CHAPTER 11

"Leave it alone! If you stop touching it, it will stop hurting!" River yelled as the Doctor complained about his new tattoo. Again.

"I don't like it River!" He wined. "It hurts and I don't like tattoos!"

"Well learn to because you're keeping that one!"

"Only until I regenerate!"

"Which won't be happening very soon! It is there to keep you safe."

"How do you know?! And what makes you think you are supposed to protect me?" The Doctor yelled. River winced internally, remembering the story that his future companion told her. She yelled at him now, furious about him being such a baby, yet still managing to be a grouchy old man. She steeled herself.

"Because I'm me, and I am your wife! Now shut up and drive!"

"If you want to go so soon, why don't you just drive!? You obviously think you're better at it then I am!"

"That's because I AM! UGH!"River, turned on her heels and stormed down the halls of the TARDIS, going to her and the Doctor's room. She could feel tears starting to form at the back of her eyes. She had been so emotional the past week or so, and the morning sickness was grating on her mind with what it could mean. She hated it, but there was always the possibility that...she shook her head. The Doctor just went back to fiddling with the console. The others stood near the doors, awkwardly watching the married couple shout at one another. Amy went up to him slowly, not wanting the anger and hurt in the Time Lords eyes to be directed at her, or at her daughter for that matter.

"Doctor?"

"Yes Amy?" he snapped, causing Amy to jump back. He wiped his eyes and put a smile on his face. "Sorry. Sorry, what do you need?" She frowned at him, then gave him a hug. She held him at arms length.

"I need you to tell me whats going on between you and River. You seemed fine yesterday. Now you two are rowing."

"It's nothing, I think I may have brought up a sensitive subject, talking about my regeneration. I know a lot about her future, but I don't know what she knows about mine. And to be completely honest, River has seemed a bit sick. I didn't want to bring that up, but it's been making her a bit cranky. I do worry about her." Amy wiped a tear that fell down his cheek. She smiled softly.

"Please, go see her. Make this right. We can wait." She pushed him towards the hall River went down. He started walking, knowing the TARDIS would let him find her. He came to the door to their room, finding it locked. The TARDIS would let him be at the door but wouldn't let him in. Great. Now the ship was throwing him into romantic clichés.

"River? Can I come in?" No sound came from the room but a small amount of shuffling. "River?"

The door unlocked and he walked in, finding River sitting on the bed. Her face was red and she looked tired, almost worried. The Doctor sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his head on her and she curled herself into him. They sat in the quiet for a little while, just thinking.

"I'm sorry," The Doctor started. "I didn't mean to snap at you the way I did. I was stressed, and still somewhat sore from the tattoo. I know that it's there to protect me and I know that you want me safe. You are the bravest and most wonderful woman I have ever met. You are better at flying the TARDIS and you do have every right to protect me. The lives inside of me are yours, not mine. And you are my wife, we are supposed to protect each other no matter what." His memories of the day he met her played for the millionth time in his head, tears threatening to form. He pushed them back down, 'live in the moment', he reminded himself. He looked at River as she let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, too, Sweetie. You brought up your regeneration and..."

"I know, I know. Im so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I know our lives are all wibbly wobbly and we know about most of each other's futures, but we do our best, right?"

River tilted her head up and gave him a quick kiss, "Of course," she smiled. "What else would we possibly do?"

The Doctor smiled and nuzzled his face in her halo of curls, "I don't know. I honestly don't know." He sat back then, resting his head on his pillow. He felt something hard under it. He frowned looking at River, who he could tell was trying to hide... something. Amusement maybe, possibly fear though. He reached under the pillow and pulled out a small, impossible strip of white. He turned it over, and upon seeing the small plus sign on it, didn't know what to think. He wanted to jump up and down with excitement, but also thought about how he could possibly not have known about this. Did he ever meet them? Were their timelines just, well, knotted again? He decided to relax and just go with it, and that of course, meant following through on his first reaction. He leapt up from the bed and hugged River as tightly as he dared, not knowing how long ago it happened. It must have been recent of course, she wasn't showing, though she probably exercises enough to keep it small. River laughed at him and smiled, the tension from earlier almost completely resolved.

"I'm flattered that you think that, Sweetie, but you were right with your first guess. I'm only just over a month along."

The Doctor blushed, "I said all that out loud?" River nodded and laughed again.

"So you aren't mad then?" She asked.

"Mad? Why in the universe would I be mad? This is brilliantly, fantastically, COOL!" River rolled her eyes, but did so with yet another smile. "I'm going to be a father, I mean I've been a father before but it's been so long and now I'll be with you and oh this it AMAZING!" He picked River up and spun her around, tears in their eyes and warmth in their hearts.

"When will we tell your parents? Where will the baby's nursery be? Will it stay on the TARDIS? Will we leave it with Amy and Rory? Do you want to go back to the 51st century for medical care? OH OH OH OH OH OH, WE COULD ASK MARTHA! SHE WOULD DO IT! We have to tell everyone!..."

"Doctor."

"...Except for probably Donna and Rose but that's understandable and we can't forget Jack and we could tell any of your friends too like Miss- oh never mind you just invite whoever you want to invite..."

"Doctor."

"OH and Jack could probably help watch the baby. Never mind that's probably not a good idea and besides he has Torchwood to run and..."

"DOCTOR!" River yelled, getting the Doctor to shut up. "Would you relax? We have plenty of time to think about this. And yes I think having Martha as my doctor would be lovely. And frankly I think having Jack babysit would be good for him. And telling Donna wouldn't be too big a problem if you do it alone and just sort of, say it in passing. And yes we could tell Rose, but we would have to be careful."

"Really?"

"Of course. And as for telling my parents, there's know time like the present."

"Except for Rome in 79 AD."

"You'll have to take me there sometime."