Never Fade From Me (The Life & Times of River Song & The Doctor)

When We Ran

"River I can't believe you opened the airlock!" The Doctor gasped with exaggerated admonishment, knowing that he would have done exactly the same thing and secretly he was rather enjoying taking on the role of the companion with the moral compass, he was a passenger in the back seat being taken on a dangerous, exhilarating ride.

"I did warn them sweetie." River brusquely retorted, unrepentant for her actions and as far as she was concerned her conscience was clear because she had given them every chance to back down.

The Doctor was unable to form a witty reproving reply and decided instead to concentrate on breathing as he took lots of short, puffy breaths, he was getting too old for this sort of thing as he held onto River's hand for dear life, certain if he actually let go he would be left behind, trailing in River's wake and lost in her own unique brand of chaos. Earlier the Doctor had been on board the TARDIS and it had been his equivalent of Sunday afternoon, a kick up your heels, lazy, indulgent time of tinkering with his old girl as far as the Doctor was concerned so when River hijacked his day he hadn't really signed up for an S.A.S style mission but anytime spent with River was worth nearly getting killed for and watching "the Missus" in action was always both terrifying and thrilling.

"Archaeology who knew..."

Suddenly feeling rejuvenated due to that mysterious superhuman Time Lord physiology the Doctor raised a barely there eyebrow and grinned archly at River in response she slightly turned her head, the Doctor caught a glimpse of her flushed cheeks, River was unusually dishevelled, a little tense even as her untameable curls started to escape from under a crimson beret which the Doctor greatly coveted, however River still found the time to return the Doctor's backhanded compliment with a cheeky smile and a wink.

Explosions and footsteps could be heard in the near distance as they continued running along or rather up a steep incline of the maze like corridors within the spaceship that was in fact a replica of a pirate ship and it was now listing rather alarmingly after River's spot of sabotage. The Doctor was still having flashbacks to ten minutes ago...

"You made Captain Nero walk the plank."

"Since when did you get so sentimental about androids Doctor?"

"Androids have feelings too River." The Doctor responded in his usual moral upright tone, nobody could ever accuse him of being racist.

"Fair point sweetie." River smiled and generously conceded to the Doctor's moral viewpoint. "Back in the day I have been known to date androids." River's good natured smile suddenly stiffened, leaving the Doctor under no illusion that she meant business. "However these particular, "psychotic pirate" androids did steal a very important artefact from the Lunar museum and yours truly has been entrusted to get it back to them." There was a determined, uncompromising look in River's eyes, a hardness from all her years of training as she delved into her jacket pocket to make sure the unremarkable compass shaped artefact was still safely there. "And I will get it back to them."

Upon catching a glimpse of the tiny artefact, a barely audible gurgle of wonder escaped from the Doctor, sometimes he wished he'd paid more attention in his archaeology classes at the academy.

"The star compass of Lucasta 9, the key to finding all those lost treasures in the Universe." But the ancient man of the Universe who had seen and done so much couldn't entirely lose his cynicism as he started to tease. "But it doesn't actually work River. It's just a myth, a fairy tale...."

Now it was River's turn to return the knowing grin.

"Oh Doctor... Aren't we all?"

The Doctor's hearts surged with affection, filled with the memory of the last time River had said that to him on the beaches of Alfava Metraxis after they had defeated the angels. It seemed like a lifetime ago now but at least it was in both their pasts...