*This chapter takes place simultaneously with chapter 11: Skies of Change. I am sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed-I am still working on pacing.*

"Doctor-you dance so very well!" Serenity giggled as the Doctor dipped her nearly to the ground, pulling her up with a certain ferocity.

"I always had the best dance partner back home." He replied as she twirled her effortlessly, bringing her back to him once again.

"Oh Doctor-don't tell me you have a mate?"

The question caught him off guard, and he almost let go of her. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Yes, well, no, well...not anymore."

It was so hard-though he slapped a smile on his face, inside his mind was warring with itself. He knew Serenity was dead, but here she was, right here in his arms...No, that's not her. You know it isn't-snap out of it right now! Your cleverer than this!

"Oh...I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground, mbarassed that she had brought up something that was none of her concern.

"Quite alright, Serenity. My whole planet-its gone..."

Her head snapped up to look at him, a bit of confusion in her eyes. "Gone? Whatever do you mean?"

He took two steps to the side, keeping in perfect time to the harp music as she followed him. "Back in my dimension Gallifrey succumbed to the last great Time War. My family, my people...all gone. Back there I am the Last Time Lord."

"How tragic...to be so alone..." She whispered to him as she twirled in his arms. She let her eyes linger on his face...Judas, but not Judas at the same time.

"Oh I wouldn't say I'm alone. I have my companions...Rose is who I travel with now." As he said her name he smiled a bit, then looked around the room, trying to search her out. "Strange-I don't see her anywhere..."

Probably off with that Judas, he thought to himself.

"Rose? What kind of creature is she?" Serenity moved her head, trying to follow the Doctor's gaze around the room.

"She's from a planet called Earth-a human."

Serenity laughed, following his graceful steps, her arm around his neck like a serpent. "I should have known. Judas always kept such close company with humans."

"Too close if you ask me," The Doctor muttered under his breath, but Serenity caught it.

"Judas isn't so bad-gives the elders a bit of trouble at times, but he is a good man. He was always so popular at the Academy-I've always had a bit of a...crush on him, I guess you say," she said sheepishly.

"A crush-on him?" The Doctor's voice rose in bewilderment as he rose an eyebrow at her unbelieveable words.

She chuckled, rubbing her fingers on the back of his neck, then her voice grew somber as she spoke the new few words. "Judas got tangled up with another human-though he would never tell me her name. Said he loved her...but she died a few months back. He's been a bit...troubled ever since."

He rememberd Judas telling him about her-his Rose that was murdered on Earth. As much as he wanted to dislike him, he knew he couldn't. To lose someone like that...he couldn't even imagine losing Rose...

The song ended, and they stood in silence as the flutes began to rise in volume. It was the beginning of a new song.

"Care for one more?" Serenity asked with a smirk as he held her hand out to him. The Doctor nodded firmly, taking her by the hand and pulling her toward him.

"So tell me, Doctor, because I am dying to know. Did you know me in your world?"

The music seemed to muffle as she asked her question, then die out completely. People still danced, and laughed and talked, but there was no sound for him.

"Serenity-give me that back!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" She had sprang across the bed and out the door, holding an old leather bound book that had belonged to him.

He could only laugh and roll his eyes as her as she took off after her.

"Oh come on-you run like an elder!" She called over her shoulder. She bolted out of the front door, her white gown billowing in the wind behind her.

"I'm just taking it easy on you!" He laughed as he was steadily gaining on her.

She screamed as she ran barefoot over the red grass, twisting everytime he got close.

"Come on and get it then!" She held his leather bound book over her head, turning back around to run back toward the house.

"No you don't!" He called and grabbed her around the waist, tripping them both up. Serenity tumbled over the soft grass, pulling him down with her. He landed on her, with the both of them laughing. She rested her hand on his back, and leaned up to kiss his forehead. "I love you."

He ran his fingers through her hair, studying her face. "I love you too."

"I...I did know you, Serenity." For once he let himself smile. He couldn't keep these memories and ghosts in the hallways of his mind anymore. "You were someone very, very special to me. You were my wife."

She gasped, stumbling as she was following his step. She fell forward, and he caught her in his arms, looking down at her. "I know-it's a bit...wibbly for me too." He laughed as he spoke to her, watching her face carefully.

"Well, this is quite embarassing." She said with a grin as the Doctor pulled her back up to her feet. They were standing in the middle of the dance floor, with hundreds of people tiwrling and spinning around them.

"Well I wouldn't say embarassing-just not a normal meeting-your husband from another dimension and all."

"I guess not...Would you like a glass of wine? I could sure use one right now." She ran her hand across her face, trying to hide the red that was brushing across her cheeks.

"Not much for wine, but when in Rome do as the Romans do-or, Time Lords. Whichever applies." He followed her through the amsses of people to an extravagant table that was topped with massive plates of mean and fruits.

Serenity wrapped her fingers around the handle of a beautifully ornate pitcher, pouring two goblets of the rich burgundy wine.

She raised the goblet to her lips and loked away, nervous to look at him. He rested his arm on her bare shoulder, his tone calming. "No need to be embarassed, Serenity. I enjoyed the company..."

He trailed off, not entirely sure what he meant by that. The company of another Time Lord? The company of his dead wife?

"You are too kind, Doctor..." When she turned back around to face him, his eyes were tracing circles across the skin of her cheek.

Not her. Not her. Not...The more he looked at her, the more he felt that he was losing this battle that he was fighting with himself.

She trailed her fingers down his arm, a smile lighting upon her face. "You know...you could always stay here, with me..." She took a step closer to him, laying her head right below his chin. She listened to the beating of his two hearts-thump thump thump thump. Four beats...four rapid beats...

She had never laughed like she had tonight...A man had never given her that. But this Doctor-he wasn't like the others. He was...so different, but he had felt so familiar to her...

The air caught in his throat at her words. Stay here...stay here...stay here...

"I...can't. Rose-I'm responsible for her. For her planet-I've protected it for so long, I couldn't possibly stop now." Images of Rose ran rampant through his mind-he couldn't leave her behind.

Her eyes softened as she pulled away from his chest to look at his eyes. She ran her fingers down his jaw line. "Perhaps this is your reward, then Doctor. You've been given a gift-you'd throw it all away for some human girl?"

She wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, then pulled his lips down to hers. It was unexpected, but the Doctor didn't pull away. He wrapped his arms around her waist...breathing her in...

She smelled like Serentity-she even tasted like her. It was her. What had he been thtinking-he couldn't leave. She was right-he had been given a great gift. He deserved it-everything he had done, all the people he had helped...This planet, these people, even Serentity...they were all his for the taking.

"No!" He screamed out, pushing himself fiercely away from Serenity. The music stopped abruptly, as everyone turned to stare at him. Serenity appeared horrified, holding her hands over her open mouth for a moment.

The Doctor grabbed his head, looking around himself. Rose-where was she? Without thinking he ran, pushing past people. He didn't want to be here anymore. They had to get out of there.

He pulled open the doors to a small balcony of the east side of the ballroom, running out as he heard the music behind him start up slowly again.

The air felt good as he collapsed to the ground, almost like he was suffocating. "Doctor-what's wrong?" Serenity had followed him, and she knelt down beside him, stroking his hair.

"You're not her-she died! My wife is dead" The Doctor cried out, tears beginning to rake across his cheeks. He stumbled to his feet, jerking away from Serenity as she held out her hand to help him.

"I don't want to be her! I don't want to take her place-I just want to give you back your home." Her voice began to weaken. "I've been alone too Doctor. You and I could be good for each other."

"No I can't stay here-not with you. You're lovely, Serenity-beautiful and charming, but this isn't my home. Gallifrey-it's all gone!" He backed up against the railing of the balcony, his hand shaking as he reached out to take the railing.

"It's not gone you stupid man-it's right here! Beneath your feet and over your head!" She screamed at him, pointing to the sky.

"This is your Gallifrey-not mine." HIs voice was starting to lower as he tried to calm himself. He couldn't believe how foolish he had been-almost consvincing himself that this was all real. It was all illusions-illusions of things that once were but were no more. This wasn't home-it was a pit stop-albeit a stupid one.

"What's wrong with me? Why can't you stay here? You're a Time Lord-you belong with your own people, not some human girl!" She fell to her knees, her palms scraping against the floor of the balcony.

The Doctor crouched beside her, quiet for a few moments as he watched her. She heaved with every breath she tried to take.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered to her, putting his hand gently on top of hers. "There isn't anything wrong with you Serenity. It isn't you...it's this world." He looked away, at the ground as he spoke. "And its Rose...I love her. The stupid Doctor went and fell in love with a silly human girl. I couldn't leave her-she's the one thing I believe in above all things." He chuckled to himself in disbelief. He had never admitted that aloud.

Serenity slowly lifted her head, brushing away the hair from her face that had fallen out of her high bun. Though the tears were still there, she managed somewhat of a smile as she nodded her head faintly. "You sound more and more like Judas, you know."

The Doctor took her by the shoulders, helping her to stand to her feet. "I'm sorry, Doctor, for my outbrust. You are right-this world isn't yours, and though you seem like a glorious man-I have no right to try and keep you here. This Rose girl...does she love you as well?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm not even sure anymore..."

Serenity laughed softly, then proceeded to push him toward the door. "Well go then...find your Rose before the sky starts to change. Tell her how you feel..."

He looked at her once more, then took her hand in his. "Serenity...had things been different and not so...complicated, I might have stayed here, with you. In some ways I wish I could, but the universe just doesn't work like that-"

She put her fingers to his lips, nodding. She knew what he was going to say-there was no need to say it. "Just go Doctor," she said as she kissed his cheek.

He smiled at her, turning slowly to take the sight of her in once last time before his back was to her. He'd miss her-he knew he would.

But then, he'd have Rose Tyler to keep him busy, and with a smile he disappeared through the frosted crystalline doors.

He had a feeing his Serenity would have been proud of him in that moment.