Hello readers! I've been absent from the world of fanfiction for far too long...I am back again! I wrote this for my friend Kaila for her birthday, since she is one of my best friends and an avid Whovian, like myself. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: All dialogue, song lyrics and characters are NOT mine. All belong to persons that are not me, and are in England, employed by the fabulous network of BBC
The Tenth Doctor's Last Moments:
And Then There was One
He smiled, but tears stung his eyes. The smile quickly fled his face as another tremendous wave of pain struck him and he gasped. The Doctor was dying, he had absorbed all 500,000 RADs to save Wilfred, but now it was killing him. It would only take 5,000 RADs to kill a normal man within hours; he was no mortal: he was a Timelord. The radiation was destroying his cells; he could feel his body dying, his skin felt like it was burning.
But nothing in all of Time and space-nothing at all hurt more than seeing her walk away. She didn't know who he was-of course she didn't, at least not yet. He had wanted to see her so badly, but in order to do so he had to go to her past-to before she'd met him- if he would have tried to visit her in any other time-frame...Things would have gotten timey-wimey.
Now her name, like a record on repeat, played over and over in the Doctor's head: Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose. He longed to call out to her, and for her to turn around and recognize him, to hold her in his arms again...Rose, Rose, Rose. If only she could hear me, he thought to himself. But Rose Tyler did not hear the call of the Timelord's mind and she disappeared into the apartment complex.
"Gahh!" He exclaimed through his teeth as the pain grew stronger. His body was dying, and his hearts were broken; he felt nothing. Nothing but self pity. He'd done all he could to protect this planet, and he'd done his job a dozen times over. And this is how he was repaid? After all he'd done? He looked over to where his TARDIS sat in the flurrying snow, waiting for him. He dreaded going inside, not only because this life would end there, but because it would be cold and empty. He thought back to when he had all of his companions in the TARDIS with him: Rose, Jackie, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Martha, Donna... They were all gone now. The Timelord Victorious stood alone in the universe once again. And then there was one...he thought to himself as he grimaced.
He used the brick wall behind him for support as he stumbled towards his TARDIS, his only source of comfort at the moment. He stopped at the edge of the wall for a moment to catch his breath; his vision was becoming blurred and his ears rung, the hand that clutched the brick wall trembled. He had to let go of the brick wall now, and he did so reluctantly. His left leg wasn't working normally, it was starting to drag behind him as he continued staggering towards the blue police box. His moans turned to tears and the world spun around him in a blur of color, and he fell on his hands and knees as tears streamed down on his face as the pain overtook him. I just want this to be over, his conciousness warred against him, wanting to give up and fight on at the same time. The Timelord trembled, No, no, I don't. Please, give me more time. I could do so much more.
On his hands and knees he crawled forward a couple inches while a moan escaped his lips. Then he felt a change in the wind, he felt someone's gaze on him, Rose, his mind called out, but when he gathered the strength to raise his head it was not the form of Rose that his eyes fell on, but that of an Ood.
Ood Sigma stood in the blowing snow, gazing on him with his ever-penetrating gaze; his translator-orb light up as the Ood's voice broke the somber silence, "We will sing to you Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep."
Vale Decem, aeternam, di meliora.
As the Song of the Ood began, the Doctor finally stood up, gritting his teeth through the pain.
Ad aeternam, vale Decem.
The End was near; he could feel the regeneration energy burning inside him, just begging to burst through and change the unwilling Timelord.
Di meliora,
"This song is ending, but the story never ends." The eerily-calming voice of Ood Sigma whispered as he watched the Doctor continue his trip to the TARDIS.
Beati pacifici. Vale Decem, alis grave.
His hands, arrested by a seizure finally came to rest upon the front of his beloved TARDIS, after a couple tries, his fumbling fingers finally grasped the handle and he stumbled inside the police box and almost collapsed as he closed the door.
Ad perpetuam memoriam.
The Doctor looked gravely around the TARDIS as he accepted his face, it was almost finished. Once the regeneration started he couldn't stop it, no matter how much he wished he could. His hand left the railing by the door and with a great deal of effort he took off his coat and weakly tossed it aside.
Vale Decem,
The Song would be the last sound he would hear in this form. Yes, farwell indeed, he thought bitterly and brought his hand close to his face and at that exact moment the golden energy began to form and pulsate around his hands.
Gratis tibi ago.
He clenched his fist, and wished with all his might that when he opened his fist the light would be gone. No such luck, Right then, let's take her up. He ran his fingers limply over the consol of his TARDIS, and pulled a lever and clutched the consol with both hands and he stared up at the screen as the TARDIS began to be in motion.
Ad aeternam, nunquam singularis,
Could one drown in their own sorrow, I wonder? The Doctor thought to himself as the TARDIS, his faithful old girl took him up into the stars for the last time.
Numquam, dum spiro fido.
The TARDIS flew through the blackness of space. The universe he once saw as terrifyingly beautiful and awe-inspiring he now saw as nothing but pitch black emptiness stretching out in an unending sheet before him for all of eternity. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, he was shaking, it was time to let it go and move on. Boy, was he going to let it go. A bubbling abyss of dark emotions consumed the Doctor and was on the verge of overtaking him.
Vale.
Vale.
Vale.
Vale.
The Song of the Ood was almost to an end; as was his time in this form. Memories, so many memories flashed in his mind. The faces of his companions burned behind his eyelids: Rose, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Wilfred... Rose.
Rose. That one name broke all of the self-reassurance, the calmness and acceptance that he had managed to scrounge together in the last few seconds. He knew she was happy where she was now. She had him, I should be with her now, she should be with me, not him...But it is me, he thought bitterly, But it's not the same, not for me anyways. He better love her right, because I never could. I had two chances and I wasted both of them, I destroyed both chances. I caused her pain. I don't deserve her, I never have...and I never will. She's better off with him anyways.. He squeezed his eyes closed as a fresh wave of pain broke his reverie of self-punishment.
Vale.
Vale.
Vale.
Vale...
The Song quieted to a faint whisper in the Timelord's ear, it was nearly finished now. The Doctor panicked, he couldn't go. It couldn't be time now. He needed more time. It wasn't fair; he didn't want to go. Now his breath came in fast gasps, No. Nononono. Please. Don't. I don't want to. No. No. NO!
He opened his mouth, his throat was dry, he swallowed once, then a second time and he voiced his plea. "I..I don't want to go," his voice was thick with tears; his lip was trembling. His hearts were breaking, Please, I beg of you. Don't. Make. Me. Go. Please. I-
His insides snapped, the growing reservoir of regeneration energy broke free from his control and took his fate into it's own hands. All the tears he wanted to cry were refusing to form as his DNA began to be unwritten and rewritten, but a single tear dripped out from the corner of his eye and streamed down his cheek, but it was burned away by the sheer heat before it could drip off of his chin. His self-control was breaking, and when it broke he wasn't going to hold anything back. He didn't care what the repercussions would be. He. Didn't. Care.
The broken Timelord stretched out his arms and shook from the effort it took, he was ready to let it go. He swallowed hard, So, this is the end...Goodbye. Goodbye Rose. Please love him, because I cannot love you the way you want me too. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He closed his eyes and he let it go.
He let it all go, and he didn't hold it back. His mind was blank. His emotions amplified the energy's intensity ten-fold as his sorrow turned to anger and to sorrow again, he was aware of the heat surrounding him but he didn't care. He felt the energy's wild storm begin to weaken as it shrank and dissipated into the air.
The Doctor screamed and then stumbled and took a step back. It was finished. He was different, he felt different, and he thought different. He was sad, and bitter, but there wasn't time to dwell on that...because something was wrong and he couldn't quite put a finger on it, he spun around and saw the TARDIS aflame. Oh well that is lovely! Just what I needed.. He thought to himself, Ha! First thought in a new mind...My thoughts sound funny..
He looked down at the brown suit that had once been perfectly tailored to his body but now hung on him limply, I have got to get out of this suit. I bet I look terrible...then he gasped. "Legs! I've still got legs!" He kissed his knee, "Good."
The Doctor patted his chest and ran his fingers over his arms in a frenzy.
"Arms, hands! Oooh, fingers! Lots of fingers!" He exclaimed gratefully as he rubbed his hands together and examined his new hands. The Timelord moved his hands clumsily up to his head, and felt his face. "Ears, yes. Eyes, too. Nose.." His fingers lingered on his nose, "..I've had worse...Chin...Blimey!" He moved his hands roughly to his hair and ran his fingers through his hair and stopped short.
For a milisecond, both of his hearts stopped and in utter disbelief he whispered in a cracked voice, "..I-I'm a girl!" Then he shook his head and his fingers hovered over his throat and he felt his bulky Adam's apple. "No! No," his fingers lingered over it, to make sure it was really there, "I'm not a girl. No." Then he ran his hands through his new hair once more and brought a piece down into view.
"And still not ginger!" Something went off in the back of his mind, something he needed to remember, Oh, come on. It's right there on the tip of my tongue. What was it...
He spun around and tapped his forehead violently, "There's something else. There's something important. I'm...I'm..I'm..." His thoughts are cut off by an extremely not-good sound. The TARDIS shakes and he loses his balance momentarily. "Ha! Crashing!" The Doctor yells as he holds onto the consol for support, and he smiles, then he looks around him and finally he realizes the state of the TARDIS, but it doesn't phase him in the least.
Finally, something unexpected for a change! "Ha-ha," he laughs giddily while sparks begin to fly and the TARDIS begins to descend onto the planet below him. The time machine begins to shake violently and his face breaks out into a huge smile.
"Geronimo!"
I hope you enjoyed reading this! While I love writing...This was really sad to write! I actually went back and rewatched the last 20 minutes of The End of Time: Part 2 to get into the mood, and to make sure I had all of my details down correctly. I also researched radiation poisoning... that was...informative. Let me just say, radiation is NOT a pleasant way to die.
One another note, I'm thinking in the near future I'll write a one-shot for 11's regeneration... Hmmm
~See y'all soon!
