AN: Just a drabble I wrote on the last day of school. It's my revenge on the Doctor for not noticing that he totally crushed River's heart in his enthusiasm.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. ;)
If eleven lifetimes had taught the Doctor anything, it was that there were as many lasts in life as firsts, and just as many were bitter as were sweet. Loves and losses had all tangled together in the possibly never-ending blur that was his life, and while some moments ran together into one half-remembered notion, others would be etched into his mind forever. This moment was one of the latter kind.
He had taken River to Barcelona, the planet variety, for her birthday: her nineteenth, to be precise. She looked stunning, as always, in a simple blue and white sundress. The sea breeze rolled in off the waves and merrily tossed her hair, nature only augmenting the girl's beauty. Her eyes sparkled with not only their constant passionate fire, but also with a softer glow of happiness.
It was the perfect moment coupled with a girl he cared for more than any other person throughout time; it was the natural moment for him to kiss her.
The kiss itself was small. It was just a simple press of his lips to hers, nothing so passionate as so many of their kisses before. He thought little of it until he saw the surprise in her eyes as he pulled away.
His heart sank as he made himself ask, "We have done that before, haven't we?"
River, passionate and sly and evasive but ever gentle River, was delicate in her honesty as she shook her head. "No."
The pain of the simple confirmation of his fear was intense. He had a sudden flash of empathy for River all those years ago when they'd shared his first kiss with her… and her last kiss with him. There was finality in the moment, one possibly worse than their final meeting would be, because this was the start of her love story with him, and the end of his love story with her.
At twelve hundred years old, he knew that there was more to love than physicality. He was so old but sometimes he was so young as well. He'd never been good with endings, and he ached to know that his time with River was drawing to a close.
She wasn't in prison yet, so later that day he dropped her at her current place of residence. "Goodbye, sweetie," he told her, smiling even though he knew sadness lingered in his eyes. He kissed her, starting (ending) the tradition, and watched her beam delightedly. Then he snapped his fingers, boarded his TARDIS, and flew away. He still had an awful lot of running left to do.
Fin!
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