A/N: Was a Christmas present for my friend James, only just got around to uploading it. R&R?!
Gallifrey Dies
The tenth Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and was instantly hit with a sense of dàja-vu. He had been here before, but not for a very long time. He wasn't even sure where he was, he just had this over-whelming feeling that he had been here before. At this exact point in time, he realised in horror. He had to get out of here else he was going to end up running into himself (literally knowing his luck) again, something he didn't want to do. He had nothing against his previous selves, they were as brilliant as he was, but they were past. A time the Doctor would've loved to return to but didn't want to run into and be reminded that he couldn't.
DW
The fifth Doctor couldn't believe him eyes when he saw the TARDIS. He had just left it in the opposite direction and yet here it was in front of him. He knew it hadn't moved because he would've heard the sound of it. As he reached it, he realised he was at the back of it and subconsciously found himself inspecting it. He was sure it was the TARDIS, his TARDIS, and yet it was more worn, scratches and fades in the paintwork. It was as though it was older. Was this the TARDIS of a future him? He had met past regenerations, in fact he'd only just got back to travelling after meeting 3 of his past 4 selves. But never had he met a future one.
He walked around to the front of the TARDIS, just a skinny man in a blue suit was walking in. 'Hey you' the fifth Doctor said.
DW
The tenth Doctor froze, his hand on the open TARDIS door, one foot in the TARDIS. He turned to the voice. It was his own voice. His own voice from 5 regenerations back, back when he s living his 5th life. Half his life away.
'Who are you?' the fifth Doctor asked, no recognition in his face.
The tenth Doctor smiled 'Hello, Doctor' he replied. His smile faded 'You don't recognise me?'
'Should I?' the fifth Doctor asked.
'Not necessarily' replied the tenth.
'Have we met before?' asked the fifth.
'Yes. And no, I believe is the honest answer' said the tenth. 'Wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey and all that'
'Who are you?' the fifth Doctor repeated his initial question.
'I'm the Doctor' replied the tenth.
DW
The tenth Doctor explained in short about how he hadn't been taking any notice of where he was and knew he had been here before. He also explained how they had met once before, in a point of time he had come to think of as 'Time Crash'. He asked the fifth Doctor where abouts in his timeline he was, and when the fifth replied that the Master had just had just helped him and his other selves out of a trap, the tenth found himself thinking about Gallifrey, and how it had been. He'd never been a big fan of the place, but now he wanted nothing more than to go home.
'How is Gallifrey?' he asked. He realised as soon as he said it that it would've appeared an extremely strange question. He was a future version of the fifth Doctor, so he'd have known how Gallifrey was at this point in time.
'Same old, Same old' replied the fifth Doctor. 'How is it now?'
'Dead' the tenth Doctor spoke without thinking, and there was no way he could take it back.
'I'm sorry?' the fifth Doctor asked, in shock and worry.
The tenth Doctor sighed. He should've kept his mouth well and truly shut. He continued, not worrying about what he was saying, he had a way to get himself out of this anyway. 'Gallifrey burnt'
'How?' asked the fifth.
'Time War' replied the tenth. He placed his hands on the temple of the fifth Doctor head, passing over the images. He wasn't really sure why he was doing it, he guessed that he just wanted someone he could share this with, instead of always having to keep it to himself.
DW
The fifth Doctor felt everything the future him had felt in what he was seeing. What he was seeing was Gallifrey, the beautiful planet, looking less beautiful. It was in ruin, fires were all around with flames as big as the citidel and bigger. From the distance the tenth Doctor had been (no ninth, the fifth Doctor realised the future him had been in his eighth life at the start of the Time War, and had regenerated twice since - once because of the War and once after) the majority of the planet could be seen and the image was the same all over.
Slowly it ended, the planet, his planet, went from being involved in a bad fire, to becoming a burnt crisp of nothingness. Nothing on the planet could possibly have survived.
He moved away, breaking the connection.
DW
There was a grave look on the tenth Doctor's face as the fifth Doctor looked at him again. 'The Time Lords?' asked the fifth Doctor, almost silently. He had seen life and death, but he had never seen it so close and personal - he planet dying.
'I am the last of the Time Lords' replied the tenth Doctor.
'No' the fifth Doctor said, in quiet, horrified disbelief. 'That's not possible'
'Gallifrey is an unprotected planet' the tenth started to explained. 'They watch without interfering. They believe that they are strong enough that no one will ever try to attack them, which makes them unprepared when it happens'
'Gallifrey…dies' the fifth Doctor said. 'I have to stop it. Warn them'
The tenth Doctor looked at the fifth. He seemed so much younger, and yet he knew he was more than well aware of the laws of Time. 'You can't do that.' the tenth said. 'You shouldn't even know.' He stepped forward, placing his hands on the fifth Doctor's temple again. 'You're lucky' he said, as he drew the memory out of the fifth Doctor's mind. 'You can forget for a long time.'
Once the memory had been drawn out, the fifth Doctor fell unconscious. The tenth Doctor carefully place him on the ground. 'I never can' he added, as he stepped back into the TARDIS.