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The Doctor stood alone in the TARDIS, a small Cheeky grin on his face. He did it, no... They did it. The Time war was finally over; The Daleks were gone and he and his other selves saved Gallifrey.
But was it worth it? All those children on Gallifrey who lost their lives. Was it worth it? He should have died on Karn.
No. The Doctor Did die. That life; once so filled with a lust for life, died alongside a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. Broken. And whoever was formed in those broken shards was no Doctor.
So who was he now?
A Warrior...
A Monster....
A Coward.
The last of the Time Lords stood inside his TARDIS, he looked down at Rose, she would be okay. Unlike him. He felt the burning sensation of the time vortex through his body; his cells burning up like a supernova. But he had to hold on. He wouldn't leave her, not now.
Then he heard a voice. "Ready to go" it said. He looked with sharp blue eyes to... The Doctor?
Yep, same face as on Karn, though his face appeared to be a bit smoother. But there he was, The Doctor: arms crossed, leaning against the wall. The Leather clad Time Lord simply let out "no". He needed more time. He couldn't just change, he still had so many places to take Rose.
"As stubborn as always" his former self cracked a smirk.
"Oh, and you're one to talk", he knew there was truth in what his predecessor said. He was always so stubborn, some faces more than others. The TARDIS hummed in agreement. The Storm just rolled his eyes.
He remembered the feeling. How his first face would try holding on, not wanting to change. Or how the exposure to the Spectrox toxaemia would cause wild mood swings early into his sixth life. Not to mention the amount of times he would lose his memory as his eighth incarnation. He would stop as it seems he stuck a nerve.
"Sorry" he smiled cheekily at his former self's annoyance.
Suddenly Rose began to stir. The Doctor simply said "well, it's now or never" the ghost of his past self just stood there, waiting for a response.
He didn't want this to end, he started adventuring again, helping wherever he could and he had found someone he could love and show the wonders of the universe to.
Rose made him feel like The Doctor again.
"Alright, now you better pop off to wherever you came from" The two Doctors smiled at each other, soon The Doctor was alone again. Well, not really.
The burning had stopped, he looked down at his hand a saw a golden glow.