Thank you to those of you who've take the time to review and/or add this to their alerts and favorites. It's greatly appreciated.

Just a note on the first chapter, I've added something to the beginning of it. You don't need to flick back it's just a bible verse, this one:
I have made you. I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4

Thursday Afternoons

The Fifth Year - The Middle

Being ten wasn't about Isaiah at all. In fact turning ten was about someone else entirely. It was just the middle of his life that summoned the boy to ask and his father's own guilt that made his sons wish come true. Then again, that was few nights from the boy's birthday, he wasn't one to see it coming.

The sound of children rang in the adult's ears as kids ran through the house and out to the back garden. It had only been a matter of hours but the house was already a mess. River watched as drinks were spilled and food was dropped, the neighbour's dog happily walked dirt across the carpet while a few younger siblings of the party guests dribbled mushy biscuits against her couch. She cringed as she watched it happen. There was no point it saying anything about it now.

Her baby boy was ten today. Ten-years-old. Double digits. He was growing up too fast and as she watched the party goers enjoy their time she couldn't care for the mess while her son ran and played. He didn't have many friends in his younger years but he had found some now, a small collection with parents and siblings to count as enough people for a birthday celebration. She hadn't cared how many people filled the house as long as the little boy enjoyed his time.

A woman huffed beside her as she carried a heavy box into the dining room and heaved it onto the table. "Clara, you're a life saver." River smiled at the girl who'd arrived with Isaiah's birthday cake.

Clara grinned, she had offered to bake Isaiah's cake weeks ago when the pressure to find a bakery to the little boys liking tired the older woman out. Her son was picky when it came to his sweets but he never turned down anything Clara placed in front of him. It'd been a no brainer when she offered and River hand been pleasantly thankful.

"Is he here?" Clara asked, fluffing about the table as she dodged children. River shook her head, worry biting at her fingertips. He promised he would be there, it was his son's tenth birthday party after all. "He'll be here." She reached out for River's arm, a sympathetic look on her face. She'd known River Song and her little boy for close to three years now Clara trusted that if The Doctor hadn't arrived yet he wouldn't be too far away. He never missed a day.

Isaiah was blowing out the candles on his birthday cake too busy with the hype of his birthday to ask where his father was. Even though he hadn't asked River could see the question in his eyes. Every so often he would look up from a game or stop in the middle of a chase to scan the room for his father. She could see the worry building when the man was still yet to arrive.

His friends cheered as he took in a breath as best he could and exhaled it with as much force as his lungs would allow. His lung capacity was that of seventy per cent, regardless the child always struggled with birthday candles. When the last one flickered out with a great big huff the boy opened his eyes to watch his mother, gleaming behind a camera as she snapped pictures.

"What did you wish for?" The Doctor asked against the boy's ear causing him to jump. Leaping out of his chair, like he was five again Isaiah threw himself into the arms of his father. "You didn't waste your wish on me, did you?" The boy shook his head smiling as his father squeezed him and his mother snapped another picture.

Clara moved around the table, ready to cut the cake for the impatient children already vibrating in their seats. "What did you wish for, Isa?" She asked, smiling at him over her shoulder.

"It won't work if I tell you." River laughed, calling 'nonsense' on the child. The three watched him, waiting patiently to see if the ten-year-old would share his big wish. He shifted in his dad's hold, still on the small side compared to the other children in his class he was still content to be held sometimes for the sake of being held. "I wished for a brother or sister."

The Doctor stiffened at his son's words whilst River took a step back. "Oh, no, no, no, no." River Started. "No. Nooo. Not going to happen. I'm sorry, but no." She shook her head as she spoke, hands raised.

"Do you want to say 'no' one more time?" Clara teased as she watched the panic on her friend's face. It had only been a small number of years yet Clara considered herself a great friend of River's and someone who understood the other woman's actions. Clara could see the internal freak out as he friend reached out for Isaiah and ruffled his hair playful in an attempt to calm herself.

It hadn't worked. River was still wound tighter than a music box and her husband beside her was no better. One would think neither knew of the acts of procreation and it was in fact the stork who brought Isaiah to them. But Clara knew them better, they were scared and even though she was certain they would grant their child with his every wish, this was one they wanted to steer clear from.

It was The Doctor who made the first move. Tickling Isaiah's sides as she boy eyed off his birthday cake. It was a simple movement, playful attention but it the end it hadn't really mattered. It broke the tension enough for River to break away from the end of the table and scurry into the house.

Isaiah's wish wasn't spoken about again that day. Eventually all the invited children, their siblings and their respective parents all trickled out the door. It was Clara's turn as the sun started to set, laughter still burning in her eyes as she kissed the barely awake ten-year-olds forehead and moved for the door, her friend in tow. River was practically begging her to stay a little while longer as she thanked the girl for her help throughout the day. The house was certainly cleaner now than what it would have been without Clara's help.

"Are you sure you'll be okay to drive home?" River asked lingering by the door as she watched her friend with worry, Clara only nodded with a happy smile. "You're more than welcome to stay the night. The guest room is always ready for you."

The girl tilted her head back and laughed, "Oh, c'mon River! You just want me to stay so you don't have to talk with your husband about your son's only birthday wish. No way am I going to help you avoid that!" Clara laughed again at the blush on her friend's cheeks after this River was going to kill her. "Better hurry, traffic is going to be a mess."

"But, Cla-"

"Go!" The girl shooed. "Tuck your boy into bed and ignore the whole thing if you really want to but spent the night with that ridiculous man we both know most days are few and far between. He fights really hard to be here River."

After she bid goodbye to her friend River Song did everything she said. Isaiah was tucked into bed, birthday cake still smeared across his face and as moved about her room, taking off the day she avoided the topic of Isaiah's wish all together.

"Do you think we should tell him?" She asked, voice quiet as she slipped under the covers. "About you, you know, TARDIS, time travel all of that?" The Doctor shrugged, they had left it for so long only leaving truth in bedtime stories or on rainy days. He was fairly sure Isaiah already knew the truth between The Raggedy Man and his chosen dad. There was probably no need in telling the imaginative young boy, but then again he needed to hear it straight. "Do you think he needs to know?"

"He's ten, River. I'm just playing by your rules. Do you want to tell him?" River bit her lip before shaking her head quickly.

"I just feel like he's on to us."

The Doctor laughed. "It's because he is and Clara doesn't help. She's not very subtle." River shook her head, not agreeing completely. Clara could be subtle when she wanted to, it was her imagination, the stories she created about what she did during her week were more farfetched than The Doctor's adventures and Isaiah fed off of them, both governess and the boy thrived from the stories the other created. For a boy who didn't really know about the universe beyond he could out tell the echo of a Victorian governess.

Just as she'd settled completely, her husband on top of the sheets beside her Isaiah's voice called out, pulling her out of bed instantly. The Doctor got there before her the boy already scooped up in his arms and being moved to the bathroom by the time she'd reached the door.

"I don't feel too good." Isaiah complained as he whimpered at his mother feeling as much of the toddler as he looked to the woman in that moment. It was but a second later that he reached for the toilet and emptied his stomach his mother slipping in beside him as he did so, so she could rub soothing circles on his back. The Doctor, silently, handed her a wet face cloth watching as she cradled her son against her chest while she cooled his forehead. "Too much sugar." Sinking into his mother's arms the boy groaned as his stomach continued to churn despite its being empty.

Using her free hand to pull his hair away from his face, River chuckled at him fully deserving the angry 'stop it' and weak shove the boy gave her in return. "Oh-no, bubba," Keeping her voice at a soothing level she couldn't help but grin. "You're ten now, you're the only one in fault for too much sugar." River didn't have the heart to move the boy from the floor as his gut continued to churn and his eyesight blurred with the uncomfortable feeling of it all. "Happy birthday." Pressing a kiss to his sweaty forehead, River smiled meekly at her comment knowing the boy couldn't see the grin. Birthday's had always been Isaiah's favourite time of year but for Isaiah's mother it meant his growing up. One step further away from being an innocent babe and one step closer to his final days.

Listening to his heavy breathing River rubbed soothing circles across his little back. "Love you, mum." The boy mumbled against her shirt. They continued to sit in silence, listening to their beating hearts and slow breaths. A moment passed, several minutes in fact, the tiles were no longer cold under River's legs and she stopped thinking about her sons fevered body against her chest. "Can I have bunk beds?" He whispered in the dark scared that his mother had fallen asleep.

"Why?" She asked back just as quietly.

"Bunk beds are cool." Having forgotten he was there The Doctor's addition of "bunk beds are cool" caused the boy to jump. Realizing the he had observed the fatality of the human condition, River cringed, it was only going to get worse from then on out.

"Who's going to use the other bed?" She asked, causing the sick boy to think.

Isaiah shrugged. "My sibling?" He offered meekly as he sunk further against his mother while she laughed softly at his response.

"Isaiah," She soothed, her hand in his hair. "Even if you got a sibling, which I doubt, by the time they are old enough to sleep in a bed you won't want them in your room at all."

The boy shifted, moving to face his mother in the dark his hands finding her face to cup her cheeks delicately. "You don't have to be scared." He whispered speaking loud enough for his father to hear. Although, to the boy, the man wasn't biologically his father he felt that in this moment he needed to hear the words too. Isaiah could feel his mother quirk a brow as he made out the lines of her face in the dark. "Not everyone is going to be sick like me, mum. I think a baby would be neat, but you don't have to be scared." River's chest contracted, her whole body ached to but the young boy at ease. How did he know those things? How did he know exactly how to break her heart and mend every single one of the pieces in one go.

Pulling him close she muttered into his hair. "It's not just that, Isa." With simple words she conveyed to her boy that sometimes things were a lot more complicated than what they seemed to others. Getting a sibling was easy for Isaiah, but he wasn't the one who had to go through the ordeal. Smiling against her cheek the boy understood. He moved, slowly at first, trying to stand before his father interjected and helped by holding him up. From there Isaiah requested to go to bed on the pretence that he felt much better.

They tucked him in for a second time that night, kissing his hair and slipping out of the room together. Neither parent at ease. The Doctor worried about his sick state asking if a hospital visit was required, with River's firm head shake the man insisted on staying the night getting up every few hours to linger at the boy's door.

It was River who put a stop to his back and forth panic, huffing at him roughly as he climbed out of bed for what felt like the fiftieth time. She followed him instead, standing by Isaiah's door at half past six in the morning staring at her husband as he stared at their boy. River huffed for a second time, this time turning on her heel and taking to the stairs, her husband followed.

She didn't turn to address him as she moved through the houses first floor busying herself with making tea in the early morning light. River hummed to herself as she moved, preparing a cup for herself and one for the husband she wasn't acknowledging. Pushing the mug towards her husband River sunk into one of the bench chairs beside him, still not speaking as she sighed heavily and rested her head against the cool countertop. "What are you doing, River?" Bringing the mug to his mouth, The Doctor asked.

"Waiting for Isa." She mumbled back already half asleep against the counter, his constant up and down all night had disrupted her sleep.

"Why?"

"To make sure he's okay. You seem adamant to keep checking on him so I thought it'd be better if we waited down here." The Doctor scolded his wife for her actions, telling her it wasn't necessary for them to wait. Huffing once again in annoyance River took a sip of her tea before pushing out of the chair and storming back up the stairs. The Doctor followed her as he had done before, watching as she slipped into Isaiah's room and slowly lulled the boy out of his dreams.

"Can you please tell your dad you're okay?" She asked softly, stroking his hair as he stirred. The boy nodded, mumbling his response loud enough for his father to hear. "Sweet dreams, baby blue." River lent forward to kiss his hair as the boy snuggled back into his sheets and fell asleep.

Grinning slyly up at her husband the woman had intentions much the same as what her young son's actions. Sweet dreams were her desperation and she was hopeful her husband's hopeless panicking would stop so she could sleep before the boy awoke properly for the day.

Another chapter I'm not to proud of - sorry - also sorry for the time jump, again. I've been so off balance the last few weeks and it might continue for three more. But hey, I'VE FINISHED SCHOOL! I'm so sad and so excited but so sad I'm going to miss those people so much. Anyway, finals are starting up next Wednesday so I'll see how I go.

Until next week,

A