"I'm sorry about last night." River murmured as she and her husband cooked.
"Me too." He replied. "How's your arm?"
"It's okay." She watched the food closely, "Sore, but that's expected."
"You should change the dressing after dinner."
"I will." She nodded, stopping what she was doing and turning to look at him. He met her eyes, holding her gaze. "Thank you for taking care of me." She ran her hand lightly along his arm.
He gave a small smile. "Thank you for letting me."
She nodded. "I think we should sleep in the TARDIS tonight."
"All of us?" He glanced in the direction of the kids.
"Yes, all of us. It'll be safer." She smiled softly, taking his hand.
He gave it a squeeze. "Thanks for covering for me with Will's parents."
"Of course." She tugged him closer to her, "I wasn't going to leave you stranded."
He took a step towards her, taking her other hand as well. She smiled up at him. He moved her right hand to rest on his shoulder, in turn putting his left hand on her hip. "Could I interest you in a dance, Mrs. Doctor?"
"Yes, Mr. Song, I believe you can." She smiled softly.
He started to hum and they started swaying to his song. She rested her head against his chest, right beneath his chin as they swayed. His hearts kept a beat for them as they rocked, the cooking and the children's words all falling away.
They didn't even notice when the kids got off the phone and started watching them from the living room.
"[What are Mummy and Daddy doing?]" Terra asked Freya.
"[They're dancing.]" She answered.
"[Why?]"
Freya shrugged, "[They love each other a lot and sometimes they dance together instead of saying I love you.]"
"[Is there music?]" She asked.
"[Daddy's humming but I don't know the song.]"
"[I want dinner. Can we ask if it's ready?]"
"[Just wait a minute.]" She shook her head, "[Let them finish.]" She could tell that her parents had been through a lot while they were away, even if they wouldn't admit it, and understood that moments like this were important for them. Terra sighed but did as her sister said.
They waited for about five more minutes, during which their parents shared a kiss or two and then realized they were being watched. "Er, how long have you lot been standing there?" Their father asked.
Amelia shrugged, "Not too long, but we watched you snog." She teased, making a face.
He shook his head, smiling. "Are you all hungry?" All the children nodded. "Alright then, sit yourselves down." They scurried to their seats.
The adults finished up the cooking quickly, serving it at the table and taking seats of their own. Dinner went by much like lunch with the family talking and the children recounting some of their adventures with their grandparents.
"Will was treating us kind of funny when he was here," Arthur said.
River frowned, her mind immediately jumping to the worst thoughts, "What do you mean funny?"
"Like he felt bad for us." He explained.
"Oh..." She relaxed, "Yes, well that's going to happen quite a bit I'm afraid."
"I don't want him to act like that. It's weird." Arthur frowned slightly. "It's like he thinks I'm all... delicate or something."
"You can tell him that he doesn't have to treat you that way."
He nodded. "What if he tells everyone that they should be like that with me?"
"Well, if you tell him not to treat you like that, then he won't."
"[Why were you and Daddy dancing?]" Terra asked.
"[Because we love each other very much and we like dancing together.]" She answered, smiling softly.
"[That's what Freya said... but why in the kitchen?]"
"[Because we were making dinner and we just got distracted.]"
"[You look silly when you kiss Daddy.]"
"[What do you mean I look silly?]"
"[You and Daddy both look kind of sleepy and... and...]" Terra couldn't think of the word so she demonstrated by puckering out her lips and batting her eyelashes rapidly. Arthur burst into giggles and started mimicking the face Terra was making.
"[I didn't realize we looked so silly.]" River laughed, looking over at her husband. He was shaking his head affectionately. "[I guess we should kiss more so we can practice not looking 'silly']" She smiled.
"Ew!" Arthur stuck his tongue out. "Do it later so we don't have to look."
"What do you think, my love? Should we spare the children from having to watch us kiss?" River raised her eyebrow, directing the question to the Doctor.
He glanced at Freya, who was trying very hard to focus on her food and not blush out of second-hand embarrassment. Amelia was just watching the scene with amusement. He looked back at River, finding the urge to kiss her anyway. "Well, Arthur and Terra are going to need new material for those silly faces of theirs."
"I suppose they will." She hummed.
Arthur exaggerated a sickly sounding noise and covered his eyes in anticipation. Terra copied him. Freya looked away as well, making a face at her sister. Amelia stuck her tongue out at Freya as the Doctor leaned in and gave River a kiss. River made sure to make the kiss sound extra loud, just to bother the children.
"Muu-uum!" Freya's truly was getting pinker now. River couldn't help but laugh against her husband's lips.
Terra peeked curiously out from behind her hands as her parents finally pulled away from each other. River leaned in to kiss the Doctor's cheek quietly and lovingly, thinking the kids weren't watching. Terra vocalized a squeak to get her parents' attention.
River looked back over at her daughter, "[Were you peeking?]"
Terra pointed to her ear. "[I didn't know if you were done yet.]"
"[I see. Well I'm sorry you had to see that.]"
"[It's not as weird on the cheek.]" She informed River, the other children uncovering their eyes. River smiled, taking the Doctor's hand beneath the table.
Freya shoved a bite of food in her mouth, trying to forget what just happened. Arthur and Terra shared a look, giggled for a moment, then continued eating as well. The rest of the family went back to eating. After they were done, the children went to get ready for bed.
"We're going to have to tell them to sleep in the TARDIS soon." The Doctor murmured, washing the dishes. River nodded, taking up the task of drying and putting the dishes away. "I'll put the shields up tonight."
"Thanks." She came up behind him, rubbing his shoulders.
"Can you help me look into the applications tomorrow?" he asked.
"Of course." She murmured, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. He smiled, reaching his hand up to touch hers. She smiled as well, silent for a moment, "How much did you tell Vastra?"
"Everything," he replied honestly. "She said she already knew."
She removed her hands, nodding slightly, "Oh...okay."
He turned off the sink and turned around to face her. "She won't say anything, you know."
"I know." She murmured, sitting down at the table.
He leaned back against the counter. "Should I have... not done that?"
River shook her head, "It's alright. You said she already knew anyway. I just...Don't like people knowing."
He nodded his understanding, realizing that it was best not to tell Jack if and when he asked. "Luckily, most of the people we know don't have the nose of a homo-reptilian."
She nodded, hand tracing absent-mindedly along her abdomen, "Yes, I suppose you're right."
"Do you want me to talk to the kids about sleeping arrangements?" He offered after a moment.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it." She nodded.
He touched her shoulder as he moved to go upstairs. He went upstairs, finding Terra pondering over her bookshelf.
Terra noticed movement in the doorway, looking up at him, "[Can you read me a story?]"
"[Yes,]" he nodded, "[but let's do it on the TARDIS. We're all sleeping in there tonight.]"
"[Why?]" She frowned slightly.
"[Just as a safety precaution.]"
Her frown didn't fade, but she didn't protest either. He instructed her to take her book and whatever else she wanted to the ship while he informed her siblings.
The other children had much of the same reaction as Terra, Arthur complaining more until the Doctor told him he didn't have to go to bed right away. River had made her way into the TARDIS by the time he told the children, doing a headcount of each one, as well as the animals before locking the door behind them.
Freya and Amelia lurked in the console room, watching their mother press buttons and type away at the monitor as the Doctor went to read Terra her story.
"Do you girls need something?" River asked, turning to look at them.
Freya shifted her feet as Amelia asked, "I thought you said we were safe."
"We are, I just want to make sure it stays that way." River murmured.
"You never wanted to do it like this before," she pressed with an obvious edge of worry.
River could sense her worry, and she tried to be as reassuring as possible, "I promise, we're not in danger. I'm just testing out some new safety measures so if we ever need to use them, we know they work."
Freya stopped fidgeting and the two seemed to relax some. "So we can sleep in the house tomorrow?"
"We'll see, darling." She gave them a soft smile.
"That's not a yes." Freya murmured.
"No, it's not, it's a maybe."
"But if it works out tonight then we don't need to do it again, right?"
"Yes, but if it doesn't I want to try again."
She sighed. "...Okay."
"Why don't you go read." She suggested, shooing them out of the room. They quietly did as they were told, leaving River alone.
River set up all the shields possible, the process taking several minutes. The Doctor came back into the room by the end of it. "Got everything working?"
She nodded, "It's all set up now."
"Terra's asleep." He murmured.
"That's good. Arthur and the twins should be reading somewhere." She moved closer to him.
He nodded. "How are they?"
"They're not terribly pleased." She sighed.
"Is that so?"
She nodded, "Yes...they want to sleep in the flat tomorrow."
"I'm guessing you'd prefer them not to." She nodded again. "Well, then you can let me be the bad cop," he murmured.
"Are you sure?" She wasn't used to him being the bad cop.
"I don't have these eyebrows just for show," he teased, though was serious about the offer. River didn't need the children faulting her on top of everything else that was happening. She smiled weakly, but nodded, "I suppose not. You can take a crack at it if you want."
He reached for her hand. "Do you want to put Arthur to bed or should I?"
"I can do it." She took his hand.
He squeezed it and offered a weak smile. "I'll put us in the Vortex."
She nodded, going to put the boy to bed. Arthur was in the Library with his older sisters; it seemed to be a popular place for the Songs lately. The three were huddled around one book, whispering things to each other.
"What are you three doing?" River frowned, finding their behavior suspicious.
They all quickly looked up, one of them shutting the book. "Nothing."
She walked over, taking the book and reading the cover. The first notable thing was that it was in Gallifreyan. Arthur couldn't read it, but the twins could understand most of the language. It appeared to a journal, so there was no obvious title, but in the bottom corner, there was a signature: Rai'Nuakhhyl of the Dry Lands. River felt her stomach drop as she read the name. "What are you doing with this?! Why are you reading this?!" She panicked, shouting at them.
Arthur and Amelia jumped at her tone, shirking away from her, but Freya only frowned. Like her mother, she was quick to get defensive when she was sure she wasn't in the wrong. "It's a book we found, what did you expect us to do with it, eat it?"
"Don't you dare talk back to me, young lady! You know there are books in here that you're not allowed to read and this is obviously one of them. So why were you reading it?!" River was only getting angrier, though her anger was only out of fear of what her children may have learned.
Freya stood up. "I told you, it was lying around! It wasn't in the place you don't like us going." The "restricted" section of the TARDIS library was a room attached to the back, which looked more like a crypt with shelves that a library. It had books in the form jarred memories and carved stone, and of course books about their parents' pasts and futures. Most Gallifreyan texts the children were permitted to read were fairy tales, not anything based on real events. "We didn't even get that far in!"
"But you know you weren't supposed to be reading it. I could tell by the looks on your faces when I came in. And I don't care how far you got into it, you're not allowed to read it"
"Why not?" She demanded. "It's just some journal from Gallifrey."
"Because I said you couldn't! Now go to bed and I don't want to catch any of you reading this book ever again!"
"That's a stupid reason! " Freya yelled back, stopping out towards her room. Amelia followed with Arthur scurrying behind her.
"Freya, you're grounded!" River shouted, though didn't follow them. Instead, she sank down on the floor, opening to the start of the journal, her stomach tightening. All of her defense seemed to vanish, replaced this the fear that the mere sight of this book had placed in her.
The page started with a "Dear Theta'Rjunn," and continued for a few pages explaining the situation in the form of a letter to her brother. Rai was obviously much older when this was written than she was when she'd met River. The letter explained that at the time of it being written, she was looking for Theon, who'd been taken away in a census.
River frowned, not knowing if she should read on. She'd hate to learn about the unpleasant future the sweet children she met may have had.
At that moment, the Doctor entered. She looked up at him, still upset, "I caught the children reading this." She handed him the book.
He looked surprised when he realized what it was. "Where'd this come from?"
"I don't know they said they found it lying around."
"So the TARDIS put it there, then." It wasn't exactly a question. The Doctor was well aware of the ship's habit of leaving things around when she wanted them to be seen.
"Why would she do that?" River pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Maybe she meant for one of us to find it and the kids got there first." He theorized.
"Well, then she needs to be more careful." She muttered.
"What happened exactly? I heard yelling..."
"I came in and they were reading the book. I shouted at them... and I know I probably shouldn't have, but I just...I was afraid of what they might have read. Freya got upset and she started shouting back." She sighed.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" He asked softly.
"Maybe tomorrow. I sent them to bed."
He nodded slowly. "Are you going to read through it, then?"
"I guess so." She murmured, "Will you read it with me?" He would have an easier time with the language than she would, especially with Rai's imperfect handwriting and local lexicon.
He nodded, situating himself so he was sitting next to her. She reopened the book, letting him read it to her.