The Doctor was running through the TARDIS hallways trying to relocate the medical bay. He was having a rather difficult time navigating his way around his beloved machine because of how preoccupied his mind was. He was running out of breath when he finally saw the white door down the hallway from him. He quickly pressed the button to the side of the door causing it to slide to one side, allowing entry.
River was coughing on the bed as she tried to sit up.
The Doctor smiled as he quickly made his way over to her to help her up. "River how are you feeling?" He asked her.
She groaned in response, trying to stretch her muscles out as they felt incredibly stiff.
He smiled as he pressed his lips to hers. "How about now?" He asked cheekily as he took her hands in his and began massaging the tops of her hands.
"Better." She said quietly as she pressed her eyes closed again. After several moments of silence she spoke again. "Sit next to me, please." She whispered.
The Doctor happily obliged as he slid into the bed next to her. "River… I'm so sorry…" He began to apologize quietly before she cut him off.
"You don't need to apologize." She said as she leaned against him.
"River I let you…" The Doctor began again.
"You are always and completely forgiven." She assured him once again. "Where is this for you?" She asked him quietly as she tried to block out the headache that was threatening to overtake her mind.
"Just a few months after Trenzalore." He said quietly as he buried his face into her curly locks.
She looked over at him sharply, moving the fastest she had since the data transfer. "Where's Clara?" She asked, worried that she may have never made it out of his time stream.
The Doctor's eyes widened slightly but he tried to keep his composure. "It doesn't matter River…"
"She was important to you. Of course it matters." She assured him as she sat up again with his help.
He moved slightly so they were looking at each other face-to-face. "She's…"
"It's okay Doctor." River cut him off. "You don't have to…"
"River she's in CAL." He said quickly, starling himself as well as River.
She looked over at him in disbelief. "You let them get to her?!" She asked him angrily, pulling away from him slightly. "How could you be so careless?!"
"River…" The Doctor whispered, sounding incredibly hurt.
"Doctor you can't just take people there!" She chided him. "It's not safe and you know that!" This time The Doctor didn't respond. She looked over at him and was surprised to see anguish engrained on his features with tears lightly falling over his eyelids. "Doctor." She said gently as she ran her fingers along the side of his face. "Sweetie… How long ago did this happen?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Half an hour?" He guessed.
The tension she had been holding in her shoulders became tighter as she sighed. "My wonderful Doctor…" She told him quietly as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him into a hug. "I'm so sorry." She apologized to him quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled."
"River… You were trapped inside a computer because of me for years… You can yell at me for as long as you want." He replied as his lips gently pressed to her forehead.
"You can still save her Doctor." River said quietly. "You should be working on that, not sitting here with me. I can manage."
The Doctor shook his head. "I'm staying with you River. We can worry about Clara later… But you're going to have to prove to me that you're adjusting alright first."
"I'm fine." River lied as she tried to get up but her muscles protested in anger.
"River." He chuckled. "You have been moving as a data ghost for years, it's going to take time to adjust to movement in your body again."
River groaned as he helped her get in position to stand up. "I'd just rather rest in our room than in here."
"I've missed you River." He said quietly as he pulled her up and into his arms.
"Wow I haven't missed this." She said quietly as she felt her stomach begin to churn.
"What?"
"I'm just a bit nauseas that's all." She said as she buried her face into his shoulders.
He gently moved so that he could pick her up bridal style. "Let's get you into something more comfortable and into bed." He said gently.
"That's so close to the perfect sentence." She teased back.
"No Mum I don't have time after class to pick you up a cheese toasty from the market." Clara said exasperatedly into her mobile. "Fine… Fine… I guess I can."
She found herself dropping off a fresh cheese toasty to her mother's house. "I picked up some chips as well." She smiled as she picked a few up off from the table that she had set them down on. "They could definitely use some salt though."
"We don't have any Clara, you'd have to get it at the market." Her mother reported causing her to instantly be in line at the market to pay for some groceries.
Clara looked up at the cashier and handed him her cash card, really just going through the motions, unsure if she was even entirely aware of her shopping trip. "Paper or plastic?"
"Paper."
She was then putting away the groceries. "What is going on?" she mumbled aloud as she roamed around her mother's kitchen. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."
River woke up in her and the Doctor's bed feeling much more rested.
"Good morning." He said, forcing a smile as he pressed his lips into her hair. "Are you hungry?"
River nodded as she sighed. "As long as you promise you're not cooking."
The Doctor laughed. "I'm sure the TARDIS can whip up something for you." He assured her. They lay comfortably in each other's arms for awhile before The Doctor spoke again. "I brought a wheelchair from the medical bay. You don't have to use it, but if you're still sore…"
River smiled before kissing him gently. "Thank you." She replied honestly. "Help me up?" She asked as he got up off from the bed. The Doctor carefully helped her get into the wheelchair before the two of them made their way to the TARDIS kitchen.
They were halfway through their breakfast when River spoke up. "Honey… You need to help Clara." She told him gently. He had been distant since last night and while she loved every moment with her husband, it wasn't the same when he was so distracted.
"You need me." He replied as he tried not to think about things too much.
River smiled at him as she cupped her hand around his chin. "And you need Clara. I'm not jealous honey, I just need you to be happy again. Right now you're not happy."
The Doctor buried his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on the kitchen table.
"Doctor…" River said gently as she rubbed her hand up and down his back.
He shrugged. "I don't know how to save her River." He admitted quietly. "I thought I had The Library figured out… But there's not a consciousness there to feed CAL anymore. We need another complicated space-time event. But other than me or you who else is there?"
River shook her head as she laughed. "Oh Doctor. Are you really that vain?"
"River!" He insisted angrily. "If you know something I don't… now would be a wonderful time to enlighten me."
"Just set the TARDIS to fly to Torchwood honey." River instructed gently as she finished her breakfast.
"Torchwood?" He asked, trying to think through who there would be able to help them.
"Just trust me." She requested. "I'm going to go get dressed."
"Do you need help?" He asked honestly.
She smirked. "Sorry honey, we've got to get things done and we don't need any distractions."
"That's not what I meant." He blushed.
"You fly the TARDIS. I'll take care of the rest." She assured him as she headed to their bedroom.
"River are you sure you're alright?" The Doctor asked her for the millionth time. She had abandoned the wheelchair in their bedroom and had returned to the console room by walking, although rather slowly.
"I'm fine Sweetie." She assured him as she sat down in the jumpseat. "I just need to take things a bit slower than usual. Trying to readjust to moving in this body makes movement very awkward."
"Well you're gorgeous." He assured her as he pressed his lips to hers.
"How long until we're in Torchwood?" River asked him as she leaned her head against his chest.
"About thirty seconds." He replied before the TARDIS suddenly jolted to a stop. "Or possibly now… Now is a very real possibility."
River shook her head as she grabbed onto his hands to hoist herself up. "Let's go."
"You have to keep in mind that I still don't know what you're planning here." The Doctor said awkwardly as he held her hand as they walked out of the TARDIS and into the main Torchwood hub.
"Leave it to me." She murmured into his neck before she walked up to the main desk. "Excuse me I'm looking for Captain Harkness."
"You know Jack?" The Doctor asked her in surprise.
"Of course." River replied indignantly. "I had to get my vortex manipulator from somewhere didn't I?"
"Captain Harkness is asking who is looking for him." The receptionist informed them.
"Tell him Professor Song will meet him in his office." River replied immediately before moving towards the elevators. "Floor eight please." River asked the doorman as they entered the elevators, and they were immediately headed up toward Jack's office.
"I'm not sure exactly how comfortable I am with how close you seem to be with Jack." The Doctor muttered quietly.
"Honey." River said with a smirk. "You have nothing to worry about." She said as she stepped out of the elevator with The Doctor's arm supporting her around her waist.
They walked down a hallway until River reached a door that she pushed open.
"Professor Song!" Jack said enthusiastically as she entered the room. "Doctor!"
"Hello Jack." River replied as he gave her a hug.
"What has brought you into my lovely office today?" He asked her as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Not to be too blunt Jack…" River began, feeling her legs start to buckle underneath her.
"River needs to sit down." The Doctor said for her as she grabbed onto his hand tightly, trying to get as much support from his as possible.
Jack looked at her, obviously concerned, as he pulled an office chair into his office from the hallway. "What's the matter?" He asked her, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"The Doctor just downloaded my data ghost from The Library and transferred it back into my body." River said as she took a few deep breaths. "It's been a few years and I'm still trying to regain the ropes of movement in reality."
"You went back to the library?" Jack asked The Doctor, his eyes widened. "And you got her out?"
"Look Jack, we need your help." River cut him off.
"What sort of help?" Jack asked suspiciously. "Because that's going to make a huge difference as far as whether or not I'm going to help you."
"Jack Harkness, you owe me this much." River deadpanned.
Jack nodded immediately, knowing not to mess with her.
"I'm going to need you to die." River said without flinching.
The Doctor's eyes widened, as did Jack's.
"River!" They both exclaimed immediately.
"Dying, believe it or not, actually hurts." Jack patronized her. "I'll do anything else."
"The Doctor's companion Clara Oswald, is trapped in the Library Data Core." River explained. "It's very, very important Jack. Or else I wouldn't ask."
"Jack… please." The Doctor spoke up suddenly. "She sacrificed herself for River, and I can't let that be the end of her."
Jack looked at The Doctor in surprise. He never asked for favors, unless they were incredibly important. "What has to happen?"
Author's Note: I hope you're enjoying it! I've been sick for the past little bit so I've been spending a lot of time in bed writing. Hopefully I'll get another chapter done soon! Please Review!
