Five hours had passed since River had revealed herself and Clara, like the rest of the group, was being spun in little circles by two very nutty timelords who had made a small token of each member of the group to represent them from inside their pockets or grabbing it off one of the group.
"Right, so if Jack goes with Martha and Mickey," the Doctor pointed at a eagle badge, "And they all cover the south exit..." he placed a mobile phone and Martha's engagement ring at the corners of a map showing the entire church plan.
"Yes! Yes! And if we put Amy and Rory at the western entrance..." Raggedy added a small roman figurine and a fish finger to a large map.
"Brilliant! Vastra," a lizard toy "Jenny," a game piece from a picking up swords game, "And Strax," A potato " can go here at the east wall" the Doctor clapped his younger self on the back. "Clara can hide with Charlotte in the bell tower and act as look outs." Raggedy was really getting excited about the plan as he placed a soufflé tin and a book on the area of the map where the tower was.
"Now Raggedy, why did you always get so excitable?" The Doctor shook his head. "Admit it old man, you liked it!" Raggedy span happily and the Doctor chuckled, "Of course Rose, Handy and Donna seem to be a good team, they can go...there at the second western entrance!" The Doctor placed a pair of sleek glasses, a small blonde doll and a small bride doll from the top of some wedding cake onto a corner of the church with views to the hills beyond.
"Now that leaves, you, me and River..." The Raggedy said thoughtfully. River, who had been cuddling Charlotte, put her daughter down and placed her into the care of her own parents, before skipping quite happily over to the puzzled men and swung her arms around their necks, craning her head over them, while standing on the tips of her toes. "What about the middle of the main entrance? They wouldn't expect you to be so forward..." she whispered to them, before chuckling softly at the timelords, they both smiled. "Now River! What have I told you about flirting while I'm being clever?" Raggedy mockingly scolded his fiancée but she just laughed at his tone and placed her lipstick in the centre of the church, "Best place to shoot them from Sweetie." Raggedy practically ripped off his bow tie, and tying a mock knot, placed it directly between the entrance and River, "Aww, no fair, I want to help!" River whined playfully. "You will,"The Doctor placed his wedding ring next to Raggedy 's bow tie, "But if you collapse, we want to be there to catch you." he explained, and bopped her nose, "Hey Raggedy, you were right, that is fun!" he bopped her nose again but she pouted at him, "What else mister? I know when you're hiding something, what else aren't you telling me?" she poked his shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him,
"We're worried about you...We missed you, and," The Doctor looked at his younger self, "I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost you again." The Doctor said quietly, scuffing his shoes on the floor. Raggedy took River's hand and kissed it then held it to his cheek, "I spent over a thousand years mourning you and your parents. Clara distracted me from my depression, but I never stopped thinking of what I had lost, of who I had lost..." Raggedy held out her hand and turned it in his own sadly. River watched his pained expression and then tenderly kissed his cheek, "I told you before, I have been injured far worse and had fewer supplies and still survived!" The Doctor suddenly grabbed her face and forced her to look at him, his eyes burning straight into hers, "River, you have absorbed the time vortex, you could collapse in the middle of battle. I don't want you to get even more injured than you already are, please, just hide somewhere!" He tried to take River's lipstick off the map, but she grabbed his hand and swung him to face her. The group, who had been discussing the plan of action carefully, turned at the domestic that had suddenly emerged. "Then what else have you got?!" River cried. "I have always been there whenever you needed me! Always! I can fight, I know how to kill Daleks, stone dead, I fought an entire fleet when they captured you. They fear my very name! Just tell me when you lose one of them," River pointed to the group, "What excuse will you have, when you hid me, when I couldn't help you to protect them! This is the time when you stop caring, you just think, use my strengths, use my skills, I am a trained killer, a weapon! Don't be a sentimental idiot! Use all your assets and everyone lives!" The Doctor slowly replaced the lipstick then grinned like a guilty school boy, "Raggedy, she certainly doesn't hold back, does she!" the Doctor said, "We wouldn't have her any other way." Raggedy agreed.
River just smirked and turned to get her weapons. "Oi," Raggedy span River into his arms, "Just where do you think you're going?" he growled playfully, River wormed her way out of his grip, but was caught by the Doctor who planted a kiss firmly into her neck and held her against him, "I just wanted to get my things..." she answered innocently. Raggedy had picked up River's bag and guns and swaggered over as smoothly as he could. Slowly and deliberately he threaded the holster belt around her waist and pulled it tight, River winced in pain and put a hand quickly to her tummy. Raggedy dropped the belt to the floor, the guns clattering loudly causing an echo around the church. "River are you alright? I'm so sorry; I don't know my own strength!" The Doctor pushed him away and knelt down, gently pressing River's stomach, she winced again, but less so, "How long has that been going on?" He looked up at her, but River moved away, "I don't know, I had no problems before the library, well, I did feel more tired than usual but I had been working hard before I left for the expedition, end of term reports, you know how it is." River pulled away from his touch and picked up the belt, locking it loosely round her waist.
"There see, no problem!" she went back over to Charlotte and placed her on her knee. The Doctors looked at one another quickly before turning to the group, "Right, team TARDIS!" Raggedy flashed a smile at his older counterpart and River. "Here's the plan, we kill the Dalek squadron, get in the TARDIS, sort out River, and then we get married!" Raggedy straightened his bow tie proudly.
"Hoping Sweetie..." River said aside while plating Charlotte's hair. Raggedy screwed his face up, he resembled a toddler, "And as I said after we were almost sacrificed to the rain gods, I promise I had a plan, I really did dear!" River smirked to herself absentmindedly and planted a kiss on Charlotte's head when she had finished doing her hair.
"Right, positions!" The Doctor called out.
"Erm, not to ask the obvious, but, well, how many Daleks are out there?" Rose said anxiously.
"Well I spied about forty when I was sneaking in." River waved her hand dismissively.
The group erupted into a mass of panic, all of them directing abuse at the Doctors, bar River who had run over to the Dalek bubble gun, when it flickered slightly. "Only a few minutes left till they regain mobility!" She shouted to the group, but none of them were listening, they were too busy badgering the Doctors about the 'plan' they had devised, "We are going to DIE!" Donna screeched, "Are you completely insane now, I thought even you had some sanity!" Vastra hissed, "I thought you were just a mad man in a box, not an idiot with a death wish!" Clara shouted angrily. The Doctors had retreated into each other and a corner of the church, the group just kept shouting and bawling. "Does anyone care that a bunch of angry Daleks could literally burst in that door any minute now?" River shouted, unsuccessfully attracting the groups attention, she looked at the Doctors, they seemed terrified. "Just me then..." River sighed, "And me mummy!" Charlotte took River's hand, River smiled down at her daughter. She looked across at the villagers, "Are you all ready to run?" She got vigorous nods as an answer, "Fine then, its time to call up the troops..."
The Doctors were trapped, no way out, every side was blocked by an angry face that formally loved them so dearly. Jack growled "We're doomed thanks to you and your stupid wi..." A meson blast rang out through the church, the group all turned and backed off from the two timelords as River flipped the gun back into her holster, "If you've all finished harassing my husbands-to-be, then you'll be happy to know we have an extra thirty odd pair of hands to help." she nodded toward the villagers. They turned to the villagers who had picked up guns. The Doctors both ran, relieved, to River, "Thanks honey!" Raggedy beamed, "What would I do without you?" The Doctor threaded his fingers through hers. "I don't know Sweetie, but your plan really is just a hope." she went to kiss his cheek but the Doctor swerved and met her lips with his instead. River was shocked and froze initially but relaxed to his touch and moved close to him. When they parted he took in every one of her features as she rested her forehead against his. It was the first real time he could really study her.
"Well what do you think of the new me?" he whispered softly. River opened her eyes slowly and stood back taking in the new form of her husband, "Well you're Scottish." she stated simply, and started a slow walk around him. "Your mother's influence." he answered and stole a look at Amy who was busy ushering children into the hidden compartment. "Nose is bigger two," River said and poked it to prove her point. The Doctor hummed in agreement, "The chin is smaller." she moved a finger up from his throat till it reached the tip of his chin, her movements were as slow and deliberate as Raggedy had been with her a few minutes before, The Doctor swallowed involuntarily, "Got that off your Dad." he answered quietly. She gently stroked his grey hair with one hand and with the other touched the top of his collar. Raggedy stomped over and, like a hawk, craned his neck round till his face was inches from hers, "So you did like the bow tie!" he disturbed her from her thought and she jumped slightly, "It doesn't suit everyone Sweetie, but it was definitely you...But then so does the nice new jacket." she ran a finger down one lapel on the Doctor's jacket.
Clara felt a little awkward about the level of intimacy, the three people were showing in front of her, she'd never seen the new incarnation of the Doctor show such a comfort in another's presence, and Chiny was acting extremely grown up and mature, words Clara would never associate with him, though 'grown up' was an exaggeration, he acted more like a thirty year old instead of his usual twelve year old self. She coughed and turned the others away, helping them find their attack positions. Clara then walked over to Charlotte and took her hand, "It's hard being married to someone who can change their face and personality, we should go up to the tower, I can tell you all about the Daleks as we go!" Charlotte looked back at her parents then nodded to Clara, "I could probably tell you more, Mummy told me about them, and I had an entire library of knowledge about them at my fingertips! We could talk about them instead," she nodded back to her parents as Clara and her started up the stairs to the top of the tower, "What is their real story?" Clara smiled, "It's amazing Charlotte, truly amazing!"
River gently ran her fingers of her hand that wasn't touching the older Doctor's hair, through Raggedy 's hair lovingly, "I'll give you some time to acquaint yourself with my new form, as much as it irks me to see you with another person, especially another me, you're my wife after all, and you're wife to all of me, so I suppose I have to let you get to know me again..." River kissed him softly and Raggedy giggled, then skipped over to the Dalek bubble gun and tinkered away.
The Doctor watched as River continued to look at him curiously. "Amazing!" She said finally and turned away, but the Doctor caught her wrist and span her into his arms and dipped her, "Anything else different?" he said gruffly, face inches from hers, "Not that I can see Sweetie!" River answered innocently. "Really?" The Doctor asked sadly. "Oh you mean you want me to say you look older," River replied sarcastically, "I was trying to spare your feelings Sweetie!" she added, putting a hand on his cheek. "I aged for you..." he whispered, "If you're scared that I'm not attracted to you then I can put your mind at ease dear, I see the man underneath remember, not that the package outside him is unappealing!" she chuckled and he laughed with her, "Good! So what's the same then?" he span her her feet and let go, River replaced her hand on his cheek, "Your mind, your wit, your eyes..."she sighed, "They're a different colour." The Doctor pouted, "Not what I meant." River smiled, she then moved her hand slowly to the time lord's chest, her other hand resting there already, "Your hearts?" she looked up hopefully, the Doctor saw uncertainty in River's eyes. It was the first time she truly looked unsure as to whether he still felt the same about her as he once did. "Different body, but that's not what you meant either, is it?" He moved his hands to her hips, she shook her head, curls bouncing everywhere. "The organs may be new, but the feeling's contained within are still the same." he said, reassuring her belief in this by kissing her forehead. "Then I think I love the new you just as much as the old one." Both of them closed her eyes for a second then a huge bang shook the church and Raggedy ran over,
"They're here..." he growled.