I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, then there'd be a whole lot more Rose Tyler.

This is a spinoff on the near end of Forest of the Dead.

Everyone was safe now. People were evacuating back to their home planets, and the Library would soon be empty. The Doctor stood on the side, waiting as Donna searched the crowd for a certain Lee McAvoy. To be honest with himself, he didn't want her to find Lee. Because if she did, he knew that she would leave all of this- and him- behind.

He watched as groups of three stepped onto the teleport pad. They were alive. He had saved them all, saved Donna, so shouldn't everything be fine? Except it wasn't. Miss Evangelista, Anita, Other Dave, they all had died. And River. Professor River Song. Even he couldn't save the one person that he had trusted in the future.

The Doctor was interrupted in his musings when Donna returned. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Any luck?"

Donna stood beside him.

"There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the library that day. I suppose he could have had a different name out here, but, let's be honest, he wasn't real, was he?"

"Maybe not." His voice sounded strange, even to him.

Donna seemed to accept his answer.

"I made up the perfect man. Gorgeous, adores me, and hardly able to speak a word. What's that say about me?"

The Doctor tried to take the heaviness away. He didn't need this. Not now.

"Everything." Donna looked at him, but he still couldn't smile. "Sorry, did I say everything? I meant to say nothing. I was aiming for nothing. I accidentally said everything."

Donna saw right through him.

"What about you? Are you all right?"

The Doctor lied. He always did, fooling himself and everybody along with him.

"I'm always all right."

His companions could always see what he denied, though.

"Is all right special Time Lord code for really not all right at all?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm all right, too."

He pulled himself together, and took her hand.

"Come on."

As they walked away, the Doctor saw a man. Fairly tall, curly brown hair; average, really. But for some reason, this person caught his eye. The man was looking at Donna with relief, opening his mouth to say something. As they rounded the corner, the Doctor realized who he was. It was Lee McAvoy, Donna's soul mate.

The Doctor was selfish. Just this once, he couldn't let his companion go. Too many had been taken from him, whether voluntarily or by force. Rose, Jack, Martha. He wasn't going to let Donna leave him. He knew it was wrong, that Donna would hate him if she ever knew, but he couldn't be alone anymore. So he remained silent and looked straight ahead, squeezing Donna's hand a little bit harder and lengthening his stride.

Behind him, a man lost his love because he couldn't speak and a lonely man who needed to be selfish every once in a while.

I know that the Tenth Doctor wouldn't do this, but I wanted him to be selfish for once.

Thanks for reading!

-ravenwings52