[ Spoilers for 'Kill the Moon'.]

She was going for her run, as she did every morning, when she saw her.

The TARDIS was sitting there, looking just as blue as ever, with the doors facing the Earth through the darkness.

She slowed, and hesitantly walked around to the front. The door opened on it's own (thanks Old Girl), and River went in.

She recognized it immediately by the glowing yellow-orange center and bookshelves scattered around the perimeter of the room. This was his twelfth face's TARDIS. She knew the console well- she'd spent many an hour lounged on it.

But the worst part was the feeling she got.

Utter, and total sadness, emptiness, swept over her when she stepped into the room, almost a tangible thing, able to knock her over in an instant.

She had to put a hand on the rail to steady herself, eyes sweeping over the jumpseat and finding her husband.

He wasn't reading, his favorite pasttime in the incarnation. No, he sat, propping his head up with arms resting on his elbows, staring at the wall.

She recognized this expression all to well. It reminded her distinctly of the one he wore after Manhattan.

She swallowed, wondering what had happened this time.

"She left."

She knit her eyebrows together. Who? "Clara?" She clarified.

"Yes."

Clara.... left?

Yes, she did eventually, River knew. But- she didn't think he'd acted like this when it'd happened.

"What happened?" She asked, starting up the stairs and making her way over to him.

He hadn't actually looked at her once, she noticed, as she pushed him over slightly and settled by his side. He still didn't glance down or change his position, only shrugging.

"What happened?" She repeated.

He groaned, finally turning to look her in the eye. "River, you know I'm rubbish with humans. I think.. I think I messed up more than usual this time."

She wouldn't be surprised. "What'd you do, sweetie?"

"Well... I sort of.." He proceeded to explain the events that day, including the little girl. When he was done, River smacked him across the back of the head.

"Oi!"

She sent him a glare, and he wisely shut his mouth. "You don't do that! A child! You left a child there, with a schoolteacher, and told them to-to-ugh!" She looked very close to hitting him again, so he stood up, pacing to the other side of the console and back.

"Well, yes, but I let them make a huge choice, out of respect! They got to choose the future of humanity! If you ask me, that's not so bad of a deal!"

"Oh, like you got to choose the future of Galifrey?" She hissed out.

It hit home, and he blinked once, twice. That wasn't like that, though, this was a kind of respect, this was a gift to her, to show her that he trusted her to make this kind of decision! It wasn't-

Was it?

River's features softened, and she ran a hand over her forehead. "I'm sorry, that was a bit uncallled for. I just- she's human. The child is human. That much weight on their backs is too much, all alone, with no one to help them."

He didn't reply, still mulling his actions.

Was that really what he did?

He remembered how he was, that day on Galifrey. He remembered it two ways- the first way, when he did, in fact, blow the planet, and the real way, when he didn't have to. The burden on his shoulders was beyond measure, to take so many people's lives in his hands and expect him to be able to make a choice. It was gigantic, a feeling he wasn't likely to ever forget.

Yes. That was exactly what he did. To a fragile human.

He felt, by all acounts, absolutely disgusted with himself when he realizes. "I-River, I didn't mean to-I- oh, what did I do?" He sighed, plopping back down beside her and covering his face with his hands.

She snorted. "Something ridiculously stupid. I'm still close to slapping you, just thinking about it." Nevertheless, she ran a gentle hand over his back, ever the loving wife.

"I didn't think- I thought I was showing that I trusted her with this, so she could, you know, understand how highly I think of her. I want her to feel like this new me is still- still the same man, that I still think she's competent."

"Well, you failed miserably." She doesn't even attempt to sugarcoat it. "What in heaven's name were you doing with a child on-board, anyway? The TARDIS is no place for children!"

When he didn't answer again, she smacked his arm lightly. "You were showing off, weren't you? Wanted someone to impress!"

His silence confirmed the answe.r

"You're a bloody idiot sometimes, for a genuis."

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"That, I don't know." He replied. "What do you think? From a womanly viewpoint."

"You go beg on your knees for forgiveness and express how wrong you were."

He let out a short chuckle. River simply raised an eyebrow, and he gave her an incredulous look. "You're serious."

"Completely serious, darling. There's not anything else you can do besides admit you were wrong."

By the look on his face, it wasn't something he was looking forward to.

"But-"

"No buts." She interrupted, stern. "I don't know that that'll be good enough. Honestly, you should expect her to never speak to you again."

"What if I just apologize?"

"Isn't enough."

"And why not?"

River smiled, "Mainly because you'll do it in a way that pisses her off even more, and you won't find another willng companion with your accent and eyebrows."

He preened a bit, running two fingers over the bit of hair, "they are intimidating, aren't they?"

"Oh, yes. Scare away girls miles around."

His smile turned into a glare when he finally caught the insult. "Oi!"

[A/N. I don't even know. Don't ask me. I watched the episode, and was forced to begin writing by this ridiculous brain of mine. This just sort of.. evolved. May have sucked. I never can tell. But you can! So.. shoot the comments! Good, bad, any of them. I like them all. Including anything on tonight's episode. I'm still screaming inside.

And please don't forget to vote! :) ]