Chapter 10: War Doctor POV

"You asked for a big, red, button."

I was in the barn again. The Moment had changed from a complex machine to a box with a big, red, button coming up from it.

"Not much changes."

I looked to my left to see River. "Why are you doing this? Do you want me to burn Gallifrey?"

"The only you I know burned Gallifrey. But it's still your choice. I, for one, know that it is possible to change the future."

"I might never meet you," I said. I might never meet Rose, or Clara, or Elizabeth if I didn't burn Gallifrey. But meeting them was something I had almost begun to look forward to.

"I might not even exist," River looked down. "My story is more complicated than you may think."

I smiled a little bit. "Then I look forward to it." I reached my arm out and set it on the button.

"Wait." River appeared across from me. "Before you press the button, I just want you to know something."

I let my arm hang back down by my side.

"You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing, groaning, sound?" She asked. "Well, first of all, it only makes that sound because you leave the brakes on. But also, to anyone who's met you, Doctor, that sound brings hope. To anyone, anywhere, any time."

I thought I heard the groan of the TARDIS, but I figured it was just River manipulating what I was hearing somehow.

"Even you."

I turned around to see not one, but two TARDISes materializing. Not just any old TARDIS. It was my TARDIS.

And sure enough, out of one stepped Sandshoes, Rose, and Elizabeth. Chinny and Clara stepped out of the other.

"You can't save Gallifrey," my voice sounded more depressed than I had expected. Would that be an issue if I destroyed Gallifrey? Would I suffer from depression for the rest of my lives? I knew I'd end up with ADHD after meeting Chinny and Sandshoes, but could you have ADHD and depression? Maybe a Time Lord could…

"I know," Sandshoes said. His tone of voice matched mine. "But you don't have to destroy Gallifrey alone."

Sandshoes and Chinny stood on either side of me. River transported back beside Clara, Rose, and Elizabeth.

Do this for them. I told myself as I slowly lifted my arm. Do it for Rose and Clara and River. Do it for Chinny and Sandshoes.

I set my hand on the button. Chinny's hand covered mine, and Sandshoes's covered his.

Do it for Jamie, and Zoe, and Sarah Jane, and Harry, and Ian, and Ace, and Susan.

Third Person POV

It wasn't easy getting back up on your feet after absorbing the Time Vortex or the Doctor's Time stream and connecting with the other. Especially when you were going to see your best friend—or the person you loved—destroy his home. But Rose and Clara didn't have much of a choice.

"What's the plan?" River asked in a hushed voice.

"This is the plan," Rose didn't even try to hide the sadness in her voice.

"If he doesn't destroy Gallifrey, and the Time Lords win, the Doctor will stay here. What does that mean for all the planets he's saved?" Clara asked. "He's saved Earth countless times and too many planets and civilizations to count. Remember Trenzalore?"

River's face fell. "The stars were disappearing. Entire solar systems and galaxies were disappearing."

Rose nodded. "For all we know, the Doctor might still have the face of the War Doctor."

"So it's either Gallifrey or entire galaxies."

River was silent for a moment. "…But what if we could have both?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"What if Gallifrey disappeared?" Elizabeth asked, understanding River's plan. "The daleks would destroy themselves, I presume?"

"Yes, but how could an entire planet just…disappear?" Clara asked.

"How did we get into the Black Archive?" River replied.

Rose smiled. "Could we really do that to a whole planet?"

"Not us," River glanced at the Doctors. "But maybe if we had thirteen if them."

"Is that really how many there are?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well it's how many there will be," Clara said.

"Do we have anymore of the transporters?" River asked.

"There are some in the TARDIS," Elizabeth said. "Er…one of them."

"Both of them," Clara corrected.

"Right, so Clara and Elizabeth-get as many of them as you can," River ordered. "Rose and I will convince them to not destroy Gallifrey. Hurry; we've got a planet to save."

I'm going to try to update this and 'Love is a Promise' (my Doctor Who/Hobbit fan fiction) every Saturday from now on. That way I won't run out of chapters to post before I get the chance to write more.

If you haven't checked out my Doctor Who/Hobbit fan fiction and you're a fan of both of those fandoms, then you can look at that. I will warn you now that it is Kiliel (Kili/Tauriel) and Whouffaldi, so if you don't ship one or both of those, the fan fiction may not be for you. I won't hold it against you if you don't ship Kiliel and/or Whouffaldi. Promise.