𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬
𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐱

❝𝐢𝐟 𝐢 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚
𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫?
𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬?
𝐢𝐟 𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝
𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞?❞

from the eyes of
— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 —

I liked to think of the past month as The Polaris Jade singing her pretty river song.

The first thing River did when we stole—sorry, borrowed—the TARDIS was show me her room. It was one of those previously locked doors I'd noticed during my first whirlwind exploration. I realized then that this was a room that even the current Doctor I was traveling with hadn't seen, because he himself did not know River that well.

He did not even realize she had a room aboard his ship.

But at the time, River had stood beside me, her hand hovering dramatically over the knob. And the door had swung open with a gentle groan, revealing a space so quintessentially her that it felt like stepping into her mind.

Her room was a masterpiece of organized chaos. Much like mine in that aspect.

The walls were lined with shelves filled to the brim with ancient artifacts, dusty tomes, and shiny trinkets from who-knew-where. A small weapons rack stood in the corner, boasting everything from sleek laser pistols to daggers that looked far too deadly to just display. On the opposite side of the room, there was a cozy nook—a chaise lounge with a fur throw and a low table cluttered with notebooks and unfinished gadgets. The air smelled faintly of aged parchment and something floral, maybe lavender.

There were some bottles of wine and other random alcoholic beverages from the cosmos on a small bar in the corner.

The centerpiece was the bed, draped in deep crimson and gold, luxurious but lived-in. Above it hung a string of lights, their soft glow casting an almost ethereal light over the room. River claimed it was a "safe haven," though judging by the number of weapons and blueprints scattered about, it was also her personal war room.

"You can stay here if you want," She joked when she saw how much I loved her room, her voice casual, but there was an undertone of something warmer, something softer. "Or we can both sleep in the Doctor's room..."

And that we did. There were nights where we slept in our personal spaces—our own rooms. But after the first week, there were also many nights where we had fun sleepovers staying up late talking in either one of our rooms or sometimes, for the hell of it, the Doctor's room.

I'd been right in my assumption, his bed felt like pure heaven.

River Song knew I was a half-breed, she did not reveal much about what it was like when she found out. But to my knowledge, she did not know the full extent of it—did not realize that I was a multiversal traveler called The Polaris Jade.

She only knew me as a half-breed girl called PJ.

A lot of time was spent in the TARDIS workshop.

River Song teased me for turning it into my own chaotic lair, but she never complained about the smell of burnt circuits or the occasional mini-explosions that came from my experiments. She occasionally helped in trying to fix my Vortex Manipulator.

She had one of her own which helped as we examined hers to try and fix mine. But mine proved to be very difficult, and we wondered if it was perhaps broken for good. I might just need to find another one.

That workshop became our place. She taught me to use her custom guns, and I showed her how to wire bombs that could incinerate a planet—or just make a hell of a lot of smoke for a dramatic exit. We built racing jetpacks together, and River insisted we make a third one for the Doctor. "He'll be jealous if we don't," she'd said with a mischievous grin.

Over the past month, we turned the universe into our playground. We saved cities, leaving chaos and a trail of broken hearts in our wake.

We started in San Franciso in November of 2024 where River Song took me to see Sabrina Carpenter.

Sabrina is hotter in person—and the outfit she wore at the concert was a baby pink one-piece lingerie set.

I have never felt more in love.

We danced on the beaches of Utopian resorts, the moons of Calaxas glistening overhead. We partied in metropolises that seemed to hum with music, losing ourselves in the pulsing rhythm of alien clubs where gravity shifted with the bassline.

Miami had also been hit more than we should've given we had the entire galaxy at our fingertips. But I swear that nothing can beat the Spring Break parties in South Beach.

We got drunk more times than I can count, though River could always hold her liquor better than me. Sadly.

But, the many bar fights we got into and won were more than worth it.

Once, in a bar on Orion-7, we conned an entire room of smugglers into thinking we were intergalactic bounty hunters. Which... we kind of are when you think about it.

We made off with a small fortune, half of which River and I promptly donated to an orphanage. The rest? We blew on matching custom space suits. We looked really hot in them, though.

We played cards, though she always cheated. Successfully, might I add.

Chess, too, though I usually won, to her eternal frustration.

She taught me how to fly the TARDIS, and while she was a great teacher, this ship was more than complicated. Immensely difficult, but she was patient and I understood more with every passing day.

I could now just barely manage to pilot the TARDIS to simpler places. River assured me that I would only get better, and soon enough‚ I would be a fine pilot for the old girl.

River Song was inarguably better than the Doctor at flying the TARDIS, she managed it like she herself was a part of the ship.

Once, we spent an entire night in a nebula just watching the stars swirl outside the TARDIS. We didn't talk much then, just shared a bottle of wine and the kind of silence that felt as vast and comforting as the universe itself.

Sometimes—okay, often—we talked about the Doctor. We laughed about his gangly limbs and his penchant for trouble. And we both became starry-eyed over him under all the teasing. Talking about that ridiculous bow tie or how much too young and handsome his eleventh face was.

An ageless God, we often called him with much affection.

I'd mimic his exasperated expressions, and she'd roar with laughter. But there was a shadow beneath the mirth, a shared understanding that we both missed him.

I felt a pang of guilt every now and then. A month. It had been a month since I'd seen him, and I'd spent more time with River than I ever had with him. But I knew my fate was tied to his in ways River's wasn't. My destiny was intertwined with his, even if I didn't fully understand how yet.

I was destined to spend more time with him than he would with River, or I would with River or all three of us would together.

Still, being with River felt... easy. Like breathing. We were two storms, colliding and creating something electric and unpredictable. Our bond teetered on the edge of something more, but we never crossed that line. It was in the way she'd sling an arm around my shoulders, the way her laughter warmed the spaces between us, the way her eyes and mine lingered just a second too long.

And somehow, it all came back to that river song. The rhythm of it, the pull and flow. I followed her to the river, metaphorically speaking, and let the rhythm take the lead.

It wouldn't last forever—we were only taking the long way round, after all. But for now, I was content to lean on her and let the current carry us.

But there was still a line I refused to cross. One I refused to cross with her and the Doctor both.

▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂

from the eyes of
— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 —

"Can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race?"

The woman's voice, the voice of Signora Rosanna Calvieri, leader of the aquatic race from Saturnyne echoed in his mind.

No, the Doctor had wanted to scream. His conscience could not carry the weight of another dead race. He didn't want to—he could not do it. And yet, he had to. He was forced to.

Because it was either them—the aliens who did not belong on Earth, who were taking innocent young human women and turning them into something they were not. The aliens who threatened to sink the entirety of Venice, and no doubt, would choose to sink many more cities as their population spread across the planet.

And the Doctor; he loved Earth too much. He would not allow that to happen.

He made the decision, to sacrifice one race of people to save another. And he would bear that on his conscience with many other things for the rest of his life. The rest of his existence. Even as he knew to move forward, to keep going no matter what—the weight of it all was heavy. It was exhausting and all of those decisions, all of his history, made him hate himself.

But then he reminded himself of young Isabella and of her father. Young Isabella who bravely helped he, Amy, and Rory escape the school despite knowing the consequences that would befall her. Her father, the man, who chose to blow up his entire home with himself inside—all to take out the conformed girls.

And yes, that only made the Doctor hate himself more... because he should have been faster. Should have been quicker—and because he wasn't, now they were dead.

Pathetic hero he is.

The last TimeLord easily distracted himself, forcing his mind to keep moving forward—to push this to the backburner along with the rest of his trauma and guilt.

Because if he didn't then he would crumble.

Distraction came easy as he led Amy and Rory, feeding off their excitement and adrenaline of the entire thing. He forced himself to focus on other things, explaining what was around them and allowing his mind to take off.

He rambled to them as he always did, and the more he spoke, the easier it was to get his mind off it and on other things.

Like PJ: his pretty and fun and reckless and downright bonkers bombmaker. His PJ.

Lovely and sweet but salty in her own right.

They had agreed to watch a movie, after all. A tradition she had started when she traveled with him before—when he was in his tenth regeneration and she was a mystery woman who twirled into his life like a storm.

Shudders ran down his spine at the thought: many dazzling memories dancing before his eyes of all they'd done. Things that the PJ waiting for him hadn't yet done; however.

It hurt to think that one day PJ would need to leave him—leave him to be with ten. But it mattered not, because once that happened then the Doctor could officially start his search. His search for PJ yet again—except it would finally be a version of her that correlated correctly to his timeline.

He was serious when he said that he and PJ's timestreams were moving mostly in the same direction.

Unlike with River Song, who was still much a mystery to him, PJ did not pop up quite as randomly. It was only their meetings that was slightly backward: his first meeting with her was directly after she'd left Doctor Eleven. But then, when he finally saw her again after 2 years, 7 months, 8 days, 11 hours, and 2 minutes 45 seconds, she didn't recognize him!

But—oh—she was adorable. So bloody cute!

So new and confused and bright-eyed and for once she was not all-knowing.

Her catty nature and the random facts she knew about his future used to irritate him to no end. Irritate him but also spark such a prominent curiosity that he couldn't hope to stay away. She set him on fire—completely lit him with a passion he had never felt in all 907 years.

Which is quite amazing, but it made sense given the person in question is PJ.

There was nobody like PJ; of course, such a thing was bound to attract the Doctor. So much mystery and grace in her wild spirit.

How could the Doctor be around—travel the stars—with PJ, and not be mesmerized by her? Not laugh with her? Not fight with her? Not fall in love with her?

It was impossible. He tried not to, he really did—he reminded himself of the pain. Especially because when he met PJ, he was still partially in love with Rose, still mourning her. But somehow—the damned space human managed to reach into his chest and grab both his hearts with both her hands.

Not only that, but she took it a step further—juggling his hearts and cackling as she did so.

And it was terrifying because the last person he had fallen in love with was ripped away from him. The Doctor hated it when he fell in love with humans, it never ended well.

Sarah Jane Smith. Rose Tyler.

His hearts hurt, it made him want to scream and it would take him down an immense black hole if he thought about PJ—his PJ—being the next one to get ripped away. Yet another locked and abandoned room on his TARDIS.

No, he would not allow it—not with her. Not this time.

That's why he both loved and hated PJ's recklessness. When she dove headfirst into danger—like fighting a bloody Dra'kon—it was horrifying. Because she may have been raised in space by Ravagers, raised to be tougher than nails, but she was still human. Human. And humans broke easily.

Died easily.

No. Not with her.

He refused it.

And not with Amelia, either, never them. He refused to lose any more friends, any more lovers.

But she did not know any of that, and the PJ from his past—her future—had not been the most forthcoming on what her relations had been like with his eleventh generation. AKA, the Doctor had no clue how far he was going to get with this younger version of PJ before she inevitably left for his past.

He won't lie, he was quite surprised that she looked physically the same apart from her hair having changed. He envisioned she might have appeared a little younger whenever he ran into her younger self and took her with him through the stars.

After all, the version of PJ he first came to know had only been 26.

In all fairness, PJ had never disclosed exactly how long she had been with him as Eleven before she ended up with Ten. It saddened the Doctor to think that he must not be with her for that long given she looks the same physically now as she did in his past.

There was also that other mystery called River Song. The other woman who he still could not fully understand, truly could not put together in his mind how she fit into the puzzle of his life. How she fits into the puzzle of PJ's life.

But the first time he met River Song she whispered the word that no one else in the universe knows. His actual name, so that was something.

And yet, it was all so much fun—both of them, the biggest mystery on his plate.

His thoughts became clouded once more as he continued to lead Amy and Rory—his quick mind reeling onto something else already. Onto his Amelia Pond and how it was technically the night before her wedding.

"Next stop, Leadworth Registry Office? Maybe I can give you away?" The Doctor spoke excitedly as they walked toward where they had left the TARDIS.

Rory Williams spoke with a loud and sad sigh, releasing his grasp on Amy. "It's fine... just drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've—" He was cut off by Amy.

"Stay..." She told him firmly. "With us. Please." She grabbed his hand with a smile. "I want you to stay..."

Both Rory and the Doctor looked at Amy in surprise. However, Rory quickly looked toward the Doctor for permission—and the Doctor already had a bright smile on his face.

Three companions at once? It didn't happen often, but he'd done it before. Simply more people to keep an eye on, a bit more of a challenge, sure. But less lonely‚ and it was like having a crew.

Oh, and the Doctor loved having a crew.

Crews are cool.

"Fine with me!" He excitedly nodded, all of them standing at the doors of the TARDIS.

"Okay," Rory nodded, his smile so happy. "Yes. I would very much like that...!" He cheered.

Amy cheered back, pulling him into a quick kiss before moving away and opening the TARDIS doors. "I will pop on the kettle then..." She waggled her brows at both men. "Got my spaceship, got me boys—ah, my work here is done!" She sighed before walking into the console room.

Rory scoffed and shook his head almost awkwardly. "We are not her boys..." He said, trying to sound cool.

The Doctor snorted, walking forward and patting Rory's shoulder as he made his way into his ship. "Yeah, we are..."

"Yeah, we are..." Rory nodded with him as they both went inside, the Doctor closing the door behind them.

The console room greeted them warmly—the lights flickering in a happy greeting as she finally saw her Doctor.

The Doctor paused, having noticed that small flicker of lights, the TARDIS only greeted him like that if it had been awhile and she had missed his presence.

It'd been about 18 hours if the Doctor had been calculating right. They arrived yesterday evening, and stayed through the night—the entire time which they were up and fighting against those fish aliens—it was now about noon.

Not long enough for the TARDIS to miss him, especially since he was never more than a mile from her.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed as he looked around.

Something wasn't right.

"What'll be then? Black or green—" Amy's question was cut off as the Doctor strolled past her and Rory, rushing up to the console before licking it.

"Ew, Doctor!" Amy squeaked while Rory scrunched his nose in disgust.

The Doctor only blinked, popping upright in surprise.

"What—no way..." He muttered, spinning around the console, pulling various levers, and clicking random buttons.

The Doctor's hands darted over the console, his fingers a blur as he worked, his face growing darker with every passing second. Amy and Rory exchanged a wary glance, their confusion mounting.

"Uh, Doctor?" Rory ventured cautiously. "What exactly are you doing?"

The Doctor didn't look up, his attention locked onto the monitor. "Something's wrong. Very, very wrong. Oh—what! Are you kidding me?! 67 locations spanned across the universe and 28 time periods?!"

Amy frowned, crossing her arms. "What do you mean, 'wrong'? We just got back. Looks fine to me."

The Doctor spun around, his expression incredulous. "Fine? Fine? The TARDIS has been gone. Not here, not in Venice, not in the 1500s, but somewhere else. Many places, in fact!"

Amy blinked. "What are you talking about? We were only here."

"For us, yes," The Doctor snapped, pacing around the console like a caged animal. "But for her, my TARDIS, she's been out traveling for... oh, thirty-two days, give or take a few minutes. Without me!"

Rory furrowed his brow, looking around at the familiar console room. "How's that possible? We've only been gone a day. Can it even just pilot itself like that?"

"Relative timelines, Rory!" The Doctor said, exasperation dripping from every syllable. "The TARDIS exists outside linear time. She's been traveling without us. Which, no, it isn't possible because I'm the only one who can fly her. Well, I thought I was..." He froze mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing.

"What about River? She can fly the TARDIS, can't she?" Amy asked.

The Doctor threw her a pointed look.

"Uhm, who is River?" Rory asked but was ignored by both his fiancé and the TimeLord.

"Yes, yes... but River can't... unless," He muttered, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"Unless what?" Amy pressed, stepping closer.

"Unless PJ's taken her," the Doctor said, his voice sharp and accusing. He whirled back to the console, his hands flying over the controls again as screens flickered and whirred.

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance.

"She can fly the TARDIS?" Rory asked cautiously.

The Doctor threw his hands up in exasperation. "No! Well, she's not supposed to know how to fly the TARDIS yet. She can't know how to fly the TARDIS already, it's not possible! This is her first time traveling with me and I haven't taught her!"

Rory frowned. "Then how did she manage it?"

"That's the million-credit question, isn't it?" The Doctor muttered, running a hand through his hair. "She shouldn't be able to even start her up properly, let alone take her gallivanting across the universe for a whole month!"

Amy tilted her head. "How do you know it's been a month?"

"Because," The Doctor said, gesturing wildly at the console, "The TARDIS has records of these things, Amy! She's been gone for thirty-two days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes. 67 locations and 28 different time periods. For us, it's been seconds, but for her? She's been having a grand old time without me!"

PJ had been gone an entire bloody month! Longer than she had even been traveling with the Doctor at this point in her timeline? This was absurd! Utterly ridiculous shenanigans!

Amy tried to suppress a grin. "Well, at least she came back, yeah?"

The Doctor's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. "PJ!" He roared, the name echoing through the console room as he stormed toward one of the corridors. "What did you do with my TARDIS?!"

Amy and Rory hurried after him, Amy snickering under her breath. "This is going to be good."

"Define 'good,'" Rory muttered, his voice laced with trepidation as they followed the Doctor into the labyrinthine depths of the TARDIS.

▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂ ✶ ▂

from the eyes of
— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 —

The game room was bathed in the soft, ambient glow of the TARDIS lights, casting shadows that danced across the walls. River Song leaned back in her chair, her legs crossed under the oversized button-up shirt she wore—the Doctor's, of course, its hem brushing mid-thigh.

Across from her, I sat with my chin resting on one hand, studying the chessboard with the kind of intensity only reserved for games.

I wore another one of the Doctor's button-up shirts, the first two buttons undone revealing just the slightest bit of cleavage. My hair was tossed into two space buns—an easy way to keep the long strands out of my face.

She wore a blue-colored one of his and I wore a salmon-colored one. Neither of us wore pants.

But it was also just us two on board so we chose to be comfortable. Plus it was fun to steal his stuff, clothing included.

We'd been locked in this match for over an hour, our banter keeping pace with the game.

"Are you sure that's the move you want to make, darling?" River teased, her tone lilting.

I glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised. "Trying to psych me out won't work, River. I learned from the best."

River's smile widened, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Flattering yourself won't save you from a checkmate in three moves."

"Bold of you to assume you'll last three more moves," I shot back, finally making my move.

Her gaze flicked to the board, and her smirk faltered for a split second. "Touché," She murmured, her fingers hovering over her queen.

I had won every single chess game we played so far, this one was not about to be different.

Before she could make her move, a faint echo of my name reached us.

"PJ!"

We both froze, our attention snapping toward the door.

"What have you done with my TARDIS?!"

I blinked, the chessboard momentarily forgotten. "Is that...?"

"The Doctor," River confirmed, her voice light with amusement.

"But... how?" I gestured vaguely to the room, the TARDIS, the vortex outside—or at least, what I thought was outside. "We should still be in the time vortex."

River's grin turned knowing, her eyes gleaming with a mix of affection and mischief. "Ah, sweetie, the TARDIS loves her girls, but she will always love her Doctor the most. She must've missed him."

"Missed him enough to just randomly go back?" My voice edged into panic. "But you said he wouldn't notice! It sounds like he's noticed!"

"Most of the time, he doesn't," River said with a shrug, utterly unbothered. "But occasionally, when we take her out for long amounts of time... well, he's quick to pick up on it. The TARDIS greets him differently if she hasn't seen him for a while."

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Ah, shit. How am I going to explain this?"

River chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "He'll get over it. He always does."

The Doctor's voice rang out again, louder this time. "PJ!"

I winced. "He definitely sounds mad."

River made her move with a casual flourish, gesturing for me to take my turn. "Make your move, darling. We'll finish the game, and then I'll see myself out."

I hesitated, my gaze lingering on her. "You really don't want to stay?"

Her expression softened, though her smile remained amused. "I told you, it's not time yet. You both don't know me well enough."

I raised an eyebrow. "We just spent the last month together, River."

"Good point." She winked. "Well, he doesn't know me well enough. I won't start traveling long-term until you both figure out who I am."

I narrowed my eyes, still suspicious despite the warmth in her tone. "And just who are you? Or better yet, when will that be?"

River leaned forward, her smirk turning wicked. "Spoilers, sweetie. All you need to know is that I really like the way you make piña coladas..."

"Uh-huh," I muttered, clicking my piece into place on the board. "Everyone does."

River was about to respond when the door suddenly swung open.

Amy Pond stood in the doorway, her expression shifting from confusion to outright astonishment as her gaze landed on River.

"River?" Amy said, her voice half a question, half a gasp.

River's smile turned positively radiant. "Hello, Amy."

"River? Did you just say, River? As in River Song?!" The Doctor called from somewhere outside of the room."River? RIVER AND PJ?!"

The Doctor's voice thundered through the doorway, making me flinch mid-move.

I glanced up to see him storming in, his wild hair even wilder than usual, eyes blazing with the kind of fury usually reserved for Daleks or other bullshit.

Amy's face was a mixture of confusion and exasperation.

He stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the scene: River and me, sprawled out in chairs across from each other, wearing his oversized shirts and little else, a chessboard between us. His expression quickly morphed from anger to disbelief.

"Are those my shirts?" Of course, he would notice that first. His voice pitched higher as he gestured wildly between us. "What're you doing? What is this? You both STOLE my TARDIS?"

He exclaimed, voice calming as he seemed a bit flustered at the sight he was met with. I gazed at him curiously.

It had been a month since I had last seen him in person, after all. I hated that I missed him during that time—and I barely even knew the man. Had barely even been traveling with him.

But God—the TARDIS—the TARDIS was turning into my home.

I leaned back, crossing my legs and resting my chin on my hand, feigning calm. "We're playing chess."

He glared at my simple answer, his gaze momentarily sweeping over my form and pausing at the sight of the unbuttoned top pieces.

River didn't miss a beat, her smile sweet but devilish as she addressed his other words. "And we didn't steal her, sweetie. We only borrowed her. She needed a girl's trip."

The Doctor cleared his throat, looking away from me and taking in River Song.

"A girl's trip that lasts a month?!" His voice cracked on the last word, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

River and I exchanged a look, then shrugged in unison. The synchronization made Amy groan from the doorway.

As if on cue, Rory appeared behind Amy, peeking around her shoulder. His gaze fell on River, and his brow furrowed. "That's River?"

"In the flesh." River flashed him a dazzling smile, her teeth gleaming in the light.

"Who is she again?" Rory whispered to Amy, but we all heard.

The Doctor motioned to Rory. "Yeah, Professor Song—who are you again?"

She did not answer them, and I made my move, capturing River's king. "Checkmate!"

River's eyes widened in disbelief before she let out an uncharacteristic curse and slammed her hands on the board, scattering the pieces. I threw my hands in the air with a triumphant whoop.

"I beat you! Again!"

River groaned, but her lips twitched upward, betraying her amusement.

The Doctor, however, had apparently reached his limit. He marched between us, slamming his hands on the table so hard it rattled. "You don't ever steal my TARDIS!" He growled, his voice dropping into that dark, ominous tone he used when warning off enemies.

To my delight—and his obvious frustration—River didn't even flinch. She reached out and lightly slapped his arm, her tone mockingly affectionate. "What're you talking about? 'Course we do. What's yours is ours—remember? Or was that just pillow talk?" The Doctor spluttered, his face going red. River tilted her head as if something just occurred to her. "Oh, wait. That hasn't happened yet. Never mind. Well, at some point in the future, you all but give us permission."

She stood up then, and suddenly they were nose-to-nose. The tension between them was palpable, and I could only watch, biting my fist to keep from grinning.

River smirked, utterly undaunted. "Besides," She added breezily, "I already taught our darling PJ how to fly the old girl."

The Doctor froze. His mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again. "What? But—I thought—I was supposed to do that! I wanted to do that!"

River patted his cheek, her voice soft and almost fond. "Sweetie, you're brilliant at nearly everything. But teaching someone to fly the TARDIS? Oh, no. That would've been a disaster." She paused, her grin widening as she poked his chest lightly. "You can fix her piloting skills from here, but if you'd started from scratch? Oh, I dread to think how that would've ended."

The Doctor's nose scrunched adorably in frustration. He opened his mouth, clearly searching for a rebuttal, but nothing came out. His eyes darted to me for a moment, then back to River, looking somewhere between infuriated and impressed.

Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he muttered, "Oh, River, PJ—you are both bad, bad girls."

My mind races: the Doctor's naughty girls.

Fucking hell—it's definitely him who starts that stupid ass name.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. A snort of laughter escaped me, and River turned to wink at me while the Doctor buried his face in his hands, muttering something about needing a vacation from his vacation.

Was he really on vacation considering his entire planet is dead and he is running willy-nilly across time and space? I think not.

Thankfully, I had the self-control to not say that out loud.

The moment stretched between River and the Doctor, charged and almost crackling. It was hard not to feel like a third wheel in their magnetic back-and-forth, and I decided to make my exit.

Well, I should not say a third wheel considering I had flirted with both of them (especially River Song) since the moment I met them.

Standing from my chair, I stretched with an exaggerated yawn before starting toward the door. My bare feet made soft taps on the TARDIS floor, but before I'd made it five steps, I heard the familiar exasperated voice behind me.

"Uhm, excuse me, dearie, where do you think you're going? I am not done speaking to you," The Doctor called, his tone equal parts incredulous and indignant.

I turned my head just enough to smirk at him, walking backward now. "You mean lecturing me?" I replied with mock sweetness. Before he could fire back, I added, "But to answer your question, I'm going to get the bottle of plum wine out of River's room before it inevitably locks itself upon her departure."

That made him sputter. "Her room?!"

River, now leaning casually against the wall, rolled her eyes. "Really love that wine, don't you, sweetie?"

I turned forward again, smirking to myself. "You know it," I mumbled under my breath.

The sound of multiple footsteps followed me, and by the time I reached River's room, the entire crew had assembled behind me—Doctor, River, Amy, and Rory. I paused in front of the door and glanced back, amused at their procession.

River Song's bedroom was behind one of the mysterious doors I had come across during my first time exploring the TARDIS.

"Song of the River," was scrolled prettily across her door.

With a dramatic flair, River stepped forward, brushing past the Doctor to unlock the door. "Prepare yourselves, darlings," She said with a grin, "For a masterclass in luxury."

The door opened and the Doctor's expression was worth every moment of teasing. His jaw dropped, his eyes darting wildly around the room as though trying to take it all in at once.

River's room, now familiar, was opulent in every sense of the word, like stepping into the boudoir of a time-traveling empress. Rich burgundy and gold tones dominated the space, with plush seating, an intricately carved wooden desk covered in papers and gadgets, and a sprawling bed draped in silky sheets. The ceiling shimmered faintly with a projection of stars, and a collection of artifacts from across time and space lined the shelves—some familiar, some utterly alien.

"Wha—how—when did you even get all of this?" The Doctor managed, gesturing vaguely to the room. "This—this isn't possible! I've never even seen this room before!"

River smirked, breezing past him to retrieve the bottle of plum wine from a sleek black cabinet. "Sweetie, you know better than anyone that the TARDIS is full of surprises."

"Not this kind of surprise!" he protested, throwing his hands in the air. "This is—this is absurd!"

It was obvious that Doctor knew this was more than possible, he was just bitter about it.

River handed me the bottle, her grin widening. "Well, the TARDIS knows more than you, TimeLord. Isn't that right, darling?"

I took the bottle with a small laugh. "Cheers to that," I said, raising it slightly in acknowledgment.

The Doctor continued to gape. Amy leaned in to whisper something to Rory, who snorted, and River, as always, looked immensely pleased with herself.

"Right," I said finally, breaking the moment, "I'm off to enjoy this before the next disaster strikes."

River patted the Doctor on the cheek again as I turned to leave. "Oh, come now, sweetie. You wouldn't have me any other way. Now, all of you, out of my room—I need to change. It's back to prison with me... although, stay if you'd like a show, I suppose," she teased at the end.

Rory spoke up in a concerned. "Wait you're a felon?"

"Spoilers,"

The Doctor groaned, muttering something under his breath about too many bad girls in his TARDIS, but I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I sauntered away.

The grin that fell as my back was to them. Because River Song was leaving, and I quite liked her. I quite enjoyed singing a river song. But I had also quite missed the Doctor. I suppose it was about time I started singing about how I needed a doctor.

—————————
author's note:

the song attached to this chapter is one of my all-time favorites. i also really feel that it captures the bond between river song, polaris jade, and the doctor. definitely give it a listen if you haven't already! also i really like that the version attached has three people singing. :)
anyhow, thank you all for reading, please comment how you're liking the story so far! halfway finished with part one and then onto times with ten!