His impossible girl's broken body felt weightless in his arms.
He'd thought they were free. He'd thought he could just turn his back on his darker self, the one who broke the promise. He was wrong.
So much loss...even the joy of seeing Rose again could not heal the pain of all the loss. There was a reason he should never have jumped into his timestream, he should never have met his previous incarnations. They'd all fought and run together, even his beautiful, brave, broken Clara...
She'd collapsed again, just as victory seemed to be upon them. She'd been too weakened by her splintering amongst his timelines, this final battle had been too much.
And he was broken, too. The paradox of jumping into his timestream was tearing his cells apart, and he no longer had the strength to stop it. Two hearts meant twice the capacity to love, and twice the heartbreak.
The Doctor dimly felt himself falling to his knees on his grave at Trenzalore. He could not find it in himself to care. He'd promised to bring Clara back...he could no longer even cry.
Ignoring the fires building in his blood, he clutched his impossible girl to his chest, pressing his lips to her lifeless lips. Nothing could hurt her now. Nothing...
...and then the fires overcame him, and he knew nothing else...
The Doctor came to his senses slowly. He was lying on his back, and gradually recognized the ceiling as the engorged TARDIS that was his grave. Rage and disappointment flooded into him - what more did he have to do to finally rest?
He gradually became aware of a warm weight draped across his chest, a weight buried beneath a wealth of chestnut hair. Unwillingly his hand came up to brush the hair out of her face.
"Doc...tor..?" whispered a voice he never thought he'd hear again.
The Doctor closed his eyes, unwilling to let himself believe.
A trembling, tiny hand touched his chin.
"You look the same..." came that confused, tired voice. "All your other faces were diff'rent..."
A/N Sorry this is a bit rushed, but I had a theory about how I'd LIKE the regeneration to go, and just HAD to get it written down. This takes place post whatever happens in the 50th Special. Let me know your thoughts!