The Doctor had many important women in his life, as far as he could remember. Although the amnesia had taken away most of their names and faces, there seemed to be one name that stuck around no matter how much he tried to get rid of. One face that kept showing up, just to torment him.<br/><br/>"It's rare for you to ask me out on a date Sweetie," River Song spoke in her sly sweet voice. Her ruby lips fixed in that smile that just screamed that she was up to no good. This woman was too special to forget, despite everything that had happened to his head. It seemed that he would always remember the mischevious archeologist that had caused him so much trouble.<br/><br/>Other girls before her had met the Doctor and then somewhere down the line left him or been lost to unfortunate events. River was different, he had met her right after she had experienced a life time of adventures by the side of his future forms. In a way, he lived through her adventure in the opposite order to her.<br/><br/>"So what do I owe this genuine pleasure?" She asked, brushing strands fo blonde frizzy hair from her face as she sipped her coffee, freshly prepared from<em>Caffe Quadri</em>, a pleasant little place in Venice that had presumably been serving coffee since the 1600s. Which turned out to be quite accurate seeing as how the Doctor had taken her to its first opening. "Have you really missed me that much?"<br/><br/>"Of course I have. There's been no one in the TARDIS telling me I'm flying it wrong," the Doctor said with a grunt before picking up his own coffee and sipping it, before immediately pulling a face. "Knew I should have asked for tea. This new tongue of mine hates coffee."<br/><br/>"You're avoiding my question Doctor," River said pointedly, stroking up his leg with the tip of her high heel.<br/><br/>"There's no mystery to it River," the Doctor replied, shuffling back to avoid her man hungry leg. "I said to a friend of mine that I would find someone to hang around with that had longer legs and bigger hips than her and I immediately thought of you."<br/><br/>"And there I thought all you noticed were my eyes," River tittered before putting down her coffee and leaning forward on her elbows. "But, it isn't me you really want to hang about with, is it Doctor?"<br/><br/>"I don't know," he replied with a shrug before pouring the rest of his coffee on the ground, earning a few stares from some of the other customers. "I'm not too sure of anything any more," he admitted with a look of helplessness. "I've forgotten all the important bits that made me what I am. Every time I regenerate I always feel like I loose a part of myself, but this time I feel more empty than I ever have."<br/><br/>"It's not like you to sound so defeated."<br/><br/>"River, after over one thousand years of dying of old age, being ordered to die, getting irradiated, falling off satellite dishes, being poisoned, having my head bashed in, getting shot then cut open and goodness knows what else, you grow to see being killed not as a defeat but as a pit stop," the Doctor stared into the bottom of his empty mug with a frown. "But this time someone or something sucker punched me. They took from me what I always thought I would keep. I've lost and I don't know how," he muttered before frowning.<br/><br/>"Oh do stop moaning, you're not handsome when you're glum" River groaned, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just pick up some pretty thing and take them on a journey? Have them follow you around with puppy dog eyes and make you feel like you're not an old man anymore?"<br/><br/>"I tried that. I got rejected," the Doctor replied.<br/><br/>"And I'm your rebound girl?" River asked sharply.<br/><br/>"Oh don't start I've seen enough angry women these last few weeks," the Doctor sighed before looking to his left as a waiter approached their table.<br/><br/>"Excuse me sir, it is time that you paid for your beverages," the waiter spoke, looking at the unusual couple as if unsure whether to call the city guard on them or run in terror.<br/><br/>The Doctor merely sighed and pulled out his psychic paper but frusting it in the poor mans face. "I'm sorry my good man but I am the King of Italy and these drinks are on the house"<br/><br/>The waiter stared at the papaer with a baffled expression and then cleared his throat before saying; "Sir, that paper says, help me Doctor"<br/><br/>The Doctor's face changed several times between fear, alarm, joy, anger and excitement. He jumped to his feet and cluched the psychic paper like a golden ticket. "I've got to go"<br/><br/>"I know," River said with a smile before waving him away. "Go be brave and dashing"<br/><br/>"I am rather brave and dashing, aren't I?" He laughed, his attitude rapidly improving by the second. "Do you want me to take you back now or pick you up later?" he asked, but River shook her head.<br/><br/>"I'll get a lift from someone. I've heard there's a very interesting soldier in town whose willing to show a girl good time," River spoke before winking at the Doctor. "And I do like a daredevil, especially if they're dressed in a nice coat."<br/><br/>"Are you trying to make me jealous?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from the paper for just a second to glance at her.<br/><br/>"Is it working?" She asked with a grin.<br/><br/>"Goodbye River," he spoke before rushing out of the cafe, nearly bowling over the waiter and anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way of the strange man holding a piece of paper in front of his face as he ran full pelt down the road.<br/><br/>"Message recieved Robin," the Doctor said as he skidded down an alley way and crashed into the doors of the TARDIS to force them open. "I'm on my way."