The prison doors slammed shut with a grating screech of metal on metal, and so ended the last day of River Song's freedom. She closed her eyes as the fading sound of the guards' footsteps left her alone in the solitary confinement cell, deep in the heart of the maximum security prison. The wash of instinctive fear came in spite of her best efforts to keep it at bay. This was it; this was the rest of her life. Would she ever see a sunrise again? Hear the sound of birds and other cooing, singing animals in joyous recognition of their own freedom? Or was this grey box to be all she saw for the rest of her life? She certainly had no way out of here. Her fate was in the hands of the jailers and the one man who, by their estimation, had the least reason to grant her a reprieve even if he'd been able to do so.
Drawing in a slow breath, she clasped cold fingers around the even colder bars of her cage. She didn't want to think of what she actually deserved, the sentence her guilty conviction should have awarded her. The Doctor's murder, and her part in it, would be remembered throughout all history. The leniency of an impossibly-compounded life sentence seemed like an injustice compared to what the universe had lost. Turning to look over the simple furnishings of the cell that would be her home from now until the death of time, she wondered just how long it would take her to go absolutely insane in this cage.
"Not much in the way of privacy, but I've seen worse."
She nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning a full 360 on her heel to identify the speaker. Solitary confinement left no room for other prisoners to offer a friendly chat and the guards had long gone. Besides, if she didn't know better, she might think that voice was...
"Doctor?" she called out instinctively, eyes darting around again.
"Hello, River."
The voice, calm and low, came from surprisingly close by. She turned again, and then she saw him. Lying on the narrow, uncomfortable-looking cot against the dull grey wall with one ankle crossed over the other and fingers laced behind his head, he was the perfect picture of calm relaxation. She didn't know whether to gasp in horror at the risk he was taking, gape in confusion at what he was doing in her locked prison cell, or simply laugh out loud with the sheer joy of seeing him there, alive and unharmed.
He looked younger, somehow, than when she had last seen him. Although she knew that for him to be here, to know that this was the day he would find her neatly deposited into this room, he probably wasn't. Maybe it was just the hair, which he'd cut, or that bright sparkle of mischief in his eyes. He had a secret. A secret he'd shared with her. He was alive and well.
"Oh, that's good," she finally said, her thoughts racing to catch up with the emotions flooding through her. "Perception filter, I take it?"
He only smiled smugly at her, arrogance sheeting off of him in waves.
"Well, it's certainly effective in this environment," she offered. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. I suspect my prison guards will notice you even less."
His eyes were boring into her and for a moment, she was perfectly content to return the gesture. There was no scar, no damage, no evidence at all of what she was sure he had been through. Her last memory of him was both damaged by time anomalies and yet somehow still crystal clear.
"I know what you're thinking," he began with a smirk.
"Oh, I very much doubt that."
Her reply came without thought, before she really even had a chance to get a handle on what she was thinking. The reality of an eternity in prison still hadn't quite sunk in yet, and there he was - the man she'd killed, the man who'd known what she would become from the very first time she'd met him. She'd felt so awkward in the presence of his overwhelming self-confidence, amazed as he told her everything she was thinking and feeling as if reading it from a book. It was different now. She was older; she'd known him longer. They'd shared a hundred adventures and shared a bed at least a dozen times. But that gleam in his eye still mesmerized her.
"It's only fair to tell you," he said calmly, "I've just come from Lake Silencio."
The words hit her harder than she'd been expecting, the memories of the funeral pyre flashing before her eyes. "I see," she answered, not sure what else to say. What did he want her to say? It had been months since that day, in her own personal time stream. And she hadn't seen him in all that time. All those sleepless nights of waiting up and listening hard for the familiar sound of his Tardis had ultimately been fruitless. For just an instant, a flash of irritation shot through her.
"Why the hell did it take you so long?" she demanded.
He didn't answer right away, only stared at her with that knowing smile that both infuriated her and made familiar warmth pool between her legs. He thought he was so clever. If it hadn't been true, she would have found his arrogance thoroughly disgusting.
"I had to be sure," he finally responded simply.
Reluctant to let him see her confusion, she simply raised a challenging brow. "Sure of what?"
"That you wouldn't regret what I'm about to do."
Crossing her arms loosely in front of her, she studied him with curiosity. She had a feeling she was being patronized, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking. His tone held so little inflection when he talked quickly like that, short snippets of fact spilling out from the racing thoughts of a mind that worked so much faster than her own. Genetics aside, he had trained it longer and harder than she probably ever would. The years had given her confidence in her ability to keep up with him on a purely intellectual level, but his ability to improvise and coordinate far surpassed any function she had ever claimed.
"Take it off," he ordered simply.
She blinked, unable to hide the confusion now that she was caught off guard. "Take what off?"
"They let you wear your own clothes in here," he responded in a rush that sounded very much like a rambling, stream-of-consciousness. "That's good; it's much more comfortable and since you're going to be here for a while, I certainly want you to be comfortable but right now I think you'll be far more comfortable if you -" he paused and enunciated his final words slowly and carefully "- remove your clothing."
She stared at him for a moment before determining that he was completely serious. That dark, commanding voice juxtaposed the boyish charm of his smile and the oh-so-casual sprawl on her cot, the heel of one boot resting now on the toes of the other and wobbling precariously in a distracted balancing act. His attention was on her, accompanied by the self-satisfied grin of a man who looked little more than a boy and those ancient eyes that gave him away.
The silence that followed was endless. Somewhere in the wide corridor that circled outside her cell, rodents squeaked and scurried. In the absence of anyone to tell her otherwise, she felt at once completely secure and completely exposed. The Doctor studied her with patient expectation and she stared back for a long moment. Then, finally, she reached up with nimble fingers and unfastened the buttons of her jumpsuit, letting it slip off her shoulders, and slide down her form to finally pool in a crumpled pile at her feet. Completely confident even in nothing more than her undergarments, she took a moment to toe off her shoes before standing straight and looking back at him, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Your turn," she invited.
"In a moment; how long has it been, exactly?" And there it was again, the quick dismissal of a topic he didn't feel like addressing followed by expert prodding in the right direction, firmly placing her attention where he wanted it. But she knew how to play that game. She'd been playing it with him for years.
With slow, steady steps, she crossed to the cot. His gaze followed, but he didn't move, still relaxed and confident and grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Returning his smile, she knelt on the edge of the lumpy mattress, silently praying it didn't collapse under their combined weight. Luckily, it didn't so much as shift, even as she straddled him and took hold of his forearms, pinning them by his head where he'd left them resting.
"Too long," she finally answered. "And for you?"
He stared up at her, searching and silent but still radiating confidence. "Long enough."
She smiled as she leaned down, lips lightly fleeting over his in invitation, teasing him with almost-kisses to see just how long he would hold out. His restraint genuinely surprised her, letting the feather-light brush of intimacy linger for several long moments before he finally tipped his chin up and caught her lips in a warm, meaningful kiss. Something inside of her fluttered instantly to life.
He pulled one arm free of her grip, and she let him have it. The feel of his fist in her hair was exhilarating, and by the time his tongue pressed on her teeth, she was more than ready to let him in. Moaning softly, she felt his hand travel down to the strap across her shoulder and gently slip it down to her elbow.
Suddenly, she knew precisely what he had meant by "long enough". Although she wasn't sure whether the message was intentionally given to her, telepathically perhaps, or whether it was simply an impression and not a message at all, she realized the moment his fingers laced into her bra strap that he hadn't done this before. Oh, maybe a lifetime ago; he was ancient and it was to be expected. But never with her. And never as himself.
The thought flew from her mind as he freed his other hand and slid it behind her back. He pulled her up, dragging the strap further down and finally closing his mouth over her breast. She gasped at the surprising sensitivity and willing response of her neglected body. Her surprise faded to a moan as his tongue swirled.
"Doctor..."
With one arm still locked around her, he pushed up and flipped her onto her back with startling grace and agility, even on the creaky springs. Unable to think, she grabbed his shoulders, nails digging into the tweed jacket as she wished like hell it was his flesh she was gripping onto. His hands moved everywhere, caressing and kneading and possessively conquering every inch of her breasts, ribs, neck, back, shoulders. His dexterity as he unsnapped her bra made her chuckle - oh, he had definitely done this before, no matter how many centuries ago - but she was too lost in the pleasure of his kisses on her body to make mention of it.
Although determined and quick, there was nothing frenzied about his pace. When he finally ripped her panties from her hips with such force it made her gasp in surprise, it wasn't an act of desperation. He pulled back to look down at her, deep into her eyes as his fingers lightly traced her most secret parts. Tingling inside with expectation and excitement, her lips parted as she gasped deep breaths of air, chest heaving. Her legs parted further, naturally, welcoming him, and her eyes rolled back in her head as he slowly moved down and pressed her thighs wide open with the warm palms of his hands.
His breath was hot on her stomach, even hotter as he reached her core, teasing her with the same almost-kisses she'd used on him just moments before. She groaned, throwing her head back, teeth gritted hard to keep herself from crying out, "You win! Just take me already!"
He teased, then he touched, then finally he closed his mouth over her sex and kissed it deeply. She nearly screamed with pleasure, sure she could see a million stars in her tightly closed eyes. As he opened her with his tongue, she buried one trembling hand in his hair, wishing she could bring herself to watch him. It was several long, slow minutes of building pleasure before she managed it. The sight very nearly sent her crashing over the edge. The most powerful man in the universe, lying between her legs and intently focused on giving her pleasure.
There was no rush. He was exploring her, she realized, testing and teasing and searching for the touches that elicited the strongest response. Fast and then slow, firm and then feather light, all-consuming and lightly teasing - every inch of her most secret parts. It was all she could do not to thrash and scream as he set her nerves alight.
"Doctor," she finally gasped, ripping at his jacket although she knew full well she couldn't get a good grip on it from this angle. "Clothes off. Now!"
He moved with surprising speed. Planting one last kiss on her overly-sensitized nerves, he pushed himself up and wriggled out of his jacket and suspenders. Without taking the time to properly remove anything else, he unfastened his slacks and shoved them past his hips, then leaned over her again, hands gliding up her sweat-slicked body.
"Thank you," he whispered darkly in her ear as she wrapped her legs around him, one hand dropping to guide his hard shaft.
"For...? Oh... my..."
Her words drifted off to babbling incoherence as he filled her in one smooth, deep thrust. He didn't even try to conceal his groan of pure pleasure, burying his face into her neck. His teeth latched onto soft flesh, holding her still, just shy of painful as he withdrew. She barely had a chance to catch her breath before he plunged deep again, marking the very core of her with evidence of his claim. Over and over, hard and fast, then slower and deeper. He was careful not to hurt her and at the same time, she knew it wasn't the first thing on his mind. He was just as lost in the pleasure as she was.
Clawing at his back, she finally wedged her hands up under his shirt and raked her nails over his skin, hard enough to make him gasp. Pressing her hips up to meet his thrusts, she struggled to pull him closer, until there was no distinguishing her from him. It filled her with a heady sense of power. This man all but held the universe in his palm. She was as close to being him as anyone could get. One with him...
"River," he mumbled into her shoulder, his shaky voice warning of the control slipping through his fingers. "You are..."
He didn't finish. Instead, he pulled away from her neck and plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, possessively. His whole body tightened, every muscle in his narrow frame suddenly rock hard as he held that instant of pleasure just as long as he possibly good before releasing inside of her. She opened her eyes to see him - the look of pure bliss and complete abandon on his face as he came, hard and fast and hot inside of her. It was all she needed. Tightening her legs around him, she arched her back and screamed into the hand that quickly covered her mouth, writhing and thrashing with pleasure as their intertwined bodies did precisely what they were designed to do.
There were still spots in her vision when his weight lowered on top of her. Drunk on the potent cocktail of post-orgasmic hormones and endorphins, she let her legs fall to the narrow bed that would be hers for the rest of her natural life. Her surroundings filtered back in gradually, reminding her of reality. She was a prisoner, stuck here in Stormcage from now until forever.
"You're not," the Doctor finally whispered into her shoulder.
"Mmm?" she muttered back incoherently.
"You're not a prisoner here for the rest of your life," he breathed.
She turned her head to look at him, not bothering to be surprised at his intuition. Whether he was somehow reading her thoughts or he did just simply know what she was thinking, the way he'd said he did, it didn't matter. Slowly, he opened his eyes and met her gaze, a weak and satisfied smile on his lips.
"It's a place to call your own. A place to return to." He heaved a deep sigh as he finally levered his weight off of her. There was barely enough room for him to lie on his side between her and the dirty wall. He didn't even seem to notice. "I'm not going to let you rot away in here. There are too many things I want to show you."
A smile crept across her lips as the new thought took form. Adventure and excitement, traveling at his side. "What, like field trips?"
He smiled back.
She gave a soft, satisfied sigh before reaching over to brush the fringe back from his forehead, away from his eyes. "Sounds exciting," she agreed, her smile growing as he turned his head just enough to kiss the inside of her wrist. "Where do we start?"