Ch 10
The children all got into their football uniforms quickly while the Doctor got Toby's leash. River made sure they had everything they needed for their morning: water bottles, band-aids, and post-game snacks among the items.
Soon they were out the door, walking at a stroll so Toby wouldn't tire. Terra was the only one not strolling, jumping and bopping around, unable to contain her excitement.
They got to the park where the event was being held, looking for a spot on the ground to claim as theirs for the time being. Arthur pointed over to an empty spot where one of his friends was near. River glanced at the Doctor, trying to hide how unsure she was about him being there as the family went to settle in.
They were right between a tree and Will's family, whom Arthur ran to greet. Toby settled close to the tree while the twins helped lay out their picnic blanket.
"So," The Doctor whispered to his wife, "Am I to let you do the talking?"
"Yes, I think that would be best." River murmured, glancing at Will's parents. They were making their way over to River and the Doctor, looking friendly and like they were about to trap them into small talk.
"Hello." River smiled once the couple was is conversation distance, "How are you?"
"We're well," Cathy replied, looking at the Doctor. "Is John still on his trip?"
"Yes, I'm afraid he is." She nodded, "Though I've been so fortunate to have Basil here helping me with the children. Basil works at the University with me and he's been a family friend for years."
"Good to meet you." The Doctor said, extending his hand.
Cathy shook his hand, "How nice of you to stay with River. I know trying to handle four different schedules on one's own can be quite a handful."
"I'm glad to help." He murmured, not knowing how to give a reply longer than that.
The woman quickly launched into a conversation about the school's latest fundraiser, not giving Basil much thought. "How much longer will John be away, do you think?" Cathy asked when she was done with her ramble. "He's had to miss our monthly tea sitting."
River found that she had trouble answering this question, her voice almost catching, "I don't really know. He's hard to get in touch with right now and his plans keep changing..."
"I thought his job was always so flexible." Nigel frowned.
"Usually it is." She nodded, "However, every so often he gets called away like this."
"Maybe you should fly out to him and give him a surprise visit." He chuckled. "Cathy does that for me sometimes when I travel. We leave Will with a sitter."
River smiled weakly, "I would love to but with the children...I shouldn't." She glanced at the Doctor.
"I'm sure he'll come home soon," Cathy assured. "So how long exactly have you two known each other?"
"Oh, probably… twenty-four years." River shrugged.
"Really? You've never mentioned him before. Is he in your department?"
"Yes, he is...well...sort of..."
"I used to be, but I teach languages now." The Doctor said.
"Yes, he's absolutely brilliant. Just like John."
"Are they close?" Nigel wondered.
"Oh, yes. Practically the same person." She looked at the Doctor, "But at the same time, very...very different."
"Different good or different bad?" The Doctor asked. River tensed but didn't answer.
Cathy cleared her throat. "Well, do pass on our regards to John. Tell him to hurry back."
"I will." She tried to smile.
Terra came up to her parents, "[Can I have a juice box now?]"
"[Of course, darling.]"
"[Freya's guarding the basket. You hafta tell her I can have one or she won't believe me.]"
"[Okay.]" River walked behind her daughter, to the basket, leaving "Basil" to fend for himself. "Freya, dear, can Terra have her juice box?"
"I thought we were going to save them for lunch?" Freya frowned.
"[I packed a few extra so she can have one now.]" River assured. Freya didn't look too pleased but moved aside. Terra delightedly retrieved her juice box.
"Everything alright?" River asked her older daughter.
"I wanted to save one for Ben." She admitted. Ben was a boy in her maths class as well as her crush, which she'd told River two weeks ago.
"Oh, I see." River murmured, "Well how about you ask Ben if he wants to get ice cream after the match, it'll be my treat."
Freya looked surprised. "Really?" River nodded and Freya smiled, looking a few keys happier.
"Why don't you go find your friends?"
Freya nodded and went to find Amelia who'd done so earlier. River watched her go, folding her arms.
Terra looked up at her mum. "[What's wrong?]"
River shook her head, "[Nothing, sweetie]"
"[Can we play football soon?]"
"[Yes, maybe Arthur will let you play with him?]"
"[Okay!]" She was bouncing already. River pointed out where Arthur had run off to so Terra could go play, taking the free time she now had to set up the blanket.
The Doctor came over after a bit, having wiggled his way out of the conversation he'd been barely keeping up with their friends. "Need any help?"
"I think I've got it." She murmured.
"Alright." He nodded, sitting down next to Toby. "Kids with their friends?"
"Yes, they've all gone off to play. And I promised Freya we'd get ice cream after."
"Ah. I'm sure the others will be pleased about that."
"Yes, I'm sure."
They were quiet for a few moments.
"Was this morning too much? What I told the kids, I mean?"
She closed her eyes, "I don't know. I don't want to lie to them but...I don't want them to be afraid either."
"I don't know of both is possible." He admitted.
"I know." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, not thinking he could offer much comfort.
River looked up after a few minutes, looking out at the field, not really at the Doctor. Terra and Arthur were visible from their spot. The two had found a few other kids of similar age to practice kicking around a ball with. She watched in silence, a worry-crease forming on her forehead.
He looked slowly between the kids and her. "Do you think they'll find us?"
"I don't know, do you?" She murmured, looking up at him.
He looked at his hands. "I never like being certain."
She nodded. A part of her wished for some kind of affection as comfort, but then again they were in public posing as platonic friends, and besides, they hadn't done that yet.
"If worst comes to worst," He murmured, "we can protect them."
"I'd rather not think about that right now."
He nodded and quieted himself. "Terra looks like she's having fun."
"Yes, she certainly does. She's loving it."
"Does her school do football club?"
"I think so, but she won't be eligible until next fall." River murmured.
"We should ask her if she wasn't to join it." He hummed
She nodded, "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to join."
They talked lightly about Terra for a little while, it seeming to be a safe subject for them. River was making an effort, though it was emotionally difficult. The question he had asked earlier about his differences from his last face had thrown her off and a part of her mind was still trying to figure out the answer.
Eventually, the twins' match was starting, so the two of them and Toby moved to find a seat to watch. They cheered as enthusiastically as they could muster with their unspoken burdens on their shoulders.
The twins won their match, which was followed by a tie from Arthur's team. By that time, Terra had wiggled into her mother's lap to watch and was making various cheers both vocally and in sign.
After the games, the children were thrilled to be informed that they were getting ice cream as a special treat. Ben's parents had agreed to let him go with the Songs, trusting River would bring him back later. They packed up and started walked to the parlor.
"That's Freya's crush." River whispered to her husband as their daughter and the boy walked ahead of them.
"Crush?" His eyebrows went up. "Isn't she a bit young for that?"
"I don't think so. I think it's rather adorable."
"He's a pudding brain." He muttered. "Not the best pick of the lot."
"You hardly know him. Do you even know his name?"
"Em... no." He admitted.
"His name is Ben, and, from what I heard from our daughter, he sounds rather sweet."
She captured his hand in hers without really thinking. He glanced quickly down at where their hands met, not daring to point anything out lest she changed her mind and took her hand away.
"Thirteen-year-old boys are not my idea of sweet." He murmured.
"I have a feeling you just think that because our daughter likes him. He could be her first boyfriend… I do hope that won't cause all your hair to fall out." She teased.
"No dating until she's fifteen." He grumbled followed by something about humans being idiotic and their daughter deserving more than just a 21st-century pea-brain.
"Well, I'll leave it up to you to tell her that." She murmured, "Though in her defense, I'm fairly certain dating at thirteen only means holding hands and eating lunch together."
"It better be." He huffed.
She looked up at him, "I promise you it is."
He relaxed slightly. "I'll trust your word."
She nodded, continuing to watch his face. He met her eyes when he realized hers were lingering. "Something the matter?"
She shook her head, quickly looking away, "No, no..."
He frowned. "If you say so..."
She looked back at him, "Why are you frowning?"
"I'm trying to figure out what was on your mind."
"I'm fine." She gave him a weak smile, letting go of his hand. "There's nothing to figure out."
He exhaled slowly, forcing the frown off his face and trying not to deflate at the loss of her hand.
By that time, they had made it to the ice cream shop. The children picked out their ice cream, Terra bouncing in excitement, wanting to try all the flavors for the hundredth time.
River was quieter than usual. Usually she and the Doctor shared an ice cream when they came with the children, though today she ordered a separate one. The Doctor didn't order any, finding them all a both to sit in.
The kids all clambered in the booth, Freya and Ben sitting next to each other, with River beside them, while Terra, Arthur and Amelia sat next to the Doctor. (Toby was tied to a bench and waiting outside.)
The Doctor looked over Ben suspiciously as the children dug into their ice creams. Ben just so happened to be sitting across from the Time Lord, innocently eating his ice cream. Freya gave him a look to stop glaring, an expression not far from one her mother could make.
He begrudgingly stopped, glancing between his wife and other children instead. "So... Ben. You have a class with Freya?"
The boy nodded, "Maths and English."
"Math and English." He echoed. "Are they good classes?"
The boy nodded again, "I like science the best. I want to be an astronaut!"
"A bit ambitious." He muttered. "Most of the first people on Mars were women. Will be women."
"Well, Freya said I'm the smartest boy she's ever met, so I think I can do it." He boasted slightly as Freya's face turned bright red.
He looked between the two, resisting the urge to say more as Arthur chuckled at his sister. "It'll be hard work."
River was glaring at him to stop now, trying to save her daughter from further embarrassment. Terra offered an accidental, well-timed distraction, asking her father for a napkin for her ice cream covered face.
He put his focus on Terra, helping her clean up her face.
She wiggled and tried to squirm away when he did so.
"[You've got to stay still so I can get the ice cream cleaned up.]" He urged.
She tried to push his hands away, "[You're hurting me!]"
He halted, pulling his hands back. He'd been sure he was being gentle enough. "[...Sorry.]"
She wiggled out of the booth, running over to her mother. She turned herself so the Doctor couldn't see her signing. "[I don't like him cleaning my face.]"
River glanced at the Doctor, "[Why not, love?]"
"[I don't want him to touch me.]" She pouted.
She frowned slightly, "[Okay...I'll do it.]"
Terra quietly let River wipe up her face, looking down. River gave her a kiss on the forehead once she was all cleaned up. Terra reached up, wanting to sit in her lap. River lifted her up, wrapping her arms around her.
"[Why is he so different?]" Terra asked.
"[We talked about this already.]" River sighed.
"[I mean on the inside. He's not funny and happy anymore.]"
She bit her lip, "[I don't know...Do you miss the other him?]"
She nodded slowly. "[He would've played football with me... Alex kept asking who he was.]"
River smiled sadly, "[Do you want to know a secret? I miss him too.]"
"[How do you make it go away?]"
"[I'm afraid you can't make it go away, it's going to be there forever. But as time goes on, the missing will be less painful. It'll get better.]"
"[I don't like it.]" She put her head on her mother's shoulder. River hugged her daughter close, sighing. She wished she could take away all the little girl's pain and absorb it into her own. She wished that she could give her another day with the father that would have played with her and gotten ice cream all over his shirt to match his daughter. She held her and willed all the pain to go away, and not just her daughter's pain, but her own pain as well.
It was a bit of an odd setting to have such a moment in the middle of an ice cream shop, but the other Song children empathized just the same, Terra and River's emotions clear without having to have seen the conversation.
"Can we go home?" Amelia asked.
River nodded, "Of course, but we have to take Ben home first."
"Already?" Freya pouted.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." She tried to give her an assuring smile.
"I had fun," Ben said to Freya.
"Me too." Freya blushed. Amelia nudged Arthur with her elbow with a muffled laugh. Freya shot them a look, walking ahead of them with the boy as they left the shop.