River wondered whether he'd be back. He'd said he would - and this time he'd let her choose where to go and what to see - and what little she'd seen of him herself said he would. But her... education... and Amy's stories... seemed to show that he was unreliable. Her conditioning was based on a simple rule: "The Doctor always lies". Amy felt that breaking his promises to return for her was more accidental than a deliberate lie. River wasn't sure what she felt.

She'd been surprised by him. Very surprised, because she'd been told her whole life that he was a menace to the safety of the universe. Her own experience with him - limited as it had been - didn't bear that out. Oh, he was crazy, certainly, by human standards. A madman with a box indeed. But he was... kind. Courtly, even. By the end of their date he'd worked up the courage to kiss her goodbye pretty thoroughly himself. But there was something deep in his eyes... something so heartbreakingly sad... something that made her want to gather him to her and rock him and croon little reassurances into his ear. And it wasn't a motherly feeling. At all.

So when she heard that distinctive sound of the TARDIS materializing, she put away her books and sat down as demurely as she could manage on the chair next to the bed. One door of the blue box opened, and he eased his head out. She laughed... she had sort of tackled him the last time, but this was perhaps over-cautious. "Hello, Sweetie." He looked both relieved and a trifle disappointed. She smiled at him, and gestured toward the bed. "Sit down. What's that you've got?"

He looked down at the sheet of plastic in his hand and held it out to her. "A list of places I thought you might like to see. If you haven't already, I mean. Or if you have and you'd like to see them again. I don't know where we are in your timeline, you see, and I thought..."

"Oh! We should compare the diary you gave me with where you've been!" She felt him watching her as she grabbed it from the bedside table and settled down next to him on the bed. "Let's see... we've both been through the killing-with-lipstick-and-waking-in-hospital bit, right? And... you're still not angry with me about it?" She looked up at him, coquettishly. He shook his head without taking his eyes off her. "Right, then what about the..." She broke off as he kissed her.

It was a very nice kiss, and they were both a little breathless as they broke apart. "No spoilers, River. Just tell me how long it's been since you saw me last, and where." He looked troubled.

"Oh. Here. Three days ago." He relaxed minutely and his whole face changed as he smiled at her. His whole face... except his eyes, which still carried that infinitely sad expression. He bent down to retrieve the plastic sheet, which had fallen to the floor, and she took advantage of his position to kiss the back of his neck. He froze for an instant, then shuddered very slightly and straightened, holding the list out to her. "Thank you, Sweetie." If he can pretend that didn't bother him at all, I can ignore it too, she thought, rebelliously. She took the list and skimmed it.

"Are these places you think I'd like? Most of them sound good, but I think you've missed a few pretty obvious choices." She looked up at him. "What about Easter Island, or the Singing Towers of Darillium, or - well - Earth between 1550 and 2100?" She glanced down at the list to get the dates right, and missed the spasm of anguish that crossed his face. She felt him tense beside her though, and laid a hand on his arm. "Spoilers in those places and times? All right, let's go... here," and she pointed to the name Florana. And felt him relax again. She kissed him, quickly, on the cheek this time. "Thank you for showing me this."

He grinned at her, looking almost his normal cheerfully weird self again. "Any time".