Blue Christmas

Part 12:

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He only had to wait five minutes. Yet for a Time Lord five minutes could feel like forever. After all five minutes was more than enough time for The Doctor to review his own actions and to calculate over a million potential outcomes. Unfortunately for him the vast majority of those scenarios involved Missy removing rather vital parts of his anatomy with a variety of implements.

The twitching of his time senses, something akin to an itch in a human, signalled River's return and The Doctor turned to face her expectantly. With a flash and folding of time and space she reappeared.

"Where is it?" The Doctor demanded ignoring River's big eyes and sheepish grin.

"Sweetie..."

"No not this time River." The Doctor cut off before his wife could get into her stride and find another way to get around him.

"Oh dear is Daddy cross with poor little me?" River pouted fluttering her eyes bashfully. "Honestly Sweetie I had no choice but to pop back and steal now did I; it was a closed loop. And it is so very pretty, too pretty to waste away locked in this boring old vault."

"The emerald now River!" The Doctor demanded his patience shot as he held out his hand expectantly.

"Oh honestly honey you don't think I am going to respond to that tone of voice." River tutted rolling her green eyes. "I'm your wife not one of your little companions."

Gritting his teeth The Doctor bit back a rather unflattering reply; instead he surprised River by grasping her wrist and holding her in place whilst he searched for the emerald in her pockets.

"Down boy!" River teased before trying to pull her arm free, her playful smile falling when The Doctor used his superior strength to hold her in place. "Doctor...Doctor let me go...This is not funny anymore."

"No it is not." The Doctor replied finding the jewel and lifting it up to scrutinise it. It was beautiful, the emerald green depths lit from inside by a natural glow that had earned it its name as the Star Emerald.

"Put that back where you found it Doctor!" River demanded and The Doctor felt something poke him hard in the stomach.

Glancing down he caught sight of River's favourite revolver pressing into his stomach. "You are not going to use that River."

"It wouldn't be the first time my love." River reminded him with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes.

"No it wouldn't." The Doctor replied evenly. "But as I also recall how that ended forgive me for not thinking you are serious."

"You didn't have a brand new set of regenerations the last time." River retorted green eyes flashing in warning. "Now you give me that back and let go of my arm and I'll be good enough not to hold it against you and we can go somewhere nice for dinner."

"Unless that emerald goes back into the vault the only place you are going River is back to the Judoon holding cell." The Doctor reminded her. "They won't stop hunting you."

"Oh please I'll just hop back to the 34th century for a bit." River breezed. "I only ever let them catch me last time because I needed to play the damsel in distress for a bit."              

"You set this up....You used me." The Doctor forced out the words.

"Oh please Dear you were so eager it is hardly fair to cry foul now. You had no qualms about breaking in here, you enjoyed it!"

"I...I..." There was no denying he had enjoyed it, he shouldn't have, it hadn't been particularly challenging but The Doctor had been in the vortex for too long and any distraction was akin to an adventure.

"Darling." River crooned reaching up and laying her gloved hand against the face plate of his helmet. "Let's just get out of here; you can punish me later for being a bad girl if it will make you feel better." She added with a wink.

Leaning into her embrace for a moment The Doctor lifted his own arms to hold her back, resting his helmet against hers and staring into her eyes. "River..."

"Yes my love?" River asked her eyes alight with warmth and a sense of surety.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor added with a sigh, watching as his wife's eyes clouded with confusion before realisation dawned as slowly the air in her helmet became warmer and thicker as though...

"No...no..." River gasped as her head began to spin as the recycled air in her helmet reached unhealthy levels of CO2 and her vision began to swim.

Catching River as she fainted The Doctor gently laid her down on the floor of the vault. Then with measured footsteps he put the stolen emerald back in its titanium casket, shutting the casket up and locking it. Then returning to River's side he picked up the revolver and placed it in his pocket before picking up his wife and with some minor adjustments to her vortex manipulator they both vanished.

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