Sorry, trigger warnings for this entire story. It's supposed to be realistic, and, well, the Doctor kills and people die quite a lot. Just a warning.

"NPC energy," I muttered after a long and drawn out argument on who should go first.

It started out as a simple joke. Ladies first, I said with a grin. He didn't seem to understand and nodded eagerly, gesturing towards the door. I had explained to him that he should go first, since, you know, his adventure, but he gave me a confused look. He argued that it was my first adventure, I argued that my first adventure was when I almost got eaten, and then my next adventure was getting metaphorically killed by a terrifying alien of doom that isn't that alien of doom™ and I'd rather he go first. Eventually it came to him asking why, and here we were.

"NPC energy," He repeated, confused.

I nodded rapidly, "Yeah. Non-player character. I'm like a background character. I follow the PC, or the Player Character, which is you. Unless of course I'm leading, in which I walk slower than your normal pace, or I walk faster than your normal pace and slower than your normal jog," I explained avidly. It was all I did, though I didn't intend to, really.

"Apes," He muttered, shaking his head. I stared at him after he stayed there. He crossed his arms and I rolled my eyes. If I had the balls, I'd have shoved him forwards, but I was, again, an NPC, and such options weren't available to me. Not in my script, or some such, I mused as I walked out, eyes widening. Oh no, I thought, horrified. A white room. A familiar white room. I swear if this is the second episode I'm throwing all of the bananas on the TARDIS away.

Suddenly a shutter opens, showing the Earth, and I observe it quietly for a long moment, walking up to the windows. Fuck it all.

An Earth not my own. It's unfair that it looks so familiar. It's like meeting an identical twin sister of a best friend and the twin hates you. It hurts to look at. I lost my planet, my universe, quite suddenly, and I wasn't entirely ready to let it go yet. I clutch my red backpack- might I add, the only red thing I had when I came to this universe, and my phone. Along with my headphones around my neck, they were the only things connecting me to Guhan, and it made them all the more important. If I ever lost any of them, I'd be crushed.

Would I ever return?

My memories flickered to my future self. Would I ever want to? I could help here. I could be seen, be important. Happy, even. I glanced at the Doctor as he walked up beside me. All I ever want is to be happy, whatever the costs. Prescription drugs, cutting, unhealthy habits, healthy habits, anything.

Alas, I mused as I turned back to the Whovian Earth, happiness comes at a price. The Doctor could tell anyone that. His eyes could tell centuries worth of stories about that exact topic. I'd never achieve it, I knew. No cure for depression, besides Bliss. My lips quirked up on one side at the memory. Bliss. The patch that plagued and killed New New York. Or will. Had?

I frowned, ignoring that line of thoughts. No. I wouldn't find happiness. But... I looked to the Doctor, observing him moments after he finished observing me, catching the glint of Earth off of his darkened eyes. Someone needs happiness, and I can give that to him, even though I can't reach it myself. I met his eyes after he noticed I was staring too long and I gave a half-smile before looking back to Earth.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids, but you never take the time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day," He glanced at his wristwatch, "Hold on."

I observe the sun flare, glowing orange for a moment before settling on red.

"This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world," The Doctor explained.

I felt compelled to speak, to say anything in the crushing silence that was choking the air from my lungs, "Nn," I managed, mentally cursing, "No..." Not for me. This wasn't my Earth. I felt oddly bitter, hands clenching, "No, the moon's on this side of Earth. It'd be night."

The Doctor glanced at me, noticing my hands clenching and unclenching, "Right. Sorry," He said simply, "Let's go. We can explore the area."

I grinned sharply, the smile falling soon after, "Does anyone even remember? With the entire universe out there... Earth is so small. I bet not even a millionth of the universe, no, a trillionth, knows of humans at all."

"You'd be surprise-"

"Shuttles five and six are now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty nine followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"... So I can't use my witticisms here nor get into a religious debate? Harsh, do you think the other guests will survive without my weaponized words? We might get attacked by a Class One Karen."

"Karen?"

"Twenty-first century slang. Means... Well, bitch, I guess, but more entitled and rude. Oh! What and who are the guests, do you know?"

"The rich. Rich aliens, of course," The Doctor admitted, and I nodded. I'd never met aliens that didn't look human, and I bet the 2000s make-up and CGI did any justice to the actual beings.

I took note to act casual, because it's rude to go wide-eyed and stare around. The only one I'd ever possibly be rude to is Class One Karen, otherwise known as the racist and bitchy trampoline herself, Cassandra. Or Jackaboy, depends on if I'm in a mood to alienate possible friends.

I grinned stupidly as we walked, and the Doctor gave me a curious look, "What're you smilin' about?"

"Well, I was just thinking that I didn't want to alienate myself from the guests..." My hands first slapped my thighs, then clapped in the classical ba dum chhh. My grin only widened as the Doctor shook his head after rolling his eyes. I took note of the small smile playing on his lips and my grin didn't fade for seconds after that. New record, my grin almost lasted half a minute. That was great.

We arrived in an area and the Doctor used his sonic to open a wall panel, reminding me of mine, and I spent a solid second grinning sharply before it dropped. Fuck yeah. I was awesome by default, I had a sonic screwdriver.

"Duuude," I groaned happily, in classical Californian style, except with my rather odd almost British almost accentless "accent". He gave me a look, before realizing my starry-eyed look was at his sonic screwdriver. He rolled his eyes.

"You have your own sonic screwdriver," He claimed. I observed him for a moment before pulling it out and gesturing for him to pull his out.

"It's more of a multitool, but I get your point. Now tell me, what is the biggest, most important difference in these two designs?" I asked in a lecturing tone. The Doctor observed mine for a moment, which spanned my entire hand plus extra, about the same size as the Eleventh's.

"Yours is bigger?" He wondered.

"No, mine screams look at me, and is a rather beautifully done "natural" gothic. Yours, meanwhile, is exactly what a high-tech device should look like. You're not screaming "I have a big dick" with every use, and it's low-maintenance high-usage."

"Mine is tech-y," The Doctor simplified.

"Yours is techy," I agreed with a smile that dropped after a few seconds.

We both absently turned to look at the Earth. I felt no need to repeat the history lesson that Rose got, already having known the information before I saw the episode, let alone after. Same with Donna and the "where's Earth?" moment. I didn't know how people could be so ignorant about all the sciences. Science and technology was so cool.

"Are there any humans left? Do we even survive this long?" I absently wonder, knowing the answer but wanting to make conversation anyway.

"Depends. What do you think of as human?"

"A humanoid figure that calls themself human unironically and came from human ancestry," I said flatly.

"Yeah. Plenty. You're the only one left that looks like that in this time, though," The Doctor offered up easily.

"The last one left... What a heavy legacy, ruined by an NPC," I muttered with a chuckle.

"Who the hell are you?" An irish accent demanded, and the Doctor and I spun around in surprise. Why was his accent Irish? Wasn't it all british in the show? Sometimes Scottish or American?

I observed the man in question, for he was obviously male. Well, his accent was anyway. He looked rather less human than he did in the show, just barely keeping to the standards of humanoid. He was stretched up and thinned out, looking like a blue slenderman with features. Not to mention he was ten feet or taller.

"Guests. Did we arrive early?" I asked, the Doctor barely being able to say "That's nice-" before I cut in. I turned to him, "Sorry, didn't mean to."

He shrugged, giving me a curious look at my suddenly dampened mood. I hated doing that. I always did it due to my slow reaction time coupled with my hard of hearing, and it sucked. I supposed it was a reason I rarely ever spoke nowadays when with more than one, I mused. People hated me for it, I hated me for it, I tried and couldn't change it, so I just shut up. I stared up blankly at the Blue-Irish-Monk-Slenderman, observing his odd clothes and making sure I kept my expression passive even as I stared up at the mammoth of a man.

"Ah, no, my apologies. If you're on board, we'd better start. Er, I didn't quite get your names?"

I didn't speak, looking to the Doctor. He took a moment to get the hint after a moment, seemingly content to sit back and allow me to bullshit our way through things, "Oh, I'm the Doctor, and this is..." He gave me a surprised look, as if he didn't know my name. I shrugged. "Red," He ended lamely, giving me a wary but stern look, like he'd expect an answer after the man left. I just accepted that my nickname was now Red.

Names had power, and guess whose was hidden in an entirely different universe? I had an ultimate advantage, and I wasn't letting it go so easily. Plus, I mentally scoffed, I hated my old name.

The man nodded. Or maybe he bowed? Did he have a neck? I couldn't see, he was already craning whatever he had to see us, so I supposed I'd not find out until he walked away. He spoke, "Enjoy." I observed him closely as he walked away. He had a small neck. A tiny one. Like, one that would sooner fit on a fun-sized human than a slendyboi.

"Are there white aliens like that with black tentacles coming out of their back?" I had to ask, and he gave me a confused look.

"Not that I know of... Why?"

"He looks like a blue slenderman. Like the- the myth on Earth," I murmured. He observed me for a moment before shrugging.

"Apes," He judged. I rolled my eyes.

"Thieves," I mocked in return. He pouted at me, but I just pointed in the direction of the TARDIS.

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Red. Thank you. All staff to their positions," blue oompa loompas started unironically acting like oompa loompas whilst pushing things around and readying the area for the other guests, "Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest?"

I was about to tune out, having set my mind on ignoring what he was saying, when suddenly his words turned low and haunting, some parts sounding like children's laughter when he spoke. I blinked. Oh, there was so an albino one of his species sent into the past by like, a Weeping Angel or something. There's no way there wasn't.

I observed the haunting and melancholic tones happily. I couldn't understand a word he was saying, but I appreciated the chance to hear an alien language. The moment I focused back on the contents of the words, despite not understanding them, they flipped to English once more.

"-the Adherents of the Repeated Meme-"

I stopped wanting to hear the words and it changed to the haunting tones again. I blinked with a half-amused smirk. If the Doctor spoke in Gallifreyan... I could learn Gallifreyan just from listening to him. Could I block out certain words? Like... I don't want to hear "the", but I want to hear everything else.

A child's laugh, "-room circulating, thank you. Next, from," children's laughter, "solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have," children's laughter, "Moxx of Balhoon."

My eyes widened and I took a deep breath in excitement, trying my best to contain my absolute adoration and pure energy as the feeling of accomplishment and communication goals increased. I'd learn hella lotta languages like this, I decided immediately. I didn't notice the Doctor give me that one "what's up with her" look even as I obviously praised his TARDIS under my breath.

I set my backpack on the ground and pulled out a bunch of mechanical pencils, staring at them, confused. Why'd I have so many again? I shrugged and handed them to the Doctor even as I searched further into my backpack. Not finding what I was looking for (my mini TARDIS figurines that two separate friends gifted me, one colored and one not) I frowned and wondered how I'd ever praise my goddesses if I didn't even have mini memorabilia of them?

I glanced up to see the Doctor handing a mechanical pencil to the forest of trees that walked up. Get it? Get it? Or, no, jungle? No, jungle would be saved for big groups. Yeah. I observed the sapling with starry eyes. A plant! Yes! I'll name it... Everest, after a mountain on the very Earth that's Death was being turned into an event.

"Are you going to keep Everest or..." I said hesitantly as I gestured awkwardly at the adorable plant. He didn't even glance at it before handing it to me, and I gaped at him, "Treating Everest with such disrespect? For shame," I muttered melodramatically, clutching Everest gently to my chest. He gave me a confused look, but shrugged it off after giving me a "you're weird" look.

I take good care of Everest, happily observing its every wave and gentle sway. I smiled at him. He was so adorable, and he was going to grow into a nice and mountainous tree, yes he was. I smiled happily at Everest. Eventually his adorable kids would join him and he'd exist in an awesome forest of his own making.

I don't even notice the Doctor getting spit in the face, only noticing when a metal ball was shoved into my hands, "You want techy? Here. Have fun." I gave him a confused look. Why did he sound so angry? I blinked. Was- I scoffed deep in my throat in amusement as I saw him still wiping his face of saliva. He gave me a glare and I shrugged.

Suddenly the beautiful tones of alien language jolted into English, jarring me with the change. I stood up, dazed and blinking, as I looked around.

"-last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."

I pictured the name in my mind, confused. Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17? What was she, a math equation? I mentally sent a thanks to the TARDIS for translating that for me. It was important, and the TARDIS seemed to think so too.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty," Cassandra nattered on, her voice switching to what sounded like extremely shortened and slanged-up English on steroids. I hummed quietly, gaining the Doctor's attention.

"Curves are on the rise... I guess she didn't get the memo," I muttered, feeling ironic about it all. The Doctor hmphed, and I rolled my eyes. He didn't seem to get the memo either, seeming to think she was a good person. I gave him a confused look. Wasn't he a touch-telepath? Couldn't he feel the cruel and shallow vibes coming off this lady? I shook my head as a song started to play, brushing by him.

He seemed to flinch back from my touch, and I frowned. Whoops, was I accidentally projecting my anger? It was so... unjust. Why did good people get ignored and the shallow people, the cruel, get so much attention?

I stalked over to Jack- I mean the Face of Boe, and relaxed my face from the scowl it was in even as I brooded next to a future-friend. He seemed mighty amused, but left me to brood as he communicated to others. The Doctor gave me a confused, almost hurt look even as I leaned next to my future-bestie, hopefully.

"You really hurt him. Your emotions didn't match up with your words. Maybe you should go apologize."

"I'll do that in the same timeframe it took you to stop being a womanizer," I muttered under my breath just to be difficult, feeling guilty. I looked out the window, observing Earth.

"He doesn't see what you do. He's not in-tune with his emotions, let alone others. Explain it to him, at least."

"... Do you remember our times together on the TARDIS? Did we even have times together?"

"We were good friends, and while I can no longer remember the specifics, I do remember that we had fun together. You even tried helping me bed the Doctor, if I remember correctly. All throughout time. Every time we even crossed paths." His voice became a ton more amused at the last sentences.

"Did you appreciate my efforts though? You and him would make a great couple," I admitted, "Along with his future-wife, you three would be absolutely brilliant. Balm to his lonesome heart, I'd say."

"I always enjoyed your efforts, yes."

"Awe, good to be a source of amusement for ya, Boe-man," I gave a smile at my own sarcasm, and he laughed. I relaxed, "Thanks for cheering me up... I suppose I should do as the wise one suggests now, huh?"

"It is your choice, in the end."

"Okay you telepathic softie," I gently patted his tank.

I was about to walk over to the Doctor when I overheard Cassandra talking shit about other humans and butchering the history of Earth, and suddenly all of Jack's efforts were for naught as I sneered and stormed out of the room. I heard a sigh.

"Don't get too lost. Your knowledge will prove valuable," The Face called.

"Get everyone in the hallways away from the windows once the Doctor walks off to the engine room after Cassandra teleports out, if I'm not," I say in what I hope was pure English. If not, then I'd just told anyone listening that I was an accomplice, even though I wasn't.

I scowled even as I stormed off. I hated bigots like Cassandra. I hated the idiocy, the ignorance. I grit my teeth as I arrived in a side room. I observed the woman about to crawl into the vents. I frowned.

"Wait. I'll help," I demanded rudely, tugging her out of the way. I pointed my sonic at the robot, and clicked the button. A sudden rush of information came to mind about the spider, "It's a virus. Made to hack and/or explode," I explained as I deactivated it, hoping it deactivated all of them. They were connected, right?

"What? Oh no, that's no good," The woman said, and I looked up and up and up to observe the woman who I only knew was a woman due to the voice and previous memories, "I need to go speak to the Steward!" She hesitated, "Thank you, ma'am. You might've just saved my life."

"No problem," I waved her off as I walked around, suddenly feeling exhausted. My body wasn't made to have so many emotions in one day. Pain, confusion, hope, hatred, excitement, fear, terror, weary acceptance, relief, more confusion, plain weariness, empathic hurt, understanding, overwhelming powerlessness, shock, rage, horror... Did I ever even feel relaxed? I've been on guard since the Eleventh Doctor woke me up, what, ten, twelve hours previous?

I did the mental math, and realized I'd been awake nineteen hours. Damn. I was woken up at four, then the Doctor came at six, then Kate came at eight, then I was sent back in time after a mini-heart attack, so that was four hours, and then I was lost from what seemed to be early morning all the way to late afternoon, from pre dawn to sunset, really, then I found the Doctor, and now I'm here. About nineteen hours. Maybe more, maybe less.

I sighed and shook my head as I sat down next to a window, a doorway that I made sure specifically was unable to be closed, and didn't even have a door, open to a hallway. I observed the Earth, and then the expanding sun. Hopefully what I did stopped it. I absently scanned the room for anything virus-like in the vents, and got multiple deactivated readings, and a few non-deactivated results. I sighed. Damn.

"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the Steward's office immediately. Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty 5.4/cup/16. Thank you."

I glanced up, humming, and looked back at the window. On a whim, I dug through my backpack for the things we've been given. I take out the ball, the plant gently snug against the open side-pockets. I put the backpack back on, standing, only to frown and sit back down. He didn't need me. He'd be fine.

"Earth Death in twenty five minutes. Earth Death in twenty five minutes."

I observed the ball I had, scanning it. The spider was unactivated. I deactivated it before it could activate. I looked at my sonic again, setting Everest next to me and slipping the backpack off of my shoulders.

A few minutes later I hear the Doctor calling out the nickname he used for me, "Red? Are you in here? No? Where'd she go?" I heard the footsteps walking past.

"Here, Doctor," I muttered under my breath. The footsteps paused, and they continued towards me. The footsteps stop for a small moment before continuing, and he sits next to me.

"Finally. Don't run off like that again," He warned, "I don't want to lose you." At my shrug he continued, "What do you think, then?"

"... One trip, s'all I ask," I murmured, "One where I don't get angry... One where I don't have to get angry," I admitted softly, quietly. The Doctor is silent for a moment, "Sorry. I didn't mean to- to hurt you, or whatever. Cassandra is downright cruel, and I could physically feel how demeaning and- and fucking stupid she is. She's bad. She's a bad person," I explained. Even without my foreknowledge, the moment she started to speak, even the sound had a slimy and cruel, cutting feeling to it. It hurt to hear.

Handing over the metal ball, I look at his expression. It's adorably confused, "And by that I mean literally. Bad guy alert. Scan the ball."

The Doctor does, trying to understand why I was so pissed off. His eyes darkened, "Made for sabotage."

"Oh, is that what your sonic said? Mine, well, I could only understand hacking and blowing up. Think you can deactivate them all from just that one? They should be connected somehow..." I asked bluntly.

"No. Not with only this. I need to figure out where the control is coming from," The Doctor explained, "The control console for these things."

"I only know whose these are. I don't know anything else," I admitted, "They belong to the Repeated Memes, but... I dunno, I didn't have time to scan them, but they looked robotic to me."

"What's your second guess?"

"Cassandra," I admitted, "Not to mention, she has a suspiciously well-kept egg. From Earth, right? It at least should be petrified, shouldn't it?"

"..." The Doctor stands up, grinning down at me even as I stand up too, picking up my backpack and the sapling. I gently held the sapling in my hands, "It's startin' to get interesting, don't you think?"

I grin for a few moments too, before it drops as I nod, a small smile playing at my lips, "Yes, it rather is, isn't it?"

We both rushed out, me using a hand to block the sapling from harmful winds. The Doctor glanced over once, before seeming torn between grinning and rolling his eyes at my actions, "Don't tell me you're already attached to "Everest"? You've had him less than ten minutes."

"Everest is the best twig ever, you're just jealous," I teased with a matching grin as we slowed our jog. I ignored my heavy breathing, only paying it enough mind to quiet the noise of it, and we walked into the main meeting room. The observation gallery. The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes with an odd smile on his face before we entered into sight of everyone.

"Earth death in twenty minutes. Earth death in twenty minutes."

"No one freak out," The Doctor called, and I put my hand on my face in the typical facepalm at what I knew would happen. People always freak out at those words, "But this Platform has been sabotaged."

I speak up before he can dig us into a hole we can't escape from, "I was scanning the metal ball to see what it is, and it seems there's these small mechanical spiders in them, programmed to hack and infiltrate this entire ship."

Cassandra was one amongst many gasps and yells of shock, but she was the first to speak, "Oh no! We've been taking them into our private rooms, passed the code walls!"

"Oh, really?" I asked absently, "That sucks. Don't worry, though. We can still salvage this situation. Someone go get the Steward, now," I demanded sharply, but meeting eyes with Jabe and co. She nodded and walked out. I relaxed, good. Someone trustworthy was on the case.

"Everyone else, I'd suggest getting away from the windows in case the saboteur decides to kill us via the sun filter going down, or by breaking windows. Maybe go en masse to a room without a window? Or a closed one, at least," I suggested. I scanned the Repeated Memes, "These are robots, as I suspected," I told the Doctor, listening to the gasps of others as I fry their systems, keeping one unfried in case they were the controls.

The Doctor's eyes glared around, before he walked over and scanned the one that wasn't obviously a fried robot. He scanned it, before scowling and frying that robot too, "The control isn't there either."

The Steward arrived, and I released a breath of air as the janitor lady was with him. Two saved so far. How many to go?

"Oh dear, moisturize me, moisturize me. The Face invited us to this mess! Talk to the Face! Talk to the Face!"

"I already have," I admitted, "He's not the one who did this." I activated the spider, "Go home Jimmy," I artfully ignored the Doctor's mumbled question about my naming everything, "Go to mama or papa."

The spider hesitated before wandering to Cassandra and stopping, only moving to follow as everyone evacuated the room. I observed Cassandra darkly, glaring. I deactivated the spider and picked it up, gently setting it back into it's round casing and closing the ball, putting it in my robe pocket.

"I bet you were the school swot who never got kissed," Cassandra snapped, everyone besides her continuing to evacuate, following the Steward, "At arms!"

I made an uncomfortable face, "I almost failed high school, and I'm kinda glad I wasn't kissed during high school..." I admitted, holding up my sonic, "Now. I'm giving you a choice. End this farce and allow the law to do its job, or die."

The Doctor observed me carefully. I glanced over, "Acid." He nodded and held up his own sonic.

"What can you do? Fi-Aggggh!" The moment she spoke I clicked the button on my sonic, willing the acid to backfire on them. It worked, and Cassandra got splashed. My grey eyes observed her pseudo-death, dark with the storm of emotions behind my eyes. An idea for a name came to me.

"I can employ my own justice, then. The Red Justice... fitting, since it ended in death," I admitted, lowering my arm carefully, observing it intensely. I wasn't shaking. Was I a monster? She... She would have killed people, but she hadn't yet. Did she deserve to die? I swallowed thickly. The men had screamed helplessly as they also got fried by acid. I turned away after observing them die with dark eyes, going back to the room where it all was supposed to take place.

"Earth death in fifteen minutes. Earth death in fifteen minutes."

I looked around quickly and quietly. There were only two things left, and the egg was a teleport... The jukebox? It was big enough to hide that sort of technology. My mind was jarringly empty for a person who never stopped their thoughts. Not a single whisper of anything except the goal. The goal and the two questions dancing around each other.

What could make you forget how wonderful this is? I had asked.

Why don't I feel anything towards murdering them? I now ask.

Find the command center.

Around and around the thoughts went, and I blinked at the jukebox. Oh. There was a bunch of high-tech wiring in place. The Doctor was scanning the egg when I tried speaking, my voice ending up coming out below my breath, "Doctor, here." He heard it only due to the absolute silence the room was in.

"Earth death in ten minutes. Earth death in ten minutes."

I watched silently as the Doctor worked.

"Earth death in five minutes. Earth death in five minutes."

He finished, and we both stood. Glancing around, I find a microphone and use my sonic to patch it into the speakers.

"It's over. You're all safe now. Find the nearest window if you still feel up to watching the Earth get roasted, peoples," I murmured clearly over the intercom.

"Earth death in two minutes. Earth death in two minutes."

Silence as the Doctor and I held hands, observing the Earth as we both thought over what happened.

"Earth death in five."

I always thought I was a monster.

"Four."

This just proved it.

"Three."

I felt nothing. Not even a shred of sympathy.

"Two."

I focused on the form of the Earth.

"One."

No one came back to this area, and the Doctor and I watched as the Earth was slowly engulfed. They slowly filtered in after that, presumably having stayed to watch it out a window elsewhere, and we all shuffled off to the Manchester Suite.

The Doctor and I absently brushed off the congratulations, and silently bared the accusations of murder. No one had seen how Cassandra and her lackeys died by their own actions. Soon, everyone besides us two were gone, and the alien language burst out over the intercom a few times before going silent.

I shifted, shaking my head at the awkwardness, and pointed my sonic at the jukebox, wondering if the Doctor let the actual music part of it continue working. As it started up, I tilted my head. Did I recognize this song?

She says she's no good

with words but I'm worse

"I killed people," I blurted out. I blinked, frowning.

Weighed down with words too

overdramatic

"Yeah."

Tonight it's "it can't get much worse" vs "no one should ever feel like"

"Actual, breathing, living people."

He shifted, pointing his sonic back, and the song changed to something I don't recognize but sounds distinctly old but still made when I was alive. Was he not a Fall Out Boy fan, then?

"They would've killed us," The Doctor mentions after a few seconds of silence. The song starts up.

Now it seems to me that you know just what to say.

"I don't feel anything. Shouldn't I feel something? Even psycho's feel satisfaction, right?"

But words are only words, can you show me something?

"You have depression. You can barely keep a smile on your face, and you act like death is as natural to you as breathing," The Doctor said.

So, can you swear to me that you'll always be this way?

"I don't think you should feel anything, with that combination," The Doctor admitted, speaking over some lyrics, "I'm surprised I got you to smile at all today."

I don't wanna be lonely no more, I don't wanna have to pay for this.

I blinked, and switched the song back. That song was sad.

Dance dance!

"True," We both turned to the window, listening to the mismatched music.

A while passed, the song almost over, before I spoke up, "Everything dies, and everything has its time..." I quoted absently, "D-W, 2005," I said quietly, "A classic that never ends, simply because it doesn't have to."

"... Come with me," The Doctor said quietly.

I followed him, the jukebox still singing out "classic" tunes.

I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me. You're gonna be the one that saves me.

I blew up the jukebox with my sonic after a moment's thought. Fuck history, those songs can be lost in the aether for all I cared. Who would want to listen to Toxic and Tainted Love anyway? I idly ignored the part of me that brought up that I listened to those two songs on repeat for an entire day once, simply because I enjoyed the memories of Doctor Who it gave me. Now I don't have to, I thought, amused as I looked at the Doctor's form. He had been pulling me along, and I tried keeping stride with him.

I gave up and jogged next to him. He gave me an amused look and slowed his pace, allowing me to slow to a speed walk.

"Dr. Speedy Gonzalez. That's your full name, isn't it?" I muttered wryly. He chuckled, shaking his head silently. I grinned up at him, the grin lasting the three minutes it took us to arrive at the TARDIS.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at my bowing and hugging the exterior of his TARDIS before entering.