The Doctor treaded carefully through the dark tunnel. Whatever he did, he had to find Martha and soon. He didn't think he could bear to lose another companion.
Suddenly, a familiar fragrance crept through his nostrils. Rayon powder. What was that doing down here? He sniffed the air. Oh yes, that was definitely Rayon powder. But that belonged in a mystical shop back on Blugoon. His eyes narrowed. He knew what accompanied that. And he'd been subject to its effects before. A long time ago. But that meant he wasn't immune to it now. Any second now, he would see. He only wondered if it would be what he thought it should be.
"Doctor." A voice called for him from down the dark tunnel.
Finally. "Martha!" He jogged towards the noise. As he turned the corner, he stopped dead. Well, there was his answer. It was what he thought it should be.
"Doctor." Rose repeated. Except it wasn't Rose. But…that was her smile. "There you are."
His throat tightened, threatening to close completely. He dared not speak.
The figure stepped forward, making his mind reel. She looked so realistic. That's why there were universe-wide bans on certain chemicals. They warped reality. Even for a Time Lord. They were dangerous. He wanted so hard to believe.
"What's wrong?" She was inches away. Except it wasn't her. But it smelled like her. His mind argued with him.
He opened his mouth to speak, to reply, but he stopped himself. He couldn't acknowledge it. He had to turn away. If he, even for a moment, pretended that what he was seeing was real, he would break when reality came crashing back down on him.
"I miss you," she whispered.
He didn't know what to do. He couldn't turn away, no matter how hard he tried. It would be akin to turning his back on the real Rose. He could never do that. His hearts ached with a deep pain. Your heart's desire, they called it. Oh, he'd seen it coming, but he hadn't wanted to recognize it. He should be seeing his people, Gallifrey. Here, now, was his utter heart's desire revealed to him.
"Why did you leave me?" The figure asked in a heartbreaking rendition of Rose's crying voice.
"I didn't." The words came out of their own accord. He'd had no power. He couldn't let her think such things, even if she wasn't real. "The walls. They closed. There was nothing I could do."
"I was going to be with you forever." Sparkling tears ran down her face, and he wanted nothing more than to make them fade away. He knew, though, if he touched her, she would fade away, and he would be left alone staring at empty air.
"I know." His voice broke. "I know, and I'm sorry."
"Are you alone?" She asked sadly now.
He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.
"Good." She smiled now. "I just want you to be happy. My Doctor." She reached a hand out. It looked so solid. "All I ever wanted…was for you to be happy."
Maybe she would become real. As he reached his own fingers forward, he wished for that harder than he'd ever wished for anything before. As soon as his hand reached the space where the figure was, she disappeared. He started, shocked. A lone tear ran down his face.
It took him a minute to compose himself, but the point was that he did. He cleared his face and took a deep breath. No, he wasn't alone. Maybe it wasn't the same as being with her, but it was all he had. And that would have to be enough. Because he had to be happy. For her. As happy as he could be without her at least.