I had watched him leave me again. A few minutes, he had promised. He promised. I suppose my Doctor is a liar. My Doctor... He lied. He lied to me. How could he... I watched every night for that gorgeous fireplace to spin around. I stayed up waiting for my Doctor to come through it. I passed out more than once, and collapsed onto my bed. This would be my last night waiting for him.
They were taking me to a real doctor in the morning. They were going to take me away. And I would wait one last night. One last night for my lonely Angel. I knelt before the mantle in my nightgown, hoping against reason that this fireplace would turn change.
Of all the men to fall in love with... All the men in France. I chose this one. This man, who would never come back when he said. This man, who brought so many monsters to my world. This man... This lonely man. I loved him. I looked up at the clock. I would never fix that damned clock.
Oh many had tried to fix the thing. They offered to fix it for free. One man even tried to steal it to repair the damned thing. But I wouldn't let them. I ordered my servant to stand watch over the clock, a decision I will not regret.
As I sat before my fireplace, I thought of all the days I wasted here. The nights a man sat on by bed, waiting for me to stand up. I'd become as lonely as my Doctor. No one could cheer me up. No one ever will. I ran my hands along the fireplace. How frail they looked... How frail, and how old. A few minutes, and a few years. They were both nothing to my Doctor. How could I blame him for this? Could I blame him for all of the friends I lost? All of the waiting I did at this mantle? In my heart, I couldn't. He was... Beyond blame. How could someone like me blame the Doctor for being... Him.
For being his childish, wise self. For forgetting the course of lesser beings. For remembering too late. How could I blame him? I tried to reassure myself that he would come. That he would keep his promise. But, somehow... I knew I would not see him come through that fireplace. Not in my lifetime. Perhaps he would come. Perhaps he would come through, thinking it had been but a few moments. But I wouldn't be here.