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“River!” The Doctor exclaimed, jumping back quickly. Her body had lurched forward without warning and she had thrown up all over his shoes.
She moved quickly to a bin and proceeded to empty her stomach contents. She wiped her mouth with her hand and looked up. “I am so sorry, sweetie, I just don’t feel very well. Maybe it was that fish we ate back there.” They were in a Greek food market, the year was approximately 3500.
The Doctor shook the sick from his shoes and quickly came to her side, putting his arm around her waist to support her. Her stomach heaved again but there was nothing left to bring up. The Doctor looked at her pale face with concern. “Well I feel fine but maybe we should take you back to the Tardis, dear. I could use a change of shoes too.” he said.
River nodded wearily and didn’t even protest when The Doctor grabbed her beneath her legs and walked back to the Tardis cradling her like a child. She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked and thought about how horrible it would be having to go back to prison feeling the way she did.
Inside the Tardis The Doctor lowered her onto their bed and pulled the covers up around her. He fetched her a glass of water and kissed her on the forehead.
“It probably was the fish, I guess my Time Lord stomach is just more resistant.” He said winking as she shooed him away silently with her hand.
…
Two months later River stood in front of a long mirror in their bedroom in the Tardis pouting. She had gained weight. She knew the food at Storm Cage wasn’t very healthy but there wasn’t much else to do but eat and she had been really hungry lately. Now the zip on her green dress wouldn’t do up and she pledged to start a new diet as soon as possible.
She sighed pulling on a different dress that was looser around the middle. At least The Doctor hasn’t noticed, she thought to herself. She walked out into the console room where the Doctor was sitting fiddling with his sonic screwdriver. He looked up smiling and then his face dropped a little.
“You’re not wearing it,” he said, disappointedly.
“Wearing what, Honey?” She replied, an eyebrow raised.
He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. “The green dress I uh… like so much.”
River blushed. “Its…too…um…uncomfortable Sweetie,” she stammered out, too embarrassed to tell him the truth.
He jumped up. “Never mind then, eh?” he said, bopping her on the nose and wrapping his arms around her waist.
She giggled and leaned in to kiss him deeply on the lips. His teeth tugged lightly on her lower lip and she hummed in appreciation. He pulled back, arms still clutched around her waist. “So where to my sweet?”
She stood and thought for a minute. “How about we go see a play, I haven’t seen Macbeth performed at The Globe yet.” she finally replied.
“Sounds brilliant, it will be great to see old Will Shakespeare again, let me just go grab my coat,” he said dashing down the steps.
He tripped on a loose cord and fell to his knees. Getting up quickly, he darted towards their room.
River giggled. That silly adorable man, she thought to herself.
“River!” she heard him yell from their room.
“What is it Sweetie?” she called back, walking down the stairs towards his voice.
He spun around on her as she reached the doorway. “What is this?”
Behind him opposite their bed was a small en suite room she had never seen before. It’s walls were yellow and painted with intricate patterns of stars and planets.
“I don’t know, darling. The Tardis must have put it there,” she said, moving towards him and the room. As she got close she gasped. On right wall of the room stood a beautiful old cot and a shelf stacked with toys.
She turned to the Doctor. He was examining her with a suspicious look in his eye.
“Wha..” she began to ask but he interrupted her. “Darling, have you gained weight?”
River’s face flushed. She stepped forward and slapped him hard across the cheek. “Don’t be so rude!”
Anger flashed across his face but he didn’t say anything. She immediately felt bad. “I am sorry Sweetie, I didn’t mean... it’s just I’m sensitive about...”.
He advanced towards her, stopping her mid sentence and backing her into the wall behind her. He pressed his body against hers and looked deep into her eyes.
His eyes were dark and searching and the intensity unnerved her a little. He reached suddenly into his pocket and grabbed his sonic screwdriver. Stepping back he beamed a ray across down her body and then inspected the results.
“Why didn’t you tell me River?” he asked.
“T-tell you what darling?” she muttered nervously.
“About the baby?” he said in a hard voice.
…
River sat on the stairs in the console room sobbing. The Doctor rubbed her back gently.
“But,” she sobbed and blurted out “I can’t have a baby in prison.” She lowered her head to his shoulder, her body shaking with her cries.
The Doctor felt bad for think she was hiding her pregnancy from him. Now as she cried into his neck he realised this was a shock for her as well. He pulled her face up underneath her chin.
“River, honey?” he said, their eyes locked on to one another. “Everything will be fine, you will not have a baby in prison, I’ll take care of you.” He reached his hand down between them and placed it on her stomach. “I'll take care of both of you.”
River’s tears slowed. She wiped her eyes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “So your not mad, sweetie?” she whispered.
“How could I be mad? This is as much my fault as yours.” he replied chuckling.
After some tests were done The Doctor estimated River was almost 3 months along. He calculated quickly in his head and remembered back to the night this had most likely began.
There had been handcuffs involved and she had spent the night on top of him as his arms were locked to the bed posts. Her hips grinding against him and the look on her beautiful face as she came several times that night, was still fresh in his mind.
His wife was bloody perfect he thought to himself. Now they would be a proper family, his eyes welled up as he thought of his own family, so long gone, but the loss still hurt.
“What’s wrong, honey?” River asked.
“Nothing, dear,” he replied with a smile. “Everything is perfect,” and he leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead.
…
“River! Be careful,” The Doctor called to her.
She had a gun in one hand and the other hand placed protectively on her protruding belly as they ran through a dark forest back towards the Tardis. She laughed and called back to him, “I’m always careful, Sweetie and do try to keep up.”
They lunged inside the Tardis and shut the doors behind them. Leaning against the now closed doors they both panted heavily. River’s now considerable chest heaved up and down.
“So much for taking it easy,” The Doctor said with concern but a grin all the same.
“How was I to know they wouldn't take kindly to me taking their spaceship for a joy ride?” she replied smirking.
He moved towards her and put his hands on her round belly. He ducked down and kissed her stomach before whispering to the bump, “Now you tell your Mummy she’s not to get into any more trouble, okay?”
River laughed and pulled him back up to her face. She looked into his eyes until the moment became too intense and then their lips found each others. Their tongues swooped and slid over each over delicately. He raised a hand to her face to cup her chin and drove his tongue deeper into her mouth before skating it across the top arch of her mouth. They finally pulled back from each other, “Our daughter will be so lucky to have you as a father you know?,” she said beaming up at him.
“And you as a Mother, darling,” he replied, placing a gentle kiss on her nose.
The thought of being a mother scared River but she knew when the time came she would be ready. “Thank you dear, for now though let’s go have some fun,” she said grasping his hand with her small one and pulling them towards the bedroom.
…