A Match Made in Heaven | Doctor X OMC | Doctor Who

The Big Bang (Part 2)

Time was a lie.

They'd been living this moment for an age. He might not be able to break free of it, but he could feel time moving outside of them. All he could do was hope that River wasn't feeling the same thing he was.

He couldn't have said how many times he'd gathered every ounce of his grace and thrown it at that damn rock wall only to be proven painfully pointless. He was useless. All of his so-called power, and he couldn't even save them.

Each time time rewound and they found themselves back at the top of the stairs beside the Tardis' console, he had to hope that this time would be different.

It never was.

He closed his eyes in defeat as time rewound again even as his body started moving after River as she ran for the doors. He was more than surprised when she paused. He hadn't thought anything would ever stop this constant loop of regret and fear, but here was something different.

He slammed into her back, not having realised that she was going to before she stopped.

'Anhellev.'

He didn't think. He didn't need to, his instincts kicked in hearing that voice after what felt like an eternity of reliving a single moment over and over, and he appeared in a flash of light and feathers right in front of his mate.

He threw himself at the Doctor, not giving him a chance to say anything else. Every part of him needed the reassurance that the man really was standing in front of him, and he couldn't deny himself in that moment. He pulled the other man into him, connecting their mouths in a too desperate kiss. It was messy, and they didn't have time for this, but he didn't care.

With the Doctor's arms around him, his wings came up to wrap around the man in turn, giving them a single moment of blessed silence together in their own private world before the seriousness of the situation came back to them. He let his mind brush up against the Doctor's once in a silent promise to the both of them, and then they were pulling away from each other as fear and relief flooded through all of his bonds.

'Careful,' River's smug voice brought their attention back to her as she stood off to the side, her arms wrapped around Shadow's small form. 'There are children present.'

The Doctor held out his arm, gesturing wordlessly to the device he had strapped to his wrist. Haylen followed River's lead after seeing the way her eyes had lit up in relief at the sight of it. Then they were all disappearing from the Tardis with a single slam of the Doctor's hand down on a button on the device.

They reappeared on a rooftop that he didn't recognise. That didn't matter though, because he did recognise the two people they'd appeared next to.

He flung himself at them. The relief he felt at seeing familiar faces after having to relive the moments before what he thought would be his death was enough to overwhelm him. All he wanted to do was be held by the people who mattered the most to him.

Surprisingly, Rory was the first one to react, pulling him in tighter as he wrapped his arms around him, a whispered 'thank God,' the only thing he said. He must have surprised his sister with the action, because her response had been to stiffen up at first.

It took all of three heartbeats for her to relax and wrap her arms around him too. She didn't say anything, but that didn't matter. He was alive, and so were they. That was all that mattered.

He pulled back to smile at them, so much more than relieved to see Rory and Amy alive and together than he could say. In the background he could hear River asking about Rory's presence and the Doctor reassuring her that he was on their side.