Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
Beautiful In Blue
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been very busy writing essays, and then I had writer's block for a few days. Thank you for your patience!
Chapter Twenty Six
The depths of the South American rainforest were steaming in the tropical sunlight, buzzing with the endless calls of numerous insects, and awash with the musty scent of wet bark. There had been a deluge recently, and the Doctor found himself skidding on the smooth stones of the Mayan temple ruins more than once.
"So, what exactly is it we're looking for?" he asked River, shifting aside some roots to peer at a rough engraving in the stone. She pulled out the parchment again and replied "My research suggests that the carvings on this temple form a detailed record of the last days of the Mayan Empire. I want to translate them, and find symbols that match up to these ones".
After thousands of years, the chiselled stone had been weathered and worn, until the carvings were barely recognisable. The Doctor watched River chip away at an outline of a barely visible symbol, her face blank and set in concentration. He had to admit he admired her dedication, even if he didn't think much of archaeology. River blew away the dust and glanced at the Doctor, giving him a smile. On impulse, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
The Doctor abruptly stood up and walked over to another collapsed wall, scanning the ruins with his sonic screwdriver. River sighed in disappointment.
Half an hour later, and they had only translated tiny parts of the unreadable hieroglyphs. A sweaty and irritable River slumped under the shade of a tree and pulled out her water flask, taking a deep gulp. "Sweetie, have a drink. You'll get dehydrated" she told the Doctor, waving the bottle at him. The Doctor however, was engrossed in clearing the vines off a flat stone in the middle of the courtyard. As he pulled the last one away, the symbols upon it seemed very familiar.
"River, come here, let me see that parchment again". River got to her feet and walked over, pulling the parchment out of her pocket and handing it to the Doctor. He unfolded it and spread it carefully out on the stone, and then began to trace out the carvings. Apart from a few missing letters, they matched up perfectly. "I think we've found our spot" he smiled at her. She smiled happily back.
All that remained was to figure out what to do next. On a whim, the Doctor stepped up onto the stone platform and began to read the words on the parchment aloud. The stone trembled thunderously and began to sink into the earth. River quickly stepped onto the stone as it carried them downwards. "I never knew the Mayans were so ingenious" she commented.
"This wasn't the Mayans" the Doctor said gravely, switching his sonic to a torch setting. "They didn't have the materials or technology to build a spaceship; this has got to be the work of aliens" he insisted.
River gave him an appraising glance. "You must be enjoying yourself then" she murmured sweetly. The Doctor grinned. "Isn't it great? I'll bet you're loving this, little miss archaeologist; I mean, this changes everything" he said vehemently. The stone platform came to a stop, and they found themselves in a large cavern hollowed out of the earth.
Pieces of high tech, but powerless and rusting equipment stood forlorn and dusty against the walls. "Could use a spring clean" commented the Doctor. River pulled out her scanner. "No life signs; no one's probably been down here for centuries. Where could all this stuff have come from?" she questioned.
The Doctor studied the generators and computer screens. "It looks like twentieth century computer technology on Earth, but it's been here for" – he wiped a finger over the top of one piece of machinery and then licked it, much to River's disgust. "At least three thousand years. Let me see, what species had space travel during this time on Earth, assuming they crashed here…but they might have settled, mixed with the locals. Come on Doctor, think, think, think" he said, jabbing himself in the forehead. "Doctor" said River, but he wasn't listening
"The Pomestoranians had space travel then, but they're not humanoid" –
"Doctor, look"-
"And the Zaal are humanoid, but they won't get space travel for" –
"Would you just?"-
"about six hundred years. They weren't even evolved during the height of the Mayan"-
"Doctor!" shouted River. The Doctor stopped rambling and stared at her. "What is it, River? You don't have to shout, I'm right here you know".
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, River pointed at a screen. "Let's just see if there's a record" she said simply.
"River, these computers been broken down for centuries, it's utterly impossible for there to be any power or data left on them" the Doctor told her.
"I love it when you say impossible. Funny thing is, all I hear is possible" she replied flirtatiously. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Has your hearing always been selective? Like when someone says 'Don't jump off the very tall building', can you not hear the first word?" he asked sarcastically.
"If you're talking about earlier, I slipped. Besides, what's the problem if I did? You still caught me" she said innocently, sidling up to him. The Doctor took her scanner from her hands and plugged it into the computer. "Of course, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't?" he said casually, and added "You'd do the same for me after all".
River laid a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and pulled him around to face her. "You know I'd do anything for you, sweetie; and look at us, down here in this cave, all alone…no one to bother us" she said sultrily as she pulled him into a deep kiss.
The Doctor pulled away and swallowed hard, straightening his bowtie. "What are you doing?" he asked in alarm. River couldn't decide whether to kiss him again or slap him. "You infuriating…oh, I can't take it anymore. I'm just going to say it; Doctor, I want to marry you again".
Fiddling nervously with his bowtie, the Doctor shuffled out of River's reach a little more. "M-marry? No, uh-uh, that's not a good idea" he said, shaking his head.
"Why not? What do you think Anna would do, kick you out of the TARDIS? Or should that be out of herself?"
"Who said this had anything to do with Anna?"
"Well, sweetie, she is the woman who's replaced me"
"Leave her out of this, it has nothing to do with her. She hasn't replaced you at all, you left. River, you divorced me"
"Don't you dare talk to me in that tone. Tell me, Doctor, if Anna's not the reason you don't want to marry me again, then what is? Perhaps I'm ugly"
"Don't be daft, you're not ugly"
"It must be because I'm getting too old"
"You're not old either. Well, not that old anyway –ow!"
"Well then! Okay, is it because you didn't want to marry me in the first place? You only married me to save the universe, is that it? Because the universe isn't collapsing now"
"That doesn't mean I'm going to marry you"
"Then give me a reason why!"
"I can't!"
"Why won't you marry me? That's all I want to know!"
"Spoilers!"
"I'm starting to bloody hate that word"
"Yeah, well so am I!"
"Forget that damned rule and just tell me!"
"No!"
"Tell me!"
"YOU DIED!", the Doctor roared angrily, right into River's shocked face. He stalked away to the other side of the cavern, shoulders tense and fingers clenched into fists. "I saw you die" he said in a choked voice. "I'm sick of people dying for me. And I'm a coward River, so I did what I always do, I ran. But then you had to be…you had to be you. You're the Ponds daughter and you saved me even though you'd been raised to think I was dangerous, you cared more about me than the whole universe…"
He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I can't marry you again. I just can't. I'm too selfish and you deserve better. Anna and this child might be my one chance to start over and get things right, be happy". The Doctor stood with his palms pressed to the wall, head bowed.
River bit her lip and turned back to the still dormant computer. She regretted riling him up so much; she should have dropped the subject the moment he uttered that dread word, spoilers. Putting thoughts of her apparently inevitable demise out of her head, River began to finish what the Doctor started.
He raised his head at the sound of the computer warming up, and turned around. River smiled at him and winked. "Told you it was possible".
The Doctor gave her a small smile, and walked over. River pulled up the log, and a human appeared on the screen.