She'd barely wrapped her arms around his neck when the tug of war between CAL, the sentient computer that ran the universe's largest library, and his brilliant TARDIS began in earnest as each fought to rescue their charges.
"Hold on, River," he encouraged her, the strain already evident in his voice. "We're almost out. Ow, that hurt!" he exclaimed in surprise, his body spasming. "Ow!"
"Doctor?" River cried in alarm. "What's happening?" She barely managed to hold onto him.
"Nothing to worry about," he gasped, valiantly trying to maintain his grip on River as the anti-virus agents zapped him repeatedly, mistaking him for a computer virus. CAL fought dirty. Not fair. His grasp was getting weaker with each agonized twitch.
River knew that it was only a matter of time before death won the struggle. Not even a Timelord could cheat it forever. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.
"Oh, my love, it's okay," she breathed reassuringly. If only she could see his face one last time, but the darkness was absolute. "You tried and I love you for it, but it's too late. I'm already gone."
"River, no!" he started but was interrupted by another attack. To his horror, she released him. Frantically reaching for her in the dark, he tried to explain that he was using her modified screwdriver to save her, but it was too late.
/
His eyes darted about wildly in the glare of the TARDIS' medical bay lights before the Doctor realized where he was. Ignoring the electrodes attached to his head, he turned urgently to the prone figure lying beside him.
"River? River, please, open your eyes," he begged. "You're not dead! Do you hear me? You're not dead. I saved you. Do you hear me, wife? I saved you; now open your eyes!"
Nothing. River Song's body remained immobile, hooked to life support and the same electrodes that were attached to him.
"Oh no. Sexy, she's not here. River's consciousness is trapped in CAL. Quick, transmit me back." He lay back down and braced himself for the transfer to CAL. Once again, nothing. "What are you doing? There's no time to lose. Send me back now!"
In answer, the overhead monitor blinked. According to the readout, he'd gone critical and nearly died. The TARDIS barely got him out alive.
"I don't care. You send me back!" the Doctor insisted. "I can't leave her there. I don't know how I ever thought I could. Please, send me back to CAL," he pleaded. The monitor blinked repeatedly. "Alright, if you won't send me back," he snarled, yanking the wires from his head as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the medical bed, "I'll go back into the Library and access CAL directly. Now, let me out of here!"
With considerable effort the Doctor pushed himself off the bed and collapsed to the floor. Unable to rise, he curled up into a miserable ball, once again overcome by grief. It wasn't supposed to end like this. This wasn't the plan. Not at all he recalled bitterly.
/
After several exhausting days of preparation, the Doctor and the TARDIS stealthily entered River's bedroom while she slept. Tranquilizing her immediately, the Doctor carried River directly to the medical bay where the neural transmitter equipment and vat of flesh had been transferred from Demons Run and modified.
After the Doctor hooked River to the modified transmitter, the TARDIS took infinite care directing the development of River's ganger. The lives of River, Donna, and 4,022 persons saved in CAL's databanks depended on perfection.
When it was ready, the Doctor transferred River's sleeping attire, what little there was of it, to the unconscious ganger. He then installed the ganger River in River's bed. River had placed the screwdriver he'd given her on top of her TARDIS-blue journal. He replaced it with a newly modified version.
They had created a neural network that connected the ganger directly with River, allowing both bodies to share River's consciousness. The neural receiver in the sonic screwdriver connected the two Rivers to the TARDIS and the Doctor as a backup. Using the ganger was the only way that they could ensure CAL's successful reboot, with just a minor rewrite of that fateful event: His River would never physically walk into the Library with her team where the Vashta Nerada waited to devour their flesh. The ganger version of River, connected to her none-the-wiser consciousness, would be the one to make that fatal journey in her place. Upon its destruction, River's consciousness would fully return to her body laying safely in the TARDIS.
The screwdriver was a part of the backup plan in case River's consciousness failed to return to her body once the ganger was destroyed during CAL's reboot. The Doctor had modified it to function as River's bio scanner on steroids, programmed to save her entire consciousness and immediately transfer it to the TARDIS to be reintergrated with her body if necessary.
Unfortunately, the resulting feedback from the reboot severed the TARDIS' connection with the screwdriver and knocked the Doctor out. By the time she had reestablished the connection and revived him, his younger self, determined to save River, had grabbed the screwdriver and sprinted through the deserted halls of the Library to the main interface node where he uploaded her consciousness to CAL. He'd forgotten that the young idiot would still assume that he'd intended for the modified screwdriver to hold River's conciousness long enough for CAL to save her digitally.
As a result, the Doctor's failed attempt to rescue River from within CAL was the backup to the backup plan because of the idiot's actions. However, rescuing River should have been easy, but they weren't prepared for CAL's aggressive response. It was Demons Run all over again. Once again he'd failed to save her.
/
Letting him go, she just caught the Doctor's words about the screwdriver. Screwdriver?! Was he planning to carry her around in his pocket? That impossible man. And then she was back in that sunny place, standing on the greenest lawn she'd ever seen.
"It's okay," young Charlotte, CAL's youthful avatar, assured her as she approached River with Dr. Moon, CAL's security system's avatar, close by her side. "We almost lost you, but Dr. Moon got rid of that awful virus that pulled you away from us. You're safe now. You'll always be safe here now that the Doctor's fixed the core."
Charlotte said something else but River had stopped listening. He'd come for her. Her Doctor. The warmth that filled her had nothing to do with the sunlight within CAL's digital world or the hugs and kisses she was receiving from Anita, Dave, Proper Dave, and Miss Evangelista. He'd risked everything to come for her: crossing timelines, risking paradoxes, even his own life. Her Doctor had thought her worth it all.
"Hello, Charlotte. You are a very clever girl," the TARDIS said, taking advantage of CAL's digital world which allowed her to create an avatar for herself based on the fragile humanoid host that once briefly housed her consciousness.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" Dr. Moon demanded. "No, Charlotte, stay behind me."
River and her friends immediately turned their attention to the curious commotion. River thought the new arrival looked familiar but couldn't quite place her.
Charlotte darted around her protector and ran to the strangely dressed woman and hugged her, knowing exactly who she was. Before appearing, the TARDIS had contacted her. They had such a wonderful exchange of communications while River was hugging her friends.
"Thank you so much for all the new stories," Charlotte said, beaming up at her new friend who had uploaded countless stories that spanned both time and space to her databanks.
"One more time: who are you?" Moon insisted, with a pistol aimed at the intruder. He took his role as CAL's system security very seriously.
"No, she's the Doctor's friend," Charlotte told Moon, protecting her new friend.
"Yes, I am," the TARDIS' avatar said with a smile, "and I just wanted to thank you for taking such pains to protect our River." Smiling at River, she continued, "But, now, it is time for me to take my child home."
/
Returning from CAL with River's retrieved consciousness, the TARDIS reintegrated it with her body while the Doctor still lay curled up in a ball on the floor of the TARDIS' medical bay next to her bed.
He thought he was dreaming when firm arms slid around him and pulled him into a warm embrace. Then gentle lips brushed his. River! This was no dream! Hungrily he deepened the kiss, drawing strength from the love she offered. Still too weak to rise, the Doctor and his River were content to lay in each others arms on the floor of the medical bay, their new future yet unwritten.
The TARDIS monitored the two people she loved the most in all of time and space with a contentment she could not deny. She had accomplished her mission: rescued their River from the Library while protecting the fragile timeline.
Launching herself into the time vortex, Sexy dimmed the lights on her beloved thief and child as she took them where they needed to be.