The Doctor closed his eyes and smiled sadly, recalling the events of the past hour.
Amy, Rory and the Doctor left the TARDIS together, walking towards the house with the shiny red car in front.
"Don't tell me, this isn't Earth, that isn't a real house, and inside lives a goblin who feeds on indecision," Amy said, turning to face the Doctor.
The Doctor replied, "Nope. Real Earth. Real house. Real door keys."
"You're not serious," Amy said, incredulously.
Rory spoke up, "The car too? But that's my favorite car. How did you know that was my favorite car?"
The Doctor smiled, turning to Rory and saying, "You showed me a picture once."
Amy looked at her husband, begging him to side with her, "Rory, we can't accept this."
Rory spoke to the Doctor, "She'll say that we can't accept it because it's too expensive, and we'll always feel a crippling sense of obligation," he glanced at the car, "it's a risk I'm willing to take."
As Rory continued to look at his favorite car Amy turned to The Doctor, "So, you're leaving, aren't you?"
The Doctor replied, "You haven't seen the last of me. Bad Penny is my middle name. Seriously, the looks I get when I fill in a form," he joked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Why now?" Amy asked.
"Because you're still breathing," he said suddenly serious.
"Well I think this is about the washing up," Amy said, attempting to joke.
"You know you're right. There's still heaps of stuff out there to look at. Did you know, there's a planet who's name literally translates as "volatile sex? Or maybe there's a bigger, scarier adventure waiting for you in there."
Amy looked at her new house, at her wonderful husband who was still playing with his new car, "Even so, it can't happen like this. After everything we've been through, Doctor. Everything. You can't just drop me off at my house and say goodbye like we shared a cab."
"What's the alternative? Me standing over your grave? Over your broken body? Over Rory's body?"
Amy was silent for a few minutes before saying, "You bump into my daughter, tell her to visit her old mom sometime."
The Doctor gestured to Rory, "Look after him."
"Look after you."
The Doctor turned to walk away, as Amy started towards her husband. When he reached the doors of his beloved TARDIS, he stopped, and turned around to look at his wonderfully human Ponds. He waved once, before stepping inside and shutting the blue door.
He laid his hands on the console, getting ready to go off into the Vortex, to stall the inevitable. He was just about to flip the final lever when he heard it.
"You're only hurting yourself you know."
The Doctor leaned against the console, not bothering to look behind him to see the source of the voice. It was a voice he'd know anywhere. The only voice in existence that could make his hearts sing and break simultaneously.
After what felt like an eternity, he sighed, deciding against masking the sadness and exhaustion in his voice, she would've been able to see through it anyways, she always could.
"And just what might you be talking about, Miss Tyler?" he finally asked.
"Forcing the Ponds to leave," Rose Tyler answered.
"Amy and Rory left of their own accord."
"Now we both know that's a lie, Doctor. Amy never would've left you by choice"
"And Rory?"
"Ah, Rory, the Last Centurion, the Boy Who Waited, Roranicus Pondicus"
"That's the one. You don't think he would've stayed?"
"For Amy maybe," she said thoughtfully, "but he craves the kind of simple, quiet life that you just can't offer."
The Doctor sighed again, deeper this time, as he embraced the truth of her words. A life with the Doctor was anything but simple or quiet.
"Amy would've stayed though, wouldn't she?"
"Of course. She would've stood by your side until the end of the Time itself. She's a strong one, that Amelia Pond, the Girl Who Waited."
The Doctor replied in a quiet voice, a voice laced with all the pride in all of Creation, "she reminded me of you."
He could hear the smile in her voice, even without looking at her, "You truly mean that?"
"Yes," replied the doctor, simply, even though it was anything but simple, "She's strong, and fierce and never lets backs down when it comes to the ones she loves."
"Then you should've let her stay, if she reminded you so much of me."
"BUT SHE WAS'NT YOU!" the Doctor shouted.
He sighed, his voice much softer this time around, "She's not you."
"She would've stayed forever."
"LIKE YOU DID?" The Doctor roared, pushing himself off the console. "She's better off there, she's safer there. With me she'd only be lost! I lose everyone Rose, everyone and I can't do it anymore. I'm tired of watching everyone and everything I love die. Sarah Jane, Donna, The Master," the Doctor's voice broke, "…you. I just can't anymore, I GIVE UP, THE DOCTOR, THE ONCOMING STORM, THE MAN OF HOPES AND DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES, I GIVE UP," the Doctor screamed, beating his hands against his chest, barely recognizing the pain as he recalled everything he had lost over the years.
"Please Rose, please understand," he begged, as he calmed down, needing to hear the words of salvation that can only be given from the person you love.
"Oh, why bother?" the Doctor asked himself as he slowly turned away from the console, "It's not like you were even ever here in the first place, were you Rose?"
He looked around his empty ship once, knowing she wouldn't be there, knowing she lost forever, stuck in that damned parallel universe, before turning back to the console, and flipping the final lever that would take him on one last adventure, before he had to take his final stand at Lake Silencio, on the fateful day of April 22nd, 2011.