Leaving You Behind - by Sian
Synopsis: The Doctor has something to check on, before he can enjoy the rest of Christmas with the Tylers.
Characters: The Doctor (ten)
Episode/Spoilers: Post The Christmas Invasion
Rating: PG
After they'd watched the Sycorax ship breaking up in the atmosphere, the Doctor had sent Rose back to the flat with Jackie and Mickey, while he returned to the TARDIS for a while. She'd agreed a little too readily he thought, but he understood she needed time to get used to this new him; which was why he'd promised her they'd stay in London until the new year. Let her spend time with her mum and give her time to trust that he was the same man, even if he was different.
The Doctor spent an hour checking that the TARDIS had come through the last few days with minimal damage. Memories had been returning to him all evening. This had been a bad regeneration; which was hardly surprising when he considered the reason he'd died. Trying to crash the TARDIS though, that was something new. Fortunately, she'd fought his manic behaviour and brought them safely back to London, and she didn't seem too traumatised by the experience.
He hadn't come through quite so unscathed. He was exhausted for a start; he needed more sleep, better still, he needed the Zero Room, but that was long gone. He was having trouble concentrating, his mind kept wandering to previous lives, and at the moment he wasn't sure which was which. The universe and time were coursing through his brain, a jumble of information that he couldn't begin to process. Yes, he definitely needed more rest. But first had something he needed to do.
He'd told Rose he'd only be gone a couple of hours, that he needed to check the ship's systems and make a few vital repairs - which had been true. He'd also told her that if her key glowed, he wasn't leaving her behind, he was simply running tests and he may have to briefly move the TARDIS - that had only been a half truth. He was going to run tests, and taking the ship for a test drive was a good way to check her systems. But he wasn't planning taking a quick trip round the block.
The question was, when and where to go? He decided a week should be be long enough. He set the co-ordinates and activated the time rotar. After a few seconds, the TARDIS rematerialised at their destination; a journey could be almost instantaneous when he wanted it to be. He scanned the outside world on the monitor - it looked liked there'd been a riot, several riots in fact, but it appeared calm now. He pulled his coat on and left the ship.
He walked through the streets of the city, past crews of men and women clearing away debris and repairing broken windows. Soup kitchens had been set up to feed the workers and the homeless. Registry offices had been opened to makes lists of the living and the dead. It had only been a week, but, in London at least, some semblance of order seemed to have been restored. Someone had obvious taken charge, and the Doctor had a good idea who that someone was.
Half an hour later he arrived at the New Parliament Building (it was actually the twenty eighth building to sit on that spot and to serve as the head quarters of government). He'd deliberately parked well away from the building, he didn't want the TARDIS to be noticed. With the help of his psychic paper, he gained entry to the building without too much trouble. He walked through the deserted corridors to the assembly room, where he'd been told the new leaders were meeting.
He stood in the public gallery (usually public only to those with the right connections) and watched as decisions were made on the rebuilding of New Europa, and on finding out the state of the rest of the planet. And at the centre of all the decision making, leading the discussions, was Captain Jack Harkness - one time Time Agent, turned conman, turned hero - the man people now looking to for leadership. The Doctor smiled, Jack was alive and well and actually appeared to be relishing this new challenge.
He had been reasonably sure that Jack was fine, that he was leading the rebuilding of Earth. But his own regeneration wasn't complete yet, his grasp of space and time was still a little hazy, and so he'd needed to come here and check for himself. Had he been wrong, he'd been quite prepared to return to the Game Station, just after he'd last left, and rescue Jack. But Jack was doing well on his own, and he'd already had too much of an effect on events and on the timeline for the Doctor to remove him now; no matter how much he wanted to, and he desperately wanted to.
So instead he left the building and walked back to the TARDIS, set the coordinates and returned to Christmas 2005, the Powell Estate, London. Rose had already asked him twice what had happened to Jack and he'd assured her that Jack was alright, that he didn't need rescuing. It was good to see that with his own eyes though. He was certain that Jack would find him again, and when that moment came, he just hoped that Jack would understand his reasons for leaving him behind.
END