The Impossible Wardrobe

Poetheather

A/N: Takes place after Nightmare in Silver but before The Name of the Doctor. Some slight spoilers for The Name of the Doctor.

Owned by the BBC and the really clever people who have created these characters both classic and modern. Like anyone pays me for this.

A little bit later Romana walked into the control room wearing a long rose colored coat, long white scarf over a white blouse, tan pants tucked into dark brown boots. She was grinning happily as she said, "She still had a good selection of my wardrobe."

"Ah, well, you know the old girl, never does like throwing out old stuff." commented the Doctor, staring at her since she looked like she had walked right out of his past.

"That explains you then," teased River, earning a smile from Romana.

The Doctor spluttered and turned to face his wife, looking at her as if betrayed, "River!"

"Yes Sweetie?" asked River innocently, her eyes wide and guileless.

The Doctor turned away and grumbled something under his breath, clearly at a loss. Clara, who had not seen this dynamic before with the Doctor was rather intrigued. "I've never met anyone who knew the Doctor this well. You really get him and know how he ticks."

River turned and smiled at her, "Well that's what married life gets you. There is also the fact that because he lives so long he has a difficult time keeping friends."

"Now River that's not fair," protested the Doctor, looking a good bit put out.

"I could put it another way," stated River with a smile that wasn't exactly comforting at that precise moment.

The Doctor looked between River and Clara as few times as if trying to suss out the best approach to this issue and then turned away, clearly frustrated, saying, "Yes, well… carry on."

"There's another way to put it?" asked Clara, intrigued by all that was going on.

"A matter of point of view only. It's more something for Himself to worry over. But you have been traveling with him lately, have you been enjoying yourself?" River distracted her by asking about their adventures and the two were soon busy swapping stories of places they had been and things they had done.

Romana walked up to the Doctor and said, "Clara has helped you heal, hasn't she?"

"Well, that and she is a bit of a mystery. I just keep running into her, and now you saying you know her. I really don't know what to make of it." He frowned in thought.

"You always did love your mysteries," commented Romana. "At least that never changed."

The Doctor gave her a cheeky grin. "Why would it? This love of mysteries is a core part of who I am. Though I did move past Jelly Babies."

"Really? That's nice. They were a touch too sweet for my taste, but you enjoyed them so." She smiled in memory.

The Doctor smiled gently at her, "Well, you know a lot changes from Regeneration to Regeneration."

"There is that." Romana turned and leaned against the console. "But you would know about that far more than I do. Are you going to be okay, with the fact that there are spoilers lying between us right now?"

"Now I know you have been hanging out with River too long. Spoilers?" The Doctor furrowed his brows slightly in confusion and amusement.

"Well yes, I guess I have. Think about the situation between you and River and then realize that something like that now exists between you and I. I can't really tell you things and you just have to be patient and wait for things to play out and I know how much you dislike that. You have never liked things going in proper order." She smiled at him fondly.

"Ah… yes… that… I was trying not to think about that actually."

Romana looked at him in surprise, "What?"

The Doctor winced slightly and replied, spreading his hands apart. "It's not like I don't have a lot of things I am juggling right now so adding one more is well… a bit much."

"Doctor!" It was clear that Romana was rather affronted by that.

"I didn't say I would ignore it forever… I just have a lot of things going on right now that are rather… well, I've been busy." The Doctor fumbled to a stop, looking a bit sheepish and clearly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation had taken.

"I see. So perhaps you should just drop me at my TARDIS for now. I wouldn't want to make your life too complicated." Romana turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

River spoke up from where she was chatting with Clara and asked, "Doctor, what did you say to her?"

"I… well I let her know how crazy my life has been and that… well… things are… complicated."

River's gaze was fairly cold at that moment, which let him know that he had messed up again. "You told her what? You are a ruddy idiot sometimes Doctor and this is definitely one of those times… I… ugh, hate you."

"No you don't." The reply was off his lips before he thought about it and he gave her a worried look.

River shook her head and marched out of the room after Romana, not bothering to look back. A moment of uncomfortable silence hung in the control room and Clara spoke up at this point, "So you're over a thousand years old and yet you still make mistakes like this with women? Slow learner?"

The Doctor turned and glared at Clara who had an amused smile on her face. He raised a finger as if he were going to argue with her and he thought better of it. He was not doing very well with women today and perhaps he shouldn't aggravate the situation. "I… I'm going to go for a walk."

Clara watched him walk out the door and shook her head. He really was terribly awkward at even the best of times. Was there any surprise that he made these sort of social mistakes?

River meanwhile had caught up to Romana in the Library where she was pacing. "Romana! Wait."

The blond spun about and River could tell that she was still angry. River held out her hands in a conciliatory gesture, asking, "Are you okay?"

Romana felt some of the anger drain away and she gave a rueful smile to her. "I will be. It's just that… I hadn't expected that reaction from the Doctor. Honestly he is so exasperating."

With a smirk, River replied, "I know, bless. But that is one of the things that makes the Doctor loveable."

Romana rolled her eyes. She couldn't exactly argue with River there despite desperately wanting to. "It's just, that after everything it tool to get here I had hoped to find my Doctor."

The look on River's face was a bit sad, in recognition of that same issue. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I meet the Doctor and it is how it is supposed to be, him and me together and in love. Other times… well running into him before certain events took place in our relationship can be rather frustrating. Trying to deal with him and not show him affection is maddening. It sounds to me like you are in the same situation."

The Time Lady sighed and even more tension drained out of her body. "I had such great hopes, you know, when I was trying to get out. I was hoping to see my family and be together again, away from all that war and death but instead I get here. If you weren't so used to such insanity to the point where you just seemed to accept and roll with it, I have no idea what I would do. It hurts River to see him, with that face and having no clue about what has happened between us."

"I may not know all the details yet, but knowing just those few hints about the three of us… well, I find that it really does intrigue me. It's not like this will be the first time I have been in such a situation after all." River's smirk really did help set a lighter mood.

Romana laughed lightly, her mood turning, "There is that. This would be so much more difficult if you weren't here with me Melody. I don't know what I would do without you."

River stepped up and gave the shorter woman a hug, holding her close against her. "I am sure everything will work out. With you and I working together it's not like he really has a chance now does he?"

"Oh… what do you have in mind?" Romana's voice was filled with interest as to this notion.

River teased her, saying, "Spoilers."