Alone and Infected

Summary: The Doctor, like any living, breathing creature, dreams. Unlike any living creature, however; the Doctor relives one moment incessantly. The moment he became alone and infected.

Rated: K+

Characters: Ninth Doctor | Doctor's Daughter | Daleks

A/N: So this is going to be a string of short and long One-shots, generally involving the Doctor and Rose Tyler, though I'll take requests with other companions. I won't do any with the Eleventh Doctor purely because I haven't gotten past the 4th series yet, or 1-8 since I haven't gotten to watch those episodes either. (I plan to eventually, but with classes in session again I don't have much time) Sorry if anything isn't historically correct, I still haven't seen anything set and stone about the Time War.

Hope ya'll enjoy! Review/Follow/Favorite, etc. Thanks~

Sweat pooled at his brow, crystal eyes narrowed in concentration. Heat engulfed him, each wave feeling like a tangible force about to devour him. It wasn't natural; it was alien even to him; a man who had travelled vast and wide through the worlds and time.

Time: the very essence that caused his hearts to thud violently in his chest, his mind to thrum with the knowledge of what he must do. If he didn't succeed… a shudder trembled down his spine, jumpstarting his focus. He had to succeed.

His fingers worked in time with his thoughts, bringing this wire to that, then snatching his sonic screwdriver to toggle with this mechanism. Each breath he took he hoped to accomplish his next feat.

"Dad!" Though scratchy, enveloped in static, the Doctor could make out his daughter's voice, panic set fire to his hearts.

"Yeh? What is it?" He coughed as a beam of smoke threatened to choke him. He fumbled with his screwdriver again, face highlighted by the blue light for half a moment before he moved on.

A scream echoed on the other end of the radio and he lurched forward. "What's going on?" he yelled, breath caught in his throat. "Are you alright?" He paused, eyes unseeing. "Answer me!" As each second ticked by he felt his hearts throb, tears gathering in his eyes. "Please," he begged, shaking the hand radio.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and the Doctor had to hold the speaker to his ear so he could hear her. "I'm sorry, Dad… The Moment…" Her breaths hitched her words, and then the robotic voice sent fire through his veins.

"Exterminate."

Daleks. "Your choice, Dad."He heard the beam of a Dalek, his daughter's gasp, and then incessant static. It deafened him to everything; only a white noise filled the silence, but even that was muted to his ears.

"No," he murmured, tears tracing his cheekbones. "No, no, no…" he repeated, pain seeping into every morsel of thought. She was gone. His daughter; the only person he had left.

He'd lost everyone. His wife. His son. His brother. His daughter.

All gone.

He blinked. Your choice, Dad. And in spite of it all he couldn't afford to stop. If he stopped more than just his loved ones were lost. If he stopped…everyone and everything would be gone with the end of the Last Great Time War.

The Doctor dragged himself to the panels, his mind pulsing with what he must do. He worked with the wires and panels for what felt like hours, each breath labored and drawn with a twinge of agony. It was only once he finished, only one final button needing pressed, that he stopped.

If he pressed the button every last Time Lord and Dalek would die. The Last Great Time War would have no winner; only the end of two races. The Doctor closed his eyes, hand hovering over the button, a sole thought quivering through his mind. An old quote his father had told him the night before he disappeared.

"Killing…after a while…will infect you. And once it does you're never rid of it… We always have a choice."

Then I'll be infected, the Doctor thought, palm slamming on the button, for as long as I shall live.

Alone and Infected.

calling out his daughter's name until at last the connection was lost to incessant static.