AN: A small one shot with a different take on Journey's end.
Valley of Darkness
...
The sound of the Tardis materialising inside the vault caused the Doctor and his companions to turn to see the doors open and a new Doctor standing in the doorway, surrounded by bright light.
"Impossible!" Davros whispered watching as the new Doctor sprinted towards him.
"Don't!" shouted the Doctor from within his holding cell.
The meta-crisis Doctor didn't listen, but rather raised his gun, the same time that Davros raised his metal hand, shooting a bolt of electricity straight towards him. He felt himself being forcibly pushed out the way; the gun slipping from his hands. He turned seeing the electricity intended for him hit Sarah square in the chest.
"Activate holding cell!" Davros cried watching in triumph as the two Doctors were trapped.
"Doctor!"
They all looked over to see Donna run out of the Tardis, and pick up the gun.
"What do I do?" She frantically asked looking at the gun, when she is zapped by the same electricity that sent her flying backwards. She felt her body impacting against a something hard then knew no more.
"Destroy the Weapon!" Davros ordered watching as the gun is destroyed by one of the Daleks.
"Donna! Donna! Are you alright, Donna?"
"It seems I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are quite pathetic."
Sarah managed to get back on her feet, and looked over at Davros with stubbornness and determination.
"We are anything but pathetic. You can hurt us, scare us, kill us." She said glancing over at Jack. "But we will just come back stronger than ever." She turned back to Davros. "You may be the creator of the Daleks, but the Doctor will always have his companions scattered through time and space. And know this… we will always be there to stop you."
Davros sent another shock of electricity towards Sarah Jane, who gritted her teeth her eyes watering in pain, but she refused to give in. A few seconds passed, and the electricity stopped. She ignored the throbbing, burning pain throughout her body and looked over at Davros in stubbornness.
"You're going to have to do better than that," said Sarah surprised by how steady her voice sounded.
"So much strength. So much bravery, Miss Smith. The Doctor was lucky to have you in his life."
"Leave her alone, Davros."
"Tell me, Doctor, how will you be able to go on knowing you were powerless to save your best friend."
She didn't have time to move when another bolt of electricity over took her body; one more powerful than the last. She bit down on her lip, felling blood enter her mouth as she tried to muffle her screams over Davros' laughter.
Sarah thought she could hear someone screaming her name through the thick fog that had overtaken her senses. She felt the familiar sensation of her body falling to the ground; wanting nothing more than for the pain to end.
As she lay on the cold floor, her mind drifted to Luke, wondering who would take care of him. She had promised she would come back, but it seemed she would be breaking that promise. She could already feel herself slipping away.
"Stop! You're killing her!" shouted the Doctor as Davros continued his torment.
"A faithful companion will die, Doctor! Who else, but the one who was there at the very beginning of my creation!"
Sarah could faintly hear the terror and denial in the Doctor's voice as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Sarah! Sarah, hang on! Fight him!" He pleaded, silent tears running down his face. "Don't let him win."
She used her remaining strength to look up at the Doctor, seeing his fear and desperation as he frantically tried to break out of his cell.
"Take… care of… Luke."
"We can take care of him together. You and me." He cried desperately. "Traveling across the universe. All three of us."
"Doctor… promise me…" Sarah whispered. "Please."
The Doctor swallowed hard, knowing she didn't have long left.
"I promise."
She gave him a pained smile, trying to memorise his face for the last time.
"Goodbye… Doctor. Don't… Don't forget me."
"Never could, my Sarah Jane." He said brokenly watching as her eyes that were once full of life, close for the final time.
Davros gave a triumphant cry, as the electricity came to a stop. Gliding forward, he nudged Sarah's lifeless body with his console. When she didn't stir, he gave an insane laugh, satisfied with his results.
"Another one who has died for you, Doctor. How many more are you going to sacrifice?" He said looking over at the remaining companions.
The meta-crisis Doctor looked at Davros with hatred, while the Doctor never took his eyes off Sarah's body. He didn't know how he was going to break the news to Luke. The boy needed his mother, and he needed his best friend. He felt his hearts break at the thought of never seeing her again. He should have listened to her all those years ago on Skaro and put an end to Davros when he had the chance.
"Death will always follow you, Doctor. No matter how many times you try to save the ones you love, they will always leave you in the end. Poor Miss Smith, is just another body to add to the ever-growing list. You abandoned her, yet she still remained faithful to you until the end. How does it feel? To know you couldn't save her even when she gave her life to save you? How long will it be before you forget about her completely?"
The Doctor refused to answer. He wouldn't give into Davros' games. He still had twenty-seven planets to save, and he would save them. He owed it to Sarah and everyone else who had died for him. He wasn't going to let their deaths be in vain.