The TARDIS doors opened, and it seemed the Earth itself had gone still. River braced herself, deciding to just get it over with.
"Doctor," she called out, as steadily as she could manage, "I have to ask you something." She knew it was inevitable. The universe wasn't ready for the child of the last Time Lord. She recognized that. Was working hard toward accepting it. The small foetus inside her would never know the pain, fear, and loneliness she once had. It was best this way, for everyone. But, she still needed him to tell her that- to give her that reassurance. It seemed even now, she needed his consent to do what had to be done. It was the only way she would be able to move on with her life afterward.
She stiffened as she heard him fumbling around, her psyche adjusting to battle mode, when suddenly she found herself giving a gasp and gaping, as at last her husband exited the TARDIS with a fez on his head. And holding a baby.
"I know!" he was saying to the small child, before ruffling the think head of straight blonde hair on his little head. "That was a fun landing!" The baby squealed and clapped, his giggles making the enamoured smile on the Doctor's face widen. Then he turned toward River, halting her words. "Before you shoot anything wife, just look at this!" he said, pulling out a miniature fez and placing it on the little blonde head, turning toward River with a smile. "Look at how cool we both look!" Then his attention turned once more to the child in his arms, who had decided the fez was better for chewing than for wearing. The Doctor gently extricated the hat from his tiny fist, cooing as he returned it to his pocket.
"Blabablaba- abrbrbrbrbrbrbr," raspberried the baby as his small hands clasped the Doctor's face.
The Time Lord giggled, leaning his head close to the infant before sticking out his tongue and clicking, smiling as the child tried to imitate his sound.
Then the baby began to babble once again, bouncing in Doctor's arms.
"Da!" he shrieked, patting the Doctor's face uncoordinatedly.
"Dada," instructed the Doctor, his lips now puckered as two tiny hands pressed his cheeks together.
"Da," attempted the boy, before screaming in delight as the Doctor suddenly lifted him high in the air, growling playfully as he lowered the boy to his face, pretending to eat his round little tummy or thick chunky thighs each time he got within reach. The baby laughed and drooled, one fist in his mouth before it came out to clumsily clap with his other hand.
With smiles on both of their faces, the Doctor turned the baby so he faced the three other people in the room.
"Look! Who's that?!" he asked the boy in his ear, turning him so he faced Amy.
"Mi!" shrieked the baby in delight.
"That's right!" laughed out the Doctor. "And... who's that?" he turned the baby toward Rory.
"Pa!" said the Time Tot with a thrilled giggle.
"Say pa-pa. Papa." Repeated the Doctor as the infant tried to copy him, getting out small "pa's" as best he could.
"Look, my love. Who's that we've been waiting for?" asked the Doctor with a mischievous smile as he faced the little boy toward River.
"MA!" screamed the baby, clapping his hands once again before lurching himself forward in his attempt to reach his mother.
The Doctor huffed in amusement, rolling his eyes fondly. "Oh I see," he sighed in feigned exasperation as he twirled the baby to face him, trying his best to look stern and failing miserably. "Daddy's the most fun until Mummy's in the room. This is the appreciation I get." He stuck his lips out in a pout.
"MA!" the baby repeated amidst giggles and claps, laughing heartily when the Doctor began to simultaneously kiss and tickle him.
"Fine- take her side. Oh! River, you said you needed to tell me something important? River?"
The Doctor looked up and saw his wife petrified in astonishment, so, with confusion on his face, he lifted his son high into the air, imitating the TARDIS noise as he pumped his armful of baby, twirling madly and simulating the bumpy ride of his ship.
He began to narrate their journey. "And Arthur Song is flying his TARDIS straight into a black hole, and he cleverly manoeuvres it at the last moment using the zigzag plotter," he steered the shrieking baby abruptly, jerking him back and forth as they "flew" his TARDIS, "and he misses 60943 Clom- nasty year, by a mere century- he's spinning, he's twirling, he's being utterly impressive while looking just as cool as he can until he finally lands-" and he dropped the baby into Amy's arms, "with his Mimi! And it's a great landing," he commentates, lifting his arms in a cheering motion, "worthy of the most skilled Time Lords of old!"
The baby continues his happy babbling, agreeing in his own baby talk with everything his father was saying, before reaching out and grabbing a large handful of an extremely delighted yet extraordinarily startled Amy's hair, and promptly sticking it in his mouth.
The Doctor leant over with a wide smile, kissing the baby on the head, before turning to his wife.
"Now, Honey, I believe you wanted to ask me something."
River's eyes were wet- all her worries and terrified thoughts of abandonment or worse, and the now-stupid decision she'd nearly made coming to mind. She almost broke down as she stared at the baby in her mother's arms, who was currently nuzzling himself into Amy's shoulder, lifting his eyes to meet Rory's before shrieking and ducking his head as he continued his game of peek-a-boo with his completely smitten and chuckling grandfather.
"River?" the Doctor prodded in concern at the sight of her tears. "What did you want to ask, love?"
River glanced at him quickly, before reaching out a tentative hand to stroke the baby's hair warily.
"We're going to name him Arthur?" she finally managed with a shaky breath.
The Doctor froze, realizing why everyone had been acting so strangely, before he gave a sheepish smile and rubbed his hands together nervously. Then he reached up and straightened his bowtie.
"Oops," he cleared his throat after squeaking in confidence. "Yes. Arthur Augustus Song. After his grandfather and yours. Bit traditional, if you ask me."
Rory looked up from his peek- a- boo game, smiling with moisture in his eyes before his playmate laughed once more, burrowing his face into Amy's neck so Rory couldn't see him.
"I-" River managed unevenly, "I just found out last month, and I- Oh, Doctor!" she cried, falling into his arms and burying her face in his tweed and sobbing at all the doubts she'd been having.
The Doctor wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back and rocking her.
"Hey," he soothed, squeezing her to him as he planted small kisses on her head, "it's okay, River. Oh, my River," he whispered, closing his eyes and pulling her more tightly against him. "That's incredible," he said into her hair.
She gave a weepy, half- hearted laugh. "That's not fair- you already knew!" she reminded him before breaking into sobs once again.
"Yes, but you didn't already tell me, so it still counts," he maintained with a chuckle, grinning down at her before meeting her lips tenderly. Then he rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her tears.
"Oh," she sniffled, steadying herself as she prepared to admit her tainted plan, "Doctor- I. You don't understand, I nearly-" She couldn't even finish, refusing to meet his eyes as she stared at the ground, shame and remorse twisting her insides, her frustrated fists clutching his jacket.
"Hush, River. Shh. You didn't," he reminded her, smiling as he brought her eyes to meet his. "You won't," he reassured, and she realized he already knew all that she had nearly.
"How did you-"
"He's our son. You would never do anything to hurt him. Not give him away to strangers to raise, or... take away his chance at life," he said this quickly, his eyes rushing to the still gurgling baby who was trying to copy the faces his grandparents were making at him. Then his mouth twisted into a knowing smile before he looked back down at his wife, "Nor let his father run away, no matter how much he may think he wants to, because you know they both need each other so very, very much."
River looked up into his face, tears still streaming silently down her own, a thousand different emotions and questions running across it. He beamed at her in encouragement. Then, for the first time since she had found out about her pregnancy, she closed her eyes, shutting out all other noises around her. Her hand fell down tenderly to her stomach, finally acknowledging the life within, as she allowed herself the one thought she had never let herself consider. And, for the first time in over a month, she breathed easy.
A/N- Ooh, so this accidentally grew. Only one more chapter as a sort of epilogue to wrap things up...