Suddenly, the Dark Doctor backed away from her as he recalled that River had kissed him a few seconds before. He staggered as she followed him. This woman was dangerous, and he knew that he couldn't hurt her or touch her. Not directly, anyway.
"What have you done!?" the Dark Doctor demanded as he touched his lips. A light residue remained on his lips that tasted of pineapples. River shrugged and smiled.
"I am playing with your emotions, Doctor. Playing with them like a kitten with a ball of yarn. Soon, you'll realize that you can't get me out of your head. Your desire will be your downfall. This was how I was raised. The perfect psychopath. Of course, I have other tricks up my sleeve, but this is my favorite form of torture. Watching you writhe from the inside out in desperation and desire. We'll meet again, Doctor, but not for a while. I want you to think about what you've done," River whispered as she walked away from him. The Dark Doctor leaned against the wall, paralyzed with fear and shock. River walked up to her Doctor and led him to the stairway, leaving the virus in a crumpled mess.
The Doctor didn't dare look at River while they walked down the stairs. He had never seen her so frightening before, even when she used a similar trick on him when she first regenerated into River Song. And that was when she had poisoned him. River also ignored the Doctor, embarrassed that he watched as she flirted with the virus. Sure, it gave them the advantage, but she didn't want the Doctor to see that.
At the bottom of the stairs, River stopped and leaned against the decaying walls. She felt guilty and weak. She covered her face with her hands as the Doctor came up behind her.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and shook her head.
"No, I'm not alright. I'm sorry you had to see that. I saw him grow agitated with you, and I couldn't sit there and watch him disintegrate you into nothing. I had to do something, and that was the first thing that popped in my head. Oh, God, I'm so embarrassed," River informed, mumbling at the end. The Doctor embraced her, keeping away from her poisoned lips, but rubbed her back.
"That's okay. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. That needed a desperate measure," the Doctor whispered as she nodded.
"That should keep him occupied for a few days, at least. What was that box, anyway?" River asked as he smiled sheepishly.
"It was a bluff. I found something that looked technological and thought I might be able to bluff our way out. I'm not sure it would have worked, and I'm glad that you took charge then," the Doctor informed, leading her back towards the TARDIS. River sighed and smiled. "You were so different back there, River. I've never seen that side of you."
"So that's a definite 'no' on seeing Jack Harkness?" River played as the Doctor shook his head.
"After that, you'll be lucky if you can meet anyone else," the Doctor teased as she smiled.
"Not even the TARDIS could keep me prisoner," River declared, making the Doctor smile as well.
"You're probably right," he agreed, as they turned the corner. The TARDIS was there where they had left it, thankfully. No buildings landed on it, it wasn't decaying. Just same, old sexy. The Doctor snapped his fingers and let River enter first before he followed. "Back home then? Or do you want to go somewhere else?"
"Home probably would be a good idea. At least I know that place is safe," River answered as the Doctor nodded. "Are you okay with that?"
"Perfectly fine with it. I was actually hoping you'd say that. I'm in the mood for some jammie dodgers and swimming in the new pool," the Doctor grinned, dematerializing from the deteriorating New York City. River stood next to him and agreed.
"It'll be nice to relax for once. I don't think I've taken a day off in over a year," River remembered as the Doctor shook his head.
"I'll never know how you do it. Work all the time. Isn't it tiring?"
"That job always got me one step closer to you," she reminded him with a smile. However, it also brought her one step closer to death. She was lucky that the real Doctor was clever and intuitive. "Do I need a job here, do you think?"
"Why would you?"
"I don't know. When I was little, everyone put so much pressure on having a career and pursuing a good, healthy life. Now, I don't know what to do. The worst part is that only the small details are the ones that are different. It's hard to get used to," River informed as the Doctor gave her a small smile.
"You'll get used to it. After a month, you'll get the hang of it. I know you can," he whispered kissing her forehead before covering his mouth.
"You're fine, Doctor. You'll only get obsessive if I kiss you," River reassured as he blushed a little. "And I wouldn't dare play with you emotions. Psychotically, at least."
"I would hope not," he whispered, feeling embarrassed.
"I'll go wash it off. Then I'll check on Cassandra," River sighed, walking toward the stairs.
"Why do you call her Cassandra?"
"What?" River asked, turning around.
"Cassandra. You keep calling her Cassandra."
"That's her name."
"But I call her Cassie. Why don't you?"
"I guess because I don't feel that I know her well enough to call her Cassie yet," River shrugged.
"She didn't call you 'mum'," the Doctor reminded, walking towards River. She blushed and smiled.
"I know, but don't you think I would seem a little too... I don't know. I don't want to be like those replacement stepmothers that think they know everything about their new stepkids," River informed as the Doctor chuckled.
"River, you are not a replacement stepmom. You are Cassie's mother because I am her father," the Doctor explained as River sighed.
"I just want her to like me. I don't want to try too hard," River whispered as she disappeared into the TARDIS. The Doctor pursed his lips and went back to the console.
River wandered the hallways, looking for a bathroom to wash her face when she noticed Cassandra wandering corridors as well. River followed her, hoping that Cassandra was okay and wasn't lost.
"Cassie?" River called out, trying out the new name. The little girl stopped and looked back. She grinned with delight as she ran over to River with her little bunny. "What have you been up to?"
"Nothing really. Been a little bored," Cassandra replied, hugging River's legs. She picked up the child and smiled.
"Why don't you go see what your father's up to? I have to go to the bathroom, but I'll be right there," River whispered as the little girl nodded and jumped out of River's arms, running to the console room. River watched her disappear into the TARDIS before she continued on her way to go wash her lips.
River jumped back onto the platform as the Doctor and Cassandra talked. He seemed to be teaching her how to read the scanners. River came up to the other side of the Doctor as he pointed out what each bit on the screen meant. Cassandra looked up and smiled when she saw River as she winked back at the little girl.
"So, what have you been up to?" River asked as the Doctor smiled.
"Just teaching Cassie how to find out where the TARDIS has landed. It's important to know where you are at all times," the Doctor informed as he smiled. Cassandra looked up at them and grinned.
"Where are we going now?" she asked.
"Home," the Doctor smiled, poking her nose. Cassandra frowned and slumped.
"Really? Can't we go somewhere? Please?" she pleaded as the Doctor looked at River, hating when Cassandra did this. River eyed him and sighed. She knew she couldn't win with both of them ganging up on her.
"Fine, but one place," she agreed as the Doctor and Cassandra both cheered and jumped. River leaned against the console and began to realize that the Doctor was a child, even if he was over nine hundred years old.
"Where should we go then?" the Doctor asked as he spun around the console. "We could go see Tom Sawyer, find Gandalf, or talk to Jay Gatsby! Or we could go into the nonfiction section and talk to Stephen Hawking or maybe see Elvis Presley! I'm sure I have tickets to one of his concerts here somewhere!"
"Dad, who's Gandalf?" Cassandra asked as the Doctor glanced at River, wondering if he should tell her. River smiled and nodded.
"Just a wizard in a magnificent book. When you get older, I'll take you to meet him," the Doctor winked as Cassandra slowly nodded, wondering why they weren't going to see him now. River gave the Doctor an approving look, thinking that Lord of the Rings wasn't the best trip for Cassandra right now, with all the battles and monsters. "Where are we going, then?"
"Let's go see that Presley concert," River decided as Cassandra nodded, not sure who Presley was either.
"Sounds brilliant! Okay, River, fly the TARDIS to March 9, 1972 and at the International Hotel, Las Vegas. No, actually set it to April 18, 1972 and at the Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. That should be more, um, family friendly," the Doctor said as he went to search for the tickets. Cassandra ran after him, but stopped at the edge of the platform.
"Dad! What do you want me to do?" she called out as he poked his head back in the doorway.
"Make sure Mum doesn't crash the TARDIS," he informed with a smile before running away. River grimaced as she calculated the date and place before she pressed a button to make them materialize again. Cassandra sat on the bench, watching River glide across the floor as the blue box started to shake. River bit her lip and ran across the console and pressed a button and pulled a lever. When it got a little out of control, she looked at Cassandra.
"Cassie, can you press that blue button down for me? It will help stabilize the machine," River asked as Cassandra smiled and ran over to the console, pressing down the button. With a thud, they landed easily, without the whirring noise that River disliked. "Thanks, Sweetie. Want to go see if we made it?"
"Sure," Cassandra answered as she skipped to the doors. River watched her and shook her head. Cassandra was going to grow up a Daddy's Girl, and, if River wasn't careful, a spoiled brat. River glanced back at the console and sighed. "Mum! How do I know where we are? I've never been to 1972."
"Well, let me come look," she smiled as she came to the doorway. River gasped and covered her mouth as she saw what shouldn't have been 1972. Instead of seeing buildings and people she saw space with a few floating asteroids fly by. She shut the doors and locked them, somehow knowing that this was the Dark Doctor's fault, before she turned to Cassandra. "Go get you father. Quickly."
"Yes, Mum," Cassandra answered, sensing the fear in her mother's eyes. In her haste, she dropped her stuffed bunny. Still shocked, River picked up the bunny and propped it against the console. She double checked and triple checked the coordinates and time period, but everything seemed to be correct. River covered her face with her hands and tried to keep herself from crying. She patted her cheeks as she looked at the monitor to make sure it wasn't an optical illusion. She jumped back as she saw that there was a message on it. And it was for her.
I'm coming, River. Coming to get you