Ch 12
River's face was flushed as she caught her breath, her body draped tiredly over the Doctor's. He was tracing Gallifreyan on her skin.
"That was...impressive." She breathed, smiling.
"Were you expecting to be less impressed?" He raised a brow.
"No, but that was… really good."
"So you approve of the new body, then?" He hummed.
She nodded, moving so she was straddling his hips once more, looking down at his bare skin, "You've got a couple marks on your neck." She murmured.
"That would be your fault." He pointed out.
"Yes, it would be." She smiled, leaning down to nip at his earlobe. "Sorry, darling."
He shivered. "Not complaining.
"So what about me? How do you think I did?"
"Brilliantly." He kissed her temple. "But I may be a wee bit bias."
She smiled, falling beside him once more, "Really? How so?" She teased.
"I think you know exactly how so."
"But I like hearing you say it." She whispered.
"I'm biased because you're my wife and the mother of my children and I haven't been with you like this in ages."
She smiled weakly, running her fingers along his chest, her body pressed against his. He caught her hand and brought it up to hip lips to kiss her wrist and kept her hand in his, holding it against his skin.
"How long do you think we can get away with this before the kids need us?" He asked.
"Hopefully not for another hour or two." She murmured.
He hummed. "I could fall asleep like this."
"Are you going to fall asleep on me, Mister Song?" She teased.
"Hmm," He pretended to give it some thought. "I think I like better what I see when my eyes are open."
She smiled, leaning in to kiss him again and smiled, murmuring against his lips, "I love you."
He wrapped his arms around her, "I love you, too."
"I think I might go take a shower." She murmured.
"Want company?"
"Of course I do." She smiled, starting to get up. He followed.
Neither of them had to bother getting undressed and quickly stepped under the warm stream of water from the shower head.
She had her back to him, the water running along her body as she started humming. He let his eyes rake over her, admiring the patterns of the water. He pressed his body against her back, resting his head on her shoulder. "Do I know that song?"
"It's the song you used to sing the Amelia and Freya before they were born." She murmured.
He nodded and listen to her hum a few more bars before attempting to join. She smiled, taking his arms and bringing them to wrap around her waist. They rocked a bit to their music.
She closed her eyes, "Do you remember when I was pregnant with the twins, you'd sing that to Amelia when she wouldn't settle." She smiled at the memory.
"Yes." He nodded. "My brain's feeling a bit clearer now."
She smiled, "That's good. Any memories still missing?"
"Oh, there's probably a few here and there." She pulled him closer, resting her forehead on his cheek. "I think I remember all the important bits." He murmured.
She nodded, "So...do you remember when I was pregnant with Terra?"
"Which time?"
"The first one..." She whispered.
"It's a bit trickier to remember all of it, but yes, I do."
"On the day she was born, my birthday. You were there." She murmured.
"Yes, I delivered her."
"No, I mean this version of you was there."
He looked confused. "Are you allowed to be telling me that?"
"Well, if I don't tell you then you won't go." She murmured.
"Ah." He nodded. "That timeline is already quite fragile. Wouldn't want to make it worse. So... what will happen?"
"Well, we'll meet at a party and then...you're going to go get me right after she's born."
"That's why you'd disappeared." He recalled.
She nodded, "But, that's still a while's away." She shook her head, trying to shake away the memory.
"Why'd you have that on your mind?" He wondered.
"I don't know." She shook her head.
"So you've seen this face before?"
"Yes, and so have you. I was flirting with you at the party we went to and your other-self was glaring at us the whole time."
He chuckled, "So that's who it was. It'll be amusing to be on this side of things."
She was quiet now, her mind wandering back to his former self. He kissed her shoulder. She turned to face him, trying to smile.
"We should call Vastra later."
"Yes, I'll do it after dinner." She murmured. Arthur started calling for her from downstairs. River sighed, "I suppose that's my signal to get out."
"I suppose." He looked a bit disappointed. She gave him a quick peck before stepping out of the shower and going to get dressed.
"Mumma!" Arthur called again.
"I'm coming!" She called, hurrying down the stairs once she was dressed.
Arthur and Terra were both looking quite unhappy. "Amelia and Freya are hogging the telly!"
"Then, why don't you go play with something else then? Maybe you can play with Toby outside?"
"But we want to watch cartoons." He pouted.
"Well, if you go play with Toby now, then you can come back in about an hour and I'll put the cartoons on for you."
"But that's not fair! They've been getting to watch want they want for an hour." He pointed at his older sisters.
"Arthur, don't argue with me." She warned.
Terra tugged on his arm, urging him to do as River said. He stomped his foot, not budging . "I want to watch my show!"
"Arthur, dearie," The Doctor said, coming down the stairs. His hair was still damp. "That's not how we ask for things we want."
"But they've been hogging it all day! It's not fair and Mummy's not being fair!"
He went a kneeled beside the boy. "Instead of passing blame, why don't you think about a nicer way to ask? Have you asked your sisters for the remote?"
"I did, they're not listening." He was growing more distressed, the stress from the weekend getting to him, "I don't want your help, you're not my dad!"
The Doctor shut his eyes at that, "Arthur..."
"I want my dad back!" He started to cry, wiping at his eyes.
"I am your dad, Arthur. I just look a little different, but I'm still me."
"No, you're not the same! You're different. You act different." He backed away from him.
He took a breath. "I know. I'm sorry. It's what happens what someone like us regenerates."
"I don't like it. I want my dad back."
"I can't change back." He looked at River and Terra and the twins (who'd by now turned off the TV to watch this interaction). "All I can do is learn how to be your father all over again." Terra was hugging her mother's legs now. "It's going to be hard. Change is always hard, believe me, I know. This is scary for me, too. But in order for it to be better, in order for all of us to learn and move forwards, we have to do it together."
Arthur went to the comfort of his mother, not wanting to change or think about the fact that the father he knew was never coming back.
The Doctor fell silent, looking at his other children. River bent down to hug them properly, looking at the Doctor. The man blinked hard. "Em... I'll start dinner."
River nodded, rubbing Arthur and Terra's backs. "It's okay." She hummed.
"I want Daddy back." Arthur whimpered.
"He is back." River whispered, "I know he's different, and it doesn't look like him, but it is. He's still your Father and he still loves you very much."
"He's a fake. What if he's trying to trick us?" He denied.
"He's not trying to trick us." She murmured, "I promise that it's him. And he's just as upset as you are. He didn't want to change, but he had to because he was hurt. And now he just wants you to give him a chance."
"Why'd he get hurt? Why'd he go and have to leave and get hurt and change?"
"He was trying to protect us from bad people. And I'm upset that he left and came back different too, but I still love him because he's still the same person on the inside, he's just a little different on the outside and some of the things he does are a little different. We'll get used to it."
"I don't wanna get used to it! I want him to change back."
"He can't." River whispered, "I wish he could too, but he can't." She kissed his temple, "But how about this. This tonight, you can have a sleepover at Uncle Jack's and he'll take you to your favorite candy store and I'll tell him he can buy you all the candy you want. And then when you come home, you'll feel much better and we'll go on a trip with Daddy so we all can bond again. I'll even let you skip school on Monday." Originally they were going to call Vastra, but River felt they needed a bigger distraction which meant playing the Fun Uncle card.
"We can't skip school." Amelia frowned. "That's not allowed."
"I'll allow it just this once. I'll make up an excuse for your teachers."
The kids nodded, though Terra hesitated at being away from her mum for the night.
"You'll have so much fun, and if you don't, Uncle Jack will call me and I'll pick you up."
Terra took comfort in this and nodded, hugging River, an action River returned. "I want all of you to go outside with Toby now. No more telly."
They nodded this time, doing as she said.
River went to find the Doctor, hoping he wasn't terribly torn up. He had busied himself at the stove boiling water.
"Are you okay?"
"Not really." He shrugged.
"Come here." She murmured, arms open in a hug.
He sighed and moved to her embrace. She held him in her arms, kissing his temple, "They'll come around."
"I know." He breathed. "I really can't blame them. They're young and scared and confused. But it still hurts."
"I know it does." She whispered, holding him tighter, "But they're going to go stay with Jack and hopefully he'll be able to cheer them up."
"He shouldn't have to. I should be able to-..." He shook his head, looking away.
"What? You should be able to what?" She tilted his chin back to face her.
"I should be able to be the one who can cheer them up. Make them happy. I used to be."
"You still make me happy." She murmured, "And like I said, they'll come around. You'll be able to make them happy again very soon."
"I hope so." He smiled weakly.
She kissed him, "I'm going to call Jack."
"I'll finish dinner."
She nodded, getting the phone and dialing the Hub. "Jack?"
"In the flesh. What can I do for you, River?"
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind watching the kids tonight and tomorrow? They're having some trouble adjusting to the Doctor's new face so I thought a visit with their favorite Uncle might cheer them up."
"When does it not cheer them up? How is the old grump, anyways?"
"Well, he and I have… reconnected I think. But like I said, the kids are having trouble so it's been hard on him."
"Ah. So a trip to the sweets shop is in tail?"
"Yes, and I'm giving you rare permission to spoil them all you want." She smiled weakly.
"Oh, like I don't do it without your permission." He chuckled.
"Don't tell me that or else I'm going to start strictly asking Vastra to babysit." She teased.
"Hey, you already play favorites with her. And don't pretend you don't know she does it, too."
She laughed, "It's not that I play favorites, I just know who actually follows through with the bedtimes I put in place."
"No comment." He chuckled. "So, time and place?"
"I'll drop them off in an hour or so."
"Do I need to take care of dinner?"
"No, we've got it covered."
"Good." He grinned. "So how are you holding up with everything?"
She sighed, "Alright, the Doctor and I have had our disagreements, but I think things are starting to settle now."
"Well let me know if there's anything I can do to help out with that."
"Thanks." She murmured, "I'll see you in a little while."
"See you." He hung up the phone.
River went to help get the kids packed and fed, ushering them into the TARDIS once they were all ready. Toby followed them, wanting to stick with them.
"You should come with us." River murmured, taking her husband's hand, "Jack will want to see you."
"Alright." He whispered, trying quite hard to ignore the hesitant looks of the children.
River kept him closer to her as she piloted the TARDIS, trying to show the kids that she didn't have a problem with the Doctor. This made Terra less tense, though didn't seem to have as much effect on Arthur.
Once they landed, she walked them out, still holding the Doctor by the hand.
Arthur ran to Jack when he saw him, asking about the candy store.
"We'll go as soon as your mom leaves." Jack ruffled the boy's hair, scooping him up.
Arthur smiled a little bit. "I want Toby to sleep over, too"
"Well, if you really want him to stay, I think we can make it work."
Arthur looked back at River for her approval. River nodded, "He can stay." She had her arm around the Doctor's back.
Terra was buzzing around Jack's legs, excited for candy. "Why don't you kiddos say bye to your mom and dad?" Jack told the kids.
"Goodbye, my loves." River murmured, hugging the children as they came to say goodbye. None of them but Terra attempted to hug the Doctor.
River bit her lip, watching as the other children retreated back to Jack.
The Doctor sighed sadly. "You lot be good for Jack, alright?"
They nodded, giving him a half-hearted wave. Toby barked affectionately.
The TARDIS doors closed behind River and the Doctor.