Emergency Protocol I
Author's Note - I don't own any of these people. The BBC does. Set between Jack's arrival and before Bad Wolf. No infringment, etc. etc. is intended.
His companions were asleep. It was probably night, somewhere in the universe. The Doctor was alone in his room. It was times like this he remembered, and let the demons of his pasts haunt him. No, not let. He might be able to fight Daleks, Cybermen, Jagrafess, and Jackie Tyler, but his own past was an enemy he could not combat.
Closing his eyes, the Doctor let the images parade past his tired brain. Had he ever been that old, or that young? That carefree? Jellybabies and shoes once had the power to thrill him.
His fifth face flashed past, with the old man, the scarecrow, and the dandy, as they called each other nearby. He had run from Gallifrey as fast as the Tardis would take him then. Was that a good thing or not? Would being there, assuming his responsibility as Flavia put it, have saved his home, his family? His friends? Romana. Susan.
Old companions' faces whirled around the rooms inside himself. So many of them were simply gone now. By the times he had taken Rose to, they were all dead, and some of their blood was on his hands. Ace, Mel, Adric.
He wondered how that boy had found the strength to sacrifice himself? To give up his one little life?
Grace's ghost rose up, reminding him frantically that she had only one life, and he had promised to remember that.
He'd promised to make her dream come true, just for a day.
The images ran together.
Tegan, Turlough, Peri, Victoria, Susan, Liz, Ian, Charley, the Brigadier, even K-9. He wondered what they'd think of his current "crew". The Brigadier might want to lock Jack up. He'd like to see that. He wouldn't particularly like to deal with Tegan and Rose's mother at the same time.
So much was gone.
Silently, he renewed his promise to Grace as he remembered Adric and began programming in Emergency Protocol I, just in case he ever needed to extend that promise to Rose.