Her hands, tanned and strong, tease his bowtie loose, leaving the white ribbon on the moonlit grass. She moves to his shirt, carefully unbuttoning the top row.
His right hand is lost in her tangled hair, buried under the golden thicket of curls. Instead, he slips his left hand over hers, shaking his head slightly. Notes like harps and flutes drifted down from the marble stones of the towers, shaking the leaves nearby.
"Shy tonight?" River teases. "I know we've done this before."
The Doctor swallows, his Adam's apple visible in the starlight. "River—"
"I've been waiting for ages, don't spoil it." She rolls over, looking up at the sky. "Or we'll have to come back."
"Yes. Well. We could do that." His voice drops to a whisper. Another tower joins in the song, a strong melody reminiscent of trumpets.
"You haven't looked at me since we left your other self. Is something wrong?" She nudges his toes with hers.
He shivers. "Just cold."
"Well, I can fix that," River pats the grass besides her. "Whatever's bothering you, leave it for later."
"You were going to drop me off in Stormcage, weren't you?"
"Sorry, I keep forgetting they let you out for good behavior." He yanks a lever down. "Thought you were getting rather fond of the place."
"Doctor, when did you see me in my cell?"
"Um…" he scratches his head. "When I came to pick you up. Or drop you off."
"Trust me, it got pretty dull in between." River turns towards the door. "I'll give you a call later, see what I find. It's been closed for a hundred years; goodness knows what we'll find there."
"River-" The materialization finishes quietly; even the brakes are off. "It's just…just…" He grabs her by the shoulders. "I'm sorry. So sorry."
"For what?"
"For all the times I didn't know you. All the times I didn't trust you, didn't know what you were to me—I'm sorry." He wraps his arms around her, like a child with a stuffed animal. "Forgive me."
"It's not your fault," she whispers. "But you're forgiven. Did you really need to ask?"
Long after she's left, he lifts his head from the console and nods.
