Meeting You for the First Time Again

Chapter Six

He pressed the button that creates an oxygen shield around the TARDIS and walked to the doors.

As he opened the door, I saw a look of nostalgia cross his face and I began to move slowly towards him.

"Look at this," he commented. "It's still so beautiful..."

I appeared next to him and looked out the doors.

I gasped at the beauty.

It was a mixture of every color I could think of and more. Blues, greens, pinks, and reds danced across my vision.

"What is it Doctor?"

"This, Rose, is the Medusa Cascade," he said. I looked over and saw his eyes glazed over with tears.

"You okay?" I checked.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "It's just that this is where Gallifrey fell, where I made it fall."

"That wasn't you," I argued.

He rolled his eyes. "Rose, I am the Doctor and you know it. We've been over this."

"Yeah, I know."

"Alright. Should we go now?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Doctor pulled me back into the TARDIS and closed the doors.

He ran up and around the consul and it reminded me so much of the days that I used to love so much. Now those days were just an arm-span away. I only had to reach out.

"Rose, this isn't going to be like other trips," the Doctor said gravely.

"No?"

"No, and I need you to concentrate on where you want to be, most of all. This is really important, Rose. Ypu know how the TARDIS has the tendency to take you places you don't intend to go to. Anything could happen, so if something happens to me, don't stop flying the TARDIS. Get to the other universe," his face looked sad, extremely sad, and that was different.

I nodded. "I will."

He smiled. "Alright then, let's go home!"

He checked the monitor once more before pushing down on the lever and we went whirling into the Cascade.

Seconds later, the Doctor exclaimed, "We're at the weakest point. This is going to be really difficult now."

It felt like we were repeatedly ramming into a wall, and I knew how that felt, we had done it before.

Out of nowhere, sparks flew from under the consul.

"There goes the Chameleon Circuit," the Doctor's voice rang throughout the TARDIS.

There were loud bangs and crashes, the TARDIS was destroying itself. I heard the Doctor cry out.

"Doctor! Are you alright?" I called, still concentrating on flying the TARDIS.

I didn't get a response.

I ran peered around the corner and saw him lying flat on his back.

I wanted to run to him, but he had told me to keep flying the TARDIS so I did.

I did my best and focused all of my attention on getting to the parallel universe.

I felt a warp and the banging stopped.

I rushed to the doors. We were still in the Medusa Cascade, but there was something different about it.

In the distance, I could see something burning. Something huge, and it saddened me when I realized that it was Gallifrey.

But then I realized, if Gallifrey was burning, it meant that it had worked. I had gotten to the other universe. The one that I belonged to. This was my home.

I remembered the Doctor ran back to him.

I knelt at his side.

"Doctor," I asked, pressing my hand to his face.

His eyes fluttered open.

"Did we make it?" He asked.

I nodded, but couldn't help letting a tear run down my face.

"Rose, listen, I'm dying," he said and I gulped back more tears. However, he continued, "I'm not going o last for much longer, but I want you to find your Doctor and I want you to forget about me. Live a happy life with him and stay out of trouble."

"I can't promise that I'll stay out of trouble," I said, coming close to laughing.

"No, I guess not, knowing me. But, you will forget about me, though. That won't be too hard when you have him," he said. He was gasping for breath.

"But you are him," I said.

"So find him and treat him the same way that you've treated me."

I watched as he let out his last breath, which was no more than a wisp of air. His muscles relaxed and I let myself cry over him, but not for too long.

I felt guilty.

He was every bit the same as the Doctor, yet I couldn't bring myself to feel the same way about him.

When I opened my eyes, the Doctor was glowing and for a moment I thought he would regenerate. That was before his body disintegrated into millions of gold atoms. He was gone. Now he was just dust in the wind, in the case that there could be wind in space.

I slowly stood up and brushed myself.

Slowly making my way back to the consul, I set the place for London and the time for now. I knew the Doctor would turn up sooner or later.

He always did.