Sleeping Beauty (Doctor Who)

"If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back."  He came back.


She was asleep. Like Sleeping Beauty in her glass casket, River lay on a golden bier, her hair curling around her head like a silky cloud, her face still.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together and made a happy “ooh” face. That means he got to kiss her awake. This was perfect.

He leaned over, then stopped. He just looked at her. She didn’t breathe, but she wasn’t pale. She was still that wonderful honey gold tone, her strong lovely body draped in a flowing white gown. His wife. His hearts beat doubletime, strange that they could here.

Her beautiful well-formed face, each feature alone unique in itself, her strong nose, her lush mouth, those long eyelashes, that stubborn jaw. Oh how he’d missed that stubborn jaw.

With his hearts beating like a freight train, he leaned down and kissed her, oh so softly.

She jerked up, her arm striking out. He dodged, reared back, windmilled, staggered, and fell flat on his bum. Bouncing off the edge of the bier on his way down. “River!”

“Ouch!” he rubbed his sore elbow. His legs splayed everywhere.

She sat up and stared down at him. “Sweetie?” She slid her legs over the side. Her toenails were painted pink. Oh, he couldn’t wait to paint her toenails again.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He pushed his hair out of his eyes nervously. This was the sticky bit.

He cleared his throat. “I told you I’d see you around.”

She stood up, her battle dress appeared on her, her hand went instantly to her gun, she looked around the glade defensively, as if looking for monsters. Her eyes widened, and she stared down at him, horrified. “You’re not...?”

“No!” He stood up, waving the thought away. “I’m not dead. I’m a copy, like you.” He took her hand away from her gun, took both hands and kissed her fingertips, gripping her hands to his chest. “I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to risk it. And I promised I’d come back.”

“But you’ve condemned yourself!” she shoved him away. “You stupid man! Now you’re stuck in here for all eternity with me!”

He grinned. “There are worse ways to spend eternity.”

She growled and started stomping around the glade crushing leaves underfoot. She pulled at her hair. “It won’t work! You’ll go crazy! I’m used to prison you’re not!”

He reached out a long arm and whirled her in. Her warm, soft body bumped into his. He wrapped both arms tight around her. Oh, he’d missed this, her warm vitality, her impatience, the way she was always trying to protect him, and berating him at the same time.

He grinned. “I won’t.” His face sobered. “You should know, I did some reprogramming.” She stilled and stared at him. “I’ve never believed immortality was a blessing.” He took a deep breath, feeling her warmth and weight against him, his nerves tingling with trepidation and joy. “I put a time limit on us. We have 500 years, then our programs terminate.”

He stared at her, his heart in his eyes, terrified how she’d react.

She breathed out a huge sigh. “Thank god.” She dropped her forehead on his chest, finally relaxing into him.

“You’re not angry?” he asked timidly.

She shook her head, still resting against his chest. “There’s nothing worse than an endless life filled with no purpose.” She looked up, tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Sweetie.”

He nibbled on his lip. “The Library is still downloading books,” he said. “I never did get around to reading every book ever written.”

She grinned up at him and wiggled side to side, flirty, her eyes twinkling. “Now you don’t have to just read them, we can live them.”

“Fun is it?” he asked, bright eyed.

“You watch us run,” she grinned back.

“Wait!” He held a hand up, they’d been sitting on her hips for some reason. “With us in here, that means nothing we do can affect us out there,” he said.

“Uh huh.”

His grin grew. “So that means, there’s no longer any reason to hide spoilers!” his finger punched the air. “I know you knew more than this incarnation.” His eyes sparkled. “Come on, tell me what happens, what’s the next me like?”

River grinned and leaned forward. He leaned forward too, eyes bright.

She whispered, right next to his lips. “Spoilers.”

“AAARGH!”