Time Rewritten

Chapter 4

Now it's true that the Doctor has quite the gob, but at that moment all words failed him. All the air whooshed out of him and he felt his respiratory bypass kick in. This was very, very, not good. His hold on Rose must have hardened, because she let out a yelp and looked at him and then followed his gaze to the woman she now knew as River.

She squirmed out of his grasp and unconsciously he moved in front of her, blocking her from River. Rose peeked from behind him and puzzled at the look of absolute hurt on the other woman's face. The hurt was so raw and intense that Rose felt her own heart breaking for her. But that kind of hurt could only be caused by the utter betrayal from the person you loved.

She gasped and looked up at the Doctor. "Is she your wife?" she demanded.

The Doctor didn't look at her, instead keeping his gaze resolutely fixed on River. "Yes. No. Technically, the answer is no. It happened during a timeline that didn't technically exist."

"But you made the vows," River said quietly. Quiet was not good. He would have preferred raised voices and shouting. Even some throwing of things. But the deadly calmness of River did not bode well. It was very much the calm before the storm.

"In order to restore the timeline. And quite frankly, I felt forced into it. You never gave me much choice," he retorted.

"Is that what you really think? That I forced you into marrying me?" River asked disbelievingly.

"You were like a spoilt kid refusing to budge until you got what you wanted. And what you wanted was to be known as my wife. Well, darling, you got what you wanted. Are you happy now?" he retorted scathingly.

It was cruel and he knew it. He wanted to take it back as soon as he said it but it was now too late.

River blinked a few times and the Doctor braced himself for what he knew would be the mother of all blow ups. But she surprised him. Instead of angry insults and slapping or even drawing her gun, he watched as she schooled her features and turned abruptly and stalked out the room.

The Doctor let out a breath he had been holding. He ran a hand over his face and then through his hair. This day was going pear-shaped and he just couldn't find it in him to chase after her and apologise. Did he really want to apologise? Certainly not for kissing Rose. And certainly not for loving Rose. But he knew he should apologise for the unnecessary cruelty he had inflicted on River.

He turned around slowly and faced Rose, ashamed of how he had just acted in front of her. He was expecting anger from her, but instead she just raised an eyebrow.

"Rough day, yeah?"

He smiled softly and spoke in an even softer tone. "Something like that."

She reached for his hand and he gratefully grasped it. "Wanna talk about it?"

He chuckled ruefully. "Oh, where to start, Rose Tyler? There has been so much that I've wanted to tell you and the cruel irony is that I finally have you here, I cannot tell you because you can't remember." He traced his fingertips along her cheek and was pleased to note the hitch in her breath.

She momentarily closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. She opened them and grinned, her tongue peeking out the side of her mouth. "Well, let's work on that. Give you something to do to keep your mind off your marital woes."

He grinned back at her. "Cheeky."

Her grin broadened and he felt himself melting into her beautiful smile. How many times had she given him her special smile and it had instantly lifted his spirits? He dropped his hand from her cheek and grasped her hand tighter. "Right, let's start from the beginning," he stated, forcing himself to step away from her and pull her out of the med bay and down one of the corridors. They walked in silence until they came to a wooden door with beautifully carved roses set into the wood.