If the Doctor had it his way it would be just as all of the rest of the days he spent with River, surrounded by the perfect music, food, adventure and intrigue to make her laugh smile and gaze at him like he was amazingly handsome and charming in her eyes even on a dangerous mission.
But not this time.
This time River didn't see him like that. No recognition whatsoever. Not a Doctor. Not a husband. Just a stranger along the way.
"After all this, do you have someone to go back to?" River asked him, drawing his attention back to the present, he was just recalling himself earlier, just minding his own business in his Tardis, in a random little town that happen to snow down on the eve of Christmas to then fate having a change of heart and deciding to lead him back to River, and now he let her drag him into a cruise ship restaurant in wait of the mysterious buyer of the Halassi Diamond in her definite ex husband's skull in the duffle bag under the cloth table.
"What makes you think I have someone?" as he asked curiously, River chuckled at him in amusement, "You think I could miss that charming little ring you got there" nodding to his left hand, "Tell me" she smiled at him, " Whose that lucky lady in your life?"
The Doctor caressed his green gem ring briefly in instinct that it was indeed still there, but uncomfortable to talk about it.
When the Doctor first regenerated into this face, he didn't really think of what wearing the ring meant, it was just an accessory, new style, new self, until he would begin to know who the ring really is for.
"You really don't know?" he asked silently hoping it won't take long till she saw who he is, refusing to believe that River could be this naive, she knew everything about him, why not now?
He must of be staring at her too deeply as River broke eye contact to reach for her champagne glass on the table "Do I know them?" she asked softly taking a sip and brushing a loose curl behind her ear.
The Doctor's heart sank a little.
"Better than anyone else" he said in a fond tone in his voice, clasping his hands together and lips to his thumbs to prevent himself from saying anything else, he didn't want to push the issue and chose to look away from hers just so he could collect himself in his head, but vowing not to give up on making River realise what she will always be to him.
River frowned slightly at his words and wondered who it could possibly be in her life to be this surgeon other half, bit difficult but endearing in his own way to look past it, as she looked at him, causing him to look away longer in turn at the other dining people around them.
What a strange and intriguing man River thought, I never fail to pick the interesting ones, admiring him as her surgeon was in his own head.
Notes:
Inspired from my own dumb fandom heart edit on deviantart XD heres a link
art/AU-Do-I-know-Them-584614775
