She found the Doctor underneath the console. It looked as though he had drifted off in the middle of tinkering with his Old Girl, a rare moment to see even for River. He looks so young, she thought, sleeping like this; so at peace down beneath the hustle and bustle of the console room. Where he can be close to his TARDIS, undisturbed. He was sitting in the swinging chair, something that probably used to be a hammer hanging limply in his hand. His temple was rested softly against a bundle of hanging wires.. River stepped carefully and quietly to the Doctor's side. She smiled softly when he muttered something in some unknown language and nestled further into the console's underbelly, a strand of hair falling across his face. Reaching out to brush it away, she was almost knocked over by the force.

In that small instant, for just the moment her fingertips brushed the Doctor's skin, a soft but strong presence filled her entire being. Waves of emotion washed over her as she reached up to feel a tear that had escaped; comfort and such incredible love. She wiped her cheek and composed herself, determined to try again. With a shaky hand, River closed her eyes and reached to touch her fingers to the Doctor's temple, once again overwhelmed with the sheer power of what she felt. This time, she held fast and could make out what seemed to be music beyond the wall of emotion.

A voice sang all around her; no words were spoken, but she could feel every thought and emotion each tone was meant to portray. It was so very nearly tangible, as though the mere sound of the voice had comforting arms wrapped around her. She felt indescribably safe and content, but the voice had a lamenting undertone. It sounded so lonely; so incredibly lonely in this immense universe, like it was a single part of a chorus that used to ring throughout the cosmos.

Jerking quickly back into reality, River's eyes flew open and her hand fell away from the Doctor's face. He was still sound asleep, so River made her way quietly around him and back up onto the control room's main floor. Her mind was nearly blank, still shaken up by the melody in the Doctor's mind. It couldn't be him, she thought, though she was aware that the Time Lords were a psychic people. She'd touched him before, obviously, but nothing like this had ever happened before. The TARDIS hummed around her as she felt herself waking more from her relaxed state. Maybe since he was asleep, his mental guard wasn't as strong, but that didn't explain the music.

Giving up on the mystery of the melody for the moment, she danced around the console, setting the coordinates for a leisure planet she'd heard of in the 51st century. As she pulled the last lever and the ship threw herself into the vortex, a soft, lulling song filled River's head and heart. Almost unnoticeable, like music from so very long ago, River finally understood. She was the child of the TARDIS, after all.