River Song was not entirely a Time Lady.

It was easy to forget this fact; she had all the qualities the Doctor associated with his own species. She could (had been able to) regenerate. She was stronger and cleverer than almost all humans. She needed more sleep than he did (but still very little by human standards), and she didn't heal as fast, but there were (had been) natural variations within the Gallifreyan population anyway. She could pilot a (his!) TARDIS because she understood the physics (and because Sexy liked her). She was infuriatingly competent and tantalizingly sexy and teasingly arrogant and all... well... Time-Lordy. So he tended to forget - in spite of her genetic parentage and her... eclectic... upbringing - that in many ways she was human. Even 21st century human, really.

Until he got a message from her. Because only a human would put it in limerick form. Humans were so silly and sentimental and - Well, really, that was part of the reason they were his favorite species, they weren't afraid to... No! Not important right now. Must focus...

In any case, only a human would be likely to send a message in limerick form. Well, or him. The Dream Lord. The Doctor shuddered; let's not go there again. But it wasn't him this time, like it had been when Amy'd had to choose... the Doctor would recognize him again.

There once was a girl born of Time

Who'd oft been accused of a crime

The stream has been stilled

But not yet been killed

Find help at the sound of the chime

He read it, silently to himself. Then he read it aloud, so he could hear it better and guess at her intent. And as the last word of the rhyme was spoken - as though it was a cue (and it probably was, because Sexy liked River) - the Cloister Bell began to ring, and the TARDIS started herself up for parts unknown to him. He hated when the Old Girl did that... she may take him where he is needed, but... oh. Right. She was probably taking him to River herself. Or to the place to "find help"... which could be good or bad.

But he was certain in his hearts that it was bad. Or at the least not good.

Very not good. He could see River trying to play a prank on him - chime equalling cloister bell and all that - but the tone of the poem was very serious in spite of the silly limerick form. The first two lines were obvious - they described River herself - and the last one was fairly straightforward. But the lines in the middle... those were ominous "The stream has been stilled, but not yet been killed". He shivered. He figured that "the stream" referred to River too, and that she'd been... subdued somehow, stilled. Kidnapped? (Under normal circumstances he'd pity the kidnappers, really, but with this message...). And he was pretty sure the TARDIS would never allow her Cloister Bell to be used for a prank - not even for River Song.

And she liked River.

He was worried for her. She was playful, often, and she loved double meanings (especially of the sexy variety) but this - this smacked of danger and... and dangerous things. He read the poem again, and the words "but not yet been killed" struck him as especially grim. Not yet? As in she's going to be killed but it hasn't happened yet? Yes indeed, very very not good. "Sexy? Where are you taking us? Do you know what this rhyme means?" The TARDIS projected several pictures on a screen - Leadworth's post office (was it always shut?) and the duck pond (that was cool, even without ducks) and of the flat where Amy and Rory now lived. Then she snapped the screen off in a don't bother me; I'm busy sort of way, so he went back to thinking. Thinking was good.