Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

4(G)

tasting the air you’re breathing in;

Her hearts were pounding in her chest as she ran down the corridor before pushing open a door to the stairwell and running up the concrete stairs with a noisy clatter. They weren’t far behind her now, but she paused for a moment to pull off her black heels and start running barefoot, the stairs icy cold beneath her feet.  Somehow she managed to run, hold her shoes in one hand and pull out her psychic paper with the other one. A brief pause to glance down the stairwell showed the guard, four floors beneath her.

Good. She had some time. Panting, she pulled a pen out of her tiny purse, scribbling coordinates and a message on the paper before shoving it all back in and running just as shots were fired up the stairwell. They’d seen her.

She burst out onto the roof with a curse – the rocks cut into her feet but she didn’t have time to stop, or rest, or even think – they were right behind her. Frankly she was a bit disappointed she wouldn’t even have time for a nice parting line to the men chasing her, but then exits couldn’t always be well planned out. Sometimes you had to just escape when the opportunity presented itself. She slid to a halt, staring at the blue box on the roof with a glare. Those were not the coordinates she’d given him, but never mind that.

She didn’t wait for him to open the door, instead pulling her key out from under her dress and using it to open the door and burst into the control room.  She slammed the door shut behind her just as the men poured onto the rooftop behind her. “Go, go – just go!” She leaned against the shut door, panting as the Doctor moved quickly around the controls.

She dropped her shoes, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor with her back against the Tardis doors, still breathing harshly. “Any particular destination, or should we just hang around the Vortex for a while? And what were you doing, River Song?” He’d stepped down the stairs and stood in front of her looking down at her with a small frown.

She took a deep calming breath, willing her lungs to burn less as the oxygen poured into them. When she finally felt a little more under control, she smiled up at him. “Running.”

“Well, obviously.” He threw his hands up and glared down at her. “From what?”

She laughed and braced her hands against the floor, pushing herself up before grabbing the door handles and pulling herself the rest of the way upright. He fluttered awkwardly just around the edge of her personal space, and she smiled at the sight of it. Not that she would ever ever admit it to him, but she found his awkward indecisiveness rather adorable most times. “Who says it was from anything?” She grinned saucily at him before starting to walk over to the stairs, limping only slightly thanks to the cuts on her feet provided by the rooftop.

“Experience.” He spoke dryly, moving up behind her and slipping a hand under her elbow gingerly. “Oh and the blaster burns on the doors of my ship.” He was surprisingly gentle, his skin cool against hers as he placed a hand at her waist and helped her up into the pilot’s seat. She sank down gratefully and dropped her purse on the floor beside her.

“Oh well, them. Just a spot of unexpected trouble, sweetie. That’s what shields are for.”  She leaned back with a sigh, lifting the tattered hem of her dress so she could inspect the bottom of her feet. It wasn’t too bad, actually – a myriad of small cuts here and there.

“What sort of trouble, River? Be specific.” He looked at her suspiciously and she grinned.

“Business dinner, honey. I didn’t approve what they were proposing. May have said something about it.” She stood and moved over to where he stood leaning against the console, arms crossed and his expression disapproving.