A/N: Thanks for the reviews as well as the favorites and follows.

Quickly losing motivation for this story. I honestly like had such a different plan for this story and writing it on the fly is just taking it's toll. What might end up happening is that I get to the end of this story and then start posting chapters, instead of writing on the fly and just hoping for the best. That would mean that I'd probably end up posting like a month from now, but then post for sure every day. I guess it also depends on if real life starts back up again (i.e. the quarantine ending) but we'll see.

Also, this is a fairly short chapter that ties in with chapter 24, but is it's own separate chapter. It also doesn't have a chapter title, which this time, is intentional. Last chapter I meant for it to be titled Family of Blood. I didn't even notice that I hadn't titled it until today. Oops. Not fixing it now, though!

I still don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Twenty-Five

Not enough time had passed before she heard a knocking on the door. In fact, about three minutes had passed, and she was still a sobbing mess.

"What?" she called out, angry as all get out.

"Anna, let's just talk about this. We can figure this out."

She didn't hear the rest of what he was about to say. Instead, she stood up, racing to the door, before she swung it open, full force.

"Figure what out?" she asked him, nearly shouting at the top of her lungs. "There is nothing to figure out. I turned off my powers, and that's freaking that! There is nothing to figure. Out!"

After a moment, he raised his eyebrows, his hands clasped behind him. "Feeling better?" he asked.

For a second, all that she could do was open and close her mouth, she was that angry.

"Seriously," he said. "Is it helping you to feel better by shouting at the top of your lungs? Because, if so, please, continue," he told her. "But, if you're finished with that, I think I might have a solution."

All of her anger dropped out of her at once. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked, frowning.

"A solution," he repeated. "Come on."

He turned his back and walked off, and she followed after him, confused.

"It's… been three minutes, what possible-"

"I know, I'm getting a bit slow in my old age," he said, and she frowned.

"That's not funny," she said.

"Oh, so you're the only one allowed to poke fun at my old age, now?" he asked, looking back at her as he raised his eyebrows.

She shook her head and stopped where she was, standing in the middle of the hall.

"You're missing the point."

"Which is?"

"You're not… respecting my wishes," she said, not sure where the words were coming from but knowing that they were true. "I did this for a reason, and you can't just…" she frowned. "Can you turn my powers back on? Is that what you're saying?" she shook her head before he could answer. "No, you know what, that's not the point, the point is, you're not respecting what I want."

"Which is to remain powerless?" he asked her. "Unable to help yourself or anybody else?"

She raised her eyebrows before she nodded. "Yeah, great, glad we both agree that I'm utterly useless without my powers."

His eyes widened in realization as she turned away, starting towards her room. "No, Anna, that came out- you know what I mean!" he said, rushing after her. "You can't save people like you could if you don't have your abilities, like sending people to the alternate dimension, Anna, just wait, please."

She heaved out a sigh before she turned to look back at him, stopping close to her door.

"I'm sorry for saying it like that," he started, quietly. "You're Anna. You can obviously still help people, including yourself. I just- You could die, now, Anna, and I've no interest in ever seeing that come to pass."

"If I died-"

"When," he corrected her, his eyebrows raised. "Because this isn't an if anymore, Anna, this is a when, and when you die, I will be forced to carry your broken body back to the Tardis and hope harder than anything I have ever hoped for that you'll come back to me."

"I would come back," she insisted.

"How long?" he asked. "Weeks? A month? In this state, how long would it take for you to come back to me?"

"I mean, probably instantly," she told him. "No longer than it's ever taken before, and it'll take less time now because I've had my powers for some time."

He frowned. "How'd you mean, less time…"

Realization lit up his face.

"Now… Oh, Anna. I never asked, did I? How did you utilize your full abilities, before?"

She frowned. "I'm not sure how that's relevant-"

"Because I'm fairly certain that you just said you died the first time it happened, and apparently, it took some time for you to come back. What happened?" he asked. "Had they already buried you? Or-"

He started to ask another question but cut himself off as realization once again crossed his face. She spoke before he had a chance to.

"No, it wasn't-it wasn't by dying, that isn't the point, though-"

His whole face turned down into a frown. "Hold on, you're telling me that you could turn your powers back on via other means besides dying?"

"No," she told him. "Because that literally took me seven years, and I'm not keen for a repeat experience." She shuddered at the memory of it, at the memory that her life had been leading up to that point. "No," she repeated.

"Okay, then," he said, slowly, his eyebrows once again raised. "Back to my solution, then. Come on."

"No," she said, but she was more certain as she said it this time. "I've already said, I did this for a reason. I'm not turning them back on because I'm scared at the first sign of this actually happening."

"What about me, then?" he asked. "What about doing this because I'm scared? I'm terrified to lose you Anna."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I will come back to life? Because I will, over and over again, until you-"

"You've no idea what it's like, living a life as long as mine," he said, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Fair point…?"

He acted as if she hadn't spoken. "Surrounding myself with people who don't have a life span as long as me, one of three things happens: First, they leave me to live out the rest of their lives. Two, I leave them so that they can live out the rest of their lives. Or three, I get to stand over their broken bodies, knowing that I've failed them, again." He shook his head. "You can't be one of the people that I failed, Anna. You can't. I won't let you."

She frowned. "Hold on, are you this traumatized every time I die? Having to stand over my- Doctor, why didn't you tell me?"

"That's not the point-"

"That's entirely the point! We talk, but we never say anything to each other. We share adventures and experiences but we don't really share ourselves. Maybe the important things, but never about our past or our fears, and I'd call those pretty important, too," she laughed, "especially considering where we are. Do you know why we're standing in this hallway, right now? Because your future self pointed out that I wouldn't give up my powers, for you, and I was so scared that you were right that I let the Tardis, of all beings, talk me into turning off my powers, for you." She shook her head. "Which is a fear just as unfounded as you being afraid of my dying, permanently."

"Hold on, hold on, back up, when did you see my future self?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows, about fifty percent certain that would've been a feelings moment had she been having feelings.

"That's not-that's not the point-"

"Oh," he said, and the wheels in his head seemed to be turning. She didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. "Pompeii. You… when we split up to look for Foss… Street… Oh. Oh." He looked back at her, sadness and pain etched on his face. "That wasn't just a nightmare, was it? It was a potential timeline that somehow happened and you reversed. Oh, I'm a moron." Bitterness swept his face, next. "What else did my future self say? What other horrible things did I tell you once again, what was so bad that you actually walked up to me and gave me back the ring?"

She felt surprise and dread run through her in equal measure. It almost choked her, the emotions were so strong. That was partially due to the state she was in, but it was also because she was genuinely terrified right now.

She licked her lips, raising her eyebrows before she shook her head. "It doesn't-"

He shook his head, that bitterness now coupled with an anger. "Don't tell me that this doesn't matter, Anna, it does. Because I have said some fairly horrible things to you in the past. I told you to undo it." Her heart leapt in her chest, confusion and desperation starting to race through her. Shit. Shit, what was he saying? "But, you didn't leave me then. So, it must've been something… It must've been something truly horrifying to make you leave me-" His eyes widened and he searched her. She was still breathing harder than normal, her heart nearly pounding right out of her chest. "That was the paradox," he said. "After-after that, it just up and disappeared, you rewrote time because of that paradox- why did you come back, Anna? Why do you keep coming back to me, after I say the worst things about you? Anna, I am- I am sorry, I am so sorry, for whatever I said to hurt you, for however badly I hurt you, for- for-" he shook his head, looking off in the distance.

Resolve seemed to cement within him and he nodded, looking back at her.

"I respect your decision," he said. "If you don't want to turn your powers back on, then I won't push you to. This was your choice, your decision. I'm just sorry that my hurting you was what made you do it."

She raised her eyebrows, seemingly coming back to herself.

"So you're not cross with me?" she asked, in an incredibly small voice.

"What?" he asked. "No, what for?"

"For-for leave-leaving you in the first place," she said, and her mouth was incredibly dry.

A different kind of realization crossed his eyes. He got calmer then, more reassuring as he barely smiled, shaking his head.

"Of course not," he told her, and she watched as he leaned up against the wall, his ankles and arms crossed. "Whatever I said to you to make you leave-"

"But I didn't- that was a choice that I made," she told him. "You didn't make me do anything."

"Except that, whatever I said to you, it had to have been a hell of a thing for you to straight up walk away the way that you did. Not much can do that, Anna. Not even my telling you to undo your saving the lives of so many people in this universe because I was a little scared made you even consider it. So, whatever it was, it must've been a truly horrible thing, and I'm so sorry for that. I'm sorry for how I hurt you, for doing the one thing that finally made you walk out of my life, forever."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Except you didn't walk out of my life forever, and I'm not sure- I'm terribly, terrifically grateful that you didn't, I'm just not sure why you didn't," he said. "I'm not entirely sure that I understand the situation, actually," at the look on her face, he quickly changed subjects. "But that's-that's not important, what is important is that you understand that I am in no way cross with you. All right? I'm not angry with you, and I love you, and whatever you feel you need to do to- to- whatever it is that you did this for, whatever you need to accomplish this goal, then I'm onboard with it. I promise."

She raised her eyebrows listlessly. "Oh," she said, quietly. "This is what unconditional support feels like."

"Anna," he said, sadly, and he walked over to her. She let him, and didn't try to stop him when he wrapped her in a hug. In fact, she embraced it, hugging him back for all that she was worth.

After a few long moments, the Doctor cleared his throat. It rumbled through his chest, as did his next words. "Sorry, is that the sandwich that Donna made you, sticking there to the wall?" She didn't get a chance to respond before he continued. "I mean, blimey, I've had Donna's cooking before, but was one of her PB and J's really that bad?"

She started laughing into his chest before she devolved once more into tears.

"Okay, come on, come on, I've got you, come on."

He led her into her room where he laid her down on the bed before he joined her. They laid side by side while she cried it out, thinking about the future she was about to have as a normal person.

It was horrifying.

But, there was also a small part of her that she was surprised to find that was filled with a strange relief at the thought. For a while, she didn't have to be Anna Monroe, all powerful woman.

For a while, she could just be Anna.

Maybe that was enough.