"I wish Sherlock had killed him," Rose said after the meta-crisis walked out the door.
The Doctor turned around. That was…so unlike the woman he remembered. The Rose he traveled with wouldn't have said that.
"You don't mean that," he said.
"I…" she sighed and he could see pain in her eyes and it broke his hearts. "I don't know. Maybe I do."
This was all his fault. If he hadn't left the meta-crisis with her, if he hadn't left her, none of this, none of it would've happened. This was on him. All of it.
"Rose I…" He crossed the room. "I'm sorry." He caught her gaze, wanting to reach out, take her hand, hold her, but he wasn't sure if he should. "I'm so, so sorry."
"This," She gestured at the open door, "This isn't your fault, Doctor."
"But it is. If I hadn't left him, hadn't…" He glanced at his hands and then back to her. "…hadn't left you…"
"You didn't know." She caught his gaze and he could see the truth in her eyes. She didn't blame him, but he did. "I know you didn't. You wouldn't have left us together otherwise. You were doing what you always do, what you thought was right."
"But I was wrong."
"Yes, you were," She gave him a half smile, a bit sad and it tugged at his hearts, "but it's not your fault. This is all to do with that bloody woman. He wasn't like this before. He was like…you, except," She glanced away, "a bit not, which is why," Her gaze fell to the floor, "well, things didn't work out between us." She shifted her feet and then she was looking at the wall again. "Honestly, I didn't give him a chance because…well…"
"Because you loved me?"
She turned back, catching his gaze.
"Yeah, it was you, it was always only you. You're my Doctor and James, well, he wasn't you."
My Doctor. Two words that would forever remind him of the woman who saved him. He smiled, they were trapped in a cell with death looming over them, but he couldn't help it because she was there. The woman he loved, would always love. She grinned and without thinking he reached out and took her hand, which still fit perfectly in his.
"Trapped then," he said looking around the cell.
"With no chance of escape," she replied.
"All that's missing is a countdown."
"Don't push it."
He laughed and she joined. It was like old times, before everything became far too complicated. Before he lost control of his life and was set on a collision course with his own death.
"I missed this," she said. "You."
He gazed at her. Oh, how he'd missed her. More than he admitted, even to himself. An emptiness, that's what was left after he walked away on that godforsaken beach.
"I missed you too," he replied and in the next moment he pulled her into a hug.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as she rested her chin on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. She smelled of strawberries as she had all those years ago and every day in between. He felt tears sting his eyes and as they slid down his cheeks he never thought he'd been so happy in all nine hundred some odd years of his life because she was there. Really, properly there. He let his second chance slip through his fingers, and a third? That was more than he ever hoped for, but maybe, maybe just this once the universe would be kind.
"I…I love you," he whispered into her hair.
She tightened her hold and he knew she heard his whispered secret. A secret he'd held onto for far too long. He had her back and he wouldn't let anything take her away.
"Awww, so touching," the meta-crisis said.
The Doctor released Rose and spun around, facing his copy, standing in front of her, protectively. If the meta-crisis wanted her then he'd have to go through the Doctor first.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"The TARDIS, rule the universe, your death or for you to suffer for all of time, not much really," the meta-crisis smirked. "But how about we start with a little game?"
He pulled out a gun and pointed it at the Doctor.
"What are you doing?" Rose asked, trying to step out from behind the Time Lord, but he wasn't about to let that happen. He put his arms out, keeping her in place.
"A game, Rose. Like the one I played with you only…different. With higher stakes, namely life or death."
"Who's death?" the Doctor asked.
"Hmm, that is a good question. How about we find out?"
He fired the gun and struck the Doctor in the stomach, making him stumble back a few feet. He looked down. There was a dart sticking out of his shirt. A dart? And then the room went all wobbly.
"What did you-" he managed before his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.
"What have you done?" Rose demanded, leaning down next to him.
"It won't kill him. I do know what's safe and what isn't, all his memories, remember? I need him alive…for now."
"Doctor?" Rose asked.
Her face swam in and out of view. He heard the gun fire again and then there was nothing, nothing, but darkness.
Standard Disclaimer.
Thank you to all my brilliant readers!
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