[A/N. aldkjfasldj'zfjg! <---That's how I feel about this. I've wanted to do this ever since I saw DotD, actually, but never did, and now I'm in one of those squee-ing fangirl moments over how cute and possessive Matt is over Alex, even if I do want her back. So sit back and... well, just sit back, I guess. Okay. And read. Boomba.]

He'd felt amazing when it'd been revealed. He'd wanted to jump and smile and hug someone, shake them and laugh with joy. It was like the sky had been lifted off his shoulders. Which, one sky had. Gallifrey's.

He hadn't committed genocide. His family-well, that was a lot to hope for, but he completed the thought nonetheless. His family could still be alive. His world was out there somewhere. His people.

His home.

It was a nice thought, a comforting thought. Gallifrey was one of those things that, in the past, he preferred to keep shut up in his mind. He spoke of it, of course, but there were some things kept locked away. Pressing the button was a simple, easy thing to do. Really, it only required him to push his hand down gently.

The War was another, and it was still true, had still happened.

He'd fought long and hard in the War, for at least a hundred years. He lost count.

There were things he'd witnessed, things he wished he'd never seen and things that made him feel helpless. Watching his world, his people, his home burn from the air was one thing. Watching it slowly burn and crumple down around him was another.

It'd been a while, he would say that. It'd been hundreds of years since he'd had to go through that. And pulling out of it wasn't easy. Even in his new bodies, he'd retained some of the Warrior. He'd think ahead, plot ahead, note the defenses and offenses he had. It was just something he did without even realizing. But after he thought burned the planet down, he'd sworn off violence. He simply refused to do it unless absolutely and completely necessary.

Then came River.

Really, he thought, River was one of the big changes in his life. She'd shown him that he still had that dark side to him, and showed him how to gently change it for good instead of shoving it down and containing it.

She'd also shown him that sometimes violence was the answer. He always said it wasn't, of course. Because to normal people, it wasn't. But to him, especially when it came to protecting whoever was with him, sometimes it was needed.

The first time he realized that he needed to use violence before the other person had been with River. He'd been young, so young. He'd just finished the whole mess with the Pandorica a couple months back and was even more confused on their relationship. She was his wife, he knew the moment his name left her lips, but did he love her? Was theirs a platonic relationship and the marriage had been one of those crazy situations he tended to get in, or was it tender and deep and whole? He didn't know. And he didn't know which he'd prefer.

At the moment, she was an amazing friend. She was kind, clever, witty, and ferociously protective of her loved ones. Which, he'd realized with a gulp, included him.

He'd simply taken her to the coral-colored sand covered beaches of Meyana. Not a date, he reminded himself repeatedly. It had been beautiful, and they were admiring the sunset on the beach when the adventure started to unfold.

They were taken into custody (something about trespassing) and River was tugged away from him, even through resistence. He didn't expect her to take on that many men (there were 6 all around her, total) and panic came over him. He didn't know which king this was that ruled or where they were taking her for sure, but he did know that the line of kings tended to commit adultery often with the beautiful women they found, whether they were willing or not.

There had only been a couple men around him, and he'd somehow managed to knock both of them out with his head and elbow, then grabbed a gun from one off their waistbands and pointed it at the guards who held River.

That, he knew, was when he realized that sometimes it was necessary.

The horrors of the War had taken a toll on him for the worse, and he'd been so..... old.  He just felt like everything was on the weight of his shoulders, and with Gallifrey destroyed, it was his duty to watch after the rest of the universe.

It'd tired him out.

But now... now he felt like going and running in a circle, shouting for joy, or jumping up and down on a bed, or finding his wife and kissing her senseless. So, he decided, that was exactly what he did.

Clara was asleep, exhausted from their long day, and he took a moment to run his fingers through his hair and straighten his bowtie after he landed the TARDIS at her destination.

He'd originally planned to go into her apartment, swipe her off her feet, and bring her on a date, but the doors swung open before he got to them and in she walked.

It'd been years.

Many, many years. About a century, anyway, since he'd seen her really there, in the flesh, and not a ghost. All plans of a delicate romancing date night were swept away, and his mouth went dry.

She looked normal, he supposed, for a woman who was considered a goddess in several religions. She was no doubt a professor by the look in her eye, and she wore a simple tank top and sweats.

He gulped.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She demanded, hand cocked on her hip, and he broke out in a grin and rushed to her, grabbing her and yanking her into his arms.

She let out a muffled squeak of surprise against his chest, and he laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He probably stood there longer than was deemed necessary, and she pushed him away gently. "Honey, as much as I enjoy the warm welcome, I'm not dressed to go anywhere yet and-" She halted, her words cut off and her lips parted in surprise. "You know." She stated.

He grinned even wider and grabbed her around the waist, spinning her in a circle around him. "Yes, yes I do!"

He sat her down gently on the glass floor, and continued to grin ridiculously down at her. His joy was contagious, and she couldn't help but smile too as he gave her that look.

She knew the Doctor well, and she was always able to read them. She could tell when he loved her, could tell when he was older, and now- now she could see the light in his eyes that had changed a shade brighter.

"You knew, huh?" He asked softly, breaking the silence.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I did my thesis on Gallifrey, honey. There wasn't a lot of hard evidence, and there were a few transmissions I was able to find from the TARDIS from when you did that time lock."

 He shook his head and ran his thumb over her cheek gently. "It's okay. I get it. Spoilers and all."

She smiled. "Yeah. Pretty happy about it, I can see."

"You think this is happy?" He questioned, grinning, then bent his head down to hers and captured her lips in a long, languid kiss.

She had to pull away for air a moment later. "I'll take it you can show me happier."

"Oh, wait until you see it, River." He swept his fingers over the nape of her neck. "It's so beautiful."

"So that rule about humans not being allowed is gone?"

He chuckled softly. "You're not human. Even if they said no, I doubt much could keep me from bringing you with me."

She scrunched her nose up. "Does that mean I have to wear the robes?"

"Oh, River," He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, "if you didn't wear them, then you wouldn't be participating in your people's culture!"

"I think I'd rather remain out of the culture than look like that in it." She replied teasingly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, Mrs. Song," He began, offering her his arm, "would you care to accompany me home, even if you don't wear the correct attire?"

She took it with a grin. "I'd be delighted, Mr. Pond."

 [A/N. I was actually going to do Gallifrey in this one, but once I thought about it I realized I'd rather separate it if I actually did it. I understand that he didn't actually go to Gallifrey yet, but the idea is so lovely I couldn't leave it alone. So, continuation? Yay or nay? Also, how was the ending? I'm a little unsure about how I handled it.

Anyways, I love reviews! A comment or vote goes a long way!]