So here it is. The final chapter. I just have to say that this story has been one of things keeping me going over the years it's taken to finish. My mental health owes this story a lot and I feel like I'm saying goodbye to a friend by finishing it. Anyway, editing will start as soon as I've got time, since I know that the writing at the beginning isn't as up to scratch as the later stuff, plus there's definitely typos and stuff everywhere. Thank you all so much for reading and for those that read my other stories, I look forward to continuing on with you all.

xxx

The brain is an amazing organ. They say humans never fully unlock their brain's potential in their lifetime, but what they can do is still amazing. The Gallifreyan brain is not too dissimilar in lay out, other than being much more advanced. In fact, every sentient being in the entire galaxy has a memory bank, some lasting longer than others. After some years have passed, the human brain forgets events, dates, passwords, but there's always an emotional outline of that memory left behind. A shadow triggered by a smell that's familiar, or a face you swear you've seen before.

The Doctor was not immune to these occurrences and they'd only been becoming harder and harder to deal with. They threw him from his line of thought and he found himself staring at nothing as his brain worked wildly to remember.

It was due to these unexplainable events that he was standing in his room, staring into a small box of objects he'd collected that he couldn't remember. There, on the top, was a beautifully crafted silver ring. He did not dare touch it. Every time he touched it his hearts would ache and he'd have to fight back unknown tears.

Other than the ring, there were several trinkets he'd found in his room. Strange knickknacks that evoked less severe emotions from him, like a couple of strange stones from other planets and a silver hairpin, set with beautiful blue gems.

The Doctor sighed and closed the lid. He counted it as one of his biggest regrets that he'd never figured out where the trinkets had come from. When Amy had forgotten Rory, the niggling in the back of his mind had been almost unbearable. When Amy had asked him what he believed in, his hearts nearly shattered on the spot, and finally, when he had married River, the feeling that something was wrong had almost overpowered him. Something was missing.

'Doctor!'

Clara's voice ripped him from his reverie and he whirled around. A moment later, Clara burst into the room, leaning over to catch her breath as she went.

'Doctor, they're here, and there're more coming. We need you, now'.

'Right you are'.

The Doctor no longer had time to worry about the box or the strange feelings. He no longer had much time at all.

Clara watched the Doctor walk bravely out to face the enemy with a sad expression on her face. He couldn't hold out much longer. His once youthful face was wrinkled and his steps were shaky.

As the cool night air was once again filled with Dalek voices, she rushed to the Doctor's side and pulled him towards cover.

'They want me, Clara. You can't stop them now'.

'Just don't go to them then!' Clara cried desperately. 'Don't let them take you'.

'Please Clara,' the Doctor pleaded. 'Stay in here where it's safe. Let me save you one last time, aye?'

Clara sniffed before pulling the old man into her arms.

The Doctor smiled into her hair. 'My impossible girl, thank you…and goodbye'.

The Doctor left Clara down in the safety of his room while he went up to face the Daleks alone. Stricken with grief, Clara rounded on the crack in the wall. The whispers inside faded for a moment and Clara's heartrate quickened as she gazed into the light.

'Come on, come on, come on! Please! He needs you, what are you doing?!'

Suddenly, the crack erupted in white light and tendrils of golden light snaked from the larger opening. Clara held up her hands to shield her eyes from the lights intensity. It burned her eyes even with her hands up and she squeezed them tightly shut.

When the light faded and Clara opened her eyes again, the crack was gone. In its place was a hooded figure, dressed in long golden robes.

'Who are you?' Clara asked instantly.

The figure looked up, and out of the darkness Clara saw two golden orbs glowing underneath the hood. The figure raised its hands and peeled back the hood to reveal long, golden coils of hair framing a pale face with full lips and beautiful hazel eyes.

'Tell me who you are,' Clara demanded.

'You're Clara,' a soft voice murmured.

'How do you know who I am?'

'You've been taking care of him'.

'Well, I don't know about tha'—

The woman rushed forward and embraced Clara. 'Thank you!'

Clara hugged the woman back, but she still had no idea what was going on. 'I don't understand, are you here to help the Doctor?'

'Help has already been sent,' the woman smiled and pointed to a window.

Outside the house, golden light erupted into the air and the sounds of Daleks screaming filled the air. Clara raced over to the window and laughed in disbelief.

'Oh my goodness, did you do...'

She trailed off when she realised she was talking to an empty room. The people outside were running for shelter and the strange woman had disappeared completely.

Xxx

Rose smiled and stretched out like a cat in the soft sheets of their bed. Since returning to the TARDIS she had done little but sleep. Perhaps that was due to the extreme case of jetlag she was experiencing, or maybe it was simply because she missed it. Regardless of the reason, she'd managed to sleep through the TARDIS crashing and the Doctor's entire remodel. The TARDIS had kept him busy so he wouldn't just burst in and find her, for which she had been very grateful.

She rose from the bed and made her way over to the door. It seemed like such an everyday action, she almost forgot that it had been a very long time since she had last done it. The life she'd had then had been erased. It had been replaced with years stuck in limbo, using the cracks in the universe to send energy through to the black hole that had started to grow again in her absence.

When she reached the console room, she could hear voices outside. One of them she recognised as Clara's, while the other could only be her Doctor. She pressed her ear against the wooden door to listen.

'But Doctor, you never told me'.

'Told you what?' a gruff Scottish accent replied.

'Who that blonde woman was,' Clara continued.

'What blonde woman?'

Knowing it was her chance; she pushed gently on the door and slipped out of the TARDIS and behind the Doctor's back.

'Me,' she murmured and the Doctor whipped around to face her.

'Rose?' he gawped. 'How'—

Rose cut him off with a finger to his lips and raised her other palm up to his forehead. Instantly he fell back and Clara rushed over to steady him.

'What did you do?'

Rose didn't answer. She only watched as the Doctor regained his balance and his eyes met hers. Recognition flashed across his features immediately and while his jaw remained slack and his eyes shocked, a single tear trailed softly down his cheek.

'You're late,' he whispered.

Rose's face split into an enormous grin and she leapt over to close the distance between them. Their hug was different this time. The Doctor was stiff and still felt a little uncomfortable in her arms, but Rose knew that he was thinking only with his hearts as he squeezed her tightly to his chest.

She raised her head up to look at him, still with the same grin on her face.

'Never do that again,' he murmured, leaning down to give her a tender kiss.

Several passers-by gave them strange looks and when she realised why, Rose burst into a fit of laughter.

'What?' the Doctor asked. 'What's funny?'

Rose grinned slyly at him. 'And mum thought there was a big age difference before'.

'Oh,' the Doctor mumbled and a tinge of pink coloured his cheeks.

'Don't worry Doctor,' Rose smiled and took his hand in hers. 'We'll figure it out somehow'.

'Okay, something tells me you two have got one hell of a story to tell,' Clara's voice pulled them both back to earth and the two exchanged a grin.

The Doctor waved a hand. 'Oh, I don't think we ought to bore you with the details'.

Clara gave him an incredulous look.

Rose smiled at Clara. 'Come on, we'll tell you over chips'.

xxx

That's it, it's finished. Again, thank you all so much for reading this story and sticking by me and all my shenanigans. I hope you all have a fantastic day/night and I'll miss you all so much! D: xo