How could he go on? There was no where to go this time. Nowhere for him to run away to. Amy and Rory were gone for good. The loneliness and guilt consumed him. He pressed buttons and pulled levers listlessly as he set the TARDIS off to drift in space. He didn't care where he went. He sat on the bench, numb to everything around him. But the gift of numbness didn't last long. It was slowly giving way to anger, hate. He thought of the Chameleon arch; he could hide this life and these memories in a simple fob watch. He could die a normal death.
As he sulked on the bench, levers moved on their own, dials turned, a bell chimed. The Doctor was awakened from his depressed dreams by the growling engines. He jumped up to find out where he'd landed. All the screen showed him was a young woman with feathery brown hair. Confused, he rushed to the door and haphazardly threw them open.
He saw a tall red brick house surrounded by shrubs. This is where Sarah Jane Smith and her son Luke lived. Before he could step out and investigate, the engines sounded, he was being taken away again. He frantically tried to take control of his ship. He managed to land it gently, and looked to the screen again, not knowing when or where he'd put it down. This time it showed him a father playing with his son, about 3 or 4, with bright red hair. The man chased his son into his mother's arms. Donna Noble kissed her son on the forehead and smiled as bright as the sun. The Doctor thought his hearts may break. The engines purred again; he was too shocked to do anything this time. As he stared blankly into the distance, the doors creaked open and he heard waves, and smelled a salty breeze. He looked out from a cliff, onto a beach. Two dark figures strolled playfully on the shore. As Mickey and Martha kissed, the beach faded away. He flew far into space, to the very edge of the universe where a star burned up at the end of its life. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone else in his ship.
The faint reflections from across the void grew clearer as he looked on. Jackie Tyler and her husband laughed with their young son. Rose stood close by, positively glowing. Next to her stood her Doctor, a little older and a little softer than when he'd left him. Their hands grasped each other's tightly and bent his head down to give her a kiss. The vision blurred as his eyes filled with tears and a smile broke out on his face again. The figures faded and the engines softly purred again and they drifted out.
The Doctor stood on the threshold and gently pulled open the doors to gaze on the earth below him, this world he'd saved so many times. The home that saved him. He could always come back here. "Thank you, old girl." he whispered breathlessly to his TARDIS. "Bless you, you dear old thing." he choked out. No matter how much it hurt to move on, he could do it. He would find a fantastic friend and have brilliant adventures, and when their time was through they could both return home, better.