Oh, this face is always much prettier in person. River Song thought excitedly as she gazed through her visor at the younger yet older doctor. Her heart skipped in anticipation as she stepped up to his scowling face. "Hello, sweetie."

"Get out," the Doctor commanded. He began shouting orders, but River ignored him, trying to sort out a way to get him alone. She couldn't help letting her eyes rove over this interesting incarnation. Her eyebrow arched as he continued to bark out information and instructions. He was treating her like a stranger. Odd. A feeling of uneasy settled heavily in her stomach. He must have a reason, though. Her Doctor always did.

"I'm a time traveler. I point and laugh at archeologist."

What a tease. Might as well play along. She smiled sharply, extending her hand. "Ah. Professor River Song, archaeologist." She let him launch into another rant and tried to coax her expedition into obeying. Boy, he is mouthy in this form too. Adorable. Her affection grew against her will. She was fond of his other face. The face that travelled with her mother and father. The face she loved and married, but his younger face now, here was another facet, another glimpse into the man she was hopelessly entwined with. River Song knew she loved him too. Then of course, it really didn't hurt that he had prostrated himself on the library floor with his cute backside sticking straight into the air. "Pretty boy! You're with me. Step into my office."

Finally, alone. She dug out the journal: their life together. This was always the most exciting part; at least she tried to convince herself of that. Exciting was better than sad. Tracing back to where they were together, wrangling their wandering timelines. The book was nearly full. Why had she not noticed that before? She tucked the thought away and allowed her fingers to roam the pages. He cleared his throat.

Guess he wanted her to stroke his ego. "Thanks."

"For what?"

Wanted to drag it out from her then? He is so cute when he declares he isn't going to rescue me every time. River thought smugly. Yet her Doctor never failed to find her. "The usual. Coming when I call."

"That was you?"

Irritation pricked at her. Sometimes the Doctor forgot that teasing could turn so mean. She made as much peace as she could with the fact that was a tiny sliver of his life, could only be a fraction of his existence. Being forgotten was a fear that gnawed at her thoughts whenever he wasn't with her. The unkindness was out of line even if she did call him a little abruptly. Maybe she didn't like this face as much as she thought. "You're doing a very good job of acting like you don't know me. I am assuming there's a reason," she said sharply. She ignored his snide response and quickly changed the topic when she knew the hurt was getting a little too deep.

River took a moment to take in his face. Although she knew immediately when she saw this younger face that she was in his past, she scanned his face for any recognition. Her heart faltered when he stared back evenly. No. No. That's what the diaries were for. There might be a game he's playing or a plan. She picked something early in their timeline together.

"Okay, shall we do diaries then? Where are we this time? Ah, going by your face, I'd say it's early days for you, yeah? So, um—crash of the Byzantium. Have we done that yet?" His face was achingly blank, and he said nothing.

She flipped earlier. "Obviously ringing no bells. Right, um - oh, picnic at Asgard." Her mind flashed back to that. The flowers he picked for her. Her face softened at the memory. "Have we done Asgard yet?" She looked up at him hopefully. The blankness that continued to stare back at her rocked her to her core. A desperate despair began to pull at her. "Obviously not." Her movements became a little more frantic. No. No. No. There has to be something. Some event. Something that would bring him back to her. A connection. "Blimey, very early days, then. Hoo! Life with a time traveler—never knew it could be such hard work. Um..." Her brain floundered, trying to remember anything and everything. There was nothing. She looked up one more time, hoping against everything she knew that her Doctor would be smiling at her, know her, love her. She wanted him to give her his cheeky smile, laugh, and say something provoking to make her slap him.

There was nothing.

"Look at you," River whispered. Hope was such a tremulously thing. "You're young." She could feel tears gathering.

"I'm really not, you know."

"No, but you are." She tentatively cupped his face and stroked his hair as if her touch could brand her memory into him. River marveled at this young Doctor, trying to see her husband in his face. "Your eyes. You're younger than I've ever seen you."

"You've—seen me before then?" She knew where this question was going. Felt the time drawl out as if it were ending all over again. She knew there was pain and devastation. It felt as in as inevitable as Lake Silencio.

There was always hidden time. Her Doctor had it stored away, tucked in a corner and his pockets for rainy days. He wriggled out of the end of universe more times than any person could ever know. Her clever Doctor always scared the life and heart out of her, but he always-always brought it back. River couldn't stop her lips from moving. "Doctor. Please tell me you know who I am."

"Who are you?" Everything inside her, all at once, broke. Those words and their finality reverberated through her. This was the end. The pain carved through her, etching and aching. The agony hunted down her most cherished memories and tender thoughts and shattered them ruthlessly. He turned away as a distant alarm sounded. Disorientated and fragmented, only one thought remained: Hide the damage. As everyone moved towards the alarming monitor, River silently swept up the pieces of her self.