He Went Back
Sometimes, when the pain and loneliness got to betoo much, the Doctor went back.
He knew it was dangerous. He knew he couldn't be seen. The Doctor took pains to make sure to land somewhere that would be secluded this early in the morning. He held his breath as the TARDIS whined and finally whooshed to a stop on the planet's surface. He didn't dare step out. With the cloaking on, he would not be discovered unless someone walked right into the TARDIS. But that would not happen. He had gone to great lengths calculating when and where to land.
The Doctor waited with his hands resting on the console and his eyes focused on the screen. After some time had passed, people walked by. He watched familiar faces go about their lives, oblivious that he was watching them. At one point, his breath caught when he thought he saw his mother, but when she turned to face him more fully, the Doctor saw the woman only looked like her.
A drop of water fell on his right hand. He lifted his hand to touch his damp cheeks. It was time to go. He shouldn't have come. Bittersweet had just turned bitter, and now the Doctor felt emptier than before. At that moment, he made a promise that there would be no more return trips, but the Doctor knew it was a lie. There would be another time when his resolve would crumble and the temptation would be too great. He waited until the passing figures were out of earshot before he left.
The TARDIS moaned as she took off. The Doctor noted the time in his log. He knew all too well the dangers of messing with Time. He didn't want to run into himself if he returned. The Doctor had only made this trip half a dozen times in all the years since the War. It was always three or four months after his companion had left, long enough for the loneliness to settle deep in his hearts. He had been alone too long if he had succumbed to the temptation of going home. It was time to find another companion, to keep him from making risky moves like this.
He allowed himself another moment to think on the world he left behind. Then the Doctor locked those feelings away and swore he wouldn't go back again.
