-1Chapter 7

River sat in the TARDIS with her firm instructions not to touch anything. But then I never could bow down to authority she thought with a smirk. Walking over to the monitor, River's hands hovered over the controls. She flicked a few buttons and grinned as the screen on the monitor flickered into life. A few lines of strange shapes rolled past before a shaky image of a small kitchen burst into life.

"Mickey, where's the Doctor?" The camera swivelled and landed on a young dark skinned man. His eyes were slightly glassy, and he had a paper hat settled on his head.

"Dunno. Find Rose and you'll find him." He took a swig of wine and shrugged good naturedly. The camera bounced slightly as the woman walked into a separate room. The camera settled on the Doctor and if River wasn't much mistaken, Rose. They were laying side by side underneath the Christmas tree, fiddling with the decorations above their heads.

"There you two are! Been looking for you all over, now say something to the camera." The woman's slightly shrill voice called out to them. They only turned their heads to stare at her, Rose giggling.

"A few words will make you go away?" The Doctor sighed and raised himself up on his elbows. The camera bounced up and down in agreement. The Doctor looked thoughtful and looked down to Rose.

"A few words Rose…a few words…what can we possibly say?" He said in mock despair. Rose laughed loudly and buried her head into his chest.

"Oh…Goodbye." He beamed and flopped back down beside Rose.

"That was one word." Rose murmured. The Doctor looked to her and tickled her ruthlessly.

"One word!? I'm never going to let that go you know. Never!" He cried as she tickled him back. The woman whispered something about immaturity and the camera was switched off. River pressed a few more buttons, trying to see more film, but sat back down in defeat. That wasn't the couple she had witnessed. The couple she knew barely spoke to each other, and when they did they argued. She had

seen the Doctor leaving Rose's bedroom with a murderous look on his face. At that moment, the man himself burst into the room. He stopped when he saw River and gave her a wide grin.

"Well! Let's get going! What are we waiting for?" He grasped her hand and pulled her along with him through the doors of the TARDIS. They both stopped and River gasped. The sky was a deep blue with perfectly yellow stars winking at them. River let go of the Doctor's hand and walked forwards slowly. They had landed on a hill, overlooking the town in the distance. A dirt pathway led down into the village, lined with candles on long poles. The town was small, and most of the lights in the houses were off. Instead the town was illuminated with a magnificently huge bonfire, the smell of food wafting from it towards River in the breeze. The people were either sitting and talking, or dancing with one another. The Doctor stood beside River once more and smiled down at her.

"It's amazing." She said in a hushed voice. The Doctor grinned despite himself at the expression on her face. He recognised the wanderlust that sparkled in her eyes. He knew he held it himself, and he loved to see it in Rose's eyes. The Doctor's face fell as he thought about Rose.

"What's wrong? This is brilliant! No need for that." River gripped his hand and beamed at him, and he couldn't help but smile softly back.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go and explore." He started to lead the way to the town, but River pulled back.

"What about Rose?" She said hesitantly. She watched the Doctor's eyes flash briefly at the mention of her name.

"Don't worry about her. She's a grown up. She can do whatever she wants, if she chooses to follow then that's up to her." They started for the village again, and River said no more on the subject.

Rose walked into the console room, pulling on her coat.

"I'm sorry I took so long…" She trailed off as she was greeted with the sight of…nothing. There was no one there.

"Doctor? River?" She said quietly. Only an empty silence answered her. She let her coat drop from her hands and she sank into the seat. He'd left her behind.

The Doctor handed River a cup of the local drink and grabbed his own. They both downed it together and laughed when she let out a small hiccup.

"Sir, the show shall begin soon, if you'd care to take your seats." A young man gestured to the cushions around a large clearing.

"Of course! Remind me again, what is this show about?" The Doctor showed off his widest grin.

" The women of our village dress in their finest clothes to honour the goddess Maliana.!

"Ah. Yes, of course, must've escaped my mind." He sat himself down on the silk cushions beside River and waited for the show to begin.

Rose left the TARDIS with renewed annoyance and stalked down the hill towards the town. Not even pausing to look at her surroundings, she angrily swept at a stray tear.

"Excuse me miss? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the show?" A young woman clutching at a bundle of clothes stopped her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't-" Rose was cut off as the woman grasped her hand and dragged her towards a small tent.

"You must come! We will anger the Gods if you make them wait to long." Rose felt the familiar excitement build inside her again as she allowed herself to be led to the tent.

"Wouldn't want that." She muttered.