Chapter Text
One – Exhaustion
River ducked swiftly under a branch as they made their way through the thick undergrowth. “How much farther?” whined the Doctor from behind her, stopping and leaning on the branch and wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Just over the top of the next hill, we’ll be able to spot the TARDIS from there.”
“That’s what you said last time, and there was just another hill.”
“It’s the same hill, Sweetie.”
“No it’s not, there was a definite downward gradient earlier, which means this is an entirely different, new hill.”
River turned and chucked a hand to her hip, “Do you need a rest?”
“No, no, I’m perfectly fine to keep going. I thought you might need a little sit down though?”
River decided to spare his pride and agreed to take a break. She sat on a convenient rock and extracted her flask from her pack. She took a drink and then passed it to the Doctor, who had thrown himself onto the ground with his back to a tree. River looked around noticed some berries growing on an adjacent bramble. “Ooh! These look nice.”
“River, don’t eat those. They could be poisonous, or psychotropic, or both.”
“Oh come on, they’re berries, big purple, juicy berries,” she said, standing up and plucking one from its stalk, barely concealing a smirk.
“River…”
She brought the berry closer to her lips. “What are you going to do about it?” She popped the berry into her mouth.
“River!”
She grinned and swallowed. The Doctor sat up as she picked another from the bramble. He stumbled to his feet, still bandy-legged from their hike.
“What are you doing? Have you no sense at all?”
She raised an eyebrow at him and placed the berry on her tongue and curled it into her mouth with a smug grin.
“You’ve been here before haven’t you?” he asked, stepping right into her personal space.
She winked up at him and tapped the side of her nose.
“What are they like?” he said, interested now.
“Delicious, you should try some,” she replied before putting a third in her mouth.
“Think I will,” he said and grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to him. He pressed his lips to hers and slid his tongue into her mouth to taste the sweet juices of the berries. “Mmm,” he said, breaking away and licking his lips.
“Come on, sweaty,” she said, putting a palm to his forehead. “Just a little bit further now.”