Chapter 26: River Song
The Doctor seemed nervous as he looked past the time rotor to her. He swallowed noisily before opening and closing his mouth before making words come out.
"River?" He asked and she turned around after pulling her coat off the railings. "Would you like to travel with me? In the TARDIS. We could see, oh, such marvellous things. The golden beaches of Doorm, or watch Axxoperdi collaspe into the Loone black hole..."
River just smiled softly at him and he could see that she was sorely tempted. The whole of time and space with the Doctor. But then she shook her head slowly. "Maybe when you're older."
He nodded, understanding. "Don't want to tangle up timelines which aren't supposed to be tangled."
"Or implode a star or two." She added and she smile grew a little wider. "I'll see you again. Very soon."
"Until then, sweetie." He mimicked and he gave a little wave as she walked out of the TARDIS doors.
He had met Emmeline Pankhurst while walking past Downing Street. She was handcuffed to the railings outside and he had attempted to be a gent and unlocked them with his sonic screwdriver. She demanded that they be locked again and when he reached over to fix his mistake she had swiped his laser spanner from his pocket. She had been prepared to die for her cause, fighting for women's suffrage, most of them had as they played the Cat and Mouse game.
Cleopatra had been a fantastic poker player and was in control of a whole empire. Known as the most famous female pharaoh and her life story was told for millennia to come. She had died for love; she couldn't bear to be without Marc.
Nasreen Chowdrey was yet another, she had decided to act on behalf of the human race and agreed to stay with the Silurians to help guide the process of diplomacy when they reawoke and joined the world once more. Willing to stay behind and be frozen in time, leaving behind the world she knew.
The Doctor had travelled through time, and across so many galaxies, and he had met loads of women during his trips. They were brilliant and clever and brave and amazing. But River Song took the cake, the one with the little edible ball bearings on top.
Because whenever he saw her, he remembered their very first meeting. It was there in his eyes every time they walked into the TARDIS to journey off to the stars. What she had done, not only for the people of the Great Library, but for him. How he couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't have dared to stop her. For a Doctor she had never seen before and would never know, she had taken his place. And he couldn't ever forget, erase that moment from his memory. Which was why she was marvellous, and why he was indebted to her forever.
It was also why as they stood at the top of Singing Towers at Darillium, he with his new hair cut short and a new suit with a smart tie, and she with a concerned expression as the tears silently rolled down his face, he couldn't tell her anything. He just smiled and said that he would see her very soon, and to take care. They simply looked out at the view as the Towers sung and knew that their time together was running out. That the midpoint would soon be crossed and that afterwards they would not be simply moving towards each other, but also away.
