Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

12(G)

and the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn,

He left the brakes off, River on his mind as he eased the lever back with a faint smile. He couldn't be sure of course, but he was fairly certain there was no way she'd been able to keep him surviving his death from her parents.

He'd been tempted - so tempted - so many times to check. To just materialize and see if she'd told his secret. In his hearts, he knew she would have. He'd no doubt that she would keep certain secrets of his to her very grave. He paused at that thought, walking slowly around the console to flip the switches to put the outer shell on invisible. He shook the sadness off as he felt the change in the TARDIS' vibration indicating that he'd landed.

He pulled the monitor toward him, but he still had no clue how River had ever managed to get it working in America. He sighed before slipping out the door of the TARDIS and glancing around. The air was chilly and he'd landed in the backyard. The lights were blazing in almost all the windows and he clung to the shadows of the yard, captivated by the view before him.

The kitchen window looked out on to the yard, and all three of them were there. Amy was laughing, her head thrown back and her cheeks glowing warmly as she watched River and Rory. Rory was dancing with River, spinning her as she laughed and he could hear the faint strains of Christmas music, just underneath their laughter. River's hair was loose and longer than he'd seen it before and she had an apron on - bright red with white ruffles and a white bow in the center of the apron.

Rory was grinning, flour in his hair and a smile on his face as he danced River around the kitchen, their movements bouncy and terrible. Amy's laughter had morphed into a soft smile as she stood and watched them, pausing to pull out her phone for a second, before shoving it back into her pocket and turning toward the sink and picking up her glass of wine.

The Doctor jumped back, nearly landing in the shrubbery in his panic. Rory came up behind Amy at the sink, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her cheek. He glanced out into the yard, and grabbed Amy's waist, tickling her as she laughed. They disappeared then, but the Doctor could still see River, standing in front of the oven, hips swaying as she mixed something in a bowl vigorously. Her cheeks were pink, and he smiled as he watched her. A family Christmas. They deserved it - they did.

He'd just saved a small family decades ago, two children who'd made his hearts ache with their combined innocence and world-weariness. He'd thought - the little boy had asked him, didn't he have a family to spend Christmas with? And his hearts had been transported. To this very spot. His Ponds. River. But watching them now - they were so happy. He could be happy just knowing that they were happy. He glanced at River one last time, her face a study in concentration as she scraped her teeth over her bottom lip, bent over the bowl in front of her.

He turned to move back over to the TARDIS, walking toward it cautiously. He'd landed three feet from the now winterized flower garden - or had it been four feet? A dull thud and a swimming sensation told him he'd walked right into his ship. Again.

"Seriously, every time?" Rory spoke from behind him and the Doctor spun around.

"Rory! I uh - just popped by to wish you all a Happy Christmas but you looked very busy and I didn't want to intrude. Glad to see you all looking so well, really. And I'll just find my - uh - my doors and be on my way." The Doctor nattered on nervously and Rory crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"I don't - what? Sorry?" The Doctor frowned in concern and Rory shook his head, stepping across the neat lawn toward him.

"I know you've not been married long, but rule one: don't show up and disappear without saying hello to your wife. Especially not when she happens to be my daughter. Have you seen her aim with that gun of hers?"