Author's Note: When watching Doctor Who, I always think of lines that should have appeared somewhere, scenes that would have been funny, or side stories that would have been useful in explaining away plotholes. This first story: If the Face of Boe is Jack, and Jack can't die, then how could the Face of Boe die?

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The Death of a Face

"But know this, Timelord: You are not alone."

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And then, the Face of Boe died.

The Doctor and Martha stayed for a few minutes to respect the dead hero, before they too, left.

This left Novice Hame all alone with a giant, dead Face.

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Novice Hame sat by the Face of Boe's side long after the Doctor had left, gently patting his great forehead. She just couldn't believe that her long-time companion, her savior, her mentor, and guide had actually died. With every passing moment, she imagined and hoped that she was in the midst of a nightmare and would wake any moment to find her dear friend alive and well, dispatching enigmatic wisdom and not-so-enigmatic stories, just like old times.

But, his forehead was cold now. He was dead and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. If someone so old, so timeless could be taken down so easily, what hope had anyone…no. Novice Hame shook herself out of her melancholy. She had a more practical problem in front of her: she had half a ton of dead Face to deal with, lying in shards of glass, no less. That was hardly the most respectful way for the savior of New Earth to be positioned. And, since the rest of the city seemed to be busy zooming around, enjoying their newfound freedom, it seemed to be up to her to remedy this problem.

Novice Hame stood up briskly, and dusted her knees off. Then, filled with determination, she set to dragging off one of the larger pieces of glass to the other side of the room. It was much heavier than it looked and took most of her strength merely to budge the unwieldy and extremely sharp fragment. As she was not as young as she used to be, by the end of the short trip she was breathing heavily, her hands braced on her knees for extra support. In fact, she was so busy readying herself to head back to drag a second piece off that she almost missed the sound of another breath in the room.

Actually, it was more of a gasp.

Novice Hame whirled around to see a sight she would never forget. Two giant eyes blinking rapidly, enormous nostrils flaring, the great mouth opening slightly…the Face of Boe was alive.

As she gaped in amazement, she felt the Face transmit a single thought.

Smoke.

Novice Hame, galvanized into action, rushed over the valves that supplied the smoke to the life support system and turned all the valves as far as they could go, coughing slightly as the life-giving smoke filled the room. As she gagged from the intensity of the gas, she fumbled for her pocket-handkerchief. After a bit of fishing around in her pocket, she located the handkerchief and tied it around her mouth as a makeshift mask.

Her own breathing quieted, she turned to see that the Face had likewise calmed down. With the previous crises dealt with, she now could focus on the important thing: he was alive!

She didn't know what to say. What did you say to someone who had been dead a few minutes before, anyway? Welcome back? Instead, she just stared.

Luckily, the Face solved the conversation problem for her.

Is he gone? he asked.

It took Novice Hame a moment before she realized that the Face of Boe meant the Doctor.

"The Doctor?" she queried. As the great eyes blinked in affirmation, she continued, "Yes, he's gone."

Good.

Novice Hame was slightly startled; she expected that the Face would be upset at losing the opportunity to converse with someone he had referred to as 'old friend.'

"Why is that good news?"

Because, next time he will know who I am.

This statement was certainly more enigmatic than usual, but the Face did not seem inclined to elaborate on the subject. Nurse Hame decided to let it go as another secret she would never understand. But, first she needed to clear a few things up. She started out simple.

"You were dead?" she asked hesitantly.

Yes.

"But, now you're alive." She was a bit more certain on this one.

Yes.

"Right," she confirmed. Well, that seemed to settle that. But, she still had one last question.

"What now?"

The Face of Boe didn't respond immediately, but seemed to approximate a rogue smile and a twinkle in his eye.

Well…. I've heard that Midnight is quite pleasant this century…

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