timetravelingarchaeologist:

This was different. He’d taken her dancing, running, and into a thousand places she’d read about as she studied him. But each time she knew he had been holding back, only giving her a taste of the things she longed for. She never stayed longer than the silly dates and the gleeful adventures that were not much different than the things he probably did with her mother. It was as if he were waiting for her to know him first. She wonders if this is it. If this is what he was waiting for, for younger him to do these things?

Her hand was warm within his and she laughed as he turned her around to the lilting sounds that hung in the air. “Perhaps.” Surely  such a simple admission couldn’t be that much of a spoiler, but it had suddenly dawned on her just how much anything she said could change things. She wasn’t sure she wanted to risk rewriting some things just yet.

She eyed the jewelry with a frown. She didn’t want to spoil the child cheerful greeting or the delighted grin on the Doctors face but she hesitated. Her own past was filled with innocent looking things that were more deadly than most would imagine. 

He laughed and glanced down at the girl for a moment before looking at River. He gave a big, trusting smile, and took the necklace from the little girl. She beamed, then waited. He turned to her, placed the necklace over her head, then let it rest on her chest.

“The little girl is showing her appreciation for our display of love. She gives the necklace as a token, where the husband takes the necklace and places it on his wife.” He grinned a bit and then leaned in. “It can also be viewed as rude to decline it.” With an inhale, he smiled down at the girl and nodded to her. “Thank you.”

She bit her lip and beamed at River, then the Doctor laughed. He leaned in slightly and exhaled. “It’s also customary to kiss.” He smiles. “A bit like mistletoe.” He gave a smile and then leaned in to press a light kiss to the corner of her mouth while taking a hold of her hands.

The girl clapped and then scurried off while giggling as the Doctor pulled away to look at her. He laughed and then gave an innocent shrug, even if his eyes were mischievious. “Dance with me?”

timetravelingarchaeologist:

She turned to look at the view and grinned at the colors and smells that permeated the streets and outdoor air before her. This was exactly the sort of start they always had, the sort of adventure that usually ended up with her dodging a weapons discharge on the way back.

“Oh sweetie, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t know how to romance a girl. Sunsets and an adventure? You’ll spoil me.”

She stepped out and onto the busy streets where the passersby paid them little attention. Taking note of all the streets that poured into this one as well as the various things that could hinder or help later, because someone had to, she turned to him once more and watched his smug smile as he leaned against the TARDIS door.

She took a step backwards and whirled to the sounds of some strange stringed instrument she couldn’t identify, she was determined to make the most of her time with him. “Well, we can’t have that. So where should we start first then?”

He was just about to put his hands on her waist when she stepped away to look at the surroundings. He clenched his hands and sighed out. A beat too late. He looked at her and crossed his arms while he leaned on the door, a bemused smirk on his lips while she looked around in awe. He laughed softly and bowed his head. He could be an incredible romantic when he allowed himself to be. The trouble was he never did allow it. Not until now.

He stepped out of the TARDIS completely and snapped his fingers, letting the doors close behind him while putting his hands in his pockets. “Well, my dear, the ceremony of the flower doesn’t commence until the day after, when the suns rise again. That’s when we’d actually start business. You know, getting the flower, saving this world. All in a matter of time.”

The Doctor moved to her and took a hold of her hand. “But for now, I say we simply enjoy ourselves while we keep our eyes peeled.” He squeezed her hand. “Have I ever danced with you, River?” He lifted her hand up and proceeded to turn her slowly while moving to the beat of the music. They slowly began to sink within the crowd, and already, a part of the festivities. A little girl came up to River, holding a necklace made of petals and shells, smiling brightly. “Happy Three Sunsets, miss! A gift for your and your husband?” He held it up to her in hopes she would take it.

He couldn’t help but grin at being called her husband. It wasn’t the first time they were mistaken for that, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

timetravelingarchaeologist:

The look in his eye was something new all together and she sucked in a breath anticipating his next movement. Him spinning her around had been unexpected in that she should have expected it. “Going, no need to shove. Unless you like it a little rough honey.” She listened to his report and bounced down the stairway, through the doorway that led her to her own closet and slipped inside.

Shoving aside hanger after hanger she found what she was looking for. An airy earth toned sundress that she’d seen before but had never worn, not yet anyway, but when she had touched it she knew it had been washed and hung back up as it if were a favorite for sunny summer days. A pair a knee high flat soled boots followed because really, an adventure with the Doctor wasn’t likely to be friendly for any other type of footwear, no matter how many lovely things were lined up in here begging to be worn.

She had just slipped into the ensemble when she spotted the case in the back corner. “Oh how’s a girl supposed to resist?” she asked herself. She selected a small number of easily concealable weapons and tucked them away completely out of site before exiting the wardrobe to join the Doctor back at the TARDIS door.

“Ready when you are sweetie,” she said as she walked to stand along side him.

While she prepared, he was researching where they landed. Sometimes, he cheated with the amount of information he knew. He would look things up and read about them whenever someone wasn’t looking, in order to impress them with his vast knowledge of it. He loved their expressions when he would tell them the facts he knew.

When he heard her voice, he flicked off he information and pivoted on his foot to see her walking down the stairs. His smile only got bigger. She looked beautiful, then again, she always did stir something in him. He walked back toward the door and nodded. “Very good choice, River.” With that, he pushed open the door.

It opened to the sound of music and laughter, different races and species of people and creatures dancing and laughing. He stood behind River, grinning. “It’s the Triple Sunset Festival. Every year, which is 587 days for them, on the eve of Reinskelt, their three suns, Ipris, Flevis, and Rieske, set at the same time. Beautiful sight, and the light of the horizon literally glows, then the sky lights up in this beautiful display of lights and colors. It’s beautiful. You’ll never forget it.”

His excited information then faded just slightly. “Of course, on this day, is when the King chooses one of his subjects to have the flower of youth used on them. For the past several centuries, he has only picked himself in order to keep his reign on the planet. Very tragic…but, this one of their few days of happiness.” He looked at her from behind, tempted to put his hands on her hips, but he wasn’t sure how to go about doing that. He instead rather awkwardly move his hands around until making the decision to stand closer to her, his body flush against hers.

timetravelandarchaeology:

River’s Lipstick

timetravelingarchaeologist:

She gave him a small shrug and her eyes lit up again she ran a hand up into her hair giving it a little bounce.

She liked festive, that she could do. “Oooh, love a party.” She wondered if the wardrobe held the same things now as she usually had to choose from, she imagined it likely did, it was after all a part of all of time and space.

Her perfectly arched eyebrow arched. “Is that a spoiler or a promise?” She gracefully glided to him and locked her eyes on his. It was slightly thrilling the way he looked at her, with significantly less composure now that she knew what to look for. And really how could she resist knowing that she was as much a mystery to him as he usually was to her.

Raising her hands to the crooked bow-tie she straightened it with a smirk. “You look amazing as always sweetie.”

As she fixed his bow tie, he searched her eyes. She was still young. Still curious, full of wonder and excitement. No longer that sad expression she held when he discovered things she already knew. He knew now that he had finally met up with her during a moment where only a few moments kept them apart. He was waiting for a moment like this. An adventure where they both discover things together instead waiting for the other to find out. “You know I won’t answer that question, River dear.”

“Of course I do.” He took her shoulders, with lips very close to hers, turned her around and gave her a slight push to the direction of her closet. He could remember when the TARDIS developed the closet. It had been there even before the crash. He could never get into it, and he was positive that if he did get in, that it would have the same amount of spoilers her diary held.

He ran to the door and peered out. Ah good, the temperature was nice. Balmy. The suns were setting, and the festival was on full blast, oblivious to the blue box that had landed adjacent to the festivities. A grin tugged on his lips, looking over his shoulder. “The weather is warm, River!”

timetravelingarchaeologist:

She watches in fascination at the look on his face. It’s very much she same at any age she thinks. He’s always going to have that little boy smile when it comes to the Tardis, she has always loved that about him and this is no exception. She wonder’s if much ever changes beyond his knowledge of her, of them.

“This hmm?” She skims her hands down over her sides and her eyes light up. “Remind me to leave this in the wardrobe then, I’ll wear it for you later.” She teases easily and dances to the other side of the console. “Oh I’m always interested sweetie!”

She pulls the indicated lever but the moment she does she can feel the wrongness of it, pulsing through her and she knows instantly that the Tardis isn’t quite so thrilled.

The ships shakes and she holds onto the base of the scanner and quickly, instinctively flicks back the lever and presses a blue button that suddenly brings the ship to a standstill. She can feel the soft hum of approval envelope her. She quickly glances up and around to see his face looking at her own.

He watched her frame her body with her hands and he stumbled a bit. He looked up and blushed just slightly with intrigue. He was holding onto the TARDIS’ console, when she pressed that damn button of ‘boring-ness’.

He stood up a bit while the machine flew smoothly. He straightened his jacket. For all the time he knew River, she had known how to fly the TARDIS. Something about that always made him jealous.”Yes, and you will wear it again. But, for now, you should put something on more comfortable on. Something festive.”

He grinned and straightened his bow tie, which ended up making it more crooked, then smoothed his lopsided hair. He gave a suave smile and swayed near her. “How do I look, River?” His head tilted slightly while he moved closer to her. He loved to test the boundaries, but he also knew River liked to overstep them, and it was always a game to him just what buttons he could push to do so. He glanced back down at her lips.

He’d kiss only so many times, each one placing a milestone in their relationship. Each kiss could tell him where they were. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Do I look festive enough?”

timetravelingarchaeologist:

She walked around the console behind him watching each movement he made to fly her. She wondered if she could talk him into lessons, she knew the basics but she wanted to know so much more. As he pressed a lever she furrowed, that didn’t seem right. ‘Where had he learned to fly her?’ she wondered.

River gave him a cheeky grin and threw herself into the moment. “I hope you’re not saying I need it. I rather like this body, sooo much better than the last one.” She knew he didn’t but she loved having a chance to tease him. Usually it was quite the other way around, him knowing her more than she knew him, his teasing of spoilers, and looking at her like she wasn’t his River quite yet.

“Oh yes, lets.”

He was running about, throwing up levers, spinning wheels, and clicking in coordinations and kept his eyes on the control center the entire time, wide eyed and wondrous. Like a small boy with a really cool toy. Hearing her tone, his head turned to his, eyes glittering with the same amount of coyness. He had started to get quite use to her flirtatious tones, finding them rather intriguing. He held his hands up in the air while in the midst of ‘driving’ the TARDIS, and a grin stretched on his lips.

“Oh, I rather like this look on you as well, Miss Song.” His voice was much lower whenever he flirted with her. It was really the only time the Doctor sounded a bit like an adult, but that impish sparkle never left his eyes. “I knew you’d be interested. Right! Let’s get this flower and get it to a place where it will be used properly. An aid to the sick and the poor rather than the rich and the greedy!”

He nodded to River and gave a smile. “Pull that lever over there and then hold on! We’ll hopefully end up landed outside the gardens, midday, on the eve of Reinskelt, 3573. Lovely year. Bit rainy, though.”

timetravelingarchaeologist:

just-callmethedoctor:

He jumped away from her while she yelled at him, holding his hands up in shock while she yelled at him, holding his hands up in defense. She stabbed him in the chest and he yelped, rubbing where she poked. Her nails hurt! He was backed away from the console and he stared down at her, swallowing. “Well, you know, if you would have told me who you killed, I might been able to fix that, yeah?” He straightened his bowtie.

“Very well. But only this time, River, then it’s straight back to the cell.” He grinned at her with a grin that gave away he was lying. He spun about and ran back to the console. “Yes, well, should you rest before we go or are you rearing to go now because either way, we’ll get there on time.” He waved his hand. “Or talk before we go. I dunno. Something fun like that.” He smiled at her cheerily, grinned more, and waved on his feet, as if knowing her answer.

She turned back to him, and there it was. She now knew where they were. When he’d first left the diary for her she had wondered, but now she knew exactly why it was necessary, why he always made he write everything down. This was the youngest she had met him since her imprisonment. The Doctor she had been traveling with was his future, her past, everything after he left her in that hospital hadn’t happened for him yet. No doubt he was seeing older versions of her as well, he had been comfortable to have kissed her. There seemed to be an infinite loop of never ending things separating them. 

The guilt set in all over again as he spoke. She couldn’t tell him, and she wanted to so badly. But one day he would forgive her, one day he would know that she had done everything in her power to take back ever awful thing she had done and that she loved him enough to spend all her days locked away, well, most of her days anyway.

 

“Spoilers,” she bit out with another bittersweet look as she used the word he had spoken to her a thousand times before. She wasn’t sure she liked this, what good was being in love and married to a man if she couldn’t even share that knowledge with him? Not that they were a proper married couple, but it had been something and now she didn’t even have that. Perhaps she did need to take her mind off of things and an adventure with him now would be one step closer to them being on the same page later.

She nodded at him. “Whatever you like sweetie. You and me, time and space right? We’ve got as long as that to decide.”

He saw those sad eyes and that knowing look she always had when she spoke that word. Spoilers. Their entire relationship was that word. Figuring out the meaning behind it, speaking to each other about it. He smiled a bit before bouncing on his feet again in thought. He frowned, lowering his head. You and me, time and space. He smiled, shaking his head as he finished the sentence. “Watch us run.” He smirked and dashed to the controls.

The Doctor danced and spun while he moved about the controls, grinning madly as he did. “So here we are! On the side of the building of what could be where one of the rarest flowers lie and think about that…a flower that doesn’t let you grow old. The mere thought of it, aye? Like regeneration compacted so small into the petals of a flower.” He squished his hands together, clapped and then gave a flirting smile toward River. “If you’re nice I might let you have a petal, Mrs. Robinson.” The Doctor lightly tapped her nose.

He chuckled and jumped over to slam the big lever. “Let get straightened up here as best we can!”

timetravelingarchaeologist:

River would have rolled her eyes again but before her knew it he’d pressed a kiss to her and backed away before she could react. She was confused as to what exactly had just happened. He’d never been the one to initiate a kiss before, not since an older him had married her at any rate, and she wasn’t even sure that counted considering it wasn’t even technically him. She was never caught by this much surprise, hated feeling the loss of control for even a split second. So naturally she did what she did best. She became angry with him.

“Careless?  Do you have any idea what I risked to return for that Of course I have it now! And now I’ve broken that damn manipulator and now I can’t leave again. You try spending all of your time in the Stormcage, unable to run, unable to leave! It’s bloody hard, worse it’s boring. It’s like wrapping a Sunday with a Thursday afternoon!” She punctuated her statement with a jab from her finger to his chest before whirling around dramatically to face the controls willing herself to calm down. After all, not reigning in her emotions was a recipe for disaster. She wasn’t actually upset with him. Well, not him now anyway. However, the reason she’d broken out in the first place was because he’d left her alone in her cell for months. When she’d finally been let out on a conditional temporary release for her expertise in exchange for a reduction in her sentence, she couldn’t help herself.

He jumped away from her while she yelled at him, holding his hands up in shock while she yelled at him, holding his hands up in defense. She stabbed him in the chest and he yelped, rubbing where she poked. Her nails hurt! He was backed away from the console and he stared down at her, swallowing. “Well, you know, if you would have told me who you killed, I might been able to fix that, yeah?” He straightened his bowtie.

“Very well. But only this time, River, then it’s straight back to the cell.” He grinned at her with a grin that gave away he was lying. He spun about and ran back to the console. “Yes, well, should you rest before we go or are you rearing to go now because either way, we’ll get there on time.” He waved his hand. “Or talk before we go. I dunno. Something fun like that.” He smiled at her cheerily, grinned more, and waved on his feet, as if knowing her answer.

timetravelingarchaeologist:

The flower sounded fascinating, probably worth a nice price on the black-market somewhere. She wondered if she could manage to fence that and get a new manipulator without him noticing, which was possible considering his last statement. Was he even paying attention of had be just been watching her arse sway in the dress she was wearing?

She rolled her eyes at him and asked, “Really do you ever learn to listen?”

“It’s not an artifact at all. Just a very ancient piece of dropped tech. Which probably shouldn’t have been brought back with us at all but how was I to know he’d be so careless with time travel.”

Goodness, she had a lovely behind on her. It was shaped so beautfully, and usually hugged by jodhpurs, but now it was a sleek dress. “Hard to listen in company as attractive as you, River.” He winked and then waved his fingers around. “An ancient tech-….River.” He scolded her, sighing. “I just hope you haven’t been messing with fixed points again.” 

He shook his head and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips and then moved away. “Yes, so my careless sweetie left her tech piece. Were you able to retrieve it?” He looked back at her while he was running the console.