The War Doctor smiled, hiding his inner mischief which had barely survived through the duration of the Last Great Time War. "And if I grow to be half the man that you are," he smirked when he saw his future incarnations turn smugly at each other, "Clara Oswald," in his peripheral vision the War Doctor mentally danced a mental jig when he caught the reactions of his future selves, "I shall be happy indeed." Clara chuckled as she stood up, putting away her cup, "That's right," the young woman smiled. "Aim high."
It had been a long time since he had gotten a kiss, especially from a beautiful young human; the Doctor had gotten over the prejudices of the Time Lords long ago, but he felt himself blushing as she kissed him. But his thoughts turned grim, "I won't remember this, will I?" He asked his future selves. The Eleventh Doctor sighed, and shook his head. "The time streams are out of sync. You can't retain it, no." The War Doctor sagged and he saw the grim expression on the Tenth Doctor's face. To that version of him, he travelled the universe so sure he'd destroyed the Time Lords, and he'd buried all memories of his war time self away. The War Doctor had not expected anything less. Hell, he'd even stopped counting their ages and went back to the beginning, for heavens' sake because he believed he had killed the Doctor by becoming a Warrior instead.
"So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it," he mused sadly, cursing the fact the Time Lords were gone so their ability to control the synch of the timelines was gone; while future Time Lords meeting their previous lives tended to lose their memories so they wouldn't recall anything until they became that incarnation so they were not forewarned, it was different for him as he was now, but the Tenth Doctor would not remember this either.
"I'll have to live with that," the War Doctor whispered before he realised what that meant. "But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again. Thank you." The War Doctor smiled gratefully at his successors before he turned to the TARDISes; he felt a bit odd, and he wanted to leave now and go on his way before the timelines shifted. "Which one is mine?" He asked, seeing the expressions on his future selves was worth it when he walked to the shabbiest TARDIS there was. "Ha!" Slipping the key into the lock, the War Doctor walked inside the TARDIS, and his hands danced over the console and the TARDIS dematerialised. He closed his eyes and smiled at the sound; he was about to set the controls for anywhere in the universe when he felt a telltale burn in his chest, and a warm golden glow appeared.
Rather than be surprised or horrified, the War Doctor just smiled in acceptance; he had been exposed to time winds, shot at, electrocuted, subjected to bioweapons, and the effects of time destructors since entering the Time War; he'd been nearing the end of his current life anyway, but he had pushed himself on and on so he could keep fighting and making a difference in the War, but now the end of the war had come, Gallifrey was saved…or had it been destroyed? He felt his memory going.
He had no more reason to be in this body anymore. It was time for a regeneration, for renewal.
"Oh yes, of course. I suppose it makes sense," he muttered, "Wearing a bit thin," he said thoughtfully as he thought about his next life; he had never been good at controlling his regenerations, and he'd wanted to be ginger for centuries but the War Doctor merely made an offhand comment and a thought about his next life. "I hope the ears are a bit less conspicuous this time, and I wish I was young….and maybe female," he added, wondering if it would be great if he began his new life with a fresh perspective…..
Xxxxx
The Doctor breathed in through fresh lungs, looking down at their hands. They were smaller, younger. The skin was smooth, like an egg shell or a flower petal.
Slowly, the Doctor ran a hand over their body, feeling their curves and longer, silkier hair, and the curves of their body.
"Oh, my," the Doctor whispered, "I'm a woman now….I'm a woman…and the last of the Time Lords," she whispered quietly and with pain. "I'll never forgive myself for this…."