For professorsong: An adventure in time and space

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS.

This was the best bit. The best part was the not knowing. The best part was when his foot stepped down on the ground and it was a foreign place and his foot touched new ground and it was new. Never touched by him before.

The Doctor's first love was the universe. This was that sort of moment.

The acrid smell of burning filled his nose and his foot landed on cold metal. A spaceship, burning somewhere in space. Wires hung from the ceiling, and panels fell from the walls. A person sat hunched over a panel and the Doctor raced over to her. No, dead.

"What happened here?" he asked aloud.

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[professorsong]

A hundred plus years was a long time to wait for one's time traveling husband to save them. Truth to tell, once she settled in, she expected him, same face to show up exactly at the end of his deal with the Vashta Nerada. She had been ready at the exact time, smirking, waiting to be all smug and unsurprised when he showed up. Which... he did not do.

She should have remembered that mother said he was always late, but this she figured he wouldn't dare be late for. It took a few more years, and the Doctor who showed up... was not in her sketches, not in her book, not in her wallet. She was cute, however. She parked the Tardis in orbit around the Library and uploaded River from those servers to the Tardis, then downloaded her into Flesh. A temporary fix, the Doctor said. This flesh had lost the human whose mind had first shaped it and no longer felt comfortable being that person, but didn't yet know who to be. So a deal had been worked out. River would be downloaded directly into her and give her a range of experiences while the Doctor found unattached flesh that would be willing to be her new host, and Flesh for the others trapped in the system, including Cal herself and Doctor Moon. But instead of taking River along to find that Flesh and start the negotiations, she left River with a box of her stuff from the Library on a rather fascinating archaeological dig and told her "wait here". Clearly the Doctor had forgotten how bad she was at that. Or maybe she had just underestimated what waiting for more than a hundred years felt like. River gave her one hour. That was it. And she only got that because it took River that long to figure out how to fit everything she needed into the outfit the new body had arrived wearing. Hadn't even given her a chance to pick out clothes in the wardrobe.

So River was in a snug long sleeved sweater with a bit of a thick collar that was not at all to her taste, and black slacks she could live with. While she tried to figure out where she was keeping her diary, her sonic, her squareness gun and such, she plotted her first move. The second time she met the Doctor, from, his point of view was the Byzantine. Her journal, when she checked, had it listed for both his faces now, oddly. But while he was acting decidedly odd, even for him, he wasn't acting overly guilty. Not in memory or journal. Which meant....

Which meant that before then he had to know she didn't stay dead there. Which meant she knew which face she had to meet. Which meant.... She grinned and keyed her Vortex manipulator, a bit of help from the sonic let her track where that version of the Tardis was with a key index after the Library and... ah! Oh, she didn't know that world! How thrilling. With a grin she pocketed the sonic. She was tempted to land herself INSIDE the Tardis, but even parked, that was a whole other set of coordinates and work and she was eager to just get moving now that she could. She still had her key, she could let herself in if he was being stubborn.

But first it was time to find out what adventure he was on. So she hit the button and found herself on some sort of broken down ship. How exciting. She grinned, pulled her sleeve over her vortex manipulator and listened. And heard his question. A grin on her lips she moved into a smile as she slid herself through the corridors.

She had hoped to step into view in time to answer his question. Not that she knew, but never stopped her before. But the moment had gone just too long. So instead when she stepped out, she said a simple two words. "Hello, sweetie."

There was a control panel between them, and it was hardly her most dramatic entrance ever, but her heart swelled with love for that man and she couldn't wait for a perfect moment to make her entrance. Not this time. This time he needed to know she was alive. And she needed to feel alive. She needed adventure and mystery and running at his side.

[rude_not_ginger]

Sweetie?

The Doctor practically leapt out of his skin at the sudden voice behind him. Not that he was afraid of River Song. Who could really be afraid of River Song? She was just an archeologist, and he hated archeologists, didn't fear them. No, she was just this big-haired, know-it all archeologist who showed up at the wrong time. No, his emotions towards River Song were much more complex. Much more complex and, yes, involved some amount of fear.

In all actuality, his fear for River Song was threefold. Firstly, she had met him in the wrong order, which meant now was the past for her, and she had no idea that she had died in her future and his past. She had died to save him. Secondly, she knew his future. And thirdly, she knew his name. There was only one time he would ever have told his name to anyone, anywhere. How could a big-haired archeologist have mattered so much to him? He didn't even know her.

He regained composure as quickly as possible, leaping up to his feet.

"Professor River Song," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His voice added: See, I know who you are this time. Though, he imagined, she wouldn't know that. This was her past.

"Is this another archeological dig for you, because it seems a bit too fresh."

[professorsong]

She chuckled a bit. He was so cute when he thought he had a handle on things worked. She'd let him think he had it worked out. For now.

"Oh no, I'm here for other reasons, but I might as well help you out while I'm here. Mind if I pop into the Tardis for a quick change first?"

[rude_not_ginger]

Right. Just when he thought he had a handle on River Song, she wanted to go right into his TARDIS. He stiffened up, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

"Because you've been in the TARDIS before and know where the wardrobe room is," he said, cautiously.

[professorsong]

Oh, she missed this. She tossed him a grin and a wink as she headed past him towards the Tardis. "Spoilers."

[rude_not_ginger]

The TARDIS won't open for her, he thought. No. No way. The big-haired archeologist couldn't be important enough that the TARDIS would just open for her.

Yet in his hearts he knew it would. Whoever River Song was, she was someone that would be immensely important to him. That terrified him. Especially now. Now, after everything that had happened to him, after running from his destiny to see the universe, after the TIme Lord victorious----he only hurt the people who were important to him.

He crossed his arms, pursed his lips, and watched her approach the TARDIS.

[professorsong]

She stopped at the doors and touched the wod with an affectionate smile. Then she turned only her head, mouthing something at the Doctor in a pig-latin derivative of actual Latin, to get his mind confused enough to translate the short sentence - which was essentially "Have you even met her yet?" - so he wouldn't see her subtly slide her key into the lock, turn it, and the pocket the key again. She faced the door once more, not waiting for him to finish figuring out what she had asked.

She stoked the wood lightly. "Mind if I come in?" she asked the Tardis before gently pulling the door open. Because unlike a certain Doctor... she could read. And because it might make him twitch. She stepped inside and was glad her back was to him as she took in the new, or rather, old design. Well. Wasn't this quite the change.

[rude_not_ginger]

What was that? What did she say? It didn't translate through the TARDIS, and the Doctor was immediately intrigued. He didn't even notice her actions with the key, all he saw was the TARDIS open its doors for her.

Who was she?

He followed behind, watching her reaction to the TARDIS interior.

"New to you?" he asked. "Or, I suppose, old. Didn't think I'd be changing the desktop any time soon."

[professorsong]

She schooled her expression before she glanced back at him, flashing a smile. "Never said you did, Sweetie. Just figured you'd want a moment to tidy up before I start poking around."

[rude_not_ginger]

"Oh, that's right, spoilers," he replied, giving her a cautious look as he stepped up next to her. This was someone he was supposed to trust completely and he barely knew her at all. Couldn't even fathom why she would be here, now.

"Instead of poking, why don't I just lead you to where it is," he said, taking a step ahead of her. "It's not too far, give you a chance to change---" Though he couldn't figure out why.

[professorsong]

She grinned. "Good idea." And put her hand around his. "Lead on."

So. Was she pretending not to know because she wanted to hold your hand, or did she not know because you really do make a change? Oh it was ever so much fun to keep him guessing.

[rude_not_ginger]

The moment they were fully over the threshold of the TARDIS doors, the doors suddenly slammed shut. The Doctor spun around, but it was too late, the TARDIS was suddenly in flight, suddenly taking off, rocking them across the console room as it shook violently back and forth.

The Doctor tumbled backwards and forwards, scrambling to the console.

"We're heading to the vortex, back in time!" he called out. "Six thousand years!"

[professorsong]

She tossed her head back, laughing and patted a rail with her free hand. "Thank you," she said to the Tardis, then grinned at him. "Then I certainly need to change don't I? And you could use a new tie. Come on then."

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor's eyes went wide as he looked over to River. The TARDIS shook, twisted, and then landed with a hard thud wherever it had decided they were going.

"We've just been ripped from the place we landed," the Doctor snapped. "Torn from a part of the universe for some reason or other and deposited somewhere completely new, and you're worried about a wardrobe change?"

[professorsong]

"Of course, sweetie. One does want to look good when running for her life. You'll understand it someday." She considered, lips twitching. "Then again, maybe not."

[rude_not_ginger]

Was she insulting his suit? He straightened his tie and felt his cheeks grow very slightly hot under her scrutiny. There was something very odd about this woman, something very odd about her indeed.

He cleared his throat. "All right, but...be quick about it."

He glanced longingly back at the door, then led the way to the wardrobe room.

[professorsong]

She went with him, not letting go of his hand until they got to the wardrobe room. Then she gave his hand a squeeze and danced in, heading past the section that her mother tended towards to find hers. She started going through the outfits for something perfect. She couldn't resist tweaking him a bit and picked up a dress with a neckline so low that she'd only wear it for a reaction, rather than when they were going to be running and fighting. But she had to see if his eyeballs could actually explode. So she lifted the hanger with the shirt. "This one, you think?" she asked, keeping her face perfectly straight.

[rude_not_ginger]

She released his hand and he extended his fingers a bit. As in the Library, he hadn't even noticed that they were holding hands until she let it go. It felt so strangely natural.

He reminded himself silently that he wasn't afraid of River Song.

She held up the shirt with a very low neckline.

All right, he was a little afraid of River Song.

"You know, my companion Perpugilliam Brown wore that," he said, sniffing. "Pretty impractical. Very..." Distracting. "I mean, if you like it?"

[professorsong]

She chuckles. "I don't know yet, try it on and we'll see." she said, still keeping her face straight.

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor glanced back at the door. "All right, but we'd better get going, we don't know what's out there, yet."

Was she seriously going to try to adventure in that?

[professorsong]

She tossed the shirt at him. "Alright then. You change into that one, and I'll try this one," she said grabbing a shirt that still had a low neck, but less of one and was all over more practical.

Yes, she was saying that He should try the skimpy shirt. And without waiting for his reply, she turned her back and started to change her shirt.

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor caught the dress with one hand and stared, slack-jawed, at River.

She was teasing him? Was this some sort of flirting?

She grabbed a different shirt and the Doctor turned to leave the room, give her some privacy. Whatever they were in the future, they weren't that yet, and he wasn't about to...well, whatever.

[professorsong]

She let herself laugh finally as she heard him turning to go. Because if she didn't laugh soon she might burst. She moved her stuff to sit comfortably in the new outfit, swapping the shoes for a pair of stiletto heels she always kept there because they looked one kind of lethal and were a whole other kind of lethal. And of course she wouldn't have bought them all if they weren't comfortable for running in. "Looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker," she murmured to herself, amused.

Then she fixed her hair and went to his section, picking him out a rather nice tie. That in hand, she went to find him.

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor stood at the console, looking over the controls. Six thousand years in the past.

"The Garner Quadrant," he announced as he heard her enter.

[professorsong]

She leaned over his back to look at the readout and nodded. "Beautiful this time of year. So, she tell you why we're here yet?"