[Inspired by Steven Moffat's quote in the Flesh and Stone/Time of Angels confidential. Set after Day of the Moon but before AGMGTW.]

"Ok. Amy, Rory, you two can take a shower in your room. River, you've gotta wait until I'm done to take one." The Doctor said, still trying to peel the layer of mud off.

"Hell no. There's other showers on the TARDIS." She replied back, and dusted her own clothing off.

"Yeah, there was, until the circuits got all scrambled up yesterday. It takes 72 hours to re-calibrate them. There's two showers with water on this ship." He pushed a lever on the console. "Unless you think that you're good enough to do it. You seem to be able to do everything else with my ship."

River's expression didn't waver. "I don't care. I'm taking a shower  first in your room. It's too bad, sweetie."

"Or you could take one together." Amy piped up. River had to suppress a smile at that, but not for the reason Amy thought. If only she knew who River was. At the Doctor's steely glare Amy continued, "or just let River go first."

"It's my ship. For all I care, fly back to Stormcage with your vortex manipulator and take one there! I'm sure the guards don't mind." He said, turning his glare to River. Again, her expression didn't waver.

"River, Rory, go take a shower. I need to talk to the Doctor a second."

They both nodded, knowing better than to try to argue with her, and left the room. Amy grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to the side.

"Why have you been acting like this?" She immediately questioned.

The Doctor arched a non-existent eyebrow. "Like what?"

"So.... I don't know, hostile to River? You really think I haven't noticed. In 1969 you were flirting it up, and all of a sudden you can barely stand to look at her? That doesn't make sense. I want to know why, and I don't want you to avoid the question. For once you're not going to lie, and you're not going to walk away. What's wrong?"

The Doctor's eyes widened as she continued through her rant, and looked away.

"Because I...." At Amy's look he continued, "because she scares the hell out of me."

She looked taken-aback. "Really? You, scared? What brought this on?"

He bit his lip. "Amy, you don't know half of this. At all. That woman knows me, knows what I'm capable of, has seen the worst of me, and can predict what I'm going to do an hour before it happens. She.. well, she..." he paused. "After we went to 1969, and I dropped her off at Stormcage, she... she kissed me."

Amy's expression stayed the same. "Okay... and?"

"You don't understand. I've lived 910 years. People, humans, just fade. I'll be here for at least a thousand years, if I don't get killed first. Why should I get involved in something like that if it'll just happen to her? One day, I'll just ask where she was, and know she's gone. This isn't simple, Amelia. It wasn't chaste. It was... familiar." He looked down at his shoes.

"That's how well she knows me, and she's putting me through this, when she knows how scared I am! But she's still selfless enough not to tell me all these spoilers. Because once I know them, that's it. They're set in stone. That's what's so dangerous about foreknowledge. I've tried and tried to get her to tell me these things, and she doesn't because then I wouldn't be able to make my own choices. But she's still messing around with my head. And she's doing it on purpose. Not to mention that she carries a gun everywhere! Good grief! I hate guns! Violence won't solve everything. A coward carries a gun when they aren't willing to think it through, when-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence.

He put his hand up to his cheek, where there was still a red imprint of Amy's own hand. Amy glared at him. "Raggedy man, I'm tired of this. River may be many things, but I've known her long enough to be able to tell she's no coward. She's used a gun to protect us after she thought every other option through. I know she's familiar with you. I've noticed that she knows everything about you. But you're getting stupid. Do you remember what I asked you, when we were at the Byzantium?"

"No."

"Liar. I asked if she was your wife."  

He sighed. "Yes, okay, you did."

"I don't know that you know the answer to that, but you need to listen to me. I could tell when you talked to her. I wasn't saying 'that's your super hot girlfriend.' I wasn't saying 'that's your future lover.' I wasn't saying 'that's someone you have a fling with'. No. The way she acts around you isn't like that. She doesn't just like you. That woman's in love with you. And apparently, you are eventually in love with her, if she knows you that well. Let me tell you what I was saying then, and what I'm saying now. That's your wife right there. Or something that close."

The Doctor's face resembled something close to fear at this point.

"Here's my question- if you're married to her in the future, would you regret treating her like this now?" Amy said, giving him a you-know-I'm-right look.

He didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at the walls. "What do I do?" He finally asked.

She put a hand on his shoulder and looked him square in the eyes. "You go apologize for being a jerk this entire time, you let her take a shower first, you get her a dressing gown and treat her like the amazing woman she is. You treat her in a way you won't regret. And as soon as you're ready for it, you can kiss her, too."

He sighed. "She's in Stormcage for a murder."

"You're going to love her someday."

"I'm not stable like that. There's no way we could ever stay together for more than a week."

"She loves you."

The Doctor groaned. "Is that the way you're going to respond to all of my points?" She smiled and pulled him into a muddy hug. "Yes. They're valid, so yes."

"Fine, Pond. You win."

She kissed his cheek. "Of course I do. I'm going to go rinse this mud off. They're both probably out by now. If she's not in your room after you're done with yours, go find her."

He gulped and nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."

With a final pat on the arm, Amy turned and walked down a corridor to her room. The Doctor took a deep breath and went to his own.

He reached the wooden door, and carefully pushed it in. "River?"

She was sitting on his bed, hair still wet, wearing a dressing gown, with her back to him. "River."

She audibly sighed. "What?"

He walked over to her slowly. "I was, um, talking to Amy, and I think I owe you an apology."

River harrumphed. "That would be nice."

"Okay, well, I'm sorry I've been acting like that towards you. I'm just... I don't know how to do this."

She sent him a soft smile, and put her diary down. "It's alright. Just go take a shower. I'll leave, go to Stormcage. I understand."

He arched an eyebrow. "No."

"Pardon?"

He sat down beside her, probably ruining his bed in the process with dirt. "Can you stay?"

"Sweetie, I'm not... the circuits are messed up for the bedrooms, too. Where do you expect me to sleep?"

"Well, if you want, I mean, obviously you don't have to- but you could stay in here. I'm fine with it. I won't do anything, I promise."

She chuckled and shoved him. "I know, you idiot. Go take a shower."

He grinned sheepishly and obliged.

---------------

He grabbed a pair of pants and slipped them on, not bothering with pajamas.

Here goes.

He stepped out the bathroom quietly, into the dark room. River was there, still writing in her diary. "Hey, I'm... I'm out."

She didn't look up, just patted the space beside her. " 'Kay."

He walked over slowly, suddenly realizing his lack of clothes next to her silk pajamas.

River finished writing something down, then set the pen down on the dresser and closed the book.

"You going to sleep?" She asked her future husband. "Yeah, I guess."

She nodded and shut off the lamp.

They didn't do anything, just laid in darkness, for a good 15 minutes before she spoke up. "Sorry if I scared you."

His eyes snapped open. Dammit. She hadn't even been doing it on purpose.

"I know that it's scary that I know everything about you. It was scary for me. But you were just so wonderful about it. I don't know what to do now that I'm on the other side of the time line."

The Doctor gently rolled over, instead of facing away from her, and reached around for her hand. He found it, and brought it to his lips. "It's alright." He whispered, so quiet he barely even heard himself. But apparently she did, because she immediately scooted closer and rested her head on his chest.

After a moment, she seemed to have realized what she had done and started to move away. "I did it again. Sorry."

He frowned and put his arm around her waist, stopping her from scooting away. "No."

She looked up at him, barely making out an outline of his face in the dark.

"Okay."

They slept in each other's arms that night, and the Doctor realized it was the first time he'd slept peacefully since the Time War when he woke up.

He patted around, searching for her, and snapping his eyes open when he realized she wasn't there.

---------

River stared at her cell wall and leaned back against her cot. He was so hard to leave when he was like this. When he'd willingly hold her in his arms at night. These days, it was surprising if he'd look at her with anything other than confusion or contempt. 

A tear slid down her cheek and she swatted it away quickly before a guard could notice.

There may have been a first time for everything. But there was always a last.

 [A/N. If any depths of your imagination liked it, vote and comment! Thanks!]