A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter 26! I'm so happy that it only took me 2 days! Oh, and I'm not really sure what I think of the Christmas special. It was a tad confusing. I'd always been told that Time Lords don't age. And also, I'm sad about Matt's... I can't even say it.. regeneration. I don't think it'll fully sink in, though, until Peter Capaldi takes over. Anyway, this chapter takes place right after River becomes a professor. She's bought a house and needs some new furniture. Enjoy! : )
26: Furniture Store- a place where one goes to buy furniture
The strange blue box materialized next to a neat row of dining room tables, looking very out of place. A man with an odd sense of dress appeared through the doors, looking tense and wielding a sonic screwdriver, twirling around and pointing it like a weapon against an evil foe.
The only other person in the 'table' section of the shop was a woman with crazy hair and a flirtatious smile. "Hello, sweetie."
"River! What's wrong? You sent me a message on my physic paper, you said to come quick!" He crouched down and stuck his head underneath one of the tables, shining the sonic for light. "Come out of there! I know you're there! Whatever you did to threaten my wife, you'll pay for!"
River Song laughed from behind him. "It's okay, there's nothing under there. I'm safe."
"…safe? But… River… You called. Said you needed my help."
"And I do, but not with defeating any aliens."
"Oh." He paused. "What with, then?"
"Well, I'm getting my own house soon, and I need an opinion on some furniture."
"Furniture?" He looked around, finally realizing just where he was. "Oh, we're in a furniture store! I see! Well, that explains all the tables. So… you want my opinion? On furniture?"
She laughed again. "As odd as this will sound, yes! Though I'm not really sure why, knowing your style. I'm buying a house, and that's a major thing. You'll obviously be spending time there. My house will be your house too."
"Oh… Okay. Um… So, uh, what kind of furniture are you looking for?"
"Nearly everything. And, hey, don't I get a hello? You can't just barge in looking for aliens that aren't here without saying hello first!" She took on a mischievous look.
"Well then, Mrs. Song," he said, holding out his arms with a smile, "come here."
River walked over to her husband and kissed him for a few moments. When they broke apart he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close, and sighed.
"Well then. Time to get this party started," the Doctor exclaimed, taking River by the hand and leading her through the aisles. "I think we should start with couches."
"That's fine with me. I already have some end tables and a dresser for the bedroom; I just need the big stuff, like a couch, a dining room table, and a bed."
"Okay, then. Ooh, look, here we are." The Doctor then proceeded to jump onto one of the couches, falling onto it in a sitting position. He bounced up and down a few times before pulling a face and standing back up. "That one's too hard."
He plopped onto another one, this time bouncing naturally. "Too bouncy."
At the other end of the aisle River was looking at a red suede couch. "How about this one?"
The Doctor ran over, inspected it, and, surprisingly, sat down gingerly. He started nodding. "Hmm… Yes… Not too hard, not too springy, just soft enough. Perfect. Sit down, River, try it out," he said as he took her hand and pulled her down next to him.
"I can see it in the house. I think this one is it!"
"Yay! Now onto dining room tables!" With that he took off running through the store.
When the couple reached the section of the store they were looking for, they split up, River checking one end of the area and the Doctor searching in the other. The Doctor would run his hands along the wood, getting eye-level with the table and checking to make sure it was good enough for his River. River, on the other hand, was merely looking at the tables, inspecting their color, size, and shape. She looked up when the Doctor called her over. She found him next to a blue, red, and yellow piece of furniture that looked more like a child's piece of art.
"What do you think?" he asked excitedly.
"It looks like a confetti bomb exploded on it."
"I know! Isn't it wonderful?"
Instead of responding, she just walked away. There was a rectangular mahogany dining table a few feet away that she quite liked. "I think I'll get this one."
"But, River, look at this beautiful confetti explosion! It's like it was made just for me."
"No. I swear, sometimes I feel like your mother," she said, shaking her head in frustration.
He sighed. "Fine. But I get a say on which mattress we buy."
"Fine by me." She smirked, causing him to blush.
"Okay then, off we pop!" he said hastily, looking around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. River laughed.
In the mattress area, the Doctor hopped onto one of the beds, not unlike what he'd done to test the couches. He lay down and the bed rippled with the movement. "Woah!" he exclaimed, scrambling back down. "What was that?"
"That's a water bed, idiot."
"Well sorry, miss cocky. You sounded like your mother right there."
She laughed again, testing out the bed to their right. "Oooh, this one's comfortable."
He lay down next to her. "It's not quite what the TARDIS would have, but it's nice."
"Sweetie, the TARDIS is programmed to find the most perfect mattresses in the universe. I'm not."
"In that case, I think I like it."
"Okay then," she said as they got up and walked to a register. "I think that's all."
After they (meaning River) had paid for their new furniture, the cashier looked up at them. "Will you need a delivery truck to transport your purchases?"
The Doctor answered him before River could. "No, I have a ship… Erm, a… vehicle, that will do the job."
Right on cue, an elderly man checking out in the aisle next to them asked his cashier, "And, how much for that interesting blue police box in the back?"
"Blue police box?" his cashier echoed, confused.
"Yes, in the dining table area."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Uh… I'll be right back!"
River turned to their cashier. "On second thought, we might need that delivery truck."