"Eclipse. A lunar eclipse," the Doctor said, flipping a lever on the TARDIS console. "I'm taking you to go see a lunar eclipse."

"Sounds exciting," River Song replied, walking around to his side. "Although you've done much more grander before."

"I just thought it might be nice to do something a little bit more casual."

"I agree with you."

"You do? Really?" The TARDIS made its classic landing sound and River rolled her eyes. Sometimes the Doctor could be difficult.

"Is it so hard to believe that I might agree for once?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, smiling a little bit.

"Shut up," River said, but she was smiling too. The two of them walked out of the doors of the TARDIS and River started looking around, trying to figure out the time and place.

"Where are we exactly, Doctor?" River said.

"Does it matter? All it matters is that there is a lunar eclipse going on today."

"Whatever you say," River replied with a shrug. She looked up to the sky and saw that the moon was completely full, a normal circle at the moment. As far as she could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary. "If you messed up and we're just going to sit here for three hours and watch the moon do nothing, well..."

"Hey, don't threaten me. Some people say that your karma is multiplied by a thousand during a lunar eclipse. Don't do anything you might regret," the Doctor teased.

River raised her eyebrows, and then pulled out her scanner to find out exactly when and where they were. She didn't quite trust that the Doctor had made it where he had planned to. From the way he had spoke, it didn't seem like he had planned much of anything to begin with.

"You know, lunar eclipses like this have caused many legends to pop up in all sorts of cultures."

"Of course I knew that. I'm an archaeologist, sweetie," River said, not even looking up from her scanner.

"Prove it then," the Doctor said. This finally got River's attention away from her scanner.

"What?" she said as she looked up at him.

"Prove that you know the legends."

"I'm a professor in archaeology," she scoffed. "I don't need to prove anything to you. Now, something's wrong with my scanner. Do you think you could just sonic it for me?"

"I could, but I'll think I'll wait until you prove it to me," the Doctor said, brandishing the sonic screwdriver.

River made a face. She thought a moment about snatching it from him, and then realized she might as well just give in. "Well, in many ancient civilizations it was thought that a dragon was devouring the moon."

"Go on."

"It was considered a bad omen such as in Athens and Jerusalem. It was called the blood moon."

"Well, it appears that you do know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do." River blinked a few times. "Now. Sonic." The Doctor took the scanner from her hands and she watched on. The Doctor sighed and used the sonic screwdriver on the scanner and handed it back to River Song. She went back to fiddle around on it but then realized it wasn't working again, but differently this time.

"You broke it!" she said.

"Only temporarily," the Doctor said with a smile. "Now, River, remember. Your karma is being multiplied."

River just shook her head and continued on with her legends and myths. "What about witchcraft? Lunar eclipses are supposed to be wonderful for enhancing spells."

"I didn't know that."

River gave him a look. This thousand year old man who had traveled all over time and space didn't know something like that?

"No, seriously. How about you show me by casting a spell on me?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" River said, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," the Doctor said, his voice getting a bit lower.

"I think you better fix my scanner," River replied. She went back to pressing buttons and turning knobs, trying to troubleshoot to no avail.

"River. I'm trying to flirt with you but for some reason today you're not flirting back," the Doctor said, frustrated.

"Will you fix my scanner?" River said with a sigh, looking up at the Doctor.

"Of course."

"You better."

River looked up at the Doctor and then pressed her lips up to his. Just as he was beginning to wrap his arms around her, though, she pulled away.

"Fix the scanner." She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Sweetie," she added on.

"Fine, fine!" He took out the sonic screwdriver and fixed the scanner properly this time around. River plucked it out of his hands and began looking at it again.

"Thank you. We're by the sea in Europe, 40th century. I don't believe anything in particular was happening then." She put down her scanner. "I guess we're good."

"Great," the Doctor said with his enormous smile. "Let's go find a good spot to watch the eclipse."

"Sounds lovely." They joined hands and went off in search of that perfect place to watch the sky. On their way there River happened to look up at the night sky. All of a sudden she stopped and gasped.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor said, concerned.

"Nothing...it's just...the moon! It was full before, and now it's disappearing."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said in response, his concern flooding away.

"Yes...but it's also kind of terrifying just seeing it disappear like that."

The Doctor nodded, and then the two of them set off on their journey again. Every now and then they would pass people stopping to watch the lunar eclipse themselves.

"What about here?" the Doctor said. River nodded enthusiastically. It was a little overhang where they could gaze out at the nearby sea at the same time they watched the eclipse. They couldn't have found a better place. The Doctor hung his arm around her shoulders as they looked up to the sky. The moon was almost halfway gone then. Staring at it gave River a rush of both happiness and fear. Darkness was taking over the moon. It was one thing to see the moon during its normal phases, from new moon to full moon and back again. It was something totally different to see it be slowly eaten away by some invisible being.

River shivered even though it wasn't that cold out. It was just that image of the moon disappearing that was oddly affecting her.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor said softly.

"I guess. It's kind of amazing that what this natural thing on Earth is making me feel so much even though I've seen all sorts of things throughout time and space."

"I know what you mean," the Doctor said, even softer than before. They began to lean into a kiss, but then they were suddenly halted by a noise.

"You know," a feminine voice purred from behind them. "One thing that some people believe is that if a couple kisses during the lunar eclipse they'll be together forever. Not sure that works for you two, though." River and the Doctor turned around to find a woman standing behind them, staring at them thoughtfully. The woman was gorgeous, in a severe sort of way. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in waves that were almost too perfect. She was very tall, towering over both the Doctor and River. The woman stared at them relentlessly with a piercing gaze. It was making both the Doctor and River very uncomfortable. But River was the first to crack.

"Who would you be?" she said, her eyes starting to widen as she began getting upset. This woman had just broken a beautiful moment.

"I'm the Selini," the woman said, completely unfazed by River. Maybe it was the dramatic height difference, or maybe it was just the Selini's attitude. "No need for either of you to explain who you are. I already know that you are the Doctor," she said, walking up very close to the Doctor. He didn't do anything to move away, but he looked very confused as to what to do. River cleared her throat loudly. "And his...wife," the Selini added, just glancing over to River. If anything, she only got closer to the Doctor.

"Excuse me. But what is going on? How do you know who we are?"

"Um...yeah!" The Doctor joined in, backing away from the Selini's advance. "Who and what are you?"

"Why don't you ask your wife?" The Selini spit out the word wife like it was poison. River had decided quite a while ago that she hated this woman. Every word the Selini spoke just increased that feeling. "She seems to be awfully knowledgeable about these kinds of things."

"I have a name, you know," River said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course I know," the Selini said with a sneer. "I just don't think someone like you deserves that kind of recognition." The Selini turned to face River. The Doctor didn't want to get involved in their argument. He could tell it would only lead to trouble, more trouble than they were already getting in.

"So!" the Doctor said, holding out the o sound. He turned to face River. "What's going on?"

"Wait, you're actually listening to this woman?"

"Well, yes."

"Seriously?" River didn't want to believe it.

"To be honest, it seems like she's up to something and I want to get to the bottom of it."

The Selini smiled as she watched the two of them speak.

"Of course that's what you're doing."

"River," the Doctor said. River sighed and began to think about what she had been talking about before the Selini had rudely interrupted them, and even before that. Suddenly she hit on the right idea.

"Witchcraft. She can use her powers to figure out who we are and probably all other sorts of things. She's a witch, a temptress."

The Doctor gave River a bit of a look. "You never mentioned anything about temptresses earlier."

"That's because I never had a reason to."

"You're just insulting her, aren't you?"

"Well, why wouldn't I?"

They were beginning one of their little bickering matches that was so typical between the two of them. The Selini, who never gave up her stare, could tell that they had done this many times before. She didn't mind if the Doctor's wife was insulting her. In that regard, River was no threat. But it sure was fun to make her angry.

"Congratulations. You figured it out. Well, part of it. Now, I have things to explain to the Doctor...privately."

"He's not going anywhere without me," River said.

"Yeah. She's staying with me," the Doctor said. He put his arm around River's shoulders who smiled victoriously.

"Fine. If you two refuse to part, I guess I'll just have to explain to both of you."

"Thank you," River said.

"Oh, you are most certainly welcome," the Selini said, every last word dripping with sarcasm.

"River, be nice. Remember that your karma is being multiplied at the moment," the Doctor whispered, half joking and half serious.

"Well, she's the one who's misbehaving."

"But she won't listen to me about anything like that." They stared at each other for a moment, but the Selini broke it by watching them with her intense gaze.

"We're missing the eclipse," River said, pointing out to the moon. It looked like all but a fourth of the moon had been consumed by some unseen monster. It made River's breath catch for a moment. The Doctor squeezed her shoulder and her breath released.

"Believe it or not, what I wish to tell you is related to the eclipse."

"What I don't understand is why you're telling us anything," River quipped.

The Selini completely ignored River. "I suppose you've heard of the red moon," she said, shaking out her long waves. When there was no immediate response she said, "Oh dear, you haven't?"

"You didn't give me time to reply."

"Oh, but I did. Now I will explain. As the moon is eaten away it changes color into red. It's the best part of the entire lunar eclipse."

"The best part of the eclipse for magic, I assume," the Doctor said.

"Then you would be assuming correctly," the Selini said, smiling flirtatiously at the Doctor.

"What are you planning to do?" the Doctor said, completely ignoring the way the Selini was smiling at him.

"During the blood moon-which is another name for the red moon," the Selini said in a patronizing way towards River who just rolled her eyes in response. "During the blood moon, I will be at full power to release my spell upon this city. I've been waiting to do this for a long time. All these people have been oppressing me for so long because of my powers. But now, it will end." Her eyes were flaming with her thoughts of revenge.

"What exactly is this spell?"

"I'm glad you asked," the Selini said, her eyes glinting. "I will burn everyone to death. Then there will be a true reason for it to the red moon be called a blood moon."

After a moment of silence, the Doctor asked, "Why would you be telling something like that to us?"

"When I saw how clever you were, I knew that it would be fun to give you the opportunity to stop me."

"But why?" River said.

"It's always entertaining to watch people like you stumble around in hope that you can actually do something." Her smirk was filled with mocking and evil which her sharp features only accented.

The Doctor pressed on with the main problem at hand. "Continue, then."

"I'll give you a chance to stop me, a clue." The Selini cleared her throat as if getting ready for a performance. "One tree alone but surrounded, in the shadow of something grander. Find it with its winding branches and plentiful leaves."

"It's too easy. Obviously you have a catch," River said. She glanced up at the moon again. It was slowly but surely disappearing.

"Shush! I was just getting onto that," the Selini said. "You have the time of the red moon to find the tree. If you don't find it in time, I will burn it down. As it goes down in flames, so will all these people. There's your clue. It's a fair little game for us."

"I don't think fair is the right word for it," the Doctor said.

"All's fair in love and war," the Selini replied. "If you keep that wife of yours around, it will soon end up being more of the latter. I could help you with the former, though." She laughed, the noise striking the ear.

River just shook her head and looked away. The Selini had done her job, making all sorts of useless trouble. There was no longer any reason for her to linger. In a dissipation of particles, she vanished into thin air.

"She's a witch, all right," River murmured.

"No time for grumbling, we have work to do, lives to save!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Now...red moon. How long exactly does a red moon last?"

"Don't ask me. I'm an archaeologist, not an astronomer."

"Well, yes, we've covered this."

The two of them looked up at the moon.

"It's not red yet," River said.

"But it will be, soon."

The moon was very nearly gone. After looking at a second, she realized something. The part of the moon that had been changing to darkness was completely different. River was taken aback to find that had begun turning bright red. The moon seemed like it had been disappearing. Now it was like it had been replaced with some completely new moon.

"We're already running out of time," she murmured.

"Well then, we better begin running, don't you think?"

"I thought you'd never ask," River said, grinning. The Doctor grabbed her hand and they ran out into the city, laughing even though they knew there was peril all around.

"Wait!" River cried out. She yanked the Doctor back, who had to skid to a stop. "We need to have a plan for what to do. We can't just go out running aimlessly."

"Aw, why not?" The Doctor complained like a little boy.

"We have a bit of a time limit," she said, glancing up at the sky again. The red moon immediately caught her gaze. It was beautiful, but in an unnatural sort of way. It gave an eerie feeling to everything around it.

"Oh, you're right. Let's think about it, then."

"What if it was a tree on an island?" River said.

After a quick glance at the sky to make sure that a red moon lasted more than a few minutes, the Doctor said, "No, I don't think so. I mean, an island is surrounded by the sea which is indeed grand, but it doesn't a cast a shadow. But..." He smiled, knowing he had gotten a great idea. "Buildings do."

River was picking up on his ideas. "A tree in the city, surrounded by people, in the shadows of a building. It's perfect."

"I thought it might be. Now then, we can run again," the Doctor said with a smile. He shared a look with River and they joined hands. The two of them ran off into the city. After a little while they were forced to slow to a walk because of all the people in the city. It was very crowded even though it was nighttime, and if River and the Doctor hadn't been holding hands they would have immediately been ripped apart.

"How will we know it's the right tree?" River said, having to raise her voice to be heard above the bustle of the city.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "I just feel like we'll know it when we see it. It's not like we have all that much to go off of, anyways."

River looked around at all the busy people going on with their busy lives. "I wish they could just stop what they're doing and watch the lunar eclipse."

"Maybe you should have been an astronomer, since you seem to love this lunar eclipse so much."

She looked up at the moon with its deepening rusty color up in the sky. "It's an interesting mixture of love and absolute terror. I mean, the moon is this intense shade of red. I don't know how long it'll last. All I know is that if it turns back to its normal color then everyone around us will die."

For a while the Doctor had forgotten just what was at stake if they didn't find the tree before the red moon ended. Every last person pushing their way through the crowd just moving their lives would end up dead. It gave the Doctor a push to truly begin searching for this tree. In a moment of thought about the Selini's words, the Doctor let go of River's hand absentmindedly. That was his mistake, because the next time he turned she was gone.

River was being pushed back, far away from the Doctor. It should have been because of the people walking on the streets, but instead it felt like there was some unseen force doing it. She was sure this was the case when she was pushed sideways into an alley.

The area was very strange. It was wide and grassy, unlike anything River had ever thought of an alley of being. Sure enough, there was a single tree sitting there, appearing almost grey in the dim light. River began walking closer to it, but then stopped and looked up at the moon. Yes, it was still bright red. Something was off, though, because even if this the right tree it shouldn't be so easy. Before she could get a step closer, the Selini appeared in front of River.

"I had a feeling it was going to be you," River said. "You separated me from the Doctor so that we would run out of time."

"Oh, the woman is being clever for once!" the Selini said. "That's correct. You two were getting much too close to finding the tree. I couldn't let you continue."

"We had barely begun our search," River said. With a sigh, she continued. "I suppose you're keeping me here until the red moon is over."

"Right again," the Selini said. "The blood moon allows me to have unlimited powers, so I won't have a single problem keeping you here."

"Then tell me if this is correct. You're not from this planet, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I'm from Artang, the world of witches and wizards to all of these humans." She spoke the words scornfully.

"You don't like humans? Then what are you doing on Earth?"

The Selini gave River a look of pure disgust, offended by her words. "You were being somewhat clever for a bit there, but that time is long gone. I was exiled, you idiot! They sent me here to this planet with all of its inferior people. I was doing this race a favor, maiming a few of the worst ones. But then they only wanted to get rid of me as well. Now I can finally get rid of them, along with you."

"Oh, but I'm not human," River said with a little smile.

The Selini was perplexed, scrunching up her perfect face in confusion. "But your parents are human. You're human."

"But I'm not. I'm a Child of the TARDIS."

"You're just making things up now," the Selini said, starting to fume up. "Don't feed me lies."

"They're not lies, though." River was starting to laugh in spite of herself. Finally she had gained the upper hand over the Selini.

Then suddenly in was liked River had been hit in the chest with a boulder. All the air was knocked out her. She looked up after the initial shock to see that the Selini was holding her long, slender hand out. She had been controlling this.

"What...what was that for?"

"Don't mock me." Before River knew it, she was up in the air and slammed against the side of a nearby building. Now River could hardly take in a breath at all.

"Come on, I want to hear you beg for mercy." The Selini was enjoying herself, injuring someone in these ways. River couldn't even gather the breath for any sort of reply.

"Look at you, so weak and helpless. But how I always see you. Soon it's how your beloved Doctor will see you as well. You'll die a coward in his eyes."

The Selini strutted around, examining her destruction.

"A woman like you doesn't deserve someone like the Doctor. When you're dead, I'll gladly take him from you."

River struggled to speak. "If...if you want...want me dead...how come...I'm...I'm still alive?"

"Oh, I could have killed you long ago. But I want to watch you burn personally. Not only will you watch your attempts to stop me fail, but you'll also die in the process."

An invisible force brought River next to a nearby tree. Then it was like chains had been wrapped around her, binding the tree and River together. When she looked down she saw nothing there. River struggled but it was no use. She was stuck there by something she couldn't even see.

"Now, I hope you don't mind, but I'm heading off to prepare my spell. I'll be back to watch you burn," the Selini said. She waved with a smirk and slowly walked away. As soon as she was out of sight River tried to cry out, but it felt like someone was smothering her mouth every time she wanted to make a noise. She had nothing to do but wait and hope that she could escape before she and the tree were burnt down together. River tried to look up at the moon, but she realized it was behind her and there was no way for her to see it. There was no way for her to tell how time was passing by. Even though she was surrounded by a big and bustling city, she was very much trapped.

All she wanted to look at the red moon and see if she could gauge how much time the Doctor would have left, but she couldn't even do that. River just hoped that the Doctor could succeed in the end.

What felt like hours but might have only been minutes passed by. River just stood there, silent. All of her hope was fading quickly. She would just have to pray that burning wouldn't be too painful. But then she heard a voice that made her hope rise again.

"River! What happened?" The Doctor appeared and began moving towards her.

River struggled against the invisible chains and tried to speak, but her voice was silenced yet again.

"The Selini did this to you, didn't she?" River nodded vigorously as the Doctor came to her aid.

"Invisible chains, huh? Magic Artangian chains. Well, I can take care of that." With a flick of his sonic screwdriver, the chains suddenly became visible. Another flash of the sonic later, the chains fell loose and River was freed. She nearly collapsed at first, but steadied herself.

"She's an exile from Artang. She was going to kill me. This is the tree. She was going to burn me down with it."

The Doctor frowned. "You're right. She really is a witch. But at least we found the tree. It took me almost an hour to find you, but it's all okay now. River, we won!" he said happily, his frown from before fading away.

But River's face was still in a frown. "I...I wouldn't be so sure," River said. She was staring up. River pointed at the sky, her finger leading to the moon. "Look."

The Doctor peered up at the moon and realized it was no longer that brilliant shade of red anymore.

"It's over," River breathed out. She shook her head and pushed back tears. This was not supposed to happen. The Doctor always saved the day, even if it was a struggle. Yet today it felt like everything had already come to an end and there was nothing to stop it.

The Doctor suddenly sat down on the ground and let out a deep breath. River, concerned, put a hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone here is going to die, and it's my fault," the Doctor said, covering his face with his hands.

"Doctor, no. Don't think like that."

"But it's true, River."

"No, it's not." But even as River spoke those words she felt like they were lies.

"If I hadn't let go of your hand for a moment she wouldn't have been able to separate us. We would have found the tree in time. It's my fault, and now everyone will burn."

River shook her head. She wouldn't allow her Doctor to feel those kinds of things.

"Look on the bright side. She hasn't done anything yet."

But right at that moment, the Selini appeared. The Doctor and River stared at her standing in front of the tree. The woman put a hand on her hip and then snapped her fingers. River was yanked back again and attached to the tree. A lick of flame began at the top branches.

"Oh look, you failed."

The Doctor couldn't move. He had already lost and there was nothing he could do.

River quickly realized that this time around she could speak, something had changed in the Selini's magic. "But we found the tree!"

"You honestly fell for my words? They were nothing more than a trick, a false lead! I wouldn't have stopped no matter what. There never was a special tree," the Selini sneered.

"Stop," the Doctor said, somewhat quietly. "Let her go."

"Why should I? I think I'll just continue. You'll find it's rather fun watching someone burn to death. Her fate will soon become the fate of all the others in this city."

All of the upper branches of the tree were being consumed by the fire. Time was running out quickly. Something had to be done or River would be the first of many to die by flames. River had started to struggle against the chains. The fire kept on spreading and the Selini's smile just continued growing.

But suddenly, the fire stopped continuing on. It still roared on at the top, but it had stopped moving down the tree. The Selini stared at it, wide eyed.

"No, it can't be." The Selini looked up at the sky and realized something. "The blood moon is over and I have no more unlimited powers. I have to build up my powers to complete the spell." In her stress the Selini had begun thinking out loud. She was now heavily distracted, and the Doctor knew this might be the only opportunity he had to do something. He rushed over to River first, getting rid of her chains yet again using the sonic screwdriver. The fire raged on over her head until she escaped from the heat. River took a few slow steps forward, and then began walking towards the Selini.

"Even if you are a witch, a bullet will still end you." Out of nowhere, River pulled out and loaded up her gun. She pointed it right at the Selini's head. The Selini turned around and then stopped, paralyzed. "Now, let us begin your end."

Even though the Selini didn't show a sign of being afraid on her face, she was frozen.

"River, don't," the Doctor said with a flat tone.

"I have to." She focused on the Selini. It would be so easy just to go ahead and pull the trigger. But something in the Doctor's voice made her pause.

"No, you don't."

"I don't see what the problem is." River didn't turn her gaze away from the Selini for a single moment.

"The problem is that you would be killing her!"

"But she was about to murder thousands upon thousands of people here in this very city. That's what the real problem is," River said, her voice getting louder as the sentence went on.

"River, please, don't do it."

"Oh look, even now the couple fights," the Selini said with a mocking smile.

"Shut up!" River tightened her grip on the gun.

"River, listen to me. Don't kill her. Don't pull the trigger."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill her now," River said.

"It would make you just as bad as she is. Remember, River. Your karma is multiplied by a thousand."

River took a deep breath and stiffly brought the gun down.

"Good, good," the Doctor said.

"Thank you for saving me, Doctor," the Selini said. "It's ever so sweet." She made another smile at the Doctor.

"Oh no," River said. "You don't talk like that to my husband." Then River quickly brought up the gun and shot the Selini down before the Doctor could even comprehend what was going on. The flame that had been blazing on the tree disappeared. There wasn't a sign of any of the fire. There was no blackened bark or ash anywhere. But the Selini had been harmed. She fell to the ground, killed by River Song's bullet. In a matter of seconds, everything had ended.

"River!"

"I had to," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, yes I did."

"Why? Why, River? Why did you have to end a life?"

River looked down. "I was jealous," she finally said, flatly.

"You, jealous?"

"Yes, Doctor, I was jealous."

"But jealously isn't a good reason to kill someone."

"You think I don't know that?" She let out a big sigh and just looked away. "It's not like you would understand, anyways."

"River..."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just couldn't stop myself. I hated her so much," she said, looking at the Selini's crumpled body. Even dead, she still seemed unrealistically perfect. It would have been so much more satisfying to burn her.

The Doctor strolled over to her and gently took River's face in his hands. She allowed herself a deep and slow intake of breath.

"I forgive you. But you can't do things like this anymore, River. Do you understand?"

River nodded. "We can go back to watching the lunar eclipse again, if you'd like."

"I think I'd like that," River said. "The moon is coming back now, after all. Everyone and everything is getting better."

"That's right," the Doctor said. As they were quietly walking back to their spot to watch the lunar eclipse from before, the Doctor leaned over and whispered into River's ear.

"This was certainly one big adventure, but I think I know what we can go see next time."

"What would that be?"

"A total solar eclipse."

A/N The final round of Inside the Box, and I am still awfully worried and stressed out. But I gave this a good shot. I mean, it's been hard. I literally have 1043 words of this story from previous versions that I have completely cut out and replaced. Over on the side I am including a video of a lunar eclipse with a red moon, just like in the story so you can see it yourself! I hope you enjoy my story, whether it's award winning or not.