"Doctor? Did you hear me?" He looked up from where he'd been adjusting the console controls.

"Yes. Yes, of course. I did. Off to the... What was it this time?" he asked, honestly trying to give them his full attention. Or at least, as much of it as he had left. Which he'd admit wasn't terribly much at the moment.

Amy and Rory exchanged slightly embarrassed glances. "The library," Rory finally answered.

"Ah. Yes. The library," he repeated. He hoped he didn't sound quite as distracted as he felt. "Well, have fun, then, you two." He dismissed them with a flap of his hand in the general direction of the proper corridor. "In the library."

"Right. Then. Later," Amy concluded after a minute. But, as his companions started in the indicated direction, he could hear her say, "Rory, do you think he's slipping..?"

Not that he cared.

Because the TARDIS had finally landed, and, between the pounding of his hearts and the sweating of his palms and the... well... the generally being reduced to something slightly less useful than rubbish, he was finding it nearly impossible to think about anything at all.

She was standing at the bars as he stepped out of the TARDIS.

Smiling.

Waiting.

Because, after all, what her parents didn't know...

And two could play at that game.