A/N: Here's chapter two. Hope you guys enjoy. I'm nearly done with Chapter 3, hoping to have that up in a few more days, maybe a week or so tops. Not entirely sure how long this will be but at least a few more chapters I would think. Reviews are appreciated and thanks for reading!
Chapter 2 – Awkward Interruptions
The Doctor didn't stay asleep long. He just couldn't. Timelords needed less sleep than humans (even Human-Plus Timelords, like River) and he had really only just woken up from a full night's sleep before coming to find her. He woke up about 20 minutes after falling asleep next to her in the Pond's bedroom, feeling at peace for the first time since picking Amy and Rory up the day before. He was wrapped in the arms of his wife, feeling her skin pressed against his own and he savored in it; it helped keep the pain at bay.
River, on the other hand, was still fast asleep. While her need for sleep was less than a full human's, she still needed more than he did. While he could go several days without needing to sleep, River generally required at least a couple hours a night and he usually joined her when they were together. Even though she'd fallen asleep first on the TARDIS last night, he doubted she'd actually slept much before now.
It had been a quiet affair on the TARDIS after he got back from reading Amy's letter. He'd shown it to River, of course, but then they had pretty much sat in silence in their bedroom for the remaining hours before exhaustion overtook both of them. He hadn't known what to say, didn't think he would have been coherent or considerate enough to say something that would be helpful to either of them, so he hadn't said anything and she'd taken his lead.
Mulling this over as he carefully pulled his arms free, trying his hardest not to wake her, he started to gently twirl his fingers through her curls. He really did love them; the way they were all twisty and turn-y and were simply everywhere all at once. They still captivated him, after all these years. The Doctor had done this a thousand times before, of course, lying in this exact position, but River was usually awake, laughing lovingly at him as he played with her hair. He always loved when he got her like this, asleep and at peace, where he could play with her curls and study the beautiful bounty that was her face to his hearts' content. He was more than happy to just lie here forever, watching her sleep and running his fingers through those magnificent, blonde ringlets.
He was doing exactly that nearly an hour later, when he heard a loud gasp of surprise come from the doorway. The Doctor's head shot up so fast he swore he'd get whiplash and instantly felt his stomach drop and both his hearts stop.
There, standing in the doorway to the bedroom, and with a perfect view of the naked couple beneath the covers, was Brian Williams. He stood there, rooted to the spot with a dumbstruck look on his face, shock, confusion, and embarrassment all fighting for dominance.
"Brian!" The Doctor squeaked out, horrorstruck. He shot up in bed, panicky, letting the covers drop to his waist. Unfortunately, as he did so, he'd forgotten that his fingers were still tangled in River's hair, which he'd accidentally taken along with his hand rather forcefully.
She awoke with a shout of pain and surprise, a glare instantly forming on her face. "Doctor, what the hell-!" she exclaimed, clearly annoyed, as she sat up as well, thankfully taking the covers with her. She glanced up and saw Brian. The Doctor didn't think he'd ever seen River blush, not when she'd been forced, due to unforeseen circumstances and a particularly nasty swarm of cloth-eating moths, to help him save a war-torn moon with no clothes on, or any of the times they'd been arrested for public indecency on several different planets, or even the time Amy and Rory had walked in on the two of them doing something they really shouldn't have seen. But right now, there was definitely a hint of red to her checks as she swore and checked to make sure her chest was still covered.
Immediately, the Doctor glanced hurriedly from River to Brian, who had quickly shot a hand up to cover his eyes as soon as River had moved. He still seemed unable to move and his attempt at stuttering out a response was a miserable failure.
As for the Doctor, he was bereft of any words which could diffuse the situation, but that never stopped his mouth from running before. "I-I-I, that is to say, we-er- it's not what it looks like, I swear!" he babbled, almost incoherently, waving his arms around. "Unless you're thinking- well, ok, it's probably exactly what it looks like, but-!"
"Doctor, please, shut up!" River snapped impatiently, but it was then that Brian seemed to find both his voice and his legs.
He still had his hand clapped over his eyes when he spoke. "Sorry! Sorry! The door was open- and- and I thought I left it shut last time I was here. I thought – well, it- it doesn't matter. I'll- I'll just leave you two alone. Be downstairs. Sorry!" he rambled, mortified, as he groped, blind, inside the room, found the doorknob, and, pulled it shut behind him and made a hasty retreat.
The Doctor flopped back down onto the mattress and buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly. "River, that was-"
"I know," she moaned, as she also dropped back down next to his, likewise burying her face in her hands.
"We were- he -he saw-!"
"Yes, I know, Sweetie."
They were both silent for a minute, each taking in what had just happened, trying to figure out how to get out of this predicament with as little embarrassment and awkwardness as possible.
"That was bad, wasn't it?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, yes," she groaned, removing her hands from her face and shifting to look over at him.
He moaned, pitifully. "This is all your fault, you know!" he whined, shifting and turning to face her as well.
Glaring at him, she said, "My fault? How can you blame this on me?"
"It was all your idea!" he groused at her. "You're the one who insisted on... having…" he lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "sex… in your parents' bed! I said no, but you practically jumped me!" His words were angry and maybe even his voice was a bit as well, because frustration was genuinely building up for the whole situation, but he reached a hand out and bopped her nose with a finger to show he wasn't really angry. Not with her, at least.
She continued to glare, but he could see a smile behind her eyes. She slapped him playfully on the arm as she responded, "Oh, I didn't hear you complaining in the middle of it all. You seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. And you were very vocal!"
"That's because, Professor Song," he growled at her, "I am incapable of ever saying no to you. Completely irresistible, you are."
She smiled that smile of hers that he loved so much and they descended once more into silence for just a few moments. After about a minute, River seemed to have collected herself enough to contemplate the situation at hand. She sighed and gazed forlornly into his eyes.
"We have to-"she started but he was quick to interrupt her.
"Yes, yes, I know," he groaned irritably. His face, unlike hers, was still brick-red as he glanced once more at the closed door. He sighed deeply and sat up once more, rubbing his face wearily with his hands, and glanced down at her. "All right, all right. I guess it's time to face the music, as they say," he said and threw the covers back, reaching over the side of the bed for the first pieces of clothing he saw, which consisted of his pants and socks, the last articles River had flung from his body less than two hours earlier.
Setting the socks aside, he stood to pull the pants on and glanced around the room, looking for the rest of his clothing. He spotted his shirt and trousers on top of the dresser, picked them up, and blushed again when he saw that they had landed on top of a picture of all four of them- Amy, Rory, he and River. He turned away and saw River's knickers at the foot of the bed and her bra covering the lamp on the end table on his side.
He didn't realize they had been quite so… enthusiastic earlier. Their clothes were literally strewn everywhere. No wonder Brian had been so flabbergasted. He grabbed the bra and knickers, dangling them from the fingers on each hand, and turned to River.
"I think you'll be needing these, dear," he said turning to her, a smile starting to play itself across his lips. The smile stopped, however, when he looked at her and saw her still lying down, a somber and thoughtful expression on her face.
"River," he called softly, pausing in his own movements, worry burying its way inside him. "River, I know that this conversation with Brian didn't exactly start how we would have liked and I admit this probably won't be very high on dignity, but we're here now. We have to go down there and do this. He has to know what happened. I owe him that much," he told her, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion. He knew she could hear the unspoken request in his voice and words, could hear him silently begging her not to make him do this part on his own. It was the first time he had let his own vulnerability show since stepping out of the TARDIS.
"Oh, you daft man," she sighed fondly and leaned up onto an elbow. "Of course I'm coming with you. I wouldn't leave you to do this on your own. You'd probably just start rambling and confusing him and totally mucking this up even more," She said with a laugh. Yet, her expression darkened as she continued.
"It's just… how much do we tell him?" she asked, her voice smaller than he was used to hearing it as she gazed at him like an ashamed, frightened child.
"Ahh…" He understood now. He really was quite thick sometimes. As Rory's father, Brian Williams also happened to be River's grandfather; her grandfather who he was rather positive, after spending so much time with him during the year of the slow invasion, hadn't the faintest idea as to her existence. A fact which, after seeing River's expression and apparent reluctance to go downstairs, he was positive River was well aware of.
"Well," he said quietly as he sat down on the bed and started rubbing her calf soothingly, "how much do you want to tell him?"
She looked back at him helplessly (and really, seeing her this exposed and open as much as he had today was quite strange for him. Not that he minded, but it would definitely take some getting used to. It unsettled him just a bit.) and said, "I don't know. Part of me feels he deserves to know who I am, that I exist, but the other part- Sweetie, Mum and Dad had their reasons for not telling their families about me. It's a lot to take in and come to terms with, especially now that they're gone."
Her eyes were downcast and voice low but a light passed quickly through her face as she continued, letting out a soft laugh, "And now we've gone and nearly given the poor man a heart attack. Finding out who I am, after this, may not be the best thing at the moment.
The Doctor reddened once more and gulped. "Well, yes, but- er- still, if you want him to know, we can tell him. We'll find a way to do it gently. Brian has traveled with me, you know. Dinosaurs on a spaceship and mysterious black boxes dropping out of the sky. He's fairly well-equipped to deal with the timey-wimeyness that is your life. He'll understand. We'll make him understand," he said, in what he hoped was a convincing tone.
"And I think he'd want to know," he told her gently, as he continued to rub her leg, tracing circular symbols into her skin that only the two of them could understand. "Amy and Rory are gone. If he knew about you, if you maybe dropped in and visited from time to time, that could very well help ease the pain, for both of you."
Something shifted in River's eyes. "I supposed you're right. Maybe," she said and sat up. "We'll play it by ear, I guess. But if we don't get down there soon, he's going to start thinking we're starting on round two," she said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"River!" he exclaimed, feeling that damned blush creep its way back up his face. "Don't say that! He-he-he can't possibly be thinking that! How could he think we could… after- well-"
"Oh, Sweetie, you really are adorable when you're flustered. I have half a mind to just make him wait and think what he likes," she said with a flirtatious smirk and moved to rise from the bed and stand up. He allowed himself to enjoy the view as she bent over to retrieve her clothes from the floor, then quickly hopped out of bed himself. He picked up his shirt and trousers and they both dressed quickly then moved together towards the door.
The prospect of facing Brian now was starting to hit him and he knew that if River weren't here with him, he probably would have run back to the TARDIS and avoided the coming conversation completely. But he had been being truthful when he said he owed Brian an explanation for why he would never see his son and daughter-in-law again. He had promised to always bring them home safe and it was his responsibility to explain his failure.
"Ready?" River asked him, eyeing him carefully.
He looked at her, reached down, and grabbed her hand. "Ready as I'll ever be."
He would never be ready for this, but he knew, somehow, that he would be able to face absolutely anything with River by his side. So together, they opened the door and stepped out, preparing to face the coming challenge, together.