AMYS POV
Stood there in Rivers doorway, leaning on the crutches, she was suddenly unsure whether she had made the right choice to confront this situation which was not helped by the emotions that went through River's face at her appearance. She looked confused, shocked and almost like she had seen a ghost all at once and although she tried to cover this with a slight smile, Amy could see straight through it. She thought of turning and running until she also after a minute saw the flicker of pure happiness which she saw for an instant in, showing her that she was actually wanted there. Amy decided, as ever that the best way to help this situation was a bit of humour and the kind of cheek that River usually responded to, although she didn't really carry it off very well with all of the thoughts going around in her head.
"Well hello to you too, River" She said, smiling at River hoping that she would return the look, which she of cause did.
"Sorry, just a bit of a surprise to see you here. Urm, actually I was about to go-" She mumbled, seeming to be finding a reason to leave.
"Please River, I need to speak to you" She pleaded, her previous joking quickly dissipated and she looked her dead in the eyes with the need she had to find the truth. "It's really important" For a second she thought River was going to turn around and go but then a small smile broke across her face which warmed Amy instantly.
"Ok, sweetie, come through" River walked off through to another room leaving Amy to close the door behind her, which she had to admit wasn't particularly easy considering she had crutches in her hands and as she reached for the door, she lost balance and fell rather loudly against the door frame. She heard River rush from the other room, obviously alerted by the bang that Amy had caused and came firing towards her to help, trying to lift her back up onto her crutches, cursing under her breath.
"I'm so sorry, I just didn't think. I shouldn't have left you to do it yourself, are you ok?" Amy could hear the pure panic in her voice at finding her in that state, but at this moment she didn't think about that because she saw something that horrified her which she knew was her fault. Looking down at Rivers arms, as the loose sleeves had risen up while trying to help Amy, they were covered in multiple both small and deep slashes all over her skin, the biggest probably 10 cm long, and they were surrounded by large patches of purple and yellow which Amy knew to be bruises. She was still staring at them when River managed to lift her back up and realised where she was looking, saw the tears that were welling up in her eyes. River raised her hand to the side of Amy's face to lift her head to looking into her eyes.
"Amy, please don't worry, it's nothing" She indicated towards her arm. "I'm absolutely fine, really, I'm just glad that you are better" Yet this didn't make Amy feel better at all, worse actually, that River would sacrifice herself in this way to look after her and the tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Where else did I hurt you?" She saw the reluctance in Rivers face to disclose this information. "Show me, River. I need to see", at which point she slowly raised the bottom of her top to reveal large gashes across her stomach, patches of brown and yellow bruises and bandages, probably covering the worse of the injuries. Amy instinctively raised her hand to trace the lacerations, not thinking about the effect that it would have and River winced slightly at the touch, which although she tried to cover it up Amy detected and quickly pulled away.
"I'm sorry River, I'm really so sorry. I can't believe that I did that to you, you should have just knocked me out or something. I must have terrified you" Amy felt disgusted with herself, that she did that to one of her friends, especially to River, especially after how much she had done for her. Yet River looked deep into her eyes once again and replied with so much love that it nearly made Amy break down in tears there and then.
"Amelia Pond, as long as you are ok I don't care what happened to me" and instantly Amy believed every word she said. Just then Amy realised how abnormally close they were standing, just inches from each other and held in River's arms, and as soon as River noticed this she quickly stepped back.
"Do you want to come and sit down? You look like you need a rest" She seemed slightly flustered but as ever she maintained her usual composure after the first second and she lead Amy through to the living room. It was quite big but not at all homely, nothing to link River to it, there were no photos or personal touches amongst the big white room. She went and sat down in the large couch in the middle of the room and River came and sat beside her, in a quite protective position, as if to keep Amy at distance.
"So" River sighed after a few minutes of silence, Amy hadn't quite brought herself to say anything yet. "What was it that you so desperately needed to talk to me about? Because I was kind of expecting you to speak at some point, love" This would have usually made Amy chuckle in any other circumstance but at the present moment and sat this close to River, she couldn't even murmur a sound. This seemed to concern River as she became deadly serious all of a sudden when she turned back to look at Amy in the face. "What's wrong, Amy?"
"Why did you leave?" Amy couldn't help but blurt it out all at once, that's the only way it seemed to come out and she tried to fill that one question with everything she was feeling at that time. She looked up, straight into Rivers eyes, pleading for her to tell the truth which she knew she could very easily try to cover up if she wanted to.
"It's complicated" River looked ashamed of herself but didn't seem to have anything else she wanted to say. Amy really didn't know what to say so she said the only think she could now think of.
"How do you feel about me River?" She said it like it was a completely normal question with the confidence she had suddenly gained from somewhere, as if she was back to her normal brazen self. But quite obviously this new question startled River with the bluntness of it and she seemed to start blushing, something that she had never seen River do and she mumbled something about it being a ridiculous question and quickly stood straight up.
"Right, would you like a drink? I'm thirsty, I'm going to go and make one" and before Amy had a chance to give her an answer or in this case stop her, she had bolted off towards what Amy assumed would be the kitchen. Amy quickly, and a little bit painfully, pulled herself up on to her crutches to go after her and after a few minutes of struggling along, she managed to get to the kitchen where she found River looking out of the window.
"It's a little bit unfair to run away from a crippled person, don't you think?" Amy said in a quite obviously false upbeat tone at which River seemed to jump slightly.
"I wasn't running, I just came to get a drink. I told you" she said without even turning around to look at Amy.
"River, please turn around, I need to talk to you properly. This is very important to me" At which point Amy took a step closer to River as she slowly turned around. Amy could see tear marks running down her face but they had obviously been wiped away a little bit, yet still River was refusing to look at Amy. "For such a confident person, you really are rubbish with stuff like this" and she raised her hand to brush away one of the remaining tears left on her face.
"When.. How did you..." River stuttered, seemingly unable to gather her thoughts, but still refusing to look at Amy.
"I woke, sometime after I have gone unconscious, for a short amount of time. We were still in the console room I think, but you and the Doctor were talking and you were caring for me. You are amazing, River, truly. You risked your life for me even though I did all of this to you" Amy indicated to one of the larger cuts on her arms, her own eyes starting to fill with tears from the love that was starting to beam from her. She sighed "What did I ever do for someone as amazing as you to care about me?" and for the first time since she entered the room, River looked directly up into her eyes with nothing but love, which made Amy's stomach flip uncontrollably.
RIVERS POV
There she was, stood in her kitchen with Amy in front of her and she knew the truth. River didn't know whether Amy realised but she still had her hand on rivers cheek but she wasn't going to enlighten her anytime soon. She just revelled in being this close to the girl she loved, even if it would just be until she finished talking to her and she left to go back to the Doctor and her but she was hers for now no matter what the Doctor said, at least she hoped so. A moment of pain flickered through her at that moment at the thought of loosing Amy all over again, but she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind and looked instead into the eyes of the girl in front of her.
"I'm so sorry Amy, I know I shouldn't, I just couldn't help it. I should have stayed away I know, that's what the Doctor told me, that's the real reason I left that night. I'm really sorry," Tears were running down her face again. "You don't need me, you don't even really know me but you are just so amazing, how could anyone let that feeling go knowingly? And I know that's no excuse because it's wrong I know but" River had no more words that she could say, she just didn't know anything other than the fact that she loved her so instead she simply raised her hand to Amy's face like she had wanted to do since she saw her in the doorway. River instantly knew she had gone too far for Amy as she flinched at the touch, moved back a step and looked at her with the most inquisitive expression she had seen. However what happened next was something that River never expected to happen yet she wanted nothing more. Suddenly Amy's hands were on the sides of her face and their lips were locked together in, not love, but pure passion.
