"Oh, now where did I put that-ah! There you are! Sneaky bugger..."
River snatched up her coat as she fumbled with her earrings. When he had called, telling her about when he'd be there to pick her up (which knowing him, could be up to an hour before or two hours after he said, hence her rushing about), he had told her they were going someplace special. Now, he had already taken her to many "special" places, and times, so her curiosity was indeed piqued.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar whooshing, grinding, nearly howl-like noise, followed almost immediately by the door-chime ringing merrily. With a bemused smirk, she moved toward the front door.
"About time you showed up!" she called just as it flew open. She paused.
Her Doctor stood there wearing a new suit, and not some random thing like he usually found lying around either, but a smart, flattering, rich-looking ensemble. He also had a very nice, also new, haircut. He fixed her with a proud, slightly sheepish grin, eyes twinkling with amusement at her mouth-half-open reaction.
"Good evening, my dear. Are you ready to go?" he said finally, purposely not mentioning his new look.
After a second, River answered him, "Of course I am. So where are we going? You wouldn't tell me earlier. What's this 'marvelous, special place' we're going to? Gotta be something fancy with that outfit. A party? I do so love them." She sashayed up to him and gently tugged his bow-tie.
He escorted her through the Tardis doors, quickly closing them behind them,"Tonight I've got a lovely treat- we're going tooooo..." he intentionally dragged it out, grinning like a loon, "the Singing Towers at Darillium!"
Her eyes widened slightly, "Really? You've been promising we'd go forever. But, I thought I'd heard they've been silent for a century-oooooh. I see."
He smiled, "Come now, don't tell me you're already forgetting where you are," he gestured around them, "I've only been away for a week. Well, a week to you...for me it was a bit longer. Or shorter? I still get mixed up some-"
She stepped forward and kissed him softly, then said "Quiet, you. Now come on, we can't have you looking that dashing and not be on our way."
He looked down, as if suddenly noticing his clothing,"Oh, you mean this old thing? Just something I picked up..." Stepping slightly to the side, he gestured grandly with one hand, "M'lady, after you."
With a slight mock curtsey she walked past him and up to the pilot's chair, settling herself onto it. Ever so casually, she swung her legs up to rest them, ankles crossed, on the console,
"So sweetie, coordinates already set?"
"Ah-yes, of course," he responded from the opposite side of the control column as he fiddled with various knobs, dials and keyboards, making his way around it toward her, "Just gotta make a couple adjustments-there! Now all we need to do is make sure the stabilizers are cooperating-and there we go!" he whooped as the machine sprang to life with a tremendous shudder sending him grasping for the console to stay standing. The sudden movement made the hem of River's dress slip down nearly to her hips, though she made no effort to adjust it.
The Doctor turned to her and started to say "Now, when we get there it'll..be..." but paused as he noticed her gown's little mishap.
"Yes? You were saying?" she asked, looking at her nails and feigning ignorance.
He forced himself to tear his eyes away, though he kept his head angled so he could just see her in his side-gaze. He couldn't help but admire how the silken fabric draped around her long, lean legs and the tops of her lace-trimmed stockings playing peek-a-boo. Blast it all she was distracting!
"River, my dear," he said carefully, "The last time you pulled a stunt like this we ended up in the wrong galaxy!"
"I do believe that time you were the one who started it." she retorted, throwing him a wink.
He shot her an annoyed, hated-to-admit-she-was-right glance, and tried to focus on piloting as she finally stood, the gown falling back in place, and walked up next to him,
"It's said the towers make the most beautiful music any ears have ever heard," River mused, "Is that true?"
"Well, yes, that's what all the legends say, but we'll have to see," he said, grateful for something to ramble about, "There's stories that say only those with pure hearts can hear it, that there are energy beings trapped inside and the music is actually their cries for help, that some are so overwhelmed they refuse to leave and end up pining away to death in front of them. ...There have been times I wanted to go, but I was always, shall we say, busy. Either that, or then I remembered...well, spoilers."
"I know." she said, sadness touching her voice.
Suddenly, the Tardis rocked and came to a stop, the materialization fabricator beeping to let them know they had arrived. They both looked up to read the information flashing across the main screen.
"Well then, it looks like you got it right. For once." she teased.
"Oi!" he protested, "I know what I'm doing. Well, now I do. Buuuut anyway," he hit another couple knobs, "We're here."
Quickly striding to the doors, he clicked his fingers with a flourish and they swung open. Turning around, he held out his hand, "Come with me."
"Anywhere." she whispered, grabbing her jacket and going to meet him. Hand in hand, they stepped out of the Tardis and onto a stone and marble platform that encircled a vast garden. The evening air was cool, with a slight breeze that carried the perfume of various flowers through the air. A myriad of stars twinkled in the skies above. She smiled to herself, remembering they had seen many of the worlds that circled those stars. He clicked his fingers again, and the doors snapped shut. There was a small crowd of others there, of various races, all making their way toward a waiting transport car. As usual, no one seemed to take notice of a blue box that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. In the distance, shining lightly in the evening gloom, stood the sister towers at the heart of a crumbling network of ancient temples. No one knew very much about them; they had supposedly been built by a native species long ago before they left the planet to explore the galaxy. But no one really knew for sure. The only thing that was certain was that, every once in a while, they would begin to glow ever so slightly, and two nights later they would "sing", making the most beautiful, haunting music. It was a rare treat to hear them, especially since over the years they sang less and less.
"This is a very special night, " The Doctor said after a minute of silence (rare for him) as they too made their way to the train.
"And why is that?"
"Because this is the last time the towers will sing."
She gaped at him, "You brought us to the last recorded date of the tower's singing? Are you sure?"
"I checked. I'm certain. It's the...well." he coughed.
For just a moment, a shadow crossed his face and he looked away. An unexplained knot of fearful uncertainty hit her in the gut. He had faced whole armies down, their weapons drawn, and he with only a smirk and a swagger. Yet something that had just crossed his mind was terrible enough to warrant an expression of genuine fear and pain that he couldn't hide. She stopped and stood in front of him,
"What is going on? Something's on your mind and try to cover it as you might lover-boy, I can see it. As much as I hate it sometimes I understand why you can't tell me everything but...is there anything you can tell me?" she asked.
He smiled impishly and brushed some stray hairs from her face, "Later. For now, let's enjoy this. Have some fun, go out dancing, even live dangerously and get some cake. Come on!"
River stared into his eyes, searching, prodding for some clue, anything! But he had again hidden his thoughts too well. Those infinitely deep pools held nothing she could read.
"Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time?" she said with a shake of her head as they began to walk again, "I will be getting something out of you later." she added with a wink.
He tugged at his collar sheepishly, "Later, yes, maybe. But for now," he held out a hand to help her onto the train car, "Let's see what all the fuss is about."