On the Fourth Day of Advent
AN: This turned out A LOT differently than I planned. For one thing, the link to Christmassy stuff is kind of tenuous. For another, it's a bit darker and angstier than I thought it would. But hey, at least it adds variety! Kudos to anyone who works out the big reveal before the big reveal. And yes, this IS my theory. And I'm sticking to it.
Disclaimer: Do not own. But to be fair neither does TGM. This is pure RTD property, and as it's not really his anymore, would I be allowed to call finders keepers? Pretty please?
He staggers back into the TARDIS, wincing. The pain is less easy to avoid now, but he has so many more goodbyes to make…some, he'll never be able to.
Rose, lost and found in a parallel world with a life of her own that should never be disrupted by him again. Those he desperately wanted a chance to say sorry to – Astrid. Harriet. Jenny.
And not only Jenny, but the rest of his family…the ones he barely lets himself think about, the ones now lost. Susan and the people he had slowly trained himself to consider as Susan's Mother, Susan's Uncles, Susan's Grandmother… Lost, forever.
It was all so long ago now that he was almost able to ignore the hole where they should have been.
But oh, he had been sotempted today. Gallifrey returning, the Time Lords reborn, his family resurrected.
Of course he hadn't acted on it. Of course he had done the right thing, condemning his people to death all over again.
After all, she had been there to make sure he did what was right. At least he had been granted that one impossible goodbye, just that one look passing between the two of them as worlds ended and the world he had been mourning for fell once more.
Wracked with a combination of pain and exhaustion and grief, the Doctor collapsed momentarily on the Console Room floor. She had just been there, he could have saved her at least, he should have at least tried.
A slow montage flashed through his mind – him running across the Gate room and into the gathering Void, grabbing her hand, the two of them running far, far away, where the Time Lock wouldn't be able to pull her back.
Of course, even in this state the Doctor knew that she would never have escaped. He doubted she would have even come with him; it was far more likely that she would choose to stay and help her people.
For the first time in his long, gruelling line of goodbyes, the Doctor allowed himself to weep.
A flash of heat in his jacket pocket. The unmistakable sound of a message arriving in the Psychic Paper. He unfolded the black paper, fingers trembling. Writing hurried across the paper, lines and lines of it, all in a small, precise scrawl that he had never thought he'd see again
Oh for god's sake stop crying. It's Christmas and you've got a regeneration to be getting on with.
Don't worry about me, I've known for a long time now how my story will end. You go and start your next chapter.
I had a peek, and believe me; it's going to be amazing. The new girl? Almost as pretty as me. And possibly even as smart.
Now go! I know what you'll have done. You've been saying goodbye, haven't you? Yeah, you always tended to err on the soppy side. But maybe by now you want to give up.
You'll never be allowed to say goodbye to some of us. And you know what? That's fine.
After all.
We'll always have Paris
For a long time after that last line had faded away, the Doctor didn't move. His mind, though, was racing. If she could still send a message, could he-? Were they all still somewhere in between, somewhere he could-?
No. No more. That part of his time was over, once and for all. She had somehow, miraculously, managed to give him this last gift, but underneath the pep talk and cheerful goodbye, there was another message for him: a warning. Don't even think about trying anything stupid. And of course she was right. Although it still irked him to admit it, even to himself, she was usually right.
"Enough. Enough now," he whispered, slowly sitting up. There was, of course, no way he would ever be able to actually speak to her again. But still, he needed to say something. "Happy Christmas to you too,Romana."
The Doctor started setting the TARDIS on route for Chiswick. There was time for just a few more goodbyes.
AN: Yes, this is my theory. I don't care what Russel T Davies says. The Woman IS Romana, demoted from Presidency and put into her place of shame by a power hungry Rassilon when she tried to stop all these evil master plan things happening. And the guy? Hmm. Adric, of course. Or the Rani after a sex change. JOKE! SARCASM HAND! But seriously, the Woman is definitely Romana.
Thanks to Gallifreyan Girl for this request! And, everyone else, feel free to add prompts. Can be as unspecific as asimple word, or a pairing you'd like to see. Can be as specific as the whole plot, if you have an idea you'd want me to write. Up to you!