The Witch had clearly worked out what the Doctor's universal pathway detector was, and what it was for, because she knew the moment the gateway to Earth had opened. The Doctor knew it, too, because the White Witch stormed into his room and immediately launched a ball of temporal distortion at his head, without provocation. When he had recovered, he found himself slumped against the floor, Jadis standing over him.

"You will help me," she demanded.

The Doctor didn't answer her, just looked confused. The time distortion was still making his brain muggy. She gave an exasperated sigh, and slapped him across the face.

"Help me destroy the humans," she growled.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "It's open?" He beamed. "Oh, Jadis. Your days are numbered now, and you know it."

She smacked him again. "You said you didn't want me to die."

"I also said I didn't give second chances."

Jadis picked him up and threw him against the wall. The weeks without food had taken their toll, and the Doctor fell, his legs and arms tangled together as he dropped to the floor. But the Doctor was thinking lightning fast. He knew it was only a matter of time, now, before she killed him. If he refused to prevent the prophecy, there was no real reason for him to remain alive, and even if her guilt was preventing her from killing him now, it was only a matter of time before Jadis gave in to her rage. The Doctor's number was finally up. He was dead already—he just needed to find a way to free his friend before Jadis struck the final blow. If he could do nothing else, he could save one person.

But he couldn't reach the Song in his trances. He couldn't even see the locks and doors that were confining it. He needed to get Jadis to freeze him again. It was the only way he could do any good.

"I own you, Doctor," said Jadis. "You will do as I say!"

"Bet you said that to your Lion friend, didn't you?" said the Doctor, and he shot her his cheekiest grin.

Sure enough, it was only seconds later that he felt himself encased in ice.

He knew what to look for this time. Jadis was distracted, scanning the forests for humans, but his friend was just as strong as ever. The Doctor felt through the layers of psychic resonance that he was stranded in. He was looking for some kind of lock he could pick. A hatch he could undo. He kept twisting and shifting about, trying to make out the shape of his friend's prison, trying to work out all the little fiddly bits and how they fit together.

And just… there! He found the lock, felt the way it tingled in the different sections of his mind. Given how many times he'd found himself in prison cells, he was quite a dab hand at picking locks, and even with this one being psychic, he still managed to work it out pretty fast. There was a sudden feeling as if he were flying through the air, as he threw the last bolt and released his friend from prison.

Run! Run away! Be free! cried the Doctor, as he felt the Song brush across his face, like a breath of fresh air.

The Song stopped, and seemed to look back at him.

She'll never keep me alive, said the Doctor. Sooner or later—sooner, most likely—she's going to finish me off. And perhaps that's for the best. She and I—what we have done is unforgiveable. Best to just get us out of the way and let the multiverse move on without us.

The Song came forward, as if urging the Doctor to reconsider. But the Doctor shook his head, and gave the Song a psychic pat on the arm. I know I'm a monster. Rose was wrong, you see. I'm not a good man, not really. But at least, in the middle of all this misery, I was able to help someone. He felt the Song wrap around his mind, and he pushed it away, gently. Go, before she sees you, he urged. Just promise me, after I'm gone, that you'll do everything in your power to make this right.

I promise, my friend, sang the Song, with such an honest determination that the Doctor felt he could trust it to follow through.

And suddenly, the Doctor was alone, once again, in the darkness. The Song was gone—his friend was gone. He was left with his own thoughts once more, his own sense of emptiness. Not for long, though. After all, it was only a matter of time before Jadis discovered that one of her prisoners had escaped. And when she did, the Doctor was dead.

Compared to facing a life without Rose, he thought it might be the easier option.