The Doctor stood in complete silence, not knowing what to say next. How could The Master be back?!
"Sweetie?" River touched his arm tenderly, "Sweetie, are you alright?"
The Doctor turned around, so River was behind him, "I'm- I'm shocked, that's all. I need some time to think, some time to adjust, some time to take in what Martha has told you. I need to know why he's back, why he didn't perish.. I watched him burn. I watched him die, I don't understand!" Tears were in the corner of his eyes, and clear confusion was etched upon his paling face.
"Hey, shush, sweetie, it will be okay, you've defeated him before you can do it again, maybe Martha was just being paranoid, maybe she's just thinking too much, maybe it's just her way of wanting to talk to you."
"Martha isn't like that. She was the only one that chose to leave, she chose to leave me, she wasn't like Rose, or Donna, or.. Amy and Rory. She 'got out' before she suffocated. Things got complicated between us, we-"
"Stop it, just stop, you're going to make yourself worse, shush, it's okay, Martha isn't here, you're okay, The Master isn't here, you're fine!"
"I loved her, River. I loved Martha, I loved Rose, I loved Donna, and I loved Amy. And I suppose I had a soft spot for Rory too."
"I'm here, I'm here." River tried to sooth him, but he refused her touch.
"You don't understand, River. If The Master is back, then no one is safe, no one will ever be safe again."
"Are you scared, Doctor?" She asked, linking her arm with his, pushing her body against his.
"I- I- The Master is a powerful man, River, almost impossible to defeat..."
River looked into the eyes of the man she'd married four years earlier, and, for the first time ever, she saw fear, "You've done it once. You did it alone, but now, now you've got me!"
"River, I- Martha- We-" He stumbled over his words, not quite knowing how to construct his sentence.
"You defeated him and Martha was there?" She asked, not wanting to sound bitter towards his friend.
"Yes, except, I wasn't much use.." He stiffened, "I- The Master turned me into a 906 year old man, I was pretty useless. If it wasn't for Martha we'd all probably be dead."
"Martha saved the world!?" River liked the sound of Martha, she had to admit.
"Pretty darn close yes. She saved us all, River, she saved every last person and then she walked away and broke my heart, I'd just about come to terms before Donna and then I lost her too, I loose everyone important to me, I always do and I always will."
River smiled, and touched the left side of his face lightly, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever, sweetie."
"For the rest of your life, River, not the rest of mine. I can't spend the rest of my life with anyone. You all die eventually, you all whither and decay. I can't- Imagine watching that happen to someone whom you-"
"Someone whom you love." River finished for him, saddened by his words.
He took her in his arms, spinning her around the TARDIS, making her laugh with wonder, "Yes. I love you, Professor River Song Melody Pond Williams!"
"Whoa," River laughed again, "River or honey would do, sweetie!" She kissed him passionately on the lips, cuddling in to him as close as he would allow her too, "I love you too, forever."
They kissed once again, and as a song came onto the radio, they danced and laughed, forgetting everything but themselves.
"Right!" The Doctor suddenly spoke, making River jump a little, "It's time we paid a certain Miss Jones a visit, don't you think, honey?" He winked at her as he flipped various buttons on the TARDIS's control panel.
As the familiar whirring of the TARDIS came to life, River gasped, "Try taking the brakes off next time, Doctor!" She winked back at him, laughing as he swatted her hand playfully, "Let's go find her."
"The Woman Who Walked The Earth meets The Child Of The TARDIS!" The Doctor laughed,