A/N ~ Hello, sweeties! Just in case you didn't know, while a lot of this series will be based on canon, even more of it will be the little things that I think should have happened - words said, pictures found, old habits half-forgotten… that sort of thing.

As always, I do not own Doctor Who.

Number Four: Libraries

11/River

"Doctor," Clara had asked him one day, not too long after she had begun to travel with him. "Can we go to the library?"

His head had turned to look at her so quickly that she was afraid he might snap his neck. "No. Why?"

"I wanted to borrow some books." Came her reply, somewhat defensively. She had no idea why he was acting so strange about going to the library. "Do you have a library here?" she asked then, thinking that that would be some sort of compromise.

So she nearly jumped out of her skin when he shouted, "NO!"

Then, in a voice so quiet that she could barely hear him, he added, "I hate libraries. There are no libraries on the TARDIS."

"Why not?" she asked. "Can't you read?"

The Doctor snorted. "Of course I can read." Then he turned somber once more. "I lost someone in the Library. Someone…. very dear."

"What, like a girlfriend?" Clara asked, and the Doctor shook his head with a sad little smile. "Boyfriend, then?" Clara pressed, wanting to know more.

"Just leave it, Clara." the Doctor had responded wearily. She stared at him for a moment longer before shrugging and turning away.

"Okay." was what she had said, but what she was thinking was more along the lines of, "definitely a boyfriend, then."

888

Later on, once he had dropped Clara off at the Maitlands, the Doctor went deep, deep into the TARDIS. Hidden away, so far within the old girl that you wouldn't be able to find it unless you knew it was there, was a door.

It was an old door, made out of solid oak. It looked perfect, without a mark on it, but the Doctor knew better. He knew the scratches near the handle were from her early days, when she was still in Uni - drunken fumbling with the keys. The door frame had a slight burn from laser fire - that was from the time that Slitheen had gotten on board the TARDIS.

It took him a moment to gather up the courage to open up the door, and then another before he could actually step inside.

Nothing had changed since the last time that he had been in here - other than a thick layer of dust, but Sexy took care of that in a second.

The walls were lined with bookshelves - floor-to-ceiling wooden things that were filled with all of their favourite volumes. Two mismatched, overstuffed armchairs sat in front of a large marble fireplace, and little knick-knacks - both gifts to each other, and things that she had found on her digs.

He collapsed in one of the chairs, curling up into a ball and clutching one of the pillows to his face. It was faint, but he could still smell her - that combination of perfume, gunsmoke, and the complex scent of time, as well as something else that was just River.

"I miss you, honey…." he said sadly.

This was the one library that he could never get rid of, ever.

Because this wasn't just a wealth of knowledge - it was a wealth of memories, a wealth of her.

A/N~ So this turned out to be a lot sadder than I had originally intended…..

Please review! I'd love to know if anyone has any requests, as well!