Yowzah Oneshot Collection (3)

130(G)

            The Impatient Doctor

                    Cryswimmer

Finding River Song was not difficult. The TARDIS liked her, and she was ever-present in its records. He didn't always have to look for her at Stormcage. Although he didn't dare look through his personal future, he searched out his recent past for her. He knew that she was in Archaeology, so that narrowed his field of search. He also knew that she skimmed through time with as much efficiency as he did.

He could wait. That would have been the practical approach. But for some reason, he simply didn't want to. He had already been patient. He had waited from the time she had died for him until she had found him once more. She had been just as enigmatic upon their last meeting as she had been in the past. More so, truth be told. And she had been deliberately elusive in Amy's backyard.

There was something about her. It wasn't just attraction, although that was certainly present, but something... more. She was one of the few people – and possibly the only woman – who was truly his equal. She was smart, sassy, and yet sensible in her own way. She would take on the Devil himself just for the challenge of it, and he had known a few along the way. He wanted to get to know her, and he didn't want to do it on her terms.

She left him off-balance, even after so many meetings. He hated that. He wanted to get his footing back with her. Maybe if he thought about it, he could come up with a time to meet her when she would let something slip. It was certainly worth a try. His best bet, he decided, was to catch her later, once she had left prison.

The TARDIS tracked her to a notable find in the Ranar Quadrant. A small planet just inside the ring of a slightly larger planet had produced an impossible number of artifacts. Apparently, Professor River Song had been instrumental in disproving the artifacts and bringing the culprits to justice. The Doctor carefully set coordinates for the system, deciding that she likely would have had to stay in the general area for at least a few days after the charges had been brought. It was as good a time as any to meet her.

As he eased the TARDIS to the correct time and place, he felt that the trip had gone more smoothly than most. It was almost as though she – the TARDIS – wanted to see her as well. That was ridiculous, of course. Or maybe it wasn't... River talked to the TARDIS and gently touched her, seemed to pick up on her moods, and generally communicated with her as easily as he did. She didn't make a big deal of it, but the interaction was there for him to see if he looked.

He stepped out the door and made sure it closed behind him. She would keep out any intruders so long as he had the key. He looked around the dig site, seeing definite signs of strip mining, and realized the damage that had been done to the small planet. It was no wonder that River had turned investigator.

He walked around the edge of a blocked-off area, heading for a group of tents that was visible against the sunset. It was a beautiful sky, with rings visible as purple stripes on an orange background, with silver stars sprinkled here and there. As he got to the largest of the group of tents, he heard raised voices. Not surprisingly, River's was among them. He decided he couldn't have planned his arrival better.

He listened shamelessly. She was livid, and she let them all have more than one piece of her mind. She ranted, she argued, and she accused. Gradually the other voices faded, and her voice got louder. He decided a retreat might be timely and stepped around the corner of the tent, out of view.