Chapter 35: Time and Time Again
There was a scrap piece of paper, ripped out from a notebook with scraggly edges, hastily pinned up to the front of her room. Her other flatmates in the corridor wandered up and down and hardly realised that she was gone until dinner. They had ordered take out Ventuian pizza with extra 'roons and sat in the kitchen talking loudly and joking around. Then the girl whose room was opposite decided to call River because she was missing out, but not before telling the others not to take her slice of pizza while she was gone.
She walked down the hallway and then paused as she reached River's door. Then she stared at the little piece of paper before sighing loudly and wandering back to the kitchen. They looked at her expectedly. She shook her head. "Off again." She said as she sat down on the puffy sofa. It wasn't unusual for River Song to disappear whenever, missing lectures, birthdays, weekends. She'd stroll back in with bright eyes and a smile which didn't say much but implied that she had seen the wonders of the universe. Sometimes she'd tell them where she'd been, they always knew that she was off with the Doctor, whoever he was, but most of the time she would say nothing and waltz off to the library to catch up on the work she had missed.
"I get her pizza!" One of the boys shouted and then made to grab the last slice, but was beaten by another one of the flatmates who gave a cackle as he shoved it in his mouth which started them all laughing and giggling.
And further down the empty corridor was the note informing them that River Song was 'off again'.
'I've gone with the Doctor! I don't how long it'll be this time...The chocolate in the fridge is mine. I warn you now!'
Two days later a man wearing a silver waistcoat and a smile walked down the corridor. He paused at River Song's door and knocked twice. Then he waited. And he waited for a while before frowning and turning around. As he did, he noticed that a girl with long blue hair was hurrying down the corridor.
"Ah, excuse me." He waved her over and she struggled to pull her bag up to her shoulder again.
"Yes?" She asked quickly.
The Doctor pointed to the door. "River Song, is she in? She's supposed to be..."
The girl nodded quickly too. "The note." She pointed to the door and then looked down at the carpet. The scrap of paper was lying on the floor. "Must have fallen." She shrugged, picked it up and then handed it to him. "I'm really really late." She added before racing down the corridor.
"Late?" The Doctor muttered as he read over the note, and his frown turned into a smile. He pocketed the note and then looked at his watch. "No, just a little early." The Doctor strolled back down the corridor.
Two weeks later the Doctor strolled back up to the corridor, leaned against the door jamb of River's door and knocked three times, then twice and then four times quickly.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She called and then the door was pulled open. River stood there, looking a little tired but a smile spread across her face and her eyes brightened as she saw who it was. "Doctor!" She smiled wider. "So what brings you to my side of town?"
"Oh, I remembered that we hadn't gone to Balhoon!" The Doctor said excitedly. "They have rolling hills. Literally. And fluid gravity!"
River smiled and then frowned. "We just went to Leager; you dropped me off five hours ago." She said slowly and he saw that she really was tired.
"Rolling hills. Fluid gravity. Oh, and did I mention that it means you can swim through the air." He dangled that last fact under her nose and saw that she was deliberating. Sleep, or somewhere wonderful.
"Let me get my shoes." She said as she grabbed a pair of old style converses and jammed her feet in them.
He continued to lean against the door. "So, Leager...any good?"
River stood up and linked her arm in his and stuck the note up on her door again before walking down the corridor. "You know the drill."
He nodded in understanding and mimicked her voice. "Spoilers."
"Hey, no mocking our favourite word." She batted his arm as he paused to unlock the TARDIS. "Mind, it's your favourite word, so mock away." She added.
"Is that so?" The Doctor mused on the potential, possible paradox before shutting the TARDIS door behind them as they stepped into the blue box. "Anyway, so Balhoon, rolling fluid gravity fields." He said as he pulled a lever down, sending them off on their next journey.
