What We Were, Are and Have Yet to Become- Five part series showing random, out-of-sequence moments of romantic, fluff between River and the Doctor. Because what comes between their firsts and their lasts…is everything.

Set post-A Good Man Goes to War; 11th Doctor, River, Rory, Amy. HIGH FLUFF CONTENT warning. Cheery, AU (Canon? What canon?) about what I WISH we would see happen between River and the Doctor. River Song is usually the one with the spoilers, but this time, the Tardis accidentally gives the Doctor a chance to turn the tables.

I ask in advance that you please forgive my inferior inner city-educated grammar and just enjoy the story as it's meant to be...a tribute to two of the most brilliant characters in sci-fi who are simply divine when they are together. Note: This story will probably go through some edits before all five chapters are done, so come back when you can!

Part 1: A Little Part of You

The air in the Tardis feels a little cool considering that everyone was dressed for summer this time, but the Doctor doesn't worry since the trip was not going to take long. It was Amy and Rory's third anniversary, and to celebrate, he promised to take them somewhere lovely and hot, so that is exactly where they were going. Until then, he enjoyed the fact that they were all in the Tardis talking like old mates…no urgent missions, disasters or danger of any kind in sight.

Rory is standing to the side of Amy, who is seated in one of the chairs to the left of the console, and River is seated next to her, her arm draped across the back of Amy's chair as she listens to Rory catch them up on all that news from Leadworth, doing her best to show genuine interest, bless.

"Well, Amy's parents were a bit wound up that we weren't going to spend this anniversary with the family, but we promised them we'd get together for Christmas."

"Oh yes, Christmas!" Amy claps excitedly, "We're planning something really special, and we'd love for you two to be there."

"Really?" River asks. "Well I'd love to see your parents again."

"You've met them already?"

"Yes. I met them briefly at your wedding. Augustus was trying quite unsuccessfully to write out a toast for you, so I gave him a few ideas. I remember him being quite jolly and smelling of Latakia tobacco and Old Spice."

"I remember that toast," Rory added. "I thought it sounds a little too poetic for him to have written it by himself."

"Well I thought it was beautiful. And he still smokes that pipe, you know. You should come. I think he'd like to meet you for real this time, though we'd probably do good to leave out the part about you being my daughter. No way he's going to understand that."

River throws her head back and laughs. "I agree! And I think that I'd like that very much."

They share a bonding smile as River places her hand on Amy's shoulder. It brings a measure of comfort to the Doctor to listen to them and see that Amy's resentment over being denied the right to raise her daughter in order to preserve River's time line was fading. The tense reunions were becoming less and less so with every new meeting and old scars were starting to heal, which was perfect. This was a day to forget about bad things; to just have fun and enjoy being alive and together just like old times…except without the running, the shooting and the Viking funeral of course. If they could manage it just this once.

"Welcome to Heliopetraxis!" the Doctor shouts from across the room as he flips a few levers, turns a few knobs and the wheezing hum of the Tardis' engines ceases. "It's the only place in the galaxy whose indigenous intelligent inhabitants live solely at the planet's core, so we have the whole of the surface to ourselves, although that doesn't mean that clothing is optional, so keep your knickers on." He points to River, who rolls her eyes and scoffs at him, but still smiles teasingly. He allowed himself to revel in everything that it meant and might yet come to mean, because he was starting to really fancy that smile, along with the bantering and the hello sweeties and, god help him, even the guns.

She's still grinning mischievously even as she rises from her seat and checks the console opposite him, but she holds back from making any sarcastic remarks to read off the data. "Environmental scans show a climate much like Earth's, with frozen Polar Regions, but centralized continents leaning towards tropical climates. We are on one of the equatorial islands."

"Yes," the Doctor continues, "And it looks like the weather is…hmm," he murmurs quizzically, slapping the sides of the scanner as its readings go haywire, flashing wildly between meteorological data, body scans and random historical information. "C'mon, old girl, what's gotten into you today?" The Tardis shudders softly and finally displays the statistics for the beach outside. "Ah, here we are! Twenty-nine-point-four degrees Celsius, a breeze blowing in from the south at eighteen miles per hour, humidity at forty percent and a one hundred percent chance of…positive."

"Cool," Amy says as she slathers sunblock on Rory's nose, "I love a positive forecast."

"No…" he responds under his breath, "I'm not talking about the weather." He slaps the monitor again, changes some settings and when the information he wants flashes on the screen, he freezes and covers his mouth with both hands. "Ooh…"

He shoots a sideways glance at River, who simply raises an eyebrow at his odd reaction. "Slight change of plans. River, get your diary. Rory, Amy, outside. Don't forget your togs, enjoy the beach, fun in the sun, jump right in the water's fine." He shoves a picnic basket into Rory's arms and pushes them protesting through the door, which he slams shut once they are out and then drags River to the console by the arm.

"Doctor! What's wrong with you?"

"River, what were you doing exactly five weeks, two days, forty-two minutes and thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…Oh forget that! Forty-three minutes ago?"

"What?"

"Your diary. Check your diary."

"You know the rules, sweetie."

"I know I know the rules! You don't have to tell me the details. Just…look at it. Did something…unexpected…happen?"

"No, it was a perfectly enchanting day if I remember correctly."

"Well, indulge me for a moment and check."

"It would help if I knew what you were looking for."

"Just tell me where you were."

"Alright," she huffs, shaking her head in frustration until she comes to the page in question. "We went to Florence, Italy in 1515. You had Leonardo Da Vinci paint my portrait." She looks up and smiles nostalgically. "They were right in the middle of carnival that week, and we danced and danced in the streets."

"Ah, Davinci. Yes, wonderful man, lots of ideas, curiously ahead of his time. But never mind that. I need you to think very carefully, River. Is there a possibility that you could have…brought something back?"

"What? Like a souvenir? Or are you inferring that I stole something from Da Vinci?"

"No, not at all. Besides, it would be much more valuable than a souvenir and definitely more…rare…than a stolen piece of art."

"No…I didn't bring anything back." She answers, irritated, and then flips through her diary some more when he starts using his sonic on her. She tries to swat his hands away but they keep flailing around her. "Are you mad?"

"Mad? No. Surprised? Definitely; and nothing surprises me. 'Surprised' is new." He eventually stops, reads what's on the sonic and braces himself against the console, looking from River to the scanner again before finally settling his eyes only on her. "River, are you feeling alright?"

She blinks at him a few times, seemingly perplexed by his question. "I feel fine. Wonderful. Never felt better. I think the better question would be do you feel alright?"

"Oh, I'm good. Yes, fit as a fiddle. Absolutely perfect, except for that I thought…well…" He pauses, his face contorting as if he was remembering something unbearably painful, "But now it seems it's not so, is it? Anyway," he continues, snapping back into the present, "For a person my age, I am quite extraordinary; perhaps even miraculous. Do you believe in miracles, River?"

"Miracles? Now I know you've lost your mind," she replies crossly, folding her arms in front of her chest defiantly as she watches him turn the scanner screen towards her. "What's that?"

"That's you. Well, not 'you' you, but…inside…of you."

River leans in closer to look at the scanner's readings and gasps. "No. It can't be. That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible. And, although I may on occasion but very rarely lie, and you almost always certainly from time to time lie, the Tardis never lies. River Song, you are…pregnant."

River tilts her head as she thinks for a second like she's calculating something inside her mind, flips a few pages in the journal, then looks up. "Oh bugger!" Suddenly looking as if she's about to faint, she backs away from the console, bracing herself against one of the Tardis' railings until she finally slumps into one of the comfy chairs, completely speechless.

"So, it is…?"

She stares at him for a moment then nods. "The Tardis doesn't lie."

"Then, you and I, we…?"

"Oh yes. Quite often."

"Ooh…" The Doctor's eyes grow wide and he blushes, scratching his chin before shaking his head and speaking again. "But I thought Time Lords were…"

"So did I."

"So that means that I'm not…"

"Apparently not."

"And at some point in the future, we are…will be…?

"Complicated."

"I should say so."

"Indeed."

He comes and sits next to her, both of them looking mortified and befuddled, like naughty children sent to the principal's office trying to figure out an excuse for whatever trouble they were sent there for. A few times each of them turns to the other to speak, but the words never come, and River's eyes dart everywhere but on him until finally she looks down and traces a circle across her abdomen.

"I guess we should probably talk about this."

"Yes," he chortles. "No sense in worrying about spoilers now."

There are exasperated sighs, bashful glances and fidgeting hands, but there are still no words as the awkward silence stretches on and on when finally, the Doctor tilts his head quizzically, looks at River, then looks up to the ceiling.

"Hmm," he purrs, grinning with a wide, awestruck smile until finally, he laughs like a giddy schoolboy.

River looks at him like he's just grown six heads and rolls her eyes. "This is not funny."

"No, it's not," he exclaims, jumping out of his seat and spinning around, "It's brilliant! YOU…are brilliant. This…" he takes her hand and pulls her to her feet, dragging her close enough for him to trace his fingers across her abdomen, "…is brilliant. River, you have a piece of me-a piece of us-growing inside of you! That hasn't been possible, shouldn't be possible, and yet here it is, and how could it be anything but…brilliant?"

He stares at her with equal measures of confusion and reverence as his hands rest reassuringly on her shoulders, and watches as the left corner of her mouth twists into a smile. By god he loved that smile. He loved how it softened the warrior in her eyes, and he marveled at her like she had become something sacred…as if her body had become the very temple of the High Council of Gallifrey itself. She reaches across to stroke his cheek, her eyes welling up as she looks back over to the console. Still awe-struck, and almost in unison, they drift back to the scanner, touching the representation of their child's DNA helix that hovered and rotated between images of their DNA and a glowing, blue blob that represented the tiny, developing fetus.

"A little piece of you growing inside of me," River whispers softly.

The Doctor spoons tightly behind her, his eyes closed as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her into him. She leans her head back, accepting the comfort of his embrace, and he buries his face in her hair while caressing her abdomen, wishing he could touch every part of her at once. And in a way, he does. They share the transfer of intense emotion, the vibrant buzzing of life, invisible tendrils of nameless, unquantifiable energy binding them together, and they linger that way, clinging to each other wordlessly in the quiet of the console room until the Tardis' doors slam open.

"Oi, you two!" Rory shouts as he bursts back inside, "Plannin' on joining us any time soon?"

They pull apart quickly as Amy comes bouncing in right behind him.

"Ha! Why don't you tell them the truth?" she blurts out before turning to the Doctor. "He just wanted to make sure you weren't in here having a quick shag."

Rory shoots an accusatory glance at Amy. "Okay…now that's awkward!

"Us? No!" River answers quickly, wiping away any evidence of tears as the Doctor chortles and steps in front of her.

"No! No shagging for us. Fully clothed, just standing here talking. See?" He raises his hands and waves. "Hands not on the daughter," he snickers nervously. "At least not yet."

He didn't mean for the last part to be said out loud. And the slip up doesn't get past Amy.

"Not yet? What do you mean 'not yet'? Were you and River-"

Rory covers his ears and shouts. "Nope! Not listening! Don't need to hear this! SO do NOT need to hear this."

Ignoring Rory's protests, Amy notices the serious expression on River's face as she tries to sneak over and flick the scanner off. "River? What's going on?"

"Oh look, the day is half gone already. We really should visit that beach straight away…"

River makes a move towards the doors and Amy shoots her a suspicious glance before running to the scanner and flipping it on despite the Doctor's futile attempt to get there before she reached it.

"What's this, ay?" She leans in to look closer and is her jaw drops in shock. "Is that…?"

Rory pushes past the Doctor to take a look, then backs away and points at the scanner. "That thing is saying that River is…that you are…is that right? Are you pregnant?" River sighs heavily and nods. "And he's the father?"

"Look," the Doctor responds, backing away from Rory, "I know that this has come as quite a shock to everyone, but I think that right now, it's something that River and I should be talking about privately."

"Oh, I don't think so," Rory shouts, folding his arms as a sign that he wasn't going anywhere. "She may be older than me right now, but I'm still her father and I want to know what your intentions are towards my daughter."

"Now hold on…" River says, stepping in between Rory and the Doctor to prevent any potential fisticuffs from breaking out as Amy grabs the scanner with both hands and looks at it again.

"Good god!" she starts to ramble wildly, "You're having a baby! You and the Doctor are actually having…! Which means that the two of you must've had…? Ooh and I so knew it! At the crash of the Byzantium I said that you were his wife and you are, aren't you? But then, that means that the Doctor is…oh my god…my son-in-law! Blast! Is he really my son-in-law?"

"Amy, it's not as simple as that."

"Simple?" Rory interrupts, "I think we're way past bloody simple here! You're having a baby…a time baby, which means we're going to be grandparents and he's going to be a dad, but he's just standing there looking all wonky and not saying anything!" He turns to the Doctor and waves a finger at him reprovingly. "I think you have some explaining to do."

For a few moments, not a peep is heard inside the Tardis, but once the second wave of shock wears off, Amy, Rory and the Doctor all erupt into a blaring chorus of questions, concerns and mildly hysterical opinions. Covering her ears and rolling her eyes, River makes for the doors and heads outside, leaving the others standing around looking at each other.

"What did we say?" Rory asks before heading out to follow her.

"No," the Doctor answers, holding him back, "You stay here."

"But-"

"Rory, let him go," Amy says sharply before reaching out for his hand and squeezing it reassuringly, then nodding to the Doctor with a faint smile as he leaves. "He's right. This is between him and River."

The Doctor can hear Amy and Rory talking until he gets a couple of feet away from the Tardis, and then there's nothing but the sound of surf, wind and the occasional squawk of random, delicate avian creatures flying overhead. It is incredibly hot out, even for this time of day, and the sun is so bright that he has to squint while he scans the area for River. He eventually stumbles across the picnic basket and blanket that Rory and Amy had left behind and notices River's sandals tossed nearby, so he follows the footprints leading away from them and finds her standing ankle-deep in the ocean about a hundred feet from the Tardis, looking out into the horizon. The coppery evening light glowed around her, giving her an angelic aura that made her even more beautiful than he already thought she was, although he scarcely admitted to himself that he even noticed that aspect of her until this very moment. He studies her as he leans against a palm tree to strip off his shoes and socks, and wonders about her faces. Was this her first? Second? Were they all this stunningly beautiful? Was this his favorite? Yes, he answers himself. Even if there were any others, he is pretty sure that this one was his favorite. Now free of his footwear and blazer, he finally rolls up the cuffs of his trousers and makes his way towards her through the warm, gentle, turquoise waters.

The fabric of her sarong is swirling around in the surf, but she doesn't move-not even as the sand around her sloshes out from under her feet and buries them-and he finds himself torn between the irresistible urge to go up and wrap his arms around her, and the urge to run. Fast and far. He never expected in any of his lifetimes that he would be having this kind of conversation with anyone, and yet here he was, about to talk to the mother-to-be of his child about being a father-to-be. A family man. The urge to run hits him again and he knows why. It was one thing to lose a companion-he had lost many over the years-but an entirely different thing to potentially lose a family. He had gotten over losing the others-Susan, Romana, Sarah Jane, Rose-but this…oh, losing this would kill him. He was sure of it. And that was why he ran. That was why he always ran. Until her. Somewhere down the line, this woman makes him want to stop running.

He watches River's hair dance in the breeze, her eyes ablaze with that same wistful look that she had the last time he saw her standing on a beach. It was on Alfava Metraxis and she was wearing that military uniform and handcuffs after the crash of the Byzantium. She had an odd, dreamy look in her eyes, and he didn't understand back then what she might be hiding behind that expression, but now it was all becoming clearer, and he ached for her. His River; carrying the burden of knowing everything she knew about him, Amy, the future…and not being able to say a word; sheltering feelings of love and devotion in the secret places of her heart even when he treated her like a stranger that he couldn't trust. It makes him dizzy thinking about it. There is so much to say and he has no idea where to start, so he chooses to not say anything and simply stands by her, letting the warmth of the sun wash over him until she turns to look at him with a slightly wearied expression.

"I'm sorry about all that," he whispers ruefully, nodding his head back towards the Tardis, although secretly, he meant it in respect to everything else too.

"No, it's okay. I think just needed some air."

"Ah, good, good. Fresh air. Air is an essential element for growing babies. It's pretty good for their mums too, so I hear."

She chuckles at his attempt to be sympathetic and rubs her belly. "I'm really going to be one, aren't I?"

The Doctor reaches out tentatively to place his hand on top of hers, but then goes to retract it until she reaches over and pulls it back, clasping it tightly against her. She was afraid. She was doing a good job trying to hide it, but he could feel it bubbling right there underneath the steely layer of coolness she always depended on to hide her feelings. He gulps back the lump in his throat and reaches into her mind to push the fear away with every ounce of courage he could muster.

"You can do this, you know, being a mum."

River swallows hard and shakes her head. "I don't know. Of all the things I ever imagined I would be, this was never one of them. I don't know anything about having a family. And I know even less about babies."

"Rubbish. You'll be great. And what child wouldn't want someone like you as their mother? You are truly extraordinary, River Song, and I have absolutely no doubt that you will be everything you need to be for this baby. You have fought some of the most horrifying creatures in the known universe and left them begging for mercy. Certainly being a mum will be a lot easier than that."

"It wasn't as easy as I made it look," she says jokingly. "But you're probably right. Though I suppose this means I'm going to have to start locking up my guns."

"Most definitely! You and your guns," he chuckles. "If we're lucky this baby will grow up to take after me and be happy with just a good sonic. And a bow tie, of course. Even if it's a girl."

"Of course!" River beams and they both laugh lightheartedly, but then the silence returns, hanging in the air between them for a while until she speaks again, a tone of melancholy in her voice. "I think it might be best if you took me home now."

The Doctor's brows furrow at those words. Take her home. Home away from the Tardis. He felt a sudden ache in his chest and a massive knot forming in his stomach at the mere thought of saying goodbye to her again. Goodbye, see you later and until next time were phrases that he no longer found acceptable when it came to her. Not anymore.

"You could stay, River. With me. Try traveling in a straight line for a bit."

"Stay with you? Do you really want that?"

"Don't you?"

"Oh, I'd love that more than anything. You have no idea how much more. But we've had this conversation before. You and I, we don't live our lives in a straight line."

"Yes I know…big, complicated, tangled ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."

"Yes! And if I stay, if I pull one thread of it out, it could unravel and change everything."

"It could, but then again, it might not."

"Well I'm not willing to take that chance. Not if it means keeping you from doing what you must in order for this to even happen."

"So what am I to do? Do you honestly think that I can just let you leave and then go about my business pretending that I don't know that you are out there somewhere carrying our child? How am I supposed to do that, River?"

"I don't know! But what other choice do I have? And let's say I stay. What happens when we land somewhere and what starts out as an ordinary adventure makes that inevitable leap into danger and mayhem? Hmm? Am I to stay locked away in the Tardis barely able to see my own feet over my belly and let you have all the fun?"

"Well, that's one option. You certainly won't be able to run around shooting people and jumping off of things all pregnant and, you know…" he flails his hands around, making the shape of a big, pregnant belly in front of her.

"God I hate you," she huffs, pushing him away as she walks out of the water, marches across the sugary, white sand and throws herself onto the abandoned blanket.

"No you don't," he answers with a smile full of swagger and conviction.

River opens her mouth to respond, but manages to only shake her head, cover her face with both hands and howl into them in frustration before laying flat on her back.

Ooh, a disconcerted River Song, the Doctor muses. That's something new. It was oddly diverting to him to see her so undone; the brilliantly clever River Song, who for once, didn't have a quick comeback. It made sense, though. After all, she'd be the one to have deal with the hard parts…the cravings, the weight gain, the pushing and the screaming and the crushing of his fingers while she swears how much she hates him through clenched teeth. But he wants it. He wants it all and he wants it now…not sometime in the future when the version him who actually co-created this child would know exactly every circumstance that led up to this moment. He's jealous of his future self for that, especially as he moves towards her, taking special notice of the curve of her body outstretched on the sand; the way her shirt fit tightly around the curve of her breasts; the lines of her legs showing through the open draping of her sarong; her hands cradling the spot that had suddenly become the place where all of his hopes and dreams had taken physical form and were waiting to be born into reality…

He sits down next to her and runs his hand over her belly, lifting her shirt slightly to expose the still-firm, tight muscles of her abdomen. He can feel her reach over to run a hand through his hair, clenching it lightly as he leans over, kissing the flesh beneath her belly button, resting his forehead there to try and feel the child's life force deep inside. He gasps in wonder when he finds something there; something new and strange and full of giddiness and warmth. He doesn't know if it even has a brain yet, but he concentrates with all his might and imprints all of his joy and his love and every beautiful thing threatening to burst his hearts into a million pieces into every fiber of the growing child so that before it's even born it will know…and wherever it may be, a part of him will always be there. River gasps beneath him and shudders from the intensity of the sensation, sending it reeling back into him with such force that it takes his breath away and leaves him thinking that if it's this amazing just holding her, how much more so must it be to make love to her? To allow himself to open up and love her?

"Stay with me, River," he whispers longingly.

Moaning softly, River opens her eyes and looks up at him, and reaching out to finger his bow tie before stroking his cheek. "Do you truly know what you are asking for?"

"All I need to know is that you and I have made a little Time Lord. Do you have any idea how amazing that is? Through some wondrous act of creation we made a little person who will have my brains and your hair-but hopefully not Rory's nose-and will have the whole of the universe for its playground."

River laughs and strokes his hair tenderly. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I'm always serious. Except of course when I'm not, but even then I am quite serious about not being so." He inches closure and reaches for her cheek, caressing it with his thumb before going on to trace every contour of her face, reading as much of her as she'd allow him to and wordlessly pouring everything he couldn't give voice to into every touch until she could feel it too. "Stay with me."

"If I do this, even for a little while, you do know that we will be cheating, don't you? And not just a little bit of cheating, like breaking out of the Stormcage for an adventure or two, but a really big, life-altering kind of cheating."

"It's not cheating…it's called taking the scenic route. And as with all voyages, the scenic route is always the most interesting, especially when you have a time machine, which I have, so there's no end to how long I can make a little while last. Besides, who's to say this isn't exactly how it's supposed to happen? River, I want to be there when this baby takes its first breath. I want to be there for you through it all. And not just as some future version of me, but as I am now. I want you to stay. Please…stay with me."

"Alright," she answers, reaching over to play with his braces, "I'll stay for a little while. Maybe."

"Maybe?" he huffs in mock indignation.

"Yes, maybe. And just so you know, if this ends up ripping a whole in the universe, it will be all your fau-"

"Oh shut up…"

He leans over and silences her with a kiss, running his hand along her side, hips abdomen before pulling her body completely into his embrace without even once parting his mouth from hers. He had forgotten that it could feel so divine to hold someone like that, and yet, it was more blissful, more significant, and phenomenally grander than anything he had ever felt before. Everything he ever wanted was there in his arms…in River, and in his hearts forever.

Back at the Tardis, Amy is poking her head outside the door and can see far enough in the distance to make out what was going on. "I think everything is going to be alright," she says in a tone that was half melancholy, half joy.

"Really?" he asks, moving towards the door. "What's happening?"

Amy holds him back and closes the door. "I think we should just stay in here."

"Why? Are they…?"

"No, Rory, it's okay. It's right that this is happening for them. This is a chance for River to finally have a family, and the Doctor…well, now he's not the last Time Lord anymore. We should be happy for them. They belong together."

Rory looks from the door to his wife, and sighs with a faint smile. "Kind of like you and me, oi?"

"Yup. You and me, belongin' together." She strolls over and kisses him. "Happy anniversary, stupid face."

He laughs and kisses her back, and she giggles as he presses her against the railing with a firm embrace. "So I guess this probably wouldn't be a good time to tell them, would it?"

"I dunno. I think he still needs to get used to the idea of being a dad before we tell him he's going to be a brother-in-law."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rory replies as he crouches down and presses his cheek against Amy's belly. "And you in there…no time-head this go 'round, ay?"

Amy laughs again and scruffs his hair. "No time-head. No soldiers, no headless monks, no arms with an empty blanket; just you and me being a regular ol' mum and a dad."

Rory shoots her a dubious grin. "Mum and dad…AND grans! Bless, Christmas is going to be interesting this year."

"It's going to be brilliant," Amy offers comfortingly before embracing him tighter, "just bloody brilliant."

Next chapter: "Hello. I'm Captain Jack Harkness"