Number Ten: Song
12/River (hints of 11/River and 10/River)
"They've been there for millions of years, through storms and floods and wars and…time. Nobody really understands where the music comes from. It's probably something to do with the precise positions, the distance between both towers. Even the locals aren't sure. All anyone will ever tell you is that when the wind stands fair and the night is perfect…when you least expect it…but always…when you need it the most…there is a Song."
The first time that he met her, she saved him - in more ways than one.
Yes, she sacrificed her life to save him (along with 4,022 other people). But it was more than that.
Because by that point, he was so lonely. Yes, he had Donna these days, but that wasn't it.
He had just lost so many, and so much, that he couldn't take it anymore. He had nothing left to give. He had loved so much, and lost it all, and he couldn't keep going like this.
And then she showed up. River Song, Professor of Archeology at Luna University. She knew him - better than he knew himself. She had a sonic screwdriver - that was better than his. And it drove him mad - until she dropped a bomb on him.
She told him his name. And that was the best gift that anyone could have ever given him.
Because that told him something. He had a future - a future! Even better, he had a future with this brilliantly infuriating woman who ridiculed him, challenged him, held him to a standard that would only be achievable far in his own future.
And she saved him - right when he least expected it.
8888
She was there for him. Always and completely there for him - no matter what face he had, or how well he knew her.
No matter what it was that he needed - whether it was an extra hand, an encouraging word, a flirty smile, or even just someone to yell at - she was there.
She was there with the Vashta Nerada.
She was there for the Weeping Angels at the Byzantium.
She was there for the opening of the Pandorica and Big Bang 2.
She was there for Lake Silencio - and the several months that followed that, being chased all over America by Canton.
And of course, she had been there for Area 52 - their wedding.
She had been there for all of those - seen him at his best, and at his worst - and she still had faith in him.
It terrified him, honestly. That anyone could love him that much. Could love him so much that they would be willing to deal with that - with him.
Especially because it was her, of all people - Professor River Song. The woman who died so that they could live.
You and me. Time and space. You watch us run.
She would appear at random times, always bringing adventure, and usually leaving behind a few broken hearts. She would appear, and then be gone again as soon as they had saved the day.
But she was always there for him - right when he needed her the most.
8888
They said that the universe - that time itself - was held together by a melody. He didn't know who said it, just that 'they' did.
He wasn't sure if that was true (although it wouldn't surprise him if it was), but he knew that that was what held him together. The river to his fire, the song to his silence.
Music was part of life, after all. It was everywhere - fast paced songs for happy times; slow, drawn-out melodies for sad times. But it was always there, an escape.
Someone had told him once, long ago, that 'the music room is the heart of the house.'
They were right.
Because on every miserable, devastating day - on every happy, joy-filled occasion - there was a Song.