River lay on her bed, alone. She ran her fingers gently across the battered pages of her diary – the TARDIS blue panels on the cover making her shiver.
Heavy rain beat against the window the way it always did. Despite its monotony, she never got tired of watching the single droplets merge together as they travelled down the glass. The prison wasn't caging her in; she could use her hallucinogenic lipstick and leave whenever she wanted to. No, it wasn't really a cell. It was simply a waiting room. And she waited there until the Doctor was ready to see her again.
Closing her eyes, memories flashed through her mind. The last time she had seen her mother and father was when he had died. Finally, she was able to talk to her parents, them knowing exactly who she was, laughing and joking like good friends. It was nice, but she still yearned for something more. She wished she hadn't been taken, that she could have grown up on Earth, making childhood friends and enjoying every moment with her parents as parents. There was nothing she could do to change the past. Her life had already spanned the course of time and space and now, she waited.
The sound. That familiar sound.
It couldn't be him; it was just the prison playing tricks on her.
She glanced up through the bars. There was nothing there. No sound, except for the low rumble of the thunder and the occasional electric cracks of lightning. She heard footsteps in the distance. It was the guards who continually patrolled the corridors, trying to convince themselves that they could stop her escaping.
Returning to her bed, she sat down and flicked through some more pages of her diary. It was the only remnant of her past with the Doctor, the most precious thing she owned. Slowly the cool air set in and she pulled on a jacket over her dress. Fully encompassed in the entries, she didn't notice a shadowy figure making their way towards her cell.
"Hello, sweetie."
Upon these words she threw the book onto her bed and raced towards the Doctor.
He was wearing a suit, clean-cut and crisp and he had a new haircut. She grinned and gripped the bars with both hands as he leant against them. He looked handsome, but she noticed he seemed faraway and deep in thought.
"Where are we?" River asked as she retrieved her diary and watched him open the lock with his screwdriver.
"It's not going to be there, River," he smiled, taking the journal from her and placing it back inside her cell, "I'm here for a special visit."
She didn't ask anything else. It was something she hadn't yet lived and the experience was guaranteed to be exciting. Her heart beat faster just thinking about their next adventure.
Suddenly, a loud claxon began to echo around them and the red alarms were flashing. Stormcage knew that River Song had escaped.
The Doctor grasped her hand and they ran through the corridor, straight into the TARDIS which was parked just a little way down from her cell.
Immediately, he set about pulling levers and pushing co-ordinates, constantly watching the screen as they began to move away. As always, River secretly drove, intuitively understanding every one of the controls.
They were travelling gently through space, among the stars, and the Doctor finally sat down on the control room sofa. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. River took a place next to him, holding his hand. Noticing how comfortable he was with her, she guessed that it was one abnormal point in time where they were both older. Their timelines had only roughly travelled in opposite directions and there were always places where things didn't fit the pattern.
"Doctor," she began, looking into his eyes, "what is it?"
He sprang up from the chair and returned to the controls.
"Nothing ... sorry," he said, shakily clearing his throat, "let's go!"
There was a huge burst of energy and the whole ship moved from side to side, eventually stopping and making the breaking sound that River hated.
He ran towards the door and peeked out before slamming it shut. Turning around, his face was lit up with anticipation and he held out his arm. She threaded hers through and they walked out of the TARDIS into a garden.
There were flowers and trees surrounding a large grassy area. By the appearance of the plants, River deduced that they were not on Earth, though her instincts led her to feel extremely safe. In the centre of the opening were three huge stone towers, dominating the skyline, which was pink and bright and specked with a constant meteor shower. It was warm, much like a day in mid-spring.
The Doctor placed a blanket on the ground and the two of them were seated.
"Where are we?" River asked, still looking around in awe of the magnificent surroundings.
"Darillium," he said, gazing at her.
"These are the singing towers?" she asked, surprised, "... but they've been lost for centuries!"
Her archaeological studies had often led her to stories about the towers. They had been missing for years and no one, despite decades of research, had ever managed to unearth their ethereal beauty again.
One thing still puzzled River; it was silent. There was not so much as a light breeze to rustle the plant life and the meteor shower seemed to be too far away to be heard.
"They only play once every thousand years," the Doctor said.
"How did you find them?" she asked, resting her head on her hand and lying out on the blanket.
"Someone owed me a favour," he grinned, "but you must keep this a secret. If the natives find the towers again, it will become a tourist destination and they could be destroyed."
River held her finger across her lips, "Shh."
The Doctor imitated her and they both laughed. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Here she was, River Song, sitting on Darillium next to her husband, seeing the famous singing towers that had been supposedly wiped from history.
A few minutes passed as they admired the planet in peace.
"I've missed you sweetie," she said after a pause, her eyes closed and basking in the warmth.
"I've missed you, too," he replied, grinning as she sat up and looked at him.
The Doctor picked up a bottle of wine that he had brought with him and read the label.
"Vintage," he said, biting off the cork as he had done at Lake Silencio.
River snatched it away from him before he could drink.
"Really?" she teased, "you don't like wine, remember?"
She drank from the bottle and placed it to her side, out of reach.
"I still think I might learn to like it. It must be something special if all you humans love it so much," he answered, leaning over but missing the drink as River's quick reflexes got there first.
Standing up and holding the bottle, she began to walk slowly around the towers, wanting to see them up close. The Doctor followed her closely as she placed it on the floor and touched the stone.
There were various patterns carved into the grey bricks, possibly a message or just decoration, neither knew.
"Amazing, hm?" he whispered as River circled the monuments, open-mouthed. She nodded in agreement.
He checked his watch, stating, "It's almost time."
She turned to him, half fascinated, half concerned at what it might be time for.
"Time for what?" she asked.
"You'll see," he smirked knowingly, distracting her as he picked up the wine and drank. He spat it out, staining the green grass red with an expression of disgust consuming his face.
"I did tell you," River chuckled, returning the bottle to its place on the blanket.
The Doctor simply pouted, sulking like a little child.
Unexpectedly, he took the sonic screwdriver from the inside pocket of his new suit. He scanned the nearest tower from top to bottom and listened to the feedback. River could tell from his behaviour that the time had come for whatever he was planning.
A light breeze caught her cheek and she noticed that the weather was changing as the sky became a deep blue, though the meteor shower continued. It was still bright, though a calming darkness had enveloped the garden.
Faintly, River could hear music playing. As it got louder, she understood it was the towers, the wind coursing through the holes crafted in them. The sound was charming, like angelic singing. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.
The Doctor walked towards her, placing one arm around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. He liked the feeling of being so close to her; he was finally comfortable.
Eventually, the music faded.
River tangled her fingers with his and they sauntered back to the TARDIS, stopping momentarily to gather up their things. Standing outside the door, they turned and took one last look at the singing towers. The Doctor sighed deeply.
As he continued to push buttons on the control panel, he avoided River's gaze. They were soon levitating in space, barely moving past planets and stars in the darkness. Quickly, he left the room and headed off through a corridor.
"Doctor!" she shouted, rushing after him but finding only empty spaces, "Where are you?"
He poked his head around a door.
"Just a minute," he smiled, returning to the room.
As she reached the same door, it vanished from sight. Whatever he was doing, he didn't want her to know and the TARDIS wasn't going to let her see. She sat down on the sofa, watching the flickering lights and listening to the gentle hum of the engine. Unusually, she felt nostalgic and revelled in the moment when she was alone in his time machine; the child of the TARDIS. A few minutes passed, though they felt longer as she looked around every intricate detail that was the control room. Soon enough, the Doctor arrived next to her, grinning.
"Well?" River asked.
"I was working on something."
"Where is it?"
He tapped the side of his nose knowingly. She rolled her eyes and walked away, leaning on the rails.
"I hate you sometimes."
"No you don't," he said, looking directly at her.
River glanced at him, ignoring his behaviour though laughing silently. It wasn't often that the two of them spent time alone, but tonight he was acting differently.
"Why did you take me there? You could've taken anyone, but you took me," she said, "why?"
"You're an archaeologist, Dr Song. Who else would truly appreciate the Singing Towers of Darillium?"
She chuckled. Although deep down she knew that was not the reason, she accepted that he was not going to offer the truth.
"I see."
The Doctor could see by her face that she didn't believe him. However, he also respected rule one: the Doctor lies. River was the most understanding person when it came to the truth; she had to be, for fear of changing her own past, or preventing her future. Despite this, she had always trusted him, always loved him, and he struggled to watch someone who had suffered their whole life walk into her death. The way he had not been sure of her at first in the Library had haunted him all this time. He might have been able to save her, properly, if only her death day had not been the first time he'd met her. The best that he could do was try to make their last meeting extra special; something that she could hold onto until the very end.
"Doctor?" River said, concerned as he daydreamed.
He opened his eyes wide and, seeing the worried expression on her face, squeezed her hand. The Doctor kissed it softly, before moving to type the co-ordinates.
River opened her eyes sleepily, finding herself lying on the sofa with a blanket. It was old, and had been lovingly patched up with spare pieces of material over time. She had seen it around the TARDIS on a few occasions.
"Do you remember that blanket?" the Doctor asked, standing near the door as he waited for her to wake up.
"Not really ... should I?"
"It's the one I used in my cot. Your first blanket."
His eyes were bloodshot and he fixed his sight to the floor. River smiled, a rare pleasant piece of her childhood making her spine tingle.
"I have a present for you, River," he began, his voice shaking slightly.
"A present?" she asked, surprised, "What for?"
"W-well ... uh, you may need this one day."
The Doctor reached into the inside pocket of his new suit. In his hand, he held a sonic screwdriver. It was silver, with a blue lens, which shone red when in use. Various buttons were placed along it, signifying the multitude of settings. There was a special ring, to hold her finger.
"Why?"
He passed it to her and she ran her fingers along the edge, feeling the cool metal. It felt as though it was made for her; it belonged with her.
"Best get off back to prison, eh?" he said quickly, swallowing to combat the lump in his throat.
"I suppose so," she sighed, hugging him tightly.
Tears began to fall, trickling down his face and along her back. He blinked hard to clear his blurry vision. They pulled apart and River kissed him gently, holding his cheek in one hand and stroking away the water with her thumb. She lifted the sonic to their faces.
"Doctor, why will I need this?"
"Spoilers," he whispered as his voice cracked, fresh tears forming in his eyes.
River looked down. She clutched the screwdriver tightly in one hand, whilst still caressing his face with the other. They never said good-bye, as there was always the hope of seeing each other again. He managed a weak smile, to which she replied with a warm grin.
She pushed open the door of the TARDIS and walked out into the cold hallway, only turning to watch her Doctor disappear into the depths of time and space.
Once he had gone, the alarms began to sound again and she instinctively stopped them with the screwdriver. There was silence, except for her footsteps. Even the guards had accepted it as a fault of their system. She knew then that this was going to be the most useful object she had ever owned.
As she walked towards her cell, the telephone rang. She raced towards it, hoping it might be him or someone who knew him.
Picking up the receiver, a stranger's voice spoke to her.
"Dr River Song? This is Strackman Lux. I have a proposition for you."