MA

by itsbiz

for

14. Chapter 14

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/359675.

Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

F/M

Fandom:

Doctor Who RPF

Relationship:

Alex Kingston/Matt Smith

Character:

Alex Kingston, Matt Smith, River Song, Eleventh Doctor

Stats:

Published: 2012-03-10 Completed: 2012-04-18 Chapters: 26/26

Words: 67318

Acting Makes it Okay

by spoilersweetie

Summary

"Well then - let's not be us. Let's be River and the Doctor. Then it's not complicated for anyone."

Chapter 1

When Matt knocks on her door that night Alex almost doesn't answer. She doesn't know what she'd been thinking earlier, when their usually innocent flirting had turned considerably less innocent and ended in a spectacular snog against the back of his trailer. They'd only been joking around to start with, and she'd only egged him on, daring him to kiss her because she hadn't though either of them would actually do it, but well, they did. And what a kiss it was. When they'd finally wrenched themselves apart at the sound of somebody calling Matt's name, she hadn't been able to do anything but agree when Matt had uttered breathlessly that he wanted to see her after work, and she'd found herself quickly telling him to come to her hotel suite, her voice hoarse and face flushed.

She'd spent the last hour since she'd got back trying to talk herself out of this, then telling herself it didn't matter because he wasn't going to come anyway but now here he was and here she was, getting up and fluffing her hair in the mirror and running trembling hands over her top.

He gives her a lopsided smirk when she opens the door to him and she can't help but smile back.

"Good evening Miss Kingston," he greets her, his voice low and sexy enough to send shivers down her spine.

"Hello," she replies quietly, stepping aside to let him in and closing the door behind him, turning to lean back against it, watching him carefully. She licks her lips. "Matt…you shouldn't be here."

He raises his eyebrows. "You invited me."

"I know." She pauses. "You still shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

"Because…I'm too old for you -"

"You are not," he starts with a laugh but she interrupts him to continues.

"- and you have a girlfriend."

He sobers at that, turning from her to sigh heavily and run a hand through his hair. "Well…yeah. But…Daisy and I…" She hears him swallow. "It's not working out."

Her eyebrows shoot up at that and she approaches him cautiously, his back still to her. "And have you told her this?"

"Well…no, not yet."

"Matt…"

He sighs again and turns to face her. "Alex. It doesn't matter, you matter right now, and this is where I want to be, here with you."

She is shaking her head. "But you shouldn't be. We shouldn't be doing this."

He shrugs as he steps close to her, his hands snaking their way onto her hips which she doesn't protest. "Let's not make it complicated."

"Oh Matt darling," she sighs, her hands finding their own way onto his shoulders. "It already is."

"It doesn't have to be."

"But it is. We work together, you have a girlfriend, I'm a lot older than you - and we work together -"

"Well, then -" he takes a deep breath, his eyes roaming her face. "Let's not be us. Let's be River and the Doctor. Then it's not complicated for anyone." He grins at her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and she has to laugh.

"You idiot."

"You love it River Song," he growls, his hands roaming her lower back, one sneaking under her top.

"Matt. Don't be so childish."

"Who's Matt? I'm the Doctor." With a grin he leans in to kiss her and she finds herself kissing him back ardently, his tongue in her mouth and her tongue in his until she doesn't know which is whose. When their lips part his hands are both fully under her top, exploring the soft skin of her stomach and back and her own have pushed his jacket from his shoulders and to the floor. He bends his head to press hot kisses to her neck and she lets out a soft moan , clutching him closer.

"I want you," he growls, "River."

She lets out a breath. "Stop it."

He kisses her neck again. "River."

"Stop it," she protests but she is grinning as his hands move higher, one finding the lace of her bra.

He squeezes a breast through the material and moves his mouth to her ear. "River Song," he breathes into it, "you really do have it all going on down here."

She snorts, but, "I am so not playing this game with you," she tells him sternly but she is grinning delightedly as he walks her backwards, his eyes scanning the room for somewhere to deposit her.

"Oh but you so are." He looks around again. "Where's your bed?"

She bites her lip, looking up into his eyes, his gaze dark and intense and his hair falling into his face in that adorable floppy way it always does. Hell…she can't resist him, and she knew that from the moment he'd had her pressed up against his trailer earlier that day.

"Through that door."

Grinning, he releases her to grab her hand and tug her towards said door, opening it for her and shutting it behind them both once they are inside. He wraps his arms round her from behind before she can move away, and tugs her back into his body, his hands roving over her hips and making her sigh.

"Well then my River," he speaks into her hair. "Shall we move this somewhere move comfortable?"

Unable to do much else, she nods, turning in his arms to take his hand and lead him over to her bed as she walks backwards. "But stop calling me River, Matt."

"Sorry, do you prefer Doctor Song? I suppose it does make it that bit sexier."

Laughing, she swats him as she sits down, tugging him next to her. "I'm sure the Doctor is nowhere near this…bold, darling."

Moving fast, he pushes her back to lie down and covers her body with his own to look down at her. "Oh he is when it comes to you. I can't resist you River," he tells her, hands roaming up under her top once more, "you make me half-mad with desire whenever I'm near you."

Alex sucks in a breath at that because, playing though he may be, those words sounded like he meant them as Matt and not just the Doctor.

"And you, me, sweetie," she replies softly.

Matt pauses and grins down at her and then he kisses her again, a new excitement and anticipation in this kiss. He wastes no time in shoving her top up, and she pushes him back so she can sit up and raise her arms for him to pull it from her, quickly un-clasping her bra and watching his face as he brushes the straps off her shoulders and lets it slip away. Smiling, Alex lays back down with Matt kneeling over her. She'd never been shy about her body, and she loves the way he's looking at her.

"Well," he finally says, his voice soft and hoarse and a mischievous smirk on his lips as he runs a hand up over her stomach to cup the side of her breast, letting his thumb brush over her nipple. "I must say, I'm a bit out of practice these last few hundred years but it's definitely all coming back rather rapidly."

Alex laughs out loud as he dips his head to take a nipple into his mouth, her hands snaking up his back underneath his shirt.

"And it's all your doing," he continues, dropping a kiss to her rock hard nub before moving to the other one. "You bad, bad girl River."

She lets out a sigh at the deep sexy voice of his, arching into his mouth as he takes her other nipple gently between his teeth. She shifts beneath him, opening her legs to cradle his hips between them, rocking her body against his slightly.

"Doctor…" she tries out, breathing the word softly, and with it she is surprised to find that she feels suddenly free.

He only gives her a quick grin as recognition of her giving in to his game, before returning his mouth to her nipple, sucking slowly on the hardened nub, running his tongue round it in circles. She moans, a hand clutching tight in his hair as she arches into his mouth as she feels more hot wetness pool between her legs.

Hooking a leg over his hips she rubs her pelvis against his, making them both groan and hopefully giving him the hint to get on with it.

His mouth leaves her breast for him to tease, "eager are we, miss Song?"

"I want you…need you…inside me Doctor," she pants out, and decides that oh, this game is brilliant, because she's not being herself she can do and say whatever she likes. It's easy now, to be River with the Doctor. Because she is her, and he is him, and as she clutches him to her, she forgets all about Alex and Matt.

He groans in response and kisses his way down her stomach, pausing at her jeans to pop open the button and unzip them and then drag the denim down her legs. She unhooks her leg from his waist and lifts her hips for him to tug them off and they are tossed on the floor, forgotten. He moves

back up press a kiss just above her lacy black knickers and run his fingers along the top of them.

"I like these," he murmurs appreciatively.

"Take them off."

"Well - if you insist."

They too, join the jeans on the floor.

He moves back over her but she arches an eyebrow, running her hands up his stomach under his shirt. "Well now this is hardly fair, is it sweetie?" She purrs, and then rolls them skill fully over so she is on top, leaning down to order with a smirk; "take off your clothes."

Matt grins and she sits up on top of him as his hands move to whip his t-shirt off, flinging it to the floor. She can feel his hard length through the denim of his jeans and she can't stop herself from grinding against it.

"Uggh, hell," He curses, his hands flying to her hips. One hand quickly finds it's way between her legs and he touches her there roughly, pressing and rubbing and slipping two fingers inside to stroke her slick inner walls. His thumb finds her clit and she cries out, arching her back and throwing her head back, curls spilling over her shoulders.

"My God River," Matt breathes as he works her closer and closer to breaking, "you're so gorgeous…"

Alex pants, eyes squeezing shut and hands clenching where they rest at his waist. "Oh sweetie, don't stop!" She begs, her thighs starting to tremble.

But he does, pulling his hand from her all of a sudden to shakily wrench open his jeans as she gasps.

"That wasn't very nice," she scolds, panting with frustration.

In his frenzied state, Matt manages a lopsided grin as he wriggles under her to shove his jeans and boxers down his hips. "Payback for shooting my Stetson."

Alex narrows her eyes at him. "Oh, I hate you," she breathes but is taking his length in her hand and guiding him to her entrance. Matt grips her hips and thrusts up as she sinks down onto him and they both groan loudly at the delicious sensation.

A few thrusts is all it takes Alex; she'd already been so close, and the way he is grinding against her clit as he moves so full and hot inside her sends her quickly over the edge, throwing her head back and crying out as she sees stars.

She collapses forwards onto him, trembling with pleasure and Matt holds her close to roll them back over, twisting her gently underneath to continue to thrust into her.

"Oh, I hope you're my wife," Matt groans into her hair. "I could get used to this." Alex lets out a breathless laugh, muttering, "spoilers, my love," in answer.

His hand glides down her body to slip into the crook of her knee, hitching her leg up high to let him in deeper and she throws her head back, moaning beneath him, already feeling herself climbing towards another high.

"Mmm you feel so good," she moans, hooking her leg over his shoulder. "So bloody good inside me Doctor…"

"River," he groans as he tilts his hips, altering the angle of his thrusts so he can go deeper still and she gasps as he hits that spot inside her.

"Oh - Doctor! There, oh, there!" She cries out as her hand flies up to grip hold of the pillow, her other slipping between their bodies to press her fingertips to her throbbing clit sending even more intense jolts of pleasure through her whole body.

Matt moans and shudders at the sight of her beneath him, so close to her peak again and he can feel his own fast approaching, feel the blood rushing in his ears and the edges of his vision beginning to blacken as his hips set a frantic pace.

Alex flies apart before him, managing to force the word 'Doctor,' out between incoherent cries of pleasure (just to force herself to stick to this game because, God, this couldn't be happening as them) and her leg slips from his shoulder as she twists beneath him, coming hard.

She can tell he's almost there himself once she's riding the aftershocks of pleasure and she holds him close, pressing her lips to his neck and then moving her mouth to his ear. "Let go sweetie," she whispers, "I want to feel you come…"

And with those words and a desperate groan, his body finds it's release deep inside hers and he clutches her tight as he shudders atop her, her hands gripping his back as she moans softly in his ear.

They are both panting hard when they finally still, sweat covering them, their bodies wrapped round each other atop damp sheets. Giving a groan of contentment, Matt pulls out of her and lets himself roll onto his back to collapse next to her.

Alex is the first to speak after several moments of them attempting to catch their breath. "We have to try that in costume," she murmurs.

Matt laughs. "Oh yes, we definitely do."

Chapter 2

Alex strolls through the set, cup of coffee in hand, greeting the crew cheerfully. She supposes how good she feels must be showing on her face, because three people have already asked her what the bright mood is in aid of and it's not even nine am.

She knows last night shouldn't have happened, but she can also admit to herself now that she'd secretly wanted that for too long. And it didn't mean anything because it wasn't her, she sternly tells herself whenever she feels like she's starting to worry, that was River and the Doctor, and Matt was right, that meant it couldn't complicate anything, right? Here, today, they'd be Matt and Alex on set as usual.

She catches Matt's eye as soon as she enters the building where they're shooting today and he grins at her from across the room. Smiling back, she makes her way over to say good morning to him, Karen and Arthur, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

"Ah, look who finally decided to join us, catching up on your beauty sleep Kingston?" Matt teases as she approaches them, and it's only the slight twinkle in his eye as he speaks to her that is any different from usual.

"Oi, cheeky. I'm not late am I?" She looks at her watch.

"No, you're not," Karen tells her, "Matt's just being his usual annoying self. Your annoying-ness is in full force today isn't it?"

"Annoying-ness? Is that even a word?" He teases the redhead back.

"Oh shut up you."

Matt laughs and Alex finds herself relaxing as she chats with her co-workers.

She had been a little bit worried about how they were going to act around each other today, and if last night would change anything or make things awkward, even though they'd both agreed before he'd left that it wouldn't. Alex had nudged him out of bed shortly after he'd collapsed next to her last night, softly reminding him that they both had to be on set first thing and they needed sleep and he'd pulled his clothes on and left with only a few words passed between them.

But it seemed things were as easy between them as usual this morning, just like last night had never happened and it really had been two different people together in her bed.

A little after lunch, they are in the Tardis console room set together for a short scene. Alex had shot all her solitary parts in here this morning, and Matt only had to appear with her for a few moments, but for annoying things like lighting not being right and needing different angles, it was taking an age to get the shot.

The director calls for cut again, and between the bustle around them, Matt sidles up to Alex discreetly as she picks up a bottle and takes a sip of water, leaning against the console.

"So," he speaks to her in a voice quiet enough for her to know that he doesn't intend anyone else to hear them. His hands run absently over the controls as he leans in that bit closer. "Do you think River and the Doctor ever do it against the console?"

Alex spits out her mouthful of water, spluttering and having to pretend to have a coughing fit and assuring everyone she's fine when several people look at her in surprise. Matt ducks his head

down, hiding his all-too-pleased-with-himself grin. Once she's suitably recovered and attention is no longer on her she turns a glare on the man next to her.

"I'd appreciate a bit of warning when you're about to say something like that," she complains although there's a small smile on her lips.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you weren't thinking it to?" He flirts. "Obviously not darling, or I wouldn't have nearly choked just then would I?" "Well. I do like that I can take you by surprise."

"Oh, you certainly did that sweetie." She laughs a little and goes to walk off, then turns back, as if she'd almost forgot to add, "oh, and as for your question…most definitely." He grins at her and she leans in to continue in a low, sultry tone; "in fact, I'm pretty sure she's had him handcuffed to these controls on more than one occasion."

It's Matt's turn to be surprised, his eyes going wide and then darkening. Alex winks at him and turns to leave but he catches her arm. She looks back at him questioningly.

"I'll bring the handcuffs if you meet me in here tonight."

Her heart skips a beat at his words and despite herself, heat floods through her, desire tingling between her legs, and just the thought -

"We can't, Matt," her hushed reply sounds a lot surer than she feels.

He smirks at her devilishly. "We can. After the set's closed."

She shakes her head. "That's reckless."

"Oh come on. River Song, shying away from a bit of danger?"

Another shake of her head. "I'm not River Song."

"You can be."

She looks at him, biting her bottom lip. Since when did a man in a bowtie and tweed jacket look so bloody sexy to her? Or was that just the lust-filled look he was currently giving her?"

"It has to be late."

He fails to hide his grin. "Of course."

"Really late, after everything's totally done for the night and everyone's left."

"Just me and you."

"Wait - how will we even get in, don't they lock the sets at night? Oh God this is stupid Matt, what am I saying?"

He ignores the latter part of her sentence. "Don't worry about it, just say you'll meet me here and leave the rest to me okay?"

"Okay - no. Yes - no! Urgh! Yes, fine. Okay. God." She lets out a shaky breath. "Text me when

you're here okay?"

Matt nods and she wants to slap that smug look off his face. Instead she just nods quickly back before turning and walking away, cursing and berating herself mentally as she does. Did she really just agree to have sex with Matt on the set tonight? Stupid, stupid! This was ridiculous, playing stupid dangerous games like this, how old was she anyway? She couldn't do that. They couldn't do this. She'd text him later, tell him to forget about it.

-x-

It was a little past two-thirty in the morning, and Alex pulled her coat tighter round her as she walked quickly through the chilled night air, weaving her way through trailers. Her phone had gone off ten minutes ago and she'd had her jacket on and was out the door before she'd even texted a reply. She reaches the fire exit of the building the set is in and pauses to look around making sure nobody is about. She feels stupid, she feels like a teenager sneaking around like this doing things she shouldn't be. It feels exhilarating.

The door opens and she slips inside, her footsteps echoing in the empty building as she walks through it. The Tardis console room set is an entire room and she pauses when she gets to the door, taking a deep breath and telling herself one last time to walk away (like she possibly would.)

Matt is sitting in the seat by the console when she slips inside, and she shuts the door behind her, pausing to lean her back against it.

"We really shouldn't be here."

Matt grins at her, spreading his arms out. "Why ever not? It's my Tardis."

She blows out a deep breath as she starts to walk towards him. "If we get caught…I will never forgive you."

"We won't. Nobody is gonna come here at this time of night, why would they?"

Stopping at the top of the stairs a few feet away from him, she sighs and then looks him over and smiles and he looks down at his casual attire with a shrug. "Costumes was locked. But don't worry, I managed to sneak into the props department earlier."

"Props?"

Giving her a cheeky grin he pulls out a pair of handcuffs from behind him and she laughs, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh my God, you were serious."

"I'm always serious River."

Still smiling, she shakes her head.

"So." He holds the handcuffs out to her, dangling them off a finger. "You, me. Handcuffs?"

"Well." She drops her coat to the floor and watches Matt's eyes rake down over her form, encased in a simple skirt and top as she takes a few steady steps forwards. She stops in front of him and gives him a predatory smirk. "Since you asked so nicely sweetie." And with that she takes the cuffs of him and grabs his wrist, tugging him to his feet and dragging him the few feet to the console to throw him against it.

"River!" Matt exclaims; she can tell she's surprised him, but she can also tell he likes it. She presses her mouth to his and he kisses her eagerly, both of them moaning softly. Alex pulls back

to give him a smirk before she snaps one cuff round his wrist, and pulling his arm back, she secures the other side round a pipe down the central column. She runs her hands down his arm to his neck to pull him into another deep kiss when she's done.

His free hand flies to her waist where he grips her tightly before running it up to her breast. "Ah, ah," she mutters, pulling her mouth from his just enough to speak as she grabs his wrist. "No touching until I say so sweetie," she tells him with a naughty smirk, placing the offending hand down on the console next to him, pleased when he grips the nearest lever and leaves it there.

He groans as she kisses his neck and she can feel the vibrations in his throat. "God I want you River, you bad girl you."

"Oh Doctor," she coos, nipping the skin of his collarbone a little. "You haven't seen bad yet." "Shit," he mutters, pushing his body into hers and she grins against his skin.

With him at her mercy, she feels bold and daring - she'd never normally do something like this, she thinks vaguely as she kisses him fiercely again and runs a hand down his chest to cup him through his jeans, but reminds herself that she doesn't need to give a damn about that because she isn't being herself is she? And River…River definitely would do something exactly like this.

Unzipping his jeans quickly she shoves her hand inside them and his boxers, wrapping her hand tightly round his already hard and throbbing length. "Like me being in charge a little too much do you?" She teases as she runs her hand slowly up and down.

He lets out a low groan, gritting his teeth. "Actually I've been this turned one since you walked in here."

Feeling even bolder at his words she sinks down in front of him, kneeling on the glass of the set floor to grip his hip with her free hand and breathe hot air onto his prick, watching it jump under her touch.

"Bloody hell," Matt curses when she leans in and takes the head of him between her lips, running her tongue sensuously round him. She ignores the hand that flies to her hair to bury and grip in her curls as she moves her head forward to take him deeper into her mouth, making him gasp and thrust his hips forward.

"Fuck - A - don't, I can't -"

Her stomach flips a little when she'd thought he'd been going to say her name then (in fact she thinks he had) and she moves back to chide him, "language, Doctor," giving him her best River look up under her lashes because they had to keep it this way.

"You bring out the worst in me," he growls in reply, groaning when she takes him in her mouth again.

Using every trick she's ever learnt with her mouth, Alex works Matt towards a fast climax, gripping his slim hips with sweating hands. She can feel his orgasm approaching and moans around him, knowing that with all his hoarse moans and his hand in her hair and the movements of his hips, her knickers are drenched through for him now. The feel of her mouth vibrating around him when she moans is enough to send him over the edge.

"Bloody hell," he gasps when she rises to her feet, wiping her mouth. She takes a step back, laughing when he grabs for her but can't reach. "Let me out of these damn things now!"

"What do you say?"

He pouts at her. "River. Please."

"Well. Since you asked so nicely sweetie." Reaching up, she unsnaps the cuffs and tugs them off him, and no sooner is he free, does he seize her by the hips and swing her round, lifting her to sit her on the console in front of him as she yelps in surprise. His hand flies to her skirt, bunching it up round her waist and diving underneath to roughly tug her knickers down her hips and off. Alex gasps, opening her legs so he can step between and clutching fistfuls of his shirt when his fingers delve into her wetness.

He works her there until she is moaning and rocking her hips, her head thrown back with those beautiful curls tumbling round her shoulders and then he slips his hand out from between her legs. She is trembling with desire when he trails wet fingers up her stomach, dragging her top up with them and pulling it off her. His hands slide round her back to fumble with the clasp of her bra for a moment before getting it undone and tugging it from her. Alex moans, yanking his shirt up and off so she can press her skin against his, grinding her pelvis into his own when their bodies come into contact.

She's impressed to feel he's more than ready for her again now, and reaches down to grab hold of him but

Matt grabs hold of her wrists to stop him. Holding them tightly, he pushes her arms back, leaning into her to use his body to lean her backwards until her back is flat against the Tardis console. She pants beneath him, her bare chest heaving against his own and her dark green eyes searching his.

Matt leans in to kiss her, because how could he not, when she is laid out beneath him like this, their bodies so close and his rock hard length pressing against her inner thigh. He needs to be inside her, but first he slowly brings her arms up as they kiss until he can hold both her wrists together above her head. He breaks from her lips to glance around, and finding what he wants lying next to them, he grabs the handcuffs and quickly snaps one around one of her wrists, looping the chain round the same pipe she'd locked him to in the middle of the console to grab her other hand.

"Don't you dare!" She gasps when she realises what he's about to do but he merely smirks down at her.

"Tit for tat Doctor Song," he teases as he snaps the other cuff into place, effectively completely trapping her beneath him. Knobs and buttons press into her back and she wriggles, feeling very exposed and vulnerable like this. It sends a thrill shooting through her.

She stills to glare up at him, but realises it's probably ineffective when there is so much lust in her eyes. "Let me up."

He pinches a nipple between his thumb and forefinger with a grin. "No." "Doct -"

"You've been a bad girl River Song," he growls at her, leaning down to briefly nip at a hard nipple with his teeth. "So now you're being punished."

She tries to fix him with a look. "Sweetie. I'm lying on the controls -" She is cut off when a sharp gasp leaves her lips as Matt abruptly slips his hand back between her legs to push two fingers into her.

He sucks hard at her neck as he strokes her inside. "What was that my dear?" He mumbles against her skin.

"Mmmhh, nothing, I don't care. Hell."

He teases her for a few more moments, enough to have her half frantic with desire. "Doctor.

Please," she whimpers as he withdraws his fingers from just where she needs them again.

"What? What do you want?"

"You, inside me, now," she growls back.

"Tell me what you want me to do River." He pins her hips down when she tries to thrust towards him and she moans with frustration, panting hard.

"Fuck me Doctor," she begs, and no longer able to restrain himself at her words, he pushes deep into her with one thrust.

Straining against the cuffs on her wrist, Alex struggles to get his body closer to hers, wrapping her legs tightly round his waist and arching off the console as he starts a hard rhythm. A cry leaves her lips with each thrust, harmonising with the deep grunts and moans Matt is making and she can't even feel the various knobs digging into her back anymore.

He looks down at her as he thrusts into her, spread out on the console before him, her breasts bouncing roughly with each of his jerky movements, and he knows this image is going to be burnt onto his mind, and doubts he'll ever be able to look at this set again without getting a hard-on.

His hands slide form her hips, one to her thigh and one to her arse, gripping the flesh there so tightly his nails start to dig in, but Alex couldn't care less, unable to feel anything but pleasure as he nudges that spot deep inside her again and again with each thrust. She gasps and moans beneath him, her hands now gripping the pipe they were locked against, her thighs quivering with the strain of holding herself against his body.

Matt can feel his second climax fast approaching and frantically shoves a shaking hand between their bodies to press roughly against her clit, willing her to get there with him.

"Come on," he pants, "I can't -"

"I'm there," she breathes in reply, eyes squeezed shut, "Almost, just - harder -"

He obliges, and her orgasm shoots through her making her scream out her pleasure as she vaguely registers Matt reaching his own climax.

Both gasp for breath for a few moments, Matt slumped over Alex's limp form, his face buried in her hair. Dazedly, he lifts himself up and reaches up to free her wrists from the cuffs, tossing them to the console beside them. Alex lets her arms drop to his back once they're free, running them up and down his sweat-slicked skin absently.

"Oh Doctor," she finally sighs, breaking the silence with her teasing words. "Whoever knew you had such a dominant side?"

He lifts his head form the crook of her neck to grin down at her. "Well you know what they say? It's always the quiet ones."

"Except you're never quiet sweetie, so that doesn't really apply," she tells him patiently, before patting his back and shifting to push at his chest. "Come on, let me up, this is the most

uncomfortable thing I've ever laid on."

"Oh. Sorry," Matt apologises, quickly clambering off her and holding a hand out to her. Taking it, she sits up and hops down to her feet, tugging her skirt down as Matt busies himself righting his clothes.

She turns from him to bend to retrieve her tops and Matt sucks in a sharp breath. "Shit, Alex! God I'm so sorry…"

She straightens, her top and bra clutched to her chest as she looks at him in confusion. "What?" "Your back…"

She realises that yes, it is very sore and moves a hand behind her to press to a spot that makes her hiss. "Oh. Is it bad?"

Biting his lip, Matt nods and turns her with a hand on her shoulder to get another look. He trails his fingers lightly over the red marks. Most would fade in a short while but the worst was on the left side of the middle of her back and he could already see a bruise starting to form. "Okay, so maybe sex on the Tardis console wasn't such a good idea…" He mumbles.

Alex laughs but when she turns back to face him his face is etched with concern. "Hey, it doesn't matter," she assures him, tugging her bra quickly on and pulling her top over her head. "It'll heal."

He bites his lip. "I feel bad," he mumbles.

She shakes her head. "Don't." And leans up to press a kiss to his cheek breathing, "it was worth it," against his ear and giving him a wink as she pull back.

Matt grins at that although he still feels a bit guilty, and squeezes her hand tightly in his as they leave the building together before bidding each other a brief goodnight. Alex reminds him to for God's sake put the bloody handcuffs back first thing in the morning, and when he apologises for her back once more, tells him again not to worry and that she really doesn't mind.

He still feels bad, but every time he sees her wince and rub her back on set the next day, he can't help but smirk at the steamy memories it instantly triggers. And he may just feel a little proud of himself at the way she blushes deeply every time somebody asks her what's wrong.

Chapter 3

It had been three days since Alex and Matt had snuck onto the set in the middle of the night, and everything had been normal ever since. In fact, the only indication Matt had given that it had even happened was when he'd asked her the day after in a low voice with a half-hidden smirk how her back was.

Alex had thought about cornering him on more than one occasion when he gave her those looks while they were shooting, but each time she'd managed to talk herself out of it before she had a chance. What had happened between them had been good, but she knew it was best it didn't happen again. She should just be glad it hadn't ruined their friendship or working relationship and get on with it. Matt had clearly decided the same thing or he would have said or done something by now, wouldn't he?

She finds herself mulling over these thoughts again as she sits on the marble floor in a corner of the museum they were shooting in today, leaning against the wall with her legs stretched in front of her and crossed at the ankles as she waits to be called for a take. It has been a long day, and she was tired and glad it was nearly over.

She looks up in surprise at the "Hey," accompanied by Matt throwing himself down next to her with a sigh. She swallows slightly and shifts a bit, all too aware it's the first time he'd come to talk to her alone since they'd…well, since the last time they'd been very alone together.

"Alright?" She greets him, trying to keep her voice casual.

"Mmm. Be glad when we're done."

"Me too." She replies, glad of the casual comment. "Been one of those days huh? My feet are killing me, I'm sure if they make me do any more running today I'll collapse."

Matt agrees and they fall into a brief but not uncomfortable silence.

"So." Matt finally speaks and she turns to look at him as he avoids her eyes, pretending to be interested in the crew bustling about as he speaks. "How've you been?"

She laughs in surprise. "What do you mean? You've seen me every day."

He shrugs. "I know. Feels like we haven't spoken properly in a little while though." He shoots her a meaningful sideways look that she holds for a moment before glancing away and giving a shrug of her own.

"I've been fine, thank you darling," she replies with a smile, unable to resist bumping her shoulder into his lightly to add, "had a bit of a bad back the last couple of days though, can't think why."

Matt grins and the tension fades as he forces himself not to look at her, chuckling a bit. "That's unfortunate."

"Mmm."

They fall comfortably quiet again, watching what's going on around them absently.

"You know," Matt says, drawing his knees up to rest his elbows on them. "You should probably get someone to give you a massage if it's really that bad, I always find it helps whenever mine hurts."

Alex turns her head to peer at him a moment. "Are you offering, Mr Smith?" She finally asks slowly.

He shrugs and shoots a quick grin at her. "Have been told I'm not half-bad with my hands." She clears her throat, trying to fight the smirk of her face. "Oh really?"

He gives her a cheeky look that clearly screams 'like you don't know' and the smile that comes to her lips is an affirmative reply to that.

Another short silence falls between them, and this one doesn't feel comfortable any more, it feels tense again - but in an entirely different way.

Once again, Matt is the one to break it, shuffling, perhaps, just that bit closer to her. "Been meaning to say…I'm loving the costumes department today, these riding trousers they've put you in are very flattering."

She can't help but grin at that, glad they're back to their usual playful flirting. She uncrosses her legs to bend them at the knees, mirroring his position as she runs her hands over the tight fitting material encasing her thighs. "They're called jodhpurs, I believe. A practical choice for River, really."

"Hmm I'm sure practicality was her only thought when she looked at herself in the mirror in those."

She laughs a bit and drops her voice. "Well, maybe she had the Doctor in mind a little bit when she put them on."

"Well, he definitely approves." At his words, spoken in a low voice rather too close to her ear, Matt slips a hand to her thigh to run it over the smooth material. She allows the touch for a brief moment, wondering at the electric thrills it sends shooting through her, but when his hand slides round to the inside of her thigh and very close to where that thrill was centring, she sobers quickly.

"Matt!" Grabbing his wrist, Alex shoves his hand away, sitting up a bit. "What the hell are doing, anyone could see," she hisses.

Quickly, he glances around, glad to see nobody is looking their way, and clears his throat. "You're right, sorry." He swallows, seeming to realise that had been a little daring of him, they were, after all, in a room full of people and although he joked and flirted with pretty much everyone here, people might start to talk if he was caught feeling her up so blatantly.

He swallows and looks at her seriously. "Can I see you tonight?"

She ignores her stomach doing flips and mind screaming 'yes, yes, yes!' and bites her lip, fiddling with her coat.

"I don't know, Matt…we probably shouldn't…"

He looks away and is biting his own lip now, she notices. "I know. But -" He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, a habit, she's noticed, when he's stressed or nervous. "It's driving me mad," he admits in a low voice. "Every scene we have together, it's…I just can't help - all I can think about is -"

"I know," she cuts him off quickly. "Me too." She licks her lips. "But Matt -"

They are cut off by somebody calling their names and telling them they're ready for them.

Cursing under her breath, she gets to her feet along with Matt as Karen bounds over, and has no choice but to carry on as normal.

That turns out to be something so much easier said than done. Despite her brain screaming naughty thoughts at her every time she and he had so much as conversed as River and the Doctor, she'd been doing a fabulous job acting no different the past couple of days to how she ever had. But now that seemed to have changed, now…now she knew Matt was thinking the same things as her. And every time she caught his eyes, every time he or she spoke a line to each other, lust for him burned hot through her body.

"Alright, cut, cut," the Director called, sighing heavily when Alex completely forgot her line halfway through again when she'd caught Matt's eye. "Alex, do you need a minute?"

"No - sorry, sorry, I'm fine, just tired I guess, sorry. I've got it, let's go again." She apologises, ignoring the blush she could feel on her face. This was ridiculous, he'd looked at her for God's sake - because he had to. She needed to pull herself together.

Taking a deep breath they begin the scene again, arguing as they stroll down the marbled hallway.

"Well that would be lovely dear, but we can't because it's completely impossible!" She recites.

"Ah no, you see, it's not." Smiling, he taps her nose. "It's almost completely impossible. One spark is all we need."

She stares at him, all coherent thought having fled out the window with that little touch - which is stupid, it was her nose for Gods sake but oh he's looking at her like that and oh shit, she'd been under him naked, how the hell was she supposed to do this and not -

"…Alex?"

"Uh -" She flushes, realising it's her line. "Oh, God sorry - what was it?"

The director stares at her incredulously. "For what…"

"Huh?"

"The line is 'for what'…?"

"Oh! Right, yeah of course. Sorry."

Everyone tries not to show their annoyance, and the director calls for another take in an exasperated voice.

Matt is the one to mess up this time; he'd accidentally let his eyes slide to Alex's bum in those jodhpurs, totally missed his cue and tripped over a wire at the same time, bringing a huge piece of the lighting equipment crashing down to the floor.

He apologises fervently, relieved when nothing turns out to be broken but has to endure Karen teasing him loudly about being the clumsiest man on earth. Her statement does have grounds of course, but he knows this unfortunate incident wasn't due to his usual clumsiness.

As the crew go about re-setting up the equipment, Matt sees Alex excuse herself to nip to the loos and before he knows what he's doing he's going after her. The noise from the set fades as he wanders down the corridor she'd disappeared down, wondering which way she'd gone at the

same time as he asks himself why he's doing this. He finds her unexpectedly when he turns the next corner, leant against the wall, head in hands as she massages her temples.

"Oh -" he says in surprise, making her jump and straighten to face him, a hand to her chest.

"Bloody hell," she sighs when she sees him. "you scared the life out of me…" she glances around, noting how very alone they are. "What are you doing?"

He shrugs, looking down at his feet. "I don't know," he mumbles, because he doesn't, and then he sighs heavily, running that hand through his hair again. Alex doesn't remember making the decision to move closer, let alone kiss him but suddenly her hands seem to be wrapped round the lapels of his jacket and her mouth fused to his.

The kiss is fierce, desperate, and the three days since the last time they'd done this is apparently too long. Matt pushes her back until she hits the wall behind her and he presses her against it, grinding his hips into hers as his hands snake down to grip that beautiful bum of hers like he's wanted to since he'd first seen her in these bloody trousers.

Their lips part for air and, "It was you, you know," she tells him breathlessly, "why I kept messing my lines up."

"And you're why I knocked the light over."

She draws in a shaky breath, pushing him back with her hands on his chest enough so she can look at him properly. "Matt. We said this wasn't going to complicate things, and now look - we can't even bloody do our jobs properly -"

"I know but I - I can't, I just…I want you so much," he mutters hotly and she has to remember to breathe.

"You can't, Matt -"

"Well - the Doctor wants you then - River…"

She shakes her head but lets him kiss her neck, whimpering quietly when his tongue flickers over her skin.

"This isn't good for us Matt, it's going to mess things up and you know it - it already is -" "Not if I'm not me and you're not you…"

She sighs, trying to summon up the willpower to stop the hand that's snaking beneath the waistband of her jodhpurs. "But we are," she tries to argue weakly.

"No we're not - we're actors. We can be whoever we want to be…" He's got them undone now, and his hand is moving down - he looks up at her in surprise. "Where's your knickers?"

She can't help the breathless laugh that escapes her at the look on his face. "Have you seen how tight these things are? I don't want the whole of Britain seeing the outline of my knickers."

A short laugh escapes him at that and he slips his hand further down, sliding through the slick flesh there and she breathes out a sigh, tilting her hips to his, her hands tightening in his jacket.

"You have to promise me," she murmurs, searching his eyes, "that we keep it like this." He slips a finger inside her, pressing his palm against her clit and she gasps. "Like what?"

"Acting," she bites out, finding it difficult to get words out, "not us."

Leaning in to bite down on her neck, he nods, mumbling, "promise," against her skin.

"We won't even - talk about this, when we're not them - it's not happening - it never happened between us…"

He makes a sound of agreement, applying a little more pressure with his fingers and she was so hot and wet and feels so good - "I'm the Doctor," he agrees, "and you're River."

She nods, and tells herself this is fine, because like he said, they were actors, and if this was just acting…that made it okay, right? She lets out another moan as he curls his fingers inside her, and her shaking hands reach frantically for his trousers - only to be halted by somebody calling Matt's name.

They both swear as they spring apart, Alex frantically doing herself back up as Matt straightens his clothes. Footsteps can be heard approaching and they glance at each other before Alex turns and scoots into the alcove of a doorway a few feet from where they'd been standing, moving out of sight just as Arthur rounds the corner.

"Ah - there you mate, they're ready now, we're doing another take." "Right! Yes, okay, cheers I was just coming."

Arthur peers at his flustered face, watching him run his hands through his hair as he hopes it's not as mussed up as it feels.

"You alright?"

"What? Yeah! Yeah, fine just…getting a bit of air you know, needed a breather, been a long day."

"Hey - don't worry about the light mate, they don't mind, really - nothing was broken so it's no big deal."

"Oh - yeah, I know."

Arthur stares at him further when he makes no move to go. "Well, come on then." "Yeah, yeah," he starts forward, scratching his head nervously, "let's go."

Arthur turns to make his way back and Matt follows, glancing back to see Alex stepping out of the alcove to look at him. He pauses to give her a quick wink and she grins, breathing a sigh of relief and listening to their voices as they retreat.

"Do you know where Alex went? We need her too." "Huh? No. No idea..."

When she get back on set a couple of minutes later, she and Matt don't so much as glance at each other unnecessarily. They finish the scene with only two more takes, professionally and coolly, and everyone is glad when a wrap is finally called and they can all leave for the night.

Fourty-five minutes after Matt gets back to his trailer, the knock on the door is unexpected - and yet not.

"Can I come in?" Alex asks quickly before he has a chance to speak when he opens it.

"Of course," he rasps, stepping aside to let her through and closing the door behind her.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure Miss Kingston," he begins to tease but she cuts him off shaking her head quickly and turning to look at him.

"Not Alex." She says shortly, and he smirks in understanding as she closes the gap between them and slides her hands up his chest to his shoulders, kissing him fiercely and purposefully as she does.

"Ah," he says breathlessly when his lips part from hers, tugging her close to his body with a smirk. "Hello River."

She grins up at him, pressing herself close. "Hello sweetie."

Chapter 4

"Quick, sweetie," Alex makes him jump when she comes up behind him to whisper in his ear. "Amy's gone and we're in a dark cave all alone…"

He turns to her with raised eyebrows as she grins at him mischievously.

It's about half nine in the morning and they are on set in 'the under-henge', having started filming about an hour ago.

"I don't know what you could be implying Doctor Song," he murmurs back, sure to keep his voice low so nobody around them can pick up on the conversation. At least nobody can see them; they are round the back of the 'Pandorica' and the crew are fussing about on the other side of the set.

She shrugs, trailing her fingers oh -so-sensuously over the surface of the fake rock sculpture as she walks a short distance away from him. "Just wondered what these engravings might feel like pressed against my back." Turning her head she gives him the naughtiest smile and he has to swallow hard and take a deep breath. She leans against it, and runs a hand none-too-subtly up her body.

Matt's eyes darken. "Don't do that, Alex," he growls quietly, "unless you want to be jumped on in front of everyone."

She raises her eyebrows. "Who's Alex?"

He shakes his head but he's smiling as he steps closer to her. "Well then, River," he plays along, "need I remind you we're in a life death situation here? Now is hardly the time such things."

"Oh, Doctor," she grins, sneaking a hand up to fiddle with his bow-tie, "those are the best times for such things."

He can't help leaning in to kiss her. It's stupid, he knows, it's a vague, passing thought in the back of his mind how bloody ridiculously stupid kissing Alex here on the damn set with fifty people not twenty feet away from them and only a fake rock between them is - but everything about her body against his is making his mind scream out and it drowns out any protests he has.

Alex kisses him back; she hadn't intended for it to go this far, she'd only felt a bit mischievous and fancied teasing him a little - but she's opening her mouth beneath his before she knows it, moaning softly as their tongues swirl and dance and his mouth always feels so good against her own. So she allows the kiss for a brief moment before, somehow managing to keep her wits about her, she pushes him back.

"Life and death remember?" She manages to quip, before she gives him a wink and slips from between his body and the rock and is gone.

Matt leans back against the Pandorica, running a hand though his hair and over his flushed face. He swallows, trying to make his body calm down as he takes deep breaths. Luckily, he manages to have himself under control by the time he's called for another take, moving into position and nodding seriously at Alex when she suggests something for the scene.

They have this worked out now - they can work together like nothing's any different from how it's ever been, but it's like foreplay for them now, doing their scenes together. They can feel the sexual tension building all day, but it's okay because they can keep it that way, as River and the

Doctor, and know that at night it can find a release. It's perfect, they are both completely in control of the situation and it doesn't affect their work at all.

Well…it hadn't done over the last week, since the agreement was made between them in the museum. But Alex had stirred something inside him just then and as he recites his lines with her, Matt wants her more than ever today and it's only early in the morning…and he doesn't know if he can wait until the end of the day. And crap - he just remembered she had no bloody knickers on underneath those skin-tight trousers and now how the hell was he supposed to concentrate?

He is grateful when the director calls for Alex and the crew to take a quick break and asks Matt and Karen to run through one of their scenes together without her. It gives him time to pull himself together and get a grip before he has to interact with Alex again, and by the time they're ready for another take he's back in control.

They creep round the Pandorica together as they recite their lines, him waving his sonic and she with her little white gadget that she peers intently at. He almost forgets the crew, getting wrapped up in acting the part because he loves this scene, and the set is beautiful and it all feels so real and exciting. They call for cut and Matt relaxes and watches as they shoot a close up of the device Alex holds in her hands.

"What is that anyway," he comments when they're done. "It looks like a PSP, how come River gets something cool and I don't!? I'm the lead!" He complains in mock outrage.

"You got the sonic screwdriver stupid, jeesh how many gadgets do you want?" Karen throws back to which Matt grins and pulls it out of his pocket.

"Hmm, yeah I suppose you're right." He holds it up at Alex. "It's cooler than a PSP anyway," he sticks his tongue out and she laughs along with the crew at his ridiculous antics.

"No it's not," she laughs. "All it does is make silly noises."

"Don't dis the sonic, River," he jokes, pointing it at her seriously as Karen laughs. "It does a million cool things!"

"Oh does it now?" Alex retaliates. "Like what?"

"Well - it…does the thing, when you do this -" he points it, pressing the little switch on the end to make it glow and whir. "And, and - well it has many uses!"

He holds it up, shaking it a bit crossly and she raises an eyebrow, a smirk coming to her lips.

"You know I could think of a couple actually but we better not make you blush Doctor," she jokes with a wink.

The crew laugh loudly while Karen gasps, giggling, "That's terrible, she's filthy!"

Alex laughs, watching Matt closely as he swallows hard although he is chuckling along with everyone, and she sees his eyes darken and loves that she knows exactly what thoughts are now running through his head.

"You are just dreadful Miss Kingston," Matt manages to scold her playfully above the laughter. "There's always one to bring down the tone isn't there."

"Oh you love it really, sweetie," she grins, touching his arm briefly as she slips past him and walks away to get her bottle of water.

Matt shakes his head, quickly changing to subject to tease Karen about something because he has to stop thinking these thoughts and needs to get these images out of his head now! As if he wasn't struggling enough already this morning - he's gonna bloody kill her for this.

It isn't until lunch break, when everyone scuttles off to the small café installed in the middle of the studio, that Matt gets a minute alone with her. He grabs her by the elbow as she goes to follow everyone, his low voice in her ear stopping her in her tracks, "River."

The word sends thrills shooting through her, and she smirks, leaning subtly back towards him to speak quietly to him over her shoulder. "Yes, sweetie?"

He leans in closer so he can speak only to her. "You've been teasing me all morning."

"I've done no such thing," she claims with pseudo innocent eyes.

"Yes, you have."

"I can't help it if my mere presence arouses you, honey," she purrs.

Matt growls quietly, his grip on her arm tightening and she bites her lip, realising just how turned on he apparently is, which in turn, makes desire tingle under her skin.

Her green eyes find his. "Meet me outside. Two minutes," she says quickly, and doesn't give him time to reply before she strides off, slipping out the nearest fire exit.

Matt takes a deep shaky breath and quickly searches out Karen just leaving the room, chatting with a woman in the crew. He knows it will look odd if he suddenly vanishes and his friend is sure to search him out if he doesn't join her at lunch as usual so he dashes over to catch up to her. "Hey, Kaz, I'm gonna run back to my trailer for lunch - got a, er, bad headache, think I'll take something and sit down for a bit."

"Oh," Karen looks surprised and a bit concerned. "You alright? Well, I'll come with you if you want some company -"

"No!" He says a little too quickly. "No, no it's fine you go have lunch with everyone. I'll be fine, think I just need to sit down in the quiet for a bit."

"Oh, okay, if you're sure…"

"Yeah, yeah, you go."

"Alright loser." She taps him lightly on the head. "Hope the head feels better."

He gives her a smile and she walks off, making him breathe a sigh of relief. His absence accounted for; he turns and makes his way towards the exit Alex had left though. He briefly wonders how he's going to find her because 'outside' doesn't really narrow it down but when he pushes the fire exit door open and steps out he doesn't have to wonder for long.

Alex seizes him by his jacket, dragging him along as she marches down the small walkway between two buildings they are in and turns a corner. He follows her as she moves with purpose, turning right and pushing into another fire exit to keep walking through an empty studio room. He is vaguely aware of where they are but right now he can't think about much else but the woman in front of him, so he keeps quiet as he walks after her, jogging a bit to keep up with her hurried pace.

She opens another door and goes through it and - ah, this is where she'd been headed. It's a

familiar set, a green screen all round the walls - and the Tardis in the middle. Grinning wickedly, Alex spins Matt to shove him up against the familiar blue box and he's glad this is a solid, proper wooden one and not one of the flimsier aesthetic versions. Her tongue explores the inside of his mouth, and both of them groan, his hands flying up to tangle in her curls and pull her against him.

When they part, both are panting heavily and Alex is already fumbling with the button on his trousers. There is no time for them to take things slowly - and not just because they have only an hour (and even less now) before they have to be back on set, but because both feel as if they might explode if they don't get their fill of the other now.

Alex pants against Matt's neck as she gets her hand inside his trousers and wrapped round his throbbing length as his own hands wrestle with her belt, dropping it to the floor with a clunk and shoving their way inside her jacket. She pumps her hand up and down his length and he chokes out a moan.

"Ugh. Stop, don't," he mutters desperately, his voice hoarse in her hair. He reverses their positions so Alex is the one pressed up against the Tardis and his hands fight to rid her of those damn trousers. He shoves them halfway down her thighs and his hand is between her legs, feeling how damn wet she is but the trousers are too tight and he can't -

"Fuck," he mutters in frustration, fumbling with them, before Alex shoves his hands out the way and pushes him back enough to do it herself. He watches with dark eyes, panting hard and trembling with desire as she bends to yank her boots off before peeling the jodhpurs down and off her legs, then straightening to look up at him. His own hands fumble with his trousers, shoving the fly further open. She is breathing as hard as him, her face deliciously flushed as she stares at him, leaning back against the big blue police box.

Matt lets himself press against her, his hands planted on the wood either side of her head as he looks deep into her eyes, grinding his body against hers and drawing moans from both of them. He drops a hand to run down her bare thigh and into the crook of her knee so he can hitch her leg up against his hips but without her heels she's too short for this, so with an annoyed sound he grabs hold of the other thigh and mutters 'hold on.'

Alex obediently slides her hands to his shoulders, gripping his jacket there as he lifts her up, letting her wrap her legs round his waist so he can slide inside her. Her thighs clench hard around him as her inner muscles do the same, and she leans firmly back against the blue doors for a moment, quivering lightly in his arms with the pleasure of finally having him in her.

Matt begins to move and her hands slip from his shoulders to push underneath his tweed jacket, running over the expanse of his chest through his shirt. She can feel the muscles in his chest tense beneath it and she moans, throwing her head back against the wood as he thrusts harder. Her hands finds his braces and her fingers curl round them and oh yes, she likes this. How convenient these are.

"Knew there was a reason - I liked these stupid things on you," she gasps out, clinging tight to the elastic as he shoves her against the door again and again.

Matt just gives a breathless laugh in reply, sliding his hands to her bum to grip her tighter against him. Alex uses her grip on the braces to hold herself in place against the door somewhat, as she grinds her hips in time to meet his thrusts, and she is fleetingly aware that her thighs are going to bloody feel this tomorrow. Not that she cares about that now, now she's not stopping for anything.

He's getting closer, she can tell by the way his fingers dig into her arse and he pounds into her even harder, making her own pleasure build and build and she clings to his braces so tightly she's surprised they don't unsnap. Her thighs clench tighter as he hits that mind-blowing spot again, and

how is it he can do that every time, it's so good and she feels like she will die if he stops now. She finally comes hard around him with a cry, her walls fluttering and clamping around him, quickly causing his own orgasm to follow.

They are a mess when he finally lets her legs drop back to the floor, both clinging to each other and gasping to breathe as they lean heavily against the Tardis doors to support their shaking legs.

Alex pushes him gently away after a moment, glancing down at her watch and smiling. "Just under half an hour left. Not bad."

Matt chuckles as he watches her stoop to pick up her jodhpurs and pull them on. "Hmm. We should probably get something to eat," he comments, a little surprised at how hoarse his voice sounds and wonders if he'd been making that much noise. Alex agrees and he does himself back up, tucking his shirt in and smoothing his jacket as she leans on him to pull her boots back on.

Well, Matt thinks idly as they leave the room together…that was another piece of the set he was never going to be able to look at the same way again. Funnily enough, he feels absolutely no remorse about that fact.

Chapter 5

After reflection, Alex and Matt had decided that lunch -hour-sex had been a bad idea. Since they'd had nearly half an hour left after they'd left the Tardis set, Alex had gone back with Matt to his trailer with the intention of having something to eat before they returned to the set. Unfortunately, however, their desire for each other turned out to have been fuelled rather than quelled by the quick-but-brilliant shag against the Tardis, and being in a trailer alone together resulted in them arriving back on set almost forty-five minutes after lunch was over. And neither of them had anything to eat at all.

Matt pretended he'd had a bad migraine, and Alex had said she'd run into him and gone back to her hotel room for painkillers for him. It was a vague and rusty lie, but luckily everyone bought it.

They agree, that night, when Alex slips into his trailer, that they will keep this after work hours. She doubts either of them are going to be able to stick to that, but right now she has more important things to worry about - like buttons and zippers.

She pulls Matt down on top of her, moaning into the deep kiss they are currently engaged in and opens her legs so she can wrap one round his waist and pull his lower body tight against her.

He breaks from her mouth to look down at her and there is a mischievous glint in his eye that makes her pause.

"What?"

"I was thinking about what you said on set earlier."

He pulls a sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and her eyes widen.

"Oh my God, you didn't."

"I did. They really ought to keep a better a check on the props." He smirks down at her. "So. What were those 'other uses' you had in mind then Doctor Song?"

"Oh no." She sits up, shuffling back from under him a bit to look at him seriously.

He grins at her, trailing the prop down her stomach. "It was your idea…"

"No, Matt."

"And I must say it was very good one…" He moves it to her leg and lets it slide up her thigh.

"No, I'm serious, there is no way - stop it!" She grabs the sonic before he can run it any further up her thigh and they both hold tight to it, staring each other down.

"Come on River…I'm sure this has a vibrate setting somewhere…"

"Matt," she says his real name sternly, refusing to let go of the prop. "No - there's no way I'm gonna let you put that thing where you're thinking - it's a prop for God's sake you have to use it everyday and everyone would be - and I'd know that - and it -…no."

He pouts at her, snaking his other hand up under her skirt. "It'll wash off."

"Matt!" She gasps, and feels herself flush red at the whole suggestion (although she knows that's

not all due to the thought of the embarrassment.) "That's terrible, there's no way we could do that and just put it back, for God's sake we can't, that's dreadful!"

He thinks for a moment, seeing her point. "Well…we'll keep this one then. They have about six of them you know, it's not like they need it."

"They'll know it's missing, they're not stupid."

He shrugs. "I'll say I broke it then, believable enough I have actually broken about ten of these already."

"And they'll ask for it back to fix it."

"Well…then I'll really break it. Or throw it away. I'll say I lost it." And he all but pouts at her, the damn man.

She lets out a deep breath, searching his eyes with hers. Her resolve is wavering. God, they shouldn't but…she wants to. The idea of it is so bad it's turning her on more than she'd care to admit. And River would like this. Oh River would love this, and the sonic screwdriver was so him, it was so the Doctor, the way he was always waving the ridiculous thing around - and him and her and that silly tool of his…oh the things they could find to do with it.

Matt watches her face quietly as she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before snapping them back open - and his heart jumps in his chest at the look they now hold. He knows that look. That's River staring back at him.

She smiles at him slowly, biting her lip a little as she lays back down against the pillows, arching a delicate eyebrow up at him. "Alright then Doctor." She says in surrender, her voice low and smooth. "Want to show me what's so brilliant about that silly thing of yours then?" She glances pointedly down at the screwdriver in his hand and he grins wolfishly at her words.

"I assure you there's nothing silly about it," he replies haughtily.

"Really?"

"Yes."

She grins wickedly. "Prove it."

He leans down over her, resting his weight on his left forearm placed beside her head, the sonic gripped in his other hand. "You asked for it," he growls against her mouth.

When Alex walks on set in the morning and sees Matt casually tossing a sonic screwdriver up and catching it again while he chats with Steven she nearly dies.

"Alex? You in there?"

"What?" She blinks, turning to look at Karen who has apparently just greeted her. "Oh - God, sorry, morning Karen," she quickly says, flustered, and she can feel how red her face is.

Karen looks at her a bit oddly. "You alright?"

"Yeah -fine, just…still half asleep I suppose," she laughs it off and luckily Karen accepts her explanation easily.

"Okay, well anyway, Steven's made a couple of small changes, here - copy mine," she hands Alex a pen and opens her script to point it out, and somehow Alex manages to nod and take in what Karen chats about although she is glancing over to Matt and that bloody thing he's still fiddling with every few seconds.

She has to wait for Steven to go and Karen to wander off until she can walk over to Matt, saying a pleasant 'good morning' out loud before looking pointedly down at the tool in his hand and leaning in to hiss with pink cheeks, "that had better not be…"

Matt laughs although she is pleased to notice he colours slightly himself too. "Oh no. Don't worry, that one's safely in my trailer," he tells her with a quick wink.

"Well - good," she mumbles back in relief, taking a sip of her coffee. "I better get to costume," she excuses herself and he nods, watching her walk away with a smile on his lips.

He clenches his fist around the sonic and then bites his lip and flushes a bit as heated memories of the night before flash through his find. Someone calls his name, and fumbling a bit with it, Matt hurriedly stuffs the prop in his pocket as he answers back. So now there were two parts of the Tardis set and the sonic screwdriver that made him blush. Oh but it was worth it.. And somehow it only made the whole thing that much more delicious.

Late that day when work was over, after enduring Alex teasing him all day about how ridiculous he looked in a fez in that flirtatious manner of hers, he is kissing her in her hotel suite as she pulls him backwards into her bedroom.

As promised, they'd managed to go all day without giving in to temptation, and Matt is pretty proud of himself for that; watching her with that gun today had been almost embarrassingly arousing.

She had only been in pyjamas when he arrived, but when he yanks her top over her head as she shoves the bottoms down and off he pauses, gaping at her with dark eyes.

"Did you put this on for me?" He finally asks with a smirk, his voice husky as he takes in the red and black matching lace underwear she has on. Not the sort of lingerie you generally wear just under your clothes, he decides. It screams sex at him, and hell that bra was doing incredible things to her breasts.

"Well," she shifts a bit although there is a smile on her lips. "Maybe." She runs a hand down his bare torso, nails scratching lightly over his abdomen. "I had a feeling you might be coming over tonight, if the way you were looking at me earlier was anything to go by…"

Matt grins at her flushed face and pleased smirk and reaches out to place his hands on her hips. "Oh you knew just what you were doing with all that flirting you naughty girl," With a suddenness that makes Alex squeak in surprise, he pounces, pushing her to her back on the bed to fall on top of her. "Been wanting to jump on you all day," he growls playfully into her neck, biting the skin there lightly.

She giggles a bit, running thrilled hands up his back. "Then why didn't you darling?" She teases.

He lifts his head a bit to look down at her. "Amy and Rory were there. It would have been rude."

She laughs. "Not the exhibitionist type then?"

"Oh no," he presses another kiss to her neck, letting his tongue flick over her skin slowly. "I like to keep you all to myself."

"Oh you know what to say to a girl don't you Doctor?" She breathes in reply.

He hums in agreement. "Always. A true Casanova, that's me."

Despite the heat of the situation she laughs out loud because that was so the Doctor.

"Oi," He tickles her stomach lightly in retaliation.

"Sorry, sweetie," she replies, still giggling a bit, which he tickles her harder for.

"Stop it!" She gasps though laughter, twisting away from him. "Stop!"

Laughing himself, his hands cease in their attack, his arms wrapping round her from behind instead to stop her escaping him. He pulls her body back against his and splays his hands over her stomach as she sighs.

"Mmm River," he mumbles against the skin of her neck, his face in her hair. "You're so gorgeous," he hums, biting down a bit and sucking on the soft flesh there, making her moan loudly as she twists one hand in the sheets, the other sliding down her own body to cover his. Their hands move down together, slipping into her knickers, and he feels the pressure of her own hand over his increase as he presses up into her wetness.

She moans, and then gasps when he grinds his hips into her backside and she can feel how hard he is. Moving her hand away from his, Alex hooks her thumbs under her knickers and lifts her hips to slide them down her legs, Matt taking over and tugging them all the way from her. She reaches a hand behind her to settle on his hip, digging her nails into his skin as she grinds back against him making them both moan loudly.

"Want you," is all she can gasp out, and Matt readily complies, shifting a leg in between hers to give him better position to thrust up into her. Alex's other hand flies out to grip the sheets again as he starts rocking into her, and Matt hold tight to her, keeping her body pulled flush against his.

As they move, one of Matt's hands moves down between her legs again and his fingertips find her clit, while the other slips inside her bra to cup a breast in his hand.

"Nmgh," Matt grunts into her hair, his eyes rolling back. "You're so tight…"

She moans at his words, her inner muscles clenching around him as she moves against him, grinding down into his hand at the same time. Her orgasm is unexpected, gripping her suddenly and making her see stars as she quivers with the force of it, almost screaming out loud. Matt is moving faster when she comes back to her senses, his body starting to tremble behind hers, and she uses the hand on his hip as leverage to push her body back onto his, again and again until he's groaning her counterpart's name in her ear, gripping her so tightly as he comes.

He slips out of her slowly and she snuggles her body back against his, giving a contented little moan that makes him smile into her hair.

"River?" He whispers after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"Are you my wife?"

She laughs but shakes her head. "Sorry sweetie, can't tell."

He sighs. "Damn the bloody spoilers." He kisses her neck before mumbling, "I hope you are."

Alex smiles into the pillow and thinks how brilliantly perfect this thing between them is.

Playing as River and the Doctor isn't just an excuse to let out their passions anymore, it's become a serious kink. It turns her on, more than she'd care to admit, and she thought she was probably right in assuming it was the same for Matt.

She'd done roleplay before, but never like this. She'd always found it a bit silly and mostly joked around with it more than anything. But this, this thing with Matt…this was real. Matt was the Doctor when they were together, and with him she was very much River Song. It felt brilliant, because if they were acting…then it wasn't really happening.

Of course, she wasn't stupid, she wasn't fooling herself completely - she knew she was having sex with Matt Smith, but by playing this game they played it meant that it didn't mean anything between them but the sex, and they could do what they pleased with each other without letting it affect anything else.

Their breathing is returning to normal now and they lie quietly in the peaceful afterglow. His arms are still wrapped round her and his body pressed to her back and he trails his fingers lightly over her stomach, tracing feather light patterns on her skin.

"Hmm," she hums softly with her eyes still closed. "That feels nice."

"Does it?"

"Mmmm."

Smiling against her neck, he continues the movements, letting his fingertips creep slowly down her stomach.

"How about now?" He teases, his hand ghosting over her lower stomach.

"Mmm," she replies with a small chuckle.

His fingers dance down to slip between her legs and he whispers, "Now?"

Laughing softly, she twists in his arms so she is lying on her back looking up at him, catching his hand gently in her own.

"No more of that," she tells him regrettably, still with that smile on her lips. "You need to go; we'd both better get some sleep."

"Hmm," he replies, ignoring her to lean down and kiss her slowly, oh so slowly, his tongue fully exploring the inside of her mouth and making her tingle all over again.

She allows the kiss for another few moments before she sighs heavily and sits up, pushing lightly at Matt who rolls onto his back beside her. She taps him gently. "Come on, up."

He pouts up at her, looking disappointed as she scoops up a gown from a chair near the bed and throws it on. "Why? M'comfortable here."

Alex sighs, turning to look down at him, trying not to let her breath catch at the sight of Matt Smith laying there fully naked on her bed. "Because, sweetie, I'm tired of acting now, and if you stay any longer we won't be River and the Doctor anymore."

He gives her a cheeky grin and reaches for her. "We can be."

She shakes her head. "We have to be up at five remember? Come on, get dressed, I need my beauty sleep."

Matt looks at her for a moment before sighing to himself and then sitting up, grabbing his boxers off the floor to drag them on. She wanders into the bathroom, leaving him to get dressed, and when she emerges he is fully clothed and standing a bit awkwardly by the door.

She pauses as they catch each other's eye, and Matt shifts from foot to foot.

"I'll see you in the morning then?" He finally says, and Alex nods.

"Yeah. Bright and early."

"Hmm." He opens the door and hovers there a moment. "Night."

"Night, Matt," she says softly and he slips out, closing the door softly behind them.

When she crawls back into bed she shivers lightly under the cold sheets and shuffles about, unable to get comfortable.

She always sleeps alone but for some reason her bed feels unusually empty that night.

Chapter 6

Alex, Matt quickly finds out, makes one sexy queen Cleopatra. When she'd walked out of costumes earlier that day, make-up, headdress and all in place, Matt's jaw had literally dropped at the sight of her. She'd allowed him a grin and a quick wink from across the room before she'd strolled over to get set up for her scene.

He watches her now from across the large studio, his dark eyes drinking in the sight of her as she's arranged on the plush silken cushions piled onto the make-shift bed in a lavish tent set. He wants to take her on that bed, in that costume. Oh he wants to press her body into those cushions with his own, draw that beautiful dress up round her hips, sink deep into her while he drowns in those black-rimmed emerald eyes…bloody hell, he wants to so bad that he thinks he might have to, even if it means jumping her in front of the entire crew -

"Oi, stupid, Earth to Matt!"

Matt jerks out of his fantasy, blinking up at Karen who's sitting herself down it the chair next to him. "Oh - hey Kaz," he greets, his voice a little hoarse.

"Bit slow on the mark today aren't you?" She teases, glancing casually over to where Matt had been looking and then gasping. "Oh my God Alex looks amazing! It's so unfair. I want a cool costume, she gets all the brilliant ones! And I love the set. Doesn't she look great?"

Matt clears his throat, tearing his eyes away from Alex again to look round at Karen. "Yeah, I suppose,"

"You suppose? It's brilliant, look at all the drapes and stuff, it's so pretty!"

"Hm."

Karen frowns at him oddly. "What's wrong with you?"

"What? Nothing!"

"Oh!" Karen laughs, reaching over to pinch his cheeks. "Poor Matty's jealous he doesn't get fancy costumes," she teases in an annoying baby voice.

He swats at her, laughing. "Get off Kaz! I am not jealous of Alex's costume!"

"Yes you are!" She laughs as they struggle, still trying to pinch his cheeks. "First you wanted her cool computery-device thing and now you're mad she gets better costumes than you - afraid she's stealing your limelight are you?" She jokes, shrieking when Matt pinches her side.

"I am not jealous!" He claims. "Like I want to dress up like Cleopatra!"

Karen laughs out loud at that, tears running down her cheeks. "Oh my God," she gasps, "I can so see you wearing that!"

"Shut up!" He complains, although he's laughing as he tries to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Oi, Alex!" Karen shouts over to her.

"Shut up Kaz!"

The redhead yanks the hand away from her mouth again, holding his wrist at bay, laughing. "Matt's jealous that you get a pretty costume! I think you should let him try it on!" She yells over as Matt frantically tries to shut her up, his face going red.

"I am not!" He shouts as Karen shrieks with laughter. He risks a glance over at Alex to see her eyebrows raising as she laughs.

"I don't think it's your colour, darling!" She calls back over.

"Oh I reckon it would suit him!" Karen trills and as he tries to clamp her mouth shut with the other hand, he hears Alex laugh from across the room.

"Well you're welcome to try it, sweetie!"

"I do not want to dress up as Cleopatra!" He grapples with Karen, both of them laughing as he pretends to strangle her while she continues to tease him. He is so busy messing around that he doesn't hear the footsteps approaching from across the room and jumps when suddenly Alex's voice is right next to him.

"I think the wig would look marvellous on you with that jaw line." She tells him and Karen laughs loudly as Alex continues, hands on her hips. "Want to try it on?"

"Oh you have to!" Karen exclaims.

"I am not putting that on my head!" He argues as Alex grins down at him.

"Oh go on, it'll be hilarious!" Says the redhead.

"I'll look ridiculous - you just want to laugh at me!"

Karen raises an eyebrow. "Says the man who thought he looked cool in a fez."

"The fez was cool! Fezzes are super-cool!"

"Not as cool this though," Alex offers, reaching up a hand to touch the ornate adornment atop her head.

"Oh come on Matt, just put it on please!" Karen whines.

"Oh fine," he finally relents. "Give me the bloody head-dress if it'll shut you two up!"

Grinning, Alex removes it carefully from her head but instead of placing it into his outstretched hands, she leans over to settle it on his head herself, wiggling it into place and arranging the hair round his face. Unintentionally (or perhaps not) in doing so she gives Matt a face-full of her cleavage and his eyes widen, the sight causing an unexpectedly sudden twang of lust shoot through him.

He swallows, wrenching his eyes away from her breasts and hoping his face hasn't gone as red as it feels. It suddenly feels very hot in the studio.

"There," Alex proclaims with a grin, straightening to place her hands on her hips and admire her work.

Matt manages to offer a lopsided smile. "How do I look?"

There is a quiet second, before Alex and Karen both roar with laugher, and Matt yanks it off his head. "Alright, alright," he grumbles, shoving it back into Alex's hands. "Have we quite finished

with make-fun-of-Matt time now?"

"Aw," Karen says, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "We've embarrassed him."

"Get off Kaz!" He swipes at her and she laughs.

Alex tuts as she fusses with the wig, trying to get it to sit right on her head. "Damn it, can't get it to stay on now," she mutters and Matt motions for her to come closer.

"C'mere, I'll fix it," he offers.

Instead of leaning down though, Alex turns and perches herself on his lap, her back to him.

Matt swallows, but manages to reach up and fix the wig in place, with Karen leaning over to smooth down the black hair.

"There we go, your majesty," Karen proclaims. "One Cleopatra."

Alex smiles, turning on Matt's lap so she is facing Karen and at the same time draping an arm round Matt's neck and motioning to herself with the other as she jokes, "And don't you think I make a very royal Egyptian?"

Matt grins, unable to stop the arm that slips round her back. "Oh very nice, my queen."

"Ooh 'my queen', I could get used to that."

"Yeah well don't get too used to it," he teases and Alex laughs.

"Spoilsport."

"I really love this, what is it like silk?" Karen says, reaching over to touch the material of Alex's dress. Alex replies but Matt doesn't hear what she says, his brain deciding to tune out their conversation in favour of focusing everything on the body against his own. Her weight on him was so comfortable and he found his fingers tracing circles on her back. Alex's nails scratch lightly against the back of his neck and she shifts just the smallest bit, her thigh every so lightly brushing against him through his trousers. He swallows and fidgets in his seat. He can smell her when she's this close, that deliciously familiar scent that is so her and he feels his heart rate increase and breathing speed up.

His fingers dig into her side and he shifts beneath her again. She laughs at something Karen says, leaning over to whack her lightly on the arm and of course moving on his lap as she does so, her hip lightly brushing his groin. She wriggles a bit to get back into place and Matt has to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress a throaty groan. This could become a potentially embarrassing situation.

Somebody calls something over to Karen and she turns in her seat to answer them. Matt takes his opportunity to lean in and speak into Alex's ear.

"You need to get off me," he mutters through gritted teeth into her wig.

Alex turns to glance at him quickly, her eyebrows raised in a look of pleasant surprise. "Why?" She murmurs back in a low voice as she looks back ahead, a small smile on her lips. "Is it turning you on?"

Matt growls quietly under his breath, pushing at her a bit to move her off him. Instead of complying, she only wriggles further into his lap. Matt hisses loudly, unfortunately at the exact

moment Karen turns back round. She gives him funny look. "Ah - sorry, just…cramp in my leg," he fumbles, pushing at Alex again. "Can you get off Alex?" "Oh cheers," she laughs, mercifully getting up off his lap. "I'm that heavy am I?" "What - no, no! No you're not heavy -"

Karen laughs at him. "You are so tactless you big idiot," she insults him, rolling her eyes. "How have you even got a girlfriend?"

"Shut up," he shoves at her shoulder while Alex laughs. He is thankful when somebody calls her name from across the room and the curly-haired temptress sashays off.

It is totally by chance, he swears to her, when fifty minutes later he bumps into her on the way back from the toilets. But since just they happened to meet in an empty corridor he couldn't really resist the opportunity grab her to him and snog her senseless could he?

"Not here you idiot," Alex hisses, shoving him away and grabbing his arm to yank him into an dark empty studio off the hallway, shutting the door behind them as he shoves her into it. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to do this during work," she protests, although she seems to be making no attempt to stop the hand that's trying to hike her dress up.

"And I'll be happy to stick to that when you don't shove your chest in my face and wriggle all over my damn lap in front of everyone. I couldn't get up for half an hour."

Alex throws back her head and laughs throatily. "Well sorry sweetie, I didn't realise I had such an effect on you," she teases.

"Bullshit," he growls.

She laughs again. "You know it."

Her dress is caught between them and the wall, and it's a ridiculously tight fitting little number that doesn't want to cooperate with his frantic hands. He curses under his breath as he yanks at it, while Alex makes quick work of his trouser fastening so she can shove a hand inside and wrap her fingers round him. He groans against her, struggling with the fabric as Alex shoves his trousers down his hips enough to release him.

"Oh hurry up," she moans as she starts to pump her hand up and down his length.

"I'm - trying -" In his utter frustration, Matt yanks roughly at the material and a loud rip is heard.

Both of them freeze, looking at each other in horror.

Alex pushes him away to inspect the damage, panicked when she sees that he's ripped her skirt practically in half, a huge tear making a split nearly all the way up the middle. "Fuck!" She swears, looking back up at Matt accusingly.

"…Whoops?"

"Matt!" She hisses. "How the hell am I gonna explain this!"

"Er…"

They stare at each other, both breathing hard and flushed. Despite the panic, desire is still thick in both their gazes. Alex is really cross with him, the clumsy idiot, but that doesn't seem to affect

how much her body is screaming for his to be inside her right now.

Matt moves first, slamming her back against the wall as their mouths meet again. "After," he gasps against her mouth as he drags up the now ruined dress. "We'll think of something after."

Unable to do much else, Alex nods.

She didn't come up with a very convincing lie, but Alex was so (genuinely) apologetic when she confessed to the costume department that she'd caught the dress in the loo door without realising and ripped it when she'd tried to walk away that it wasn't questioned. They told her not to worry and that it could be easily mended and she'd left it with them…unfortunately when she got back to the studio they wanted her to shoot some scenes right then, and so she'd had to tell the story to half the crew as well. It was embarrassing and she could feel her nose getting longer each time she told the lie.

Due to the lack of time, in the end the costume department had to give her another dress they'd made for the part but decided against using, it was roughly the same sort of design but made of a chiffon material with a flowing skirt instead of the tight silk one. She wishes she'd had this one on in the first place.

After the dress incident, Alex doesn't talk to Matt all day. He can tell she's really cross with him about it, although funnily enough it hadn't stopped her from shagging him senseless just minutes after it had happened.

She leaves before he even realises at the end of the day, and when it gets to half nine that night and she hasn't turned up at his trailer he accepts she's not coming. He thinks about going to her hotel but he doesn't want to just turn up in case she really is still mad and doesn't want to see him. So he fires a quick text to her, (Hey, want some company? X) crashing down on his bed and sighing heavily, hoping for a reply.

He's surprised when his phone rings a minute later with Alex's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey," he answers tentatively.

"Where are you?"

"Uh…my trailer. Why?"

She sighs. "I think we need to talk. Are you coming over?"

"I can. Thought you might not want me to…"

"Why not?"

"Well," he shrugs. "You've avoided me all afternoon. Thought you were cross."

"I am."

"Oh."

Another sigh comes down the phone. "Just get over here okay? I'll see you in a minute." She hangs up the phone.

When she answers the door he rakes his eyes over her form. She's in plain pyjamas and he doesn't

miss that she has no bra beneath the top. He looks back up to meet her eyes with a pretend pout on his lips. "No sexy underwear underneath those this time?"

She rolls her eyes and ignores his comment, closing the door behind him.

"Look Matt," she begins, and he turns to face her, realising she's serious by the use of his name. "We agreed this - thing - had to be kept out of work -" He opens his mouth to speak but she continues. "And I know, I know - today was partly my fault too -"

"Partly? It was completely your fault, you know what your teasing does to me," he protests, and she sighs, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, well, fair enough. But Matt you knew that was a costume - you should've been more careful, do you know embarrassing having to tell Steven I caught my dress in the loo door was?"

Matt snorts a bit, which probably doesn't help his case any.

"It's not funny," she snaps.

"It's a bit funny."

"It's not."

He grins, stepping close to slink his arms round her. "Is too."

She sighs, looking up into his face. "You are such a child."

He looks pseudo-offended at that. "I'll have you know I'm nine-hundred-and-eight - you're the child," he protests.

"Matt."

"River."

She gives a sound of annoyance, removing his arms from her to walk away, needing to put some distance between them. "We need to be serious for a minute here."

"I am being serious. I'm always serious. Especially when it comes to you - I'm very serious about how much I want you right now."

She blows out a heavy breath, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling in exasperation. "Okay. I think you should go."

"…What?"

"I'm trying to talk to you seriously and you won't let me so you might as well just go."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" He apologises quickly, moving over to sit himself down on the small couch, waving a hand at her. "Talk away."

She sighs and lets her shoulders slump, moving across the room to sit down on the other end of the chair, drawing her knees up and facing him. She lifts a hand to her mouth, biting her nails for a moment as she looks at him.

"Well…" Matt says when she doesn't speak.

She drops her hand to bite her lip instead and shakes her head then sighs loudly, and seeming to

make a decision, crawls over to him and leans forward to kiss him slowly on the mouth.

It hadn't been what Matt was expecting but he puts a hand on her hip and kisses her back. She strokes his cheek when she pulls back.

"We shouldn't do this but I don't want to stop," she whispers against his lips.

He grins at her then. "Me neither." And kisses her again, his tongue sweeping along her lower lip, but she pulls back again before he can go any further.

"We just need to be more careful."

"Yeah," he agrees, stealing another kiss.

"Really careful."

"Mmm hmm." He is wrapping his arms round her now, gathering her closer.

"Because we can't let something like today happen again."

His tongue traces over her clavicle. "No." "Because it makes for bloody awkward situations." "It's worth it," he grins into her neck.

Oh, she thinks, as he presses his body against hers, it's so worth it.

Chapter 7

They had her in that bloody costume again today. How was he supposed to concentrate on his job with her dressed like that? And he didn't miss how she wasn't throwing a dressing gown over it like usual when they had a gap between takes, despite it being a rather flimsy excuse of a dress and the studio having the air conditioning on full whack. He was sure she was trying to torture him.

It got to midday and he couldn't take it any more.

They are between takes, the crew is taking an age fussing with a piece of equipment, altering some lighting or something or other and so the actors in the scene are hanging around, chatting idly as they wait for another take. Alex is still comfortably situated on her bed of silken cushions, taking a swig from a bottle of water and texting on her phone.

Karen is talking to Matt but he can't rip his eyes away from Alex for more than ten seconds at a time.

"Hey look," he finally interrupts her. "Alex is on her own, let's go talk to her." It's a feeble excuse, he knows and he doesn't really know what he's intending to gain, he just can't be ten feet away from her for a second longer. She's driving him crazy.

He strides over to her with Karen in tow. "This looks comfy," Matt proclaims, leaping over Alex and literally throwing himself onto the bed next to her, making her bounce and yelp in surprise.

Laughing, Karen copies him, letting herself flop down the other side of Alex. "Oooh, it is comfy isn't it!"

"Um - do you mind," Alex protests as she puts down her phone, squashed in between them. "This is my set - go and get your own royal tent!"

As Karen laughs, Arthur calls her over to show her something and she jumps up and bounds away, leaving the two alone on the bed together. Alex mentally notes that this is probably not a good situation to be in but that doesn't seem to make her change it.

"You've got an easy job here haven't you Kingston?" Matt teases, lying back, pillowing his arms behind his head. "Lounging around on here all day while the rest of us are running about, in and out and all over the place. I want to be Cleopatra too."

Alex raises an amused eyebrow. "Didn't we already establish that you'd make an entirely ridiculous Cleopatra yesterday?"

He frowns, scrunching his nose up. "Well. Yeah. You can keep the costume. But I want a set like this." He motions to the bed they are on with a grin.

She raises an eyebrow. "You've got a Tardis sweetie. Stop complaining."

"But - you get to fly that too! So it's still entirely unfair."

"Oh, should you get to lie on this bed then, would that make it fair?" She teases back.

"Well - only if you're on it at the same time," he waggles his eyebrows stupidly at her.

She leans in to divulge; "I don't think the rating allows for that sort of scene my dear."

"Hmm, well it should."

She turns her head from idly watching Karen and Arthur to give him a suggestive smile, eyebrows raised.

He grins up at her and she turns back, settling deeper into the many cushions.

"Imagine that," Matt continues, his voice quieter now lest anyone hear a snatch of their conversation. "Doctor Who in porn."

Alex chokes a bit, having to take a drink of her water to muffle her laughter.

"It's very plausible really, how could he resist when he saw her in that costume? Just think, there could be a whole sub-series on what River and the Doctor really get up to on their adventures, filled with nothing but porn. "

"You are terrible," she accuses under her breath.

"Like you wouldn't be up for a bit of that," he growls quietly.

She glances back down at him, leaning in just a little to whisper, "Not in front of the cameras sweetie."

"Why not?" He grins back. "Wouldn't be anything new for you," he says cheekily. She gasps, slapping his arm again. "Shut up you! I've never done porn!" "Well - not far off it!" He laughs.

She gasps again, elbowing him sharply in the ribs and pretending to be offended, although privately rather loving the fact that Matt has seen that film, and wondering whether he watched it before or after he started sleeping with her. She turns away to watch what's going on around them, folding her arms in mock annoyance although a smile graces her lips.

A few minutes pass and neither says anything, Alex watches the crew fuss about with lights and wires, occasionally taking a swig from her bottle of water, while Matt reclines innocently on his back next to her, idly jiggling his foot in time to a song he has in his head.

Apparently he's not content to lie there innocently for long though, and Alex jumps a little when she feels a hand on her hip and whips her head round to glare at him.

"Matt."

"No-one's looking at us," he replies nonchalantly, edging the hand along, dangerously low on her body.

"They could," she hisses, removing his hand quickly and shifting a little away from him.

He shuffles himself backwards so he can sit up a bit, resting against the cushions next to her. He leans right in to her when she refuses to look at him, his eyes on their surroundings to make sure nobody glances over should they notice how questionably close they are.

"I want you," his voice is a low murmur, close to her ear, and it sends shivers all though her body.

She draws in a deep breath and speaks with regret. "Well you can't have me right at this moment sweetie."

"Why not?"

"Because," she tells him patiently in equally as low a voice, "we're on a set in the corner of a film studio filled with our co-workers."

"No we're not," he argues. "We're in a tent in ancient Rome. Have you been using that hallucinogenic lipstick on yourself?"

She laughs softly "I wish."

She feels his hot breath in her hair. "I'm sure nobody will notice, they're all busy."

"Oh, you think?" She laughs at the mental image.

"Well…perhaps they would." He pauses, grinning. "We could pull these drapes closed," he suggests.

"Oh yeah, because that wouldn't be obvious."

He laughs. "Damn."

She chuckles, and dares to briefly touch an affectionate hand to his thigh. "Later sweetie," she promises.

He pouts at her. "Keep the costume on?"

She bites her lip, smiling back at him. "Only if you wear the tweed."

"Anything for you."

"And the bowtie?"

He reaches up a hand to tug at it with a smirk. "You have my word."

"Good," she purrs, leaning in to him to murmur, "because I'm sure we can find somewhere better for it than round your neck."

He swallows at that as pure arousal shoots through his body. "Oh you are naughty."

"You love it."

"I love it."

"Right!" Both are jolted out of their little bubble by the cheerful voice of their director addressing Matt from across the set. "If you've quite finished flirting with Cleopatra shall we go for another take?" Everyone laughs, including Alex although she looks a little flustered, and Matt feels his face go embarrassingly red as he scrambles over her and off the bed, cursing the fact that he has to actually be at work right now, acting with his co-star, when where he really wants to be is on top of her.

Luckily for him, the remainder of the day at work hadn't gone too slowly, and by nine o'clock that night he finally had what he'd been desperate for all day in his arms.

Matt had wanted them to break in to the studio again to do it in that tent set, but Alex had bluntly refused, claiming that all this sneaking around and worrying about doing things they shouldn't be

in places they definitely shouldn't be was wrecking her nerves, ("I'm a lot older than you, you know, I could have a heart attack!") And so they'd stayed in his trailer.

Unfortunately for them, however, they'd neglected to lock the door.

This isn't something either of them realise, and is probably in the furthest part of both their minds as they attack each other's mouths, stumbling through the small space in some sort of attempt to reach the bed in the middle.

Alex shoves the tweed off Matt's shoulders, (true to his word, he'd snuck the Doctor's costume back to his trailer and donned it when she'd texted that she was on her way) and he yanks her long coat open to plunge his hands inside. He smirks against her mouth and pulls away to look down at her appreciatively. She'd kept to her side of the bargain too; her body is enveloped in that golden dress that had been driving him mad all day. He notices how she hasn't bothered with the ornate neckpiece and immediately decides the very low-cut dress is much better without it too.

"Where's the head-dress?" He grins at her.

She shrugs, smirking back. "Didn't think I could quite get away with stuffing that in my bag as well. You'd only ruin it anyway sweetie, I know how much of a hair-puller you are."

He chuckles, kissing under her jaw line as he slides a hand up and into her curls, letting them tangle round his fingers. "Only with you," he mumbles against her skin. "Can't resist this hair." As if to prove his point the tugs at it, tilting her head back to give him better access to her neck. She moans when he places an open -mouthed kiss there, his tongue swirling round the soft skin as he sucks on it gently, and then a bit harder. Her eyes fly open suddenly and she shoves him backwards, clamping a hand over the spot his mouth has just been.

"You better not have left a mark!" She warns and he laughs, pulling her hand away.

"No, I haven't, see - oh."

"Oh? Matt!"

"Oops…sorry," He grins at her, not looking sorry at all.

"Right, that's it!" Deciding he doesn't deserve to be in control anymore, Alex shoves him roughly, making him stumble backwards and fall onto the bed when his legs catch on it. Following quickly, she crawls up over him, sitting on his pelvis with a leg each side of his hips. His hands slide up her legs to squeeze her bum as she leans forward and she wriggles against him a bit, making them both groan. The kiss she gives him is all clashing teeth and demanding tongues as she grinds her hips down against him, and with him suitably distracted her fingers make quick work of the dark red bowtie round his neck.

She whips it off, and breaks from his mouth, allowing him only a second to look up into her dark green eyes before she covers his own with the piece of silk. She laughs to herself as she sees his eyebrows shoot upwards but doesn't miss the smile gracing his lips as she secures a neat knot behind his head. He settles himself beneath her more comfortably, grinding her down against him again with his hands still on her bum.

Taking his wrists in her hands, she pulls them away from her, pinning them by his sides before moving in to trail wet kisses down his neck.

"So," he drawls, "what are you planning to do with me at your mercy?"

He can hear the smile in her reply, "I'm your queen. I can do whatever I please with you."

"Oh, you definitely can," he growls.

Her kisses continue downwards as she quickly unbuttons his shirt and pulls it open. Her mouth moves over his chest as her nails scratch lightly at his stomach. She sits up then, grinding against the now very large bulge in his trousers again for good measure before taking one of his hands in hers. She guides it to her thigh and runs it upwards, sliding under the dress to graze over her bare hip. If he's surprised that she's forgone underwear he doesn't show it. She moves it upwards, over her stomach, shivering lightly at his warm hand on her flesh, and she presses harder when their hands reach her breast, moaning softly as his fingers lightly pinch her nipple.

"Can you take the dress off?" He asks, his voice low.

"No."

"Can I take the dress off?"

She slaps his chest lightly for that. "Cheeky. You can't speak to your queen like that."

"Ah but you're not really my queen are you. Hate to break it to you but your lipstick doesn't work on me, you little minx."

She laughs, dragging her nails gently down his torso. "Well now you're not playing, and that's not any fun."

"Well I can't even see you in that costume, so it's not any fun for me anyway." He pinches her nipple again.

"Oh," she purrs, leaning down to take his earlobe between her teeth, rocking her hips against him again. "It will be."

He grins, his hand still on her breast and his other gripping her thigh. "Well in that case - do with me what you will, your majesty."

She smiles, dropping one kiss to his lips before sliding down his body. "Oh, I intend to."

Playing as River playing as Queen Cleopatra probably should have been a lot weirder than it was.

Matt lies back beneath her, his fingers itching to reach up and yank the blindfold off, but she's clearly enjoying being in control, so he doesn't. He feels the weight of her shift as she moves down his body, her hands deftly unsnapping his braces and unbuttoning his trousers to tug them and his boxers down his hips.

Her mouth is the next thing he feels, and he shoots upwards into a sitting position, his hands grabbing fistfuls of her hair as with no warning she takes all of him into her mouth. She makes a sound of protest around him, the noise causing vibrations that make him moan but she doesn't remove him from her mouth to chastise him.

He is so painfully hard now that he throbs in her mouth, hissing when she drags her tongue along the length of him. It isn't long before he feels like he's on the edge of climaxing, but every time he feels that delicious tightening she releases him from her mouth to drop teasing kisses to the tip as she laughs lightly.

When she does it a third time he can't take it anymore and rips the bow-tie from his face, grabbing Alex and dragging her up to him so he can throw her down beneath him on the bed as she squeals in delight.

"That's quite enough of that," he growls down at her as he drags the dress up her legs, pleased to find her as wet as he is hard when he shoves a hand between her open thighs. "I think it's my turn my queen."

She gasps when he pushes straight into her, gripping his arms tightly as pleasure rolls through her. His shirt is still hanging off his shoulders so she yanks it off while he manages to work her dress up her body without pausing in his movements. Together they manage to get it off and onto the floor and his trousers and boxers are somehow shoved all the way down his legs to join them so they are both naked with nothing between them but a gathering sheen of sweat.

Alex lets soft cries spill from her open mouth as he moves in and out of her and he murmurs words of encouragement, telling her to say his name, so she does (Doctor,) over and over, all but screaming it when she finally comes. She hardly notices him finishing, her head still spinning from her orgasm as he thrusts a few more times before spilling inside her, holding her body close as he trembles with the pleasure.

Shifting her, he tugs the duvet out from under them and manages to throw it over their cooling bodies, dropping a kiss into her hair as she snuggles into him with a happy sigh.

They stay that way for long enough for the sweat to dry on their skin, and Alex starts to trace lazy circles on his stomach beneath the covers, knowing she should really think about going but reluctant to leave the warm body next to hers.

Matt's hand covers her own and creeps up her arm, slipping down onto her ribcage when it reaches her body, and around to copy the movements of her fingers on his stomach onto her breast. She smiles against his shoulder, shifting to slide a leg over his, and then he rolls, pinning her beneath him again with a glint in his eyes.

She smiles up at him as he palms a breast and then rolls his hips into her thigh and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Already? My, my darling, you've got more stamina than I thought."

Looking chuffed, he grinds himself against her again, nudging her thighs apart with his knees as he quips, "Super Timelord powers," and she laughs, because he's such an idiot.

He slips a hand down between her legs, running his tongue lazily over her collarbone and feeling the slickness coating his fingers build as he circles them around her entrance. Her breathing grows heavier and she hooks a leg up over his hip, pushing her head back into the pillows as she arches into his touch.

Neither of them hear the knocking at the door. Or the, "Matt, I know you're in there I can see the light's on!"

They do, however, very much notice a few seconds later when the door opens and a painfully familiar head of red hair pops in…

Chapter 8

Neither of them hear the knocking at the door. Or the, "Matt, I know you're in there I can see the light's on!"

They do, however, very much notice a few seconds later when the door opens and a painfully familiar head of red hair pops in…

"Ma -"

"Shit!"

"Oh my God, crap, sorry!" As fast as it had appeared, Karen's head vanishes, the door slamming shut.

Alex and Matt stare at each other in horror as Karen's voice comes through the closed-again door. "I'm so sorry Matt, I thought you were alone in there! Ugh, sorry…I'll just, uh, go…sorry."

Karen can be heard retreating and Alex lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"…Didn't she see it was me?"

"I…dunno. I don't think so…wouldn't she have said something?"

Alex bites her lip a moment. "Yeah. It's Karen. She would have done. She must not have seen me…"

"Oh God," Matt groans, rolling off Alex to lie on his back, the mood now totally gone. "Now she thinks I'm cheating on Daisy."

Alex lifts her head to frown down at him. "You are cheating on Daisy." Looking up at her, he bits his lip. "Well - I know, but…you know what I mean."

Alex lets out a long breath, flopping back down, her heart still racing. "Fuck. I can't believe we forgot to lock the fucking door."

Matt runs a shaky hand through his hair. "I know. So much for being more careful."

They lie there in silence for a few more moments before Alex sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and reaching for her clothes. "I'm gonna go."

"What? Are you mad, you can't go now!"

Scooping up her dress she turns to frown at him. "Why not?"

"Karen will see you! She'll be watching like a bloody hawk for someone to leave my trailer!"

Seeing his point, Alex slumps. "Oh."

Matt's phone beeps and he leans over the side of the bed to root around for it before pulling it out of the pocket of his jacket on the floor.

"It's Karen."

Hardly daring to ask, Alex says, "what does she say?"

He opens the message and holds the phone so they can both read it.

Um, awkward! I am so sorry - why didn't you lock the door idiot! Jeesh. K xx

Having shuffled herself back to lean against the pillows and the wall behind the bed, Alex watches him as he taps away at the phone.

"What are you saying?"

He doesn't reply as he types out the message before passing the phone to Alex.

Kaz, please keep quiet about what you just saw. Sorry. Will speak to you tomorrow x

Alex nods and passes him the phone back so he can send the message. Her reply is quick and Alex leans over to read it with him.

Omg knew it wasn't Daisy, you would've said if she'd been coming down! So, who's the girl…? ;) xx

As both breathe a sigh of relief at the confirmation that she hadn't seen Alex, another text from her comes though.

And don't worry my lips are sealed, but you've got some explaining to do! :P x

Matt types a quick reply saying thanks and he'd talk to her tomorrow.

"Well what are you going to tell her?" Alex asks, worriedly chewing her lip.

"I dunno. I'll think of something."

Alex sighs heavily. "Brilliant. Well this is great, what am I meant to do now, I can't leave can I?"

How Matt manages to laugh after what just happened she doesn't know. "Nice to know you find my company so awful."

She rolls her eyes. "I need to go, it's already late and I've got to be in make-up at six tomorrow." Looking at him worriedly, she bites her lip.

Matt shrugs. "Sleep here. You can get up a bit earlier to run to your hotel and change in the morning."

Alex looks at him carefully. "I don't know, Matt…" She shakes her head. "That's…probably not a good idea…"

"Well, you go out there now and I'm telling you, she'll see you. Look just stay here - I'll sleep on the floor."

She sighs as she watches him get out of the bed, pulling his boxers on before tossing his pillow on the floor and grabbing a blanket off the bed. "Oh, don't be daft," she finally says softly, patting the empty spot next to her. "Here."

He hesitates before moving back over and replacing his pillow, slipping into the bed next to Alex.

She pulls the duvet over them, lying on her back next to him, shuffling to get herself comfortable.

"But if you spoon me, you will be on the floor," she warns and Matt chuckles.

"Got it."

Alex is jittery as hell in the morning. She'd had a damn lucky escape, as far as she was concerned, it didn't bear thinking about what could have happened had Karen realised it was her with Matt. She knew part of the thrill of this thing she had with him was the secret and the risk of being caught, but having actually very nearly been caught was a different matter entirely.

She makes her way towards the make-up department, paper cup of coffee in hand, when a voice she most definitely doesn't want to hear right now causes her to turn.

"Alex, hey! Morning," Karen calls out cheerfully as she jogs up to catch up with her, her own cup in hand. "Ugh, it's not even light yet, this is ridiculous. It's so unfair, the boys don't have to get up this early," she grumbles as they walk.

"Well, we have a lot more hair than them dear."

"Hmm. Although Matt's up - I just saw him."

Alex clears her throat. "Probably got to go over some lines or something."

"Yeah, probably, and - woah!"

"What?"

Stopping her with a hand on her arm, Karen looks at her with an expression of shocked delight. "Miss Kingston! What have you been up to?"

Alex looks at her in total bemusement.

Karen's eyebrows are nearly in her hairline as she laughs, reaching out to poke a spot on her neck. "I think you should check a mirror."

Alex pales as a vivid memory comes back to her. "Oh shit," she swears, feeling her face flush as she yanks at her hair to cover her neck, quickly carrying on walking while Karen laughs at her discomfort, hurrying along beside her.

"Oh my God, everybody was getting some action last night, what was it, something in the air?"

Alex doesn't look at Karen, so sure she would see it on her face, as she quickly answers with a high pitched, "What?"

Karen's eyes go wide as she realises she just gave something away. "Um, well, let's just say you're not the only one who got lucky last night…" She elbows her, giggling a bit.

"Er, what…who are you talking about…?"

The young redhead bites her lip, leaning in to Alex. "Okay I really shouldn't say anything - but it's just you so I'm sure it doesn't matter anyway but just don't repeat it okay?" She says so quickly Alex blinks.

"O - kay…"

She inches close again before whispering loudly, "Matt!"

Alex has never been gladder that she's devoted her life to acting as she is now; she feigns shock,

her eyebrows shooting up. "Really?"

"Yeah! Can you believe it, I thought him and Daisy were, you know," she links her fingers together. "But apparently not…he was with some girl last night in his trailer - really embarrassing actually I kind of accidentally walked in on them which is how I know but anyway I spoke to him this morning and he says he's thinking of breaking up with her, which you, it's sad but if it's not working out and it's obviously not then I guess it's the best thing to do…"

"He's breaking up with Daisy?" She demands, and she can't keep the shock or obvious amount of interest out of her voice.

Karen shrugs. "He's thinking of it yeah."

"When?" She demands.

"I dunno."

"Well, did he say why, I mean - has he spoken to her lately?"

Karen gives her a funny look and she knows she's showing too much concern.

"I mean," she quickly adds, "they just seemed so happy together last time she was here and he's never said anything…"

Karen nods. "Yeah, I know." She shrugs. "Obviously not."

"Hmm. So," Alex clears her throat and tries to sound casual. "Did you see who the girl was?"

Karen shakes her head. "No, I literally opened the door and saw naked people and shot back outside! I'm so never gonna get that image out of my head - Matt's bare arse is something I never wanted to see!"

Despite the situation, Alex bursts out laughing along with Karen.

"Oh my God," Still giggling, Karen covers her face. "So embarrassing."

"Don't worry honey," Alex says, touching her arm, "I'm sure it was far more embarrassing for Matt."

"Yeah!" Karen agrees. "And the poor girl! Oh God." She laughs again as Alex agrees, glad of those acting skills again.

Her laughter dying down, Karen gasps suddenly, slapping Alex's arm. "Anyway never mind Matt - who were you with last night?"

"Ah," Alex says, somehow managing to maintain her cool to smirk at the younger girl. "I never kiss and tell." And with a wink she leaves her to head into the loos, hearing her laugh behind her as she calls out that she was no fun.

Once inside the toilet - luckily it was a single loo - with the door locked, Alex yanks her hair back to look at her reflection and swears, immediately grabbing her phone out of her pocket and crossly scrolling through her phonebook.

He answers on the third ring. "Alex?"

"You wanna see what you've done to my neck you prick!" She hisses, examining the very obvious purple love bite on the side of her neck in the mirror.

"Er…what?"

"My neck! You bit me remember - it's purple."

"I didn't do anything to your neck," he grins, "I can't be held responsible for what the Doctor may or may not have done to River Song's neck."

"Stop it. This is serious."

"What happened to not talking about this thing?" He teases down the phone.

"I believe that falls under the same category as not leaving marks visible marks on each other that our co-workers will see!"

Matt's tone becomes serious at that. "Who saw?"

"Karen."

"Shit." There's a pause. "Did she -"

"No," Alex quickly says, propping the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she rummages through her bag. "By some bloody miracle she didn't put two and two together." She's relieved when she finds a powder compact and pulls it out.

"Well…that's good then."

Sighing heavily, Alex plops her bag and the make up down on the sink and turns to lean back against it. "It's not good…it was too bloody close for comfort."

She can hear Matt swallow down the phone. "I know."

"Karen said you're breaking up with Daisy."

"…Oh. Did she?"

"Well, are you?"

He sighs, she knows he's running a hand though his hair. "Maybe. Yes. I don't know."

"Matt." She bites her lip, walking towards him. "If this - what we've been doing, is making you feel like you should leave her…" she takes a deep slightly shaky breath. "I'm sorry - we - it can stop."

"What! No - no, no - it's not - you knew, I told you things haven't been going well with her lately before we -"

"But now you feel guilty don't you? And if it's something you could have worked out otherwise…" she shakes her head. "I don't want to be the reason your relationship breaks up."

"No, you're not. You won't be. Alex, it's not -" He breaks off, sighing loudly. "It's complicated, it's not to do with you."

But it was, she knew that, it might not have been before but it was now. Now that Karen knew it made it real. Because of this silly game they'd been playing, she doesn't think he'd even seen it as cheating on his girlfriend before…now that his friend knew…he couldn't deny it.

There is a long pause before Alex speaks, holding the phone tightly to her ear.

"Look, darling," she says softly, taking a deep breath before continuing slowly. "We can't do this any more. We're lucky enough that somebody hasn't found out or caught us already, and you… you need to try and work things out with Daisy. Without having to feel guilty about me."

"What? No, Alex listen -"

"Look, I've only got a couple more days of shooting left anyway, so…" she shrugs although he can't see her, trying to be nonchalant about it. "You know. It was fun while it lasted sweetie." She forces a smile.

She hears Matt clear his throat. "Yeah…"

"Okay?"

"Mm."

"Okay. So…we're good?"

"…Yeah." His voice is soft and there is a pause before he speaks again. "So we're just gonna pretend it never happened?"

"It didn't. It wasn't us, remember?"

He is silent.

"I've gotta go. Just…call Daisy, okay? Do it today, talk to her. Just…just talk to her."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"…See you on set."

"Yeah." She hangs up the phone, and turns round to slip it back into her bag…why are her hands shaking so much?

Taking a deep breath and telling herself she's done the right thing, Alex picks up the powder compact to set to work on her neck.

Chapter 9

Alex avoids Matt like the plague all day. She doesn't care if it's obvious, it would be more obvious if she tried to talk to him because she doesn't think she could. Luckily she doesn't have any scenes to shoot directly with him today…she's dreading tomorrow morning, she has to shoot her final scene set outside Amy and Rory's wedding with just him, and oh, there's tension and flirting and she doesn't know how she'll do it.

She watches Matt across the cafeteria clearly getting irritated with Karen at lunch time. She doesn't have to guess what they're discussing.

"No, I'm not telling you Kaz will you leave it alone!" She hears him say, his voice raised enough to carry over and she winces, watching as Karen laughs and continues to pester him. His eyes lift and catch her own and they both freeze for a suspended few seconds before she blinks and looks away, putting her plastic cup of coffee down and getting up to go outside.

She goes to bed early that night but doesn't find sleep for a long time.

In the morning she worries all the way through hair and make-up. This is why they never should have started that thing they had in the first place and she'd known it - now it was over and it was awkward and she doesn't know how the hell she is going to act with him like nothing is any different today. This is why it had been a stupid idea from the start and she'd been a fool to think that because of their little agreement it could be otherwise.

When she finally walks on set Matt is already there, but both make a point of busying themselves talking to other people so they don't have to interact with each other before their scene. How is she meant to do this, she thinks frantically as she sneaks a glance at him, and wishes it were any other scene but this one. Of course, it wasn't like they actually had to do anything - or even touch each other at all for that matter but the dialogue called for heavy amounts of eye-contact and teasingly flirtatious tones…and she didn't think she could look into his eyes and do that now.

Everything set up, they get into position as directed, and she nods and listens to what the director says, trying to take it all in. Damn it Alex, get a grip, she tells herself. This is her job for God's sake, of course she can do this.

She can feel Matt's eyes on her as her hair is fussed with but she doesn't dare look at him. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself into character.

Action is called and she steps forward. "Did you dance?" She speaks the words carefully, smiling a little. "Well. You always dance at weddings don't you?"

Matt pauses and then turns…and as soon as his eyes lift to hers and that half-smile comes to his lips she doesn't know what she'd been worrying about.

They play these parts like they'd always played them, and why would it have been any different? Here, now, they're River and the Doctor, and oh, they'd always worked so perfectly together. They run through the scene smoothly and easily and Alex feels a calm come over her as she acts with him.

The director calls for cut, tells them that was perfect but they'd do a couple more takes just to be sure. They smile at each other as equipment is re-set up.

"It's your last day." Matt finally speaks.

She shrugs, folding her arms. "I know."

He gives her a sad smile and looks down at his feet, shuffling a bit.

She tilts her head. "Gonna miss me sweetie?"

His eyes lift to hers and he looks a bit surprised. He nods. "Yeah. I will." He licks his lips. "Will you miss me?"

She looks at him a second before, just like she'd spoken moments ago in her scene, she says softly, "Yes."

Matt opens his mouth and looks like he's going to say something but the director calls for them to take their positions again and the moment is gone.

The scene is wrapped up by mid- morning, and by the time it's done with Alex feels as comfortable with Matt as ever. After the ice had been broken they'd chatted easily between takes and she strolls with him now towards the café, laughing and shaking her head as he badgers her about who her mysterious character really is.

"I'm not telling you Matt, you haven't got it out of me yet I'm hardly gonna let it slip the day before I go am I?" She teases.

"But you're leaving today."

"Yes and I'm taking this secret with me." She says smugly.

He makes a sound of frustration and she laughs. She's glad things are back to normal. It feels like it did between them before they started all that they had. She's glad to be leaving on easy friendly terms.

They both grab some lunch and sit down at a table together, Alex sliding into the seat opposite Matt and opening her sandwich. She glances up and catches Matt looking at her and looks away, taking a bite. When she looks up again to find him still staring she pauses. "What?"

He sighs, shaking his head with a smile and starting on his own lunch. "Nothing. I'm just gonna miss having you on set. It's not the same without you."

She raises an eyebrow but chooses not to comment.

He nudges her foot under the table with his, leaning back in his seat and smiling at her. "What am I going to do without my River Song?"

She laughs a little, rolling her eyes. "Oh, you'll be fine dear. You have Amy."

He waves a hand in dismissal. "She's no good. She can't fly the Tardis."

"You hate that I can fly the Tardis."

"Nah, I only pretend to hate it 'cause I love it, really."

She laughs softly, shaking her head, as she wonders at it coming so easily, them slipping into these roles. Then she realises that it's probably because they've spent so much time in them together lately…off set as well as on. She clears her throat as she realises where her thoughts are taking her

and quickly takes a sip of her drink.

Matt laughs and she looks up at him. "What?"

"You've gone red."

"No I haven't!" She replies in dismay, feeling herself go even redder.

"I hope those naughty thoughts are about me," he grins smugly, and she could just slap that look off his face.

"There are no naughty thoughts, Matt Smith," she scolds adamantly. "Okay." He says but he grins at her and she rolls her eyes. She kicks him lightly under the table. "Oh shut up."

Their eyes meet again and she's reluctant to look away - but is jolted quickly out of the moment by a pair of arms wrapping round her and Karen's loud voice whining in her ear. "Don't go Alex! You can't leave me here alone with these two losers!"

She laughs as Karen sits down next to her and Arthur plops himself down on the other side next to Matt and the four fall in to easy conversation over lunch.

It's sad to be finishing up later that day, she'll miss everyone but she knows she'll be coming back so it's not so bad. She hugs Karen and Arthur, and all the members of the crew she's close to, and she's wished a safe flight and told to take care. Matt isn't there when they leave, he's working late tonight re-shooting a scene on his own they wanted to change a bit, and it's something Alex hadn't known before or she would have said goodbye to him at lunch.

It's this reason that brings her to his trailer late that evening, knocking on the door and waiting, shivering a bit in the chilled air.

He opens it in a t-shirt and joggers with his hair all over the place and she can't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Alex." He looks surprised to see her and she wraps her arms round herself, feeling like maybe she shouldn't have come. "You…did you…need something?" He asks hesitantly.

She shrugs. "I'm all packed. Leaving first thing in the morning…I just came to say bye before I went."

"Oh." He nods and then stands there for a pause. "Do you want to come in?"

"No, no," she shakes her head. "It's okay, just…thought I should say goodbye, I didn't get a chance on set, you were shooting when I left."

"Oh, okay." He forces a smile onto his face, scratching the back of his head. "Well, goodbye I suppose…"

She nods. "Yeah."

They look at each other for a moment before Matt's face suddenly cracks and he lets out a laugh, hopping down the steps with an, "Oh come here," before pulling her into a hug.

She smiles, laughing a bit too as she wraps her arms round him and hugs him back tightly.

"Take care of yourself, Kingston."

"Yeah, you too. Behave." She rubs his back lightly.

"I always behave," he grins into her hair.

"Yeah right," she laughs.

They stand there in the embrace for a little while, possibly surpassing the length of time a friendly hug would usually last. Alex finally goes to pull away but Matt holds onto her for another second, surprising her when she feels a kiss pressed into her hair and "Bye, Alex," whispered into her ear. She smiles and drops a chaste kiss to his neck.

"Bye, darling."

He pulls his head back enough to grin and lean back in to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you next season."

Another smile. "Yeah," she says, but still neither pull away. She sees Matt's eyes flicker down to her lips and she swallows, involuntarily copying the movement and seeing him lick his lips. She searches his eyes, before glancing down at his lips again, memories of a hundred kisses so recent flicker through her mind, and she meets his eyes again and then -

Then she's kissing him, and he's kissing her, and their arms slide tighter round the other as their bodies press close together again.

Alex whimpers into his mouth, clutching fistfuls of his t-shirt in her hands as she opens her mouth under his, kissing him deeply and passionately.

Matt pulls away with a gasp. "Inside," he gasps out, eyes darting frantically around for anyone who might have seen. "We need to -"

She nods quickly and he turns and hops up the steps, pulling her up after him and into the trailer where he slams the door behind them, pushing her roughly against it and kissing her again.

She allows it for a moment before she shoves him back with a gasp of her own. "Wait, wait," she pants out, looking into his lust-filled face. He stares back at her, breathing as hard as she is, his eyes searching her own frantically. Her heart is pounding and adrenalin is coursing through her veins. Her insides are on fire, desire flooding her body settling in a delicious burn low in her abdomen, sliding down to tingle between her legs…and how is it he does this to her - with just a kiss?

Oh damn, she's going to miss this man.

She shouldn't. They shouldn't. He had a girlfriend and, and…

But - fuck it. It would only be something they'd already done many times, and she was leaving tomorrow so what bloody harm would it do - it wasn't going to make any difference to anything now.

When she realises she's been staring at him in silence for a good few moments she takes a deep breath.

"What is it?" He asks softly.

She bites her lip.

"What?"

"Oh…Doctor." She finally says. "I'm not going to see you for five months." She shakes her head, smiling sadly. "I'm going to bloody miss you, you mad idiot."

Elated, he smiles back. "I'll miss you too."

Biting her lip again, she steps closer to him. "…give me something to remember you by?"

She doesn't't have to ask twice.

Chapter 10

It had been two and a half months since Alex had left the Doctor Who set and she was enjoying a bit of time off back in LA with her daughter when she'd last spoken to Matt. She hadn't seen him, of course, him being back in England, and they hadn't spoken at all until the one phone call she hadn't been able to stop herself from making.

She'd heard about him and Daisy splitting up and she knew she had to speak to him - she'd only called to ask how he was doing, because he was a good friend and she did care about him…but somehow the conversation had gone seriously off-track and by the time she finally got off the phone she'd lost half her clothes and was panting and covered in a sheen of sweat.

It had been Matt's fault, sliding into Doctor-mode when she'd asked how he was and what he'd been up to and giving her an enthusiastic account of the planet of nudists he'd just taken Amy to. She'd laughed her head off down the phone, called him an idiot repeatedly while he'd spoken but had stopped laughing abruptly when he'd told her in a suddenly quiet voice that he missed his River. To be fair, she probably didn't help matters by replying with a suavely murmured "I miss you too sweetie," but once she'd said it that was the flood gates opened and there was no going back.

The minute it was over and she'd put the phone down with a kiss sound through the receiver to him, she couldn't believe what she'd just done (phone sex, really? How old was she?) and realised how lucky she was that her ten-year old daughter watching telly downstairs hadn't heard her.

She didn't call him again.

Now it was another three months on and the morning of the read -through for the first episode of the next series. She'd been so looking forward to getting back to this job, she loved working on Doctor Who. She loved the people and the atmosphere and the exciting things she got to do and she couldn't wait to see everyone again. But she knew really she was most looking forward to seeing Matt, although she wasn't going to actually admit that to herself.

She enters the room they were using for the read -through to see it already mostly full, everyone talking and smiling. Her eyes scan the room and there he was, chatting loudly and happily to Karen and Arthur, everyone clearly cheerful and buzzing to be back together again. Alex crosses the room with a smile and drops into the seat on the end of the long table next to him. His back is to her and he's so wrapped up the joke he's telling that he doesn't notice her sit down until she leans in and purrs a "Hello sweetie!" In his ear.

She laughs as Matt jumps and whips round in his seat, his face lighting up when he sees her grinning at him.

"Hey, it's the Kingston!" Arthur exclaims loudly and Karen squeals a greeting, leaping up form her seat to rush round and hug her hello. She hugs her, Arthur and Matt happily, perhaps holding on to Matt a bit longer than the other two, and then calls a greeting over to everyone else who is pleased to see her.

"Oh," she beams happily as she stirs her coffee, "it's so good to be back."

"I know," Karen agrees. "And oh my God have you heard," she exclaims, from the other side of Matt, waving her script at Alex. "We're actually going to Utah to film this!"

"Karen!" Arthur elbows her. "You're not supposed to say - nothing's confirmed yet."

"Oh yeah but it's Alex," She nudges him back, rolling her eyes. "Alex can know."

"We don't even know for sure," Arthur explains to Alex who is looking at them in surprise. "We haven't actually been told anything, Karen just overheard Steven talking to Dave this morning."

"Wouldn't it be cool if we did go though?" Matt grins at her.

"Yeah," she agrees, nodding as she flicks through the script. "That would be something."

Everyone eventually settles down and Steven stands to greet them all and welcome everyone back as well as introduce a few new cast members who are guest staring. He chats a bit about the episode, and the upcoming series, and with the speech taken care of, they begin with the read-through.

Alex bounces off Matt as she reads her lines, settling back so easily into being River Song she feels like she's never been away. She knew she was going to enjoy this one when she'd been sent the script; there's lots of flirting between River and the Doctor and who better to flirt with on screen than Matt? It comes to easily to them and she feels herself grinning as they play their characters.

"Did you do something?" Matt reads off his script, shooting a glance up at her. "No - just watching."

She smiles at him as he says his next line enthusiastically, rambling about setting the Tardis to invisible - he was always so good at the jargon.

He pauses for her to murmur, "Very nearly."

And he looks up at her again to ask - "Did you touch something?"

"No. Just admiring your skills sweetie." She grins over at him and he narrows his eyes.

"Good. You might learn something."

She quirks an eyebrow and watches him fight off a smirk to continue.

Oh the sexual tension in the air between them is so blatant she can hardly believe everyone else couldn't sense it.

She smiles as they go through the scene, snorting a bit when the part about the Doctor walking into the invisible Tardis is read because she can see it now, and it's something Matt would do as easily as the Doctor.

"I'm your new undercover agent - the Doctor," he's saying next to her. "And these are my top agents; the legs, the nose…and Mrs. Robinson."

Everyone laughs genuinely at that one, including Alex who composes herself enough to say, "I hate you."

Matt grins, catching her eyes in a sidelong glance. "No you don't."

Alex is still chuckling, bringing her script to her face. "I do actually," she says. "Cheers Steven."

Steven, along with the rest of the room all laugh again, and nobody hears when Matt leans in to Alex just a enough to mutter through a grin, "S'alright, I've always thought the whole Mrs.

Robinson thing was kind of hot."

She elbows him, scrunching her nose up at him. "Oh shut up you."

"Make me."

She raises her eyebrows. "We're not at that part yet, darling."

He grins suggestively. "We can be."

"Oh you," she whacks him on the arm with her script. "I meant in the script, you prat."

"I know."

"You -"

"Right, okay," Steven's voice calls above the laughter and chatter that's arose. "Shall we continue ladies and gents?"

They commence again, And Alex enjoys herself thoroughly, flirting with the man next to her through their lines.

With the script nearing the end, Alex takes a sip of her water but nearly spits it out when she suddenly feels Matt's hand on her thigh. She coughs, forcing the mouthful of water down and Matt's hand leaves her leg to pat her back, a taunting smile on his lips as he teases for everyone to hear, "Don't choke there Kingston. I'm the one supposed to be dying in this one."

She laughs it off, taking another drink but she glares at him when nobody's looking, which he pointedly ignores, and then she glares at him some more when his hand returns to her thigh.

She follows the script with her eyes as she subtly slips a hand beneath the table to grab Matt's wrist, trying to pry his hand away from her. He only grips her leg tighter, a smirk on the corners of his lips and she knows she can't struggle to yank it away without being obvious.

"Stop it," she hisses out of the corner of her mouth at him which he ignores. She shifts in her seat, trying to wriggle away from his touch and he ignores that too. It's her line and she has no choice but to leave the hand where it is, brining both her own back to the script in front of her.

"All clear, just tunnels down here. Give me five minutes I want to take a closer look."

Matt speaks his own lines, one hand in his hair as he bends over his script, giving no indication that the other is beneath the table feeling up the woman next to him. Alex swallows as he runs his hand over her leg, slipping round to her inner thigh and dancing over her skin through the material of her skit. It skirts down to her knee and Matt clears his throat and leans forward to shuffle his chair closer to the table, using the movement to reach down and get his hand on the bare skin beneath the hem of her skirt, ending just at her knees. When he straightens and brings his hand back up to her thigh again it's underneath the material and she feels her breathing increase, cursing her decision to wear a skirt today.

She manages to say her next line despite the fingers that are now drawing circles on her skin, edging steadily up and round the inside of her leg and she shifts in her seat again, fidgeting uncomfortably and hoping Matt will get the hint.

He doesn't, or he does and he ignores it, running those fingertips up her inner thigh all of a sudden to press them firmly against her shamefully damp knickers. She bites her lip, a whimper nearly escaping as she shifts about again, clamping her legs together in an attempt to stop the movements

of his hand but realising this only traps him against her core which he's now rubbing through cotton material.

"Stop it," she hisses quietly again, shifting to kick him in the shin as hard as she dares without it being obvious, but she quickly realises her mistake when the movement causes her legs to open and he wastes not a second in shoving the material of her knickers aside to slide his fingers through her wet folds. She curses the skimpy underwear she'd chosen today and bites down so hard on the inside of her cheek as his fingers search and find her clit that she tastes blood. His fingertips flick briefly over the little nub and she nearly gasps, quickly taking a drink of water and trying to remember to breathe evenly as she stares intently down at her script lest anyone see her red face.

She isn't taking in the words in front of her as the piece of description is finished being read and jumps when Matt hisses, "Alex, line!" under his breath next to her.

"Oh! Er…" She quickly scans the page for her next line and speaks the words hurriedly, her voice shaking slightly. Somehow she manages to say her lines with Arthur, not taking in anything either of them are saying as Matt's fingers slip down to slide inside her and - hell she has to stop this now!

She reaches beneath the table again to grab his wrist, trying desperately to pull it from her but he's strong when determined and the hand doesn't budge, his fingers slowly stroking her inner walls. She yanks at it again, trying to wriggle away and -

"Alex?" It's Arthur, and she's missed her cue.

"Oh - sorry, uh -"

"Are you alright?" Karen asks, looking at her funny and she's forced to let go of Matt's wrist, bringing her hands up to push back her curls and force a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, um…"

Arthur repeats his line for her and she quickly recites her own, trying to force her voice to sound normal as beneath the table, Matt's talented fingers continue to do incredible things to her. She turns the page as Arthur speaks and oh fuck she has half a page of dialogue to recite and he knew and he's timed this on purpose the bastard!

"What did you mean?" Arthur says. "What you said to Amy - there's a worse day coming for you?"

She takes a deep breath, begging her brain to detach from her body and she begins to read. Matt's fingers curl against her inside and his thumb slides up to press to her clit and her breath catches, making her stumble on a word before clearing her throat and pretending to cough before plunging on. She bends over her script, head in her hands as she lets her curls fall round her face to hide it from view as she all but races through her words, feeling her voice get higher but unable to stop it. She takes a deep breath when she's finally done, realising abruptly that she hasn't remembered to do so while she's been speaking.

"Wait -" Steven pauses before reading the descriptions following her speech. "Alex, this is River's life, and it's tragic. Key point in the episode - that needs to be slow and with feeling."

Forced to look up, she nods quickly. "Right, sorry," she gets out.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

She is relieved when he nods and continues without asking her to repeat it and she can see Matt's shoulders shaking with the effort not to laugh next to her and she hates him a bit more. His hand hasn't stopped in it's movements and he is increasing the pace now and the pressure of his thumb on her clit and a small gasp escapes her as she shifts in her seat.

She feels that familiar hot pressure build, the promise of a release causing everything low in her body to tighten and oh God, oh God, if he gives her an orgasm here in front of everyone like this she will bloody kill him!

"Line," he reminds her under his breath, and she quickly finds it and reels it off, and oh shit she's getting closer and stop, stop, stop! Screams the panicked half of her mind while the other shouts over it, oh! Don't stop, don't stop! And oh at least the scene has changed at the attention is not longer on her, but fuck if he doesn't stop in a minute it's most definitely going to be on her again, and he presses that bit harder -

She flies to her feet, shoving her skirt down as she does so and forcing Matt to yank his hand away from her before anyone can see as she blurts out, "Sorry I - I feel sick, I - scuse me, sorry!" And she turns and flies from the room as everyone stares after her.

Karen speaks up after a short pause of surprise. "I thought she looked a bit off, poor Alex…"

Many agree and Matt clears his throat, pushing his chair backwards. "Shall I go and make sure she's alright?"

"Yeah, yeah go and see if she's okay," Steven nods, waving him off. "We'll take a five minute break from reading everyone, I wanted to talk about this scene on page twenty-three anyway…"

Matt strides from the room as Steven talks, waiting until he's safely out the doors before letting the amused grin crack onto his face. Alex whips round as he enters the corridor, she is standing just a few feet away, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily with a hand to her chest.

"That's not funny!" She hisses angrily at him as he strolls up to her. "You prick! God you nearly made me -" She breaks off and he laughs.

"Oh I know," he grins and she looks so angry and frustrated and turned on all at the same time that it sends a wave of heat coursing through him.

Before he can say anything else she grabs his hand and yanks him through the door to the loo behind her, slamming it shut with her back against it and pulling her skirt up to unceremoniously shove his hand into her knickers. Her fingers press his own against her slick heat, and she is so wet from his previous stimulations that he groans aloud, pressing himself against her as she pushes his fingers frantically down into her, shaking with her desperation for release.

She'd been so close before he only has to plunge his fingers into her a few times, grinding the heel of his hand hard against her clit before she comes, shattering around his hand, her own pressing tight against it as she cries out in pleasure. Her hips rock against his body as she rides out her orgasm and the sight and feel of her in his arms (here again finally after so long) have caused his own body to react and he groans, grinding his pelvis against her.

Alex takes a few more moments to catch her breath before she pulls both their hands from her knickers and looks up into his eyes as her skirt drops back down. She lets her gaze flicker downwards, pointedly glancing at his obvious erection before looking back up at him and letting a wicked smile grace her lips. Mistaking that smile, Matt grins back and grabs her hips to try and

drag her against him again but she ducks out of his arms quick as a flash, and with nothing but a cruel wink and a "Ta sweetie!" She slips out of the door and is gone.

Mouth agape, Matt stares at the closed door, alone in a disable toilet three doors down from the read-through he was supposed to be at, and hard as hell.

Oh…payback was a bitch.

Chapter 11

"I'm so sorry everyone, must have been something I ate," Alex apologises as she slips back into the room and slides into her seat.

"Ah, Alex - you alright?" Steven addresses her with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry about that."

"No, no, long as you're alright."

"Are you okay?" Karen leans over to ask quietly. "Were you sick?"

"Mmm, but I feel fine now."

Karen looks at her dubiously.

"Honestly," she says brightly. "Must've just eaten something funny."

The redhead nods then realises something. "Where's Matt?"

Alex pretends to look confused. "Matt?"

"He went out after you to see if you were okay…"

"Oh, did he? I didn't see him. He must be looking for me."

Karen rolls her eyes and takes out her phone. "I'll text him."

He doesn't reply to Karen's text and doesn't answer when she rings him. He appears nearly ten minutes later, looking a bit flustered as he plops into his seat, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry - I got lost," he laughs nervously as he apologises to everyone and Karen elbows him and calls him an idiot. He makes a show of asking Alex if she's alright now although his eyes are glaring and accusing when he looks at her and she has to muffle her laughter in her cup of water.

Matt knocks on the door of her hotel room that evening. How he'd even found out where she was staying she had no idea. He has that floppy hair and ridiculous grin on his stupid face when she opens the door.

"Hi honey," he beams. "I'm home."

She raises her eyebrows. "And what sort of time do you call this?"

"Well." He smirks and they look at each other for a moment before Alex rolls her eyes.

"Oh…" She says, reaching out and grabbing him by the arm. "Get in here."

He presses her to the door as soon as they're inside but she stops him with firm hands on his chest.

He looks surprised, stopping to tilt his head as he looks down at her. "What?"

She shakes her head, moving away from him to put some distance between them. She speaks

quietly. "We shouldn't do this, Matt…" The sentence is weak, as is her resolve and she knows it.

He sighs. "Why not? I'm single now, Alex, it's not like this could hurt anyone…"

"I know but, it's not that. It's just work and our roles and…I just don't think it's sensible."

"You didn't seem to mind earlier," he says cheekily and she glares at him because yes, it was a game earlier and despite the fear of somebody noticing (or maybe because of it) she couldn't deny it had excited her - but with the rest of the day to brood she'd had time to get cross about it now.

"What you did earlier was stupid, and reckless, and immature and thoughtless and -"

"And it turned you on," he grins.

"- And it could've gotten us both fired Matt, for fucks sake."

He laughs. "Why would they fire us?"

"Because we were at work - and bloody hell could you get any more unprofessional! - And I like this job Matt, and I like being River Song and I like you being the Doctor and I don't want to lose that…"

Seemingly unaffected by her rant, a slow grin comes to Matt's face. "I like being the Doctor too," he says as he stalks towards her.

"Ma-att," she whines in annoyance, putting her hands on his chest to stop him advancing any further.

"And I like you being River." He tries to lean in to kiss her with a grin but she leans back, struggling to keep to her point.

"Don't, come on." She tries as he backs her into the side of the sofa in the middle of the suite. "We need to -"

"We need to get naked," he interrupts, sliding his arms round her waist. "Immediately."

She shakes her head, curls bounding round her face as he leans into her, bending her backwards as she tries half-heartedly to keep him at bay. "No."

"Yes."

"Matt!"

"River!"

"Alex."

"River."

"Stop it!"

"Make me."

She shoves at him but he shoves back, toppling her over the arm of the sofa and sending her down onto it with a squeak, her hands clutching at him as she goes to tumble him down on top of her.

She huffs loudly, glaring up at his smug face. "I hate you."

He grins, and repeats his words from the script they'd recited earlier that day; "No you don't."

She glares at him and he looks right back and they stare each other down for a moment before both burst into simultaneous laughter.

Alex shakes her head as her laughter dies down, shifting herself into a more comfortable position under him. She sighs heavily, reaching up with a hand to brush his mess of hair back from his face. "It's inevitable isn't it?"

"Yep."

Another sigh. "Oh, dear."

"Yes honey?"

She nudges him. "Idiot."

"You love it."

"Yeah, I do."

She lets him kiss her then, finally, and oh, it feels so good to have his mouth on hers again after so long. Their bodies press close together and his hands slide up to tangle in her hair as he moves his mouth slowly and sensuously against her own. She can't help but moan when his tongue slides against hers and he kisses her like he has all the time in the world.

When they part for air Alex realises she has slid a leg over his hips and he's nestled between her thighs, his hands still wound into her curls while hers have found their way under his shirt. She is panting a bit, and Matt's face is flushed with desire.

"Alright." She murmurs in defeat, running her hands up the smooth skin of his abdomen. "Just don't ever pull a stunt like you did today again." He opens his mouth to reply but she pinches his stomach and interrupts. "And if you say 'you loved it,' I will hurt you."

He closes his mouth with a cheeky smirk.

"We need to stay professional at work." She tells him and he nods to that. "And this doesn't affect anything else." He rolls his eyes at the words he'd heard before.

She pokes him lightly. "Alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, meaningless sex right?"

"Right."

"Good." He grins again. "Now can we get naked?"

She laughs and pulls him against her, pressing a hot kiss just under his jaw as she hums, "Mmm hmm," against his skin. She presses another kiss there before finishing with another thought; "And just…don't call me Alex."

He grins into her neck. "Not a problem."

His mouth moves down over her collar bone, nipping and kissing as he drags her top upwards. She lifts herself off the sofa to let him pull it over her head and he wastes no time slipping his arms beneath her back to unclip her bra and tug it from her so his mouth can continue kissing down her

chest. He groans against the soft skin of her breasts, pressing a kiss in between them. "Oh bloody hell…I've missed you, my River Song."

Alex smiles down at him, arching into his mouth when he turns to take a hardened nipple between his lips, her hands threading into his hair. "Mmm she's missed you too sweetie," she hums in delight, knowing that she'd missed River as well - she'd missed playing the character in general but she knew that even more than that she'd missed being her like this, here with him - with her Doctor. Oh - she'd missed this.

"Me too," he mumbles against her chest and she realises she'd said the last thought aloud.

His fingers skim down her stomach to undo her jeans and she sits up to help shove them down her hips, letting Matt take over in peeling them off her legs while she goes for his shirt, yanking it up and over his head. Dropping the jeans on the floor, he quickly rids her of her knickers too and slides off the sofa to kneel on the floor as he kisses his way back up a smooth toned leg. Reaching her thigh he pushes her knees apart so one leg hangs off the side of the settee while the other rests against the back. Alex lets herself fall backwards again as his kisses continue up the soft flesh of her inner thigh.

"Oh God ," she groans, the muscles in her thighs clenching in anticipation when she realises what he has in mind. She is positively dripping with desire when his mouth finally reaches it's goal, and he laps at her, letting his tongue slowly delve into her hot folds.

"Say my name River," he murmurs against her, moving his head back a little way to breathe hot air onto her, making her gasp.

"Doctor," she obliges, letting the word roll off her tongue, her voice thick with lust and he groans loudly, lunging forward to cover her with his mouth again.

She says it over and over as he pleasures her with his mouth, and her thighs are quivering within minutes; he doesn't even have to use his fingers, the pressure of his hot skilled tongue on her clit is enough to send her over the edge, screaming the name again.

He looks pleased with himself when he moves back up onto the sofa to hover over her, unbuckling his belt and undoing and shoving his jeans and boxers down in one go. Alex wastes no time in slipping a hand down to grab hold of him, giving him a little squeeze before stroking her hand up and down his length. He groans. "See what you do to me?" He mutters hotly, his lips inches from hers.

Alex lets her other hand slide up to his neck, and notices it's trembling fiercely, so crazed with desire for him, and she smiles. "The same as you do to me, my love," she says softly, bringing his mouth down to her own. She tastes herself as she kisses him, the flavour on his tongue making her moan, wrapping a leg round his waist as she arches up beneath him, her hand still stroking him.

Pushing it gently away, Matt shifts his hips to settle between her legs, grinding himself against her and making her moan loudly again into his mouth when the movement rubs her sensitised clit. She breaks from his lips; moving her hands down to clutch his bum tightly, pulling him into her as she begs, "Now, please - inside!"

Matt complies, sinking into her, both their eyes sliding shut as he does so and they both moan out their pleasure at being so deliciously joined. He hums contentedly into her hair as he moves inside her, thrusting deeply and steadily. "You feel so good, sweetheart," he moans, the term of endearment making her heart jump a little in her chest and she grinds her hips up harder into his in response.

It had been too long for both of them, that they'd gone without this, and now being back with him like this it felt better than it ever had. She shifts beneath him, lifting her legs against his hips to let him in deeper and she gasps when he thrusts against that spot inside her, grinding up harder against him.

"Oh River, River, River," he chants into her hair as his rhythm increases, his voice thick with lust. "I've missed you."

"Sweetie," she pants out. "Right there, don't stop!"

Matt slips a hand down between them, his weight leant on his other elbow beside her head and his fingers push through her slickness to press against her swollen clit, ripping a cry from her throat. She comes unexpectedly; suddenly shattering around him with another scream, nails digging into his back while her other hand clutches a fistful of the cushion behind her head. His fingers don't leave her clit, the sharp twinges of pleasure sending shocks through her body as he draws her orgasm out, still thrusting inside her, getting close to his own release now.

She feels the light start to fade from behind her eyes but he is still there, still touching her in the most delicious ways and before she's even climbed down she feels herself rocketing towards another climax.

"Fuck!" She swears, thrusting up against him madly, her hand gripping the cushion so hard her knuckles turn white and she flies off the edge again, twisting underneath him as she rides the waves of pleasure.

Matt is pumping into her fast now, she realises when she stops spinning, sweat trickling down his face, his eyes dark and focused on her, his forehead crinkled as he bites his lip in that way that means he is so close -

And then his hand is there again, a fingertip pressing to her clit, rubbing it in time as he tilts his hips hitting her just right inside and oh God, how could she be…again!?

He comes with her this time, roaring something incoherent into her neck as he shakes, and she shakes, and she doesn't even know her own name and she thinks she might die from so much pleasure.

If it's possible to black out from an orgasm, Alex thinks she might have done because the next thing she's aware of is Matt slumped on top of her, both of them finally totally still except for the tremors still coursing through their heaving bodies.

"Shit," she swears, gasping for breath as she comes down from her high. "What the hell was that!" Lifting his head, Matt smirks down at her. "I believe I just gave you a multiple orgasm."

She pants, and manages to roll her eyes. "I know what it was - and you don't have to look so smug about it." She quivers lightly beneath his heaving body. "But God. How did you even do that?"

"It's a talent," he grins against her neck. "I have been around for nine hundred years you know, I've picked up a few skills."

"Mmm you certainly have, sweetie," she mumbles back, too exhausted to bother with telling him he's an idiot.

"How many was that? Three? Four if you count the one before the end."

"Alright, alright," she grumbles, getting a bit self-conscious. "It's been a long time okay, stop it," she giggles, feeling herself flush a bit.

He lifts his head to look down at her again then. "How long?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Five months."

His own eyebrows shoot upwards. "You haven't been with anyone since -"

"Well I didn't say that," she quickly interrupts with a smirk (although no, she hadn't, but this was complicated enough without her admitting that to him) "I meant this darling," She gives him a wicked grin and slips a hand down to pinch his backside cheekily, "- a long time since I'd had my Doctor between my legs."

"Oh," he laughs it off with her but she thinks there is maybe a brief flash of something she can't identify across his face.

They fall silent, and she lets her mind be blissfully blank as she focuses on nothing but breathing and the feel of his body against her own. Unfortunately the post-coital bliss can't last forever and she eventually realises her leg is going numb, squashed against him and the back of the chair, and his elbow is digging into her ribs.

She shifts underneath him. "Come on," she says softly, patting his back affectionately. "I've got pins and needles darling."

"Oh. Sorry," he mumbles, clambering off her and dragging his boxers and jeans up, sitting back on the chair to do them up as Alex shuffles herself upright next to him. She sits there a moment, not bothering to get dressed herself as she idly watches him scoop his shirt off the floor and start to tug it over his head. She sighs and gets to her feet, stretching languidly.

Matt pauses with his t-shirt half on, his brain shutting down at the sight of her naked body on full display in front of him and she bites back a laugh. "Careful sweetie, you'll catch flies," she teases, reaching out to nudge his jaw shut with a finger. She gives him a little wink before turning and walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow," she calls over her shoulder, trusting him to let himself out as she wanders off with a shower and bed in mind.

Chapter 12

Alex paces the floor of her hotel suite, phone held tight against her ear with one hand, the other clenched in a fist by her side.

"Look, Florian don't try and tell me what's best for her - you've got no right to say - what? No! No…well that's because - what? She loves it, you know she does, she loves coming over here… I'm her mother, of course she should! No - you stop it, don't try and tell me how I should run my life, It's nothing to do with you - she's happy, it's not…Florian - will you - don't shout down the bloody phone at me, It's not my problem you - Florian! …What? …How dare you; you've got no right…"

Alex's voice cracks on the last word, she'd been holding herself together since he'd started having a go at her twenty minutes ago but hearing him practically tell her she was a bad mother was the final straw.

"It's my job, Florian!" She shouts back, "I'm not thousands of miles away from her by choice! It's not like it's permanent I'm only over here for - alright - alright, that's it, I can't bloody talk to you when you're yelling at me like tha - what - yeah? Well me too! Goodbye Florian."

Hanging up the phone, Alex throws it across the room in a fit of rage, choking out an angry sob. How dare he - that bastard, how dare he tell her she was being a bad mother to her daughter - she loved her daughter more than anything in the bloody world and he knew that, how could he say those things?

Slumping down into the sofa, Alex buries her face in her hands and lets herself cry. He'd struck a chord, which is what he'd intended she was sure, but that didn't make the things he'd said hurt any less. It had been a good day as well until her ex-husband had called, they'd had meetings and discussions on the upcoming episodes and everyone had gone out for lunch together and she'd had a lovely time and was just thinking how nice it was to be back in the UK and working on the programme again and Florian had had to ruin it.

Picking up a cushion she flings it at nothing, wincing when it knocks a cup off the coffee table and it hits the floor with a thud, thankfully not breaking.

A knock on the door of her suite startles her and she lifts her head, hiccupping back another sob. Whoever it is knocks again and she ignores it, hoping they'll take the hint and go away. She was in no state to be sociable with anyone.

"Alex?" Matt's unmistakable voice comes through the door. "It's me."

She closes her eyes and doesn't reply, in the hopes that he'll think she's out.

"Alex? I know you're there, I heard a noise."

She sighs, swearing under her breath as she wipes at her eyes. "What is it?" She calls out.

There is a pause. "I just…uh…can you let me in?"

She swallows. "Not…not now. I'm busy, sorry."

He pauses again. "What? Can you just open the door?"

"No, it's…not a good time…"

"…Oh. Well…shall I come back later?"

She shakes her head although he obviously can't see her.

"Alex?"

Oh just go away, she thinks, feeling more tears spill down her cheeks.

"What? Alex, just let me in…" He whinges, and snapping she flies to her feet and marches over to the door to fling it open.

"What, Matt?" She demands. "I said this was a bad time!"

Matt falters in shock, staring at her red eyes and tear-stained flushed cheeks.

He opens and closes his mouth for a few seconds before lifting a hand to run it awkwardly though his hair. "S - sorry, you're…are you okay?"

She avoids his eyes, wiping crossly at her cheeks as more tears spill down them. "I'm brilliant. What do you want?"

"You - I…" He gulps, fidgeting awkwardly. "Nothing, just…to see you…" He scratches his head, his hands wanting to reach out to her but not knowing quite what to do. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head, still not looking at him. "I'm fine." "Alex…"

She glances up then, seeing his wide eyes intent on her face and she sighs, sniffing. "I'm sorry, darling," she says, her voice softer and quiet. "I didn't mean to snap. But I'm really not in the mood right now so it's best you just go, alright?" She moves to close the door but Matt stops her with a hand held out.

He shakes his head. "I can't go, you're upset…" He says awkwardly.

"It's nothing, dear. Doesn't matter. I'll be fine." She tries to shut the door again but finds him still stopping her.

"Tell me what's upset you," he pleads gently.

She sighs heavily, looking upwards to try and fight the tears that fill her eyes again. "I just had a disagreement with Florian that's all."

"Oh." Matt's face softens in understanding. "About Salome?"

She nods, wiping at tears again. "Started that way. It wasn't really that important he just…knows how to hurt me."

"Oh." He says again. He stands there uncomfortably for a minute as she cries silently in front of him, not really knowing quite what to do. He could go, like she'd asked him to, it wasn't really any of his business anyway but he'd feel awful just leaving her alone when she was so obviously upset. But then, she clearly hadn't wanted him to know she was upset, and was it his place to do anything? What the hell did you do when you'd accidentally found the co-worker you were screwing having an emotional breakdown in front of you?

Swallowing, he decides he couldn't just stand here and watch her cry anymore and he moves into

the suite, letting the door shut behind them as he takes her by the shoulders.

"Come on," he says gently, guiding her across the room to sit her down on the sofa. He puts the box of tissues in front of her and moves over to the kitchen area in the corner. "What do you want, tea, coffee? I can make a brilliant hot chocolate but I need marshmallows for that and I bet you haven't got any."

"What? What are you doing?"

"Boiling the kettle. Where are the mugs? Ah - never mind."

"Matt…that's very sweet of you but you really don't have to." She tries to choke out a laugh but it comes out as more of a strangled sob. "Comforting me isn't part of the 'meaningless sex' deal."

He rolls his eyes, plopping two teabags into two mugs. "No, but it's part of the 'friend' deal. How many sugars?"

Friend? Was he? They got on well on set but it was all tension and flirting, and the only reasons they'd ever socialised out of work were to shag each other's brains out…she didn't think that added up to friendship in her head.

But she sighs, and "One," she says weakly because she can't be bothered to argue or think about it now.

They are silent as he goes about making the tea, and she accepts it with a small, "thanks," when he passes her a steaming mug before sitting down on the other end of the small sofa with his own.

They sit quietly together for several minutes, Alex sips her tea and fiddles absently with the tie on her robe as the conversation she'd just had plays through her head again. She sees the tears dripping onto her hands before she realises she's crying again. She sniffs loudly and Matt glances up, biting his lip in concern and wordlessly handing her a tissue.

She mumbles a thick 'thanks,' taking it to dab at her eyes and nose. She huddles herself up closer round her mug of tea and sniffs again. She's glad Matt doesn't ask if she wants to talk about it, and she thinks it's probably because of that that after a little while she begins to speak quietly.

"I know he only says what he does to hurt me and I shouldn't let it, but, it's just…" her vision blurs and she's forced to give another sniff. "He's just jealous. I know he just doesn't want Salome over here because she always loves being on film sets with me so much, and he hates that she might have a better time with me than him. It's stupid. We should both want her to just be happy; we're both her parents…"

Matt seems to know that she doesn't really want a reply and all he does is shift himself on the sofa a bit so his body is turned towards hers, his eyes on her steadily as he listens.

"But then I know that it is hard for her, moving around so much, and missing such a lot of school and changing tutors and everything…but I can't change my job, he knows that. It's just…" she sighs, giving a little hiccup and another sniff and Matt finally speaks.

"Is she coming over soon?"

Alex nods. "She's supposed to be flying in on Thursday, so we'd have the weekend together before filming starts on Monday. She was gonna stay for a month."

"But he doesn't want her to?"

Alex shakes her head in confirmation. "He says it's not fair to keep uprooting her. And that she's happy enough over there without me…" these words make her eyes fill rapidly with tears again and she lets out a little sob this time, pressing the tissue to her eyes.

There is a pause before, "Sod the tea," Matt says suddenly, standing up and taking it off her, ignoring her opening her mouth in wordless protest. He plonks the cups down on the side before moving across the room and opening the mini-bar in the corner. He selects and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniels and grabs two glasses from the cupboard. "This is what you need."

Despite her mood, she manages a weak smile when he pours a small measure into a glass and hands it to her. She sips at it, wincing a bit but welcoming the burn as it slips down her throat.

An hour or so passes, and Alex's tears dry, the whiskey (and maybe Matt's presence too) soothing her emotions and letting a calm settle over her. Her tops up her glass a few times, filling his own as well and another hour, then two passes until it is well past midnight.

Matt still sits by her, leaning back comfortably, her feet in his lap as she stretches herself across the sofa.

They are still talking, he is so easy to talk to and it's strange because she doesn't think they have ever really talked like this properly before, without the teasing and playful flirting, without the joking or banter. This is the first time she's had a deep conversation with him, and she is surprised to find how easily it comes.

Matt tells her about Daisy, he'd begun as a distraction for her own woes and to show her he could sympathise with relationship agony but had quickly found it was actually good to get out some things that he'd struggled with, and she listens carefully as he tells her about how and why the relationship hadn't worked out.

He asks about Florian and she tells him a lot, things she'd hardly told anyone before about her second marriage, and in the back of her mind she wonders why she's telling him of all people these things but it feels so easy and right to do so. From that subject she finds herself moving on to tell him about Ralph and how much pain that break-up had caused her, she thinks she might be talking too much about her problems but Matt doesn't seem to mind, he just watches her speak, his eyes intent on her like every word is of great importance to him, and he asks her quiet questions, commenting gently on things she says.

"It tore me apart when Ralph left me, I was nearly suicidal," she admits quietly, glancing up to catch Matt's eyes and continuing when she sees the genuine concern with the shock there. "I actually got in the bath with a knife one day and, you know, I was going to do it…suppose I'm lucky I didn''t have enough guts to go through with it." She gives a short bitter laugh, taking another sip of her drink.

Matt's jaw has fallen open and he gapes at her wordlessly for a moment. She shrugs. "Everyone thinks I'm a strong person but I'm not really. I just play strong women." She smiles a bit, nudging him with her foot when he continues to stare at her. "That's all behind me now; it was years ago, I can't imagine being in such a bad place again."

"Shit, Alex," he finally speaks, his voice hoarse.

She shrugs again and he just looks at her.

"Come here," he finally says, holding his arms out towards her. She can't help but crawl towards him, falling in to his embrace with a content sigh, letting him fold his arms round her and drop a kiss to the top of her head. Her mind is blank as she lets him cuddle her, aware only of the steady

rise and fall of his chest and his soothing heartbeat next to her ear. Stoking her back lightly, Matt slips a hand beneath her top to smooth over her bare skin but there is nothing sexual in the touch and she snuggles deeper into his arms with the warm hand on her back.

They don't speak anymore, but neither feels the need to. Alex feels so comfortable and content with him wrapped round her like this she finds her mind blissfully blank, the whiskey has given her a pleasant fuzzy feeling in her head and she feels tired like she could fall into the most comfortable sleep right now.

She hums softly and Matt sighs heavily, his breathing slowing steadily. The last thing she remembers thinking is how perfectly his lanky arms envelope her form before she drifts into blissful unconsciousness.

Chapter 13

Matt is gone when Alex wakes, still on the sofa but with a pillow beneath her head and a duvet covering her. She blearily gropes around for her phone and blinks at the screen until she can make out the time, bolting upright in surprise when she does. Eleven am.

But then, she supposes, she and Matt had stayed up for hours last night, the last time she remembers glancing at the time it had been two-thirty in the morning and they'd talked long past then.

Talked. She and Matt had stayed up all night…talking. Well, that was a first. And what was even stranger was that not only had they been alone in a hotel suite all night and not ended up in bed together but there hadn't been a single sexual moment between them. Not a kiss, not a touch, not a flirty comment…not even a thought. But it had still been…lovely. She'd loved every minute of his company and felt more comfortable with him than she remembered feeling with anyone in ages. And she'd told him things, things she didn't normally speak about and he'd told her things and it had all felt so normal.

Why had he stayed? Why had he insisted on coming in in the first place, on letting her cry on his shoulder and making her tea and talking to her until she felt better? And not even sleeping with her at the end of it?

He was just being a friend. That was what he'd said, right? It felt almost strange to think of him that way but she supposed he was a friend, he was a good friend. Last night had just proved he was a better one than she'd given him credit for.

Still…it was a little strange. That they two were capable of such amiable companionship when all that had really been between them before were hot sparks and sexual tension.

She knows she should just be glad she'd had a friend who was there for her last night, but she can't help but feel uneasy about this. Complicated, complicated! Her mind was screaming. She couldn't afford to get too close to Matt, not when they were using each other like they were. She'd already missed him like hell when they hadn't seen each other in the break between filming, although she'd talked herself into being okay with that one by deciding she missed the whole cast and crew and generally just being on the show just as much.

She bites her lip as she goes about making herself a coffee. She shouldn't have let him in last night, what if it had changed things between them? They had a meeting that afternoon, just the main cast members in the episodes with Steven and the director so she would see him then and what would she say to him now?

Maybe she was blowing it out of proportion; she had always been such a worrier about things. Matt had been a friend to her last night and she was glad of that but it didn't make things any different - and, she decided firmly as she sat down with her mug, she would damn well make sure of that later.

Walking into the room, Alex curses when the only seat free is next to Matt, knowing he'd made sure it was that way. She didn't want to sit with him today - and not only because she didn't trust the smug git after the little incident during the read-through.

"Hey," Matt greets her with genuine pleasure to see her on his face when she sits herself down.

She says hello to him and everyone else and busies herself pulling her script and a pen out of her bag.

"How are you?" He asks, watching her.

"Fine," she says brightly and shortly.

He leans in a bit and lowers his voice. "You sure?"

"Course," she chirps, not looking at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He opens his mouth to reply but Steven interrupts, calling for quiet so the meeting can commence.

Alex can't concentrate on a word that is being said, all she can think about is the man sitting next to her, as she deliberately fills her head with dirty thoughts, feeling the heat radiating off his body, his arm just lightly brushing hers, thinking about how good that body feels pressed to her own, how much she wants him right now, what she's going to do when she can get him -

She jumps a little when Steven says her name and looks up in surprise.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"What do you think?"

"…About…?"

He looks at her oddly. "The scene."

"Um…" Alex feels herself flush and curses Matt, quickly glancing over to see what page his script is open on and hoping he's paying attention where she hasn't been. "Yeah, well, I mean, it's…"

"Of course we'd get the stunt double to fall, but I just thought it might be a fun way to have River escape," Steven thankfully interrupts her and she quickly picks up on the subject.

"Oh - yeah. Yeah, no I like it, as opposed to her just getting shot like it's written down here?"

He nods. "And we have the same idea of her falling into the Tardis pool, but I just thought it might be a little more - well River like to have her throw herself off the building instead of falling after they shoot her."

"Yeah I like that," Mark who is playing Canton Delaware in the episodes speaks up. "Maybe we could have planned for her to just 'get shot' like the others but she has her own idea."

Steven agrees, pointing his pen at him. "Yeah - that's good actually Mark. River surprises him as well when she throws herself off the building, I like that."

Mark nods, grinning. "Just adds to the bewilderment he has about everything."

Alex nods from across the table, agreeing. "Definitely. Shows her trust in the Doctor too."

"Yes. And then see I think we'll add a couple of lines in here, let's see what page…"

Alex breathes a sigh of relief as she flips through her script, silently berating herself for her lack of focus even as Matt shifts next to her and his knee bumps against her own and her attention is brought crashing back to him.

When Steven calls for a half hour break and people wander off to get coffees and have fags, Alex

sees her chance.

She just has to get him alone first which could be a problem; Karen has plopped herself on the table so she can face them as she tells them excitedly about a night out she'd had a few days ago and Matt listens intently, laughing along with Arthur and asking eager questions.

Turning in her seat, Alex addresses him, interrupting Karen. "Matt darling, you haven't got a couple of quid I can borrow have you? I'm starving and I wanted to nip to the vending machine but I've just realised I've only got my card on me."

"Oh - yeah, sure." He roots in his pockets but she grabs him by the arm and stands. "Oh thanks, come and help me would you, I can never get it to work."

Matt raises an eyebrow but stands anyway. "You put the money in and press the button Kingston, it's not rocket science," he teases her.

She laughs a bit, cursing him for being a clueless idiot. "Yeah, but - it always jams for me…"

"Oh yeah," Arthur adds with a nod. "That one's a pain it wouldn't give me my Twix yesterday - and then I hit it and two Milky Ways fell down…"

Karen agrees, adding her own story as Alex turns to leave the room and Matt follows, clambering over his chair and nearly falling flat on his face as he hurries after her. She takes a sharp right once they're out of the room and heads briskly down the corridor.

"Er - the vending machine's the other way." Matt says as he jogs to catch up.

"Nope, it's this way."

"No, it's not it's -" He is cut off when she halts suddenly and glances around before opening a door and yanking him after her into an empty conference room. She locks the door behind them and grabs a befuddled Matt by the shirt, kissing him fiercely as she backs him into the large table in the middle of the room.

"Ughm God, what are you doing?" He gasps stupidly.

"Fucking you."

"…Okay."

She pushes him down onto it, climbing up after him to straddle his hips, yanking his top up and attacking the fastenings on his jeans. She covers his mouth with her own again, moaning deeply as she pushes her tongue forcefully against his and despite the un-expectancy of finding himself so suddenly in this position his body responds eagerly, his tongue meeting hers and his hands flying to her hips.

His hands slide to her arse to squeeze it through the thin skirt she's wearing and he breaks from her lips, his eyebrows shooting up as he realises something. As she sets to work on getting his trousers undone and shoving them down his slim hips Matt's hands skim down to the hem of her skirt so he can push it up and get his hands on the skin underneath to investigate further. He groans when, like he'd thought, he finds no material barrier and his eager fingers are able to plunge straight into her wetness.

"You had this planned didn't you?" He growls into her hair as she nips and licks at his earlobe. "Mmm hmm," she smiles against him, grinding down onto his hand as she gets her own round his

already hard length.

Alex lifts her head, hands either side of his head to look down at him all eyes full of lust, red cheeks and swollen lips. "Say it then," she prompts, smirking wickedly.

He grins up at her and moves his hands back to her arse beneath her skirt now to grind her down hard against him as he obliges. "You are a bad, bad girl."

She lets out a naughty little laugh, leaning down to kiss him again, briefly but thoroughly, stroking a thumb over his throbbing erection in her hand. He makes a strangled sound into her mouth and tries to thrust up into her but she lifts her hips, preventing him.

"Say my name," she demands against his mouth.

His eyes flicker up to her own. "River." It is a plea, his body aching to be inside hers but still she holds herself away, lifting her upper body up a bit now too, her hands braced on his chest as she hovers over him, her hand still round his length.

"What do you want Doctor?"

"You, now!" His nails dig into her bum as he tries to drag her to him but she resists.

"Tell me."

He swallows, trying to get his brain to work enough to make sense of what she wants. "I want you, I need to be inside you…ughhh do you want me to beg?"

She smirks but shakes her head, letting her hips drop down enough to slide herself over his length just once, making them both gasp before pulling back again. "Just tell me Doctor, tell me you want me."

"I have - I do -"

"Say my name."

"I want you River Song," he rasps desperately, finally getting it. "You bad girl you, I want you to let me inside and ride me…ugnh, come on, River, fuck me -"

His words are enough, and she finally presses his tip to her entrance and sinks down onto him, letting him slide deep inside her. She sits up and rocks her hips against him, circling them and grinding down hard, not wasting any time in building up to a hurried rhythm, her mouth open and head thrown back as she sighs with pleasure.

Matt groans beneath her, wishing she was naked so he could watch her glorious body as she rode him like this. His hands slide up from her bum, dipping into her curves and squeezing her breasts through her shirt before he quickly releases enough buttons on her shirt to get it open and get his hand inside her bra. She moans when he caresses the soft flesh, pinching her nipple lightly before cupping her whole breast in his palm and squeezing again.

Without pausing the motions of her hips, she leans down, pushing his hand from her bra to yank it down and draw her breast out, pushing it into his face. He obliges easily, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking it, swirling his tongue around the hard little nub and delighting in the cries he draws from her beautiful mouth. When she moves back he is forced to release her from his mouth but the loss is quickly made up for when her own mouth is on his instead.

He sucks at her tongue as he had at her breast, their teeth clashing as they kiss furiously, the pace

of their movements increasing as they both feel themselves building to an inevitable end. Alex alters the angle of her hips so her clit is grinding down against him as she moves and her mouth breaks from his as a gasp is ripped from her throat.

"Say my name," she begs again breathlessly, eyes squeezed shut as she feels herself getting closer.

"River," he obliges, gripping her hair to bring her ear down to his lips so he can mouth the lobe, breathing the name again. "River, oh River, you feel so amazing…River…River…"

It is enough to send her over the edge and she comes above him with a cry of "Doctor!", her walls contracting around him as her hips jerk wildly. She collapses down against him quivering, and with his hands gripping tight on the flesh of her bottom he thrusts up into her two, three more times before he finds his own release deep inside her, shouting his wordless cry into her hair as she lets out a sob of pleasure.

She drags herself off him as soon as her limbs will allow her to, climbing down off the table and tugging her skirt down before leaning over to tuck him back into his boxers and trousers, doing them up as she gives him a flirtatious smile up under her lashes.

"Come on sweetie," she says, holding out a hand which he takes, letting her pull him off the table.

He grins at her, smoothing down his clothes and hair. "You look far too pleased with yourself Doctor Song." He tells her.

She smirks as she sorts her own hair out, fluffing her curls up as she leans in to confide, "That's because I am," before giving him a wink and turning to stroll towards the door. She opens it a crack and pokes her head out, content then to step outside. She turns in the doorway, an eyebrow quirked when he just stares at her from where he's stood by the table.

"Coming?"

"I just did."

She rolls her eyes at his juvenile joke but can't help but smile. "Oh, shut up."

"Make me." He can't resist saying as he walks over to her.

"Don't tempt me darling, we'll never get back." She laughs as she turns to step into the corridor.

Mat grabs her round the waist, stopping her from walking away. "Let's not then," he breathes into her ear and she laughs as she shakes her head.

"Don't be silly. Come on," she tries to wriggle from his grasp but he holds tight to her and she can't bring herself to care that anyone could pop their heads out of the room they were supposed to be in just up the other end of the corridor and see them like this.

"I'm not being silly. I'm being serious, very, very serious." He punctures his words with hot kisses pressed to the shell of her ear and her heart skips in her chest.

She pushes her bottom back against him although she utters, "Oh stop it, we can't."

His hands splay across her stomach, pulling her back into him again. "We can. Come on let's go back to my hotel, we can spend the afternoon finding out how many ways you can shut me up… that sounds a lot more fun than going back into that boring old meeting doesn't it?" He grins against her ear as she gasps and she slips a hand behind her to grip his hip as he grinds her against him again.

Throwing her head back against his shoulder she glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

"That's terrible, we can't, you bad man," she chides in mock outrage, her voice a hushed whisper.

He turns his head to nuzzle her hair, breathing into her ear, "Oh come on, River Song, you know you want to…"

She giggles a bit and opens her mouth to reply when -

"Oh!" A voice from down the corridor makes them fly apart, both whipping round with wide eyes to see Mark standing outside the room, clearly having halted mid-step, his mouth open. "Whoa, shit. I'm sorry, I'll uh -" He turns to go back inside but Alex quickly stops him.

"Um - wait, I uh, we…this isn't what it looks like…" It's the oldest and lamest excuse in the book but it's the only thing that comes into her panicking mind.

Matt laughs nervously next to her, running a hand through his hair. "We were just…"

"Hey, look," Mark says, holding his hands up. "None of my business," he says with a small smile as he once again goes to open the door but pauses, turning to them again with a curious look on his face. "But seriously? You two?" He shakes his head. "Never would have guessed…although I can see it, now, kinda fitting." He grins, "The Doctor and River Song."

Alex is staring at him in mortification, her heart pounding. "Mark, wait - it's not - we don't -"

"Hey no worries," he holds a hand up again, smiling. "Your secret's safe with me." And with that he disappears back into the room.

Chapter 14

Despite their previous standings on the matter, Matt ends up being the one who has to persuade Alex back into the meeting room.

"No, we can't - I can't go in there now!" She spins halfway down the corridor, bumping into him as he tries to push her along. "Come on, you wanted to go back to your hotel, so let's do it -"

"Alex - we can't now. He's just seen us we're gonna have to get back in there."

"But I can't!" She yanks her arm from his grasp and refuses to budge, looking up at him with wide panicked eyes. "I can't go in there and sit across from him for another two hours - and oh God, Matt, what if he tells them what he just -"

"He's not going to tell anyone, he said he wouldn't." He rolls his eyes a bit and she wonders how the hell he can be so unfazed by this. It's terrible!

"But he knows, he knows that we - and he - Oh my God!" She covers her face with her hands, and Matt quickly pulls them away, grasping her wrists firmly.

"Stop it," he says. "You need to calm down Alex because we've got to go back in there." "No!"

"Yes, come on," he drags a resistant Alex towards the door. "Just don't worry about, okay, he's not going to say anything and it's really not that bad - he's only here for a couple of episodes it's not like Karen or Arthur or somebody found out."

"But - Matt we can't -"

"We can," He reaches round her and pushes open the door, nudging her gently in the back. "Go on, in you go."

Karen has seen her and she has no choice but to smile and cross the room to her seat with Matt following into his own.

"There you are," the redhead says, "How long does it take to use a vending machine! We were gonna send out a search party," she teases.

Alex goes furiously red because she can feel Mark's eyes on them from across the table and she wants to die.

"Yeah it wouldn't work," Matt answers her casually. "So we nipped down to the café and grabbed a sandwich." He checks his watch. "We're not late back are we?"

"Nah, Steven's not back yet anyway…Alex, you okay?" Karen peers at her with concern.

"Wh - what? Yeah, yeah I'm fine!" She splutters out, her voice a couple of pitches higher than usual.

"Are you sure? You look.." she waves a hand at her face, "all flushed - you're not still sick are you?" The younger girl leans over Matt to press a hand to Alex's forehead. Alex swats at it good naturedly, trying to laugh it off but feeling her face burn even hotter.

"I'm fine, honey. It's just warm in here." She fans herself to demonstrate her point and Karen continues to look at her a bit oddly because it really isn't particularly hot in the room. The redhead opens her mouth to say something else but Matt jumps in.

"Oh she's fine," he says, flinging an arm round Alex with a cocky smirk. "It just my presence that's got her all hot and bothered."

Mark coughs a bit from across the table and Alex forces out a laugh and ducks out from under his arm, whacking him with her script although she really wants to beat him over the head with it. Fucking prick! She curses him in her head as she feels her cheeks burn even more - this is mortifying enough without him saying things like that!

Karen laughs. "In your dreams, idiot face!" And Alex cringes even more.

"So," it's Mark, leaning over the table to address them and Alex feels her heart stop in her chest. "Did you guys hear that they're actually thinking of filming this in the states?"

Alex feels a great sense of relief wash over her and immediately decides that she loves Mark - of course he hadn't been going to say anything, and she feels ridiculous for the split second of panic she'd had but in its turbulent state, her mind is being irrational. Her eyes catch Mark's and she gives him a brief smile, silently thanking him for the subject change. She thinks he might have subtly winked back and she looks down at her script, smiling more. Bless the man.

"You heard that too!" Karen exclaims with a gasp, grabbing both Matt and Arthur's sleeves each side of her and bouncing in her seat. "Oh my God, I bet we are - where did you hear it from?"

"We don't officially know," Arthur points out, leaning in to the conversation. "Karen just found out by eavesdropping."

Karen swats him.

"Er someone…what was her name…Stacey, I think? In the crew mentioned it, I dunno where she got it from."

"Oh what! She knows everything," Karen complains. "I dunno how but seriously, anything going on around here just ask Stacy, she always has all the gossip. So - do you reckon we're really going then? I wonder why nobody's told us yet."

"Probably because it's not for definite yet Kaz," Matt elbows her.

Arthur nods. "Yeah it's probably a matter of budget."

"I'd be surprised if they did fly us over there," Alex decides to speak up, finally having felt her body temperature return to normal with the welcome excuse of something to talk about. "It'd be great but - it's never been filmed over there before has it?"

"The shows popular over there now though," Matt adds with a shrug. "Might help to, you know, widen the fan base."

Karen lets out a sound of frustration. "Ohh I just want to know! I've never been to America, it would be amazing!"

Luckily for Karen, she doesn't have to wait long to find out; after they have covered everything left to cover in the meeting and are about to go, Steven stops them all by saying he has one more small thing to tell them…It turns out to be the news that they'd decided to film in Utah and they're set to go the middle of next month.

Karen squeals, and Matt whoops and Alex claps along with everyone, a smile on her face. She hadn't thought they'd actually go but she has to admit it's quite exciting.

But as everyone gathers their things and sets about leaving, talking excitedly, Alex's mind is still mostly on what had happened earlier and she knows she needs to thank Mark, and, well talk to him, maybe try and claim what he'd witnessed was a one off. She moves to grab his attention but Matt distracts her, leaning in with a hand on the small of her back to ask her if him, her and his hotel suite still sounds like a good idea and then when she looks round, Mark is gone.

Alex sighs, turning back to Matt as she brushes a few curls out of her face. "Yeah, okay," she tells him, unable to reply otherwise when she's looking into those eyes. "I'll text you later then?"

Matt shrugs and tries to look casual (although he fails) as he throws his bag over his shoulder, strolling slowly with her from the room, his voice lowered enough so that only she can hear. "Or you could just come back with me now. I haven't got anything planned for the rest of the day… unless you're doing something." He quickly adds.

Alex blinks, and falters a bit, glancing at him oddly. "N-no…but - it's only early Matt…I should probably get something to eat and things first…"

Matt shrugs, and nods. "Yeah, yeah. Just thought…I dunno." Another shrug. "We could always just eat at my place."

"…Together?"

"Well. Yes."

She stops him with a hand on his arm, halting them in the middle of the corridor so she can look at him. Everyone else has gone now, and they are alone in the hallway. "Matt. What?"

"What?" He looks uncomfortable, scratching the back of his head.

"Why are you asking me round for dinner?"

He shrugs, frowning as he avoids her eyes. "Well I dunno. Just thought we could. Why not?"

"Why not?" She says, incredulous. "Because! - That's not what this is, you know that!"

"What? I just -"

"Just because you caught me in a moment of weakness last night it doesn't change anything - I thought I made that clear?"

Matt frowns at her. "I was only trying to be nice, just thought you might like to eat at mine instead of on your own - jeez Alex, it's not like I was asking you on a bloody date or something." He huffs, turning to start stalking away.

She bites her lip, suddenly feeling bad. "Matt," She says, hurrying after him when he doesn't answer. "Matt -" She stops him with a hand on each arm, making him face her. "Darling. Look, I didn't mean it like that, it's just…" She shakes her head. "It's just best if we don't… don't do things like that… okay?" She bites her lip. It's best if we don't get too close to each other, she silently adds, because that's what she means.

Matt sighs. "Yeah. Guess you're right…"

"So… shall I pop over later?"

He shrugs, shaking her off him. "If you want."

Alex frowns as he walks away, watching the hunch of his shoulders and placing her hand on her hip in indignation.

Well fine, if he was going to be stroppy about it and sulk off like a child - she just wouldn't go. This is why this whole thing is a bad idea Alex, she tries to tell herself as she does up her coat and follows after him, making no effort to catch up. Twenty years is a big difference and sometimes it shows. She's too old for this, she thinks, and last night had made Matt think this was something it wasn't... - and Mark catching them…well they were just lucky it hadn't been someone more important to both of them, she supposes but it was bad enough. And now this…she doesn't need all this. It's not worth it for the sake of a bit of good sex. Well…great sex. A lot of great sex.

…It still wasn't worth it. She wasn't going to go.

At ten forty-five that night, Matt's phone goes off with a text message.

Be there in five. You better still be up sweetie x

Grinning widely without realising it, he types a quick reply. He'd thought she wasn't coming, and he'd spent the entire evening telling himself he didn't care but he knew as soon as he got that text he'd been lying to himself.

I'm still awake. And I'll definitely be up once you get here x

Alex's phone vibrates with his reply as she walks into the lobby of his hotel and heads for the stairs. She opens the message and smiles down at the screen even as she shakes her head at her weak resolve letting her end up here again.

Well…it was really great sex.

Chapter 15

Salome had flown in three days ago, and Alex had enjoyed a lovely weekend with her daughter before shooting started on Monday. She held Salome's hand as she walked into the studio that morning, nodding and replying as her daughter bounced and chatted excitedly next to her.

Alex was only half listening to the story Salome was telling her, the rest of her mind was worrying about how the day was going to pan out; the first scene they'd decided to shoot was one in the abandoned warehouse involving her, Matt, Karen and Arthur and Mark. There was flirting between the Doctor and River. So she was going to have to flirt with Matt. With Mark there. She was not looking forward to it.

The flirting as River wasn't the problem, it was the fact that when River and Doctor flirted, so did she and Matt, with a far more serious undertone than anyone else around them realised, and usually the playful mood between them carried on between and after takes…but with Mark around, knowing…it was going to be awkward as hell.

Salome quickly sights one of Steven's boys and lets go of Alex's hand to dash across the studio to greet him. "Salome, behave yourself," she calls after her daughter, shaking her head. Sighing, Alex quickly scans the room, and feels herself swallow when she sees Mark over by the coffee machine. Taking a deep breath she makes her way over there. He moves off to chat to one of the crew and she grabs herself a coffee before following after him.

"Hey Mark, can I talk to you for a minute?" Alex asks quickly, placing a hand on his arm. Mark looks surprised but nods.

"Yeah, yeah sure." He steps to the side with her.

Alex sighs, fidgeting edgily. "It's just…what you saw the other day, well, thanks for not saying anything to anyone about it -"

"Hey no worries," he cuts her off. "Like I said, nothing to do with me."

"Yeah, but…I just want you to know there's…nothing going on…between me and Matt…I mean

there was," she quickly amends at his dubious expression. "But it - it was nothing, we're not…" "You're not…?" Mark prompts when Alex trails off awkwardly.

She flushes a bit, looking down at the cup in her hand. "You know, we're not together or anything, it's nothing like that it was just…a thing that just happened. That day…it's not…you know. It's nothing."

A small smile comes to Mark's lips as he raises an eyebrow. "Oh really?" "Yeah. It's nothing." She repeats.

"Oh okay…it's just that Matt said you were…you know, together," he repeats her words teasingly.

Alex pales. "…He what?"

He shrugs. "Yeah he came over first thing to thank me for keeping quiet as well and he just said, you know, it was complicated and that he'd be grateful if I didn't mention it to anyone, just because you both thought it'd be kind of difficult here if people knew you were…you know." He

offers her a smile as she gapes at him. "Don't worry about it, I'm not gonna say anything," he places a friendly hand on her arm. "And just for the record," he adds before he goes, "I think you two make a great couple."

Alex stares after him in horror, too stunned to say anything. Her shock fast turns to fury though and she whips round to scan the studio, quickly zeroing in on her target laughing in the corner with Arthur.

Draining her coffee and scrunching the cup up in her hand, Alex sets off marching across the studio, flinging the ball of plastic into the bin as she walks past it. She comes to a halt when she gets to the two men in the corner appearing to be having some sort of boyish squabble.

"Hey Alex," Arthur greets her cheerfully, letting go of Matt's arm. "Can you tell Matt to stop being an idiot and give me back my phone," he complains.

Alex moves forward and plucks the mobile from Matt's unsuspecting hand, handing it back to Arthur. "I could but it wouldn't do any good, he's always an idiot dear." She places a firm hand on said idiot's arm, turning an icy glare on him. "Can I talk to you Matt?"

Matt looks surprised at her abrupt tone. "Yeah, course, uh…"

She offers the other man a smile. "Sorry Arthur, this won't take a mo'."

"No, no, go ahead, idiot's all yours." Arthur claps Matt on the back and walks away, leaving them to it.

Matt looks edgy, noticing her less than amused expression. "Alright?" He tries cheerfully.

"No," Alex hisses, pulling him further into the corner and away from anyone who might hear. "No, I'm not bloody alright you twat - I've just had Mark tell me you told him that we were together! What the fuck, Matt -"

"Hey, whoa, wait…what?" He interrupts her, looking genuinely confused. "No I didn't!" "That's what he said! Did you talk to him this morning?" She demands. "Well yes, but I didn't say anything about us being -" "Well what did you say?"

"I dunno…" Matt shrugs and looks uncomfortable. "I just went over to thank him for keeping quiet. And I think I just mentioned that we didn't want anyone knowing, so you know, it'd be great if he -"

"What?" She demands. "Matt! You flipping idiot!"

"What? It's true isn't it?"

"That implies there is something between us!"

Matt looks baffled but laughs shortly. "There is, Alex," he says slowly, poking her lightly in the side.

She swats his hand away crossly. "No, Matt, there is not. Not between us. Not you and me."

Matt sighs harshly, looking away and running a hand through his hair. "No," he agrees quietly. "I suppose there's not."

Alex notices his tight jaw and her expression softens as she steps closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Darling, you know this is what we agreed - it's not really us, right?" She sighs, catching sight of Salome running round with her friend, laughing joyously. "I can't do this if it's going to get complicated…"

Matt doesn't speak and still looks ahead but she sees the movement of his Adams apple as he swallows. She bites her lip, rubbing his arm a little. "And I don't want it to stop because…" She sighs, stepping a bit closer. "I don't."

He turns his head to look at her then, his gaze intent as he searches her eyes with his own. All of a sudden, his face breaks out in a grin and he turns his whole body to face her, slipping his hands onto her waist. "Me neither."

Quickly, she bats his hands away, stepping backwards, her wide eyes darting round to check if anyone had seen. "Careful with those hands will you!" She hisses, purposefully looking away from him, pretending to watch what's going on around so to anyone who might glance over it appears they're having a casual friendly conversation.

"Sorry," he grins. "My hands have a mind of their own when you're around."

"Well you're going to have to keep them under better control; one person finding out is more than enough."

"I'll try," he chuckles a bit. "I'm not promising the Doctor's gonna be able to control his around River though..."

"Well he's gonna have to," she snaps, and then shoots him a flirtatious sideways glance. "She has a gun."

"Oh - I know."

She bites the inside of her cheeks to keep the grin off of her face. Why can she never stay cross with this man?

"Okay I need to go have a word with Steven about something," she says after a moment when she catches sight of him walking into the studio. "Can you just…talk to Mark?"

"What? Why?

"Matt - he thinks we're together - he thinks we're, I don't know, dating or something…look just - go and talk to him please - fix this!"

"Well what am I meant to say?"

"I don't know, you never normally have a problem talking - think of something!"

"Well, I suppose I could always tell him the truth…hey Mark, you know the thing with me and Alex, yeah, you got it wrong, there is no thing - River and the Doctor on the other hand, they're at it like -"

"Matthew!"

He laughs at her outraged expression.

"Grow up will you, this isn't funny!"

He forces his face straight. "Yes mum."

She smacks his arm, hard. "That is so wrong; you're such a prick sometimes." She complains as she starts to move away. "I'm not pissing around Matt," she warns him, "get over there and fix this - or River and the Doctor won't be at anything."

Matt rolls his eyes at her threat but nods, watching her turn and walk away with a smirk on his face. He loves how easy she is to wind up - he figures it's only fair, she's the one running circles round the Doctor, he likes that he can get his own back when they're off camera.

He manages to corner Mark before they start shooting, and he explains, somewhat awkwardly, that he's probably got the wrong end of the stick, and he and Alex had just had a one-time fling, and there was nothing more going on between them. Mark looks dubious but seems to accept what he tells him, apologising for assuming things and promising to keep it to himself.

They start the day with a couple of run-throughs before they shoot anything and he quickly finds River's flirting is in full force. Of course - the script had called for sparkling chemistry between them but he and Alex far exceed that - he's just glad he's a good enough actor that everyone else believes that the electric sexual tension is purely fictional.

Oh he'd missed this - acting with her. She is amazing, and he always loves playing the Doctor but when he is with her he almost feels like he forgets about the cameras and becomes him, because she is River Song, and oh he loves her. - It. He loved it. How she was River - that's what he loved. Them being this, and -

"What are you frowning about?" Alex asks with a little laugh and he jumps, whirling to face her too fast and losing his balance, stumbling sideways into a desk and knocking the flimsy prop so it topples off it's legs and crashes to the floor.

Alex snorts as Karen and Arthur and even several of the crew hoot with laughter and he goes bright red.

"Alright, alright!" He complains, scratching his head uncomfortably. "Make fun of the clumsy person." He grumbles as he bends down to pick the table top up.

"Oh God Matt, leave it," Alex begs with a giggle as he fumbles about getting it to balance on its side while he picks the table-legs up. "That's another disaster waiting to happen."

He scowls at her as a few of the crew come forward and tell him not to worry they'd sort it out and he backs away, leaving them to it.

"On edge are you, sweetie?" Alex teases.

"It's all the flirting with you Alex," Karen offers cheekily. "It's the most action he's gotten in ages."

"Oi!" Matt exclaims crossly but goes very red and sees Alex having to hide her own blush when he catches her eyes.

She covers it with a confident laugh, folding her arms. "Oh don't be so mean to him Karen." "Thank you Alex," Matt says, but she smirks and continues. "It's not his fault he was born with ears like that." "Hey!"

Karen shrieks with laughter, and he scowls at her along with Arthur and Alex who also laugh at him as he blushes redder and frowns crossly at them, glaring daggers at Alex.

He is glad to be saved by the director, clapping his hands loudly. "Right kids! Come on, playtime's over, positions please."

Alex, Karen and Arthur are still giggling as they take their markers and Matt sulkily claps his hands over the offending ears, which only proceeds to induce a new round of laughter.

They attempt to gain control of themselves as the director calls for hush but fail miserably when Arthur shuffles behind Matt and pulls his own ears out while making a ridiculous face and the three are off again, the two women clutching on to each other as tears spill down their faces.

Matt huffs. "Sorry I need the loo," he says grumpily, straightening his tweed jacket. "I'll be right back."

He marches off the set, muttering to himself under his breath. He gets halfway down the corridor and it sounds like the laughter is following him - he pauses and looks round - oh. It is.

"Hey!"

He tries to frown at Alex as she hurries up to him.

"What?"

She laughs again when she stops before him. "I was only joking, darling," she tells him with a grin, reaching up with both hands to pinch his ear lobes lightly. "I like your ears."

"Yeah, well." He grumbles, taking hold of her wrists and pulling her hands away from his head. "Cheers for making me the source of your amusement."

She giggles again, her wrists are still caught in his hands and she steps in closer, trapping them between their bodies. "Oh come on sweetie, don't give me that face," she pouts up at him.

He backs her up in response, pressing her against the wall and leaning in to her. "There," she purrs. "That's a better face."

He smirks and leans down to kiss her, still gripping her wrists tightly, pushing her against the wall with his body. She moans into his mouth, a pleased hum, and he has to force himself to pull back from her after a moment.

"You start this, I won't be able to stop," he warns reluctantly.

She raises an eyebrow. "You started it."

"Hush. Come on." He pulls her from the wall and starts back towards the set, dropping her hands and pinching her teasingly in the side as they walk. "You can make up for insulting my ears later."

Alex shoots him a grin and wink.

"Count on it, sweetie."

Chapter 16

Bloody hell, he missed her. Which was ridiculous really, Matt thought, as he sat in front of the telly in his hotel suite, when he was with her all day every day, but he hadn't seen Alex outside of work for five days, and it was killing him. It was perhaps worse because he saw her every day, and even worse than that, what he was doing with her every day - acting alongside her - was the one thing that always made him want her like crazy.

She was apologetic about the fact that she couldn't see him after work due to having her daughter staying with her but well, he felt like she wasn't as bothered by the fact as him. He understood, her daughter was far more important than him obviously, and it wasn't that it was just that…he missed her. And he didn't think she missed him. And that made him more on edge than it probably should.

He'd tried to corner her at work a couple of times, in the hallway between takes, outside the building at lunch, but she'd sweetly but firmly refused, claiming that her daughter was around somewhere, and there was no way she was risking her coming looking for her at the wrong time. He understood, but…he wanted her.

Today had been the worst; they'd finished with shooting the climax of the episodes, where they rescued Amy from the Silence, and the Doctor and River had flirted like mad as they danced circles round their enemy. Alex had been almost unbearable, her voice thick and sweet as honey, her eyes searing with naughty intention and her body…oh the way she sashayed around with that gun - and the last take they'd done, as they'd backed into each other, she'd actually rubbed herself against his back, throwing her head back onto his shoulder so when he turned his head her curls tickled his cheek…

He'd almost forgotten where they were that time. Almost turned round and thrown her to the floor and ravished her right there. Karen had hauled him from his illicit thoughts, interrupting with her line and he'd jolted back to his senses, forgetting his next line and stuttering for a moment, before excusing himself and dashing to the loos to relieve himself of the sudden problem Alex had caused to his lower body.

Thinking about her now, thinking about that moment today, he feels the same problem starting to arise (very literally speaking), and Matt picks up a cushion and muffles a shout of frustration into it. Just then, his phone goes off with a text. Sighing heavily he drops the cushion to pick it up and blink at the screen, his eyes lighting up when Alex's name appears. He taps open the message, daring to hope that maybe Salome was round at a friends or -

There was only two words in the text; Hello sweetie, x

Frowning at the ambiguity, Matt quickly fires one back. Are you free? X

Her response is quick but his heart drops a little when it comes through. Sorry, no. Wish I was though x

Can I call you? X, He quickly texts back.

No, Salome is in the other room x

Shouldn't she be in bed at this time?

She is, but she's a light sleeper x

We can talk quietly xx

I know what you have in mind and there'll be nothing quiet about it x

Matt grins at his phone, shifting to recline back on the sofa against the arm, as the noise of the telly fades into the background.

Don't tell me you weren't thinking it too x

Of course I was, that's why you can't call x

He is still grinning but he sighs at that, looking down at his phone as he bites his lip. He wants to tell her he misses her, so much it hurts…but he has a feeling she wouldn't react very well to that. So instead he compromises. I want you x

The next text takes a couple of minutes before it comes through. I want you too. I miss my Doctor xx

He is surprised at that, but pleased, and texts back quickly. I miss my River. You've been teasing me all day x

You gave as good as you got honey x

I always do xx

Oh, I know ;) xx

He swallows, contemplating whether to send the next one for a minute before he gives in and does. When can I see you? X

Her reply doesn't come for a good three and a half minutes. He knows, because he counts. Don't know. It's difficult at the moment. Sorry xx

He sighs heavily, knowing that 'it's difficult' meant Salome, and he feels a little guilty for asking her in the first place. Okay x He texts back, because he doesn't know what else to say.

Four minutes pass this time, before his phone beeps again. I wanted you today. In that warehouse…xx

He swallows heavily because he knows she is referring to the exact same time that he'd been just about ready to push her down and fuck her in front of everyone and it sends a thrill through him to know she was thinking the same things. I wanted you too, like mad xx

It's the gun isn't it? I knew it turned you on :P x

Can't resist a bad girl, especially one with a gun AND great hair xx

He imagines her giggle as she reads that last one and smiles when her reply comes through. Lucky for you I can't resist a man with a sonic screwdriver and bowtie either xx

He grins at his phone, and then bites his lip while he's thinking of a clever response, but before he gets a chance, it beeps again.

If you were here right now, what would you do?

The grin creeps back onto his face at that and he shifts himself on the couch again.

Everything. Kiss you. Strip you. Touch you. Make you scream my name three times over before I even enter you xx

Fuck, is all she texts back and he smirks, imagining her lounging on her bed, phone clutched in her hands, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her breath hitching as she reads his message. Another text from her comes through quickly. What is my name saved as in your phone?

He blinks at that one for a moment, before texting a confused response. Alex…? Change it to River xx

He grins down at his phone and immediately obeys, texting back with a quick, Done x, knowing her phone would be alerting her with a message from 'The Doctor'.

His phone beeps again, signaling him that he has '1 new message. River' and he giggles a bit, childishly, (this game will never get old), opening it quickly.

I'm imagining you're on top of me right now, with our clothes on the floor x

He bites his lip. Are your clothes on the floor?

Do you want them to be?

Yes. Xxx

Two minutes, twelve seconds, is exactly how long it takes Alex to reply and he sees her stripping herself quickly of her clothes as he waits, tossing them to the floor like she'd said.

They are x Another text follows in succession. Your turn sweetie xx Not yet. I said I was going to make you scream first didn't I? X

Oh, well no complaints ;) He grins at that one and she sends another before he can reply. And how are you going to do that? X

I start by kissing your neck, then down to your breasts, take a nipple into my mouth xx

Oh, I like that x

I know ;) x

Cheeky. Where are your hands? X

Running down your sides, over your stomach, down to your thighs…x

I'm spreading my legs for you honey xx

Matt has to suck in a sharp breath at that, now incredibly uncomfortable in his trousers so he unbuttons and undoes the fly, but resists the urge to slide a hand into his boxers, texting another response instead. My hand slips between them…are you wet for me yet River? X

Her reply is instant. I'm soaking xxx

He groans aloud, feeling himself start to sweat and texts back with now shaking hands. Of course you are ;) I slip two fingers inside you and caress you just how you like it xx

You know better than anyone my love xxx

Matt pauses, swallowing. He knows she is playing River, but those two words leap out at him. It's strange, this game they play…they're acting, but then, they're not acting…what they're really doing is playing out their true desire for one another, hiding behind these characters so it doesn't have to be real and all kinds of complicated and scary.

Matt is pretty certain that the same cannot be said for Alex but for him, the line is blurring…ever since spending that night with her last week when she'd been upset, he had seen another side of her that night, the real side - and he'd found someone he clicked with unbelievably. And now he can't see her as just 'River' and a good fuck anymore. She's Alex, and he likes her for Alex, not River.

Although, he thinks as he smiles down at the words on his screen, he likes River too…he definitely likes River too.

Matt jumps when his phone beeps again and realises with a jolt that he hasn't replied to her last text yet.

Don't leave me hanging sweetie x

Chuckling a bit, he texts quickly back. Sorry xx I'm kissing down your stomach now, my fingers still inside you x

I want your mouth on me, your tongue inside, your face wet from my desire xx

Fuck, he wants that too. He can taste her on his tongue just thinking about it, smell her intoxicating scent…he shifts on the chair, remembering how uncomfortable he is. He can't resist teasing her a little; How much do you want it? X

So much. I'm trembling, I'll beg if I have to sweetie xx Beg then :P xxx

Now incredibly turned on, Matt drums his fingers urgently on his stomach as he waits for a reply.

Two minutes…three minutes…four…You there? He texts quickly.

Another minute, then two, then three pass and he gives a groan of frustration. Four minutes, five…shit, what the hell was she doing, he was going to explode if he didn't -

He jumps when the phone beeps, fumbling so much it takes a few seconds to get the message open.

Shit, sorry. Salome's had a nightmare. Thank God I'd locked the door! Can't text you anymore, sorry xx

Picking up the cushion, Matt yells his frustration into it until he runs out of breath. -

Lunch -time the next day finds the four of them; he, Alex, Karen and Arthur, sat outside on a picnic table, taking advantage of the rare sunshine. The morning had been equally as torturous as the day before; they'd decided to re-shoot the rescue scene again with different angles and he'd had to endure another three hours of having flirt-sex with Alex/River whilst trying desperately not to think about those text messages last night (and failing tremendously.) He was just glad he'd kept his body under control today.

She sits across from him now, chewing innocently on a sandwich while he concentrates intently on his own lunch to avoid looking at her. His phone is out on the table beside him and he is focusing so carefully on the bit of salad he's picking out of his chicken roll that he doesn't notice Karen casually slide it out from under him.

Another couple of minutes pass and he chats absently with Arthur about a particular football game before Karen interrupts.

"Um…Matt? Why do you have 'River' in your contacts?" She asks slowly, laughing a bit.

Alex chokes and coughs on her mouthful of tea and Matt goes furiously red. He laughs nervously, scratching his head.

"Uh - I um," His mind is blank and he can feel how much his face is burning and he must not look at Alex -

"Sorry darling," Alex laughs from across the table, clearly having collected herself. "I changed it for a joke. Was going to call you later and confuse you - but cheers for spoiling my fun Karen."

Karen laughs as Matt breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, sorry!" Karen exclaims, giggling. "Oh my God that would have been a good one too, I can just see his stupid face when 'River' came up on his screen!" She elbows Alex who laughs along with her and Matt joins in good naturedly while Karen looks back down at his phone, continuing to nose through it.

"Oh look Matt, River's been texting you too," she comments casually, laughing a bit.

"Give me that!" Matt exclaims in a panic, suddenly lunging across the table and grabbing the phone out of Karen's hands, making her and everyone else on the table jump in surprise. They three all stare at him as he quickly cancels the message screen and locks his phone, holding it close to him. He swallows, and sees Alex attempting murder him with her glare from across the table.

"Flippin' hell Matt, chill out," Karen complains, offended by his reaction.

Matt swallows and gives a nervous laugh. "I just - don't want you reading my messages Kaz."

She frowns. "Why not?"

"Because!" He splutters, "They're private - I don't read yours!"

"Um, yes you do! And you reply to them too! Yesterday my friend James called me asking why I'd texted him asking if he wanted to go out for dinner that night when I'm in Wales and he's in Scotland! And stop smirking, it's not funny, the worst part is he was calling to say he did actually want to go on a date with me - I was mortified!"

Arthur snorts and high fives Matt who is unable to hide a grin. "You gotta admit that was good."

"No, it wasn't! You're such a dick sometimes - and anyway just why exactly don't you want me reading your messages so much huh?" She asks, her voice taking on an accusing tone as she leans across the table to challenge him with raised eyebrows. "Naughty texts in there you don't want me to see?"

He visibly swallows, tucking his phone away in his inside pocket. "What? No," he laughs. "Course not, it's just - they're my messages - they're private."

"Oh my God, you are a terrible liar," she laughs.

"I'm not lying!" He lies.

"So come on mate," Arthur grins from next to him, elbowing him in the side. "Spill the beans - who is she?"

"Wh - what?" He splutters. "There -there is no she! There's no girl, and no naughty texts, and will you just drop it!" He complains, beetroot red and very uncomfortable. He suddenly wishes he didn't have such nosy friends and he doesn't dare to look over at Alex because she's being scarily quiet and he knows she probably wants to kill him about now.

Karen laughs. "Oh come on, I want gossip! We're your friends you have to tell us! Doesn't he Alex?" She nudges the curly haired woman next to her whose eyes go wide in alarm for a split second before she recovers.

"Oh - leave the poor bloke alone you two," she laughs, and Matt catches her eyes briefly. "You're embarrassing him."

"I know - it's kind of the point!" Karen laughs.

"Okay, well. I'm gonna leave you to your teasing, I'd better go find Salome."

Frowning at his two friends, Matt gets to his feet with Alex. "And I'm going to come with you - if you don't mind," he proclaims firmly, shooting pointedly annoyed glares at Karen and Arthur.

"Oh my God no way are you going - you just don't want us to find out who this girl is," Karen complains.

"Don't worry Kaz," Arthur says as Matt opens his mouth to argue. "We'll get it out of him. You haven't got away with this one, mate."

Matt runs a hand through his hair. "Brilliant. Wait up Kingston!" He jogs after her and just catches the quick glare she shoots sideways at him as they stroll away from the benches together.

As soon as they're out of earshot he braces himself, and sure enough -

"I can't believe you left those messages on your bloody phone you prat!" She hisses. "Imagine if she'd have opened them before she'd said anything - oh my God Matt! Can you imagine!?"

He winces because yes, he can. "Yeah. Shit." He runs a hand over his face. "Sorry…" "Delete them," she demands, stopping him with a hand on his arm. "Now."

"Alright, I'm going to," he grumbles, pulling out his phone and unlocking it to do as he's told. He'd been going to anyway; kinky text messages from his co-worker are not a good idea to have in his phone with a certain very nosy Scottish friend around…but then he'd opened a couple as he'd scrolled through to delete them, and read them again and…and well he'd thought maybe he'd just leave them on there until tonight…

"And change my name back too," she reminds him as they start walking again, heading towards the studio entrance.

"Oh yeah. - Good one by the way," he compliments her of her saving him from that explanation.

"Yeah you're bloody lucky I'm so quick. Would've liked to see you try and explain that."

He huffs at her cross tone. "Well you're the one who made me change it in the first place. - Ow!

What was that for?" He complains when she slaps his arm hard.

She doesn't reply, merely keeps walking, looking straight ahead.

"Are you mad at me?" He asks after a minute when she doesn't speak.

She shoots him a disbelieving look at the childish question. "How old are you?"

He opens his mouth to shoot a cheeky retort back but she holds a hand up, continuing.

"No, actually, don't remind me of that." She sighs. "Sorry. It just gets me on edge, worrying about people finding out…"

Matt shrugs. "Well. Maybe you shouldn't worry then."

Alex opens her mouth to reply when they spot her daughter across the room who sees them and grins, waving madly.

"Mummy! There you are!" She exclaims happily as she bounds over.

Alex smiles, waving back, turning to fix Matt with a look as Salome runs across the studio. "I do worry Matt."

He doesn't get a chance to reply as the little girl approaches them and flies straight past Alex to barrel into Matt with an exclamation of, "Doctor!"

Chuckling, he scoops the child up, letting her tug at his bowtie as she laughs. He catches Alex's eyes over the top of Salome's head and she reaches out to affectionately ruffle her daughter's hair, repeating softly, "I do worry."

Chapter 17

Karen is sitting alone on set, fiddling absently with her phone - Arthur and Mark are shooting a short scene between just them so the rest of the cast have a short break. Matt had wandered off to chat with some of the crew and Karen had had enough of their bloke-ish banter today so she'd sat herself in a corner for a bit of peace. She finds herself mulling over things as she sits there, thinking back to their conversations at lunch today.

She and Arthur had pestered Matt further about naughty texts on set this afternoon but to no avail; he'd simply avoided the question or ignored them until finally snapping at them to 'bloody drop it!' So they had. Karen was suspicious. She wasn't even sure it was dirty texts he was hiding because knowing Matt, she'd have thought he'd have just given in and admitted it (probably somewhat smugly) by now, instead of getting so irate…so what was he hiding?

She thought about the way he'd snatched the phone off her when she'd mentioned the texts from Alex before she could read any…but he didn't know that she'd already opened one, and had had just enough time to read it quickly before the phone had been grabbed from her; Shit, sorry. Salome's had a nightmare. Thank God I'd locked the door! Can't text you anymore, sorry xx

At first, Karen hadn't thought much of it, but now, a little bit later she found the words coming to her mind again as she sat there and she thought properly about what she'd read. The two had obviously been texting each other - not really that strange, she supposed, they were all pretty good friends by now - she texted Alex often too, but only really when she hadn't seen her for a while… She wondered idly what they'd been talking about when another part of the text came to mind. Thank God I'd locked the door! …What on earth did that mean?

And then she thought about those two kisses at the end…they were friends, she supposed - she herself signed texts to Matt with an 'x' all the time, but it just seemed strange that Alex would do so - yes, she was his friend too, but she'd always thought there had been that boundary between the three of them and Alex; she was a lot older, not that that should make much of a difference but her life had been very different to theirs, she had been in the business a long time, and was a mature woman with a daughter and two ex husbands while they three were young and just at the start of their careers with no families of their own yet. And yes, the two were friendly on set…but Alex and Matt were obviously closer than she'd realised.

Karen spots the woman in question sitting on a bench at the edge of the studio, idly fiddling with a bottle of water as she watches the action in front of her. Determination on her face, the young Scott makes her way over to her, sitting down beside her with a friendly, "Hey."

Alex smiles. "Hey. Alright?"

"Yeah, so," she begins, getting straight the point she'd come over here for. "Forgive me if I'm being nosy but - well, I am nosy." She gives the older woman a cheeky grin and Alex laughs. "But um…earlier, when I was looking at Matt's phone and he freaked out at me…" She isn't sure but she thinks Alex may have stopped breathing for a second. "Well, I read one of your texts before he got the phone off me -" There! She definitely didn't imagine that one - Alex's eyes had gone wide in alarm as she'd sucked in a sharp breath.

"Really?" She squeaked, pointedly avoiding Karen's eyes and trying and failing to look casual. "Which one?"

Karen bites her lip. "Oh God, sorry - are you mad at me - I can't help it I know I'm too nosy, it's just it was Matt's phone and I always just -

"Karen…" She thinks she sees Alex swallow as she looks at her seriously and speaks slowly. "What did you read?"

Karen shrugs. "The last one - just said you couldn't text him anymore cause Salome had had a nightmare."

"Oh." Alex visibly relaxes and Karen's curiosity peaks.

"So…I didn't realise you two were that close…what were you texting about?" She tries hard to sound very casual and flippant but think she probably fails.

"Oh - it was nothing," Alex says brightly, tossing her curls back and giving her a smile. "I can't actually remember, we were just chatting."

"Oh right. So…it wasn't your texts Matt didn't want me to read then?"

Alex's eyes go wide again and Karen thinks her cheeks may have gone a little pink. "No! Well - I don't know what he didn't want you to see, I'm not Matt am I?"

"No…" Karen smirks at Alex; she definitely looks flustered about something and she intends to find out what. "So you can't remember what you were texting about?"

"Not really," she hedges.

"Oh my God, yes you do I can see it on your face!" She gasps as something occurs to her. "If you've told him who River is and not me I'm gonna be -"

"No, I haven't!" Alex chuckles a bit. "None of you are getting that out of me."

"Hmm." Karen narrows her eyes at her, still trying to figure this out -she was definitely hiding something. "Well what were you talking about then?"

"Nothing."

"Oh come oooon, you can tell me," she nudges her playfully.

Alex pauses, frowning a bit, then huffs slightly. "Look Kaz, I don't mean to be rude but I was just having some problems with my ex yesterday and Matt was helping me out - I don't really want to talk about it okay?"

"Oh." Karen goes a bit red. "Sorry, I didn't - sorry." She bites her lip, looking at the older woman curiously. "I didn't know you and Matt were that close."

"We're not," Alex says very quickly, then clears her throat. "Matt just…found me a bit upset the other day and he's been really nice about it."

"Ohh…sorry, I feel bad for prying now…"

Alex shakes her head. "Don't worry, it's fine."

"You know…you can always talk to me too if you need to? I mean - I know I'm a lot younger than you but," she nudges her, "I'm a woman, I might be able to understand a bit if you need to talk about anything. Or you know, moan about men because I'm always up for that."

Alex smiles, placing an affectionate hand on her arm. "Thanks honey, I appreciate that."

Karen smiles back, looking away for a minute before she realises something. "So that's why he didn't want me reading his texts? Cause he thought you wouldn't want anyone to see?"

Alex shrugs. "I dunno. Probably."

Karen bites her lip again. "That's actually quite sweet of him." She elbows Alex. "He's never that nice to me." She thinks about how much her and Arthur have taunted and pestered him about the matter. "Crap, I feel bad now."

Alex shrugs. "He can be a sweetheart, you know." She smiles fondly, looking ahead and Karen raises her eyebrows.

"Well - only to you. But…I suppose that's cause you're his wife."

Alex merely smiles on.

"Right?"

She laughs throatily without replying and Karen makes an annoyed sound, slapping Alex's leg playfully. "I'll get it out of you yet Kingston!"

"Don't be so sure honey," she laughs back, and Karen sticks her tongue out at her before getting up and wandering off to watch Arthur's scene.

Luckily, feeling sufficiently guilty about prying into her business, Karen forgets the part of the text about the door being locked.

Matt is standing alone, idly fiddling with his sonic screwdriver (a habit of late, Alex had noticed a bit fondly) as he watches Arthur and Mark shoot their scene from across the large studio, when Alex sneaks up behind him and leans close to his ear to speak, delighting in the jump of surprise he gives. "I just had a lucky escape."

"What?" He questions as he spins round to face her. "Karen read my last text before you got the phone off her."

Panic crosses his face for a second before he frowns. "That one was alright wasn't it - you were just saying you had to stop texting…?"

She nods. "Yeah but I got about a million bloody questions fired at me," she grumbles. "If she asks, you were being lovely and supportive while I whinged to you about my ex-husband problems okay?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Got it."

She lets out a long breath, her shoulders slumping a little. Her eyes stay trained on the goings on in the studio around them as she speaks, her voice low. "Sometimes it feels like all this isn't worth it."

Matt frowns, his head whipping round to look at her intently. "What?"

She can feel his gaze on her but refuses to look round. "You know…all the lying…and worrying all the time that somebody's going to find out…"

"I told you - don't worry so much then."

She blows out through her nose. "It's not that easy." Biting her lip, she looks round at him. "Do you ever think that maybe it's not worth it? I mean what we're risking…for the sake of…well, sex?" She whispers the last word, glancing around in paranoia.

Anything would be worth risking for sex with you!He wants to say, but instead he shrugs, avoiding her eyes now.

She gives another sigh, grumbling, "Especially when we're not even getting any sex."

A smile comes to his lips then. "That, I agree with." He turns to face her then, leaning in close. "So let's do it," he begs, his eyes suddenly dark. "Now -we've got a good half hour before the next scene…"

She smirks, raising a teasing eyebrow. "Here? Sweetie, I think someone might notice." He snorts. "Come on. No-one will see us slip away…"

She bites her lip, smiling, but shakes her head, stepping back to put some semblance of respectable distance between. "We can't darling. Not here." She looks apologetic at his dejected face. "Believe me…I want to. Six days and it's driving me mad, it's bloody torture, being with you like this and not -"

"I know," he cuts her off, swallowing hard. "I want you every damn second."

Alex sucks in a sharp breath, running a hand through her curls and letting out a quiet sound of frustration. "I'm sorry…it's just…" he follows her gaze to see Salome chatting happily with Steven's sons.

"It's alright," Matt quickly says. "I get it. It's just that it…" he huffs and she turns to look at him tenderly, placing a hand on his arm.

"I know."

He opens his mouth to reply when he is cut off by pounding little feet and -

"Mum!" Alex's daughter charges her, and Alex automatically holds out her hands to catch her and keep her upright before she sends them both to the floor.

"Slow down Salome!" She chides, "What have I told you about running in here, there's expensive equipment everywhere darling you have to be careful!"

"I know, I know, sorry," she quickly apologises, bouncing on the spot. "But can I go to Josh and Louis's tonight? They've got the new Mario racing game on the xbox and they said they always get pizza on Thursday night and can I go and stay over please?"

Alex laughs, stroking her daughter's mop of dark hair affectionately. "Honey you can't just invite yourself over to somebody's house."

"I didn't!" She swears, "They invited me, didn't you?" She says excitedly as Steven's two boys come running up, their father making his way over behind them.

"Yeah, we did, can she come over Missus Kingston?" Begs Joshua, his eyes wide and hopeful. She laughs again. "Well, that's sweet boys but I don't think your dad -"

"She's very welcome Alex," Says Steven cheerfully as he approaches. "The boys just asked me." "Oh - you don't have to, I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Nonsense!" He booms. "We'd love to have her over, wouldn't we?" His two sons agree ardently and he laughs. "If it's alright with your mum Salome you're more than welcome to stay round tonight."

Excited, Salome spins to bat her eyelashes up at her mother who laughs. "Alright - but you better thank Mr Moffat."

Squealing, Salome gives an excited, "Thank you!" Before charging off again with the two boys.

"Salome!" Alex shouts after her, "What did I just tell you about running! Oh God," she puts a hand to her face, "Sorry - I hope you know what you've just let yourself in for Steven."

He laughs. "Ah they're alright. The boys love her."

"Are you sure it's okay for her to stay round? I can always pick her up later tonight…"

Steven waves a hand. "Don't be daft, course it's alright, she's a lovely kid. I'm sure you could use some time to yourself anyway, can't have my River Song too exhausted," he teases.

Alex catches Matt's eyes at that and quickly looks away again before a grin can crack her face.

"Yeah." She nods. "I'll grab her stuff and drop it round when we're finished later. Thanks so much."

"Don't mention it." Giving them both a cheerful smile, Steven wanders off, and Matt immediately sidles up close to her, grinning like a little boy who'd just been told Christmas is coming early. She can't help but smile back delightedly, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"What time are you coming over then?" Matt asks, his voice low and seductive. She laughs a bit and shrugs, still smiling. "When do you want me?" "Oh - I always want you."

She nudges him playfully. "Well is seven too early? Only we should probably make the most of this night…" Her voice drips with suggestion and he feels a tingle of anticipation go through him.

"No such thing as too early when you're concerned."

She flashes him a brilliant grin and leans in to purr, "See you later then sweetie," giving him a little wink before sauntering off, a smile on her lips.

Chapter 18

It's six-forty when Matt's door is knocked on and he grins like an idiot as he vaults over the back of the sofa to go and answer it.

"Couldn't wait to see me?" He says cheekily when he opens it and Alex's green eyes meet his. "Don't flatter yourself sweetie. I got bored at mine, too quiet without Salome now." "Sure," he laughs as she walks in.

"There's a pizza in the oven," he tells her as he shuts the door behind her and she turns to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"I already ate."

"Oh."

"Sorry…"

He shrugs as she wanders over to sit down on his sofa, arranging herself comfortably. "You go ahead though," she winks at him. "I can wait."

He growls lowly at that, and before she can blink, throws himself across the room and onto her, kissing her deeply as she squeals in surprise against his mouth. They are both laughing, breathless and flushed when he pulls back.

"Not hungry," he grins, leaning in to kiss her again but she only allows the press of his lips on hers for a second before she pushes him off.

"Don't be daft darling, you need to have dinner." She nudges him to his feet. "Go on," she tells him, smacking him playfully on the bum as he stands up. "Go and eat."

He turns to pout at her. "But I don't want pizza anymore," he whines, "I want you."

She laughs, a low seductive sound as she leans back into the chair, her eyes glinting with promise. "You can have me for afters, darling."

He grins at that, making a noise of appreciation as he leans down over her, a hand on the back of the chair either side of her and his face close to her own. "Does that mean I can cover you in chocolate sauce and everything?"

She giggles, lifting a hand to caress his cheek. "Maybe," she whispers, leaning in. "Only if you're a very good boy and eat all your dinner up first."

Growling, he closes the gap to kiss her deeply, slipping his tongue between her parted lips to stroke her own, drawing a low moan from her.

"Mmm," she hums in protest, pushing him away again. "Stop it. Eat first."

He doesn't move from where he has her trapped in the cage of his arms. "It's not ready yet," he grins.

"Well go and sit down until it is or you'll end up never getting any dinner tonight."

He gives a dramatic huff and pushes himself away from her to flop down next to her on the sofa instead.

"Nuh uh," she protests, shoving at him and pointing to the armchair instead. "Over there."

"But -!"

"Off!"

He makes another annoyed sound, getting up and throwing himself over into the armchair instead, slumping down in it with his arms folded. "I'm capable of sitting next to you and keeping my hands to myself for ten minutes you know," he grumbles.

"Hmm well that may be - can't promise the same for myself though," she quips, shooting him a wink.

He grins back before turning his gaze to the football match that he'd had on the telly before she came. Alex sits quietly, and he's sure she's probably not interested in football but she was the one making them sit here while the bloody pizza cooked instead of doing much more interesting things like kissing and making up for going six days without touching - she could put up with it. Not that he was actually paying the game any attention now; he was far too busy mentally planning out everything he was going to do to her as soon as he'd stuffed his dinner down.

The pizza cooks, and when he flops down beside her with it Alex steals a piece, shrugging and mumbling over a mouthful that pepperoni was her favourite. He wolfs it down so fast he almost gives himself indigestion, and as soon as he's swallowed his last piece he turns and literally pounces on the woman next to him, who squeals in delight, laying back beneath him easily as he kisses her fiercely.

"You taste like pizza," she teases.

"So do you."

She laughs and he grins suddenly, leaping off her with an excited, "Ooh I can fix that!"

Alex chuckles as she sits up, watching him tear across the room to rifle through the cupboards, amused by his energy. "What are you doing you mad man?"

"Aha!" He proclaims, holding up his prize. "Knew I had some!"

She laughs as he makes his way back over to her with the bottle of chocolate ice-cream sauce in hand.

"You didn't eat all your dinner," she teases, pointedly eyeing the half-a pizza on the coffee table in front of her.

"That's because half of it was meant for you."

"Oh…fine." She grins at him, but stops him from leaning back down to her, getting to her feet and taking his hand instead, suggesting in a low voice, "maybe we should take this to the bedroom sweetie?"

"Best thing I've heard all day," he grins.

He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but River (because oh she is very much in full River mode tonight) currently has him pinned to the bed, his hands clamped down by his side, pinned there with her knees as she sits astride his stomach, bottle of chocolate sauce in hand.

He'd already been inside her once, the sauce bottle having been dropped as soon as the bedroom door had shut and forgot about in their urgency for each other. He'd taken her against the door with most of their clothing still on, both of them crying out in delight as they reached a hasty climax then laughing at themselves as they regained their breath.

The sauce was very much remembered now with both of them naked except for Alex's bra, and Matt decides as he watches her squeeze a swirl of it onto his chest before leaning down to lick it off, that chocolate sauce is the best thing ever invented. She sits back up, humming appreciatively as she licks her lips and he itches to remove the dot of sauce on her chin with his own tongue.

"Let me up," he mutters, his voice husky with arousal, struggling a bit for show (he could easily dislodge her if he tried but he's being nice and playing along).

She shakes her head, curls dancing round her face. "Nope." He pouts. "I want a go," he whines, eyeing the bottle of sauce.

Smirking, she pops the cap up again, before drizzling a line of sauce across the top of her breasts. He groans and she leans down, pushing her chest into his face so he can lick the sauce off, which he does, gladly, humming in pleasure against her soft sticky skin as she moans pleasantly.

Sitting up again she smirks down at him, holding the bottle up. "More?" "Yes."

Letting out a little laugh she lets a drop of sauce drip onto her sternum and with a finger trails it down between her breasts. She pauses when she gets to her bra, teasing eyes intent on his own.

"Ughnn," he groans, shifting beneath her. "Take it off."

She smirks and fingers the fabric of it. "Say please," she purrs.

"Please."

"Pretty please?"

"River!"

"Pretty please!" She repeats.

"Or else!" He retaliates.

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'm goanna pin you down and cover you head to toe in that damn sauce and not let you move until I've licked every drop of it off."

She laughs. "That doesn't sound like much of a punishment." "Don't worry; I'd make sure it was torturous for you."

Alex laughs again but she balances the bottle of sauce on his chest while she reaches round to unclasp her bra and let it slip down her arms, throwing it aside. He grins in triumph and she picks

up the sauce again, squeezing another line of it over her chest, and his eyes follow the trail of the thick dark liquid as it slowly drips down over the swell of her breast, covering a hardened nipple. He is panting when she leans down this time and his mouth is on her immediately, lapping up the sauce hungrily.

"Mmm, it's like a chocolate Sundae," he comments in delight against her breast, licking greedily then taking her nipple gently between his teeth. "With a cherry on top."

She laughs aloud as he places a kiss to the tip of said cherry and she's still giggling as she rakes hands through his hair, arching into his mouth.

"Idiot."

"You're always calling me that," he mumbles into her skin in complaint.

"That's because you are, sweetie. My wonderful idiot."

He pauses a bit at her words, grinning, before reaching out with his tongue to lick at the remaining sauce, taking her nipple fully into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it.

She moans in appreciation, arching further into his mouth and he feels wetness seep onto his stomach where she's straddling him, his whole body tensing and tightening in response; he's not sure he's ever felt so turned on in his life.

"All gone," he complains after a moment when he's cleaned both her breasts of the substance, leaving them glistening and sticky. Pushing herself back up with hands on his chest, Alex picks up the bottle of sauce again (which had fallen to its side and begun to leave a little puddle on the bed next to them - not that either of them cared at that moment) and tips it once again, letting it dribble down onto the top of her stomach this time. She keeps squeezing as the liquid slides down, her eyes intent on his own which are watching the dark trail of it glide into her navel, then continue down between her legs until it drips onto his own stomach.

He makes an unintelligible sound as she smirks naughtily, and not able to restrain himself any longer, he wrenches his arms out from under her legs, ignoring the pins and needles in his hands to seize her about the waist and yank her down to him, dragging her up his body so he can lick at the trail of chocolate.

"Cheat," she chides, but her voice is husky and she really doesn't sound too disgruntled by it as she tilts herself forward over him when his tongue flicks into her belly button. He swirls it inside there and hears her gasp and feels her thighs tense either side of his body. She leans back up and he swallows, eyeing the trail of chocolate disappearing between her legs.

"Come here," he breathes, tugging at her hips pleadingly as he looks up into those dark green eyes, "let me…"

She bites her lip to suppress a moan, and looks at him a moment before she complies, and raises herself on her knees so she can crawl forward until she is hovered over his face, her hands braced on the headboard behind him.

His hands immediately slide round to grip her arse tightly and he leans up, licking first the chocolate sauce that has dripped down to the top of her sex and making her gasp when his teeth lightly scrape her clit. He doesn't tease for long, because he can feel her trembling above him already, and slowly slides his tongue along her folds, the tangy taste of her mixing with the chocolate in his mouth and making his taste bugs tingle.

She moans, a long, drawn out sound and Matt groans, gripping her tighter and pushing his tongue

briefly against her clit, feeling her jerk in response before he begins to lick around it instead. "I can feel you smiling," her voice is strained and breathless. "Stop teasing me."

He chuckles against her, and feels her shudder again and suddenly he leans up and lets his tongue delve inside her, licking at her walls as he slides a hand round to press the pad of his thumb to her clit.

"Fuck!" She cries out. "Oh my God...so good...don't stop..."

Alex is rocking her hips now, all but grinding against his face and he revels in it, licking at her harder, swirling his tongue inside as he rubs his thumb over her clit until she falls apart with a scream, shaking above him and mewling desperately as he laps at her over and over until she has fully ridden out her orgasm.

She pants above him for a few moments as his hands rub up and down her trembling thighs soothingly, until she shuffles herself back, climbing off him to collapse by his side.

Aroused now to the point of breaking, Matt immediately rolls after her, pinning her beneath him to stare down at her with dark burning eyes as he runs greedy hands up her sweat-covered curves.

"Give me a minute sweetie," she pants, still quivering. "Think I might explode if I feel you inside me now."

He laughs at that, feeling immensely smug and leans down to kiss her instead, slowly, both of them moaning as she winds her hands up through his hair to keep his mouth pulled to hers. She slides a leg up over his hip after a moment and breaks from his mouth. "Mmm," she moans in satisfaction, "I don't think I can ever live without this again."

He hums in agreement, rolling his hips against hers, letting his erection slide along her slickness to show her how much he wants her and feeling her jerk in pleasure in his arms. "A week's been too long."

"A week," she repeats, sounding surprised. "Well - yeah - it has but...I mean in general sweetie…" She grins up at him, running a hand down his back. "I think I may be ruined forever now."

Shocked at her confession, he opens his mouth to reply when she continues.

"Who's ever gonna be able to compare to my Doctor huh?" She smiles, wrapping her leg round him tighter.

Nobody! He thinks furiously, feeling a sudden irrational twang of jealously at the thought. Nobody should ever try, ever again! But he says nothing, opting to kiss her neck slowly instead, and putting the feeling down the fact that he's wrapped up in her at that moment and numb with lust.

Breathing out a sigh, Alex slips her other leg the other side of him so she cradles his hips between her thighs, wriggling herself beneath him. "Ready when you are, sweetie."

He grins against her skin, placing one more kiss there before moving his mouth to her ear; "Oh, I'm always ready love," he growls, and pushes into her.

"Alex?" He whispers into the dark, his voice breaking the silence. It is much later, and they are huddled under the sweat-dampened sheets together as they have been for the last ten minutes or

so, basking in the peaceful afterglow.

"Hmm?"

He swallows. "Stay?"

He hears her breath catch and silence fills the room again. He is about to give up on a reply when, "Okay." she whispers back.

Grinning like an idiot, he leans down and kisses her, and when he pulls back she sighs contentedly, snuggling back into his chest as she mumbles, "Only because I'm too bloody knackered to move." He sniggers at that, feeling pleased with himself, and she smacks his chest in retaliation. "And you're a really comfy pillow."

"Good," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her tightly and deciding she fits there unbelievably perfectly. He is filled with the strangest urge to never let her go.

"Just wake me up early, need to go back to mine before work for my stuff." She mumbles sleepily.

"Will do," he whispers, running a hand absently through her mess of curls.

"Hm. Night." She sounds half asleep already and he smiles into the dark.

"Night." And with his hand stroking through her hair, he hears her breathing deepen quickly and feels her drifting off, and more content than he's felt in a long time, he soon follows her into blissful sleep.

Chapter 19

"Shit!"

Scrambling, Alex tumbles out of bed, immediately scooping up what she can see of her clothes on the floor and beginning to yank them on.

"Matt!" She says, hitting the lump in the bed next to her when he doesn't respond. "Matt!" "Huh? Wha?" Comes the sleepy reply.

"It's half bloody eight! Matt! Get up, we have to be on set in half an hour and oh my God - didn't you set an alarm?"

Fully woken by her words, Matt shoots upright in the bed, grabbing the alarm clock to gape at it in disbelief. "Oh fuck."

"Yes! Get up! I have to go back to my hotel yet and shit, oh God, I'm gonna be so late what am I gonna say?" She panics as she stands, yanking her top over her head and dashing round in a hunt for her shoes.

"Bugger, bugger, shit," Matt curses as he too hurries to get up and stumbles over to the cupboard to hunt for some clothes.

"How did we not wake up - did you have an alarm on?" "Yes! I'd set it already - it's never not gone off!"

"Well," she huffs as she bends to look under the bed, "we must've slept through it - fuck I knew this was a bad idea and where the hell is my other shoe!"

"Alex, just calm down, it's -"

"I can't - I need to get to my hotel and I'm gonna be so late - what am I supposed to say that I've slept in – it's so unprofessional! Shit -"

"Look, calm down alright - just go straight in from here, we'll still be a bit late but I'm sure we can think of something."

Giving up on looking for the shoe she stands to face him, hands on hips and face flushed. "But I haven't showered and I don't have any clothes!"

"Well - skip the shower and what's wrong with those clothes?"

She gives him a look. "In case you've forgotten we had rather a lot of sex last night, I have to shower - and I can't wear the same clothes two days in a row!"

"Course you can - you're going straight to costumes when you get in right?" "Yes but…I don't even have any underwear…"

He snorts at that but her glare shuts him up. "Wouldn't be the first time you'd gone without would it?" He teases and she frowns crossly at him but then casts a worried glance at the clock now showing 8.36 am.

"Shit. Oh God. Okay, but I have to shower…"

He smirks. "What a co-incidence, me too."

She looks at him sternly. "No."

"What?"

"Not happening!"

"I didn't say anything." He grins.

"You were suggesting we shower together and that is a very bad idea."

He grins, waggling his eyebrows. "Sounds like a very good idea to me."

"Not if we want to get into work on time!"

"But it'll take longer for both of us to shower separately," he argues.

"Matt…"

" - And it's a double shower anyway."

She lets out a sound of frustration, throwing her hands up into the air as she makes for his en-suite. "Ugh! Fine! Come in with me - but lay so much as a finger on me and I'm kicking you out."

"Kicking me out?" He exclaims, aghast as he follows her. "It's my shower!"'

She ignores him as she quickly strips her clothes back off and steps into the large gleaming shower, Matt, having not got round to dressing in the first place, stepping quickly in after her and shutting the door. Alex turns the water on and keeps her back to him as she washes quickly, frantically going through excuses in her head she could give for her reason for being late.

As she lathers soap over her arms, she feels two hands slide onto her waist from behind.

"Off," she says sternly.

He doesn't reply but she knows he has that infuriating grin on his face as he slips his hands around to her stomach, rubbing in circles.

"Matt!" She protests, nudging at him as she rubs the shower gel in. "I'm serious."

She feels his grin against the back of her neck. "I'm just helping you wash," he claims.

She pushes at him. "Well don't - wash yourself!"

"I'm all done," he says as he slides a soapy hand over a breast.

"Ugh Maaatt…" She whines in protest.

"Shhh," he says into her wet hair, rubbing soap into the soft skin of her breast in sensual circular movements, squeezing the flesh gently. And damn it - she lets him.

Alex's eyes slide shut and her head tilts back to rest on his shoulder as his hand leaves her breast and he takes the bottle of shower gel off her to squeeze some out onto his hand, plopping it down before rubbing his hands together and beginning to lather the soap over her stomach. His hands

travel up, to rub it into her back, sliding over her shoulders and down her arms, gliding briefly over her breasts again and up her neck and Alex whimpers and moans, the deliciously hot water running over them.

She feels his hands move down to run briefly over the tops of her thighs before one glides up and slips between her legs, rubbing there gently and making her gasp.

Her eyes fly open, hand clutching weakly at his wrist. "Stop it - I told you -" "Gotta make sure you're clean all over." He teases, his mouth against her ear. "Well that's not going to help!"

"Hmm…you're probably right." He pulls his hand from between her legs but he only spins her to face him to suddenly drop to his knees in front of her. He moves forward to press his tongue to her so quickly that she cries out, throwing her head back before she even realises what's happening.

His hands parting her legs, he licks up along her hot folds once, sucking briefly on her clit before pulling back just enough to speak. "Better?"

She opens her wide eyes to look down at him, his hair hanging dripping wet over his face, water gliding over him, his eyes dark and a smirk on his lips and she swallows, and sees her leg lifting to hook over his shoulder without her permission. "No," she shakes her head, "late…"

He grins smugly and licks at her clit again, nodding against her, the movement making her gasp. "Oh well," he mutters, "not like they can start without us…"

She pushes hands into his hair with the intention of tugging him away but her fingers only seem to wind through the wet locks and cling there. "No…we can't…can't be late…"

"Don't worry," he licks a line up her slick sex and pauses to grin cheekily up at her from between her legs. "I've got a time machine."

Alex had been in such a panic about going in late with Matt by the time they'd got out the shower (at twenty-five past nine) that Matt had had to physically stop her from phoning Steven and telling him she was sick and couldn't come in at all. He'd sat her down in his kitchen and sternly told her to stay while he made them coffee and toast, telling her that he would sort it all out and she needed to calm the hell down and stop worrying.

Alex doesn't agree but gives in and sits at his kitchen counter chewing anxiously on her nails while Matt dials a number in his phone with the kettle boiling in the background.

"What are you going to say!?" She hisses as he holds the phone to his ear looking decidedly un-concerned.

He shrugs and puts a finger to his lips.

"Matt! What are you going to tell him?"

He waves her quiet, hissing back, "don't worry, I've got it - Steven! Hello!"

Alex's eyes are wide as she watches Matt. She didn't know why she was trusting him to take care of this and what on earth he's going to say - but she had to admit it was quite nice to have it taken off her hands.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine - listen I'm really sorry I know I'm meant to be on set, but Alex came over last night -"

Her heart plummets and eyes go wide at her name - what the hell is he going to -

"- to run lines and we must've both fallen asleep at some point because we just woke up - I hadn't set an alarm or anything…yeah…I know. Well…we might have had a couple of drinks and it was pretty late…I know, I know," he laughs as Alex watches him with a pounding heart. "Yeah that's what I told her! But you know Alex…yeah she's still here, do you wanna speak to her? Okay, well we'll be in as quick as we can, I'm really sorry…really? Oh, right, you're sure…okay. Okay. Yep. Okay, cheers. Bye."

He hangs up and winks at her as she bites her lip.

"See? Sorted."

"You are a scarily good liar Matt Smith."

He smirks, looking smug as he grabs two mugs out. "Nope. Actor."

"What did he say?"

"Ah he was fine about it," says Matt as he spoons coffee and sugar into the mugs. "He said not to hurry in cause they're having some problems with the set anyway and are probably gonna leave the Oval Office scene til this afternoon and shoot some of Karen and Arthur's stuff first instead."

"Really?"

"Yep. And he said Salome's playing outside with the boys and she's fine."

Alex nods. "So, he believed you alright…?"

Matt laughs. "Of course he believed me, you really need to stop being so paranoid you know."

"I can't help it," she frowns, drawing absent patterns on the counter with her finger, chin resting on her other hand. "I feel so guilty…lying to people."

Matt chooses to ignore her as he makes the coffee and grabs some plates out for the toast.

She looks up at him, biting her lip as he places a steaming mug and a plate with two slices of toast in front of her. "Imagine if someone found out the real reason we're both late…"

He snorts, grabbing the butter out of the fridge and handing her a knife before sitting down opposite her. "How would anyone find out?" He teases as he butters his toast.

She shrugs. "But just think if they did, how bad it would look…God, I've never done something like this…" Matt tolerantly watches her chew her lip as she reaches for the butter and spreads it on her toast. "Do you think we'd loose our jobs?"

He laughs.

"It's not funny," she frowns at him.

"It is a bit - will you listen to yourself, you're being ridiculous."

"Well - maybe, but -" she breaks off when he keeps laughing. "Stop it! Why don't you even

care?"

"Of course I care -"

"Well it doesn't seem like it."

"Well I do." Laughing still, he reaches across to tug a curl between his thumb and forefinger, watching as it bounces back and she swats at him crossly. He does it again. "I care but I don't worry," he teases as he lets the curl bounce back.

"Stop it - but you don't even seem bothered about the fact that we're both - stop it!"

He laughs again, tugging the curl once more. "It's like magic hair."

"Matt, I'm trying to -"

He tugs a curl from the other side, watching it too, spring back.

"Matt -"

"Look at it!" He exclaims in glee.

She slaps his hand away crossly. "Will you just grow up!" She snaps.

Alex regrets the words the moment Matt's face falls and embarrassment flushes his cheeks. He looks down, frowning at the toast in his hand. "Yeah…s-sorry. I didn't…" He clears his throat, putting his toast down and getting to his feet. "I'm gonna finish getting ready," he mumbles, and disappears into his room, leaving Alex biting her lip as she looks at his uneaten toast and mug of coffee.

Alex scarpers quickly after, calling out that she's running back to her flat for some things and she'll meet him on set.

She doesn't see him for a good couple of hours when she gets in, making straight for hair and makeup and finding Karen there still having the finishing touches applied. The redhead bombards her with questions as soon as she sees her and Alex sticks to Matt's story, laughing along with Karen when she proclaims that it must have been Matt's really boring acting that sent her to sleep.

After a quick trip to costumes, Alex hunts down the director and then Steven and apologises again, relieved when he tells her not to worry and assures her that Salome had been an angel. She gets a jokey chiding for running lines when she was supposed to be having a night off and forces out a laugh, feeling that guilt bubble a little again.

Salome is pleased to see her, but evidently not so pleased that, after giving Alex a detailed account on how she'd beaten Louise in Mario Karts, she doesn't rush straight off with the two boys again. It seems she has made firm friends and Alex is pleased for her daughter.

She bumps into Matt, quite literally, in the corridor on her way to the set they're shooting in today, and he begins apologising for his usual clumsiness before he realises who he's nearly knocked over and stops mid-sentence.

"Oh…" He says, offering her an odd smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "…Alright?" She nods, running a hand through her curls. "Yeah just…on my way to the set."

He nods. "Did you see Salome?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Had a great night." She pauses, waiting for the quip about their night not being too bad either but it doesn't come, Matt only nods, shifting on his feet and avoiding her eyes.

Alex sighs. "Hey," she says softly, placing a hand on his arm to make his eyes meet hers. "Listen darling…I'm sorry for what I said this morning,"

"No, it's okay." He shakes his head quickly, forcing a smile, but she can see that it's been bothering him.

"It's not - I shouldn't have - I didn't mean to snap at you, I was just stressed." "No, no, you're right. I was being childish. I do need to…to not -"

She shakes her head, cutting him off. "Matt, I don't want you to stop being yourself around me, darling." He doesn't say anything but looks up at her and she sighs and continues. "I wouldn't like you so much if you weren't such a daft idiot most of the time," she smiles, squeezing his arm.

A slow grin comes to his face then, and she knows the comment is forgotten. "Oh, you like me do you?"

Wrinkling her nose she lets go to slap his arm lightly. "Course I like you. You're a good friend." "Ohh, right," he says, stepping closer to her. "Is that all?"

"Yes," she says firmly, resisting the urge to back up to stand her ground and look unblinkingly up into his grinning face. "That is all."

"You sure?" He teases.

"Yes."

"Only…" smugly, he leans in a bit closer. "Those noises you were making last night - and this morning - suggest otherwise…"

"Ah - but that wasn't me was it?" She sings laughingly.

Matt grins and leans in but a loud noise from the set makes them both jump and spring apart.

Alex clears her throat, catching his eyes. "Should get on set."

Matt nods. "Yeah," He agrees and begins walking with her, obviously having forgotten whatever it was he was going in the other direction for when she'd found him.

"God, I feel embarrassed walking in so late." She mutters.

"Didn't you know?" He nudges her playfully. "It's fashionable to be late."

"Not this late!"

He sniggers, and when she elbows him he only laughs more.

"Stop it, this is your fault," she accuses.

"What! - You slept through the alarm too," he protests.

"I know that, but the fact we ended up an hour and forty minutes late instead of fifteen is your fault because you just had to shower with me!"

"Hey," he grins, "I was helping you wash."

She fixes him with an un-amused look. "With your tongue."

He winks. "Best way."

"Not for getting to work on time!"

"Oh hush. I don't remember you protested much at the time."

"No. Well." She shoots him a sidelong smirk. "I didn't say it wasn't a rather skilled tongue."

Matt grins giddily, leaning in to her as they walk. "Is that a compliment?"

She smiles. "Maybe…"

He leans in. "Well, you can always test it again if you're not sure…"

"Hush, you," she giggles as he stops her with a hand on her arm to pull her to him. "Not here!"

"No, maybe not, we're probably late enough," he grins, leaning in close as she bites her lip and smiles back up at him. "But later…?"

"…I don't know…"

"Soon?"

Alex nods, unable to resist leaning up to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "Definitely not another six days."

"Glad to hear it."

"Good."

"…Good."

His arms slide around her, and she knows it's stupid, she knows they're just outside of the studio everyone is currently in, but she just needs to feel his mouth on hers just quickly before they go in there and she has to pretend they're just friends while flirting like mad and not touching him for the rest of the day.

Their lips meet simultaneously in a hurried, passion fuelled kiss and Alex moans softly, sliding her hands up around his neck. She feels her body burn and tingle, her heart thundering, and it's just because she's going to have to restrain herself from doing this for the next several hours that it feels so illicitly delicious, she tells herself.

She feels the rumble of Matt's groan more than hears it, feels his tongue press urgently against her own and his hands slide down her back, under her denim jacket and shirt to press her closer, and then feels them glide down to her cup her bum -

A gasp rips them apart and when they both whip round with wide alarmed eyes, Alex's stomach all but drops out of her body when she sees her daughter standing at the corner, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Mum…?"

Chapter 20

Alex and Matt stare at Salome in dismay, their faces holding matching wide-eyed expressions.

Matt finds his tongue before Alex.

"Salome, sweetheart!" He tries to greet cheerfully. "Your mum and I were just…uh…" This, however, is where words quickly fail him and he looks at Alex desperately.

Salome shakes her head, a frown on her confused young face. "I don't…Mummy? Are you and, and Matt…"

"What!" Alex says, voice high as she laughs nervously. "Darling, we were…" She swallows, walking closer to her daughter with Matt trailing cautiously behind. "…I was just - just thanking Matt for um, for letting me stay round last night, after we were done running lines for the show."

Salome looks from one to the other, still frowning. "But you were kissing," she protests.

"What?" Says Alex again, giving another one of those laughs as she tucks a curl behind her ear. "N-no we weren't! I was just - just giving him a hug, you know - to say thanks…"

The look on Salome's face tells Alex she is not fooling her daughter. "No, you weren't. You were kissing…you were snogging!"

Alex gasps as Matt snorts (inappropriately given the gravity of the situation.) "Salome! Where did you learn that word!?"

"Everyone knows what snogging is Mum," she says as if her mother is daft, "and it's disgusting," she tells her, wrinkling her nose.

"Well - that may be…but Matt and I were not -"

"Alright, kiddo," Matt interrupts, sighing dramatically. "You caught us."

Alex gasps and whips her head round to gawp at him but he continues, bending down to talk to Salome with his head level to hers.

"But listen - we were rehearsing for a scene," he confides in a dramatic whisper, "and it's top secret - remember the word?"

With wide eyes at his confession, Salome nods. "Spoilers?"

"Yes. This is spoilers - nobody's meant to know about it - so you've got to keep it hush alight?"

Salome gasps then, her face lighting up with excitement. "You mean the Doctor and River are gonna kiss!?"

"Shhh!" He hushes her quickly, clapping a hand over her mouth and making her laugh. "What did I just say missy?"

She nods gravely when he removes his hand, repeating, "spoilers."

"Y-yes, that's right honey," Alex chips in, catching on. "You can't tell anyone what you just saw - because you're not supposed to know, okay?"

Salome gives an enthusiastic nod. "I won't. I promise!"

"There's a good girl - now run along love we'll be in in a minute," she ruffles her hair and, flashing the two a quick grin and making a sign of zipping her lips shut, Salome spins and skips off.

Alex finally breathes when they're left alone in the corridor once more. She turns to look at Matt in relief.

"That was bloody brilliant."

He looks pleased with himself, straightening his bow-tie in a very Doctor-like manner. "I know."

She bites her lip. "I feel terrible for lying to her though…"

"Well…it wasn't really a lie was it? There is a Doctor/River kiss in this episode."

"Which we were not just rehearsing for. I just told my ten year old daughter a bold-faced lie and made her cover up for me and you know it." Her brow crinkles and she covers her face with her hands. "I'm a terrible mother…"

"Don't be ridiculous," he rolls his eyes, laughing a bit. "You're a bloody fantastic mother, she's lucky to have you. You were only protecting her, right?"

Miserably, Alex nods.

He pulls her hands from her face. "Come on then. Let's get in there - think we're late enough already don't you?"

Taking a deep breath, Alex agrees, and follows after him as he leads the way into the studio. -

Late that night, after a long day on set (they'd shot well into the evening to make up for the time lost first thing, he and Alex shooting each other guilty looks whenever anybody grumbled about the late hour) Matt is alone in his hotel suite, half-way through getting undressed for bed when his phone rings. Smiling at the name lit up on the screen he flops down onto the bed in his boxers and an unbuttoned shirt and presses answer.

"Hello," he drawls (he hopes) sexily down the phone.

"…Hi."

"I like your timing, I was just getting undressed."

She makes a noncommittal sound on the other end and he sighs, shifting himself into a more comfortable position on the bed. "Where's Salome?"

"Asleep." She is speaking with a quiet voice, so as not to wake her daughter.

He grins into the receiver. "Thought you didn't want me on the phone while she was there? Or do you think you can be quiet enough…?" He trails off suggestively.

There's a pause. "Matt…"

The smirk disappears from his face at her tone. "Yeah?"

He hears her swallows. "I called cause we need to talk. I need to talk to you."

He really, really doesn't like the sound of that. "O…kay…?"

She lets out a breath.

"Alex -"

"No, let me speak, because I need to say this. I…can't do this with you anymore Matt."

He'd known it was coming when he'd first heard that tone but that doesn't stop his stomach from sinking. "Do what?"

"You know what." She pauses and he knows she's fidgeting, looking down at her hands. He takes a deep breath. "Is this because of Salome catching us?" She pauses. "No - well…sort of. It…made me think, is all, and I -"

"Because, Alex," he interrupts her, his voice a little desperate. "You really shouldn't worry about that, you know she believed what I told her - and - and I know it was careless, and it was a close one but we just need to be more careful, she won't -"

"No, no Matt. No, it's not…that's not the reason, it's just…part of it." He frowns, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "What is the reason then?"

"It's…everything. It's just…I can't do it anymore. I don't want to…It's been fun, but there's too much at stake if it gets out."

"Look, we just need to be more careful about -"

"No. I don't want to do this anymore Matt - all the sneaking around and lying…I'm too old for it."

He laughs but it sounds as forced as it feels. "You are not."

"I am."

"Alex," he forces another laugh. "Don't be silly -"

"Matt!" Her voice still has a hushed tone but is slightly more forceful. "I'm telling you I don't want this thing between us to go on any longer okay? I can't do it."

He blows out through his nose, staring at a loose thread on his shirt. "I know you don't mean that

you think it shouldn't - and I know it shouldn't - but you do want it to, don't you? I know you, I know you do…"

"Matt." She takes a deep breath and he finds himself holding his own at the ominous pause. "What I said to you this morning…"

"What?" He asks when she doesn't continue.

He hears her swallow. "Before I left yours."

A bad feeling settles in Matt's stomach. "…That I need to grow up?" He utters softly. Her pause confirms it and the feeling bubbles.

"I didn't meant to snap at you like that darling but…the truth is, I meant it, because sometimes it does feel that way, sometimes…I wonder what the hell I'm doing."

"With me?"

"No - …yes….I - just…sometimes you seem so childish to me…"Ouch, Matt mentally winces;

that one hurts, and he finds he can only be silent on the end of the phone, letting her ramble on as he listens in disbelief. "- And you're so blasé about all this and it's all just a big laugh to you - and that's fine - I don't want to have to tell you to grow up - because you don't need to, it's wonderful to be so carefree and you are young -"

"Jesus Alex I'm nearly thirty," he says dryly.

"I know - I know…but I'm nearly fifty."

He is silent. He feels like an idiot. A stupid bloody, flaming idiot.

"I'm sorry," he finally mumbles.

"What are you sorry for?"

He shrugs although she obviously can't see him. "Just…feel like I should be."

"No…" she mumbles. "It's me who should be sorry for letting this go on as long as it has."

He snorts bitterly. "I was as much a part of that as you."

"Yeah but…"

"Right," he interrupts sharply. "You're the adult."

He hears her sigh and thinks her voice is a little shaky when she speaks. "I have to go."

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"…Night Matt."

"See you on set." He says shortly and hangs up, throwing his phone across the room so hard it hit's the wall and flies apart, scattering to the floor in bits.

It hurts. What she'd said to Matt. It had hurt so much to tell him those words because of course she didn't mean them, and she didn't want to hurt him because she did care about him dearly…but she knew it was the only way to stop this. To make him want to stop this. And it had had to stop; it wasn't worth it anymore.

Alone in her bedroom in her hotel suite, Alex puts her phone down on the bedside table, turning off the lamp and slowly climbing under the covers. She pulls them up over her face, turns her head into her pillow lies still in the dark.

After a few minutes she wonders why she's crying over finishing something that had never been more than a game. She tells herself it's because she's hurt Matt, and she never wanted to do that…

and she should have known better than to play games with someone she cares about.

Chapter 21

Things are awkward as hell between Matt and Alex on set the next day, so much so that the director asks if they've had some sort of disagreement and they both exclaim 'no!' so quickly every looks at them oddly.

"Right," he says, clearly not believing them. "Well, whatever's up you both need to snap out of it, we need to get this scene wrapped today because we're behind schedule already."

Both nod and apologise, avoiding each other's eyes pointedly as they take their positions for another take. Karen and Arthur are in this scene too, as well as Mark, and Alex is grateful for the fact that she at least doesn't have to act directly with Matt alone, because she's not sure she could do that today. He hasn't spoken to her - hadn't so much as glanced at her when she'd walked in today and she doesn't blame him.

"Cut, cut!" Calls Toby, who's directing, in frustration. "Alex - what are you doing? You need to look at him - the Doctor's talking to all of you - explaining something very important and you look like you're - bored or something, ignoring him and fiddling with the console -"

"Sorry, sorry," she mutters quickly. "I just wasn't concentrating."

He sighs. "Alex, you've been doing it for the last hour. This is a crucial part, you're focused on the Doctor and what he's saying at this point."

"I know - sorry."

"And Matt - can we get a bit more energy please? You look like somebody just died."

"S -sorry," Matt mumbles, running a hand through his hair. "Didn't get much sleep - I'm fine, let's go again."

Alex feels a twang of guilt that makes her chest clench painfully.

They start the scene again, Matt is reeling off his lines about the Silence, wandering round them and the console, pretending to jab them all in the hand one by one with a 'nanorecorder' and Alex forces herself to look at him as he speaks, reminding herself over and over in her head that what had happened between them last night wasn't relevant here because she needs to be River, and this is the Doctor - but that doesn't really help much.

She watches the scene take place around her, and as Mark speaks she does manage to lose herself in the scene a bit, which is why it takes her by surprise when after a "Like this," Matt turns to her, nanorecorder at the ready and grabs her wrist.

Automatically, she wrenches away from him, her eyes wide on his, and heart pounding a bit at the unexpected touch.

"For God's sake!" Matt exclaims, throwing his hands in the air as he spins away from her. "Have to do the whole bloody thing again now -"

"Cut, cut!" Calls Toby. "Chill out Matt - what was that?"

"She yanked her hand away before I'd done the thing!" Matt protests, shaking his prop crossly.

"I didn't," Alex snaps back.

"Yes you did," he spits back crossly, not looking at her.

"Well I didn't know he was gonna - gonna grab me like that, I just -"

"I did not grab you -"

"Alright, stop it!" Toby says, getting annoyed.

"Bloody hell Matt," Karen chips in, frowning at them a bit as she jokes, "You got out on the wrong side of bed this morning."

"It wasn't me that messed the scene up!" Matt snaps at her, making Kaz recoil in surprise.

"I didn't mess it up!" Exclaims Alex crossly.

"Alright, alright that's enough!" James cuts in again, holding his hands up. "I swear, I'm gonna lock you two in a room together until you sort out whatever your problem is because I can't work with you both like this," he claims in exasperation. "Let's take a break people - ten minutes okay? I need a strong coffee." Grumbling to himself, he stalks off, leaving everyone huffing and muttering about how it was going to be a long day.

Matt spins and marches off set, ignoring Karen when she calls him grumpy-guts asks what his problem is, hurrying after him crossly. Arthur sighs and follows them and, frustrated and anguished, Alex stalks over to the far side of the set, slumping down against a wall, sitting on the floor with a heavy sigh.

Lost in her thoughts, looking down as she fiddles mindlessly with the hem of her dress, she jumps a bit when a couple of minutes later, a figure sits down beside her.

"So…" It's Mark, glancing at her with a half-smile. "You alright?"

"Mark," she tries to say breezily, forcing a smile. "Hey. Yeah I'm fine - you?"

He raises an eyebrow at her and offers a crisp from the packet in his hand. She shakes her head.

He sits in silence with her for a moment, eyes on the crew bustling about on set. "So…want to talk about it?"

Surprised, she quickly says, "about what?"

He shrugs and is quiet a moment before speaking again, his voice lowered enough so nobody can hear their conversation. "You and Matt…I was right, you had a…a thing didn't you?"

It's not really a question, because she can tell he knows he's right. Alex sighs, closing her eyes for a moment.

"And…it's in the past tense?"

She swallows hard. "It's complicated."

Mark shrugs and leans back. "Hey. We've got ten minutes. I'm not going anywhere."

She shakes her head and he shrugs.

"Just thought you might want someone to talk to." When she remains silent he offers her the packet of crisps again. "Or a crisp?"

She manages a weak chuckle then, and reaches out to pluck one out. She is quiet while she chews it, and is grateful that Mark doesn't say anything else, and so after a couple of minutes she finally sighs and rubs a hand over her face.

"I've messed up," she mumbles quietly, her voice just above a whisper. "It was so stupid…this is was what I was worried about, that we'd screw everything up at work…and now it's happened."

"So," Mark replies after a pause. "You were seeing each other."

She shakes her head. "No. We weren't, not like that, it was just…" She looks down, flushing a bit red and wonders what the hell she's doing telling him this. But when he nods and quickly says that he gets it, she feels a bit better, and thinks that maybe it is nice to finally tell someone.

She nods back. "But I broke it off."

"Why?"

"I had to. It went on too long already…It was only a bit of fun, you know? It was gonna get out and then…that would make everything so difficult."

"So you decided to quit while you were ahead." He says.

Alex nods. "Yeah. And that's worked out well hasn't it?" She replies bitterly.

Mark is quiet for a moment before asking curiously. "You didn't ever want to…make it more than it was?"

She scoffs a bit. "Like it could ever work between us any other way." "Why not?" He asks in all innocence.

She raises an eyebrow. "I don't know if you've noticed dear, but I'm old enough to be his mother."

Mark shrugs. "So?"

She frowns at him. "So…" She shakes her head. "It's ridiculous."

Another shrug. "Shouldn't be if you want it to work."

"I don't." She quickly says.

Mark turns to look at her a moment and she fidgets, frowning a bit under his gaze and reaching over to steal another crisp from his packet.

"Okay." He replies finally, glancing away with a small smile on his lips.

She catches sight of Toby walking back into the room, cup of steaming coffee in hand and she sighs, getting to her feet, a little glad to have an excuse to escape the awkwardness she suddenly inexplicably feels. "Better get back to work, think I've pissed the director off enough already," she mutters, turning to Mark as he gets up beside her. "Hey…thanks for…you know. I appreciate it."

He offers her a smile. "Anytime. And don't worry, nothing will be getting round from me."

She smiles back in thanks. "I'm buying you lunch," she tells him gratefully, and he laughs as they wander back on set.

They shoot the scene again. Matt doesn't touch her when he points the gun into her hand. -

The rest of the day passes just as painfully as the morning, with her and Matt avoiding each other as much as is physically possible. They manage to get through two more scenes but only because they didn't have to interact directly with each other…Alex has no idea how the hell they were going to manage to act like this when the inevitable time they have to do a scene together comes.

She makes a decision and tries calling him after work, knowing they need to talk and fix this mess but his phone is off. She tries eight more times that night, but each time only gets his voicemail in response.

She is waiting in her car when he pulls up in the parking lot the next morning and she hurries over as he gets out, ignoring the nerves in her stomach.

"We need to talk." She says, making him jump and spin to face her, looking at her seriously for a moment before he turns back round to shut his car door, locking it and beginning to head towards the studio, putting his sunglasses on.

"About what?" He says shortly.

"I tried to call you last night, I couldn't get through."

"Yeah…my phone broke."

"Oh. How?"

He doesn't reply.

She clears her throat, jogging a bit to keep up with his fast pace. "We can't keep avoiding each other like yesterday, we're professionals Matt, this is ridiculous…"

Again, he's silent.

"Matt? Are you ignoring me?"

"No," he replies shortly. "I just don't have anything to say."

She frowns. "Well that's a lot of help."

He shrugs.

"Matt!" She exclaims in annoyance. "We can't go on like this on set."

"I'm not going on like anything."

"You know what I mean, we can't -" She is cut off by Arthur calling a hello from across the car park. Matt raises a hand in greeting.

"Are we done here?" Matt asks shortly, stopping abruptly. "'Cause I'd quite like to go and say good morning to Arthur."

A frown crinkles her forehead and she folds her arms. She wants to tell him he's being childish - but that was definitely a word she needed to avoid right now. "No, we're not. We need to sort this out."

"There's nothing to sort out."

"Matt!" She exclaims, placing a hand on his arm and forcing him to look down at her. "Can we please just talk?"

He looks at her for a moment, and even with those shades over his eyes she can see the pain on his face. He's hurting, she thinks, and she hates herself a bit for causing him that hurt. "We have talked, Alex. And I get it, okay, it's fine. I'll see you on set." He strides off towards Arthur, and her hand drops from his arm as her shoulders slump. She doesn't bother to call after him; turning and trailing off towards hair and make up with her heart in her stomach.

The day passes much like the one before, although this one is a little easier as she only has to appear briefly in a scene with Matt, standing in the background in a blue suit and keeping quiet. In the afternoon they decide to re-shoot some of her scene with Arthur, and she doesn't see Matt again at all.

She is tired when it gets to the end of the day, and glad when the director dismisses them.

"Okay guys that'll do for today, thanks everyone. Remember tomorrow we're shooting scene thirteen first and if all goes to plan and we wrap it in the morning we're gonna go for scene forty-three after lunch."

Alex nods along with everyone and calls Salome over, taking her hand as she picks up her bottle of water and script and makes for the exit.

She chats to her daughter as they walk, listening to her telling her happily about the man who played a Silent who'd let Salome try on the huge prosthetic head, when suddenly it hits her. Scene forty-three. The second to last scene. The Stormcage scene; the scene when the Doctor drops River back.

The scene in which River Song kisses the Doctor… Oh.

Chapter 22

The first half of the day had gone entirely too slow for Alex's liking, and also far too much to plan; she'd been hoping the scene would have to run over into the afternoon and she'd be spared from shooting the kiss with Matt today…not that tomorrow would make it any easier. But unfortunately it had been a short, simple scene; her in her blue suit, Arthur, Mark and Matt looking for Amy in the orphanage, and (apart from Matt tripping over and nearly sitting on her at one point) it had gone smoothly and was wrapped up in the morning.

And so here she stood, in River's green dress, standing in her cell ready for the scene while a girl fiddled with her hair and brushed some colour onto her cheeks, and feeling her heart pound in her chest and her stomach clench in knots.

This is ridiculous, she tells herself firmly. It's a bloody kiss Alex, you've done a hell of a lot more on camera before, pull yourself together! But it was no use, she didn't know why she felt like this but she couldn't help it, and telling herself she'd kissed Matt hundreds of times before only made it worse.

Toby calls for them to take their positions and Matt wanders over to her, stopping in front of her and folding his arms, pointedly not looking at her. She sighs and swallows a bit. He wasn't making this any easier. When action is called he alters his stance, and begins his lines in perfect Doctor mode, and Alex acts back, reaching up to straighten his bowtie and smiling softly at him. He turns to wander off towards the Tardis and she stops him, speaking her lines.

"What, is that it?" She says, laughing a bit. "What's the matter with you?"

"Have I forgotten something?" Matt turns back to her, arms spread wide and she looks up and catches his eyes, dark and deep, and he stares at her as he saunters back over to her cell, her hand clutching one of the bars - and a vivid memory unexpectedly flashes into her mind…

"Do you think they ever did it in Stormcage?" She asks Matt idly; They are lying in his bed, sweat still cooling on their bodies, the damp sheets tangled around their legs and waists as they lie in the delicious afterglow. Alex has her head pillowed on Matt's shoulder, looking up at the ceiling with a small smile on her lips as his fingers trace absent-minded patterns on her arm. It has become a favourite conversation topic of theirs; discussing their counterparts' relationship.

"All that thunder and lightning," she continues. "Kind of sexy."

She hears the smile in his voice., "You mean do we."

She smiles back, lifting a hand to rub the backs of her fingers lightly over his stomach.

He shifts beside her. "But I don't know…wouldn't that be a little risky dear - with all the guards around. And I'm sure they have cameras."

Her smile widens. "I don't think that would bother River much."

"Hmm," he hums, pinching her arm lightly. "Probably true." He sighs somewhat sleepily, stretching in the bed. "Right. Next time I drop you off there, Doctor Song, we're having sex."

She is grinning like a fool up at the ceiling now. "In my bunk?"

He pauses, thinking, then shakes his head and the hand on her arm snakes over to brush her breast, fingertips gliding over her nipple and making it quickly harden. "No. Up against the

bars."

She involuntarily sucks in a sharp breath at that and turns her head to grin up at him, biting her lip. "Is that a promise Doctor?" She purrs.

"Oh yes," he shifts then, rolling her under him and leaning to hover over her, the hand cupping her breast now squeezing a little. "It's definitely a promise."

"Cut!"

Alex jumps at the voice, blinking rapidly as she averts her eyes quickly from Matt, realising she's been staring at him, frozen, for several seconds.

"Alex - are you with us?"

"What? - yeah, yeah sorry."

"I'm sure kissing Matt can't be all that terrible," he jokes, getting a laugh from the crew, "Come on, let's do the take again."

They start again, and she forces herself to stay focused this time and, as he moves back towards her be River, be River, be River, she chants in her mind, but finds her head filling with all the many things she has done to him as River and quickly snaps herself out of it, knowing she has no choice but to mutter a quick, "Oh shut up!" And pull him to her.

He does a good job of acting surprised for the first second and a half, but that is as long as it lasts. There is a few seconds when they kiss so easily, as if they really are River and the Doctor like they always have been together, but then as their mouths open and his tongue brushes hers, Alex feels his hand slip round her waist, the other sliding into her hair and gripping there tightly as he kisses her harder, and she gives the quietest moan, gathering him in her arms and pushing herself to him as she opens her mouth wider and his arm pulls her closer -

"Cut!"

She pushes him back with a gasp, stumbling a bit as she totters backwards, gripping the bar for support. Her other hand quickly runs through her hair, her face flushed as her heart pounds.

"What are you doing Matt?" Toby asks. "Awkward, it says in the script."

"Yeah," says Alex, trying to laugh nervously along with the amused chuckles tittering round in the crew. "What are you doing - thought I was supposed to be taking you by surprise here…"

"Yes - yes, I know," Matt apologises, his face red as he fidgets, flustered, running a hand over his face and fiddling with his costume. "I didn't know what - I mean - he doesn't pull away, does he? And I just thought, you know, it's River Song, he might…enjoy…kissing her…"

Toby blinks at him. "He's shocked, Matt," he tells him slowly. "Unexpected, remember?" He waves a script at him, pointing to the paragraph to quote; "He responds awkwardly."

"Right, okay. More awkward. Got it."

The next take, Matt doesn't respond at all, and Alex presses her lips to hers, holding still for a painfully long few seconds, before pulling back and saying her line.

"No, no, cut - sorry guys," says Toby, shaking his head. "Not enough from your side Alex - they do this regularly from her point of view - she's gonna be a bit more familiar with him than that."

Clearing her throat, Alex nods.

They get it right on the third try, Alex kisses him gently, pulling him close while he flails his arms about, touching then not touching her awkwardly. They manage to reel off their lines when they part and when cut is called Matt is congratulated on his comedy acting and he avoids Alex's eyes at all measures as he smiles and brushes off the compliments. They go over the lines after a few more times before they finish but don't need another take of the kiss and Alex is relieved because she doesn't think she could do it again if she had to.

She bumps into him on their way out and he mutters a sorry before holding the door open for her and Salome. She tries to offer him an anxious smile as she moves past him, pausing to place a hand on his arm. "I'll see you tomorrow," she says quietly, looking cautiously up into his face.

Matt swallows and avoids her eyes. "Yeah," he says shortly before letting go of the door once they're through and stalking off towards the other exit. Her chest hurts as she walks out of the building because she knows she's lost a friend, and that's the last thing she'd ever wanted to happen. She'd expected him to be a bit sore about what she'd said for a couple of days but this… she knows she's hurt him more than she intended to, she can see it in his eyes.

It's been three days, and she misses him already. Not the sex…she misses him. And the realisation only makes it hurt more that thinks she's probably lost his friendship forever now.

She crawls into bed with Salome that night and cuddles her daughter close, not wanting to be alone.

Matt knows he's being cold, and probably obvious ignoring Alex like this, but he doesn't know how else to handle the situation. He can't just pretend everything's normal and nothing had ever happened between them…he can't pretend she never told him what she had three nights ago… He's hurt because all along, was that was she thought of him? Was she just indulging him? Using him? All that time he'd thought they'd been on the same level but she just thought of him as some daft overgrown kid who happened to be a good fuck?

He feels like a fool, and little embarrassed that he'd actually thought that they'd had something, that Alex Kingston could feel anything for someone like him. Not that he felt like that about her…

Yes - he did. Who was he kidding? He was besotted, and he'd known it all along. And it wasn't like she hadn't made it clear that what they had didn't mean anything to her…what an idiot he'd been. He joked about how frequently she called him one, but clearly she'd really thought of him that way. She probably felt sorry for him, probably thought it was pathetic that he had such a thing for her - she was a grown woman with two ex husbands and a daughter and to her, he was obviously just a boy.

He chats to Arthur as they set up for the scene that morning, and pretends to take no notice of Alex standing off to one side on her own fiddling with her bottle of water, although eighty percent of his thoughts are on her. Arthur and Kaz were baffled by the sudden coldness between the two, and had tried painfully to get the reason for it out of him the other day but he hadn't said a word, only snapped that of course he hadn't bloody fallen out with Alex and would they just leave him the hell alone? They had done, but it had made things a bit awkward between him and his friends, particularly Kaz.

Arthur wanders off to take a phone call and, left standing alone as the crew finish setting up, Matt finds his eyes inevitably drawn to the subject of his thoughts again. She is sitting now, cross legged in a chair at the edge of the set, jiggling a high-heeled foot absently. They have her in that

Tardis blue suit again, and despite the bad feelings now, Matt can't help but think she looks sexy as hell in it, and knows that had things not gone so wrong, he would be begging her to wear it later so he could peel it slowly off her.

He frowns, averting his gaze quickly from her and bitterly reminding himself that that would never be happening again.

He is glad when they begin shooting, it's a welcome distraction to lose himself in the Doctor, and this is a fairly intense scene; they've lost Amy and discover her nanorecorder, and the lines call for deep concentration and sympathetic emotions.

To start with he does a good job of not thinking of the woman in the blue suit, until she is kneeling on the floor next to him, and he turns, and glances down at her, opening his mouth to say his line -

She kneels, her curls loose and tumbling round her shoulders, eyes bright with promise and a smile on her lips as she moves her hands to the front of his trousers, nimble fingers making quick work of the button -

"Matt!"

He jumps and whirls so violently that he loses balance and totters backwards, stumbling into Alex and nearly falling right down on top of her. He quickly scoots away, apologising with red cheeks as he looks anywhere but at her. Everyone laughs at him except Alex.

He tries to concentrate for the rest of the morning, but once started, those sort of thoughts prove difficult to get rid of. He makes it through his lines okay but knows he looks at Alex too often, and aware that River is not a focus point of the scene, tells himself repeatedly that he needs to stop it.

It had been a bad idea to ever begin their little game and to indulge so deeply in it, because when she's in character, he's become so accustomed to thinking of her as his River, that all he sees when she speaks is her laid out beneath him, looking up at him with that same glint in those eyes, telling him she wants him, cooing 'Doctor' and 'sweetie' at him and it makes it difficult to breathe.

At lunch, he doesn't even feel like eating, and tells himself it's because he's just not hungry, and not because of the scene he has coming up this afternoon. Arthur and Karen don't help his muddled state of mind at all.

"So…" says Arthur conversationally over a mouthful of sandwich. "You get to snog Alex Kingston this afternoon."

As much as he tries to prevent it, Matt immediately goes red and Karen shrieks with laughter in delight.

"Shut up," he mumbles, "It's just a kiss, just a short, brief kiss - honestly, how old are you two?" He scowls at them.

"Don't pretend you're not gonna enjoy it though," sings Karen teasingly.

Matt throws a piece of salad at her. "I'm a professional, Kaz, I just want to get the shot right."

"Course," she grins, sharing a look with Arthur. "Sure you do."

"What?" He scowls. "What was that?"

"What was what?" She asks innocently, glancing at Arthur again.

"That! That look!"

Arthur laughs. "Oh come on mate! We've seen the way you ogle the woman, there's nothing wrong with admitting you're gonna enjoy the fact that you get to kiss her. And we don't blame you; I'm a bit jealous myself actually…"

Karen elbows Arthur firmly. "Oy, you men!" She scolds. "Poor Alex, talking about her like that - she's our friend!"

Arthur shrugs. "Sorry, but you know, just stating facts. She's hot."

Karen rolls her eyes and Matt resists the sudden urge to throw something a lot heaver than his salad at Arthur's head.

Luckily, they drop the topic, and all too soon Matt finds himself standing on set with Alex just several feet away from him, nodding at everything Steven is telling him about the Doctor's thoughts and reactions in this scene but listening to none of it.

Finally, he wanders off to talk to the director and Matt is left alone, part of him wishing they can just start so he can get this over with and another part dreading the word action.

Alex is standing at the edge of her cell, looking as breathtaking as ever, even in River's dull practical dress, and he finds for a moment he can't tear his eyes from her, and is glad she has her own shut as someone touches up her eye make-up. He isn't sure but he thinks she looks nervous, breathing a little quicker than usual, a flush to her cheeks and one small hand curled around a bar of the cell. I never did take her against those bars , he thinks suddenly -

No. He gives himself a mental shake, and forces that thought from his head, making a point of not looking at her as he moves into position in front of her because he knows that the second he does, the thought will be back.

He is proud of the fact that he keeps his head once they begin the take, and is just thinking that maybe this won't be so bad, because he's a professional and he can do this without letting their personal issues get in the way when he turns back to face her, moving towards her as he asks if he's forgetting something and her eyes lock onto his and damn it but he can't help but envision himself pressing her against those bars, dragging her dress up…

Stop, now! He yells in his head as he comes to a stop in front of Alex, and he mentally braces himself…but she doesn't move, only stares at him blankly with wide, alarmed eyes until the director calls 'cut!' loudly.

She looks flustered when she apologises and he wonders if she'd been thinking about that very same thing before quickly chiding himself for being so foolish. Of course not, she probably just didn't want to kiss him; they weren't exactly on friendly terms at the moment.

The next take, as he approaches her, he forces himself to stay in character, telling himself that he's the Doctor, and he's kissed River hundreds of times before - but then it occurs to him that this is the only way he will ever get to kiss her again and he still wants her but knows he won't ever be able to touch her again and how is he supposed to do this when River is right here in front of him?

When her lips touch his, he only remembers to be surprised for a split second before his mind clouds over and he is powerless to do much else but kiss her back desperately. He doesn't even hear them call cut, except that Alex shoves him away roughly all of a sudden, and he realises as he blinks in bewilderment that crew are laughing and the director is chastising him.

"Yes - yes, I know," he mutters in apology, managing to stammer out some feeble excuse for his

enthusiasm while making sure he looks anywhere but at the woman in front of him. He is grateful they only have to do two more takes because it's about as long as his restraint can last.

He is in such a hurry to get out of there by the time they're done that he nearly knocks the reason he wants to leave so urgently over as he reaches the door. Apologising, he holds it for her and Salome, feeling himself freeze a little when she touches his arm and tells him she'll see him tomorrow.

He can only mutter a 'yeah,' in reply…what is she trying to do to him? Looking up at him like that with those wide anxious eyes and soft expression - she was the one who didn't want anything to do with him. Confused and frowning, he spins on his heel and heads towards the other exit.

Matt doesn't go to bed that night, instead turns the telly in his hotel suite on and settles deep into the sofa, forcing himself to watch whatever rubbish is on until eventually it finally lulls him into a restless sleep.

Chapter 23

After another painful day on set, which included Matt wanting to hit something every time he looked at Alex - which was a lot as they were in scenes together all day - and having to spend every break wandering around the studios aimlessly in order to avoid her, come nine that night Matt was ready to go to bed and crash.

Just after deciding on this course of action, he is on route to the bathroom to brush his teeth when there's a knock at his door.

Muttering, he crosses the room and opens it. "Alex," he says with surprise.

She bites her lip and fidgets. "Can I come in?"

Mutely, he nods, opening the door wider to let her brush past him into his room, shutting it behind her.

"Well," she says as she hovers in the middle of the room. "That's a start…I was half expecting you to shut the door in my face."

Matt frowns, moving over to the kitchen area. "Why would I do that?" She shrugs, watching him anxiously as he opens the fridge. He pulls out a beer (he was going to need one if she was here) and turns to face her. "Be childish, wouldn't it?"

She visibly tenses, frowning at him and swallowing. "Matt…"

"Want a drink?"

She shakes her head. "No. I just wanted to talk to you."

"So you came all the way over here? You could have talked to me on set."

"Yes because I had every opportunity - it's not like you've been avoiding me at all costs is it?"

Scowling, he opens the bottle and takes a long drink, leaning back against the kitchen counter, as Alex stands awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asks finally.

Alex sighs. "Not so much talk really…as apologise." She shuffles, looking down at her coat as she fiddles with the hem. "I know I hurt you with what I said and I never meant to do that."

"Meant what you said though."

She pauses. "Not exactly…"

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" He frowns.

"I mean…" She fiddles a bit again, pausing. "Not at all. I only said it because…because you weren't listening to what I was trying to say."

Matt frowns and is quiet a moment before realising she is probably just feeling bad for upsetting him so much. He supposes he has been pretty obvious about how sore he felt. "I appreciate you saying that but…what's done is done, I'll get over it okay?" He starts towards the door. "And I

was just gonna have an early night actually, so if there's nothing else…"

"Matt - stop it," she says before he can open the door for her. "I'm being honest with you, I didn't mean it - I mean yes, sometimes you're childish but -"

"See," he scoffs.

"But that's a good thing!" She says quickly. "I love that about you - you make me feel young, Matt. You're always so bright and - and full of it and I love that…and I hate that you've been so down the last few days…"

He scowls at the floor. "I haven't been down. I've just been tired is all." She shakes her head. "Don't give me that, I know you better darling."

Matt doesn't reply. He feels quite confused by all this if he's honest with himself - and doesn't dare to hope that she's here because she changed her mind. She probably just wants to make herself feel better about having hurt him so much.

"Can we just forget about it and move on?" She asks quietly from her place in the middle of the room. "You know, just…get past it all?"

So, it is the latter then. He sighs. "Yeah, whatever - I already told you it's fine," he mumbles, picking at the label on his bottle.

She shakes her head. "It's not fine. How it is now isn't fine -"

Then why did we have to stop then!? He wants to cry, but he doesn't.

"I don't want to lose your friendship, please Matt," she begs. "I've missed you…can't we just… just go back to how it was before between us?"

He frowns. "But you -"

"Before everything," she quickly amends.

He looks at her curiously for a moment before replying. "But…we were never that good of friends before, were we?"

Her brow furrows. "What? Yes we were -"

"No, not really. We got on well at work, and had a laugh, but it's not like we were ever close, were we?"

She looks at him, biting her lip.

"Well…can we be?"

"Friends?"

She nods.

He looks away, scratching the back of his neck. "I dunno…isn't that gonna be a bit weird?"

"…Only if you make it weird."

He swallows and shakes his head tensely, avoiding her eyes deliberately. "I don't think I could

help it."

A short silence follows and he stares intently at a spot on the floor, feeling the tension in the room heightening and becoming uncomfortable.

Alex finally speaks, her voice quiet. "Please Matt…I don't want to lose you…"

He looks up in surprise when her voice wavers as she speaks the words and is shocked when he sees her eyes are red and filled with tears.

"Hey…come here," He says quickly, rendered completely helpless at the sight of her crying, and he crosses the floor in three strides and wraps his arms around her. She clings back to him, sniffling quietly into his shoulder. "Don't cry…shit, I'm sorry Alex. Never meant to upset you…"

She shakes her head against him. "No, no, no you don't need to be sorry. I just…" She breaks off, choking back a little sob and his heart clenches in his chest.

"Oh crap, please don't," he whispers, rubbing her back. "Of course we can be friends - of course we can, I just…ugh. I'm a prick. I'm sorry."

"No, you -" she tries to say something again but her voice is too thick with tears and he hushes her, squeezing her a bit tighter and smoothing hands over her back as he mutters reassurances into her hair.

When she calms, he falls quiet and they stand there for several long minutes, both silent except for Alex's quiet sniffling,. Her tears soak his shirt, but he doesn't care. He means what he'd told her; he will make every effort possible to be her friend if that's what she wants, no matter how hard it is for him because he can't bear to see her like this, especially knowing he's the cause of it. Even if it kills him every day to be close but not close with her, he'll do it, if it means she'll be happy.

When she finally stops crying, he sits her down and hands her a box of tissues, and he is reminded vividly of another time that feels like an age ago, when he'd done the same. It had been the same then, he remembers; her in tears had done something to his insides that just gave him this irrepressible urge to look after her and make it all better, and he realises now, that that had been the night things had changed for him, the night he first saw her differently - and the night he'd started to fall for her.

He makes her a cup of tea, just like he'd done then, and brings it over to her, sitting down on the other end of the sofa with his own steaming mug. He sighs heavily and Alex does the same, and they are quiet for a moment.

"Where's Salome?" He suddenly realises.

Alex takes a sip of her drink. "With Karen," she says, sniffing, and elaborating at his curious look. "I called and I told her what had happened, and that I needed to come here and see you and she came straight over to watch Salome, bless her."

"You told Karen?" He asks, his voice a bit high as he starts to panic at bit that she'd let the excitable redhead in on everything that had passed between them.

She shakes her head. "No. Well - yes, I told her what I'd said to you but not why I'd said it, obviously." She smiles weakly over at him then. "Relax, darling. She's not gonna be bombarding you for kinky details tomorrow."

"Oh." He lets out a breath. "Well that's a relief."

She sniffs again, dabbing at her nose with the tissue in her hand. "I should get back to them. I'm sure Karen wants to get back to hers."

He nods at the mug in her hands. "Drink your tea first." Alex nods and takes another sip.

They don't speak while they sip at their drinks, but the silence is companionable, and every now and then he catches Alex sneaking a glance at him, and raises his eyebrows in question, only for her to smile warmly and look away.

She puts down her mug when she's finished and shuffles over on the sofa to him, startling him when she unexpectedly wraps an arm round his stomach and leans her head on his shoulder for a moment, before sitting up and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. She gets to her feet with a sigh and he follows, swallowing and feeling his cheek tingle from her touch.

When they get to the door, Alex places a hand on his arm, looking up at him with anxious eyes.

"Are you sure we're okay?" She asks tentatively.

"Yeah," he smiles back reassuringly. "Course we are."

She bites her lip for a moment, trying to read his face before she nods. "Okay. I'll see you at work."

"Yeah," he nods back.

When he closes the door softly behind her he leans his forehead on it with a heavy sigh, and bangs a fist against the wood.

Chapter 24

Things were better on set after that. Like he'd promised, Matt made every effort to be friendly with Alex, and she seemed overjoyed to be able to chat, laugh and joke with him in between takes…but there was no flirting anymore. Alex didn't, and he couldn't.

Kaz had teased him the day after for being an oversensitive girl and getting in 'such a sulk' over what Alex had said, but had hugged them both shortly after and said she was so happy they'd made up because she'd known there had been something wrong and couldn't stand it when two of her favourite people ever were so miserable. Matt had rolled his eyes but jumped at the opportunity to hug Alex when Karen stepped back and commanded it. He knew he'd clung to her a bit too tightly but she hadn't seemed to mind, planting an affectionate kiss on his cheek with a little laugh as she pulled away. He had ached for her when she walked off but it had been worth it.

He'd gotten the opportunity to hold her again a week later when she had come into work at lunchtime having had the morning off to take Salome to the airport, with sunglasses to hide her red eyes. She'd sat herself down with him, Karen and Arthur and explained tearfully that it was always difficult to say goodbye to her daughter. Matt had shuffled over on the bench and looped an arm round her shoulders, and she'd seemed glad to tuck herself into his side and let him rub her arm gently for a few moments.

That was just over a week ago. They are all in Utah now, the days had gone so fast, and Matt feels like he'd hardly blinked before he finds himself settling into the modest hotel room he'd been appointed for the duration of their shoot over here. He is in room 13, Alex next door in room 14. Like it wasn't hard enough to not think about her as he lay in bed at night, now he was going to know she was just on the other side of the wall in her own bed.

That first night, he hardly slept a wink, thinking about her laying probably just a few feet away from him. At one point in his Alex -induced insomnia, he thinks he hears her on the other side of the wall, hears her gasp and moan softly, pleasure-filled sounds that are so familiar to him - but of course they must have just been a product of his over-tired, obsessed mind.

He is glad they had the first day off so they could all recover from jet lag, and luckily everyone is pretty much as tired as he is, so after a short wander about the small town and something to eat in a café with Kaz and Arthur, he is able to go back to his hotel and collapse in bed at three in the afternoon. He sleeps through until the next morning, and wakes up feeling energetic and positive.

Unfortunately, however, he is slightly too energetic and bounds out of his room and right into Alex in the hallway.

"Ow," she complains with a chuckle as she rubs her nose having smacked it on his shoulder, while he apologises profusely. "Clumsy fool," she chides good naturedly, shoving him lightly. "At least someone's over the jet lag, I'm still knackered."

He laughs as he walks with her, still a bit embarrassed about having nearly knocked her flying. "Yeah, I slept like a log since lunchtime yesterday."

"I know," she laughs. "I heard you snoring."

"I do not snore Kingston!" He exclaims, outraged.

"Oh yeah?" She teases, "And who'd know better out of the two of us huh?"

He falters and opens and closes his mouth for a moment, and Alex suddenly goes pink, realising what she'd just unintentionally alluded to. "I mean - because I could hear you - last night. In your room."

He avoids her eyes and nods. "Yeah," he mumbles awkwardly.

Alex clears her throat and forces out in a bright tone, "So - I wonder what it'll be like today."

"Yeah…supposed to be amazing out there…you've been to Monument Valley before haven't you?"

"Yeah, once. Have you?"

"No. So…is it nice?"

She nods, and opens her mouth to reply but he is glad when Karen calls from behind them and jogs to catch them up. She is soon chattering away excitedly and he is glad of the distraction from awkwardly polite small-talk with Alex.

Five hours later, they are out in the middle of nowhere, in one of the most beautiful locations he's ever seen. But he isn't looking at the landscape right now; River is shooting a gun. And dear God is that sexy.

Matt isn't needed for this scene; they are working with Alex alone to film a couple of shots in which she uses the gun but he has nothing better to do, and so reclines on the sidelines, laying back on his elbows, the Doctor's Stetson (which he'd quickly become quite fond of) perched on his head, tilted slightly to keep the sun off his face.

He watches her as they run through the scene, her pretending to fire a shot, brining the pistol to her lips and blowing on it, purring out a sexy 'Hello sweetie' before they call cut. She lowers the gun, and her eyes all of a sudden snap over to his, and with the smirk still on her lips, she winks.

He raises his eyebrows at her and sits up, but she looks away, switching her attention to the director who is talking to her. Wondering if he'd imagined it, Matt stares as she nods and discusses the scene then takes her place again to run through it once more. This time, however, her eyes find his and lock onto them as she blows on the pistol and speaks her line and he swallows, his jaw a little slack as his brain whirls inside his head trying to make sense of what he's seeing.

They call out that they're going to do a take of the other scene and she's to fire the gun for real and she gives him once last glance, sticking her tongue out with a cheeky smirk before she focuses and gets down to business as the master of arms jogs up to her.

She's just flirting Matt, he tells himself seriously. They used to do this all the time, right? Even before, when it hadn't meant anything - and it clearly didn't mean anything now. She was obviously just becoming more relaxed around him since…certain things, and was getting back to being her old self around him. Flirting didn't mean anything.

He is shooed away from his position and retreats off to the side as they set up for the shot and announce that there will be live fire going off. He stands on the sidelines and watches her as she holds the gun up and unlocks the safety. Action is called and she fires off several successive shots, hardly flinching as it goes off and he feels a thrill shoot straight to his lower body.

Shit, he curses mentally, feeling excitement start to bubble within him. Right, that was it, he was taking himself away from this scene right now; clearly he couldn't even watch the woman without thinking naughty thoughts. Whose bloody idea had it been to give her a gun anyway?

She still wanted him.

Alex had thought it would fade, and thought she'd be able to put that side of their relationship behind her and just be able to see him as a friend but…she couldn't. She wanted him every time he looked at her, it seemed to make it worse being so friendly with him because it all felt so right, and no amount of telling herself she couldn't have him anymore was making any difference.

Their rooms were right next to each other in the small hotel they were staying at, and she couldn't help but think how convenient that would have been had she and he been still been on those sorts of terms. Alex had laid in bed their first night in Utah, knowing he was just the other side of the thin wall and she had to mentally force herself not to just go and knock on his door. In the dark all the reasons she'd stopped the whole affair seemed trivially unimportant, and she'd gotten so wound up thinking about him and all the incredible things he could make her feel that she'd brought herself to orgasm before she'd even realised she was trying, and came hard, shuddering and gasping with his face imprinted on her mind.

She was glad she didn't see him the next day because she really wasn't sure what she might have done. Sleep didn't come any easier that night either, but she stubbornly blamed the jet lag, refusing to believe she was actually pining for the man so close and yet so far away from her that night.

But they were just friends now, that was her own choice and the way it had to stay. Oh, but she was doing a terrible job of sticking to that, as she found herself staring at him on set, shooting him flirtatious winks whenever he looked her way, and deliberately catching his eyes as she rehearsed River's lines. What was she doing? It was like she couldn't control herself…

Her focus leaves him briefly as she runs through a real take. As soon as cut is called, her eyes are seeking him out again…but she can't see him now. She shrugs, deciding he must have wandered off while she was shooting and she feels a strange sense of emptiness settle in her stomach… which is ridiculous, she tells herself. He'd only wandered over to another part of the set and it wasn't like she was even looking for him anyway, she was -

"Alex!"

"What?" She asks, surprised, snapping her head up to the director, who was calling her name.

"Bill said did you reload? We're going for another take."

"Oh - sorry," she looks over at Bill, the master of arms who is standing next to her and apparently

had been trying to get her attention. "Um - no, I didn't, show me that again."

Matt drags his feet as he wanders through the hotel back to his room. It had been a long day and he is exhausted. Karen, Arthur and Alex had all gone back a couple of hours ago but the curse of being the Doctor, he'd had to work late to do some extra shots on his own.

Still in costume, he roots through his jacket pockets until he finds his room key-card, stuffed in with the sonic screwdriver, and he pokes it into the slot in the door before pushing it open. Matt nearly jumps out of his skin when he walks into his room to see a figure sitting on his bed.

"Alex!" He yelps in surprise, staring at her, still in River's denims, sitting there like that was just where she belonged. "I…" He glances around in bewilderment. "How did you get in here?"

She smirks. "Nicked your spare key-card."

He raises his eyebrows.

She rises to her feet and walks slowly towards him, her eyes fixed on his, and he feels himself swallow a little, backing up a couple of steps.

"Wh - what are you doing?" He manages to get out as his back hits the door and she pushes herself against him.

She lifts a hand to caress his cheek and the cocky expression fades as she visibly swallows. "Just…just once more…okay?"

His eyes widen as she glances down to his lips. She cups the back of his neck and stands on her tiptoes. "Just once," she repeats softly against his mouth before she is kissing him, and God help him, but he's kissing her back before he even realises what's happening.

He has no knowledge of telling his body to move but in the next moment he finds he has spun them and pressed her against the door and is kissing her so deeply and frantically that she's gasping against his mouth as his hands dive beneath her shirt. Her hands leave him but her mouth does not as she rips her jacket off and hurriedly unbuttons her shirt halfway down before giving up on that to wrestle with his clothes instead.

She is moaning as they get the tweed jacket on the floor, grinding her hips into his, and it isn't until her hands yank his trousers open and she's trying to shove them down before she's undone his braces, and she mutters breathlessly, "these stupid bloody things you insist on wearing Doctor," that he comes back to his senses and gasps, grabbing her wrists.

She looks up at him with wide eyes, panting. "What?" She utters, her hair all wild and lips swollen, and it takes everything within him not to just pull her close again.

He shakes his head and steps back, letting go of her wrists to let her hands drop to her sides.

She is frowning now. "What?"

He swallows; turning away and doing his trousers painfully back up over his erection, beginning to button his shirt. "You need to go, we…I can't, Alex. I can't do this again."

He feels two arms wrap round him and a body press to his back. "I'm not Alex," she purrs into his ear and he freezes before shrugging her off.

That was the problem. She was making herself be River to do this with him - and he didn't want River Song anymore.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She sounds hurt and he doesn't dare look at her for fear he will see that look on her face and melt.

He shakes his head, running a trembling hand through his hair. "I can't do 'just once', Alex," he mumbles. "Please…it's hard enough as it is."

There is a long few seconds of silence before he hears her voice, quiet and subdued. "You're right…I'm sorry."

He turns to face her before he can stop himself and - oh God. There it was. That look on her face, hurt in her eyes…and he had put it there again.

His face softens. "Alex -" He begins, starting towards her but she holds up a hand, backing away

as she hurriedly re-buttons her shirt.

"No - no you're right. I'm sorry - I'm so sorry. We can't, I'm…I'll go."

And before he can reply, she's gone without even picking up her jacket.

When he hands it to her the next morning her cheeks go a bit pink and she avoids his eyes as she thanks him, ducking her head and quickly scooting off. Brilliant. So the awkwardness was back. He mentally kicks himself for being an idiot and wishes he'd just slept with her; lord knows he'd wanted to, and he knew, even as she was uttering the words against his lips that once they'd done it, it wouldn't be just once, that would have been the start of it all over again.

But he knew what had really stopped him was that he didn't want to get trapped playing that game with her again. She thought she had to be River to do it…and he knew now that he didn't want that anymore.

But…maybe that was the problem…she thought she had to be River and him the Doctor…maybe she'd never let herself consider any other option.

Of course, it could be that she just didn't want anything to do with him in any way other than friendship but…what if it had just never occurred to her that they could be something more? Maybe…maybe he just needed to be honest with her. Maybe if he just told her how he felt, it could change things?

It couldn't make things any worse, right? And if it did, well…they only had two weeks left of shooting together; he'd just have to struggle through it.

Alex was embarrassed. What had she been thinking, coming on to Matt like that again? It had seemed like a good idea at the time; hell, it had been the only idea in her head most of the damn day, and even as she'd sat there in his room waiting for him and trying to talk herself out of it, she'd only managed to get herself to compromise as much as to decide it would only be this once more. What a stupid idea that had been.

The poor man, God knows she'd already messed with his head enough…and after everything, after her ending it and the things she'd said to him, how ironic was it that he had been the one mature enough to know it wasn't a good idea. And it just went to show that the age gap she'd used as a feeble excuse before really did mean bugger all.

He'd been right, and she'd been wrong and so stupid to suggest such a thing again. Sitting on her bed, leaning against her headboard, Alex turns to the side and places a hand on the wall separating her and Matt's room.

She aches for him, but knows the best thing she can do now is just leave him be; stay away from him for these last two weeks and then they wouldn't have to see each other for a long time and she could let this…infatuation fizzle out. Sighing and leaning her head against it, she whispers a heartfelt apology through the wall.

Chapter 25

Alex avoids Matt the next morning on set, because how was she supposed to look him in the eye now? They'd just been starting to finally find an easy friendship and become comfortable with each other (well, except for the irrepressible dirty thoughts from her side) and she'd messed it all up again.

She is so furious with herself for letting stupid…primal urges get the better of her. She'd risked (and ruined) their whole friendship - which had been so delicately, tentatively building - for the sake of a shag. How could she have let her hormones control her brain like that, what was she, sixteen?

The truth was, the last thing she'd ever expected was for him to refuse her. And really, she knows that by allowing them 'just one more time', it wouldn't have been just once, it would have been the start of the whole affair again…and maybe she'd known that. Maybe that was what she'd really wanted, because even with his sort-of friendship and seeing him every day, crazily she was still missing him.

Alex doesn't know what that means, and doesn't know why she feels so distressed and confused about the whole thing. He'd handed her the jacket of River's she'd left on the floor when she'd fled his room first thing this morning and she'd nearly died. She'd felt her face go deep red and irrationally almost felt as if she might cry, and, mortified had thanked him hoarsely and scurried of before she'd said or done something stupid.

She manages to keep out of his way until after lunch when they have to shoot her entrance scene together. It's a very short shot and she's already done it on her own but they were fussing with angles and light and wanted it all done again with them together.

At one point between takes she accidentally catches his eyes and they both freeze. Then Matt smiles, so honestly and beautifully and she wrenches her eyes away, clearing her throat as turns away, scuffing her boot in the dirt…and she is horrified when tears blur her vision. What is wrong with her!? She needs to pull herself together because this is ridiculous, and she can't believe how much she's letting it affect her.

She is relieved when they decide the scene is done with and call a break while they set up for the next one. The crew move off, shifting all their equipment down to the lakeside they are situated near to set up for the next scene. Everyone either trails after them or wanders over to the trailers with the food or off to sit down, but Alex stays where she is, walking round the other side of the red car they'd used in the scene and slumping against it with her back to everything else and just the barren wild land stretched out in front of her.

She is leaning against the car, arms folded as she sighs heavily, drinking in the beautiful surroundings, her eyes on the horizon but mind elsewhere, on a certain man in a tweed jacket just back on set. She's given up trying not to think of him today, especially when she'd spend the last two hours stood just a few meters away from him and avoiding his intent piercing gaze.

In another world, another life…she thinks they would have been together. They fit, in a weird sort of way, and she knows that despite the fact that whenever they were together like that it sort of wasn't for real because they'd been acting as their characters, she'd never felt such a connection before with any man, ever.

She is so lost in her thoughts that she doesn't hear the scuff of feet that signal Matt's arrival, and jumps when he appears next to her with a, "Hi."

Involuntarily, her mouth dries out, her heart speeding up, and she straightens a bit, giving him a tentative glance. "…Hey," she squeaks back. What is he doing here? Isn't this as awkward for him as it is for her?

She doesn't speak and he doesn't either, simply leans on the car beside her and looks into the distance for a few minutes. Finally, she can take it no longer and clears her throat. "Did you want something?"

He doesn't reply to her question, only gives a sigh and inclines his head towards hers. "It's really something out here, isn't it?"

What!? She turns to frown in bemusement at him. "Yeah…" she nods, confused. "Yeah it's… beautiful."

She hears him swallow, and then he turns to look at her and her breath catches as his eyes lock onto hers, and she doesn't think she's ever seen such an intense gaze in them.

"You're beautiful."

Her own eyes widen a bit at that and she swallows, pushing herself upright off the car and beginning to move away. "Matt…"

"No, Alex - I mean it." Straightening too, he moves to stand in front of her and tries to take her

hands but she pulls them away, avoiding his eyes. "I have to tell you something, I -"

"Don't, Matt" she cuts him off; she is already feeling so exhausted by the whole situation she can't bear to listen to what he has to say right now because she knows it's going to be something about last night. And from the way he was smiling at her earlier she suspects he regrets pushing her away, and now, knowing she still wants him, has it in his head that they can start the whole thing again. And really, she doesn't think that's what she wants anymore. She slides out from between him and the car and steps away a few paces to put some distance between them.

"Alex -"

"Matt, no."

"I need you," he begs hoarsely. "I can't be without you anymore, please, we -"

She is shaking her head. "Darling…"

"I need you!"

"Matt - don't - please," she says quietly. "I'm sorry for last night - I'm so sorry, but I shouldn't have, it was a mistake and you know we can't -"

"But I can't go on like this without you!"

She shakes her head. "Don't be silly," she says gently, "we've only got a couple more weeks of filming together and then I'll be gone and you won't even have to think of me -"

"But - no it's not…no, I - please just listen, I just - "

"God, Matt, don't do this, I've told you why. I can't, it's not worth it! It's -"

"Alex -"

"We've been over and over this, we were playing a dangerous, stupid bloody game and it isn't worth it -"

"What if it wasn't just playing a game?"

"…What?"

He swallows and licks his lips. "Me and you. Would it be worth it if…if it was for real?"

"What?"

"Damn it, I want you, Alex! I want to be with you - and not River, this isn't the Doctor talking. I want you, Alex…"

She sucks in a sharp breath. "I…I know," she says quietly. "I know you do - and, and I want you too Matt, you must know that - we both knew that when we started the whole thing. Have you forgotten it was the reason we started it? Because we can't want each other like that it's too complicated to just -"

"I'm not just talking about sex," he says in frustration. "I mean you…I just…I want -" He breaks off with a sigh before continuing, quieter. "I just want you."

"You…you do?" She whispers, as if the statement is incredulous.

He nods. "Yes."

She stares at him, baffled. "As - as in…?"

"As in all the time! Completely. Always. Damn it - I'd bloody marry you Alex, if you'd have me…"

Her eyes are wide and startled, her jaw slack. "Are you being serious?" She finally manages to squeak out.

He runs a hand through his hair. "Course I'm being serious." He swallows, avoiding her eyes. "I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone."

"But…" She stares at him in disbelief at what she's hearing. "Why?"

"Why?" He repeats as if it's the oddest question he's ever been asked. "Because I love you…"

She stares. "What?" She finally breathes after a long painful moment.

"I can't help it," he tells her desperately. "And I didn't even realise it until - until a couple of weeks ago. But I do." He looks away then, staring down at the dirt as he scuffs his boot in it and looking so painfully honest that she feels tears prick in her eyes. He loves her?

He…loves her?

Does she love him? Is that what this has all been about? Is that why her emotions have been in tatters lately? She doesn't know…but she does know that she is happy that he loves her, and that the knowledge spreads through her body and warms her from the inside out, making her feel slightly giddy and definitely very, very happy. And that is undeniably a good thing.

She doesn't know if she loves him, love is such a terribly powerful word and she doesn't know if she can go there again…but she thinks she wants to find out.

"Yes." She finally says, and he looks up at her in confusion, staring at her smiling face.

"Yes? Yes what?"

She nods, taking a step closer to him. "Yes…it would be worth it."

His face lights up as he gapes at her in disbelief. "Really?"

She laughs softly, closing the gap to slip her arms round his waist and beam up at him. "Completely."

He lets out a little laugh of joy, leaning down and kissing her quickly but passionately. "You and me…" he grins at her when their mouths part. "For real?"

"For real," she confirms, leaning up to press another kiss to his smiling mouth and shaking her head as she leans back. "No more acting."

He grins widely and kisses her again, a kiss so deep and passionate and full of so much more than lust that they both whimper softly, clutching at each other tightly and smiling against each others mouths. Alex feels tears prick in her eyes again but these ones don't confuse her; she is happy. He kisses her like he will never let her go, and they only break apart when they hear a voice over a megaphone calling everyone back to set, and they laugh, leaning their foreheads together,

"Well," Matt says with a grin. "Off set anyway."

She laughs and steals one more kiss before they let go of each other to make their way back to the set.

Matt edges closer to her as they walk slowly, nudging his shoulder into hers. "No more acting… ever?" He quizzes in a teasing, low voice.

Alex turns to raise her eyebrows at him and giggles. "Liked the role-play a little too much did you darling?"

He gives her a naughty grin. "Well, it's just…I've been looking at that damn car for the last three hours and thinking about all the ways the Doctor would most definitely have had River on the hood of it if Amy and Rory hadn't had been there."

Alex laughs out loud and smacks his arm playfully. "You were not!" "I was," he grins, "didn't you see me looking at you?"

She gives him a sidelong glance. "I did actually."

He chuckles. "So…do you reckon we'd be able to nick it and drive it back here tonight without

getting caught?"

She shoots a smirk at him, her eyes alight with thrill.

"Well?" He nudges her with a grin when she doesn't reply but she shakes her head. "No?"

"Nope. Not tonight."

He pouts at her. "Why not?"

Still just out of hearing range from the rest of the cast and crew they pause and turn to face each other. "Because Matt darling…" she purrs, daring to reach up and fiddle with his bowtie where anyone could see, but restraining herself from stepping close to him like she wants to. "Tonight I want to go to bed with you. Not the Doctor. I want you." She looks up at him with wide, shining honest eyes and is surprised how good it feels to say those words.

He beams brilliantly at her and she notices him twitch like he wants to reach out and touch her - grab her and pull her to him in a kiss maybe and she smiles.

"Oh Alex…" he says, settling for just lifting a hand and affectionately tugging a coiled strand of her hair. "It's been me all along."

Chapter 26

Now that they've had their little (or, not so little) talk in which the dynamic between them was altered so dramatically and everything has suddenly changed (but oh - for the better!), the rest of the day is pure torture for Alex. Now, she suddenly wants Matt more than she ever has before, and she wants to be alone with him, now. She wants to hold him and kiss him and touch him and just be with him, and she feels as if she'll explode if she doesn't get to do any of it soon.

They avoid looking at each other as much as they can through shooting, but unlike before, it's because both are aware that should they catch the other's eye, their faces surely will betray them and everyone is going to guess exactly what's going on.

In a short break, Alex sidles up to him. "My place or yours?" She purrs in a seductive tone in his ear.

He turns to grin at her. "Mine." She winks at him and makes to leave but he catches her wrist.

"Alex…" He trails off and she looks at him inquisitively.

"What?"

He shakes his head, smiling at her. "Nothing."

She smiles back, slipping her wrist from his grasp but sliding her hand over his and giving it a gentle squeeze as she does. She leans in to promise, "Later, sweetie," in a low tone and he grins.

"I can't wait."

She grins back and then turns and walks off before she gives them both away by kissing him in front of the whole cast and crew like she wants to.

They finish shooting so late that evening, that it's nearly nine in the evening by the time they get back to the hotel. They're all tired and drained but she doesn't care, and she knows that the minute she gets Matt alone she's going to have all her energy back because she's never wanted him as much as she does today.

Everyone mutters a tired goodnight to each other; nobody is going out tonight after that long day on set, and with another early morning on the cards for tomorrow, everybody has bed in mind. Except for her and Matt. Well - they have bed in mind too but definitely not for sleeping purposes for a good while yet. That's good; it makes it easier that they both don't have to make up excuses to get out of any social activities. Alex waits a good five minutes (she'd meant to make it ten but five will have to do) after she shuts her door before opening it again and quietly closing it behind her, tiptoeing the distance between her door and Matt's and thrumming her knuckles softly on it.

He must have been right behind it because it opens immediately and she only just manages to suppress a squeal of surprise as he seizes her about the waist and yanks her inside, pressing her up against the quickly-closed-again door.

They both moan as they kiss deeply, greedy hands roaming over each other, his hips grinding into hers as he pushes her against the door and she tears her mouth away to gasp in air. His lips move to her neck, scattering heated kisses all down it.

"Alex," he mutters against her skin.

"Yeah?" She breathes out, yanking at her shirt buttons with shaking hands, but he doesn't reply, just says her name again, over and over into her neck, over her collarbone, down her chest, against her breasts. Her shirt is thrown on the floor, he unhooks her bra and tugs it from her so he can close his mouth over a hardened nipple, sucking at it deeply and yet still managing to mutter her name into it, his fingers griping tightly around her waist.

Arching into his mouth, Alex throws her head back with a moan, her hands clutching at his braces before she decides shoving them off is a better idea and proceeds quickly after to his bowtie and shirt. She claws at his clothes wildly until she has him down to his boxers and then realises he has her left only in her lacy knickers too as they stumble across the room to the bed together. Distracted by kissing her, Matt trips over his tweed jacket on the floor and falls backwards dragging Alex with him, luckily landing on the bed as they tumble down in an ungraceful tangle of limbs.

She laughs at him as he apologises, his ears going red as he scrambles off her and asks if she's okay. She nods, still giggling as she shifts herself properly onto the bed and shimmies quickly out of her knickers, tossing them aside and reaching for him. Matt's eyes darken and he stands, sheds his boxers, and then with a silly whoop of joy, literally jumps on her, making her shriek loudly, laughing as she smacks him on the shoulder when he settles over her, weight braced on his hands either side of her head as he grins down at her stupidly.

"Idiot," she scolds him fondly, still laughing.

"You love it."

Her laughter fading, she smiles up at him, moving a hand to his cheek and staring at his face a moment. "Always," she says.

Smiling back, he leans down to kiss her as he skims a hand down her body, making her arch up off the bed as his fingers dance over her breasts and down her stomach before dipping between her thighs which part readily for him. She purrs quietly into his mouth as he caresses her slick heat, the pad of his thumb quickly finding her clit as he slides a finger inside her.

She rolls her hips up, grinding into his hand and silently begging for more, pushing her tongue desperately against his as her hand glides down between them to slip round his cock, so hard and ready for her, and she moans at the feel of it in her hand. His lips slide from her mouth to her neck and she gasps in mouthfuls of air.

"Darling," she says breathlessly, still rocking her hips against him. "Need you…" She squeezes him in her hand to punctuate her point and he gives a choked grunt, slipping his hand from between her legs to grasp her hip and she lets go of him to clutch his own hips tightly.

He pauses, looming over her and she pants, looking up into his eyes quizzically. "What?" She says of his strange, slightly wistful expression.

He shakes his head. "Nothing…I just thought I'd never have this again."

Her face softens and she bites her lip. "Me too," she whispers.

He smiles and reaches forward to brush a curl from her face so tenderly it makes her breath catch in her throat. In the next instant she feels another rush of wet heat between her leg and whimpers, wriggling a bit and breaking the moment.

"Now get inside me before I bloody explode."

He laughs out loud but leans down another few inches, just enough so their lips are nearly touching but keeps his hips suspended away from her. "What do you say?" He teases.

She pouts up at him, her nails digging into his hips, and she is too desperate for games right now. "Please."

He lowers himself a bit; just enough to brush his hard length against her dripping sex but his hand keeps her hips pinned down. "Please what?" He prompts, smiling.

She huffs, and licks her lips, though she is unable to stop from smiling. "Matt." She says. "Please Matt, will you fuck me now!"

He grins like an idiot at that and she loves that he looks so ridiculously happy, and finally he lets himself push into her, sighing out as he does; "Oh sweetheart, anything for you." He leans in and kisses her deeply as he starts to move, her hips rising to meet his thrusts and he breaks from her mouth to mutter, "Alex," against her ear. "You feel amazing…"

"Hmm," she hums pleasantly in agreement, deciding she likes the sound of her name on his lips like this as she pulls him closer and lets her eyes slide shut as bliss washes through her.

Matt rocks into her, every now and then mumbling her name breathlessly , and each time he does it sends a little thrill through her and she clutches him that bit tighter, moaning her appreciation. She feels as if she'd be content to lay here forever, with his body inside hers, both of them moving together so perfectly and pleasure just humming through her body. Soon though, that pleasure starts to build and she urges him on, her nails digging into his arse to try and pull him deeper into her. Obligingly, he shifts his angle to put more power behind his thrusts and hits that delicious spot inside her.

"Fuck! Matt - oh!"

"Shh, quiet, quiet," he tries to shush her frantically, and she is suddenly extremely aware of how loud that last shriek was and remembers they are in a hotel with walls that properly aren't that thick and their friends and co-workers just the other side of them.

She bites down on his shoulder hard to muffle her cries, but she can't stop them from coming; he is filling her so perfectly and hitting that spot so exactly right with each increasingly hard thrust, and he growls her name in her ear and she can't be quiet -

"Oh, darling - so good, don't stop, don't ever stop!" She pants out as she grinds up against him, her inner walls clenching around him as her thighs tighten around his waist, so close to her release now. He wriggles a hand down between their sweating bodies and his fingers find her clit and, "Matt!" She shouts, throwing her head back as lights start to flash at the edges of her vision. And oh, the whole bloody floor is going to know exactly what they're doing but she cannot find it in

herself to care right now.

Let them know, she thinks vaguely in her pleasure-filled mind, she doesn't care anymore because she wants to be with Matt, she wants this forever, she wants -

She cries his name out again as she shatters below him, waves of pleasure washing over and over her as she twists and trembles and sobs his name out, again and again until there is nothing left to come, and she slumps down in exhaustion.

As she feels his heart hammer frantically against her own, she realises that he too had reached his climax while she was deep in the clutches of her own, and that her left ear is ringing from where he'd yelled her name right into it as he came.

She runs her hands over his back, pressing soft idle kisses into his hair as they struggle to regain their breath.

"Well." Alex finally says, patting his back lightly. "I don't think we're gonna be needing to try and hide this from Karen and Arthur anymore…and possibly whoever else is on this floor."

He chuckles and moves off her, pulling out gently and pressing a kiss to her lips before rolling to her side to collapse on his back. "I think whoever's in the whole hotel might know now dear," Matt tells her and she swats him.

"Shush. You were just as bad."

They fall quiet, both panting heavily and trembling lightly, and after a few moments Matt props himself up on an elbow and stares down at her. "Alex." He utters softly, smoothing a slightly damp curl back from her face.

She smiles. "Hmm?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say it." He grins, and leans in to kiss her quickly.

Alex chuckles, rolling her eyes tolerantly. She shifts over closer to him, turning to slip her arm over his stomach and use his chest as a pillow as he slings his arm beneath her head and round to rest on her back. The fall into peaceful quiet, and the day's events spin through her mind . She smiles as she thinks about the fact that just last night, she was alone on the other side of the wall with everything feeling all wrong, and she never would have guessed that tonight she'd be here snuggled against Matt, with everything finally so right.

"Matt?" She whispers into the dark.

"Hm?"

She pauses. "Do you really love me?"

He rolls over onto his side to face her and cuddle her closer, and she can hear the smile in his words when he speaks. "Didn't I just prove that to you?"

She chuckles, and lightly pinches his side where her hand is resting.

He clears his throat. "Yeah," he whispers, the playful tone gone. "I do."

She smiles at that, and drops a kiss to where her face is tucked against his neck but she has to know if he'd been serious about something else he'd said

"You said you'd marry me…"

"I would." He says immediately. He pauses, and then speaks again, and his voice is quiet and little breathless, as if he hardly dares to ask but has a hint of hope - "…Do you want to get married?"

She chuckles softly at that, as her heart soars and warmth spreads through her and she knows he really is serious; he is mad - but oh…that's wonderful. She presses a firm, lingering kiss into his shoulder.

"Let's just take it one step at a time, okay darling?" She tells him fondly, laughing a little, when she moves her head back to look up at him.

He looks adorably hopeful. "But…maybe…someday?"

She laughs again, and shrugs, and Matt grins, obviously content that the answer wasn't a no.

"When our characters get married," He decides after a moment of quiet, "I'm going to ask you for real."

She leans her head back to regard him again and raises her eyebrows but can't help grinning. "Who says they're getting married?"

"They already are married, the Doctor just hasn't done the wedding part yet."

"Oh, you're that convinced are you?" She laughs.

"Yep. Come on…a woman like that? He'd be a bloody fool to ever let her get away. And he may be many things but he's no fool." He tickles her side lightly and she squirms.

Alex is still giggling quietly. "Careful darling, keep talking about River like that and I might get jealous."

He laughs. "Well…she's perfect for the Doctor, but to be honest…she's not really my type."

"Oh really?" Laughs Alex.

"Mmm hmm. You've definitely got nothing to be jealous of Miss Kingston." With a playful grin, he rolls her under him, running his hands up over her sides as she hums in delight, smiling up at him. And he leans down to kiss the tip of her nose. "River Song's got nothing on you."

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