"I know," she replies quietly. Her hand lingers at the edge of River's face. "I wanted more too. It was selfish to save you the way I did, but it would've been selfish if I stopped it from ever happening." Her hand falls to her side now and she sighs.

"I guess I dug myself that hole." It wasn't often the Doctor admitted her mistakes to others. Especially not ones that she felt so confident about. For centuries she was certain it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do.

"I never thought I'd see you again. I thought our story came to a close, that the days of us intersecting each other's timelines were over." She brushes her hand over River's arm. "Yet here you are. In the flesh, it seems."