"No, no, no. Not now. I'm supposed to get warning before this happens."
The Doctor bent over himself, trying to ease the overwhelming pain before his companion figured out something was wrong.
Too late. Rose's blond head popped out of the changing area. The pain was so intense that the Doctor didn't even notice she was wearing only underwear. "Doctor! What's wrong?"
The panic in her voice brought him back. He straightened up and grinned. "Oh, nothing. Must have been those last few chips. I knew I ate too many." With an effort, he kept the smile constant while he wished fervently that she would go back to trying on clothes.
Rose looked doubtful. "You sure? You look kind of pale."
"Never better. Now, back to your shopping. You've not lived until you've seen 25th century air car racing, but you've got to have different clothes before I can take you there." He winked. "Bit less covering in the 25th century, if you get my drift."
Rose smiled. "Well, okay then. Let me try on a few more things, and then we can go. Sounds like fun." He head vanished, and the Doctor bent over again. It must have been particularly bad this time. Didn't usually hurt quite this much or this long. And then he groaned. No, not the 25th century. He'd got it wrong this time. It was the 32nd that went for less covering. Rose was going to kill him when they got to the 25th, and everyone was staring at her. Ah, well. He'd sort it when they got there.
***
Running. He loved running. He was built for it with his lean frame and long legs. Glancing behind him, he saw that Martha was managing to keep up. Their pursuers, beings shaped like a cross between a cheetah and an elephant (good thing that--cheetahs would have caught them long ago), were still a comfortable distance behind. He looked forward. Ah, there was the TARDIS. They'd make it with at least a minute to spare. No problem.
And that was when the pain hit him. Not again! Damn him! Why did he keep doing that?
He stumbled, falling to his knees. Martha slid to a stop beside him. "Doctor! What's wrong?"
This one was very bad. He couldn't bluff his way through it this time. "Help me. Got to get to the TARDIS."
He forced himself to his feet, though he could barely see through the blinding pain. What was he up to this time? He really needed to have a chat with the man.
Martha supported him with her shoulder, and somehow they managed to get to the TARDIS just ahead of snapping teeth and flashing claws. Martha fumbled with the key and pushed the Doctor inside. She managed to close the door just in time.
The Doctor collapsed.
***
He slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't certain how long he'd been out. Thankfully that didn't happen very often. Dimly, he became aware of a voice near his ear. He blinked. Of course. Martha.
Suddenly, everything came rushing back, and he hopped to his feet. "There. Allons-y. I know just the place. Pop by Cardiff for just a bit."
Martha just stared at him. "What happened? Doctor, you were passed out for hours. I didn't know what to do."
"Never mind that now. Everything's fine. Off to Cardiff."
***
The TARDIS lurched to a stop, and the Doctor was still staring at the screen. The end of the universe. How did this happen?
He knew leaving the TARDIS was a bad idea. He knew what they'd find when they got out there. He could feel it happening again, though this one was relatively normal and possible to deal with without letting Martha know there was anything wrong.
"We should leave. We should go. We should really, really go."
Martha looked at him, fear and concern in her dark eyes. He knew he'd regret it later, but he couldn't help himself. He grinned widely and ran for the door, his companion close on his heels. The pain was manageable this time.
Outside, it was dark, with no stars in the sky. Martha saw him first, although the Doctor had known all along he was there. Funny, it was easier the closer he was to him.
He just managed to get through it as Jack gasped and came back to life. What was he going to do now? He'd have to answer all sorts of awkward questions, and it wasn't like he could do anything about it, now could he?
***
So of course, they ended up here. It was inevitable really. He had to tell Jack why he'd left him. Good thing Jack didn't know enough about the implications of being a fixed point in time to ask the really important question.
Yes, it hurt to talk about Rose, but he was used to that pain. He could get through it.
And he was glad that Jack didn't want to die. Arranging that now would be...well...pretty difficult.
He thought he'd made it as Jack concentrated on the last tube. But he should have known better. There was something about this particular human.
As Jack's fingers danced on the tube cover, he asked, oh so casually. "But there's more isn't there?"
"What do you mean, more?"
Jack looked him straight in the eyes. The Doctor could feel that gaze, right through the protective glass. It wasn't going to protect him from this, though. "It's more than just me being a fixed point in time, though. Those Time Lord senses of yours. You feel more than just me being...wrong."
The Doctor glanced down, unable to meet those intense blue eyes. He should say nothing, bluff his way through with a joke, or a meaningless technical explanation.
But in the end, he couldn't do it. Not to Jack. He met the man's gaze squarely. "No, you're right. Every time you die, I feel it too. Right along with you. And I always will. There's no way to shut that down."
Jack closed his eyes briefly. "Then I'm sorry for that too."
The Doctor lowered his eyes, and his voice. "But it's all I've got of her now. So I can live with it."
End