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It had been an increasingly long day, too long, and all I wanted was some god damn peace and quiet. I finally returned home when I noticed my boot was scuffed. "Shit." I walked to my dresser where I kept the polish and who should be there waiting on my bed but the eleventh doctor.
"Paris 1812, March 4th, the treaty of Paris about to be signed when a sonic something-or-other landed square in the middle of town-" He started.
"Not tonight sweetie, I've been on that one." I smiled. "Thirty seven years ago."
"Ohh, right well I'll go back, thirty seven years, I'll be there" he responded in the same whirlwind tone. He winked, got into the TARDIS and left.
Finally some peace, I grabbed my boots and opened the polish which promptly exploded. "Shit" I carefully put down the boots (not that it mattered, the polish was already all over the floor) and walked into the kitchen.
"Hello sweetie!" Eleven beamed at me, "Want to go watch the five best supernovae?" He asked without batting an eye at the black speckles of polish all over me.
"Sweetie, we've already been, besides, I'm in the middle of something."
"What? Can I help?"
"Just polishing my boots dear, go back, we have a wonderful time."
"Fantastic!" He raced off into the TARDIS.
I sighed, washed the polish off of my arms, and walked back into my room.
"Ohh! It's you! Is this where you go after you're saved?" Ten asked tracking the polish all over the place.
"Spoilers," I said "and sweetie, let's not pretend that I'm not usually the one doing the saving." He was so cocky in this regeneration...
"Really?" He said eyebrows nearly shooting of his face.
"Spoilers." I said again. "Now if you don't mind I have some boots to polish," then under my breath "and a floor to clean."
"Ohh! I'll let you get to it then," he smiled a sad sort of smile, "before I go, I have to ask, will I be seeing more of you professor Song?"
"Not if I see you first." I smiled.
"Right." He said looking down, "Well, good evening to you, professor."
"You as well, Doctor."
I grabbed a mop and began working on the black footprints ten had left when I heard the squeal of the TARDIS brakes again.
"The wild West, legend has it there is a pack of metal wolves protecting an abandoned mine." Eleven said Stetson in hand.
"That was years ago." I said, my exasperation clear in my tone.
"River?" He asked, looking down at the polish and the boots lying on the floor. "How often do you shine those boots?"
"Not often, I am usually interrupted."
"Hmm... It just seems that every time I am here you are shining your boots."
"It seems that every five seconds tonight, you are here again"
"Why are you shining them?"
"They were scuffed, I was running from a man-sized spider, honestly two things the universe does not need put together, men and spiders..."
"Why?"
"Because they're a pain on their own not to mention... Oh, you mean... it was feeding on a race of tree farmers, using their own trees to create it webs."
"Why tonight?" He spun around, clearly not listening, as he always did while working on a theory. "If I keep coming back tonight there must be a reason..." He ran around sonic-ing the whole place.
"I wonder..." He said and his eyes lit up and he ran out and the TARDIS disembarked. I had barely finished mopping when he was back again.
"Utopia, the year 235467, I know where it all went wrong!"
"Sweetie, that was fifteen years ago." I said sitting down and beginning to polish.
Eleven laughed light-heartedly and said "Honestly, you and those boots" as he got back into the TARDIS.
That one was barely out of the room before the next one appeared.
"I've got it!" Twelve stepped out. "All those years ago, I never asked you why you were polishing the boots!"
"Yes you did," I sighed, "They are scuffed... giant spider... tree farmers... Does none of this ring a bell?"
"Was I there?" He asked. "With the spider was I there?"
"No."
"Should I have been?"
"No, I had everything under control!"
"Then why were you running?"
"I had to lure the spider away somehow didn't I?"
"So why am I here now?"
"You've been here all night"
"Yes but why?"
"I haven't the faintest clue."
I put the boots aide having finally finished. The doctor and I sat quietly for a moment before he asked, "Why are you sad?"
"I'm not."
"Well you aren't in danger, I am only here when you are in danger or sad so you must be sad."
"The diary is full, completely full but I'm still here, why?"
"Maybe I was wrong."
"But you weren't, you don't get things like this wrong, why would you do that? Why would you give me a diary that didn't have enough pages? Why put me through that?"
"I don't know..."
I sighed, "It doesn't matter, I have to get to bed, early day tomorrow."
"Where are you off to?" He asked, looking at the white space suit I had laid out for the morning.
"Spoilers" I smiled but my smile faltered when he would no longer turn around to look at me.
"Taking a trip to the library?"
"How did you know?"
"Spoilers." He said and walked directly back into the TARDIS. This time, however, it didn't go anywhere, "Sure I can't convince you to come out with me?" He said peering out of the door.
I laughed, "Tomorrow after the library, sweetie, I promise."