Chapter 9
There was a crying coming from the other side of the room. The Doctor felt River climb out of their bed, she yawned loudly, he looked at the clock on the bedside table. 3am. He sat up in bed and said "Ava-Leigh has done well tonight."
He looked over to River as she lifted Ava-Leigh out of her cot. She gurgled as any other 7 month old baby would do. River walked back to the Doctor, she held Ava-Leigh in her arms, rocking her back and forth trying to get her to sleep again.
"Sorry for waking you my love" River whispered as she climbed back into bed.
"It's fine" the Doctor whispered back. The Doctor looked at Ava-Leigh who was half asleep in Rivers arms, he couldn't believe that she was 7 months old already.
She had small wild curls just like her mother, but they were deep chestnut brown instead of blonde, she had emerald green eyes, but best of all she had two hearts, just like her father. The Doctor put his arm around River and she lent against him. The Doctor held River as River held Ava-Leigh in her arms, they all drifted back of to sleep. The perfect family.
River suddenly woke up. She looked over to the other side of the bedroom. No cot. It was all just a dream. She was in the TARDIS. She sighed wishing that it hadn't been a dream. She wondered whether she would really have a baby girl, or whether she would have a boy. Unlike most women who wanted a girl, River was yearning for a boy, not that she wouldn't be happy with a girl. She didn't know why, she just knew that's what she wanted. Even though it had been a month and a half since the Doctor had told her that she was pregnant, she was still struggling to come to the idea that she was starting her own family with the man that she loves. Laying in the bed, River turned her head to look at the Doctor, he was still fast asleep, she then looked down at her stomach, there was small baby bump, it was only just visible, but to River, it made everything worth while and seem more real than before. She placed a hand on her only-just-visible bump.
She snuggled up to the Doctor, god he was always warm, her own personal furnace.
He must have only been sleeping lightly, "Whats wrong beautiful?" he mumbled, still half asleep.
"Nothing" River replied, the Doctor sat up in their bed, "It's just all starting to feel real now that my bump is starting to show" she added, she lifted her pajamas top up to show her slightly swollen abdomen to her sleep husband, "Look sweetie" she said proudly.
The Doctor shuffled down the bed, but closer to River, he placed his head on her chest.
"Sweetie, wha..." River started.
"Shush River" he said interrupting River mid-sentence, "Hello baby Song. I can't wait to meet you. You're going to have the best Mummy and Daddy in the whole universe. You're Daddy, that's me, will love you more than your Mummy though" he said softy to Rivers small bump, chuckling at the last part.
He lifted his head of Rivers chest and kissed her, "So, you're going to love him... Or her more than me sweetie" River asked in between kisses from the Doctor.
"Oh, definitely Professor Song, definitely" he replied. River laughed at his confidence, but carried on kissing him. She didn't want to leave this little bubble, she had her baby and her husband with her, everything was perfect. In some ways, she still couldn't believe that she was going to be a Mum.
River pulled away from the Doctors kisses as he rolled onto his back, he let out a big sigh. "Whats wrong sweetie?" she asked.
The Doctor murmured something under his breath.
River turned onto her side so that she was facing the Doctor. He put his hands behind his head.
"What was that sweetie, and don't mumble this time" River asked.
The Doctor sighed once more, "I'm bored River" he said loudly, "The Ponds have got Brooklyn and Harry, so no more adventures with them. You're pregnant with baby Song so I really don't want to risk anything happening to you" he moaned. He turned his head to his wife who was laughing at him, "You know I hate being patient River Song" he said. The more the Doctor got annoyed, the more River laughed at him.
Eventually, after 5 minutes of laughing at the Doctors frustration, River got out of bed.
"And where are you going River" the Doctor asked sitting up in bed.
River walked over to the chair in the corner of the room and she put her dressing gown on. "Well..." River said, "I'm eating for two now, and I am starving. I want some breakfast" she said, heading for the bedroom door.
The Doctor got up of the bed and put his own dressing gown on, "Okay, I am coming too" he said, he walked over to River and joined her standing in the doorway.
"After you River Song" he said.
"Why thank you sweetie" River replied, heading down the corridor of the TARDIS, the Doctor followed her, shuffling his feet along the floor.
"So what are we having River?" the Doctor asked.
"I have no idea sweetie, whatever is in the cupboards" she replied.
When they reached the kitchen, the Doctor headed straight for the biscuit tin, he took the lid of, but before he could take a biscuit, River caught him, "No, you're not having Jammy Dodgers for breakfast" she said sternly.
The Doctor put the lid back on the tin and put the tin back into it's place.
River sat down on the kitchen chair whilst the Doctor rummaged through the cupboards, trying to find something half decent to eat for breakfast. "Coco Pops" the Doctor asked pulling the cereal packet out of the cupboard.
Rivers face lit up, "Perfect" she said, "And a cup of tea as well please sweetie" she added getting of the kitchen chair to help her husband with breakfast. River bent down to get two bowls and two mugs out, she placed the mugs next to the Doctor who was filling the kettle up ready to be boiled, he then switched the kettle on. River poured the Coco Pops into the two bowls and poured milk over them.
She walked back over to the kitchen table with both the bowls, she put them on the table. "Sweetie" River asked sitting down on the chair.
"Yes River" the Doctor replied, turing around to face his wife.
"I know I am only two months pregnant, but I was wondering whether you wanted the baby to be a boy or a girl" she asked. River knew what gender she wanted the baby to be.
The Doctor walked over to River and placed his hands either side of her stomach. "River, darling, as long as the baby and you are healthy, I'll be happy" he said.
The kettle started to boil so the Doctor went back to the other side of the kitchen to make two cups of tea. The tea bags, sugar and milk were already in the cup, he picked up the kettle, as he tipped the kettle to pour the water, he completely missed the first cup and poured water all over the kitchen worktop.
River laughed at his un-coordination, "I hope our baby doesn't inherit your clumsiness sweetie" she said, getting out of the chair and walking over to the Doctors aid.
"Har har Professor Song, very funny" the Doctor replied sarcastically.
River picked up a cloth and started to wipe up the mess that he had made. River them proceeded to make the tea herself, without spilling water everywhere.
The Doctor and River sat at the kitchen table eating their breakfast, the Coco Pops crunched every time they chewed.
"What do you want to do today then Song?" the Doctor asked with a mouthful of cereal.
"Well, I was going to take a walk through the garden and then maybe catch up on some reading" she replied after swallowing the last of her cereal, "Care to join me sweetie?" she asked in return, wrapping her hands around her mug.
The Doctor swallowed his last spoonful of cereal, "Might as well do, I have no adventures planned" he said before sipping some of his tea. The both sat at the table in silence for a while, drinking their morning tea.
The TARDIS phone suddenly started to ring, it made both River and the Doctor jump. "Who the bleeding heck could that be?" River asked.
They both looked at each other and the Doctor shrugged his shoulders, he then ran over to the phone. He picked the receiver up, "Hello" he said with uncertainty, "Oh, Pond! How are you?" he asked, River knew it was Amy on the other end of the phone, she carried on drinking her tea. "That's great... Erm, Amy are you sure? Okay then, see you at five. Bye" the Doctor said, with pauses every few minutes. He put the receiver back and turned to his wife.
"Well? What did Mum want?" River asked the Doctor.
"River, we have an adventure to go on. Well... Sort of..." he replied.
The Doctor took Rivers mug out of her hands and then grabbed her wrist. "Come on Song, we need to get ready" he said, dragging River behind him, back to their bedroom.
"Okay sweetie" River said, "No need to drag me" she added, nearly breathless.
When they reached the bedroom, River headed into the bathroom where she carefully applied her make-up, brushed her teeth and sorted her wild, space curls out. "What adventure are we going on sweetie?" River asked as she emerged from the bathroom.
The Doctor was already dressed in his tweed jacket, shirt, bow-tie and braces, he was just putting his shoes on, "Well..." he said, tying his laces, "Amy has asked us to look after Brooklyn and Harry for a while" he said, nervously.
River hadn't seen her brother or sister since they were born, "Guess I won't be needing my gun then" River joked. River pulled a pair of comfortable light blue jeans and a white vest top of of the wardrobe. She got dressed as fast as she could, you could tell that she was excited about seeing Harry and Brooklyn again.
"Sweetie" River said, pulling the vest top over her head, "We need to tell Mum and Dad about the baby" she said, there was glee in her voice. She thought back to the note that her and the Doctor had left them the last time that they were there. The vest top that River wore meant that you could slightly see her swollen abdomen, she was going for that look.
"Yeah, that's probably best River" the Doctor said, he walked over to River, "River, I have to say that the version of Amy that rung me, she is from July 2014, it means that Brooklyn and Harry are just over a year old" he added with sorrow in his voice.
"Does that mean that they don't even know who I am?" River asked.
The Doctor didn't know what to say, all he did was give River a hug.
"We need to go" River said, "I need to see them my love."
The Doctor looked ar River and he knew that she needed this. He knew about Rivers promise to Harry and Brooklyn, and he also knew that she hated breaking promises, especially to her brother and sister.
They both walked back to the control room, there was a deathly silence between them both. The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the console and got the TARDIS into flight. He walked round to River who was leant against the main console. River looked up at the Doctor as he stood in front of her.
"I broke the one promise I swore I would never break. I told them both that I would be there for them" she said, there was sorrow in her voice, she had tears welling in her eyes.
The Doctor looked straight into Rivers eyes, he could see so much worry and sadness, and also so much anger. "River, I'm sure that Amy and Rory have talked to them about you" he said, the TARDIS landed, the Doctor smiled at River and then rushed round to the monitor.
"We're outside the house, guess who's waiting across the road for you" the Doctor said with a smile beaming across his face.
River ran round to the monitor, she pushed the Doctor aside. She laid her eyes on the screen and there was Amy and Rory waiting outside their house, and stood in front of them was Harry and Brooklyn waiting eagerly to see their big sister.
River ran to the doors of the TARDIS and flung them open and stepped outside onto the pavement. The first thing she heard was a small voice shouting across the road, the voice shouted "Mel Mel"
River looked across the road and she saw that it was Brooklyn who was shouting her name.
The Doctor followed River out of the TARDIS and closed the doors shut behind him. They both heard Harry shout "Doc Doc." River smiled, they remembered her, well, Amy and Rory had obviously told them about her.
River broke into a jog and she headed towards her siblings. She had one hand on her stomach. She was ready to tell her parents the good news.
River ran across the road, and Harry and Brooklyn wobbled towards her. They hadn't quite mastered running yet. When River got to the other side of the road, she knelt down and Harry and Brooklyn fell into her arms. River knew that no mater what, nothing would ever happn to them, and she would keep that promise.
"Hello" River said in a quiet voice.
"Mel Mel" Harry and Brooklyn said at the same time.
A smile stretched across Rivers face, the Doctor joined River on the other side of the road and he was suprised that they had remembered him as well.
"Doc Doc, Mel Mel" Brooklyn and Harry kept saying.
River looked up to her parents who were smiling, she stood up so she was next to the Doctor, "Mum, Dad, me and the Doctor have some news for you" she said, Amy and Rory looked concerned.
"River's 2 months pregnant" the Doctor blurted out.