Yowzah Oneshot Collection (3)

60(G)

        Of Mothers and Daughters

              SnubNosedSilhouette

Amy squinted her eyes, giving a last critical look to her Christmas tree.  Rory had a bad habit of bunching up ornaments, and her annual fix-the-mess-while-he’s-not-looking survey was nearly complete.  Suppressing a yawn (it was nearly midnight, and she wasn’t as young as she used to be), Amy reached out her hand to fix one last bauble when a bright light suddenly flashed in the kitchen.

“Hello, River,” she called as the stench of ozone wafted into the lounge.

“Merry Christmas Eve to you too,” River said, strolling to Amy’s side and giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.  “I see Dad’s been decorating the tree all wrong again.”

Amy smiled and reached out for another ornament, “I’ve actually started thinking that he does it on purpose.  There’s no other explanation for why anyone would put five ornaments on the same branch.”

The two women worked in silence for several minutes until River took a step back, cocked her head, and then reached to still Amy’s hand.  “It’s perfect.”

Amy stepped back as well and decided that her daughter was right.  It was perfect.  “I think a successful re-decorating calls for a drink, don’t you?”

River grinned.  “Thought you’d never ask.”

***

“Does he even realize what that thing does to your hair?”  Amy giggled, gesturing at River’s curls, which were even wilder than usual.  Several glasses of spiked eggnog later it was two hours into Christmas morning and both women’s tongues were decidedly loose.

A recent argument (well, less of an argument and more of him using her manipulator to send her back to Stormcage without so much as a by-your-leave when she’d asked if he had someone else on the TARDIS) flashed through River’s memory.  God, she hated him sometimes.  “I tried to tell him, but he claims it’s always like this,” and the image of his face – the face of the Doctor who knew exactly who she was and loved her hair – replaced her annoyance with affection.  “Bless,” she added with a smile.

“So why aren’t you with him?  You two usually come for Christmas together.”  Amy topped off her glass and offered more to River, who waved her hand in refusal.

“Oh, he’s off…somewhere…and I fancied a visit with you.  That’s…” River paused, the smile fading a bit from her expression, “that’s all right, isn’t it?”

“You’re my daughter,” Amy smiled, grasping River’s hand in hers.  “It’s always more than all right for you come here.  Really, anytime you like, pop by.”

“I’ll hold you to that, you know,” River replied saucily, not quite meeting Amy’s eye as she gave a breezy smile.  Instead of laughing, however, Amy felt a stab of…fear?  Uncertainty?  Some combination of both with a side of sisterly love and parental concern?  Whatever it was, it sliced painfully through her heart.