A/N: Okay, only one more one-shot with these characters. I know, a lot of sad things are about to happen, but I didn't know how else to say goodbye. The way the Doctor was about leave kept popping into my head so I had to go and write it. The title is from the song My Last Goodbye by Trading Yesterday (I recommend listening to it while reading, but that's just me). I already have planned what the last chapter is going to be, but writing it out is going to take some time. Please review and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that your recognize
Goodbye
"No!" the Doctor cried, stumbling into the TARDIS.
Somehow the machine the Dalek's were able to make had shot a final energy blast towards him, the Doctor absorbing it whole; slowly killing him. Thankfully the battle has finally ended–however with some dark consequences. Amy was dead. River Song (also known as Melody Pond) had taken her father–the last centurion–back home with her infant sister (whom he knew would grouw up to be the spitting image of Amy herself). They both protested, of course, but he had to make sure that they were away from the still exploding ship that once belonged to the Dalek's.
The TARDIS rocked and sparked around the counsel room brought his thoughts back to the present. The TARDIS was flying through time and space on its own with no command from him whatsoever. The Doctor groaned painfully, hanging on to the railing to keep from being thrown all over the place as his thoughts took him in deeper and deeper to what has become his life in this form once again.
Why was it that everything always goes wrong? After all these years of traveling through time and space and fighting to save that planet in need, he should have seen this coming. Should have been able to save those he had come to care deeply. But, no, Amy had died protecting her new born daughter against his number one enemy–how much pain he felt when holding the lifeless body of Amy Pond. Oh, he never wanted to feel that way again.
He was suddenly thrown back against the rails harshly, knowing he was going to have bruises of the bars across if his back in just a few seconds. Not that he cared since they were going to disappear seconds after they were form anyways. The Doctor looked up at the broken counsel with a frown, shaking his head.
"Where are you taking me?" the Doctor gasped in pain.
The TARDIS came to an abrupt stop, the Doctor being thrown to the ground. With a groan he slowly stood up with a frown and stumbled his way towards the door. He fell against the wall when he felt his energy quickly leaving him, the door swinging open to let in the bright light. The Doctor was momentarily blinded but quickly blinked his way towards the door, keeping a steady hand against the walls. Leaning against the other –and still closed–door the Doctor looked around at his surrounding, confused to see two familiar people before him. He then grinned, the Doctor shifting to stand up right, his knuckles turning white with his grip.
"Well…hello,"
Both Steve and Josephine Rogers' stared wide eyed at the pained Doctor leaning heavily against the TARDIS. Josephine had followed her brother and his teammates–Tony Stark, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Bruce Banner–into the training room, complaining of how much he was treating her like a child when she was twenty-seven years old! That's when their attention turned to the corner of the training room when a grinding noise was heard, soon followed by a blue police box starting to materialize before their very eyes.
The doors to the room closed and locked by themselves by an invisible force as soon as the box finally became solid. Thor held his ever present harm in his hand while Clint readied his bow and arrow, and Natasha held some daggers in her arm, the three of them standing in defense. The door opened, the three teammates that had weapons getting ready to attack when the Rogers siblings ran in front of them, telling them to stop. They watched as the Doctor leaned against the door, looking far worse than the last time the Rogers' have seen him.
"Doctor!"
Josephine ran forward as the Doctor stumbled towards them, holding him up with concern. Steve quickly rushed forward, dragging one of the bench press over to them so that the alien man can take a seat. The Doctor grins at Steve with amusement, sitting down gratefully and painfully, trying very hard not to wince. Steve's teammates watched on in confusion, the three with weapons putting them away as they saw that the man the siblings was helping wasn't a threat to them–and that they knew who this stranger was.
"Thank you Steve, I see that the serum Dr. Abraham Erskine created is still working this long."
"Of course, you already knew this, Doctor." Steve accuses with a grin.
The Doctor chuckles before crying out painfully, feeling the poisoned energy fight aggressively with his life form. He leans forward to try and relieved the pain, shutting his eyes to keep the tears from leaking. Josephine and Steve take hold of the Doctor's arms on either side, making sure that he wouldn't fall off the bench.
"Doctor?" Josephine questioned in a whisper.
"How long has it been?" he questions rather than answer hers.
"Two years since you last saw me and three for Steve." Josephine answers worriedly.
The Doctor grunts, loud sirens suddenly going off. Shakily he reaches into his pocket and takes out his sonic screwdriver, turning off the alarms inside the training room. He sighs contently, bringing his arm down limply, his hold on his device loose.
"Much better, I don't doubt that Nick Fury and his men would be here soon to try and capture me."
"I think the TARDIS locked the doors to the room." Josephine tells him as she remembered the doors closing and locking by themselves.
"That's my girl," the Doctor mutters with a grin.
"What's going on, Doctor? Are you all right?" Steve demands worriedly.
The Doctor sighs, looking up at the siblings. "I'm dying," he tells them simply. "And the TARDIS brought me here to tell you goodbye."
Steve frowns as Josephine gives him a watery smile, "But we'll see you again with a new face, right?"
"I'm here to say goodbye for good," the Doctor tells her sadly.
Josephine's eyes water, losing her smile, "But-b-b-but?" she stutters, not knowing what to say.
The Doctor stands and presses a hand to her cheek, her tears flowing over his hand. "Miss Josephine Rogers, the brave girl who traveled in time and space with a stranger, trusting him for all he's worth, just to be with her brother." he leaned forward, kissing her forehead, emitting a choke sob from her. "I will always be with you, I promise." he whispered before looking at the somber looking Steve. "Take care of your family, Steve–and I'm not just talking about your sister."
Steve nods at his meaning, shaking his hand. "I promise, Doctor."
"And stop treating her like a child, you two have been in this time for a while now and there is always someone looking out for her." the Doctor nods to Clint with a grin.
Steve looks back at his teammate with a narrow look that promised of speaking with him later about this situation. Clint flushed bright red at the revealed secret, wondering how in this stranger had found out when no one–especially Josephine–knew about him trailing her whenever she left the SHIELD building. Tony chuckled, slapping a hand on the man's shoulder with a cheeky grin, winking at the younger man.
"So that's where you've been going at night."
If possible Clint turned even redder, his eyes connecting with Josephine, who looked away shyly, a hint of a smile on her lips. Everyone jumped at a loud banging sound, the group turning to see Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, Agent Sharon Carter, and many other SHIELD agents surrounding the training room holding guns. Nick continued to pull and push open the doors, banging on the glass doors as hard as he could.
"Open this damn door, Doctor! Avengers, capture that man! Do not let him escape–that is an order!" Nick's muffled voice yelled at them.
The group turns back to the Doctor, Josephine hugging the strange alien man as she cried. The Doctor smiles softly, rubbing a hand down her back soothingly before Steve pulls her away, holding her close. He knew that if he didn't take hold of her that his sister would want to go with this alien man and travel with him. He worried enough leaving by herself, there was no way he was going to let her go off to all parts of time and universes.
"You'll always be my strange alien man, Doctor." Josephine cried, giving him a small smile, "Goodbye."
Steve gives the Doctor a curt nod, his hold on his sister tightening just a bit at the emotions he was feeling. "Goodbye Doctor, and thank you for everything."
The Doctor smiles at them, whispering, "Goodbye."
The Doctor walks back inside the TARDIS, the door closing shut behind him. There were a few more goodbyes to do, and he had a feeling that they were going to be even more painful than the one he was just about to leave. The grinding noise could be heard, soon followed by the blue box fading slowly. Nick Fury could be heard angrily yelling at them to stop the man from leaving, but no one moves a muscle. Steve's other teammates had seen and heard enough and had agreed silently as one that this man was not to be taken in, no matter how much trouble they were about to get in.
Once the box was almost faded were Nick and the other agents finally able to enter the training room, running towards the box. However they were too late as it finally faded. Nick turned angrily to the team he had assembled, only to sigh when Josephine turned to her brother and sobbed loudly. Josephine now had to stop looking forward to seeing the strange alien man and any possible adventure that he could have taken her.
And to finally say goodbye to the one bond that linked her and Steve's past.