.17.

A Good Man Goes To Journey's End

Part Eight

My. People come and go so quickly here.

Well, I suppose I come and go so quickly here. Whatever. Sentiment's the same.

On the other side of Davros is Mickey, pointing a wicked looking gun at Davros as well. If he's at all surprised about my coming and going, he doesn't say anything. He just gives me a quick glance before focusing back on Davros.

"Part Donna, Part Lily… part Doctor. And I got the best bit of the Doctor," Donna is saying. "I got his mind."

I focus on the group near the controls. The Doctor, Donna, Jack, Rose, Jackie, Sarah Jane Smith, and Martha are huddled together. The Doctor is sonicing a palmful of wires. I'm not sure if any other them have noticed that I'm here.

Davros, in his misery, hasn't noticed that I've come or gone. I guess the good guys saving the day weighs heavier on his mind than a little thing like me.

Wait… sorry, part Lily?

"What did you get of me?" I ask, dropping my gun, tucking it back into the holster. "And what did I get of you? Any of you?"

Donna smirks while the Doctor is confused and the Metacrisis looks away. "I got a bit of her memories," she says.

Her mem… ohhh….

OHHH! Oh! Not good!

"Memories?" I tear off, running up to her, grabbing her arms. "Who's memories?"

"The Other Soul, of course," Donna, still bright and charming, taps her temple. "Just bits and pieces, nothing much. Though I do feel as though, given the chance, I could shoot an entire room of Daleks bent over backwards. Amazing, isn't it?"

"But nothing… no facts… nothing from the future?"

She shakes her head. "No, nothing like that."

I drop her arms, sighing in relief. "Oh, thank god!" I put a hand to my heart. The Doctor is watching me, curious still, but also… searching for something.

"Why, is there something that I shouldn't know?"

I scratch the back of my head. "No. Of course not. Well… yes, I suppose so. I mean, there are things that I know that would be detrimental if you were to know, but if you don't know them, then everything should be fine and I'm babbling aren't I?"

Jack snorts. "Think I know what Lily got from the Doctor…"

"Oi!" I shout, spinning to him, pointing at him. "Shut it!"

"And there's Donna," the Doctor jokes.

I cover my mouth with my hand, refusing to take the bate.

Sarah Jane speaks up. "So there's four of you, then?"

"Four Doctors," Rose questions.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now," Jack says, mind clearly distracted.

"You're so unique that the timelines were converging on you," the Doctor says to Donna. "Human Being with a Time Lord brain." He turns to me again, thoughtful. "But you still don't make sense. You should have gotten something besides a bit of our personalities…"

I shrug. "I don't feel any different. Well, maybe the movie Inception makes more sense…"

Davros swivels, interrupting the conversation. "But you promised me, Dalek Caan. Why did you not foresee this?"

Insane laughter sends a shudder up my spine.

"Oh, I think he did," the Doctor says. "Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages... getting Donna Noble and Lillian Meyers to the right place at the right time."

Dalek Caan's tentacles are twitching. "This would always have happened. I only helped, Doctor."

Davros is stunned. "You... betrayed the Daleks?"

"I SAW the Daleks. What we have done throughout time and space. I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed 'no more'."

Well… I suppose there is such thing as a smart Dalek.

But that thought is immediately followed with something worse.

"I will descend to the Vault!" The Supreme Dalek. The big red guy. He floats down from above. "Davros, you have betrayed us."

Davros moves forward. "It was Dalek Caan!"

Oh, sure, because you can totally reason with Daleks. Good job, man.

"The Vault will be purged! You will all be exterminated!"

I jump back as the Supreme Dalek fires at the center column where the Metacrisis was working. Sparks shower over me, but I'm otherwise unscathed.

In another of those moves that I'm now starting to think are because of River, I roll to my knees and fire at the Supreme Dalek. The beam explodes against the red casing, causing little more than a giant burn.

Well shoot. Next time, make sure the setting is right, River.

"Like I was saying, feel this!" Jack shouts. A beam of pure light destroys the Supreme Dalek. Jack then offers me a hand to help me stand. I place mine in his, grinning up at him.

"Nice shootin', Tex," I drawl.

He smiles and winks.

"Oh, we've lost the magnatron!" the Doctor exclaims. I spin to find him inspecting the column, then checking a screen. "And there's only one planet left oh…" He laughs, running back around the column and towards the Tardis. "Guess which one. Look, we can use the Tardis!"

He runs inside.

And that's when everything really starts going to hell.

"The prophesy must complete," Dalek Caan chirps.

"Don't listen to him!" Davros insists.

Oh. Ohhhhhh.

"I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor."

I whip back, eyes wide. The Metacrisis meets my gaze and gives me a sad smile.

"He's right," he says. His voice is soft, almost wistful. "Because with or without a Reality Bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos." He straightens his back, mind set. "They've got to be stopped!"

He knows. He knows he has to do this, but he also knows that he shouldn't.

"Just- just wait for the Doctor," Donna stammers.

He looks at her. His face has become almost wild. "I am the Doctor." He flips down a giant lever. "Maximising Dalekanium power feeds. Blasting them BACK!"

All around us, Daleks explode. Screaming.

The world rocks as the Daleks are destroyed.

The Doctor rushes out of the Tardis.

"What've you done!" he exclaims.

The Metacrisis doesn't look at him. His voice is sad again. "Fulfilling the prophesy."

The world gives one more big quake, booming around us. Rubble falls from the ceiling. I stagger, trying to catch my balance again.

"Do you know what you've done?" the Doctor shouts. He's so angry. Angrier than I've ever heard him. "Now, get in the Tardis! Everyone! All of you inside, run!"

The Metacrisis waits, not rushing in as he's supposed to. I start running, protecting my head from falling debris. As I pass him, the Metacrisis puts an arm over me, pushing me forward. I think he might be trying to help me.

We stumble to a stop one we're safe inside the Tardis. I straighten, brushing dust off my shoulders. I grab the Metacrisis's arm before he can pass me, forcing him to turn to me.

"Why did you do it?" I ask. "I know you know this was going to happen. You could have stopped it."

He shakes his head. "It had to happen. It was fixed. If the Daleks survived, who know what would have happened to the universe."

He's right, of course. It did have to happen. But he doesn't have to like it.

I release his arm, following him up to the console. I take a place between him and Sarah Jane.

The Doctor runs back up to the console. "And! Off we go!"

He pulls a lever. The Tardis lurches. I lose my grip on the console and stumble back. My legs, unbalanced, give away.

I land on my back.

In battle.

I don't even have time to take a breath. River takes control.

I aim. I shoot. I hit the mark. Over and over. Sparks are flying. The monks are chanting. Metal against electrified metal. Saving Rory. Keeping them from finding Amy, from getting Melody.

Melody.

Oh… Melody isn't Melody. Melody is Flesh.

Melody is inside me, though, and she's fighting to get out.

With quick, graceful moves, I snatch up a fallen sword from a dead monk, shooting a monk as I slide on my knees. I jump up, bending to the left to avoid an attack while slicing to the right. The monk goes down, but I don't even hear the thump of the dead. I shoot a monk reaching out towards the army girl who is now on our side. I wish I remembered her name. The red energy that emanated from the monks hand fizzles into nothing.

The army girl looks at me with relieved eyes.

I smile at her, jogging towards her. "Since you're the only one here with real military experience," I say, putting my back to hers. "Back to back. Take out more that way."

"Aye," she grunts, shooting off a round for every word. "But I'm almost out of ammo."

I pull the extra alpha meson pistol from my belt and toss it over to her. "Setting 16." I shoot at a monk. "What's your name again?" I ask as a monk runs into my blade.

"Lorna," she says.

"Nice to meet you Lorna. DUCK!" I bend backwards, taking out at least five monks as I shoot in a circle. "Thank you!" I straighten. "I'm Lily. OW!" I cover the upper portion of my left arm. Someone shot it. I frown at the blood on my hand. "I liked this shirt!" I shoot willy nilly, taking out three more monks.

Lorna and I stay fighting that way, moving in a constant circle, keeping an eyes out, protecting each other. My left arm tingles where it was hit and my left hand is wet with blood, but I keep shooting and slicing.

Then I hear it.

"RORY!" Amy screams. Blood curdling.

Rory stops mid battle and runs to where she is hiding.

"Cover him," I order Lorna. We fall in step, side to side now, walking backwards as Rory runs to his wife.

As the final monk goes down, I shiver, coughing, hunched over. A fine spray of gold dust swirls out of my mouth, glittering amongst the smoke and sparks around us. I reach towards it, running my fingers through the cool particles.

They absorb back into my hand.

I drop the gun. I fall to my knees, panting, eyes squeezed shut. The wound on my left arm burns.

"Lily?" Lorna asks.

I open my eyes again, blinking at the smoke. "I'm fine." I whisper, throat sore. "I'm… me again."

Because I am. Oh, there's a little tickle at the back of my head that tells me that I'm not completely alone, but for now, I'm in control. Not River. I'm Lily again.

Lorna watches me, confused. I offer her a small smile, which, come to think of it, seems really silly giving I'm laying in a battleground, but whatever. I'm alive.

"AMY!" The Doctor bellows. I turn toward the stomping footsteps. The Doctor stops in the middle of the room. His mouth moves, as if he's repeating Amy's name.

I slowly test my legs, getting back up, Lorna helping me.

We watch as the Doctor and Rory meet.

"Yeah," Rory says, quiet, devastated. "We know."

I let go of Lorna and walk towards the Doctor, becoming stronger with every step. He's watching Rory and Commander Strax, the latter of who is propped against some cases.

"It's strange," Strax says as I pass him. "I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped."

I reach the Doctor, but he's still looking past me, even as I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Strax, don't give up," Rory says.

I take the Doctor's chin in my hand and force him to look down at me.

"It's all right, I've had a good life. I'm nearly 12."

The Doctor's eyes run all over my face. He's full of so much sorrow right now, I want to cry for him.

"Listen to me. You'll be back on your feet in no time. You're a warrior!"

The Doctor notices the bloodstain on my sleeve.

"Rory... I'm a nurse."

"What happened?" the Doctor whispers, running his fingers lightly over the soiled area.

I shrug my right shoulder. "Just a flesh wound," I say. I gently poke at it. "I mean, it doesn't even…" I pull the fabric apart so that I can look at it. "Hurt…"

There's nothing there. The skin, though blood stained, is completely healed, not even a scar, as if nothing happened.

I look back up at the Doctor. He's not surprised, but he's also not happy.

"How is that possible?" I ask him.

His lips press into a line as he regards me a second. Then he takes me by the shoulders and kisses my forehead.

But he never answers the question.

Because he's noticed Amy now, sitting on a case near the Tardis with Jenny, Vastra's maid or whatever. The Doctor brushes around me, head down, wringing his hands as he walks over to them. I follow him.

"So they took her anyway," Amy says, crying, staring at the floor. "All this was for nothing."

Rory comes up next to me as Amy stands, staring at the Doctor.

"I am so... Sorry." The Doctor moves forward as if to hug her, but she jerks back.

"Amy," Jenny says. "It's not his fault."

She just stares at him a moment, but then Amy looks away. "I know, I know." She turns away and Rory rushes to her, comforting her as she starts to sob.

I take the Doctor's hand. He looks down at our hands, then back up at me. If possible, he's even more devastated. It breaks my heart.

I pull him to me, wrapping my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he says, voice inches from crying. "I didn't know."

I looks at him. "I know, Doctor. I know."

The guilt is almost killing me, because I did know. I knew and I did nothing to stop it.

Sniffing, I release the Doctor, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Doctor," Vastra says from behind me. I turn to her, wiping my nose. Next to the Silurian is Lorna, my partner in crime. I give the army girl a watery smile. "There's someone who wants to speak to you."

I turn to the Doctor. "That's Lorna," I say, smiling for real now. "She helped us, warned us." I look at her again, alive. So alive. I almost laugh in relief. "We teamed up together and took a bunch of them out. Back to back, right, Lorna?"

She smiles, looking for all the world like a little girl. But she doesn't say anything.

"Hello, Lorna," the Doctor says, forcing a smile. He hold out a hand to her.

She takes his hand, ever the solider. "Doctor."

"You helped my friends," he says. "Thank you."

"I met you once," she blurts out, losing a bit of her soldier composure. "In the Gamma Forests. You don't remember me, I'm sure."

He regards her a second, then clears his throat. "Well, you know how time travel is. That hasn't happened for me yet." The light in her eyes loses some of it's brightness.

I step in. "Doctor," I say, hesitant. "You… might not like what I'm about to tell you."

He turns to me now. "Can it wait then?"

"No," I shake my head. I go over to Lorna, take her hands in mine. "I did… something that I shouldn't have, not really."

"What?" he asks, curious now.

Lorna looks up at me, just as confused as everyone else around us.

"I saved her," I blurt out, spinning back toward the Doctor. "She didn't… she wasn't… Lorna was supposed to die," I stammer. She gasps. "And I saw it, just in time. I saw the monk prepare to kill her. And I killed the monk instead." I turn to her, almost giddy with both guilt and happiness. "I made so many other mistakes, let so many other things happen, I had to save her, Doctor. It wasn't even a consideration to let her die. Not when I could save her."

"What other things?" the Doctor asks, an edge of anger creeping into his voice.

I spin back to him. "You brought me here to change things that couldn't be changed! This is the one thing I could change!"

He regards me a second and I see it dawn on him. "You knew. You knew the entire time."

I swallow. "I couldn't change it."

"Yes you could have!" he shouts. "You could have helped me save Melody or at least told me that she was Flesh!"

"I couldn't!"

"Why?" he stomps right up to me and points in my face. "Why couldn't you?"

I shake my head. "You're not thinking straight," I insists. "If you just take some time to calm down…"

"I will NOT CALM DOWN!" he shouts. Everything goes completely silent and I feel every alive eye on me. Lorna has backed away from us, so I'm facing the Oncoming Storm alone. "You should have told me what would happen here!"

"Would you have listened?"

"Yes!" He grabs my shoulders, squeezing hard. I flinch back, but he's holding me too tight. "We could have saved her! No one had to die!"

"She's not dead!" I shout. "Melody is very much alive! And she stays that way for a long time!" A flash, like lightening and thunder. "Right, River?"

Because there she is, behind his shoulder. River Song. In the flesh.

No wonder the River inside me retreated so quickly. She knew this one was coming at any moment.

"Well, then, soldier, how goes the day?" River asks.

The Doctor releases me, turning towards her. "Where the hell have you been? Every time you've asked, I have been there. Where the hell were you today?"

River shakes her head. "I couldn't have prevented this."

He gets right into her face. "I'm hearing a lot of that today. You could have tried." He turns, stalking away from her.

But her words stop him. "And so, sweetie, could you." River dismisses him, looking at Amy and Rory instead. "I know you're not all right. But hold tight, Amy, because you're going to be."

"You think I wanted this?" The Doctor points around the room. "I didn't do this. This... this wasn't me!" He stomps back up to her.

"This was exactly you," River insists. "All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word 'Doctor' means mighty warrior. How far you've come." She saunters around him, to stand at his back. He doesn't turn to her. "And now they've taken a child... the child of your best friends... and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my friend…in fear of you."

He turns to her now, slowly walks right up to her. "Who are you?"

She just stares at him. And then, as if playing a game. "Oh, look, your cot! Haven't seen that in a very long while." She backs up to it.

He pursues her. "No, no, you tell me. Tell me... who you are."

She takes his hand. "I am telling you. Can't you read?"

There's a moment when he just stares at the cradle.

I take a couple of steps towards him, keeping a big distance around the cradle, so that I can see his face.

It lights up with understanding.

"Hello!" he says, almost giggling.

She laughs. "Hello!"

He laughs now, looking over his shoulder at Amy and Rory. "But... but that means…"

"It does, yes."

He looks up at me now. And the anger is gone. Gone as if it were never there to begin with. "Well… I wasn't expecting…"

"Yes," she says, offhandedly.

…Uhh… this exchange isn't going exactly how I remembered it.

He looks over his shoulder at Amy and Rory again, then looks back up at me. It's a different look now. A little cautious, but mostly happy. Then his eyes flick back to River. "How do I look?" he asks, straightening his coat and bow tie.

She shakes her head slowly. "Amazing."

"I'd better be," he says, looking back at me again.

She laughs again. "Yes, you'd better be."

Grinning, he spins. "Vastra and Jenny, till the next time. Lorna, nice to meet you and thanks again. Rory and Amy, I'll find your daughter and on my life, she will be safe. River, get them all home." His hand gestures vaguely and, laughing again, he nearly skips up to me, taking my hand. "Lily, my dear, come with me."

Befuddled, I let him pull me to the Tardis.

"Doctor?" Rory asks.

With his other hand, the Doctor pulls out the sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the force field. It bursts in sparks and he sticks the screwdriver back in his coat pocket.

"No!" Amy exclaims. "Where are you going? No!"

The Doctor snaps. The door to the Tardis opens, and he gently pushes me inside.

I stumble a bit, turning around to see his head sticking out the Tardis. He chuckles, pointing at I assume River, then slams the door shut.

"Now!" he says, clapping his hands together, running to the console. "Off we go!" He pulls a lever and the Tardis starts to dematerialize.

I walk up to the console slowly, confused.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"To find Melody, of course!" he says, running around the console now. "I have a few places in mind. Have you ever been to the Gamma Forests? I think she might be there at some point, judging from Lorna. Or maybe back to Florida, as that's the last known place Melody was… well, I think so, anyway." He spins in a circle, then stops running around. He takes in my confused face. Then he pushes another button and the Tardis stops moving. Well, not really. There's a vague floating feeling. "But those are all big picture stuff. Right now we're in the Time Vortex. How are you holding up?" He folds his arms, crosses his ankles, and leans against he console.

"Confused…" I say. "I thought we were in a fight?"

"Oh, pish," he says, waving a hand. "I understand now. Melody and River are the same person, did you know that?"

I nod. "Yesss…"

He drops his arms. "You had to do it, Lily," he walks towards me. "I know that. I just wasn't thinking straight. You had to let it happen. It was fixed. It was wrong of me to be cross." He takes my hands in his. "Can you forgive me?"

I nod again, but can't really find words right now.

He looks me up and down. "River is inside you," he says. "So she's important to me. You were right. We have to follow the established time line. We can't let anything deviate. Had I known River is Amy and Rory's child, I would have treated you differently back there. For that I am sorry." He presses a kiss to my hands.

My mouth opens and closes. "About River…" I trail off, not knowing how to ask the question.

His head cocks to the side. "What about her?"

"Is she…? Didn't you and her…?" I sigh and take a step back. He releases my hands. "I thought there was supposed to be something romantic there."

"Romantic?" he questions, as if the word has a horrible flavor. "Between River and me?"

"Well, yes," I say. "In the… in my world… you and her…"

He laughs once. "Romance between River Song and me?"

I glare over at him. "That's how it's supposed to be, isn't it?"

"No!" he laughs again. Then, seeing the anger on my face, he sobers. "No. River and I…no. There's… there's only one impossible girl in the universe for me."

My stomach does a little flip at the intense look in his eyes.

And then I gasp. And I'm covered in electricity. And I'm in a different Tardis.

Well, it's the same Tardis, technically. But it looks different. For all intensive purposes, it IS different.

Oh, I know what I mean!

And I'm really frustrated by it, because every time I get somewhere with the Doctor, the Universe decides, "HA! Sorry! Time to go back in time! No answers for you, missy."

I look around the Tardis. Donna. Jack. Rose, Mickey, and Jackie. Metacrisis. The Doctor and Sarah Jane are missing. So that can only mean one thing.

The Metacrisis notices me and comes over right away. "You missed all the fun."

I cock my head to the side, really looking at him. He's technically the Doctor. (Lots of technicalities today, isn't there?) Does he feel how the Doctor feels? Does the Doctor feel that way about me right now as he apparently does in the future?

"Six of us drove the Tardis," the Metacrisis is saying, hands in his pockets. "Brought the Earth back to where it belongs. Well… you know that already. Don't know why I'm telling you."

I take what just happened back there on Demon's Run and in the future Tardis and I tuck it away. I've gotten really good at doing that. "It's ok. Good to know things progressed how they should somewhere or when around here."

He raises an eyebrow. "Where did you keep disappearing to?"

"Demon's Run," I say, voice soft.

He nods. "Oh, right. Demon's run when a good man goes to war. Melody-slash-River. How did it go?"

I lean against a column. "I… saved Lorna." Of his confused look. "The soldier girl who was supposed to die."

He beams. "Good on you, love!" He frowns. "Since when do I call anyone 'love'? Reminds me too much of Spike in Buffy the…" He trails off, then reconsiders. "Well, that's knowledge I got from you. Am I really Scottish? Sorry, different subject. Back now. Continue."

"You're a little more like me than I originally thought," I say, holding back a giggle. "But I still don't know what I got out of the three way regeneration, which, by the way, sounds incredibly dirty and I'm never saying it like that again."

The Metacrisis fingers the drying blood on my sleeve. "Must have been a nasty cut to have bled like that."

I look down at the stain. "It's not as bad as it looks. It's healed already… oh." I look up at him. "It's completely healed. Not a scab or a scar. How is that possible?"

"I'm guessing," he says, folding his arms. "That you've somehow managed to internalize the regeneration energy and it healed you."

I nod, thinking. "I coughed regeneration energy earlier. When I touched it, it went back into my skin, like it was magnetized or something." I pause, watching the Doctor come back into the Tardis, sans Sarah Jane. "In fact, the first time I coughed the energy, River came forward, kinda taking over the instincts. And then when I coughed again, she retreated." As the Tardis starts to dematerialize again, I look up at the Metacrisis. "It's like it's both healing me and a gateway for River to take control. And I still haven't figure out how she got inside me to begin with."

The Metacrisis shrugs. "Neither have I. But good reasoning! Maybe you got a little bit of my mind as well."

I startle at that. "That's…" I glance over at Donna, who's talking a mile a minute to the Doctor. "That's not really a good thing, is it?"

The Metacrisis follows my gaze. "No. I suppose it's not."

Our moment is interrupted by the appearance of one Captain Jack Harkness. He bounds up to us, all smiles and flirting and, well, just plain existing.

"Excuse me," he says. He turns the smile onto the Metacrisis. "Mind if I speak with her alone for a minute?"

The Metacrisis looks from him to me, then shrugs. "Yeah, fine. But be good." He points at Jack, giving him a serious look, then trots away, back to the console with Rose and everyone else.

Jack turns that smile back tome, but it fades into something serious. "Remember what I said." He places his hands on my shoulders. "If you ever need me, I'm here for you, ok, sweetheart?"

I laugh a little. "Jack, you make is sound like something terrible is going to happen."

He doesn't join into my laughter.

I swallow.

"Be good," he says. He lifts my chin up and kisses me. Mouth closed. Sadly.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" I ask, teasing.

He grins. "There's my girl! I'll see you, Meyers."

"Bye, Jack," I wave. He, Martha, and the Doctor stroll out of the Tardis. I didn't expect Martha to say good-bye. I think she still hates me.

I take the moment by myself to breathe. Just… breathe.

My body is still buzzing with some adrenaline, but I'm really glad that it's over. Well… mostly over. There's just one last thing to do.

And as the Doctor comes back into the Tardis moments later, I know it's time to face it.

"There's time for one last trip," the Doctor says, rejoining everyone at the console. I follow suit, taking a place next to the Metacrisis and Jackie. "Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

The Metacrisis looks at me.

"Better known as…"

"Bad Wolf Bay," I whisper as the Tardis lurches into motion.

Minutes later, I follow everyone out of the Tardis, lagging behind, hands in my pockets. I step onto the sand, feel the salty breeze through my hair, trying to ignore the ramblings of Jackie Tyler.

"I was pregnant, do you remember?" Jackie is telling the Metacrisis. "Had a baby boy!"

"Ah, brilliant! What did you call him?"

"Doctor."

"…Really?"

"No, you plum. He's called Tony!"

Rose looks around, then realizes where she is. "Hold on, this is the parallel universe, right?"

"You're back home," the Doctor says.

Beside him, Donna adds. "And the walls of the world are closing again... now that the Reality Bomb never happened. It's dimension retroclosure." Donna looks behind her shoulder at me. "See, I really get that stuff now."

Rose is nearing tears. "No, but I spent all that time trying to find you, I'm not going back now!"

The Doctor walk toward her. I take his place next to Donna. "But you've got to," the Doctor says. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him." I look at the Metacrisis. He gives me a sad, small smile as the Doctor continues. "He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

"You made me," the Metacrisis says, not very convincingly.

"Exactly, you were born in battle - full of blood and anger and revenge. Remind you of someone?" As he pauses, Rose looks almost tormented. "That's me. When we first met. And you made me better. And now you can do the same for him."

"But he's not you," Rose whispers.

"He needs you. That's very me."

I step forward. "It's not just that, Rose," I say. Everyone turns to me, surprised. Hell, I'm surprised I spoke up. But I keep going. "It's so much more than that. The Doctor… he's giving you the greatest gift that he can." I look up at the Metacrisis. The exact replica of the man I love. I didn't think of it before. I could have… no, I couldn't have. It has to be like this. "Tell her," I implore him.

"I look like him and I think like him…" the Metacrisis says as Rose turns to him. "Same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except, I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" she asks.

"I'm part Human. Specifically the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life... Rose Tyler." He pauses. His eyes travel over to me and I nod, encouraging. He turns back to Rose. "I could spend it with you. If you want."

You know that feeling when your heart crashes in on itself and your stomach drops and your throat tightens. Yeah. Me too.

"You'll grow- grow old at the same time as me?"

"Together."

I look down at the sand, making small circles in it with my toes. I look up as the Tardis makes a strange grinding noise.

"We've gotta go," the Doctor says. "This reality's sealing itself off. Forever."

The Metacrisis and I meet eyes again. As Rose goes to stop the Doctor from leaving, the Metacrisis comes over to me. He takes my hands, eyes never leaving mine.

"He feels the same," he whispers. "He does. I'm sure he'll come around. But I had to tell you. As a good-bye present."

The tears are falling freely. "But… what about…?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, you're meant for bigger things than this universe, Lillian Meyers. I've seen it. From River." He pulls me in for a hug. "Think of it this way. You win over Rose. Big time."

I laugh even through the tears. "I wish there were some way I could see you again. We could have been such great friends."

"Oh, Lily," he shakes his head. "We already are. You're my sister in every way possible. And I love you like family."

I pull back, kiss his cheek. "Take care of her, ok? This is her happy ending."

He smiles, looking fondly over at Rose. "Always."

"Both of you, answer me this," Rose, the girl in question, says, speaking to the Doctor and the Metacrisis, who is now beside her. "When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life... what was the last thing you said to me?" She looks first at the Doctor. "Go on, say it."

He hesitates. "I said, 'Rose Tyler'."

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?"

For some reason, the Doctor glances over at me. Rose follows his gaze. "Does it need saying?" he doesn't tell her.

Rose turns to the Metacrisis. "And you, Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?"

He puts a hand on her arm, then leans down. "Rose Tyler… I love you…"

I think he said it out loud for my benefit.

I put a hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing in earnest. I turn away because I am a seriously hopeless romantic. And I do wish those two all the happiness in the universe.

Donna puts her arm around me, leading me back into the Tardis.

I glance over her shoulder, taking one last look at the Metacrisis, but he's busy kissing Rose. As it should be.

I wipe at my eyes as I make my way to the console, flopping onto the jump seat, ready for this to be over.

But it still isn't over yet.

The Tardis door closes as I wipe away the last of my tears. I look up at the Doctor. He's leaning against a pillar, clearly devastated.

I pull myself back up to my feet and walk over to him, brushing past Donna as she sends the Tardis into the time vortex. The Doctor's old, tired eyes watch me as I, well, nearly launch myself into his arms. I hug his middle like he's my favorite stuffed animal.

"I'm sorry," I whisper into his jacket.

He smoothes my hair, but otherwise he's stiff. "It's ok," he whispers.

"I thought we could try the planet Felspoon... just 'cos." Donna is saying at the console. "What a good name, 'Felspoon'. Apparently it's got mountains that sway in the breeze. Mountains that move. Can you imagine?"

The Doctor's voice rumbles in his chest. "And how do you know that?"

I lift my head up as Donna continues. "Because it's in your head! And if it's in your head, it's in mine."

"And how does that feel?"

I remove myself from the Doctor. I'm about to lose another friend. The least I can do is be brave enough to pay attention to her during her last minutes remembering me.

"Brilliant! Fantastic! Molto bene! Great bit of universe packed into my brain. You know you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just try and hotbind in the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary." She gasps. "I'm fine! Nah, never-mind Felspoon. You know who I'd like to meet? Charlie Chaplin. I've heard he's great, Charlie Chaplin. Shall we do that? Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin?" She picks up a phone, speaking into it. "Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester, Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction, friction, fiction, fixen, mixen, rixten, brixton."

Gasping again, she doubles over, clutching at the console. As she puts a hand to her head, I step forward, following the Doctor to her side.

"Oh, my God," she says.

The Doctor regards her with sadness. "Do you know what's happening?"

"Yeah."

"There's never been a Human-Time Lord metacrisis before now."

"Because there can't be." She turns to look at me. "But she's ok. How come she gets to stay!"

I reach for her, but she pulls away. "I didn't get the mind, Donna. I don't really understand what I got." I go to cross my arms, but then I notice my fingers. They're glowing gold.

Donna and the Doctor have noticed too.

"Regeneration energy," the Doctor says, shocked. "But how…?"

I shrug. "How is anything possible, Doctor?"

That's when the idea hits me.

My entire hands are now glowing. The regeneration energy is radiating off them. I look up at Donna.

"Donna, look at me," I say. She does, but she's still hurting.

"The rest of my life... traveling... in the Tardis. The Doctor-Donna." She starts shaking her head. "No. Oh, my God… I can't go back. Don't make me go back. Doctor... please. Please, Lily, don't make me go back."

The Doctor starts stepping towards her. "Donna. Oh, Donna Noble. I am so, so sorry. But we had the best of times. The best."

It's now or never.

I sprint past the Doctor, reaching Donna first. I take her head in my hands.

The regeneration energy swirls in her eyes as she screams.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor cries.

But I can't speak. I'm trying to will this stuff into her. Maybe it can fix her. Maybe…

But instead… instead Donna disappears.

I stumble forward. Specks of regeneration energy glitter in the air, settling on my skin. Absorbing.

"What did you do?" the Doctor growls.

I turn to him. "I was trying to heal her," I say. "I didn't… I don't know how…" I cover my now normal hands over my mouth, gasping. Then I drop my hands. "Is this like the Ood and the eterziel?"

"What Ood? Where is Donna?"

I ignore his questions, speaking quickly instead. "I touched the Ood and it went away. Same with the eterziel. No one remembered them. For all intensive purposes, erased from time." I gasp again. "Has the same thing happened to Donna? Why does this keep happening?" I spin back to him. "Doctor?"

He's at the console, pushing some buttons. He regards me with sad eyes. "What are you talking about?"

I grab his lower arms. "Why do people keep disappearing around me?"

He regards me a moment. "We had to leave them, Lily. The Metacrisis was too dangerous. Rose… Rose will take care of him."

I step back. "I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about Donna!"

"Who?"

I step even further back. "That's not funny."

His head cocks to the side. "I wasn't trying to be. Who's Donna? I'm not sure I know a Donna. Well… Donna Summer… cheeky bird. Great singing voice. For some reason she loved my bum."

He doesn't remember her. It's like she never existed.

Which leads to the big question: how did we save the universe?

"Now," the Doctor says, shaking off his sad mood. "I believe I owe you a holiday, Miss Meyers. Just you and me. Anywhere you want."

I want to ask him. How we saved everything. But I'm not sure I want to know the answer. It makes Donna… less real. Because she was real. Wasn't she?

The Doctor smiles down at me. "Where would you like to go, Lily?" He pulls something out of his pocket and holds it out to me.

It's a Tardis key.

Finally.

Lily's timey-wimey adventures aren't over yet! Check out her new set of adventures in Stuck In A Timestream. Coming soon!