The Doctor awoke in his bed in the TARDIS. The lighting in his room was dim, a deep blue cast over his covers. His old girl knew exactly what emotion he was feeling. This was it, this would be the last time he would see her. This was the moment he was regretting ever since he realized how important she was to him.
He slowly got out of bed and went to his wardrobe, he decided on a different suit, something that would make him look dashing. He wound up picking out a black tuxedo with a red bow tie. He noticed a gown laying on his bed, it matched his tux perfectly. Deep red like the tie and black lace trimming. There were matching black heels as well. He smiled at the ceiling, thanking the TARDIS for realizing what this day was.
The Doctor walked into Oswins room and asked her to cut his hair. When she gave him her cheeky grin and asked if he was trying to look good for her, he didn't return her smile. He barely looked at her as his mind betrayed him and brought back that conversation, the conversation he had had with her so very long ago. The last conversation they would ever have.
Funny thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die. All the time we've been together you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you—the real you, the future you, I mean—you turned up on my doorstep with a new haircut and a suit.
Seeing Oswin staring at him worriedly, the Doctor cleared his throat and told her he had a date, one last date with his wife. Looking rather confused, Oswin asked him what he meant by one last date. Smiling at her, he told her he'd drop her off somewhere safe where she could explore while he was away.
After dropping Oswin off on the planet Furrp – the aliens there were penguins, the nicest creatures the Doctor had ever met. He knew she'd be okay there- he set the coordinates for River's house. Walking out of the TARDIS, he walked up to the house, took a deep breath, fixed his bow tie, and knocked.
After River had changed into the dress and the Doctor had landed them on the planet Derillium, he took her arm and they set out for one last adventure. He had to keep himself from crying right then. She was an angel dressed in red. His beautiful angel. He must have told her she was beautiful over twenty times. Each time she still smiled, her cheeks turning a gorgeous shade of pink.
They sat on a blanket the Doctor had laid out, his arms wrapped protectively around her. The towers sang and River gasped in awe at how beautiful they looked and sounded. The colors of the towers changed with every note they sang. But the Doctor didn't notice, all his attention was on the beautiful woman in his arms. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and cried. He told himself not to, he told himself to just hold on for one more minute. But he knew their time was coming to an end and he couldn't hide the pain anymore. He wouldn't tell her why, not because he didn't want her to know, but because he knew if she did, she would try to change it and you can't change the fixed points. He knew that all too well.
That night they made love under the singing towers, the Doctor whispered he loved her over and over. As if he couldn't say it enough times, as if she didn't already know. When they were done, he held her in his arms. He wanted to bring her into the TARDIS and take her far away, he wanted to keep her his forever. But, he knew he couldn't do that, he had accepted that this was supposed to happen. So, he held her in his arms for hours. Singing along with the towers, mapping her whole body with his kisses, telling her over and over that he loved her as the tears flowed. He didn't try to stop them now, he knew the day was coming closer where he would lose her.
Seven hours and fifty seven minutes later, after getting dressed and heading back to Earth, the Doctor stood on the porch with River, handing her his sonic screwdriver. He had told her he wanted her to keep it because she knew how to use it better than he ever could, but he had given it to her because he had a plan. Because he wasn't going to just let the woman he loved die. So he handed her the screwdriver and placed his hands on her face. He ran his fingers softly across her lips, her slightly pointed nose, her small and beautiful ears. He was memorizing her face, his beautiful angels face. Cupping her chin and bringing her face up to his, he kissed her long and deep. He almost sobbed when her hands went behind his head and clung to his hair. They stayed like that for almost five minutes. Another ten went by as he rested his forehead against hers. Twenty more went by as he whispered everything he loved about her as his lips kissed from the top of her head to her collar bone. Telling her he loved her one last time, the Doctor slowly let go of her as he kissed down her arms.
Walking back to the TARDIS, he let himself cry again as he slowly closed the doors. Taking one last look at his angel as the doors closed, he whispered goodbye. He set the coordinates for Furrp to pick up Oswin, falling to his knees as he cried for what he was soon going to lose. Their lives were back to front. Her futures were his past. His firsts, her last.
The Doctor was handcuffed and helpless as he tried to reason with the woman who had taken his place in the chair and was about to take her own life. He had told her that time could be rewritten. She had replied with don't you dare. This woman was so infuriating, she was so much like him that it scared and intrigued him at the same time. This River Song woman would someday mean the world to him. She would someday be everything to him. That scared and intrigued him as well. As she connected the two cables together, River said goodbye.
For the first and last time.