot, waiting for an answer. Amy was tired of being practically ignored and pushed her way past the Doctor and hugged River, who looked a little surprised but hugged her back. The Doctor rolled his eyes 'I'm still waiting for an answer' River looked at him coldly.

'I'm sorry but my whole world does not revolve around you. You are not the most important thing on my mind right now and I'm not answering your question anyway' she broke apart from Amy and glared at him. He glared back at her, standing his ground.

'Why not? Do you have something to hide?' he asked her pointedly, still staring at her.

She didn't break his gaze and her expression didn't falter 'No. I just don't see why my life is any of your business. Not anymore' her face was almost expressionless, except for something he couldn't quite identify. It hurt him that she wasn't telling him; she tells him everything, unless it's a spoiler. She always said that she trusted him with her life. He stepped towards her, looking sad

'River…' he looked at her pleadingly but she just looked at him coldly 'Yes?' his face fell and he shook his head 'Doesn't matter' she nodded curtly. Amy looked between them, sensing the tension

'So River… how are you?' she tried to diffuse the tension by being bright and cheery but it seemed horribly fake even to her.

'Perfectly well thank you, Amy. Yourselves? What have you done with little me?' River smiled at her mother but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

'Oh, she's with Rory's parents. We were meant to be going to Barcelona, you know the planet with those special dogs? But someone apparently had other ideas. Not that we don't want to see you of course' she glared at the Doctor but smiled back at River. River moved towards Rory and gave him a hug. The confusion cleared from his face for the first time since leaving the Tardis and he smiled, hugging his daughter.

'Whoah, hang on' Rory said, sounding shocked 'we have a grand-daughter. I'm not old enough to have a grand-daughter!' he laughed as she said it and River smiled at him.

'Yes, it's all very confusing. It's absolutely wonderful being older than your parents' River joked, smiling warmly at said parents but completely ignoring the Doctor.

'Well, if you're all done being all human and emotional, can we get to the important stuff?' the Doctor was flopped on River's sofa, looking bored. River glared at him.

'Oh sorry, once again I forgot that you're the most important thing that everybody has to drop what they're doing and immediately attend to you' she looked angry again now 'I forgot that little human emotions were completely beneath you. I forgot that what you want to do is the only thing that matters!' he stepped forward to her

'River, I didn't mean that and you know it' he put his hands on her shoulders but she shrugged them off and turned to Amy.

'Are you lot sticking around? You can if you want, I've got space. It'd be great' she smiled at her parents. The Doctor opened his mouth but Amy interrupted him 'We'd absolutely love to!' she smiled and Rory nodded in agreement. River smiled back at them.

'You have a room. You used to- will- come and stay quite a bit when Sarah was little. I'll show you if you want' they nodded and she led them out of the room and upstairs. The Doctor flopped back down on the sofa again, looking depressed. River was really mad at him and he hadn't meant to hurt her. She didn't want him to stay, he could tell. And he still couldn't believe that River Song, convicted murder and the most wonderful, dangerous, sexy woman he'd ever met, was living on Earth, in a house, with a child. It was so domestic, so human. So un-River. But she was still River, still the most wonderful woman he knew. He couldn't stop thinking about her, when she wasn't there and when she was. He was so distracted he didn't notice her leaning in the doorway, looking at him.

'I don't suppose you want to stay? Far too domestic for his Majesty, I'm sure' he jumped, hearing her voice unexpectedly as she came into the room, arms folded. He looked up at her, struck again by how beautiful she was.

'I don't know. Do you want me to stay?' he stood up, looking into her eyes earnestly. She looked away, shrugging.

'I don't care. You can do what you want' she went to move away but he caught her by the waist.

'River' he said softly and earnestly 'please. Don't be so cross. I didn't mean to hurt you or offend you. I didn't mean to stay away for eighteen months. I love you, I've missed you' he stroked her face gently. She looked at him, hurt and sadness in her eyes

'I thought you weren't coming back. I thought you'd left me for good' she looked away from his eyes. He couldn't believe how stupid he was, how he could ever have left, been without her. She was wonderful, his River. She was so beautiful, so fantastic. Why couldn't he just admit it, just say to her- River, I'm never going to leave you, I love you so, so much. It was just too hard for him. He was so impossibly terrible at human emotions. He kissed her gently, hoping so much that she wouldn't break away. She didn't, wanting so much to just to be held be him, for him to tell her everything would be all right. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd flung her arms around his neck and was kissing him back intensely. Her Doctor. He'd come back for her, like he always did. He smiled, so happy she'd forgiven him. She broke away, looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.

'I shouldn't have done that' she turned away from him and went upstairs. He stared after her, slightly annoyed. She always did this, acted like the martyr. He was getting sick of it. She re-appeared suddenly 'Are you staying or not?' she didn't look at him.

He sighed 'yeah. Please' she nodded and led him upstairs. She was so different than the last time he'd seen her, not the laughing, flirting woman she had been. She opened the door of a room at the end of the landing and led him inside.