Chapter XII

River breezed out of the diner and left a puzzled Jack behind. Her brisk pace slowed to a simple stroll. She had a lot to think about and she was in no hurry to face her Jack back at the hotel. She was going over the thing that he'd said to her.

3312, he'd said. She shook her head. Blimey, that's a long time.

Is it worth it? A voice at the back of her mind asked. Is it worth it, to love a man who is going to forget you?

River shook her head again. Who said I love him? I don't love him. I- tolerate, him, is all.

She could almost hear the voice laugh mockingly. Oh you love him and you can't even see it. That's rich.

I. Don't. Love. Him. He said that he loves me, but that's just Jack. She thought.

The voice laughed again. Yeah, it's Jack, but think about it; It's Jack. He said you were different. He said that he loved you, River. For Jack, that's very remarkable. But is he worth getting your heart broken?

River sank down into a park bench and stared at the children playing. A little smile was entertaining itself at the corners of her mouth as she turned her mind to the past. Anything but Jack.

She remembered the hoverboard she'd been given on her 10th birthday. Oh, she'd gotten in so much trouble with that board. She remembered her first day of going to a proper school. She'd been started in 5th grade, and she'd taken the hoverboard with her. She'd gotten detention on that first day for nearly hitting the headmaster. But when she tried to recall any memories from before her 9th birthday… Nothing.

"One of them yours?" A woman, a blonde woman, was sitting beside her. River was taken by surprise. Was I that deep in thought?

"No. I was just- remembering." Or not.

The stranger nodded knowingly. "Back when everything was simple."

"Not quite so simple." River corrected quietly.

"What's your name?" The woman asked.

"River. Yours?"

"I can't tell you."

"What, you don't know?" River smiled lightheartedly at the strange woman.

The woman laughed. "No, I know my name, but I'm not supposed to tell you. I'm not even supposed to be here."

River grinned, more for her own benefit than the stranger's. "No, nor me."

They sat there for a minute in silence. "River?" The woman asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"If you loved somebody who somebody that would continue to grow younger, would you still choose to be with them?"

River thought about it. "I don't know. But I suppose it's impossible, so, yeah, why not?" River tried to discontinue their strange conversation.

The woman, however, was persistent. "What if they loved you back, but at the same time, each time you met them, they know you less and less."

River was taken with surprise about the specificities of the question. "I think that it'd be worth it." River finally answered. "I mean, if they really loved me. There are all sorts of stories of couples where one has Alzheimer's or something but they are still together, so I suppose it'd work something like that." She looked curiously at the stranger. "Does it matter?"

The woman laughed again and got up to leave. "More than you know, Ms Song." She walked away and River diverted her attention back to the children at play. Then a thought hit her. "Wait, I didn't tell you my last name. How'd you-" She looked up for the woman. She had disappeared.

She dismissed the conversation in her mind. Nutter. She thought.

But the bit about forgetting. She thought. That's like what I was saying before.

Please comment! I live for comments! Or questions. Those are good too. But keep reading! The 'save him' reveal will be soon! And please comment!