As always, thank you to everyone who's been following this story. Your song suggestions are fantastic.
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Song: Sippin' On Sunshine (Avril Lavigne) Suggested by: a kiss of winter
"Do you think you could land us in the right place this time?" River remarked sarcastically as she leaned on the console. For weeks now the Doctor had been promising her a day at the beach. However, vacations weren't really his specialty. After all, there was always someone somewhere who needed saving.
"I always try!" he huffed. But River really couldn't take him seriously in nothing but TARDIS blue swim trunks, and he knew that. His only consolation was that River had chosen to wear a red bikini she'd found in her wardrobe.
"Well, could you try harder, dear?" she countered impatiently. Now there came the usual whooshing landing sound, and the Doctor ran to open the doors. "Well?" she asked.
He took one look outside before giving River a concerned look. For a second she almost walked over to the console to pilot it to a beach herself, but the Doctor's face brightened when he saw he had her fooled. "Gotcha!" he laughed.
River, though mildly annoyed, couldn't help but smirk at the ancient man in swim trunks who made jokes like a five year old. "I hate you," she smiled as she walked past him and into the warm sunlight.
"No you don't," he answered before following her.
Now they could see that the TARDIS had actually landed by one of the many storefronts that lined a small street behind the beach. The whole place looked like something from a postcard: colorful buildings, clear blue sky, yellow sand only steps away. All around them smiling people were walking, either heading to the beach or shopping at the storefronts. There was even a small cart nearby selling ice cream. Somewhere, someone had a stereo, and it was playing some upbeat song that seemed to fit the setting perfectly. The Doctor smiled at River and slipped his hand into hers. "Shall we?" he said, leading her forward.
As soon as they stepped barefoot onto the beach they felt the warm sand between their toes. It made the Doctor wonder how long it had been since he'd had a proper vacation like this, one that didn't involve running or danger of any kind. This was a welcome change.
They continued walking until they got to the point where the crowds had begun to thin out. Eventually, they reached a line of beach umbrellas bearing the symbol of what he could only assume was some resort or another. River motioned to one up ahead of them a few paces. "How about there?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Actually, I kind of like sitting in the sun. In fact, this seems like the perfect spot right here." Without warning, he all but dropped onto the sand, pulling River down on top of him and catching her in his arms.
Caught off guard, she laughed in his embrace. When her laughter subsided into a wide smile, she asked, "Okay, so what now?"
When he spoke, his tone was mockingly serious. "River Song, have you forgotten basic beach safety? The first priority of any beachgoer must be to apply sunscreen, of course."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
"Safety is not a joking matter," he joked. He reached one hand into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. "See?"
"You had that in your pocket the whole time?" River asked suspiciously.
He smiled. "My pockets are bigger on the inside, remember?" At that, he squeezed a drop of sunscreen from the bottle onto his finger and lightly touched the tip of her nose, as he loved to do.
River, smirking deviously, took the bottle from him and got up, running towards the water. By the time the Doctor sat up, the bottle had already been chucked out over the ocean and had landed with a splash in the deep water farther out.
The next thing she heard was him yelling, "That's littering!" as he ran over to her. She expected him to pull her into the sand again, maybe pin her down—which she definitely wouldn't have minded—but instead, he grabbed her by the waist and drew her into the ocean with him.
They were each giggling like teenagers, too lost in the presence of each other to realize how far they were getting from shore. Eventually, though, River noticed. "Sweetie… you can swim, right?"
He scoffed at this. "Don't you think I would have learned sometime in the last thousand years?" She smiled and rolled her eyes, while he hoped he was right. The swimming part itself wasn't hard; it was swimming while holding someone in his arms that was concerning him.
Now he began to kick the water more frequently than was absolutely necessary, trying to stay afloat. River smiled at his flustered expression. "Here, allow me." He let her out of his arms, and she took hold of his hand instead, making slow, easy strokes towards the shore. They arrived there in no time. "See?" she said, panting slightly. "Not hard at all."
Instead of returning to their previous beach spot, they now sprawled out just beyond the tide's reach. River closed her eyes. The warmth of the sun and sand, the sound of the waves, and the presence of the man beside her were all enough to lull her into a light doze. The Doctor turned his head to watch her as she took tiny, even breaths, her chest bobbing up and down each time. The water droplets that were still clinging to her skin and hair were bending the light, making her look even more radiant than she always did.
After a moment, a cool breeze blew a strand of hair across her face, and the Doctor reached up his hand to brush it away. However, the second his hand made contact with her skin, he couldn't bring himself to take it away. Instead, he lightly traced the tips of his fingers across her cheeks, her neck, her lips. Every curve, every contour was perfect. River could feel his hand tracing her skin, and she leaned into his touch, relishing every second of it.
When at last she felt the pressure of his lips against hers, she opened her eyes. He was leaning up on his elbow to kiss her, so she now put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him onto his back so that she was resting on top of him. Again they kissed, ignoring the glares of nearby parents who had brought their children to play at the beach.
Finally, though, they heard a voice amplified by a megaphone explaining that the beach was now closed, and they decided to head back to the TARDIS. They were slightly damp, covered in sand, and even a little bit sunburned after not practicing "basic beach safety," but nonetheless, they were happy, relaxed after a day of vacationing.
"You know," River said after a moment, "we should really do this more often."
"I completely agree," the Doctor laughed, knowing just how impossible that was. "If only every day could be a day at the beach."
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