A/N: In the Lunar Cycle universe, I've made it a Gallifreyan tradition that when a child reaches a certain age they can select a name or title for themselves. This chapter will reveal LJ/Sigma's chosen name...I hope you like it :)

~8~

Second Glance

River Song sat in the canteen of Luna University, at a small two person circular table, her best friend LJ sitting before her, eating a pudding cup. She rolled her eyes both at him and at the atrocious decorations around the room. Everything was decked out in pinks and reds, well, it would, it was Valentine's Day after all, at least on Earth, but as this was Luna University, based on Earth's moon, it typically took part in Earth traditions and holidays. As a result the canteen had been transformed. There were pink hearts dangling from the ceiling, the windows tinted pink, red cloth over all the tables, with electric candles set before them. Everything had been turned red or pink, from the uniforms of the dinner ladies, to the trays and plates, even the food was colored! It was far too over the top for either of them to enjoy. She supposed though, that they could weather through it, just this once, it was, after all, the last Valentine's Day they'd have to endure at the University. They'd be graduating in a few months as doctors in Archaeology and Quantum Physics, quite the achievement, his parents were very proud of both of them.

However…something did catch her attention as she glanced around disdainfully at the room. At first she didn't notice, but upon a second glance she saw that there was a girl, sitting at a four-person table, with flaming red hair and chocolate brown eyes, twirling a strand as she blatantly stared at LJ as he absently ate his pink pudding.

She smirked and looked back at him, "J," she whispered, using her own nickname for him. He rolled his eyes at her playfully, knowing that she only called him that in retaliation for him calling her Riv all the time. According to her, he was clearly not 'little' anymore so why keep calling him 'little' John.

"What Riv?" he asked, smirking as she rolled her eyes in return.

"Look over there," she said, subtly nodding to the side, towards the table.

He raised an eyebrow, scooping a glob of pink pudding into his mouth as he glanced over, frowning when he saw the red-haired girl quickly look away, blushing. He turned back to River, shaking his head, "What about her?"

River rolled her eyes, she could see his father's obliviousness shining through right then, "J, she's eyeing you."

"I can see that," he nodded, it was obvious the woman was eyeing him, "And?"

She shook her head, "And…go talk to her!"

"Why?"

"She clearly fancies you!"

"Riv," he nearly whined, rolling his eyes.

"J," she countered in the same tone, dragging it out, smirking, "It's Valentine's Day on Earth!"

"And we're not on Earth," he reminded her.

"That's no excuse," her eyes started to narrow.

"Yes, well, I'm from Gallifrey."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"There is no Valentine's Day on Gallifrey."

"There is no Gallifrey either!" she snapped.

LJ's jaw tensed and he sat back in his seat, crossing his arms, the pudding forgotten. He didn't storm out, like he very much wanted to, because he'd promised. They both had these personalities…both usually too flirty for their own good, but when something set them off their tempers could rival their flirt. They'd had a terrible row once, hadn't spoken to each other for weeks, before they'd both finally apologized to each other at the same time. After that they'd promised to never storm out, never part angry, but to stay and hear the other out no matter how much they might not want to.

River winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth, regret filling her. It was a soft spot, a touchy subject for LJ, for his parents as well. She should have known better than to bring that up.

"J…I'm so sorry," she breathed, tears in her eyes when she glimpsed the pain in his.

He was silent, staring at her, before taking a breath, "I know there's no Gallifrey anymore," he said quietly, "Mum and dad…" he shook his head, "You have no idea how much it hurts them to know that, how much it hurts them to know that I'll never be able to experience life there save for the Replica Room."

River nodded, thinking of the room Evy had made for the Doctor as a Christmas gift once, a room that showed different areas of Gallifrey, letting the person who entered feel as though they were really there.

"It hurts me too," he added after a moment, "Because I feel their pain as though it were my own."

She nodded again, she knew that as well. It was a Time Lord trait, they were just…connected. They had a shared knowledge, a shared code, a shared pain…everything the Doctor and Evy knew, felt, thought, experienced, LJ was privy too as well when he'd been born. He may have never set foot on Gallifrey, but it hurt him just as much to think on their lost homeworld.

"I've grown up celebrating Gallifreyan holidays," he reminded her, "I've celebrated Earthen holidays as well, and other planets but…"

"That's just it," River cut in softly, "You have celebrated Valentine's Day, I've been there when you did, and you know your parents love that particular holiday," she smiled a little when she saw him starting to grin, his parents could be rather embarrassing on Valentine's Day, ridiculously in love with each other they were. And that was just it, they were so in love, so happy, she just wanted him to be that happy too, "So why are you always so against actually talking to girls on Valentine's Day? Go over there," she nudged his leg with her foot, "Flirt! You know you want to!"

"I really don't though," he shook his head, though he still had a slight smile on his face.

She scoffed, "You're the son of the Doctor, the godson of Captain Jack Harness…you'd flirt with anyone."

He laughed at that, "I only flirt with you Riv."

She rolled her eyes, the easy camaraderie between them returned, "I'm aware."

"Because if I flirt with anyone else they'll see too much in it," he continued, growing just a bit more serious, earning her full attention, "They'll think I fancy them back if I flirt…"

She frowned, she HAD noticed that he didn't really 'get his flirt on' with other girls, not like the open flirting he regularly did with her, "And you don't want that?"

He shook his head, sighing as he uncrossed his arm, taking his pudding cup up again, looking at it as though it were the most interesting thing in the world, using his spoon to dig for treasure at the bottom.

River frowned, reaching forward to put her hand on his arm, making him lower this spoon, "J…why don't you fancy anyone?"

He sighed, "It's not that I don't. I mean, I really don't fancy anyone, right now, I mean it's not that I can't fancy anyone," he paused, trying not to ramble, trying to really get his point across, "I just…look, there's three things," he glanced over at the girls once more before shaking his head, "They're humans."

River raised an eyebrow, "And what do you call me?"

He smirked, "Human plus."

She shook her head, "I'm as good as human," she reminded him, her hand moving to take his own, "You flirt with me."

"But I don't fancy you."

"I don't fancy you either," she smirked, getting him to smile for a moment before he sighed.

"Look at them Riv," he remarked, "If I went over there, and said hello, and flirted like you want me to. What if I did end up fancying her? What if I did fall in love with her? What then?"

She blinked, not understanding, "You'd be happy and in love," she frowned, "What's wrong with that?"

"She's human," he stressed, before leaning forward, resting his elbow on the table, seeing that River wasn't following, "I'M not."

Her eyes widened and she realized what he was trying to make her understand, to remember that he was a Time Lord. He acted and looked so much like her that it was so easy to forget he wasn't technically human.

"I fall in love with her, great, I'm happy…for a time. But then in fifty years, when she's a little old woman and dies and I still look just like this…I'm heartbroken. I live with broken hearts for the rest of my life."

"Broken hearts can mend," she commented lightly, squeezing his hand.

"How?" he scoffed, "When I find another brilliant girl who I fall in love with? And when she dies? What then River? I'd just be setting myself up for a never-ending cycle of pain and loss."

She swallowed hard, he rarely ever used her full name, only when he was being very serious.

"And that's not even the main reason," he sighed.

She frowned, "What is?"

He looked at her, "Mum."

She shook her head, "What does your mum have to do with anything?"

He sighed, "Mum found dad. She's his Link. What if…somehow…my Link's out there too?"

River squeezed his hand again, knowing this was even more of a touchy subject, "J…the chances of that happening…"

"It happed for dad," he cut in, "He found a Time Lady, his LINK, after the war. It should have been impossible but…"

"But that's your mum in a nutshell," she nodded, catching onto his hope, "And that's just it J…that's your mum. She just barely escaped. Your parents have been searching for Time Lords for ages, if…if they haven't found any by now…"

"If there's one thing mum and dad have taught me," he looked at her, a sad smile on his face, "It's to live in hope," she gave a tight smile and nodded, knowing the chances truly were impossible, but not wanting to say any more and crush the small hope he had, "And that's why I can't start anything with someone else. Especially not a human, 'cos Riv…I know what my mum went through, dealing with dad and his feelings for that Rose woman. I…can't…do that to my Link."

"She might not be a romantic one though," River pointed out.

"Mum used to tell me that, before she Linked, she felt, deep down in her hearts, that if she found her Link, it would be a romantic one. Dad said the same and you KNOW that he didn't think he'd ever find his Link, but he still felt like if he ever did it would be romantic."

She nodded, "And you feel that too."

He nodded, "I do. I really do. IF my Link IS out there somewhere…I can't hurt her like that."

River gave him a small smile, when a thought struck her, "You said three reasons."

He smiled, "Caught that did you?" she rolled her eyes, "You."

She blinked, not expecting that, "Me? What about me?"

"You're my best friend Riv. Like you said, human plus, you understand me better than those girls," he nodded back to the red-head, "Ever can or ever will. I can talk to you. You get me. We can talk history or physics…" she rolled her eyes at that, he'd managed to talk her into a minor in Quantum Physics, stating that if they were going to travel in time when they graduated, she ought to know the basics of how they were doing it, "Any woman that could pull me away from you would have to be remarkable, and that's not them," he nodded back at the table, "So forgive me if I don't give any of them a second glance."

She smiled lightly, thinking on his words, before looking at him again, knowing he'd hate what she was going to say, but knowing she had to get it out there, "I'll die too, one day," she reminded him gently, squeezing his hand one more time, "I'm human."

"Don't you dare," he pointed a warning finger at her, both of them knowing he was trying to be joking but too serious, "Not any time soon. I've got too much planned for you."

She smiled gently, "Oh right, our adventures."

He nodded, "Just a couple more months Riv and it'll be you and me."

"Spaceman and Timegirl," she laughed.

"Nah, by then I'll use my title, like dad," he smiled, "The Captain, in the TARDIS, with River Song."

She shook her head, smiling, "Only two problems with that."

He nodded, "I know, no TARDIS."

It would take thousands of years to grow one, even if he'd planted one as a child he'd still have centuries to go and he was as impatient as his father.

"There's that," she nodded.

"What else is there?" he shook his head.

"There's no way in the Universe I'm going to be your companion."

She knew what a companion meant. She knew what happened to them. She'd heard about the companions of the Doctor, how they left, or got left behind, or forgot him, or moved on, or they died...Evy though, she'd seen the woman go to the ends of the Universe to keep in contact with the Doctor's companions, with her friends. She didn't think LJ would ever do that to her, just leave her behind, but...she knew there had been companions who felt that way before, and that it happened to them. A companion...was not something she wanted to be...

"Of course you wouldn't," he squeezed her hand in return, "Riv, you're my best friend, you'd be my partner. We're a team, always."

She smiled, "I like the sound of that."

"Good," he nodded, before glancing at his empty pudding cup, "What's say we get out of here, get some food that doesn't look like a cupid threw it up."

She laughed, getting up, "What, are you gonna cook for me?"

He nudged her, "Sure, why not? Valentine's dinner."

She shook her head, he loved cooking. Apparently it was something he'd shared with his mother when he was younger, cooking together. Which was lucky for her as the food at the University wasn't exactly the greatest.

She glanced at him as they made their way out, his arm lazily draped over her shoulders, "Where did you come from?"

He smirked, "Well, see, my mum made my dad this Christmas gift and, to show how much he loved it, he…"

She elbowed him in the ribs, laughing, making him stop, "I meant YOU," she shook her head, "It's like pulling teeth to get your dad to have a decent, meaningful conversation, and you just spent the last ten minutes pouring your heart out."

He laughed, "I know I look...and sound...and act...an awful lot like dad," he tapped her nose, "But I DO have a bit of mum in me."

"Thank God for that," she laughed, "The Universe couldn't take two Doctors running around."

He squeezed her shoulders, "You should take a trip through time and see me when I was younger," he told her, "I was like a little him. I literally used to run laps around the console of the TARDIS, pushing random buttons to see where we'd go or if I'd almost blow a hole in the Universe."

"Oh God, THAT I have to see," she cracked up, "That'll have to be our first trip when you build that time machine of yours."

He let out a loud laugh at that, an ongoing joke of theirs. He couldn't imagine travelling the Universe in anything but a TARDIS, yet both of them knew that it would take far too long to grow one. They had debates about which form of time travel would work for their plans.

Whatever they decided…

River had her heart set on a Vortex Manipulator...as a backup of course.

His mother had taught her well.

A/N: How many of you are feeling for LJ right now? I really wanted to ram home that LJ really is like a blend of the Doctor and Evy, I believe one reviewer pegged it perfectly…he's like a mini-Doctor with a long streak of Evy :) I also wanted to add River calling LJ just 'J.' He's got a nickname for her, so she's given him one too. We'll definitely find out where River's nickname comes from in TATM. But as for his title, he's selected 'The Captain.' Sort of fits with his whole 'let's go have adventures and explore' plan from his first day with River eh?

Also, just wanted to add that this story won't be in any linear timeline. As in the show with the Doctor (and Evy) running into River at different points in her timeline, this will be a collection of random points in LJ and River's. Here it is near enough to my Graduation of River Song chapter, so River here knows all about LJ and his parents and his history and has been his friend for years whereas in the first chapter she'd just met him. Next chapter might go back to their first year together or somewhere in the middle or even after they leave Luna University. You never know, but I'll try to give little details about where the chapter falls in their time at school though.

To answer a question in a review, yes, I've decided to write out the 3rd OC Time Lady story, to be posted on the 1st of January, 2013 (we'll make a year of DW!) :) I'm really excited about it, especially because we see more of 9 and romantic 10. I've got lots planned for that one, lots of twists, lots of pain and joy, nightmares and surprises, drama and romance...I can't wait ^-^

Last note (this will also be in my next chapter of Recollections) November has definitely seen my job calm down. I've worked out a system for school and work that gives me at least a half hour every morning to write/work on the chapters for this and Recollections, giving me time on the weekends to work on the episodes. I'm hoping to try and post at least every 6 or 7 (maybe 5, if I'm lucky) days either a chapter of this series or Recollections.

Next chapter will give us a look into why LJ chose 'The Captain' as his title. Virtual cookie to anyone who can guess it before I post :)