Title: Children on the storm (One-shot)
Fandom: Doctor Who
Set in the Doctor's future
Characters/pairings: Doctor/River, mentions of Rory and Amy
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: G
Word count: 930
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

This has been on my memory stick for weeks now; I forgot to post it. It's a Doctor/River fic, involving a younger River and an older Doctor, originally written for the "Storm" prompt at day_by_drabble. But it's a lot longer than a drabble, so I'm posting the complete version here. :)


Children of the storm:

River loved storms. Anything that drove her closer to danger made her feel more excited than ever. The sound of thunder had her jumping around like a little girl, incapable of sitting still. She wanted to step outside and feel the rain, the heavy drops on her skin. That’s because River needed to feel alive. She didn’t run away from the danger, she ran towards it. Maybe because that’s all she ever knew, and, in a way, danger made her feel safe. As strange as it seemed, danger was her inner idea of normal. Or maybe it was just because she liked it.

Storms reminded River of her father and of the few moments she had had with him, when she was still Melody Pond. Rory Williams was a good man; a brave man. He didn’t mind her going out in the storm, he understood her; he always had. River knew who her father was and what he had done for her mother; he was the Last Centurion. He had lived in the storm. She felt that storms bonded them, as they were a bond between her and the Doctor. Her father had lived in the storm; the Doctor was the storm. They were the two most important men in her life. River loved storms. She wished the Doctor could understand that.

This version of the Doctor, though, was far less adventurous and far more protective of her than his previous incarnations. He was still a traveler; true. He still visited planets and traveled through time, and saved people in the process. But he wasn’t keen on looking for trouble for the sake of it, as - if he was totally honest with himself - he had done countless times before. Maybe he was finally getting really old. He didn’t really like the idea, but he had to admit that since he had this new body, obviously older than the previous one by fifteen years or so, he didn’t feel the energy of youth run through his veins as much as it used to. In the past few decades, his young bodies had compensated his old mind. Now he just wanted to slow down a little.

Maybe that’s why River had seemed to like him so much, in the few encounters they’d had before his last regeneration. Surely he must have looked young and cheerful in comparison. He had to admit he had trouble handling her, this young, fearless River Song. But on the other hand, she showed her fragile side more easily, and he was under the impression that he could finally understand her. He could also see love and tenderness in her eyes when she looked at him. The future her didn’t look at him like that: he had seen passionate love and desire in her eyes, yes, but not that look of complete, innocent love and trust. Oh, he was going to disappoint her. But the biggest problem was that the damage was already done, because he didn’t know then. That was their tragedy, they never knew enough not to hurt each other. Maybe it was fate.

He was still angry about it sometimes. He loved River, he really did now, ant yet he sometimes missed the River he had first met, the woman who had intrigued him so and whom he had fallen in love with. But he knew that for that woman to exist, he had to give the woman he had in front of him as many good memories as he could.

It was her birthday, and he always took her somewhere impossible and new as a present. But this time, she had requested to choose the destination herself.

They landed on Earth, 20th century, a few years before her parents were born. She was the one to fly the Tardis, he had taught her how to. But he wouldn’t have mistaken the place for anywhere else. They were in Leadworth; on a hill near Leadworth, to be more specific. And a storm was approaching. He smiled sadly. He had so many good memories of this place that now it was painful to be here again. But he could understand why she had wanted to come here, and why she didn’t tell him where she was going; he wouldn’t have taken her, he would have talked her into visiting another crazy planet again. But she needed this, and he had to give it to her.

River’s senses were on alert as she felt the wind pass through her fingers and heard the sound of thunder. He would have given her a far more exciting birthday present; but this was the one she wanted. He stepped forward to stand right next to her and took her hand in his. She lifted her head to look at him, and there it was, in her eyes; the look he had been eager to see for so long. A look of genuine understanding and love. Even if, knowing them, it was nothing more than an illusion, it made him happier than he thought he would be. He was her Doctor at last.

River Song and the Doctor stood hand in hand, waiting for the storm to come. And it did; beautiful and terrible, like the most delicious pain. And then, he understood and held her hand tighter. They were the storm, and the storm was in their veins. Beautiful and terrible; creating happiness in the midst of tragedy. Then he remembered something regenerations could never change, and wondered how he could have forgotten it even for a second.

He always had loved storms.

Reviews are always appreciated. :)
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