Prompt: Interlude
Characters: The Doctor and OC
Mood: Sweet :)
Season: 6 (After God Comlpex, before Closing Time)

The Doctor ran through the TARDIS doors, bolting them shut behind his back with an over-the-shoulder sonicing. He sank to the ground in exhaustion, breathing deep, as the entire Roman army assembled outside of his box, ready to attempt to break the doors down and enter by force. They'd fail, of course, the defense barriers would see to that, but sitting here through it all was nerve-wracking enough. Picking himself up, he straightened his bow tie and started up the ramp toward the console.

"Well, now that's that's all-" He shot a nervous glance over his should "...settled. Where to, Pon-" He started out of habit, cutting himself off before he could finish the sentence. It had been such a long time since he'd seen the Ponds, much longer than he liked to remember. But this wasn't the first time he'd made the mistake of thinking that in the adrenaline of his adventurous life, the TARDIS interior wasn't as empty as it really was.

The wonderful places he'd yet to see, sparkling in his mind just moments previous, began to dim and scatter as the weight settled down upon him once more. He was alone. And not the alone he had known before, losing Rose, losing Donna, saying goodbye to Martha. Real loneliness. He was never again going to show someone the stars, to see the look on their face when they saw the inside of the TARDIS for the first time and hear the amazed "Its bigger on the inside!" He could, but we wouldn't. Because now he had a deadline. And he wasn't going to spend his final days ruining another person's life by dragging them along as he ran.

"Oh, I am too old." He mused, running his fingers through the still youthful hair. "I'm just an old man trying so hard to be young again. And now..." He let out a shaky laugh. "And now I'm dying."

But I'm not dead yet. He abjured, the more optimistic thought breaking through the hazy overlay of misery that was setting down. He fiddled with the controls on the console. What he needed was a distraction. A big distraction.

"And what is more distracting," He said, the TARDIS now starting to rattle and shake, his voice picking up volume as the loud vworping sound filled the empty air, "...than light, sound, color," He grinned as he pulled the last lever, "...and America?"

He peered a look at the scanner for a moment as it confirmed his location. Smiling, he did a little spin down the ramp, grabbed his green coat off the rack and was out the door.

In front of him was a long stretch of grass the size of a football field. covered by blanked and baskets of food, and most importantly, hundreds of people.

"The fourth of July," He marveled, looking around at the people gathered on the grass waiting for the fireworks to begin. "American independence day. All of these people come together and wait for hours to watch other people fire big balls of light into the sky. What better distraction than th-" The Doctor started as he felt a tug on his coat.

He look down, surprised, and saw a small girl, no older than five or six. She griped the corner of his coat and looked up at him curiously, her dark bangs falling over her big blue eyes. He bent down to her level.

"Hello there!" He smiled at her. She grinned back, showing both incomplete rows of teeth in a smile so big it was almost a grimace. He laughed. "What's your name?"

"Poppy." She spoke without fear or hesitation, letting go of the hem of his coat.

"Poppy, that's a lovely name. I'm the Doctor."

"Thanks. Mommy says it's a flower, but it just makes me think of popcorn." She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then continued. "Were you talking to yourself?" She asked him curiously.

"As a matter of fact, Poppy, I was."

"Don't you have someone else to talk to?" Her eyebrows knit together sadly. He let out a sigh at her words, shaking his head.

"Not today... no. Not for a while now." He smiled at her, seeing the pitying expression on her young features and jumping back up to his full height. "But that's alright. I've got my own ears to listen, and I've got my box. I keep entertained. For example, I've got these fireworks to look forward to! And I've got..." He trailed off. Poppy looked up at him, sadness shining in her wide eyes.

'Enjoying the show, Poppy?" His fingers weaved in and out, a nervous tendency he'd picked up rather recently. Poppy looked at him with big eyes, looked at his hands, and then looked back up to his curious expression.

"Are you afraid, Doctor?"

He looked down at her, the curiosity quickly fading into a reserved surprise, "Hm? Afraid of what?" He posed cautiously.

Poppy avoided his eyes and stared shyly down at the grass beneath her feet. "I don't know, you just look scared of something."

He contemplated the answer for a moment. He knew what the truthful answer would be. Yes, of course he was scared. Not just that, he was terrified. More terrified than he'd been in his however many hundreds of years in this universe. And that was why he darted from planet to planet, from past to future. But this innocent young child, a girl that reminded him so much of little Amelia Pond in her fearless tone of voice, her insightful analysis of his face over his words. How could he admit how frightened he was? How could he let her down?

"Mommy says not to run when you're scared." Poppy continued thoughtfully. The Doctor stared at her, his eyes widening and his hearts pounding in his ears. He swallowed and let out a single breath of a laugh.

"Then your Mum would be very wise." He smiled sadly, thinking of when he'd last given that advice. His eyes found the grass and planted themselves there, not finding it in themselves to meet Poppy's glance.

All was silent for a moment, and the Doctor assumed she was waiting for more of a response from him. When no such response was given, she tapped him lightly. He looked up, meeting her worried glance.

"Don't run, Doctor." She smiled, encouraging a smile out of him as well. When she was greeted with a light smile on his lips, she broke into a grin.

"You are right, Poppy. I can't run anymore. I've run for far too long." He leaned down one last time and looked her in the eyes. "Thank you. You're brilliant, you know." Then, he picked himself up and started back towards his box.

He didn't look back as he closed the door behind him. Perhaps he owed it to her to say his goodbyes after what she'd done for him, even if it was just in that last fleeting glance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't encourage the curiosity about the mysterious man with the disappearing blue box. He would not ruin another childhood.

She would not be another Amelia.