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licklesoxyTitle: Comfort Zone (Chapter 1)
Chapter Word Count: 3,900
Total Word Count (so far): 3,900
Pairings: Eleven/River, Amy/Rory
Rating: PG-13
Next Chapters: Two
Disclaimer: Copyright: Steven Moffat, The BBC
Summary: The TARDIS has kicked the Doctor out, right onto River Song's temporary doorstep, and she wants to find out why, while all he wants to do is get back to his ship and companions.
-o-
Comfort Zone
Chapter One
The house was quite small, but fitting enough for the purpose she needed it for. Acting as a temporary location to rest, the brick building only had two bedrooms, both of them relatively tiny compared to some of the rooms River had seen in her time. The bathroom had a bath but no shower, though that didn't concern her because she rather enjoyed relaxing in a tub every once in a while. Moving back downstairs after her quick search to see if the house actually was vacant, River looked around the kitchen with a smile, before placing her jacket over the back of the nearest chair; being wooden, holding a cushion to give at least some comfort to whoever wished to be seated on it, it appeared to be the only one in the room. Ignoring the furniture - well, in this case, the lack of it - and turning her attention to the sink, River turned on the cold tap so water would begin to pour noisily down the plug hole.
Rinsing off the dust that had settled on her fingers from having forced open the front door earlier, River quickly turned the tap back off, then proceeded to look around the cupboards to see if there was a towel she could use. When one couldn't be found, a bored sigh escaped her lips. Deciding to wipe away the moisture on her skin by using the material of her trousers, River absently understood that getting the clothing wet wasn't a problem. She wouldn't be going anywhere fancy tonight, so being slightly scruffy wasn't a bad thing.
Not caring to stop another sigh from coming out her mouth, River walked out of the kitchen and stepped into the lounge, her gaze seeking out the narrow sofa tucked away in the corner of the room. Silently giving thanks to whoever had decided to abandon the seat when they had left the house, River strolled over to the cream sofa and collapsed onto it with a grunt. Two weeks she had spent in this time period now, searching for a way back off planet Earth, and it had taken her this long to find a relatively warm place to get some sleep.
Though her quest to find a way to another planet had thus far failed, she didn't really mind all that much. This time period, despite a couple of atrocities, did have its little charms and pleasantries; considering that she had landed in one of the calmer years of the 21st Century, River couldn't complain. She knew that, if needs demanded it, she could easily spend another month or more in her current location without true annoyance overcoming her. It would be inconvenient, yes, but not entirely terrible.
The quiet muffles of cars a few streets away acted as a sort of droning, constant noise to block out the other sounds close by, and River rapidly found her eyes closing as she began falling into the sleep she needed. Night cool, the air musty but not suffocating, it was peaceful, and she was teetering on the edge of slipping under completely when something abruptly startled her into alertness once more.
It was familiar, the sound of a ship that she would never not want to hear.
Lifting herself gracelessly into a standing position, stumbling a bit as the sound of materialisation continued to increase in volume, River tried to focus on stopping her limbs from shaking until she was confident she wouldn't fall over. Running out of the lounge and back into the kitchen, her momentum only slowing when she arrived at the back door, River let a grin rise onto her lips as she realised that no key had been used to lock it. Unhooking the loose catch that, in truth, wasn't strong enough to hold someone back from entering the house if they wanted to, River pushed the door open and made to step out into the garden as she peered into the darkness. What her eyes caught sight of made her hesitate in the doorway, a flash of confusion flowing into her instantaneously as she regarded the blue box and its pilot.
"Let me back in!"
His voice was hoarse, its pitch cracking as a note of desperation seeped into the words. Watching with mild astonishment as the Doctor clambered up from his crumpled position on the wet floor, a sudden fear soon coursed through her as he rushed forwards unsteadily and placed his hand against the TARDIS doors. The second flesh made contact with wood, he was thrown backwards with a sickening abruptness, his back hitting the grass with a soft thud. Features paling slightly, River continued to watch as the Doctor pushed himself back up again, and, without any amount of reluctance, seemed prepared to haul his body back at the ship without a single hesitance. Unable to control the shiver that ran down her spine when the TARDIS started its dematerialisation process, River felt useless as the sound mixed with the strangled yell that escaped the Doctor's mouth as he too witnessed the ship leaving, helpless to prevent it from going without him.
It took several seconds, but River's body finally kicked back into action. Stepping into the back garden and running over to the Doctor, her hand came up to touch his shoulder in the attempt to get him to turn around when she was close enough to achieve physical contact. He jumped when her palm came down, fingers curling around to make a firm grip, and River had to hold back on the usual tease that she would state in response to the surprised reaction; that wouldn't be appropriate right now.
Something was seriously wrong, since the TARDIS had forcibly shoved the Doctor out of its doors.
Keeping all questions to herself for now, River tightened her grip on his shoulder and waited for him to turn and look at her. There was no point in moving around to his front, since the Doctor needed to compose himself first before coming face to face with anyone. She would want the same thing if the roles were reversed, so it was only fair to offer him the same opportunity.
When he finally did turn, River got her next surprise of the night. Gazing into his eyes silently, watching the recognition set in, River couldn't help but feel concerned as she took in the fresh tears streaming down his face. To say that she was worried would be an understatement. It took something truly terrible - too terrible, in fact - to make the Time Lord actually cry.
"River?"
Pushing aside all thoughts of how wrong this situation was for the moment, she gave a small nod in confirmation at the confused mutter. Bringing her other arm up, she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. She was quietly glad when his arms instantly came up to squeeze her back. It was only the tiniest hint of reassurance that showed he wasn't afraid to return her affection, yet it was still a relief to know he wasn't completely against the idea of letting her offer comfort.
The sense of security soon faded, though, when a chill forced itself through her skin. Unwelcome and uncomfortable, River immediately realised that it was coming from the Doctor; even through two different layers of clothing, River could feel how cold he was. Worry making its way into her mind, River pulled her body even closer to his, while her hands began rubbing up and down his back in an attempt to warm him up. It seemed to work a smidgen, if the way his body stopped shivering was any indication.
"What happened? What's wrong?" She found the words came easily, though she suspected the answers would not be given so freely.
When she thought about it, it didn't take a whole lot of intelligence to determine that the Doctor had not set the co-ordinates for this location. The TARDIS had chosen this time zone, this specific garden to throw him in... But what did that mean? River understood that the TARDIS was no ordinary ship, yet could it truly act out against its own pilot? Was the magnificent blue box capable of doing action without input from a person? And, if the TARDIS could do that, then why had she kicked the Doctor out so viciously? There were too many questions, and River had the horrible feeling that none of the answers would be explained to her.
Contemplating what could have happened wasn't really helpful. Biting her lip, River couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her mouth.
"Doctor."
She needed him to at least talk to her, even if he didn't want to, because she couldn't work out the situation without more information. Yes, she could guess that something hadn't gone too well, but the number of things that could have caused such a reaction from the TARDIS was too high.
Holding back the remark that wanted to leave her when the Doctor offered silence and nothing more, River brought her arms down from around him and pulled away about an inch. Not giving up contact completely, she lifted her hand up to his cheek and trailed a finger down it. Becoming wet and cold, River had to prevent her hand from trembling. Placing her thumb under his chin and pushing up gently to coax his head up until he was looking at her, she suddenly realised that his tears weren't actually that fresh at all. He had stopped crying, probably the moment he'd realised he was in her presence.
"Doctor, what is it?"
The atmosphere around them shifted so abruptly, after the last word exited her mouth, that River wasn't sure what happened, what she'd said wrong. The second her mouth closed, the moment all sound stopped, the Doctor's expression changed. At once his features were filled with a terrifying rage, his eyes narrowing into a dark loathing as he brought his hands up quickly and swiftly to shove River away, hard. River stumbled back and almost fell to the floor due to the slippery grass under her feet. Regaining control of her limbs rapidly, but unable to keep the cry of shock from pouring out of her mouth, River's face contorted in fury as confusion and anger replaced any concern she had previously held towards the Doctor.
Her own emotions building up rather dangerously, she rounded on the Doctor with balled up fists, her stance unfriendly and her feelings about what he had just done quite clear. How dare he push her away when all she was doing was giving him some comfort. Who the hell did he think he was?
"Wait, stop!"
Suddenly, River was confronted with the apparent notion that she really had no clue as to what was going on. Halting her advance on the Doctor, not able to deny the fact that she'd heard the plead in those words, she couldn't help but be struck dumb as his hands flew out in a placating gesture, his features twisting in panic as he took a step backwards. It was obvious that he had not meant to lash out at her.
All of her anger dissipated immediately, her earlier worry removing any of the unwanted fury from her thoughts. There was something not quite fitting into place about this whole encounter, and she couldn't pin down what it was. River knew only one fact: things were going to get rather messed up if she didn't find her answers soon, because she hated not being in control of everything around her.
"What's going on?" River punctuated every word with a small step towards the Doctor. He stood still and allowed the invasion of his personal space. His hands came up to rub his face roughly. Not bothering to remove them before sighing, the Doctor shook his head.
"Sorry."
Whispered, the apology was sincere. Waiting patiently, River watched him, wondering if he would do anything more. After he had finally moved his hands back down to his sides, she was bare witness to the striking idea that, out of everyone, out of every single person he had ever met in this Universe, she wasn't the first, second or even third choice he would have made to receive any sort of comfort from. She had been forced upon him, in a way, just as he had been forced upon her. The knowledge, unsurprisingly, did hurt, but River knew that it wasn't his fault. Whatever age the Doctor was now, it occurred to River that it was far too early in his time line for him to hold any kind of trust towards her.
Putting those thoughts to the back of her mind, River decided that it would be best to give up on getting any answers tonight. The Doctor was stubborn, and although River had confidence in her ability to get him to fess up about a lot of things, she could see that he was probably as tired as she was. Any attempts to get him to talk right now would be futile, in reality.
Nodding her head in the direction of the house, River said, "Come on. Not quite as comfy as your TARDIS, but it'll do. Could rival any of these so called five star hotels."
Revelling in the weak smile her words produced, River slowly turned back towards the house and began edging her way to the open door. Reaching out to place her hand in his, River made no attempt to hide the move or mask it as anything other than what it was. She needed to make sure he wasn't about to run off or try anything funny to get himself away from her. Though he appeared to be following her inside willingly, River still didn't know what was running through his mind, had no idea whether he even wanted to get some rest or not. Grabbing his hand and keeping a tight hold of it ensured he understood that she was the one in control at the moment, and helped to convey how badly she would react if he did try and leave tonight.
Pushing the back door closed when both of them were safely inside, River directed him towards the lounge. The cabinets by the far wall cast dark shadows across the expanse of the room, due to the moonlight shining through the window. Tugging the Doctor along gently, she gestured towards the sofa and released his hand. It took no more than two seconds for the inevitable protest to form.
"I'm fine. You can-"
"No."
The Doctor turned to gaze at her with a frown.
"Bu-"
"Have you seen yourself?" The interruption was fast and the question filled with disbelief. River hadn't meant those words to come out of her mouth, but it was only now that she was paying attention to the rest of him and not just his face. And what she could see was not acceptable.
The Doctor wore no jacket, and his shirt had been torn down the one side from shoulder to waist. The single consolation River could gain from this was the fact that the ragged shirt was clean, so he wasn't injured as far as she could tell. Looking down, she caught a glimpse of a loose, thick piece of material - all that was left of the braces that helped keep his trousers secure and in place - and moving her gaze further down, she could see that his feet were clad in socks without any sign of his shoes.
Glancing back up to his face, River pursed her lips as she felt her body sag in defeat.
"What happened?" she asked, although she knew it would be pretty pointless.
The Doctor cringed. Surprise filling her, River bit back the gasp. That was an action she hadn't expected from him, a move that indicated he was actually going to answer the question. Swallowing back any and all remarks about this sudden change of heart he'd apparently had, River tried not to fidget as she waited for him to speak.
"Kids."
River furrowed her brows when he failed to elaborate. "What?"
"They were just kids, River," he muttered, gaze lowering to the floor, voice uncharacteristically quiet and calm. "Silly, misguided children who didn't know what they were doing. And I-" Cutting off abruptly, the Doctor licked his lips and closed his eyes.
"And you what?" If she didn't get him to talk now, he might never reveal anything more about the events that had led up to this situation. Even though she dreaded the answer, had an incline of what was about to come, she needed him to properly confirm it out loud.
"And I had to stop them." At once his tone was full of a sadness River had heard only when he really regretted being who or what he was, and hated the fact that he seemed expected to always make the decision between saving one person or another.
Not bothering to ask anything else, River once again found herself pulling him in for a hug, as much for her own benefit as it was for his. It hurt to see the Doctor like this, especially when she could understand how some things needed to be done at times, no matter how terrible the consequences. There were things that she regretted doing too, and she knew that, however rationalised the final decision was, no matter how many people claimed the right thing had been done in the end, she always felt that something different could have been done. More often than not, she considered that, maybe, if her actions had been adjusted somehow, the events that played out would be far better for all involved.
The difference between River and the Doctor was a simple one, but probably the most significant factor that made it all that much harder for him to cope: River could walk away if she found herself in an unwanted predicament, and the Doctor could not. He had to help if he was capable, regardless of the personal cost.
River shook her head at the absurdity of it all. Trailing a hand slowly down his back, she had to stop the question that threatened to come as she noticed small but frequent tears in the fabric covering his upper body. She let her finger trace the outline of one of the rips, before peeling it back and brushing her fingertip tentatively against the cool flesh underneath. After a moment of tracing lazy circles on the skin, the body she held against her jerked closer suddenly, the action seemingly not of free will. Eyebrows scrunching up in confusion, River tilted her head a fraction and contemplated what was happening as she brought her finger back into contact with the Doctor's skin. Almost immediately he moved again, shifting sideways and away from her hand, a tiny gasp of a laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.
He then moved entirely away from her, his expression a mask of irritation and, startlingly, a sort of bemused surprise as he stared at River's extended hand. Staying still for a second, mind working quickly to figure out what was wrong, River didn't think to hide her grin when she realised why he'd reacted to her touch in such a way.
"You're ticklish," she stated, the words in of themselves producing a swell of devilish glee within her.
She didn't give any time for the information to sink in. With a teasing smile lighting up her face, River leant forwards and shot her hands out, her fingers working fast as they started tickling the Doctor's sides. Taking great delight in the yelp her movements caused, soon her own body was shaking with joy as the sound of uncontrollable laughter reached her ears. It was a wonderful noise, one that she had missed. Slapping his hands away playfully when they came up to try and halt the onslaught, River had to admit that this was quite the unconventional method of cheering him up. Thinking about it, in all honesty, if she had known this current form of his was ticklish, she would have used it to her advantage a long time ago.
"Riv- Stop! Ple- Ah, River!"
Blatantly ignoring the calls that managed to slip in between his loud hysterics, River easily followed him step for step as he moved backwards, his legs nearly giving way when he tried to grab her wrists to block the attack. Chuckling, River shook her head in triumph as the Doctor's back hit the wall. Unfortunately, he chose that time to become competent as he finally caught hold of her arms and firmly held them a reasonable distance from the vicinity of his torso.
Both were panting slightly, the earlier coldness in their bodies all but gone. Snatching her arms from out of his grip, River smirked. Figuratively speaking, he was trapped, unable to move due to how close she was standing by him. Blocked on his right by the wall that had the window on it, and on his left by a cabinet, he was at her mercy. Narrowing her eyes a touch, River deliberately lifted one of her hands up and held it barely a centimetre from his stomach. She took great pleasure in the tiny flinch the action produced.
"River."
The name was supposed to be a warning. Moving her hand closer until what little space she had left between it and his body had vanished, she curled her fingers a minute amount, letting him know who was the one with the power at this moment in time. Watching him swallow back whatever else he wanted to say, River allowed her smirk to soften into a warm smile.
"You need some sleep, dear."
Keeping her eyes locked with his, she applied a tiny bit of pressure to the place where they were touching, refusing to acknowledge that the threat of tickling once more wasn't exactly a horrible one that he would certainly wish to avoid.
"There aren't any beds upstairs, so you're sleeping on the sofa, because I said so." Though her tone was friendly, she left no room for argument. He was going to do what she wanted, at least for tonight, whether he liked it or not. Lifting her head a bit when he remained silent, River trailed her tongue along her top lip.
"Understand, sweetheart?" She was going to get a yes from him, even if she had to stay in this spot all night. The sigh was expected, as was the glare. The Doctor hated being told what to do; even total strangers could find this out within the first couple of minutes of meeting him. Bringing her face closer to his, she breathed out a laugh.
"Say yes," she ordered, eyes twinkling with mirth, but words strong and demanding. Not quite able to pin point the emotion that flashed through his eyes, River waited. His eyes closed, his lips forming a thin line as he brought his hands up and rested them on her shoulders. Opening his eyes once more, he lowered his head a touch until they were at eye level with their foreheads touching. A smile had made its way onto his mouth, but the emotion behind it was still unreadable.
"Yes."
To Be Continued
-o-
Chapter Word Count: 3,900
Total Word Count (so far): 3,900
Pairings: Eleven/River, Amy/Rory
Rating: PG-13
Next Chapters: Two
Disclaimer: Copyright: Steven Moffat, The BBC
Summary: The TARDIS has kicked the Doctor out, right onto River Song's temporary doorstep, and she wants to find out why, while all he wants to do is get back to his ship and companions.
Comfort Zone
Chapter One
The house was quite small, but fitting enough for the purpose she needed it for. Acting as a temporary location to rest, the brick building only had two bedrooms, both of them relatively tiny compared to some of the rooms River had seen in her time. The bathroom had a bath but no shower, though that didn't concern her because she rather enjoyed relaxing in a tub every once in a while. Moving back downstairs after her quick search to see if the house actually was vacant, River looked around the kitchen with a smile, before placing her jacket over the back of the nearest chair; being wooden, holding a cushion to give at least some comfort to whoever wished to be seated on it, it appeared to be the only one in the room. Ignoring the furniture - well, in this case, the lack of it - and turning her attention to the sink, River turned on the cold tap so water would begin to pour noisily down the plug hole.
Rinsing off the dust that had settled on her fingers from having forced open the front door earlier, River quickly turned the tap back off, then proceeded to look around the cupboards to see if there was a towel she could use. When one couldn't be found, a bored sigh escaped her lips. Deciding to wipe away the moisture on her skin by using the material of her trousers, River absently understood that getting the clothing wet wasn't a problem. She wouldn't be going anywhere fancy tonight, so being slightly scruffy wasn't a bad thing.
Not caring to stop another sigh from coming out her mouth, River walked out of the kitchen and stepped into the lounge, her gaze seeking out the narrow sofa tucked away in the corner of the room. Silently giving thanks to whoever had decided to abandon the seat when they had left the house, River strolled over to the cream sofa and collapsed onto it with a grunt. Two weeks she had spent in this time period now, searching for a way back off planet Earth, and it had taken her this long to find a relatively warm place to get some sleep.
Though her quest to find a way to another planet had thus far failed, she didn't really mind all that much. This time period, despite a couple of atrocities, did have its little charms and pleasantries; considering that she had landed in one of the calmer years of the 21st Century, River couldn't complain. She knew that, if needs demanded it, she could easily spend another month or more in her current location without true annoyance overcoming her. It would be inconvenient, yes, but not entirely terrible.
The quiet muffles of cars a few streets away acted as a sort of droning, constant noise to block out the other sounds close by, and River rapidly found her eyes closing as she began falling into the sleep she needed. Night cool, the air musty but not suffocating, it was peaceful, and she was teetering on the edge of slipping under completely when something abruptly startled her into alertness once more.
It was familiar, the sound of a ship that she would never not want to hear.
Lifting herself gracelessly into a standing position, stumbling a bit as the sound of materialisation continued to increase in volume, River tried to focus on stopping her limbs from shaking until she was confident she wouldn't fall over. Running out of the lounge and back into the kitchen, her momentum only slowing when she arrived at the back door, River let a grin rise onto her lips as she realised that no key had been used to lock it. Unhooking the loose catch that, in truth, wasn't strong enough to hold someone back from entering the house if they wanted to, River pushed the door open and made to step out into the garden as she peered into the darkness. What her eyes caught sight of made her hesitate in the doorway, a flash of confusion flowing into her instantaneously as she regarded the blue box and its pilot.
"Let me back in!"
His voice was hoarse, its pitch cracking as a note of desperation seeped into the words. Watching with mild astonishment as the Doctor clambered up from his crumpled position on the wet floor, a sudden fear soon coursed through her as he rushed forwards unsteadily and placed his hand against the TARDIS doors. The second flesh made contact with wood, he was thrown backwards with a sickening abruptness, his back hitting the grass with a soft thud. Features paling slightly, River continued to watch as the Doctor pushed himself back up again, and, without any amount of reluctance, seemed prepared to haul his body back at the ship without a single hesitance. Unable to control the shiver that ran down her spine when the TARDIS started its dematerialisation process, River felt useless as the sound mixed with the strangled yell that escaped the Doctor's mouth as he too witnessed the ship leaving, helpless to prevent it from going without him.
It took several seconds, but River's body finally kicked back into action. Stepping into the back garden and running over to the Doctor, her hand came up to touch his shoulder in the attempt to get him to turn around when she was close enough to achieve physical contact. He jumped when her palm came down, fingers curling around to make a firm grip, and River had to hold back on the usual tease that she would state in response to the surprised reaction; that wouldn't be appropriate right now.
Something was seriously wrong, since the TARDIS had forcibly shoved the Doctor out of its doors.
Keeping all questions to herself for now, River tightened her grip on his shoulder and waited for him to turn and look at her. There was no point in moving around to his front, since the Doctor needed to compose himself first before coming face to face with anyone. She would want the same thing if the roles were reversed, so it was only fair to offer him the same opportunity.
When he finally did turn, River got her next surprise of the night. Gazing into his eyes silently, watching the recognition set in, River couldn't help but feel concerned as she took in the fresh tears streaming down his face. To say that she was worried would be an understatement. It took something truly terrible - too terrible, in fact - to make the Time Lord actually cry.
"River?"
Pushing aside all thoughts of how wrong this situation was for the moment, she gave a small nod in confirmation at the confused mutter. Bringing her other arm up, she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. She was quietly glad when his arms instantly came up to squeeze her back. It was only the tiniest hint of reassurance that showed he wasn't afraid to return her affection, yet it was still a relief to know he wasn't completely against the idea of letting her offer comfort.
The sense of security soon faded, though, when a chill forced itself through her skin. Unwelcome and uncomfortable, River immediately realised that it was coming from the Doctor; even through two different layers of clothing, River could feel how cold he was. Worry making its way into her mind, River pulled her body even closer to his, while her hands began rubbing up and down his back in an attempt to warm him up. It seemed to work a smidgen, if the way his body stopped shivering was any indication.
"What happened? What's wrong?" She found the words came easily, though she suspected the answers would not be given so freely.
When she thought about it, it didn't take a whole lot of intelligence to determine that the Doctor had not set the co-ordinates for this location. The TARDIS had chosen this time zone, this specific garden to throw him in... But what did that mean? River understood that the TARDIS was no ordinary ship, yet could it truly act out against its own pilot? Was the magnificent blue box capable of doing action without input from a person? And, if the TARDIS could do that, then why had she kicked the Doctor out so viciously? There were too many questions, and River had the horrible feeling that none of the answers would be explained to her.
Contemplating what could have happened wasn't really helpful. Biting her lip, River couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her mouth.
"Doctor."
She needed him to at least talk to her, even if he didn't want to, because she couldn't work out the situation without more information. Yes, she could guess that something hadn't gone too well, but the number of things that could have caused such a reaction from the TARDIS was too high.
Holding back the remark that wanted to leave her when the Doctor offered silence and nothing more, River brought her arms down from around him and pulled away about an inch. Not giving up contact completely, she lifted her hand up to his cheek and trailed a finger down it. Becoming wet and cold, River had to prevent her hand from trembling. Placing her thumb under his chin and pushing up gently to coax his head up until he was looking at her, she suddenly realised that his tears weren't actually that fresh at all. He had stopped crying, probably the moment he'd realised he was in her presence.
"Doctor, what is it?"
The atmosphere around them shifted so abruptly, after the last word exited her mouth, that River wasn't sure what happened, what she'd said wrong. The second her mouth closed, the moment all sound stopped, the Doctor's expression changed. At once his features were filled with a terrifying rage, his eyes narrowing into a dark loathing as he brought his hands up quickly and swiftly to shove River away, hard. River stumbled back and almost fell to the floor due to the slippery grass under her feet. Regaining control of her limbs rapidly, but unable to keep the cry of shock from pouring out of her mouth, River's face contorted in fury as confusion and anger replaced any concern she had previously held towards the Doctor.
Her own emotions building up rather dangerously, she rounded on the Doctor with balled up fists, her stance unfriendly and her feelings about what he had just done quite clear. How dare he push her away when all she was doing was giving him some comfort. Who the hell did he think he was?
"Wait, stop!"
Suddenly, River was confronted with the apparent notion that she really had no clue as to what was going on. Halting her advance on the Doctor, not able to deny the fact that she'd heard the plead in those words, she couldn't help but be struck dumb as his hands flew out in a placating gesture, his features twisting in panic as he took a step backwards. It was obvious that he had not meant to lash out at her.
All of her anger dissipated immediately, her earlier worry removing any of the unwanted fury from her thoughts. There was something not quite fitting into place about this whole encounter, and she couldn't pin down what it was. River knew only one fact: things were going to get rather messed up if she didn't find her answers soon, because she hated not being in control of everything around her.
"What's going on?" River punctuated every word with a small step towards the Doctor. He stood still and allowed the invasion of his personal space. His hands came up to rub his face roughly. Not bothering to remove them before sighing, the Doctor shook his head.
"Sorry."
Whispered, the apology was sincere. Waiting patiently, River watched him, wondering if he would do anything more. After he had finally moved his hands back down to his sides, she was bare witness to the striking idea that, out of everyone, out of every single person he had ever met in this Universe, she wasn't the first, second or even third choice he would have made to receive any sort of comfort from. She had been forced upon him, in a way, just as he had been forced upon her. The knowledge, unsurprisingly, did hurt, but River knew that it wasn't his fault. Whatever age the Doctor was now, it occurred to River that it was far too early in his time line for him to hold any kind of trust towards her.
Putting those thoughts to the back of her mind, River decided that it would be best to give up on getting any answers tonight. The Doctor was stubborn, and although River had confidence in her ability to get him to fess up about a lot of things, she could see that he was probably as tired as she was. Any attempts to get him to talk right now would be futile, in reality.
Nodding her head in the direction of the house, River said, "Come on. Not quite as comfy as your TARDIS, but it'll do. Could rival any of these so called five star hotels."
Revelling in the weak smile her words produced, River slowly turned back towards the house and began edging her way to the open door. Reaching out to place her hand in his, River made no attempt to hide the move or mask it as anything other than what it was. She needed to make sure he wasn't about to run off or try anything funny to get himself away from her. Though he appeared to be following her inside willingly, River still didn't know what was running through his mind, had no idea whether he even wanted to get some rest or not. Grabbing his hand and keeping a tight hold of it ensured he understood that she was the one in control at the moment, and helped to convey how badly she would react if he did try and leave tonight.
Pushing the back door closed when both of them were safely inside, River directed him towards the lounge. The cabinets by the far wall cast dark shadows across the expanse of the room, due to the moonlight shining through the window. Tugging the Doctor along gently, she gestured towards the sofa and released his hand. It took no more than two seconds for the inevitable protest to form.
"I'm fine. You can-"
"No."
The Doctor turned to gaze at her with a frown.
"Bu-"
"Have you seen yourself?" The interruption was fast and the question filled with disbelief. River hadn't meant those words to come out of her mouth, but it was only now that she was paying attention to the rest of him and not just his face. And what she could see was not acceptable.
The Doctor wore no jacket, and his shirt had been torn down the one side from shoulder to waist. The single consolation River could gain from this was the fact that the ragged shirt was clean, so he wasn't injured as far as she could tell. Looking down, she caught a glimpse of a loose, thick piece of material - all that was left of the braces that helped keep his trousers secure and in place - and moving her gaze further down, she could see that his feet were clad in socks without any sign of his shoes.
Glancing back up to his face, River pursed her lips as she felt her body sag in defeat.
"What happened?" she asked, although she knew it would be pretty pointless.
The Doctor cringed. Surprise filling her, River bit back the gasp. That was an action she hadn't expected from him, a move that indicated he was actually going to answer the question. Swallowing back any and all remarks about this sudden change of heart he'd apparently had, River tried not to fidget as she waited for him to speak.
"Kids."
River furrowed her brows when he failed to elaborate. "What?"
"They were just kids, River," he muttered, gaze lowering to the floor, voice uncharacteristically quiet and calm. "Silly, misguided children who didn't know what they were doing. And I-" Cutting off abruptly, the Doctor licked his lips and closed his eyes.
"And you what?" If she didn't get him to talk now, he might never reveal anything more about the events that had led up to this situation. Even though she dreaded the answer, had an incline of what was about to come, she needed him to properly confirm it out loud.
"And I had to stop them." At once his tone was full of a sadness River had heard only when he really regretted being who or what he was, and hated the fact that he seemed expected to always make the decision between saving one person or another.
Not bothering to ask anything else, River once again found herself pulling him in for a hug, as much for her own benefit as it was for his. It hurt to see the Doctor like this, especially when she could understand how some things needed to be done at times, no matter how terrible the consequences. There were things that she regretted doing too, and she knew that, however rationalised the final decision was, no matter how many people claimed the right thing had been done in the end, she always felt that something different could have been done. More often than not, she considered that, maybe, if her actions had been adjusted somehow, the events that played out would be far better for all involved.
The difference between River and the Doctor was a simple one, but probably the most significant factor that made it all that much harder for him to cope: River could walk away if she found herself in an unwanted predicament, and the Doctor could not. He had to help if he was capable, regardless of the personal cost.
River shook her head at the absurdity of it all. Trailing a hand slowly down his back, she had to stop the question that threatened to come as she noticed small but frequent tears in the fabric covering his upper body. She let her finger trace the outline of one of the rips, before peeling it back and brushing her fingertip tentatively against the cool flesh underneath. After a moment of tracing lazy circles on the skin, the body she held against her jerked closer suddenly, the action seemingly not of free will. Eyebrows scrunching up in confusion, River tilted her head a fraction and contemplated what was happening as she brought her finger back into contact with the Doctor's skin. Almost immediately he moved again, shifting sideways and away from her hand, a tiny gasp of a laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.
He then moved entirely away from her, his expression a mask of irritation and, startlingly, a sort of bemused surprise as he stared at River's extended hand. Staying still for a second, mind working quickly to figure out what was wrong, River didn't think to hide her grin when she realised why he'd reacted to her touch in such a way.
"You're ticklish," she stated, the words in of themselves producing a swell of devilish glee within her.
She didn't give any time for the information to sink in. With a teasing smile lighting up her face, River leant forwards and shot her hands out, her fingers working fast as they started tickling the Doctor's sides. Taking great delight in the yelp her movements caused, soon her own body was shaking with joy as the sound of uncontrollable laughter reached her ears. It was a wonderful noise, one that she had missed. Slapping his hands away playfully when they came up to try and halt the onslaught, River had to admit that this was quite the unconventional method of cheering him up. Thinking about it, in all honesty, if she had known this current form of his was ticklish, she would have used it to her advantage a long time ago.
"Riv- Stop! Ple- Ah, River!"
Blatantly ignoring the calls that managed to slip in between his loud hysterics, River easily followed him step for step as he moved backwards, his legs nearly giving way when he tried to grab her wrists to block the attack. Chuckling, River shook her head in triumph as the Doctor's back hit the wall. Unfortunately, he chose that time to become competent as he finally caught hold of her arms and firmly held them a reasonable distance from the vicinity of his torso.
Both were panting slightly, the earlier coldness in their bodies all but gone. Snatching her arms from out of his grip, River smirked. Figuratively speaking, he was trapped, unable to move due to how close she was standing by him. Blocked on his right by the wall that had the window on it, and on his left by a cabinet, he was at her mercy. Narrowing her eyes a touch, River deliberately lifted one of her hands up and held it barely a centimetre from his stomach. She took great pleasure in the tiny flinch the action produced.
"River."
The name was supposed to be a warning. Moving her hand closer until what little space she had left between it and his body had vanished, she curled her fingers a minute amount, letting him know who was the one with the power at this moment in time. Watching him swallow back whatever else he wanted to say, River allowed her smirk to soften into a warm smile.
"You need some sleep, dear."
Keeping her eyes locked with his, she applied a tiny bit of pressure to the place where they were touching, refusing to acknowledge that the threat of tickling once more wasn't exactly a horrible one that he would certainly wish to avoid.
"There aren't any beds upstairs, so you're sleeping on the sofa, because I said so." Though her tone was friendly, she left no room for argument. He was going to do what she wanted, at least for tonight, whether he liked it or not. Lifting her head a bit when he remained silent, River trailed her tongue along her top lip.
"Understand, sweetheart?" She was going to get a yes from him, even if she had to stay in this spot all night. The sigh was expected, as was the glare. The Doctor hated being told what to do; even total strangers could find this out within the first couple of minutes of meeting him. Bringing her face closer to his, she breathed out a laugh.
"Say yes," she ordered, eyes twinkling with mirth, but words strong and demanding. Not quite able to pin point the emotion that flashed through his eyes, River waited. His eyes closed, his lips forming a thin line as he brought his hands up and rested them on her shoulders. Opening his eyes once more, he lowered his head a touch until they were at eye level with their foreheads touching. A smile had made its way onto his mouth, but the emotion behind it was still unreadable.
"Yes."
