Second story and I've been arguing with myself for the longest time on whether or not I should publish it. Just one of those thoughts that popped in my head and would not go away until I typed it up.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Doctor Who nor any of its lovely characters.

The Doctor sat in the jump seat of the console room; the gentle hum of the TARDIS being the only thing that broke the otherwise deafening silence that surrounded him. He was alone yet again, just a madman and his box. He was never in the best of moods after leaving a companion, but this time it was much worse. She was not just a companion and he hadn't left her; time had caught up with them and now it was all over. He laughed bitterly at the thought; he had always said that time was not the boss of him; never had he been more wrong.

They travelled in opposite directions; the first time he met her she died for him and after that she became younger every time they met, minus the few blissful times when they were allowed to cross their own time streams or when they travelled linear, even if it was only for little while. But now it was over for him and he would never see her again- River Song, Melody Pond, his wife.

When he took companions with him he always knew they would be temporary and once they had left he'd have the TARDIS hide or delete their rooms along with all of their possessions, but he couldn't do that with River. Everything was exactly as it had been the last time he saw her, the last time he'd ever see her- the night the towers sang. There were still a few items of her clothing hanging in his wardrobe, a tube of red lipstick lying on his dresser and a pair of precariously high red heels by the TARDIS doors that she was expecting to retrieve upon returning from her expedition in The Library. He needed these small reminders of her surrounding him; he was afraid that he'd start to forget the way she swayed her hips when she walked, the flirtatious smile that so often played across her lips or what it felt like to just hold her in his arms. The memories of her would fade and then he would have nothing.

He ran his fingers absently through his floppy hair and slowly got to his feet. He placed his hands on the TARDIS console, silently willing her to take him where he needed to be, to River. It didn't surprise him when nothing happened; their time was over, but he just hadn't accepted it.

Suddenly a lever was thrown and the TARDIS lurched as she began to move on her own. As soon as he heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS landing he jumped over the stairs, flew to the doors and threw them open. His face fell when he saw what awaited him on the other side of those blue doors- The Library.

He had grown to despise libraries, but none more than this one. He stepped out of the TARDIS, hands shoved in his pockets. The only sound was the soft echo of his footsteps as he made his way across the room, his eyes cast downward to avoid looking at the chair that was connected to the data core. He smiled sadly and looked up as the node turned around and smiled at him.

"Hello Cal."

"Hello Doctor. Been waiting on you to show back up…but I'm not the only one, am I?"

Cal's words were surprisingly sharp to him even though they were spoken with a childlike innocence.

"So, Doctor, what are you doing here after all this time?"

All this time? He fleetingly wondered how long it had been since his first visit.

He absent-mindedly straightened his tweed jacket and glanced around the room before settling his eyes back on the node. "I'm here to save her." The question annoyed him slightly. Why else would he be here?

Cal smiled an almost mocking smile that caught the Doctor off guard once again. "She is saved, Doctor."

When the Doctor only regarded her with a look skepticism she simply asked, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

His look changed from uncertainty to questioning but the only response he got was that same smile, then there was flash of blinding light and he found himself standing on the greenest grass he's ever seen. He was in the data core. How was that even possible? He swiveled on the balls of his feet, taking in his surroundings. All questions of how he was there flew out of his mind when he saw a mess of curly blonde hair on the opposite side of the playground that he was facing. He felt his hearts skip a beat, it was her. River, his River.

He took a step towards her but froze in his tracks when a man walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt his hearts drop when he saw her lean into the stranger's embrace and laugh her melodic laugh when he pressed soft kisses to her neck. She turned in his arms and whispered something in the man's ear that the Doctor couldn't hear. A blush spread across the man's face and River laughed, the flirtatious smile that the Doctor was so used to seeing directed towards him gracing her face.

She turned her head in his direction and caught his gaze, her smile fading. What he saw in her eyes, or rather what he didn't see, nearly killed him- not a single trace of recognition was there.

For some reason, River was unable to pull her gaze from the strange man who watched her so intently. She flashes him a small smile, the kind you give to people you pass in the street but don't actually know. It was weird, she almost felt as if she had seen him before…as if from a long lost dream.

She's snapped from her thoughts by the familiar call of, "Mummy!" as her son ran towards her, arms outstretched and face flushed from running around the playground. A loving smile breaks across her face as she bends and catches him when he throws himself into her arms, laughing lightly at his giggles when she spins him in a circle, the strange man with the bow tie temporarily forgotten.

The Doctor took a few steps backwards, deciding he no longer wanted to be there and then he suddenly found himself standing back in The Library. Lost in thought, he slowly stepped over the threshold of the TARDIS, trudged up the stairs and plopped rather ungracefully into the jump seat.

She had forgotten him. He supposed it was some cruel trick of the data core…or maybe not so cruel. He had saved her to a place that was the complete opposite of everything she ever was. It was safe with no adventures to be had. He smiled slightly as her voice suddenly rang in his head, "Ever so dull," would be exactly how she'd put it. Maybe saved wasn't such a good word. Trapped was more like it. Yes, trapped was exactly it. He had trapped her in yet another prison, except this time there was no way to escape.

He pulled out his TARDIS-blue book that fit perfectly in the inside pocket of his jacket. It was filled with the best memories of the greatest story that would never be told. He smiled sadly at how full and how oh so old it was.

As he leafed absently through the worn pages he realized he wasn't ready to accept that he would never add to this book again; he would find a way to save her, properly save her. He paused on one of the pages and smiled sadly again- Picnic at Asgard.

After their moon-lit picnic they lied down on the blanket that was sprawled out on the grass and gazed up at the stars. The Doctor smiled as River rested her head on his chest and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Can you imagine what it would be like to have a normal life?" he asked quietly.

"You mean a life without half the universe after our heads? I'm sure it would be incredibly boring, my love." He could practically hear the sarcastic smile that played across her lips.

"Seriously…imagine…just you and me. We could have a house, a properly normal house with a porch, complete with rocking chairs where we could sit and grow old together."

River smiled slightly at the thought. "We could have a big kitchen with a bay window that overlooks a garden."

"Big kitchen? Why would we need a big kitchen? You practically murdered dinner the last time I let you make it."

"Oh shut up." She smacked his chest playfully as he chuckled lightly.

They spent the next hour perfectly painting the picture of a dream that would never come true.

There were a few minutes of silence, both getting wrapped up in the thought of this alternate world. River spoke up again, "And maybe there would be the pitter-patter of little feet running into our room at night after having a bad dream."

The Doctor absently played with one of her rebellious curls. "…Children?" His smile grew wider at the thought. "I'd think I'd like that."

"I think I would, too…but I suppose all of this is just the one adventure we can never have…"

The Doctor could hear the sorrow lining her voice and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, wanting to tell her that one day they would be able to have all of that and more, but he wasn't in the mood for Rule One. They remained silent after that, staring up at the stars, both knowing the other was silently wishing for the adventure that never could be.

The Doctor shut the blue book and closed his eyes. Images of River in the data core flashed through his mind; she had seemed so happy. The data core had caused her to forget her previous life and she was able to carry out the life he knew she constantly dreamt about, even if she would never admit it.

He was a selfish old man and he knew it. He wanted to bring her back to him and travel with her for the rest of his days, but even more than that did he want her happiness, even if it meant that she didn't have a clue who he was, and maybe it was better that way.

He had always wanted to give her the adventure they never would, never could, have, and this, he supposed, was his chance.

Reviews make me happier than you could possibly imagine c:

Depending on the feedback, I may or may not publish chapter two, which will most likely be from River's point of view.