I do not own Doctor Who.

This fic was written for Shannon because she was my beta...and I am sorry for any mistakes there are. I was incredibly sick while writing the majority of this. I hope you like it okay bye (:

With her students' finals approaching quickly, River's office hours at the university were extended so the students could come in with any questions. Most of those hours, only Sheldon was present. He was by far her hardest working and most dedicated student. Ever since he had joined her class, they had become friends. Now, after almost a year of classes and extra hours, they had become quite the team.

One rainy afternoon, River sat alone in her classroom, fingering the ring on her left ring finger and thinking about a certain man in a bow tie. It had been almost three months since she'd seen him last. I wonder where he's got off to this time... she thought.

The classroom door opened and she glanced up to see Sheldon staring at her. She smiled and greeted him warmly. He approached warily with a timid look on his face.

"Sheldon? Are you alright?" she asked, crossing to him.

He backed up a step and she stopped.

"Sheldon?"

"Professor...I heard a terrible rumor about you." he said, still eyeing her.

"What rumor?" she asked curiously.

"Well...Everyone is saying...That you killed someone. Someone good. Is that true?" his eyes were overflowing with hurtful tears as he confronted her about her past.

"Let's sit down. I'd be glad to explain a few things."

She led him to a chair and sat next to him.

"How much do you know about me?"

"Well, not much aside from what the clerics say."

She bristled and took a breath, forcing the tone of her voice to remain even.

"The clerics are fools. This is a long and complicated story and we don't have much time before class so I'm just going to sum it up for you. When I was a baby, some really bad people kidnapped me to brainwash me into their own personal weapon. They had me kill many people, completely out of my control. Each time, the brainwashing would take over and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop it. Eventually, I understood enough to realize they had something bigger planned for me to do. All the random errands and crimes they sent me to do were just practice runs. The real target was a wonderful man. The best man in the whole of time and space."

"Professor...They were saying...was it the Doctor?"

River blinked away the tears in her eyes.

"When I first met him, the Doctor, he knew everything about me. It was frightening, really. I fell in love with him, and he with me. I saved his life, and he saved mine. He freed me from their grasp and enabled me to come here and study, or so I thought. One night I was studying late and they came for me. I couldn't remember who they were until they grabbed me and forced me inside a suit. That's the last thing I remember. I woke up underwater and the suit rose to the surface out of my control. It walked up the beach to the Doctor, and I shot him stone dead."

She looked down at her hands, subconsciously toying with her ring again. Oh how she missed him!

"Professor...I'm sorry. I-"

She smiled and looked up.

"It's alright. I had no control. He knew it was me and he knew it had to happen. It was a fixed point in time."

"But if you loved each other, why didn't you stay together? Why were you alone studying that night?" Sheldon asked, timidly, sensing a connection more than she had explained.

"Oh, don't worry about that! All that matters is you pass finals, young man!" she said teasingly, tousling his hair. "Did you have a question for me?"

There was a sound. An impossible sound.

River gasped and stood, turning towards the door.

"Professor what-"

"RIVER!"

A man with floppy brown hair tucked under a fez entered the room, smiling mischievously and racing towards her.

"Hello sweetie!"

She couldn't hide her grin as he approached.

"Miss me?"

She sent him a dangerous glare. "Oh shut up, you. You're late!"

He sent her a false frown as he slid his arms around her waist and spun her around, causing her to laugh a little and slap his arm playfully.

He set her down and was about to kiss her, but just before their lips met, River remembered Sheldon and held a finger to his lips.

"Sheldon, I'd like you to meet the Doctor." she smiled.

His eyes grew wide and he stood. "But you said he..you said he was dead!"

"Hi! Nice to meet you. I am dead! Well...I was. Well...It wasn't me...Well it WAS me but I was inside of me... I-" he trailed off as he saw the look on his wife's face.

"He was inside a Tesalector of himself. That's how he escaped." she said.

The Doctor smiled proudly and Sheldon's look turned into awe.

"Brilliant, he is. But he didn't think to tell me about it first so I ended up letting time rip itself apart to save him until he finally told me his plan."

"It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?" the Doctor asked, smiling again. "OH! That reminds me! Don't go anywhere, River. I'll be right back!"

He raced up the stairs to the TARDIS as River's laugh echoed through the room.

Sheldon's mouth hung open.

"You married him?! Professor how could I not- It makes total sense now! I mean there's no other way for it- What with the lazimi and all. This explains so much!"

"Sheldon calm down!" River laughed. "What lazimi?"

Instead of speaking, he grabbed her left wrist and slid the sleeve up, revealing two dark green rings around her wrist. Her smile faltered. How had he known?

"This lazimi. It makes perfect sense. You married a Timelord. Are you...Are you a Timelady?"

Her smile faded completely.

He took that as a yes and quickly began to back-peddle.

"I have to get to class." he said, a hint of depression in his voice, as if something disappointing just happened.

He picked up his bag quickly and left her standing there, clueless.

The Doctor returned seconds later.

"Good! You're alone! I want to show you something!" he said, cheerfully.

His presence improved her mood considerable and a smile returned to her eyes as he held out his hand for her. She took it and music began to play.

"I learned a new dance! I wanted to show you first." he explained proudly, pulling her in close and leading her around the stage.

They laughed and talked for a few minutes as the music played and they spun around the floor. It was so good to have him back! She hadn't seen him in months. As they talked, the lazimi kept nudging her mind. Maybe the Doctor knew what it was.

"Sweetie, what's a lazimi?"

He stopped dead in his tracks. She could feel his hearts quicken next to hers.

"River-"

"I just heard the term today and I didn't know what it was until a student showed me and I just wondered if-"

Suddenly he grabbed her left wrist and pulled her sleeve up.

She watched the color drain from his face when he saw the rings. Sweat beaded his forehead and tears were beginning to form in his eyes. He forced himself to look away from it and he met her eyes, desperate for hope he asked, "River...River what is this?...Please...Say it's some sort of a joke."